Disclaimer: Property of god-only-knows-who. All I know is that I don't own it.

Rating: PG-13

Author's Note: Parentheses will, from time to time, be used to denote thought. Thank you, that is all.

Summary: After a fight with Slade goes awry, Raven is sucked into a possible future where she must learn what went wrong whilst trying to deal with the ultimate question: Is she truly fated to be evil?

Feedback: Accepted and Appreciated.

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"It matters not how straight the gate.

How charged with punishment the scroll.

I am the master of my fate.

I am the captain of my soul."

-Henley

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The virgin light of morning was already seeping through the windows of Titans Tower when Raven awoke. Blearily she looked around in the dark, trying to catch a glimmer of- Ah! There it was. She squinted, her eyesight focusing until the numbers were readable.

5:44am

Too early to get out of bed but too late to go back to sleep. Damn. She'd so been looking forward to a full eight hours. It wasn't often that she got to rest undisturbed by nightmares… or her teammates, for that matter. What in the seven layers of hell had woken her up…?

"CATCH, CY!"

"HAH, HAH! YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT, GREEN BEAN!"

(Beast Boy and Cyborg) she thought in distaste. Of course. Why did she even ask?

With a groan she sat up, understanding (but not happy) that she was going to have to get up. Time for another day, another possible battle, and another assured confrontation with the two blithering idiots playing god-only-knew-what down the hall.

After showering, combing her hair and getting dressed, Raven floated into the corridor, a grim resolution on her face. She was going to get tea, and she was not going to kill anyone. She was going to get tea, and she was not going to kill anyone. She was going to get tea-

"Okay," Raven growled, her eyes narrowed on the scene before her. "Plan B."

"GO LONG, BB!"

"OKAY, DUDE!" Beast Boy shouted back happily, morphing into a dog and racing backwards, his eyes trained on the twirling projectile. He'd been about to jump up and catch it, when he ran into something… something that smelled an awful lot like Raven. He turned around in fright and morphed back, his eyes wide.

So shocked was he, that he forgot all about the falling object.

Raven's powers shot out, carefully ensnaring the boys' "ball" within its black energy. She held it up, glaring.

"What were you doing playing 'catch' with my NEIL GAIMEN NOVEL!"

The boys looked at the book, Raven's face, and then at each other.

"Uh," Cyborg started, his mind racing. "You see… uh…"

"Well, we weren't originally going to use it," Beast Boy chipped in, "but Cyborg popped our last football…"

"I told you, it was an accident! They don't make pigskins like they use to."

"And we were up before all of you guys, so we thought we could play some catch, but because of Cy we didn't have a football…"

"I TOLD YOU, MAN, IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"

"… So we went for the next best thing!"

Raven deadpanned. " Neverwhere was the 'next best thing'? My novel?"

"Uh… yeah."

Just then, coming in at the best possible moment as always, Robin stepped out from his bedroom, looking disheveled. "What's going on?"

Raven turned around slowly, almost painfully, and fought to remain in control. She replied, "Nothing, nothing at all," and then floated off to the kitchen with her book, but not before giving Cyborg and Beast Boy a look that reminded both just how lucky they really were.

Beast Boy collapsed to the ground by Robin's feet and said gratefully, "I love you so much, dude."

Robin raised an eyebrow.

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"Oh, good MORNING, fellow comrades! Is it not a glorious day?"

"Yeah, it, uh, really is, Star," Robin said weakly, struggling to breathe in Starfire's Crushing Hug of Doom.

"Friend Raven, do you not also think it is a glorious day?"

"Define glorious," Raven muttered over her tea.

Starfire frowned. "I am afraid I would need the Book of Webster for the exact translation, but I believe it means something like-"

"Uh, what Raven means," Cyborg stepped in, "is that she thinks today is cool too."

Star beamed. "Oh, wonderful! Does this mean that you will accompany me to the mall of shopping?"

"I don't think so."

"But it is no fun to try on suits of swimming alone…" Starfire pouted, trying her best puppy-dog face.

"I'll go with you, Star!" Beast Boy nearly shouted.

"Yeah, me too!" Cyborg chipped in, his ears have caught the phrase "suits of swimming". Seeing Starfire change into skimpy swimwear was just too much of an opportunity to pass up.

"No!" Star turned on them, shaking her head emphatically. "Only girls may try on clothing together. Robin informed me of the Earth custom."

Robin tried to shrink behind his newspaper, but he could feel the glares from BB and Cy burning a hole through his thin defense.

Ignoring the boys' exchange, Starfire hovered over her gothic friend. "Will you please come with me?"

