The mission was supposed to go like any other, but Raven managed to screw it up somehow. Maybe it was because she was facing Jinx that she'd get a dose of bad luck from the pink-haired girl. Maybe it was because she was already distracted because Robin had said that a former member of the Team was going to pay a visit, but he'd never said who. Either way, Raven was taking cover behind a huge slab of stone while Jinx was ordering the henchmen that were accompanying her to fire. Beast Boy, disguised as a bee, quickly appeared next to the purple-clad girl.

"What're we gonna do, Mama?" he asked, sweating nervously. "I didn't expect her to bring some of Penguin's henchmen just to bring him the treasure inside!"

"I don't think anybody ever did, Beast Boy," replied the half-demon in a slightly irritated monotone. "What the hell is Robin doing?"

"He's going ahead to try and beat Jinx," answered the green-skinned youngster when a grenade landed in front of them. Both he and Raven screamed for an instant before she used her Dark powers to contain the explosion and shrapnel as best as she could.

"I don't think they're there anymore," the pair heard one goon say.

"That's great, but we need to keep surveying the area," replied another. "They could've gone anywhere, or more of those brats could come."

"Yessir! We also need to report this to the boss!" said a goon that sounded farther away from the rest. It seemed like the goons were splitting up, and Raven and Beast Boy sighed, relieved.

"Beast Boy," said Raven, "go to check if Robin's all right. We do need the whole team to greet our guest—"

"What was that?" suddenly came a goon's voice. "It came from over—mmmf!"

"WAAAUUGH!" screamed another henchman, and a thud was heard not too far from Raven and Beast Boy's position. Suddenly, Kid Flash appeared next to the two.

"Sup, kids?" asked the red-haired young man with a smirk. "Been a while, huh?"

"K.F!" greeted Beast Boy happily before hugging the fellow hero. "You came to rescue us!"

Another thud was heard, along with gunshots and screams. Kid Flash smirked and said, "Technically, yeah… You should go help Robin, though. Wouldn't wanna lose both your leader and your target, huh?" Seeing Beast Boy's expression, he added, "Don't worry; I'll tag along to help."

"Cool! Jinx has no chance now!" The green-skinned boy leapt to his feet and transformed into a rhino before rushing through a door with Kid Flash running next to him.

Raven, however, hadn't moved from her spot. She was sensing someone else in the room, and they were moving quickly and disposing of Penguin's henchmen one by one. She was following the person's movements until a body nearly landed on top of her. She quickly used her magic to toss the heavy-looking, knocked-out man aside before he crushed her (since she was very small, even for her age), and then Raven realized the room was quiet once more. She quickly stood up and looked around, still sensing the stranger's presence.

"Out of my head, Raven," said the stranger right behind the girl, and she yelped in surprise and turned around quickly. The stranger was tall and well-built, and his suit was tight and made emphasis on his muscles, though the armor was also noticeable. The man's messy black hair partially covered his face, and so did his mask, but his small smirk was visible, and it made Raven's heart skip a beat.

"N-Nightwing…" she said, controlling herself. "What're you doing here?"

"Robin said he screwed up, and Batman told me to intervene, so I brought K.F. with me." Nightwing's arms uncrossed, and he put his hands on his hips. "Frankly, I'm surprised that he couldn't handle this room; it's not the first time we've been cornered like this."

"He was distracted," explained Raven. "We all were. I guess we were all anxious to see you again in the Tower."

"Funny they're not done in there, though," commented the black-haired young man, looking into the hallway. "It's either that, or Wally stayed to chat with the other two." He started to walk into the hallway when he turned around and saw Raven hadn't moved from her spot, and even though her face was covered by her hood, Nightwing knew she was staring at him. He sighed before saying, "You know, you can get a better view if you just follow me…"

Raven blushed under her hood, grateful it covered her face, and followed Nightwing closely, still staring at his well-endowed backside. It had been at least two years since the former Boy Wonder and the daughter of Trigon last saw each other left each other bitterly. No, they hadn't dated… exactly. Neither Nightwing nor Raven liked to talk about it to anyone, but the latter still harbored something for Batman's Prodigal Son—though she didn't know what exactly to call it. Sure, Dick Grayson was attractive; who wouldn't stare at that glorious ass of his?

