Gabriel starred at her in her peaceful slumber. I don't want you to get hurt… I don't want him to take you away from me again… I can't lose you again. He was confused of what he wanted, confused of whether his feelings were of love or hate or desire for her presence and company. But what he did know was that lying next to her peaceful form felt right, as if he'd lived his existence long enough alone and as if she was the one who was destined to remedy him.

But he very much knew that her mind was made up and that things were just as they appeared when it came to anything concerning Raven; she sought revenge and even though it was a volatile thing to seek in the first place he would support her because there was a pull about her, something that forced him to comply and to act.

She tossed endlessly during her restless sleep, he was even forced to dodge a few accidental punches and shifted away from touching her when she moved closer. But finally he felt her sigh deeply and wake from her agitated slumber.

"I'm ready, let's go." Her voice was solid and fierce and oh so soft. Where men across the dimensions yelled and screamed as a chosen avenue of communication she could simply give a look and be taken for all she was worth.

Gabriel wanted to shout at the top of his lungs but instead controlled his anger and turned to look into her pale face, "Really? You've been awake less than a second and you're already demanding I march you to your demise?" he may have controlled his anger but the distinct irritation in his tone could not be restricted.

Raven was unashamed of her persistence, she had come to act and that was all, "I want to go home."

Gabriel felt his cheeks heat, "But you just got here… I thought maybe you had come as a friend," his expression soured, "Not that I'd approve of such a dangerous social visit but I'd labeled it a vain hope the moment it crossed my mind, I thought that would be your purpose at worst but…" his eyes began to smolder into hers, "instead you've come to get us both killed."

She felt her facial expression relax, she hadn't realized she was frowning, "I do… want to be your friend, you can come back with me once he is dead; my friends would welcome you with open arms."

Gabriel nodded slowly to himself knowing very well that he wouldn't get the chance to return to earth with her, "You're funny even when you try not to be."

It surprised Raven to see him so vulnerable, she sat up in the bed and placed a supportive hand against his shoulder, moving her soft palm in circular motions, but the gesture was unsure and awkward because of her inexperience with that sort of physical comforting. But Gabriel found her endearing and her voice soothed something deep within him, "I do want to be your friend, Gabriel… but I can't be at peace until Acwellan has been dealt with…" her eyes softened and she moved her face up to stare into his eyes, she knew she was manipulating him, influencing him through his own thoughts, but she needed his help if she wanted a chance of winning, "You'll help me, won't you?"

Gabriel felt the strings of his heart tug annoyingly and before he even gave himself permission his head was nodding and he'd averted his gaze. It was as if she'd violated his mind, invading his intimate thoughts and influencing his innermost ambitions and moral values to sway in a way that pleased her. Raven finally realized that what she was feelings was guilty… guilty for doing it to him… she'd gotten in his head without his permission and she felt as if she'd just touched a very intimate part of him.

"You didn't have to get in my head; I would have bent to your will anyway." He mumbled sadly, he'd thought she'd had more trust in him.

Raven felt her face heat, "It's not for the reasons you think…"

Gabriel raised a cynical eyebrow at her, "Really? You weren't trying to force me to agree with you?"

Raven looked away, "You can't possibly understand what I'm feeling."

Gabriel rolled his eyes and threw himself back against the bed, "Really? You don't think I can understand pain and betrayal and the driving need to be avenged? I do understand… but I also understand that your revenge will not feel as sweet as what you are expecting."

"I have no expectations and therefore can not be disappointed." Raven disagreed heatedly.

"I wish you weren't here…" Gabriel groaned loudly and threw an arm up to cover his eyes, taking deep and labored breaths, "Can't you just listen to your instincts for once and stay out of trouble?"

"My instincts are telling me to kill him." Raven growled with a vengeance.

But there was no more time for discussing things, no more time to argue or strategize… Acwellan strode into the room quickly, didn't notice that he and Gabriel were no alone till halfway through his mundane greeting.

Gabriel wanted nothing more then to make Raven disappear.

It was to Raven's horror that Acwellan's first instinct was to attempt to end his own son's life, but Raven was faster… she threw up a mental and physical shield around Gabriel; it blocked him from every kind of attack.

"What are you doing here!" Acwellan yelled angrily and tried to mentally strangle Raven, but she almost laughed as he tried to kill her. She'd never felt so powerful in her young life… so full of anger and potential that nothing could stop her.

She froze the bastard where he stood, squeezing his pathetic heart within her small soul self's hand, "Look who's back for a rematch."

Acwellan's eyes widened and he lashed out at her angrily, knocking her astral projection away quickly and then landing a solid hit right in the middle of her chest, squarely between her breasts and nearly against her all too human heart.

Then he lunged at her, taking her down onto the ground and rolling viciously on top of her. Gabriel held his powers at bay the best he could while also splitting his own abilities in half and giving them to Raven. Somehow she was less effective at blocking him here. In his home dimension Acwellan was so much more powerful.

They struggled and once they'd rolled close enough Raven began grabbing every object, both with her dark magic and her hands, she could find for the purpose of raining them down against Acwellan's head in a newly rehabilitated reverie. It was the dream in which she could kill the bastard over and over again.

At one point Acwellan recognized the pattern of Raven's attacks and no matter what power she used he still managed to land a few solid hits… Gabriel stepped in then and knocked his father back, and even with Raven's shield he could feel his father's strength, beating hard against the thin strand of life connecting them.

Finally Raven had had enough… toying with him wasn't near as fun as she'd expected.

"Enough." Her voice rang clear and strong, everything in the room stopped, frozen in time and she wasn't Acwellan's eyes follow her over to where she touched Gabriel's chest, releasing him from the freeze gently.

He gasped and stood up next to her, "Now can you be done?"

