Without an ounce of hesitation, Robin leapt off his bed and raced towards Raven's room. At the moment, he didn't care about where he currently stood with Raven, even if it meant he was a total fool. All he wanted to do right now was to protect her. He wanted to tell her everything would be okay and that she had nothing to worry about as long as she was with him in essence. Most importantly, he just wanted to spend more time with her – maybe, just maybe, be able to keep the daily nightmares at bay. Not just his, but hers. Especially hers.

Robin barged the door open and was surprised by the sight that greeted his masked eyes.

Astoria was looming over Raven's bed, beads of sweat trickling down her epidermis, fists tightly clenched.

Robin halted, apparently puzzled. What was Astoria doing in Raven's room? As soon as Raven's scream broke the placid stillness of the night, he made his way over here. Sure, she could have just been faster than him, which was pretty doubtful. After all, despite learning new material to aid her in combat, Astoria still relied heavily on her powers. Besides, even if she had been admittedly quicker than him, that didn't explain why she was sweating with that air of concentration that sometimes lingered around people, such as students taking a grueling test that was worth a huge portion of their final grade.

And with that, it all clicked.

Astoria was an illusionist. Illusionists were able to make people see what they wished them to see. If abused, the power was highly intrusive and could lead to unpleasant ordeals. Robin wasn't too sure about the technicalities of creating illusions, but he was willing to bet that the power could be used on somebody while they were sleep. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more possible it became. When somebody was asleep, all of their walls were down, making them susceptible to mental attacks.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" Robin seethed.

It was like someone had dumped a bucket of freezing water on Astoria. Instantaneously, she gasped as the harsh reality and cold truth started sinking in. After stumbling backwards a few steps, a dizzy spell swept over the illusionist. Shuddering, she fell down on her knees as goose bumps erupted onto her skin. Just as the other members of Class Titan gathered around the outside of the room, memories started flooding into Astoria's mind. A recently sharpened kitchen knife. Azure eyes filled with hatred. Plastering on fake smiles. Pain.

Robin watched as a hissing Astoria reached over and dug her sharp fingernails into her forearm. This seemed to awaken her from whatever she was suffering from. Without looking at the flabbergasted teenagers, she fled the room. She needed her custom medication before another episode wracked her body. This mere thought somehow made her completely forget about what she had been doing in Raven's room. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Astoria thought the situation was weird.

Back in Raven's room, Speedy had just asked what happened. He said he had heard screaming and grew wary. The others agreed, watching as Raven, who had jolted awake as soon as Astoria had faced that strange reaction, stared off into space with a haunted expression about her. They winced upon seeing damaged furniture in her room.

Quietly, Robin asked them to allow him to spend some time with Raven to calm her down a bit. He wanted to find out if she would be okay away from their prying ears. Reluctantly, Robin's fellow class members agreed. If anybody could help Raven, it was him.

Robin closed the door as quietly as possible before striding over to where Raven sat on her bed. She watched him with fear apparent in her wide eyes. Without the need of any words being uttered, Robin gingerly encircled an arm around Raven's waist, slowly rubbing her back, while the other comfortingly brushed her hair back, his touch gentle and calming. Raven buried her face into his bare chest, in that perfect position in the crook of his neck. After a few moments passed, Robin began whispering soothing words in another language in her ear.

Raven didn't bother trying to decipher his words. She allowed his familiar, yet comforting, voice calm her nerves. She focused on how nice – and distracting – his embrace was. Not once in her life had she ever been comforted and told that everything would be alright. Not even by her own mother. Raven found this to be immensely refreshing. She welcomed it entirely.

Half an hour must have passed when Robin's gentle words ceased. Robin moved away from the emotional empath, but still stayed in close proximity. Ever so gently, he wiped away the few stray tears that had leaked out of her eyes with his thumb. He pressed a light kiss on her forehead, brushing back a piece of her hair.

Raven was astonished, to say the least. The academy wasn't wildly spinning out of orbit and nothing was being blown to smithereens. She supposed it must be a miracle. Another thing that stunned her was what had happened to put her in her current state. She had caught a glimpse of Astoria; everything else was a hazy blur.

Shocking herself further, Raven asked, "Do you ever get nightmares?"

Robin flashed a weak smile as memories of that fateful night of the death of his parents consumed him for a short period of time. "All the time," he told her quietly.

Raven squeezed his hand in reassurance, letting him know that if ever needed to talk about it, she would always be there for him. She smiled when he squeezed back. Softly, Raven questioned her companion, "You're not going to push for details about what I saw?"

"Why would I do that, Raven? They're your thoughts, meaning they belong to you. Nobody else has the right to intrude on that privacy. However, if you ever need to talk about some things, I just want you to know that I'll be here for you, no matter what."

"I'm sorry, Robin. For what happened earlier. You didn't deserve that – the pettiness I was dumping on you, I mean. I was pathetic," Raven told him with a rueful tone to her voice.

With their fingers now laced together, Robin told Raven, "Don't you ever say that, Raven. You are amazing, whether you want to be or not. I will always hold you in the highest regards because you've earned my respect and I have faith in you. But, sometimes, you have to put yourself out there and seize that perfect moment. Because if you don't, you may never get that chance again."

Raven wasn't sure how his advice applied to her latest plight, but she wound up memorizing his words. Biting on her lip thoughtfully, she looked down and examined their entwined hands. Robin's thumbs were tracing small circles on her hands, which managed to soothe her. His grip was firm and she felt safe under his wing of understanding and protection.

They lapsed into silence for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company. Robin had just closed his eyes in a bout of sleepiness when Raven blurted, "Why don't we go somewhere?"

Robin snapped his eyes open and studied Raven curiously. "What did you have in mind?"

Blushing, Raven said, "Oh, I don't know. Paris, maybe?"

To tell the truth, Robin was surprised by Raven's destination choice. Paris was referred as the City of Love. Considering how he and Raven weren't in a relationship as of yet, he was staggered by her wanting to go there with him. However, he didn't voice his thoughts. "We aren't allowed to use the launching pods right now."

"I thought you weren't afraid of a little risk," Raven whispered.

"I'm not," he murmured.