"I can feel your eyes boring into me, you know," said Nightwing, looking over his shoulder and making Raven snap out of her reverie. "How's the team been?"

"T-the team…" Raven shook her head to clear her mind off her thoughts. "They've been fine, I guess… Beast Boy misses you a lot, though. Starfire went back to Tamaran for 'special training,' or so she said. Ummm…"

"How's Roy? Aqualad?"

"Ummm… Well, both Roy's are working solo, a-as you should know… B-but why are you quizzing me?"

"Well, it is an oddly long hallway here," commented the young man with a shrug. "Seems perfect for some exposition, don't you think?" He then winked elsewhere, and Raven tried to follow his gaze.

"Who did you wink at?" she asked, confused.

"That doesn't matter; we made it," answered the acrobat, kneeling next to a corner. "Who else is there, Raven?"

"I sense Wally, Tim, and Gar—Beast Boy," said the cloaked girl, quickly reading the room. "Ugh, Jinx is there too, but she's with… Slade?"

"Deathstroke again?" muttered Nightwing, slapping his forehead. "I guess whatever Penguin wants that's in that room, he wants it bad. How're our boys doing?"

"Not as good as we wish… Beast Boy's down and Robin's having a hard time against Slade…"

"What about Kid Flash?"

"Well…" Raven could see that Kid Flash and Jinx were indeed fighting, but their emotional state made it seem like they were playing.

"Lemme guess," interrupted Nightwing. "Flirting again, are they?"

"Yeah," said Raven, irritated. "Do you think we should—? Oh, he still does that…" Raven rolled her eyes in annoyance when she realized Nightwing had left her alone.

"I'm extremely disappointed in you, kid," Deathstroke was saying while blocking Robin's incoming staff attacks with ease. "We've had better fights than this. Then again, you always had help, didn't you?"

Robin was shoved back by the mercenary, who turned to Jinx and said, "Jinx, whenever you're done flirting, do us both a favor and grab the Golden Sundae's fridge, will you? We have big money riding on this one, and the Penguin hates waiting."

"R-right!" said Jinx with a giggle. "Take this, Flash-wannabe!" With that, all the lamps in the room blew up, and Kid Flash had to run backwards to evade the explosions. Smirking, the pink-haired girl ran towards the refrigerator that Slade had pointed. The refrigerator looked more like a safe than anything else, though, but Jinx was able to use her magic to lift it up until a shuriken narrowly missed her ankles.

"Why would Cobblepot want ice cream so badly?" muttered Nightwing while throwing another shuriken at Deathstroke. "He never had a sweet tooth… Maybe he has a buyer for it?"

"Now, see, that's more like it," said Slade while taking out his sword and acquainting it to Nightwing's Escrima Sticks. "Been a while, Boy Wonder."

"Legally, I'm a man now," said Nightwing with a quick smirk that returned to being a scowl while he and Deathstroke fought. "So Man Wonder or Wonder Man works just fine for me."

"You're no man yet, boy," snapped the mercenary. He quickly diverted his gaze and said, "Jinx, did you get it?"

"Nah, bro, I got it," said another boy's voice. Both Nightwing and Deathstroke looked to see Robin pinning Jinx down while Kid Flash and Beast Boy were eating what seemed to be a large sundae that gleamed and sparkled under the moonlight that came in through the windows. Sitting on top of the Golden Sundae's refrigerator, Raven watched the scene, amused though not showing it. Beast Boy looked at Nightwing and, holding a spoonful of the gold-filled ice cream, he said, "Want some, Nightwing? It's not that good, but… well, it's actually kinda good."

"I'm a little busy right now, you know," said the former Boy Wonder, resuming his battle. Kid Flash rolled his eyes and, at full speed, reached Deathstroke. The mercenary, however, managed to land a cut at the redhead's arm, but that was all he could do because one of Nightwing's sticks reached his neck and zapped him, immobilizing him. The acrobat then leapt back, and one of Deathstroke's stun gas pellets exploded, leaving Slade Wilson unable to move. "I think that was a bit overkill, K.F."