"No, Starfire." A tribute to her control, even at this point Raven was calm.

"But why not?"

"I have things I want to do."

Starfire was exasperated. "But what do you do? I have seen what you do, friend Raven, and you sit all alone in the dark darkness of your room-"

"Starfire…" Raven warned.

"-Reading your many dusty books full of creepiness-"

"Starfire."

"-Or meditating and repeating the chant of the 'Azarath Metrion and Zinthos' even though you have already chanted it many times before-"

"Starfire!"

"-And you are always in the shadows, and you never smile and you never laugh and you-"

"STARFIRE!"

The vase on the counter shattered, and Starfire flew back from it immediately, covering her mouth with an "Eep!"

The area around Raven's head crackled with energy and her eyes were pools of black. Breathing deeply the gothic girl slowly brought herself back under control. Beast Boy and Cyborg were both peeking from behind the couch, Starfire was high above the room, still frightened, and Robin was staring at her with a worried expression.

Raven gazed at each of them in turn. "I have to go meditate."

She left the room, and no one made any move to stop her.

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"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…"

(Why does Starfire always do that? She is such a child at times. Not everything revolves around shopping and 'hanging out' with friends. We protect this city. We're the only ones who can and if we're going to live up to that responsibility then we have to show that we're serious about it)

…Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…

(Then of course, there's Beast Boy and Cyborg. Beast Boy I can understand. He's the youngest of us, and prone to immaturity. Him I can deal with. But for Cyborg to encourage his behavior and to engage in the insanity is unacceptable. He's supposed to set an example for Beast Boy)

…Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…

(And Robin. He's our leader. We appointed him leader because we need him to keep us in line, to make sure that we stay focused. Yet where was he when those two were throwing around my book, or when Starfire was so obviously pressing my buttons? If he's going to be our leader then he better start acting like it and learn to control us)

…Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…

Isn't this all beside the point, dear Raven?

Raven stopped chanting immediately, and searched within her psyche for the faucet of her personality coming through.

(What do you mean?)

What you should be asking is how you're going to control yourself

(I don't know what you're talking about)

No, of course you don't. Denial is always the first response, isn't it? Though how you've managed to deny your true darkness for this long…

(I have no darkness within me!)

Oh, now, Raven. That was just sad.

(…Who are you?)

I'm you. The part of you that realizes who you truly are. Who recognizes the darkness, and understands that if you do not embrace it, it will destroy you.

(If that is what you think then you know nothing about me)

Do not be a fool, because we both know that you are not. I do know you, Daughter of Trigon.

(That is a lie! I am NOT his daughter! )

Would you prefer that I call you SPAWN of Trigon? Does THAT please you more?

Raven could feel her anger mounting, and strived to suppress it.

Ooh, struck a nerve, have I? Funny, I did not expect a "lie" to touch you so deeply… Unless, of course, you realize that it is not a lie. That it is truth

(It's not true. I'm a Teen Titan. Trigon is my father in name, only. I am not his 'daughter', and I am NOT dark. I have destroyed that part of my past. I am cleansed of my bloodline, and my father's evil is no more a part of me than you are)

"Destroyed that part of my past"? You don't seriously believe that, do you?

(Yes, I do believe it. I control my fate, I determine my soul, and I am not the evil that my father is. I am pure)

Is that so? Well, then, I guess you don't need ME anymore, if you are truly so pure and cleansed

Raven let the smallest of smiles play upon her lips; she had beaten the strange voice.

Oh, a final reminder… you might want to go to the kitchen. You still have to clean up shards of the vase you so innocently shattered with your "purity".

And before Raven could even think to make a response, the voice was gone, and Raven was once again alone in her mind.

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She heard the alarm and knew what it meant. Grabbing her cape, she dashed out of her room and into the main foyer, seeing that most of her teammates had already assembled before the screen. Robin stood in front, grimfaced.

"It's Slade."

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The T-Car zoomed down the streets of the city, droplets of rain flying off of the windshield, and for once, its occupants were totally quiet. No laughter from Starfire, no bad jokes from Beast Boy, and Raven kept any quips she might have had to herself. This wasn't the time for jokes and witty retorts. Laughter did not factor into this situation.

After all, it was Slade they were going after.

"Um, Robin?" Beast Boy asked quietly. "Where are we going, exactly?"

"We're heading to the docks again," The Boy Wonder intoned. "Slade is there… and Cinderblock is with him."

"Do you know what he's planning?" Cyborg asked in a serious tone, never taking his eyes of the road.