"Prove it."

"Fine. Just let me get changed." And with that, Robin left the room.

Raven scrambled up off the bed and pulled out black skinny jeans and a ruffled red and black plaid blouse. She was just slipping on black flats when a knock sounded on her door. "Just a minute," she called as she walked over to her dresser. Carefully, the Azarathian arranged a black wig on her head, making sure her actual hair wasn't visible.

Instead of meeting Robin in the hallway, she opted for opening the door and yanking him inside her room. She smirked when she saw him stumble a little bit. He was wearing a gray V-neck that defined his muscles and simple jeans. Unsurprisingly, sunglasses prevented her from seeing his eyes.

"You don't want to been seen," Robin voiced her thoughts.

"Well, yeah. If they see us, we'll never hear the end of it. Besides, it'll make the likelihood of us getting caught higher," she told him.

Robin ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, so we'll do this my way."

"I'm not crawling through vents," Raven said seriously.

"Of course not! There are pain-in-the-ass-for-hacking cameras in those vents."

Raven lifted her hands in frustration. "Who puts cameras in vents!?"

Deadpanned, Robin said, "Batman."

"Why?"

Still looking impassive, Robin told her, "You'd be surprised about what can happen there."

"Seeing as how I didn't even want to travel through the apertures in the first place, can you just tell me whether or not there are cameras on the transportation deck?"

"They only installed cameras in points of access, excluding the hallways. So, yes, there are cameras on the transportation deck."

"Can you hack into the feed and make it so the cameras shut off near the launching pods for a minute or two?" Raven queried.

Understanding dawned on the gothic empath's companion. "You're planning on transporting over there to avoid the risk of getting caught. Why don't you just teleport to Earth?"

"It's too far of a distance," Raven explained. "If I attempt it, I'll, well, die."

Robin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I never attempted to hack the cameras on the transportation deck. I just know they're there. Seeing as how I don't know how many encryption codes there are, I don't want to risk it. However, I might be able to sneak down to the monitor room and distract whoever is on duty…."

Raven's face paled in dread. "Just what are you planning?"

-Twenty Minutes Later-

"What did you do?" Raven asked as she entered the launching pod Robin had already set up. The smug expression on Robin's face made her know something was up.

"I may have, uh, snuck into Phantasm's room and broke into his snake collection…."

"That's not it, is it?"

"I may have also dragged him off to Bushido's room…."

Raven let out a little laugh. "Revenge for him beating you in class that one day?"

"Maybe…."

"So, who did you surprise with the snakes?"

"Actually, I just snatched up the giant boa constrictor and sent it sliding along a line launcher, only to fall on Captain Marvel's head. He was running around, screaming his head off as if it was the apocalypse."

Raven snorted. "Captain Marvel? You can't be serious." Despite Raven's flippant attitude, Robin's mentioning of the apocalypse bothered her, dredging up memories of her vivid nightmare.

"I promise you that I'm not yanking your chain. The guy may possess the Wisdom of Solomon, but I swear he acts like a ten year old at times," Robin said. He caught a glimpse of some emotion in Raven's eyes and immediately realized his mistake. Cautiously, he placed his hand on top of hers, hoping the action would be comforting.

Raven weakly smiled, trying her best to erase the images of the cruelty Trigon had been dishing out in her dream. She released a sigh of relief when the transporting piece of technology landed. She was pleased to find that the ride wasn't as nauseating as it had previously been. Nonetheless, the gothic empath exited the launching pod by accepting Robin's assistance.

When Raven realized where they were, she delicately punched Robin in the arm. "How do you mix up Paris with Jump City?"

"I wanted to show you how despite the litter and crime, this city actually possesses a fair amount of beauty. You just have to open your eyes and look. And when I say look, I mean really look."

"I never pegged you to be one who stopped to smell the roses," Raven said without realizing she actually said.

Robin smiled. "Looks sure can be deceiving." A pause. "Except, of course, I don't really stop to smell roses."

"Yeah, you're right." Raven paused. "You're definitely more of a daisy person."

"Hey! I resent that."

Raven laughed, somehow able to contain her emotion. She allowed her companion to lead her over to whatever place he had in mind. On the way there, however, he swore under his breath. Raven followed his gaze, looking across the street at what was quickly becoming a scene.

"Dinah! You aren't thinking straight!" yelled a man. He was tall with blond hair and what looked like green eyes from this distance. Although Raven thought he looked pompous, a lot of women probably thought he was the most handsome man they ever came across.

"Oh, I'm thinking clearer than ever! You're just some cheating scumbag!" Dinah, the woman, screamed. Despite looking drunk, the way she carried herself somehow looked familiar. Unfortunately, Raven couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her eyes were blue, while her hair was blonde. Raven imagined that she had previously been wearing heels, but somehow lost them. Either way, she was still pretty tall.

"Dinah," the man said flatly, "you're drunk."

"I am not drunk! I only had, like, four drinks!"

"Try ten."

"Whatever!" she exclaimed. "You cheated on me, Ollie! With that cheap whore that had her boobs spilling out of her shirt!"

"We were just dancing!" the man referred to as Ollie declared.

"Oh, it's just a dance until you're shoving your tongue down that slut's throat!"

"Just let me take you home before you do something you regret," Ollie told his angry female companion.

"And why don't you just go to hell before I kick your ass over there myself," Dinah angrily retorted.

Sighing in exasperation, Ollie looked across the street as he grabbed Dinah's arm in order to prevent her from stepping into the path of a speeding car. His eyes started to zero in on Raven and Robin. With speed that astonished Raven, Robin pushed her up against the wall, his face just an inch away from hers.

"Don't lose control," he whispered.

And with that, Robin proceeded to kiss her.

Well, it wasn't really a kiss. Sure, he increased their proximity further, but his lips never actually brushed against hers. Be as that may, his hot breath trailed across the small amount of her neck that was exposed, sending tingles throughout her body and sufficiently managing to warm her up. He skillfully shielded the majority of her face from the average passerby. The black wig composed of long and thick hair also helped people from noticing that kisses weren't actually being received. Trying to relax, Raven closed her eyes and calmed her rampant emotions. Thankfully, the only indication that Robin's closeness was severely affecting her was the shaking of a nearby trashcan.