"Sorry, man," apologized Kid Flash with a shrug while he and the green-skinned boy finished the dessert, "but I really liked this ice cream! What's it made of, though?"

"It's basically vanilla bean with more vanilla and edible 23-karat gold," explained Nightwing while he picked up Deathstroke and carried him to the exit. "Now, please bring Jinx along, will you? I don't think Batman will be happy to hear she went to do whatever she wants again…"

"Sorry, baby," said Kid Flash to the pink-haired girl while he carried her bridal-style—though she was tied up. "We'll play again soon, okay?"

"Yes, dear," giggled Jinx before smooching the yellow-clad teen in the cheek.

Three hours later, the group was back in the Titans' headquarters, and Nightwing was relaying the details of a new mission that seemed to require a lot of hands to succeed… or maybe it was different missions that needed fewer people? Raven wasn't paying attention, either way. She was looking at the attractive man giving the speech; all the girls were. Dick Grayson was, by most standards, the perfect guy: attractive, charming, intelligent, and athletic. Raven couldn't blame anyone for liking him, but she was still kicking herself mentally for letting herself feel anything, let alone attraction for a former teammate.

"…and that is all, everyone. Dismissed, everyone. See you tomorrow." Nightwing shut off the screen with the missions' details, and everyone in the room stood up and started to chat, leaving in pairs or groups. Raven herself was about to stand up and levitate to her quarters, but a hand on her shoulder told her otherwise. "Raven, may I have a word?" said Nightwing, looking stern.

'Shit,' thought Raven, 'now he'll be scolding me for being practically useless today…' Nonetheless, the purple-haired girl nodded slowly and silently.

"First of all, I'm guessing you're wondering why I didn't assign you to any group." That statement took the girl by surprise, and she looked around to make sure there was anyone to confirm that she wasn't going to any mission; alas, the room was empty save for the two of them. The new thought that entered her head made her feel her cheeks heat up.

"I-I didn't expect the little vacation, if that's what you mean," replied she. "But that's not all, is it?"

"Well, I wanted to catch up, first of all," said Grayson, shrugging. "How've you been?"

"I've been fine. What's this really about?" Raven squinted at the man, sensing some ulterior motive.

"It's about coffee in two hours if you want, Raven," Nightwing smirked lightly. He knew that she'd refuse, but his M.O. always began with that. Starfire and Zatanna had always talked about that in front of Raven.

"Listen, Grayson," said the girl, "if you want to take me out, you can. However, you stated things clearly last time we saw each other."

"You were in my head, Raven. There's a lot that you could've done in there. I couldn't even trust myself." Nightwing looked away and his expression darkened. It was obvious that what had happened had left some scars in the acrobat. Raven's gaze fell on his blue logo; last time she'd seen its wearer, he was wearing red instead, and an encircled letter R.

"I thought I said sorry enough times…" said Raven, looking away in sadness. She turned back to Grayson, but there was only a note on the table that said "See you in the pizzeria at 8:30. Be sure to dress casual. –D.G." Raven sighed and said, "Goddamn it…" before leaving to her room.

The girl checked her watch once again and sighed in exasperation. It was three minutes to 9, and her date was nowhere to be found. She figured this was the way he was repaying her for what she had done to him, but then assumed it would be too immature to hold a grudge for that long and get revenge in that fashion. Rachel Roth sighed, and decided to continue reading her novel. A waiter came up to the dark-haired girl.

"Excuse me, miss," he said politely while Rachel turned to him with a small glare. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but are you ready to order, or would you like to wait a few more minutes?"

Before Rachel could reply, another man's voice surprised them both. "Nah, we're ready to order. Sorry for the wait," said Dick Grayson while he shook his head to move his bangs away from his eyes.

Rachel sighed in relief and ordered her dinner with Dick. Once the waiter left, Rachel glared at her companion.

"What took you so long?" she asked in her angry monotone.

"Got caught up rescuing some hostages from Harley," replied he in a low voice. "I do apologize for that, Rave—I mean, Rachel."

