"An alien invasion? You mean like with spaceships and death rays?" Jeff asked his father in a clearly worried tone.

"You mean there really are aliens?" Jackie added.

"Uh, yeah, and there are two in this room right now." Gar replied as he frowned.

"Three, if you also count me." Raven said in her dead pan.

"You're an alien?" Jackie asked.

"Do I look human?"

"Well, yeah, you all do … Raven, I didn't know you were an alien,"

"Raven's father isn't of this world, or even this universe." Arella calmly interjected as she crossed her arms.

"What about the death rays?" Jeff asked. "Is this going to be like War of the Worlds where they just pick us off one by one?"

Gar placed a hand on Jeff's shoulder. "It's OK, we've faced the Gordanians before."

"What about those Citadel guys? I know the Gordanians are space lizards, but what are the Citadel like?"

"We've never dealt with them before." Gar quietly replied before turning to Starfire. "Star, what do you know about them?"

"My home world, Tamaran, is in the Vega system. Vega is also home to the Gordanians and the Citadel, who each have their own home world. As Jeffrey pointed out, the Gordanians are reptilians. They are also vassals of the Citadel."

"So the Citadel are even worse?" Jeff asked.

"Unfortunately, they are. They are a violent and vulgar race, who are obsessed with conquest. Their reach extends far beyond the Vega system, where Tamaran has long been a thorn in their side."

"Vulgar? What do you mean by that?" Jackie asked.

Starfire sighed before continuing. "They are know to eat their conquests."

"You mean if they conquer Earth they'll eat all of us?"

She shook her head. "No. They will take Earth's loveliest maidens as palace slaves. Those who fail to please their masters are killed and eaten … everyone else on Earth will also be enslaved. The weak are also killed and consumed."

"These guys are psychos! What are we going to do?" Jeff shrieked.

Nightwing was already on the mission console, speaking with Batman.

"Well, for starters, we'll get the Justice League and every other super hero group involved, like the Green Lanterns." Gar quickly remarked.

"And I expect Slade will recruit every super villain out there to help." Cyborg added.

"They would help us?" Jeff asked, unable to hide his disbelief.

"Hey, Earth is their home too. If we go down, they go down with us."

"The Citadel's expansion has been contained for many centuries. There are many in the Galaxy who wish that it remain that way. Earth is a world of many resources, which the Citadel would want to control. Other galactic powers would prefer that it not fall to the Citadel. I will contact Galfore so that he may inform me of the current situation."

"So does that mean Earth is safe?" Sara asked.

"The odds are in our favor." Nightwing added as he had finished his talk with the Bat. "The Justice League has many off world allies and friends. We won't be in this alone."

"So … you're not saying it's a sure thing?"

"These situations never are. Sara, I want you and your mother to stay with us. The Tower has a bunker deep under the island with an escape route to the mainland. You'll be safer here than in Gotham. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a conference call with the Justice League."

"And I must speak with Galfore." Starfire said to no one in particular as she also left the common room. Gar, Raven and Cyborg also left."

"So what do we do?" Sara asked.

Mar'i had been silent the whole time. She took Jeff's hand and squeezed it. He smiled at his girlfriend before turning to Raven's worried relatives.

"Let's order some pizza!"

-(-)-

A couple of hours later …

It was late in the afternoon, and sunset was approaching. Raven was levitating in the Lotus position, her legs crossed and her hands forming Azarathian mudras. She was sitting on the Tower roof, facing the setting sun, whose soothing amber glow reflected off the bay's waters. She softly repeated her mantra, over and over, and did not immediately stop when the roof's access door opened. No one emerged, but a pair of eyes peered from the darkness of the stairwell. Raven stopped and lowered her feet to the floor.

"It's OK, Sara, you aren't interrupting, I was about to stop."

Raven's cousin slowly walked out the door. "Gar said you'd be here. Uh, do you have time to talk?"

"Of course. About what?"

Sara nervously tapped her index fingers together.

"I asked Gar, but he said I should ask you."

Raven gestured at a couch Cyborg kept on the rooftop. Sara nodded and sat down. It still unnerved Raven just how much her cousin resembled her, though her blank poker face did not betray that emotion. Raven's frequent lack of expression did trouble Sara, who found Raven's often blank canvas to be unnerving.