In all, they looked like teenagers in need of a room before they ripped each other's clothes off. Or, more accurately, Robin was a horndog that needed to attend a sex ed class. Badly.

A few minutes passed when Robin finally released her. "I'm really sorry about that."

"What was that, exactly?" Raven gasped, slightly breathless even though he hadn't actually kissed her.

"Nothing you should worry about," he told her. Typical Robin.

Raven sighed. "Robin!"

"It's not at my liberty to tell you, Raven." One look at him showed her that he was gritting his teeth.

Raven lifted her hands in a form of surrender. "I'm sorry. I just thought I ought to know what was going on considering how I was slammed against a brick wall."

Robin ruffled his hair in exasperation. "First off, I was not that rough. Secondly, I wish you'd drop the subject. I already told you: it's not my place to dish out the information behind my actions."

Raven accepted defeat. After all, she didn't want to argue with Robin. Instead, she'd very much rather enjoy spending time with him and get her mind off of the day's previous events.

"An ice cream shop," Raven said when they stopped in front of a small ice cream parlor named Creamery Dreamery. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Hey, nothing makes you feel better than sugary delightfulness," Robin cheerfully said.

He opened the door for Raven, which prompted her into entering the cozy shop. Instantly, a bunch of cheerfulness was thrown her way. The booths were rather unique with the sundae décor on the top. A classic jukebox was fixated carefully in the corner near a small stage. Posters hung on the wall, ranging from advertising latest flavors to showing off pop culture (this category included Superman). The floors were black and white tiles, but the walls were striped in hot pink and black. A large ice cream clock with a small sign held by the cone read 'Time for ice cream!' and hung on the wall by the wide variety of ice cream selections.

Frankly, Raven was surprised that the store was still open, considering how it was past midnight. Aside from the two birds and the worker behind the counter, the ice cream shop was empty. It really didn't surprise her.

According to the worker's name tag, his name was Scott Cooper. He smiled warmly at the teenagers and asked them what they would like. Robin answered, "In a waffle bowl, I would like two scoops of the vanilla and caramel swirl with chocolate syrup and nuts. She would like a brownie sundae; don't forget the sprinkles and cherry on top. Oh, and just a smidge of whipped cream. She would also like strawberry ice cream in a waffle cone, as well as butter pecan. Make sure it's separate, though; together, the two flavors just don't work."

Deciding to pull a Kitten, Raven turned to Robin and coated her voice with a sickly sweet tone. "Oh, Robbie-poo, is this your subtle way in saying I'm fat?"

Instead of Robin answering, it was the worker behind the counter that replied, "A man would have to be off his rocker to think you're fat."

Feeling the slightest bit jealous, Robin asked him, "Don't you have a wife or something?"

"Yeah, I do, in fact. She kicked me out of the house, though. Just for the time being. So, I stay cooped up here and sleep on the sundae booths. They're actually pretty comfy. But, I think she's sleeping with my best friend. His name's Greg. He works here, too, you know," Scott the Worker told them.

"Lovely," Raven muttered.

"You can scratch off the last two orders," Robin told the employee. He secretly wondered if the guy was on drugs.

Three minutes passed before Raven and Robin were safely sitting down away from Scott Cooper. Their seating option placed them near the jukebox, which was softly streaming some tune Raven couldn't identify. Not that that was surprising. The only music she ever heard was when Robin would occasionally blast out his rock music when working out or when Starfire would start singing and humming some bubblegum pop tune.

"This looks way too sweet," Raven told Robin, eyeing the dessert suspiciously.

"Just like you," Robin joked. "Try it, though. I think you'll like it. The overwhelming amount of calories suggests its deliciousness."

Raven frowned. "If all it's going to do is expand my waist line, why should I eat it?"

It was now Robin's turn to frown. "Raven, you could gain a hundred pounds for all I care. You'd still be beautiful to me."

Raven blushed, causing a section of the ice cream counter to explode, bits of ice cream splattering onto Scott Cooper. He screamed, staring in sick awe at the damaged counter. "That's going to come out of my paycheck!" he wailed. "What did you do?" Scott Cooper asked the only other occupants of the room.

Robin quickly came up with a story. "A freak wind burst into the shop. It was pretty strong. I'm surprised you didn't feel it."

"Wind doesn't do that, man!"

"Hence why it's called a freak wind," Robin said, waving his hand as if it was nothing.

With ice cream dripping down his chin, Scott Cooper raced over to the back room. At least, he tried to. Before he could make it two steps, he slid on spilled ice cream. After tumbling to the ground with a shocking lack of grace, he yelped, "Gah! Whoever invented mint chocolate chip needs to be thrown into a pit full of vipers!" And with that, the worker painstakingly crawled to the back, giving the two members of Class Titan some privacy.

Robin gestured to her sundae. "Go ahead and try it."

Raven glanced at the sugary food. Slightly reluctant, she took a tiny spoonful of ice cream, hardly making a dent. Rolling his eyes, Robin snatched the spoon out of her hand and increased the spoonful, making sure to retrieve sprinkles, the warm, gooey chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. Sighing, Raven swallowed the dessert. It was a cold heap of creamy orbs of satisfying vanilla ice cream that imbues a plethora of pleasure to your neglected taste buds. It was ice cream that just melts in your mouth, bathed in just the right amount of chocolate syrup, sweetened further by a considerable amount of whipped cream and a colorful array of sprinkles. It was delicious.

Across from her, Robin was smirking. Oh, how she longed to wipe that smirk off his face….

-Meanwhile In The Class Titan Tower-

"They're nowhere to be found," reported Kid Flash, speeding into the main room.

"Oh, no!" Beast Boy cried. "What if mutant space pigeons swept in and took them? What if we're next?"

"Pigeons in space? That's preposterous," scoffed Speedy.

Starfire tightly gripped onto Speedy's arm. "What could have become of our friends?"

Before Speedy, practically Starfire's boyfriend, could answer the beautiful alien, Bumblebee quieted them. Straining her hearing, she managed to hear footsteps echoing outside the door to the tower. "Somebody's coming. It's only one pair of footsteps, though."