"You could at least look like you didn't just wake up, Grayson." Rachel looked at her date's hoodie, which was zipped up to just under his collarbone and obviously had nothing underneath. Dick said nothing, but smiled sheepishly. That smile that had always captivated her (and the other female teammates) was now making Raven mentally kick herself again. She decided to talk to the man in front of her, who was now rubbing his arm, to try to distract herself from the infatuation… good luck with that, she thought bitterly.

"So what's the purpose behind this meeting?"

"Purpose?" Grayson's blue eyes were fixed on the dark-haired girl in front of him. He thought for a second before replying, "I guess I wanted to see you again…"

"Grayson, I do believe you're planning something," said Rachel, irked. "I don't need to be in your head to know."

"Glad to know you've learned privacy," answered Dick, whose smile shrank a bit. "But I'm not here to focus on the past, Rachel."

"Then what are you here for?!" said Rachel, raising her voice a little. She then cleared her throat, remembering to control herself. Dick raised his eyebrow at her act, and her face went red.

"I… I wanted to set things straight between us, Rachel." The acrobat scratched the back of his head while he answered, and his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Rachel's face blushed even more at the sight; he was just so adorable!

"Straight as in…?" she asked, trying to understand the meaning behind Dick's words.

"Well, I know you and Garfield have something, so I wanted to congratulate you on it…" Dick had changed the subject. Whether it was on purpose or not, Rachel didn't know.

"Had, Grayson," corrected the girl, looking away. "It was good while it lasted, though…"

"Sorry to hear that, then," replied the young man, sensing the whole situation getting more and more awkward. Fortunately for both, their meal had arrived, and both started to eat silently.

Raven looked at Nightwing while she ate, unsure of what exactly was going on through her head. She was controlling her emotions, having lost a bit of her grip when she lashed out, but there was something else that was slipping through her mental fingers. She saw Nightwing with eyes similar to ones she used to see him in all that time ago, but she was sure he wasn't reciprocating anything. Grayson looked at her while taking a bite out of his pizza, and quickly looked away when he realized she was looking at him too. The rest of the meal went on without any words, and Grayson paid for the meal. The pair was returning to the Titans' headquarters together when Raven decided to speak up.

"S-so, are you staying in the Tower?" she asked.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I came from Coast City all the way over here… but it's a bit far from Blüdhaven, so I'll stay here a few nights while I lead the mission," answered Dick. The pair fell silent once more, and Raven looked at Nightwing, noticing he seemed deep in thought.

Once they returned to the tower, Dick went to the kitchen for a snack and Raven went to the rooftop to meditate, as usual. She needed to calm her thumping heart down and she needed to try to distract herself from the man that kept grabbing her attention. Raven made her appearance return to normal, and she started to float in place once she got into her usual position in the roof. The cool breeze and the soft mutterings of the nearby city were enough to make her head cool down, but something broke her concentration.

"Still doin' that after all this time, huh?" said a voice behind her, and Raven fell on her rump.

"Still interrupting me even after all this time, huh?" replied the girl, annoyed once she realized who had broken her inner trance. "Whaddaya want?"

"I wanted to talk, Raven," said Nightwing honestly. "First of all, sorry for pissing you off in the pizzeria."

"That's nothing," said the half-demon in her usual monotone, and she resumed her position.

"Secondly, I wanted to apologize for… well…"

"I thought you said you didn't want to focus on the past, Grayson." Raven closed her indigo eyes while trying to keep her cool.

"I'm sorry; that's what I actually came for," said Dick, sitting next to her with a half-eaten apple in his hand. He took another bite before saying, "We both screwed up, didn't we?"

Raven turned to glare at her companion. "Your tone of voice makes me think it was only me who screwed up."

"Sorry…" The acrobat looked away from the purple-haired girl. "I was the one who went away and accepted no apologies, though…"

"It didn't kill me, though. I lived on and loved on, as you know. So did you."

"You make it sound like I never liked you, Raven."

"You didn't," said Raven, standing up and turning her back at Nightwing, who was still not looking at her. "Anyone who likes another person doesn't leave for no reason, you know."