Raven shook her head, "Not a chance."

She moved to meditate, hovering over the ground with her legs crossed as Gabriel watched carefully, wondering what she had planned.

It was only when a dark form of herself arose that Gabriel figured out what she was going to do.

The form turned to look at Gabriel and threw him a kiss, winking as she approached the frozen Acwellan. This version of Raven was bold and cruel, bloodthirsty and lustful… this Raven was everything that the real one worked so hard to oppress and sedate.

The pitch black hands reached out and gripped his face harshly, "Interested in a little game?"

His eyes widened in fear and it only further spurred her on. Dark magic expanded out from her slender form and consumed the air and area in a grey haze; it was choking to breath and numbing to touch.

She slowly climbed into his body, shoving everything out of her way and taking every chance she had to rip and tear apart every fiber of his alien body, a body to similar to that of a human. She settled into his being angrily and could feel him reeling pain as he screamed in his mind.

"Now that I'm comfortable, are you ready to play?" she mocked him, "First rule: I get to go first, and second, and third, and forth… well you get the point… Second rule: I always win."

She took delight in how he squealed for help, she didn't feel regret or guilt or shame, and she was excited and enthusiastic to continue as Gabriel watched.

"I think I'd like a little more room…" she flexed her powers and expanded against his mental and physical limits. He cried out in pain and shame, begging her internally to stop the agony and kill him already.

She tortured his mind and body and soul relentlessly, every move she made was meant to wreak havoc and suffering. Every action she preformed was evil and masochistic… she loved it.

She was shocked when she felt a tender hand touch her shoulder, "Raven, that's enough." Gabriel's voice freed her from the furiously evil reverie, "He has suffered and felt your pain, let him live and show that you are better."

Raven shook with anger and after a few more shots directly into his soul she retreated, stumbling back into her worldly body with a thud.

He caught her suddenly weak form and they both watched Acwellan fall to the floor.

Gabriel stroked her face, "That's a good girl… I'm glad you chose the right way-" but his voice cut off and his face filled with horror and pain.

Raven was confused and dazed, but when she looked over at Acwellan she realized what had happened. Getting inside of him had taken her everything… she'd dropped the shield around Gabriel, left him to fend for himself, and she hadn't recast the protection soon enough.

Gabriel crumbled to the ground in a weak mess and it was Raven's turn to hold him.

"You thought you could win against me?" Acwellan laughed from behind her, "But I don't lose…"

Raven carefully placed Gabriel very gently onto the ground, pressing a healing hand against his suddenly heated forehead.

She stood and turned to him, there were no words for her feelings, only action.

She pushed out a hand in his direction, she didn't even need to speak a word, the anger in her heard did all the work. She forced a dark entity deep within him and forced it to expand till he was broke and holding on by a thread.

When she moved closer he cringed, "Aren't you sorry at all?"

He laughed, "No… why should I be?" his eyes appraised her critically, "Are you sorry? Of course you're not… so why should I be?"

But Raven had heard enough, with the precise flick of her left wrist he was disintegrated in his entirety; his cry rang through the room and her head far after he was gone and in ashes on the floor.

But it was so anticlimactic that Raven was momentarily disappointed. A whole bunch of good that did me… why do I feel so… embittered? She realized she should have just killed him from the moment she had a chance… and because she hadn't now Gabriel was dying and there was nothing she could do for him.

She turned back to his form and he was weak, his breathing labored and his eyes wide in an unimaginable agony.

It was her turn to chide him, "I should have killed him from the moment I got here, why did you stop me?"

He smiled softly, "He didn't disserve to die."

"And you do!" she yelled, shaking his form in her arms.

His smile faded into a sober mask, "Probably… I've done a lot of bad things, watched him do a lot of bad things, it's about time I met my maker."

"You drug me back from the edge so I'll do the same for you." And without another word she bent over him and began to pray, mumbling every spell and curse and magic incantation she could possibly remember.

But it didn't do any good, his breathing slowed, his pulse started to drag sluggishly through his veins. His eyes glazed over and he felt… afraid. No matter what he was, angel or not, he was unsure of what else awaited him, he was unsure he'd have a purpose at all.

"Hey now…" Raven breathed, pressing a palm against his firm chest delicately, she moved it in careful circles, apply as much magic as she could conjure in the moment.

He grinned, "Promise me you'll have faith in yourself."

Raven almost smiled, "What if I put all my faith in you… then you'll have to live."

He rolled his eyes, "I don't want to make this melodramatic."

"You disserve to live." Raven whispered.

"Will you please just go home and try for once in your life with live happily, confident in the fact that your purpose will make itself known soon enough?" he was begging now… time was slipping and he didn't have time to debate the finer points of life and death with a woman who's opinions were unchangeable.

"You're not getting off that easy…" Raven pulled him closer, pressed as much of herself into him as humanly possible. She prepared for a moment and then began to pump waves and waves of energy into his weakening body; every thump of her heart was followed with an equal thump from his.

"I can't wait to help you find your purpose…"

Gabriel watched the light at the end of the tunnel fade and suddenly he was hyperaware of every sensation, "Can't you just let me die?"

Raven shook her head, "Not on your life."

Author's Note:

I cannot express what your support has meant to me. Thank You so dearly, you mean the world to me... really.

It has been great fun and I have met a lot of very interesting and very amazing people through this experience.

'Author Alert' me if you'd like to stay updated, I'll be starting another story soon OR just keep your eye open when scanning the Beast Boy and Raven Romance area of the Teen Titans Archive. My next story is sure to include a lot more romance and lust then this one, rest assured.

I truly feel like I've changed as a writer in this time and a lot of that is thanks to you all, your comments/reviews were oh so helpful.

Have a Lovely Day!

-Kay