Thinking quickly, Cyborg gestured for Speedy and Starfire to stay put. He told Kid Flash to go to Raven's room and make it look like she was sleeping. After that order, he told the speedster to go into Robin's bathroom and turn on the shower. Everybody else quickly raced back to their room, their speed almost rivaling Kid Flash's. Cyborg lingered in the room with the two gingers.

A moment later, Green Arrow entered the room. He did a double take when he saw the three of them casually lounging in the living room. Frankly, it aroused his suspicions even more. "Why are the three of you awake?"

Speedy answered for both himself and Starfire, "We're discussing matters of the heart. A fickle subject, really. Wouldn't you agree, sir?"

Cyborg replied, "I've been searching for the blueprints of a project I recently started working on. I suspect Beast Boy is the culprit and hid it for a good laugh. It's very important to me, so I was just asking Starfire and Speedy if Beast Boy mentioned it. Since they hadn't, I was about to go to my room and recharge." Honestly, the blueprints were safely tucked away in a wooden chest in the back of his closet, secured by two bolts and a handprint sensor.

"What is the project about?" asked Green Arrow, genuinely curious (and sidetracked).

"I'm afraid that's confidential information," was the cybernetic teenager's reply.

The archer was taken aback. Seeing as how it wasn't his main priority at the moment, he shrugged it off. "Where are Raven and Robin?"

"Raven, I'd imagine is asleep. It is, after all, past midnight," Speedy chirped. "Robin was burning a gazillion calories a while ago in the training room. Due to his working out like a madman, I'd imagine he's taking a shower. He did reek, you know."

Not saying a word, Green Arrow swiftly stalked past Cyborg and made his way towards Raven and Robin's room. Cyborg wasn't surprised to find that the Justice League member knew it was in one of the rooms upstairs. In the hallway, Green Arrow met Kid Flash, who was just exiting Robin's room.

"What are you doing?" snapped Green Arrow.

Kid Flash mentally cursed himself out. "Uh, Robin needed help in the shower."

"Why?"

Kid Flash scratched the back of his neck and improvised. "He, uh, fell and called for my help."

"He couldn't handle it himself?" grilled the older hero.

"Uh, no. He was unable to stop the bleeding in his nose. So, he, uh, made me retrieve a, er, tampon for him," Kid Flash said with a surprising straight face, despite his conversational pauses.

The look on Green Arrow's face was priceless. "He what?" Kid Flash swore the Star City hero's voice was raised an octave or two in pitch.

Kid Flash continued his tale, "He didn't want to stain the towels with his nose bleed. It was practically gushing out of his nose! So, he stuck the lady device up his nostril, and perfect! It contains it."

An unbelieving Green Arrow pushed past the speedster and was about to enter the room when Kid Flash screamed, "Don't go in there!"

"Why not?"

"He doesn't like when older men see him when he's indecent. It makes him feel violated."

"What's so different about you?" asked Green Arrow.

"We're secret lovers." Straight Face Level: Mastered.

Green Arrow tenaciously continued his interrogation, "Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"That's why it's secret," explained the teenaged speedster. "Although, I suppose the term man-mistress would have been a little more appropriate. My bad."

Admittedly, Green Arrow didn't have a true question in response to that remark. Instead, he asked, "What about Raven?"

"Oh, she turns in rather early. Boy, is she a light sleeper, though! One night, Beast Boy decided to go snooping in her room disguised as a fly. He almost didn't escape with his life. With your being my favorite teacher and all, I wouldn't want to see any harm come your way."

"That's why you'll go in first," cheekily said Green Arrow.

Kid Flash mentally kicked himself. His attempt at making a Raven was pretty much a failure. One could easily tell that it wasn't the body of a living person. "You know, I think I recall Green Lantern mentioning a bomb threat in Star City." It was close enough to the truth, after all. He recalled Green Lantern shaking what his momma gave him while doing naughty things to a short-tempered alien, therefore threatening Kid Flash's insanity in the academy's cafeteria. Almost identical, right?

Thankfully, Green Arrow took off, no doubt wanting to protect Star City. As soon as he was out of sight, Kid Flash let out a sigh of relief. 'I so deserve a Grammy for that performance,' he thought, exhausted. The speedster opened up his food cache and took out a bag of beef jerky and began munching cheerfully on the snack.

-Meanwhile With Batman-

Batman rolled his torso backwards in order to avoid a punch before twisting his body in the air, landing a powerful kick on the jaw of the slow henchman that had tried attacking him. With astonishing speed, Batman proceeded to attack the goon by jabbing him in the right kidney, followed by an uppercut that sent the thug's head flying backwards and a perfect form roundhouse kick that ensured the henchman stayed down.

Batman whirled around, facing two criminals in clown masks charging him. Timing his move just right, Batman leapt up into the air to perform a backflip. The two clowns collided into each other, stunned into unconsciousness. Landing soundlessly on the cold floor, Batman removed two batarangs from his utility belt and sent them flying at two more brainless henchmen. Another one tried creeping up behind the Dark Knight, only to get knocked out even though Batman's thoughts were focused elsewhere.

"You just have to ruin everything, don't you, Bats?" Joker spat, standing on a raised platform in the old building.

"Where are the hostages?" Batman asked gruffly, referring to the missing Gotham City citizens Summer Gleeson, Commissioner Gordon, CO Aaron Cash, Fiona Wilson, Jack Ryder, Eddie Burlow, and Dr. Harleen Quinzel.

"You're the detective! Figure it out!"

Batman sent the projectile weapon rocketing towards Joker, who weaved out of the way, cackling. A moment later, a sharply bladed playing card came spiraling into Batman's view, tearing into his skin where his Kevlar suit wasn't reinforced. Despite the pain he felt, he didn't dare let his pain show.

Ceasing his laughing fit, Joker exclaimed, "Haven't you learned by now? Telling you would spoil all the fun! And even if you did find out before the night ends and they're all dead, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve!"