"Raven, you were manipulating me like I was your puppet," said the young man, standing up as well and turning to the purple-clad girl. "You knew I was going after somebody else and forced me to go for you instead. I was in love with Kori, but you took me from her."

"You still went back to her after what happened, though," snapped Raven, and a tear stung her eyes. "I just wanted you to at least notice me… I really liked you…"

"I did notice you, Raven; I was your leader," answered Nightwing, apparently missing the point behind the cloaked girl's words. "However, controlling people's emotions the way you want isn't right. Just like Ms. Martian, even if it's okay with the bad guys, you can't overdo it."

"Oh, so now I was abusing power, huh?" Raven took a step away from Nightwing, and the first tear rolled out from her eye and down her cheek. "I was a girl, and I had a crush, Grayson. You know how that works don't you?"

"I was a boy with a crush too, Raven," replied Dick, taking a step forward as well. "But people change and grow. If you wanted me, you should've just let me be."

"You'd've never been mine if I did that," sobbed Raven, taking a few steps away from the vigilante before dropping to her knees and starting to cry. She hated herself all over for losing control over her emotions, but she had kept those feelings bottled up for too long, and now her shadow was starting to swirl around menacingly. Nightwing looked at the small figure of his former teammate and fellow heroine, and frowned.

Raven, between sobs, said, "You're not some… thing I can call 'mine,' Grayson… You're… your own person… I just wanted you… to be with me…"

"Am I not with you now, Raven?" said Dick, looking down. Raven turned around to look at him. He had a face that showed some remorse, but the girl could also read sadness, worry, and something else she couldn't quite pick up. The shadows kept dancing around the girl, whose emotions weren't still under control, but Nightwing boldly but slowly stepped closer until he was right next to her. He knelt down and slowly wrapped his arms around Raven.

"I'm sorry for hurting you so, Raven… but I need you to remember something."

Raven's eyes had widened in surprise, but still tears rolled down her cheeks. She quickly wiped a few of them before saying, "And that is…?"

"Your powers are amplifying other people's emotions, aren't they?" said Grayson, not letting go of the girl. "Then what you made me feel for you was partly real…"

"Stop it, Grayson…" Raven broke free from Nightwing's embrace and, standing up, stepped away again. "Are you trying to make me feel hopeful or something?"

"Raven…" Nightwing stood up until he was at full height. Raven, being short, barely reached his chest. "Besides the mission, I only came here for you… I wanted to at least tell you that I really did feel something for you."

"Nightwing… please don't do this…" The pale girl looked away from the target of her affections. The shadows around the rooftop became bigger and seemed to glare at the young man. "We cannot be together; if that's what you want… not after all we did to each other…"

"I see," said Grayson, defeated. "Then at least you know. I'll be going now…"

With that said, Nightwing entered the door that allowed access to the roof from the Tower, headed for his room.

"Timmy, what did I tell you about decorating my room?" said Dick, noticing his band posters were covered by science posters and famous quotes on life and the universe. "At least you could carefully remove mine and put them away, you know."

"Sorry, Dick," said Tim while he put on some sweatpants and stretched. "I got lazy on that one."

"That's not like you, Timmy," chuckled the older Robin. He then looked into his bag, searching for a shirt to wear to sleep. Timothy looked at his adoptive brother and tilted his head.

"You okay, Dick? You seem a little down…" he said.

"I-I'm fine, Tim," answered Dick, shaking his head quickly. "You know what? It's a hot night, so I think I'll only wear pants to sleep."

"As usual," chuckled Robin, looking at his elder. "Why so serious, brother?"

The older boy turned to the younger one with a glare. "Timothy Drake, what did we tell you about using that phrase?"

"Answer the question, Richard Grayson," Tim said, approaching his brother. "What's her name?"

"What; are all my problems girl-related?" Dick said, grimacing. "I have college and villains of my own, you know."

"You can beat up your villains," answered Robin, rolling his eyes, "and college is solved by hard work."

"I said college, not high school, you little nerd." Dick patted his brother's head in dismissal. "Hard work in college is only repaid by more work."