"Know? You can never know with Slade." Robin ground his teeth at the thought. "He lets us know what he's planning when he feels we're ready to know." He settled back in his seat, and a sudden flash of lightning revealed a cruel smirk on his face. "But that won't matter, because we're going to take him down before he gets to feel we're ready. And this time, we are going to take him down for good."

"Robin…"

"Don't, Cyborg."

"Hey, don't go pulling that on me, man. You've had a weird spot for Slade ever since he…he…"

"Forced me to be his apprentice by holding your lives over my head?"

"…Yeah."

"Don't worry about it."

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They got out of the car cautiously, looking around as though expecting an attack from the skies. All were on edge and the rain wasn't lifting their spirits any.

Robin looked around in the dark and cursed. He couldn't see anything, let alone the master of camouflage that was Slade.

"Starfire," he ordered, "help make some light. Beast Boy, start tracking."

Both teens nodded- Starfire bringing forth a bright green glow and Beast Boy shifting to the form of a bloodhound. The five teens walked carefully between the buildings, Cyborg pointing his cannon at everything that made a noise and Starfire jumping at every crack of thunder.

Finally Beast Boy stopped- curiously sniffing what looked like the corner of one of the buildings.

"Beast Boy, stop messing around!" Robin growled.

"Uh, Robin…?" Raven said quietly, "I don't think he's messing around."

A sudden flash of lightning lit up the sky, and Robin realized what she meant.

"It's Cinderblock!"

The massive giant of stone roared, his hiding place discovered.

"Titans, Go!"

Beast Boy got to Slade's henchman first, morphing to Tyrannosaurus and trying to ram into him. Cyborg was backing BB up with his plasma cannon, but neither was making much progress. Cinderblock was tossing them around like toys.

Loosing a battle cry fit for the Amazons, Starfire made a dive for his face, bombarding him with star bolts and distracting the creature while Robin used one of his ropes to try and get the monster's feet entangled. He knew that if he could get Cinderblock on the ground they should be able to take him down easily.

Raven chanted, still a few feet from the battle and preparing her own tactics.

"Azarath, Metrion-"

She broke off in mid-chant. Was that movement to her right? She focused in on the shadows, her heart racing.

There was no noise besides the rain and the fighting, and Raven tried her best to block that out in order to listen more closely. She couldn't hear anything, but she could have sworn she saw something move. Where could it be?

She was so focused that she never saw the attack coming.

A sudden force hit her back and with a cry she flew forward into a wall. Wincing, she opened her eyes to see Slade, his Bo stick in hand, trying to run back off into the dark.

"Robin!" she yelled. "Slade!"

Robin's head snapped around and he also caught a glimpse of the villain. Immediately he abandoned his fight with Cinderblock and took off at a sprint fueled by rage. His own weapon was already in his hand. His pursuit of Slade was with such dogged determination that it let him run by the injured Raven without even asking if she was all right.

Raven watched him go and painfully stood, ready to go and help her teammates battle Cinderblock. Cyborg, who was shooting away at the said minion, had watched Robin run off, and as he saw Raven approaching he called out to her.

"Raven, go after Robin!"

"What?" What was he talking about?

"I don't trust him alone! He's too far-gone where Slade is concerned! You have to keep an eye on him! Pull him out before he gets himself killed!"

Raven was stunned. "But-"

"GO!"

Raven waited only one moment longer, watching Starfire, Beast Boy and Cyborg tearing away at Cinderblock, before making her decision and floating off to keep an eye on her leader.

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"I had wondered when I'd see you again, Robin."

Robin activated his Bo, eyes scanning the inside of the warehouse. "I've counted down the minutes, Slade. I never got to thank you for what you put me through. It's been too long."

A chuckle that sounded as though it came from everywhere at once. "I couldn't agree more."

Robin turned at just the right moment and tumbled to his left, avoiding what would have been a powerful kick to his head. He leaped up quickly, twirling his Bo and deflecting yet another attack. He smirked. "Is that the best you have, Slade? Old age finally getting to you?"

"Pride goeth before a fall, my young apprentice."

Robin's eyes widened in surprised hatred. "I'm not your-"

Slade kicked his feet out from under him, and Robin went falling, scraping up the back of his costume and cutting his back on one of the pieces of scrap metal littering the floor. He tried to dodge Slade's next attack, but his mind was still numb and he got a kick to his stomach sharp enough to make him double over in pain.

Slade stepped gracefully behind the fallen Titan and, grabbing a handful of his thick black hair, yanked his head back.

Robin grimaced, and fought not to cry out. "Why don't you just kill me, then?" he spat into masked face of his opponent.