Before Batman could speak, a hammer whizzed past the Caped Crusader, narrowly missing him. A flick of his head to the side showed that a large man had entered the room, carrying a very large hammer in one hand. He possessed no other arm; just a stump. A sadistic smile crept up his face, adding to his grotesque clown appearance.

"Ooh. You're getting sloppy, Bats. Is the old age finally getting to you? Does Mister Hammer actually pose a threat to you? This day just keeps getting better and better," guffawed Joker.

Batman backflipped in order to avoid a blow from the large hammer Mister Hammer was swinging. As soon as he landed, however, two more weaponized playing cards ripped his skin, drawing blood. Apparently, the Joker had finally decided to join the fray, as well as ten or so more goons.

Twisting his body, Batman sent a powerful aerial kick to the head of the strongest looking henchman, excluding Mister Hammer. Yelling in agony at the pressure applied to his eyeballs, the clown stumbled backwards, running back into the Joker, who had jumped down his platform. Not finding this little display amusing, Joker snatched the ax out of his henchman's hand and chopped his head off clean with three blows. The short amount of time of screaming was cringe-worthy, the sounds echoing off the walls eerily, amplifying the guttural noises of agony.

By the time the head was removed from its body, two henchmen had been taken down. Leaping into the air, Batman launched his batclaw, yanking one of Joker's assistants towards him, while knocking him into another bad guy. Batman felt Mr. Abramovici swing his hefty hammer and prepared himself to feel excruciating pain as he was unable to dodge it.

Only he didn't.

A raucous sound was emitted from the Abramovici twin, probably out of confusion. It was completely understandable, considering how his preferred weapon was no longer in his grasp.

"Got youself a little girlfriend, eh, Bats?" Joker shrilly exclaimed.

Just then, Catwoman touched down to the ground gracefully in Batman's line of vision, whip in hand. "Hello, boys. I suppose I should be disappointed. After all, my invitation for this purr-fect party got lost in the mail. Shame. This kitten was looking forward to sinking her claws into something new."

"Kill her," wheezed the Crowned Prince of Crime.

With uncanny skill, Catwoman pivoted, yanking a thug by his shirt to act as a shield for a bullet aimed for her skull. Once the blood started leaking through his shirt, the famous cat burglar tossed him onto the filthy floor. Quickly, she slid on the floor, sending a bola at a man closing in her. She didn't stick around to watch him plant his face into the ground due to the immobility in his legs on behalf of her weapon.

Meanwhile, Batman was fighting Mister Hammer, who was viciously trying to swat him like an annoying fly with his one arm. Somersaulting out of the way, Batman swiftly sprayed explosive gel onto a batarang. Diving out of the way of another assault, Batman aimed the batarang and released. A second before it came in contact with Mister Hammer's face, he slammed his thumb down on the trigger, which detonated the explosive gel. Fortunately, Mister Hammer was down for the count. Now, the biggest threat was Joker, who was trying to shoot Catwoman down, which was rather difficult since she was rapidly moving about as she tackled on Joker's followers.

Deciding to aid his occasional ally, Batman sent a batarang flying at Joker's hand, successfully knocking the gun out of Joker's grip. Socking a hoodlum in the face on the way, Batman lifted Joker off the ground, his hold on his neck very strong.

"Where. Are. The. Hostages?" growled Batman, ignoring the grunts and groans of Catwoman's assailants.

"That's the question now, isn't it? Why don't you ask Penguin? They're probably hiding in that belly of his. Certainly enough room." Despite the increasing lack of oxygen, Joker still managed to laugh maniacally.

Sending his fist backwards, Batman sent a henchman in hopes that he could rescue his leader flailing backwards, slipping on his club. He reestablished his tight grip on Joker before saying, "People's lives are at stake. If you don't tell me in the next five seconds, I will personally attend to your cell at Arkham and make sure it can't be breached."

"There's always a way out, Batman. I learned that from you! But, okay, fine. Since you're sooo insistent, I'll deliver the punch line."

Before Batman could speak, Joker pressed a button on a trigger hidden on his person. Chortling, Joker escaped Batman's grip by gaining momentum by kicking his feet off his chest. He smiled, or, rather, smirked, as Joker Toxin started billowing into the room. Without further ado, he scrambled out of the room, but not before blocking off the exit.

Swearing under his breath, Batman lunged for Catwoman and grappled up to a shelf of flooring a few feet from the ceiling. Years ago, when this building was still in use, this small, elevated area was used for storage. Thankfully, there was a grate leading to the roof. Ripping it off its hinges, Batman helped the choking burglar climb through the new exit. He followed.

"Selina, I want you to stay right here. When I come back with Joker's thugs, help pull them up to the surface," Batman ordered, regaining his breath quickly. After a nod in affirmative from Catwoman, Batman quickly slipped on a gas mask before jumping back into the building.

Five minutes later, every single one of Joker's men were on the rooftop. Unfortunately, almost half of them were dead, having spent their final moments in a horrendous laughing fit. Leaving it to Catwoman to tie the thugs up, Batman purified the building, preventing the toxin from entering the Gotham air later that night.

"That looks pretty serious. Allow me to tend to it," purred Catwoman.

To Batman's dismay, she advanced on him, swaying her hips seductively. Her ebony costume with gray highlights was skintight, not leaving much to the imagination. Black lace-up heeled boots covered her feet, although believing the heels would slow her down would be a grave mistake. Selina's hands were clad in gloves with retractable claws, perfect for the opportunity to scratch an opponent efficiently. A zipper in the front was zipped up to her bust line, revealing an overwhelming amount of cleavage. She was wearing her signature cowl with the cat ears, but the goggles she often wore was pulled up, revealing her striking green eyes. She practically represented sensual feminine pulchritude.

"Stop," ground out Batman, stepping back.

"Why? I won't bite," Catwoman softly said.

Before Batman could retreat further, Selina's hand was firmly gripping onto his uninjured shoulder. She let her hot breath trail across the exposed skin of his jaw before examining his wound. Tentatively, she pressed the lightest of kisses to a tiny patch of skin just above the bleeding wound.

"Selina, I'm serious."

"When are you not? But, believe it or not, I actually came here for a reason."

"Selina, I don't have time for your little games. I need to rescue the civilians before Joker gets his hands on them again."