"Isn't that like what we do, Dick?" said Tim wisely.

Grayson stayed silent and smirked. "Her name's Rachel," he finally said after a few seconds.

Raven's eyes were dry now. She had cried them out after Nightwing had left her alone in the rooftop after confessing to her and she didn't do anything to stop him. Maybe she wasn't worthy of him, after all. Part of the rooftop's floor had cracked as her rage and sorrow manifested itself as tangible shadows that smashed around her. Fortunately, her feelings were all wrapped up again, though she was relieved of the pressure. She thought once again of Nightwing, remembering his words.

"What you made me feel was partly real."

Raven's eyes closed and she bit her lip softly. Who the hell uses the phrase "partly real" when talking about feelings? Maybe he meant that he did feel something for her in that time? No; he was chasing after Kori. One can't have feelings for two people… right? Raven thought maybe Grayson had lied, but he wasn't the kind of person to lie about that kind of thing. The purple-haired girl was starting to feel frustrated once more after all that pondering over Grayson's feelings, and decided to take a walk around the tower.

Without realizing, she had entered the gym and saw Superboy and Aqualad chatting while exercising together. Even though both Connor and Kaldur were both attractive, Raven paid barely any attention to them, for she only had eyes for Dick, until Kaldur acknowledged her presence.

"Raven, what brings you here?" asked the dark-skinned young man, surprised. "Is there anything you need?"

"No, thanks," lied the pale girl, rubbing her bare shoulders as if she was cold. The shadow that followed her moved slightly and Connor noticed it.

"You know you can trust us, Raven; we're your friends," said the black-haired young man while placing the barbell back in its original position without much effort. He stood up and approached Raven. "Is something wrong?"

"I really shouldn't be feeling this…" muttered Raven lowly. Unfortunately for her, Superboy had inherited Superman's hearing, and her comment didn't go unnoticed.

"Feeling what, Raven? Aren't you supposed to be in control of that?" asked he. Aqualad also stepped closer, worried.

"I-I'm in love…" confessed Raven. "But I shouldn't… and I shunned away t-the person—"

"You pushed away the person you love, Raven," finished Kaldur with a compassionate expression. "You're confused and frustrated because you know you should keep your feelings at bay, but the target of your affections is too precious for you to control yourself." When Raven and Superboy looked at him with surprise, he continued. "I might not have had many relationships, Raven, but I do know that when you feel for someone, your world becomes a mess until you have them… or lose them."

"What can I do, Kaldur…? I really hurt him… and myself…" said the cloaked girl, looking down. "I don't deserve him after all I did to him…"

"I'm sure he'll be understanding, Raven," answered Aqualad, placing his webbed hand on the girl's shoulder. "No man who has earned your affections should ignore whatever pleas you make him. Just be sure to be honest to him; lying implies a lack of trust, and that's something neither of you should have."

"T-thanks, Kaldur…" said Raven, looking up at the two men in front of her. "A-and thank you too, Connor."

"I didn't really do anything here, but sure," said Superboy with a shrug. Raven smiled at the two, and he and Aqualad grinned at each other. Superboy then added, "But don't keep him waiting; to wait is to lose, as Wally always says."

"Y-yeah!" Raven quickly turned around and ran from the gym, now determined.

Richard was sitting in his used-to-be favorite stool in the kitchen, eating another midnight snack with Beast Boy and Kid Flash. While the other two kept chatting and joking, he was pondering on what he had talked about with Tim earlier:

"She hurt you once, Dick," Red Robin had said. "That doesn't guarantee she'll do it again, though."

"I know that," Nightwing had responded. "But she's afraid she'll hurt me again, too…"

"Then tell her how you feel, Dick." Tim had crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

"I did, and she rejected me."

"She's afraid of herself, Dick. You should know better than anyone that girls get weird when fessed up to."

"I guess… Then I'll just have to find her and tell her, right?"

"Wrong." Tim had walked over to his adoptive brother and patted him on the back. "You need to eat; you don't think straight until you've had a snack."

Beast Boy yawned loudly and Kid Flash teased him.