"Kill you?" Slade whispered. "Oh, no."

He released him with a shove that sent Robin sprawling.

"After all, my young apprentice, we're just beginning the lesson."

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Raven melded through the wall of the storehouse, already apprehensive as to what she would find. What was she even doing here? She should be helping to take down Cinderblock: not playing nanny for Robin. What was she supposed to be able to do anyway? Slade had ALWAYS been Robin's obsession and though she did not agree with it, she felt she understood that it was his to take care of. Slade was, in actuality, Robin's villain.

"Argh!"

Raven floated up in alarm. That was Robin. It sounded as though was he getting a beating, and a bad beating at that. Floating up higher, Raven realized that she was right.

Robin was a mess. His eye was bruised, his hair tousled, and scores of fresh cuts peeked through the holes of his uniform… or what was left of his uniform. His cape was gone entirely, probably lying on the ground somewhere, and his shirt was in tatters. He looked horrible. He looked (though it pained her to think it) on the edge of defeat.

She almost raced down to him then, but stopped herself at the last moment. Robin was lying on the floor now, alone and breathing shakily, but just because he looked alone didn't mean he actually was. It was possible that Slade was hiding somewhere and-

There he was.

"Is that it, Robin? Have you truly given up so soon?" The villain Slade stood over him, impassive, his head tilted to a quizzical angle.

Robin raised his head and opened hi mouth as if to respond, but all that came out was a noise that sounded like he was coughing up his lungs.

Slade shook his head. "Is that really it, then? It's a pity. I had hoped you would meet my standards."

Both Robin and Raven watched with worried interest as Slade walked over to a large, covered piece of machinery. Slade grabbed and pulled back the sheet, revealing a strange device.

Raven stared at the weapon (for that was what it undoubtedly was) and her stomach lurched. Slade was going to use that… that thing on Robin. She had to do something, and she had to do it now.

"You see this beautiful piece of machinery before you? I built it. I doubt you could grasp the internal properties, but the effect is rudimentary enough..." Slade gently touched the weapon's control board, and both Titans could feel the smile behind his mask. "I push the button, and you go 'boom'.

"Then," Slade continued lightly, "I take this to the water reserves, and from there to the city's powerhouses. Finally, I'll take it down to city hall. Your friends won't be able to stop me, and the people will be too desperate to oppose me."

The master of crime fingered the controls and a faint blue light formed at the apex of the weapon's barrel: a light that was steadily growing brighter.

"Goodbye, Robin," Slade said softly. "I have big plans for this city, and you aren't a part of them."

Raven didn't need any further coaxing. She had to act.

Now.

Traveling in shadow form Raven sped across the floor to where Robin lay. She morphed back and stood in front of him, her eyes growing black as she called forth her powers.

"Raven?" Robin asked weakly in surprise.

"What!" Slade hissed as he watched the young girl lower her stance and extend her arms towards his machine. What was she going to… then, he understood.

"No," he whispered in fear.

Raven called forth all of her power, focusing it in the palms of her hands, but still holding it back.

(Steady, steady) she told herself, watching as the intense light of the weapon grew steadily more concentrated. The timing of this would be all that mattered. She had to hit the blast the second it came out, or risk losing control and not being able to stop it.

"Wait before you kill us all!" Slade yelled, running toward her. "The blast is unstable, you'll- "

Raven never got the chance to hear what he was going to say, because just then the machine powered up and a powerful stream of sky blue energy came crackling towards her. The Titan didn't think; she just reacted. Her own mystical powers came forth in a river of black and the two potent energies collided with enough force to knock everyone to the ground.

Then, something unexpected and entirely unfortunate came to pass.

There was the sound of something ripping apart, much akin to the one made when a hole is torn in a pair of jeans. Next, at the very point where the two forces had collided, a crack appeared; a crack in the very fabric of reality that steadily grew into a swirling vortex of blue on black energy.

Robin could only watch in horror as his friend and fellow Titan was pulled towards its center and sucked through.

The hole closed, and all was silent in the windless room.

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END OF PART 1

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X (Author's Note) X

Well? How was it? This is my first Teen Titans fanfiction and I've got to tell you, I'm a little worried as to how I did. I hope you enjoyed this first part, and there should be two more before the end of the story. There will be Part 2, which will be the meat of it, and there will be the epilogue, which will wrap everything up. I'm really excited about this idea and I'm going to try my best to put my plot to paper in a readable and enjoyable form. Thanks for the reading the first part; the next should be out in no later than a week. Please review, and thanks.

-ShadowElfBard