"Just give me five minutes to tell you my story. After that, I'll help you retrieve the hostages. Deal?" Catwoman placed a hand on her hip.

"Three minutes."

Selina sighed. Sometimes, she had absolutely no idea how she had grown to care for this man. "Do you remember when I told you about my suspicions in regards to Two-Face?"

"I may have been knocked out quite a bit since then, but I still possess my long-term memory, Selina," dryly responded the Caped Crusader. The memory that stood out in his mind the most, however, was how Diana tricked him and drugged him with a powerful sedative. He even tried to avoid looking Alfred in the eyes since then.

"I have reason to believe he harmed my roommate, Holly Robinson. She can handle herself, you know. She was shot in the thigh after leaving work one night. She couldn't see her attacker's face, but she managed to draw him away by crippling his hand. He left a double barreled shotgun. And you and I both know how Harv loves revolving his life around two."

"Selina, it could have been anyone."

"You're wasting my time to speak, Batman. Anyway, I did some sleuthing, which is definitely harder than I gave you credit for, by the way. I found out from one of Two-Face's henchmen by the Solomon Wayne Courthouse that Harvey was planning on making a trip to Asia. I don't know when, but it's soon. And it's going to be big."

"How can I be entirely sure you're telling me the truth, Selina?" Batman questioned.

Catwoman said, "I made a tape recording of it, Mr. Detective. It's back at my apartment right now. We could go get it and you could listen to it. Maybe make some music of our own?"

"Selina. It's been four minutes and twenty-three seconds. The hostages," Batman said impatiently, pushing past the undeniably attractive female. "You coming?"

Catwoman looked over her shoulder to see the Batwing hovering just above the flat surface of the old warehouse. She studied the world's famous vigilante for a few seconds, quickly coming to a conclusion. 'Who the hell managed to capture his cold heart?' she thought, examining her claws.

Shaking her head, she placed her goggles firmly in place and followed Mr. Detective to what she could only presume to be her doom.

-Meanwhile With Wonder Woman-

Diana sighed. She was facing her doom, no doubt about that. Here she was, Champion of the Amazons, reduced to a poor, sniveling being in front of the television, stuffing her face in utterly fattening ice cream as she battled insomnia. All over a man.

But, he wasn't an ordinary man. He was more than that. There was more to him than even he realized. He was more than Batman, the Dark Knight that prowled the streets of Gotham at night in order to protect innocent people by instilling fear into those that plague the world with evil. He was more than Bruce Wayne, eccentric billionaire playboy. Watching his parents gunned down in front of him as a little boy had hardened his soul, yes, but it had also softened him in some ways. He was stronger than any warrior, perhaps even she. But, no. There was more to his complex character than that; it was something that even she couldn't entirely put her finger on.

Sighing, she scooped up another spoonful of chocolate ice cream from the container and shoved it into her mouth, hardly savoring the sweet taste. She tried focusing on the program playing on her plasma screen, given to her on behalf of Wayne Enterprises, a present from Bruce. Of course, that just dredged up even more memories of him, including their dance in Paris, the day she had figured out his alter ego. Feeling bittersweet, she thought, 'Hera, why do I have to be so stubborn?'.

A knock sounded at the door.

Surprised, Diana accidentally sent the ice cream jar careening backwards over the couch. To her dismay, her strength had allowed her spoon to lodge itself resolutely in the wall of her apartment. Sighing, she stood up and made her way to the door, ignoring the melting ice cream on her carpet. Picking it up now would serve no purpose for she would need to buy carpet cleaner to rid the carpet of its stains. Besides, the hammering of the door on behalf of whoever was on the other side was beginning to give her a headache.

Wonder Woman's visitor surprised her. Seeing Hawkgirl decked out in civvies around two in the morning was bound to startle you, too, after all. Without saying a word, Shayera pushed past the Amazonian princess and entered the usually pristine apartment.

"Shayera, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Diana asked, shutting the door.

Shayera sighed. "Look, I know we've had our differences, but I still consider you a valued friend, Diana. You've helped me in my times of need and I fear that I may be in need of your assistance yet again."

Diana shook her head in confusion at this intake of information. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you're trying to tell me, Shayera. Please explain."

"All I ask is that you don't judge me," the Thanagarian said with a desperate tone to her voice.

"You have my word," replied a somber Diana.

Shayera started playing with her fingers in apparent frustration. Speaking quickly, almost like peeling a bandage off, Shayera said, "I slept with John." The Thanagarian paused for a moment and studied Diana. "Er, you do know what that means, right?"

Diana flushed, recalling how naïve she used to be in Man's World. "As hard as it is for you believe, I do. Wasn't John engaged to Vixen, though?"

Shayera winced. "He still is. I didn't mean for it to happen, though. I was aboard the academy, filing some lesson plans in my office. I got hungry and decided to go to the cafeteria to get a bag of chips or something. Surprisingly, John was there getting some coffee. I didn't want to be rude, so we talked for a little while. One moment we're talking, and the next… we're kissing. One thing led to another and before I could fully realize what was happening, we were having sex."

"I'm sure he doesn't think any less of you, Shayera. After all, it takes two to tango," Diana said, trying to soothe her distraught friend.

"That's not even the worst part," Shayera hysterically declared. "We didn't use a condom so there's the possibility I'm going to wind up pregnant. And Diana, I know in my heart that any child of John's will be absolutely amazing, but I'm not ready to be a mother."

Diana rubbed her temples for a minute or so before saying, "How long has it been since the two of you did the deed?"

"It's only been a couple of days," informed the Thanagarian. "I would have told you sooner, but I just needed some time to wrap my head around it. As you've probably noticed, I haven't done a very good job at it."

"Okay, so in about a month, we could go out and get a pregnancy test. Then, you will know for certain."

"Diana, people are bound to recognize us. If I can't tell John about this, I don't want the whole damned world knowing!" fretted Shayera.

"The world recognizes Wonder Woman, not Diana Prince. Trust me, Shayera. Everything will work out for the better in the end," said Diana wisely.