"What is it, Logan? You tired already?" Wally referred to the green-skinned boy by his last name; he hated the fact that his first name was Garfield.

"Well, duh, bruh," said Beast Boy while scratching his back. "I had two missions today and a briefing from Dick here."

"You saying my briefings are boring?" said Dick, quickly returning to the conversation.

"Only when they get long," replied Beast Boy before yawning again. "I'm going to bed… What about you, Wally?"

"Yeah, I guess I should," answered the redheaded young man. "We do have a big day ahead of us tomorrow…"

The pair stood up and bid Nightwing a good night before leaving the black-haired young man alone in the kitchen. He took another spoonful of his ice cream and ate it slowly, thinking about what he should do next. Raven had rejected him, and it hurt. It wasn't the first time he'd been rejected, but those times never pained him as much. He leaned his head on his free hand while he sluggishly ate his snack. He was almost finished with it when he heard running steps toward the kitchen. Dick stood up slowly, but froze in his place when he realized who it was that came running to the kitchen. Raven, now cloak-less but still wearing her purple-and-black leotard, was catching her breath when she saw shirtless Dick Grayson standing beside a mug of ice cream. She blushed fiercely at the sight, but tried to keep her emotions under as much control as she could.

"You know you could've hovered here…?" muttered Nightwing, sitting back down on his stool and resuming his snack. His expression had darkened, and his dark bangs covered his face again.

"I-I'm sorry; I didn't think of that." It was true; she was so focused on finding Grayson, wherever he was, that she forgot that floating would've spent less of her stamina. "N-Nightwing, I wanted to tell you something…"

The blue-eyed young man looked at the purple-haired girl, and then he looked back down into his now empty mug. "What is it you want to say? Is a simple 'no' not enough for you?" he asked grimly.

Raven looked down, saddened. "I-I want to tell you… That I want a chance…"

Dick looked up at the girl again and saw her indigo eyes weren't aimed at him anymore, as if she thought she wasn't worthy of the view. "A chance?" he asked.

"I… I still want you, Richard…" When she said that, Nightwing looked up at her again. She continued, "I know I'm not… good enough for you, but… but…" She sniffed and turned away before Dick could see the tears welling up in her eyes. Raven kept trying to control herself, and she was now starting to succeed. She said, "I… I'm sorry that we've fallen in love for each other, but—"

A warm embrace from behind her shut her off, and Dick Grayson softly kissed the top of Raven's head.

"I didn't fall in love with you," he said. "I walked into love with you, with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way. I knew I was fated to be with you…"

Raven was shocked to hear his words, but she could feel his emotions pouring out from him like heat from a bonfire. She tried to turn around to hug him back, saying, "You were never one to believe people were fated to have each other… You're a free soul, Grayson, while I'm… caged by my choice to hide my emotions…"

"I do believe in fate and destiny," replied the young man, "but I also believe we are only fated to do the things we would choose anyway."

"G-Grayson… I…"

"And I'd choose you, Raven; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred different worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you."

Raven couldn't control herself anymore, and she started crying into Nightwing's bare chest while the room became engulfed in darkness. The black-haired vigilante stroked her purple hair softly while she wept, never loosening his hold on her. Once she finally calmed down, she looked up at him and noticed a few tears had also rolled down his cheeks.

"I honestly love you, Raven…" he said, looking at her in the eyes. "Even if I didn't love you then, I love you now… and I want to keep on loving you…"

"I love you too, Grayson…" whispered Raven, wrapping her arms around Nightwing's waist as best as she could while everything in the kitchen finally crashed down.

Hello, everyone! This is, quite honestly, my first Nightwing+Raven fanfic. I apologize if I got the characters acting a little... out of character (redundancy noted); I did try my best to keep everyone as faithful as I could to the source... I hope you enjoyed reading it, though!

-Klaus

phew~ I almost had to force him to write it cause he kept whining about there not being enough Dick/Rachel fics around XDDD I even volunteered to make the cover for it (I hope you like it~~ ^/^ ) anyway, I know you'll be begging for more so I'll just make Klaus write more about his OTP~~ have fun, and see y'all around~!

~Humbert