"So, uh, are you really an alien?"

"Half alien. I'm also half human. I thought it was more than obvious that you and I share a lot of DNA."

"So that's where your powers come from … your alien side."

"Well, my ability to do magic, my telekinesis and super human physical strength are courtesy of my father, but not everything is from him. I'm also an empath, and I inherited that from my mother."

"You must be really strong. I mean, when you're at ease , like now, you look … firm, but normal. But I've seen videos when you fight bad guys and then you look like a body builder. I'll bet you could punch a hole in a brick wall."

A tiny smile formed on Raven's face. "I could, but it would hurt. Punching holes in brick walls is more like Starfire's thing to do."

Sara pouted as she looked at the floor. "I wish I was more like you."

Raven shook her head. "Trust me, you don't."

"Why? You're a super hero! You're gorgeous, you have an hourglass figure most girls would die for. You're married to an awesome guy …"

"Who I almost lost."

Sara's exuberance came to a quick halt.

"I heard about that. Why did you turn down his marriage offer years ago?"

Raven didn't answer right away, focusing instead on the nearly set sun. Sarah waited patiently for her reply. Finally, Raven turned to look at her.

"You're my cousin, my kin, so I will tell you this in the greatest of confidence, You must promise to share this with no one, not even your mother."

Sara's eyes widened. "I promise."

Raven looked away, and a long pregnant pause followed, until she spoke.

"I harbor a great evil within me."

"What are you talking about? You can't be evil, you're a super hero."

"I didn't say that I was evil. But an great evil lives within me, and I struggle every day to keep it under control. It's why I have to meditate so much. Anyway, because of that evil, I rejected Gar, to protect him, or at least that's what I told myself at the time."

"Wow … how close were you back then? I mean, you guys seem so happy together now."

"We were very close. We had been lovers for a few years. But when he popped the question I was scared,I panicked"

"Scared of what? Gar is such an awesome guy. Did you think he would break your heart?"

"No, never, I thought I would break his heart someday, which was stupid, as that is exactly what I did to him." Raven resumed shaking her head. "Sara, turning down a man's marriage offer … well, if you want to break a guy's heart, that's a really good way to do it. I destroyed him."

Sara's face lost all expression and she truly looked like her cousin. "I see. Raven, this evil within you, where did it come from?"

She pursed her lips before answering. "It came from my father."

"Whoa! Did your dad abuse you?"

"He did, but not in the way that you're probably thinking."

"I don't understand."

"Sara, I'll get to the point. My father is a demon. It's why I have gray skin and violet hair. But had my unusual complexion been his only gift to me it wouldn't have been a problem. You see, Sara, I'm half demon. I'm a monster."

Sara grimaced as she shook her head. "No, you're wrong. You're not a monster. Gar would never have married if you were."

Raven stared at the floor as she tapped her fingers together. "He knows what's inside me, but he doesn't care. He's crazy to have hitched his wagon to me."

"I don't think so."

Raven turned to Sara and gave her one of her signature four eye glares. "Are you sure about that?"

Sara flinched but quickly recovered.

"I am, and you know why? Because you're my cousin. You think you're evil, Raven; but you're not."

Raven wrapped her arms around Sara, who reciprocated.

"Thanks." She said in her gravelly monotone. "I'm glad you're my cousin."

"Me too."

They released each other and she saw a small smile form on Raven's face.

"So, Gar told me that he kissed you."

Sara rubbed the back of her neck as she sweat dropped.

"Uh, about that, we were trying to fool Slade."

"So I've heard, so tell me, did you enjoy it?"

Sara smiled. "Well, yeah, I got to kiss a super hero … you aren't angry with me, are you?"

Raven didn't answer immediately and stared at the horizon. Sara's heart rate increased as she waited for the answer.

"I'm not angry with you." She deadpanned before turning to face Sara. A tiny smiled appeared on her face. "Just don't make a habit of it, OK?" She said as she winked.

"You have my word." Sara replied very solemnly. Raven then did something she rarely did: she laughed.

Sara also chuckled. They sat together and watched the sun finish setting.