"There's more," hiccupped Shayera. "I've grown to be friends with Mari. It hurts me to hear her droning on and on happily about her future wedding. Now, it'll just kill me to even look her in the eye. As much as it pains me to admit it, she deserves a good, happy, stable life. John can provide that for her. I probably ruined all of that, though. If she finds out about what happened… she'd never forgive me."

"I'm sorry, Shayera, but she's going to have to find out about it at some point. Telling her is the right thing to do. If it was the other way around, I know you wouldn't want to be living in ignorance."

"If I can't come to terms with it, I won't be able to tell Mari. The news will kill her. I'm surprised I managed to tell you! And, I fear it gets worse. When I was with John, I heard the slight, barely audible creak of the door opening and closing. Someone saw us."

"Do you know who it was?" inquired the Amazonian.

"I couldn't see the door, Di. But if word of what happened gets around and Mari hears word of it, I could possibly be facing my execution."

Diana cringed upon seeing her friend's deflated appearance. "You have to tell her before somebody else does. I know it's going to be hard, but it's doing the right thing that counts." With those words said, Diana enveloped her friend into a hug.

"They're going to hate me," sobbed Shayera.

"If it's any help, I'll stand by you. Despite our differences, I still consider you a valued friend," echoed the Princess of Themyscira. "And friends stick by their friends' sides, even in their darkest hours."

"Thank you, Diana," Shayera genuinely told her, her eyes moist. "You don't know how much that truly means to me." Shayera pulled away. "Now, do you have any strawberry ice cream? I sure could use some." She smiled weakly.

Diana smiled feebly in return, truly feeling for the Thanagarian. It seemed she could partially relate to the other female founding member of the Justice League. And she was willing to help her along the way, especially if she did turn out to be pregnant. That was a promise.

-Meanwhile With Raven And Robin-

"It wasn't all that bad, was it?" Robin asked, walking beside Raven on the now deserted streets of Jump City.

"No, it wasn't," admitted Raven. The residue taste of an ice cream sundae still lingered on her breath.

Robin grew serious. "My mother once said that sometimes, you just have to stop listening to your brain, take a leap of faith, and listen to your heart. Which is why I must ask, are you having fun, Rae?"

Raven's heart fluttered upon hearing those words and his nickname for her. She didn't dare mention that, though. She answered truthfully, "We could probably be in a desert right now and I'd be having fun if you were by my side."

"I'm pleased to hear I'm just that entertaining," Robin cheekily said, to which Raven elbowed him.

Suddenly, Raven stopped. They were in front of Malchior's bookstore. A banner was hanging in front of the small shop. Although the darkness surrounding them made it difficult, Raven managed to read a quick notice on how the store was closing. And it was all her fault as a particular memory slammed into her.

"You know what? I left this communicator Cyborg made back at the ice cream parlor. Do you think you can get it for me?" Raven felt bad for lying to Robin, but if her instincts were right and Malchior was inside, she wanted some privacy.

"Sure. But, will you be safe?" Robin asked earnestly, obviously concerned for her safety.

"I'll be fine," Raven reassured him.

Raven watched him walk down the sidewalk. Once he had turned the corner, she opened the door, thankful that it was unlocked.

"We're closed," a voice ground out from the counter. The owner looked up, recognition dawning on him. "Oh, it's you. Here to gloat, are you?"

"Malchior, I never wanted this store to close. There's a good selection of books here. Things have just been hectic lately. I wish I could have fulfilled my promise to ensure this store didn't close."

"Too late for that now, isn't it?" spat Malchior, looking older than he did the last time Raven had set eyes on him.

Raven sighed. "What would it take to revive the store?"

"A store isn't a living thing, Raven! You can't just revive it!"

"This store is practically your life. That's close enough to me."

Malchior considered this, his gaze cold. "For this store to continue on, it can't continue with its limping. In order for this store to survive, half of the merchandise would have to be sold."

"I promise I'll help you. Soon."

"Why should I believe you? You made that same promise the night I bailed your friend out of jail," Malchior said with a note of sadness.

"Look," Raven said, "I promised you that I would help you keep this shop moving along. I feel guilty for not upholding that promise. Please, Malchior. Allow me to help."

Malchior sighed, his attention now fixed elsewhere. "We're closed," he said wearisomely.

Raven looked behind her to see Robin standing there with his hands shoved into his pockets. She didn't know how long he had been standing there.

"Please, Malchior," Raven said, gripping the edge of the counter. She wanted to help her old friend and uphold that promise.

"Fine," he got out. "But, only because I believe people deserve a second chance."

"I won't let you down this time," Raven said, taking her leave.

"Let us hope so. Otherwise, things might change. Now, I suggest you hurry up. There's a storm brewing," Malchior said ominously before pivoting around forcefully to go to the backroom.

Once they were outside, Robin said, "I didn't find a communicator or anything."

"You know what? Now that I think about it… I left it at the academy. Sorry."

Just then, it started raining. Within seconds, they were drenched. Raven looked up at Robin, examining his features. She watched as a particularly large raindrop trickled down his nose, only to land on his lips. Without thinking about it, he licked the water up. His words echoed in her mind, 'But, sometimes, you have to put yourself out there and seize that perfect moment. Because if you don't, you may never get that chance again.' as well as, 'Sometimes, you just have to stop listening to your brain, take a leap of faith, and listen to your heart.'

Without a single gram of regret lingering within her, Raven kissed him. Every cell in his body was surprised by her action, although he really had no objection to it. However, he pulled her, holding her hands in his own.

"Is that your way in saying you're willing to be my girlfriend?" Robin said, his voice projecting despite the pattering of the falling rain.

Raven smiled. Her way of answering was by saying, "What's a little risk?"

Robin kissed her.

-Meanwhile With Batman-

"The place is closed for renovations," Catwoman said, still finding the whole theory of the hostages being held in the Iceberg Lounge ludicrous.

"It's a cover-up story," Batman said, spraying a hefty amount of explosive gel on the wall. He often infiltrated this place under the guise of Matches Malone, so he knew the place quite well.

"If it's Penguin's little hideout, why is Joker using it?"

"I thought you knew everything around here, Selina. Maybe you should invest in some bigger ears."

Selina rolled her eyes. "Leave the wisecracking to me. Otherwise, one might be led to believe you actually have a sense of humor."

Batman ignored that. "If my Intel is correct, Joker and Penguin have forged a fragile alliance. Besides, Joker hinted Penguin's involvement back at that old building. This place has probably been Joker's true hideout."

He detonated the wall and entered through the small opening that had been granted to him. Sighing, Catwoman followed him. They touched down onto the empty stage. The surrounding area held no clue as to where the hostages were held.

"See? They aren't here," Catwoman purred, walking slowly around him as if to prove her point.

"Get down!" Batman yelled, tackling her to the ground just as a bullet whizzed by, right where her head had been a couple of seconds ago.

"Fancy seeing you here, Batman. And, oh, look, you brought along a soon to be dead tagalong," said a very familiar voice. Penguin.

Batman quickly got up on his feet, watching Penguin, who was surrounded by five gunmen. Penguin was wearing a very large coat, much too big for his short frame, umbrella in hand. He was smiling sardonically.

"One move and the little kitty gets it," Penguin threatened, as his men now pointed their weapons at Selina. His umbrella stay trained on Batman.

Roaring in a very much feline way, Catwoman leapt up into the air, landing behind Penguin. Before the henchmen could blink, she swiftly kicked their leader's feet from under him. Batman sent three batarangs flying at the thugs, knocking the guns out of their hands. Selina dealt with the other two by slamming their heads together with enough force that their skulls were probably cracked. A knee to the face, a powerful roundhouse kick, and two quick jabs to vulnerable areas guaranteed the men wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

Flustered, Penguin operated his umbrella, sending acid flying at Catwoman's face. She rolled out of the way, thankfully not coming into any contact with the acid. Growling, she jumped on Penguin's chest, applying pressure to his trachea. "Nine lives, birdie."

A voice sounded on the intercom, but Batman knew the person it belonged to was elsewhere. "Come on, Abner. Surely even you can do better than that!" Joker screeched, mocking Penguin.

Penguin groaned, just as his head was slammed into the shiny floors by Catwoman. She stood up, purposely bumping into Batman. She hoped that one of these days, she would actually be right.

They found the hostages tied up, blindfolded, hanging over the pool area in the club. From what Batman could tell, the water was hypothermic and was infested with mechanical sharks, most likely designed to eat human flesh.

"Batman! Is that you?" Commissioner Gordon asked, his voice carrying over to the ground, magnified due to the structure of the room.

"Hang on a second, Jim. I'm going to free you and the rest of the hostages," Batman said, examining the area. "Do you think you could break the legs off the largest table in the dining area and bring it over here?" Batman asked Catwoman.

"Of course," she replied, slightly offended that he would think otherwise.

Catwoman returned a few minutes later with a particularly large table that bore suspicious claw marks. She shrugged when she felt his eyes boring into hers, despite the lenses of his cowl.

Soon enough, every hostage was placed on the makeshift boat. On the way back, a shark decided to try chomping on it, but Batman swiftly punched it in the nose, sending it back into the depths of freezing waters. Once they were safely back onto solid ground, Batman examined the captives, which was when he came to a realization.

Dr. Harleen Quinzel was missing.

-Meanwhile In Metropolis-

"Do you swear to serve us forever and foremost, whether it be living or in death?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to protect us for all eternity, even if it is your blood that will be spilled?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to uphold and honor our virtues and values, even if you should grow to disagree?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to give yourself up entirely, in spirit, soul, and body, in order to see the destruction wrought upon this planet?"

"I do."

The cloaked figure pulled up their sleeve, revealing a scarred forearm. Without uttering a single word, the figure removed a dagger from its sheath and swiftly cut the exposed flesh in an impeccably straight line. The figure let the drops fall into an ornate golden chalice, allowing it to mix with a thick liquid mixture.

"By drinking from this chalice, you will bind your soul for all of eternity to the hands of evil. This is not to be taken lightly. Do you agree to willingly bind your essence for the sake of our cause?"

"I do."

"And so it shall be."

"And so it shall be."

The other occupant of the foggy room delicately took the chalice from the hands of the cloaked figure before downing it. Despite the room's spinning, the occupant had never seen everything in such clear detail before.

"Welcome to Project Armageddon."

-A Few Hours Later-

Even though Starfire had just woken up and had received a significantly less amount of sleep than she normally did, she was feeling completely refreshed and amazing. She had a very strong feeling that today would be absolutely glorious. How very wrong she was.

After taking a quick shower and changing into her costume, Starfire met up with Speedy in the hallway. He beamed when he saw her practically glowing form. He found it incredible how she possessed such a positive spirit.

Be as that may, everything came to a head in the main room. There, sitting on the couch, was a very familiar face. Amethyst eyes looked up, coming into contact with Starfire's. The owner of the odd shade of eye color smiled, as if knowing a very important secret.

"Hello, sister," greeted Blackfire.

A/N - Favorite part? Least favorite part? Hate? Like? Anything you want to see in the upcoming chapters? Let me know in the reviews.

I'm honestly sorry for the delay for this chapter. I went on vacation to visit family for two weeks and was unable to write during that time. Also, I was a bit uncertain as to go about with the angle of this chapter. In all, I'm actually quite pleased with how this is going to set things in transition.

Questions To Think About:
What was Astoria doing in Raven's room?
What was with Astoria's reaction?
What will Bushido do upon waking up?
Will Captain Marvel figure out who was behind the boa constrictor escapade?
Did Oliver and Dinah break up?
What are Cyborg's blueprints of?
Will Green Arrow question Kid Flash's story in the future?
Why would Two-Face attack Holly?
Why is Two-Face planning on going to Asia?
Will Selina learn about Batman's relationship to Wonder Woman?
Is Hawkgirl pregnant?
What will become of John's engagement to Vixen?
Will Shayera tell John or Mari about what happened?
Will Shayera find out who saw her with John?
How will Raven guarantee that Malchior's shop will be okay?
What was up with Malchior's parting words?
Where's Dr. Harleen Quinzel?
Who were the occupants in the foggy room in Metropolis?

Thanks for reading!