In the small hours of early morning, there is a certain stillness to the air, a kind of lonely emptiness that most people are aware but take stark notice of. Even when storms prattle the windows or some wayward music echo's the wind, it is a time when happenings seem most vivid and real to those experiencing them.

Time seemed to have stopped for Raven, or she would have thought, if the ticking of her clock in the darkness had not reassured her that it still continued. There was an odd sense of clarity thrumming through her senses, a feeling of pure awareness that she only felt while in deep meditation. She could faintly smell the spicy aroma of her sandalwood soap on her sweat sheened skin, now mingled with an unknown heady masculine scent. Her body was slowly relaxing, muscles losing their tightness while small, pinpoint aftershocks of pleasure throbbed between her legs. Hard gasps heated her cheek and neck as she enjoyed the feeling of a strong, firm body arched above her.

His lips moved slightly against her throat as he licked his lips, the wet tip of his tongue flicking close to her ear and making her breath hitch slightly. Raven was dimly aware of his gloved hand as it languidly traveled the outside of her thigh towards her hip, slightly pressing to assure that it stayed flush against him. A soft, broken chuckle fluttered over her skin.

"You're shaking, Sunshine" he said.

Raven could feel the coy amusement threaded through his physical satisfaction, could taste it on her tongue and envelope her empathy. He was still baiting her, trying to keep her playing whatever game they were in, and despite what had just transpired, she still felt a thrill ripple through her.

"Not as hard as you were." She replied.

Her voice seemed smokier than normal, even to her ears, and there was a new pang of desire that came from him. His close, intimate proximity, along with her momentary state of release, made her more susceptible to him and her immediate surroundings. Red-X tilted his head, bringing his lips to the hollow of her throat as he lazily rolled his hips into her, his erection still hard enough to send an almost painful tremor of pleasure through her sensitive flesh.

"I didn't hear you complaining" he growled.

Raven held back a moan as he bit a small portion of skin, sucking it gently into his mouth as one of his hands reached up to run its thumb over her still hardened nipple.

The intrusive sound of the attack alert over the towers com systems halted them with a start. There was a hollow sounding collision to her right as her momentary fright caused something in one of her trunks to throw itself against the lid. Red-X growled above her, anger and disappointment wafting off of him in hot waves.

"Not the sound I wanted to hear right now" he said.

Raven felt her lips turning down into a frown as she started reestablishing her composure. Cool air crept over her chest as the thief pulled away from her slightly.

"You should go." She said.

The bright lights of the main room were a painful contrast to the thick blackness of the storm darkened night. The rain had started to fall harder, obscuring the distant lights of the city from the window's view, and creating an almost claustrophobic atmosphere in the large room. Raven phased into the room, keeping her hood up to act as a barrier to both the harsh lighting and any looks from her friends.

Despite having had to take the time to clean away the results of her interaction with Red-X from her belly, and put on a fresh leotard, she was surprised to see that she was not the last one to arrive. Starfire stood by the small kitchen island and offered her a small, if not drowsy smile as she entered. Cyborg had accessed the computer and was looking up the cause of the disturbance. Beast Boy entered through the sliding doors, his hair slightly matted to his head and his eyes bloodshot as he blinked repeatedly against the light.

"Dude, what's with these early morning attacks?" he asked with a whine.

"Crime doesn't sleep, BB." Cyborg answered.

Cyborg finished scanning the information on the screen before turning to his teammates.

"Looks like Dr. Light is trying to drain the power supply to the cities industrial grid." He informed.

There was a short chorus of annoyed groans from the group. Their attention turned to the monitor once more as Robin's face took place on the screen, his brow furrowed as he glared down at them. Raven narrowed her eyes under the scrutiny and became suddenly aware of the traces of anger and cold determination that emanated from his part of the tower. Through their bond she could sense his swift calculating mind, how it was in overdrive over something.

"What's the disturbance?" he asked, his voice clear and calm despite the emotion she felt from him.

"Just Dr. Light trying to play electrician again." Cyborg grumbled.

"You can handle it. I have something I need to take care of here." Robin said.

Raven frowned under her hood, her posture going straighter without her notice. It was rare for robin to not join them for an attack. There was noticeable confusion amidst the Titans and Starfire's face was fixed in concern as she took a step toward the monitor.

"Robin, are you unwell?" she asked.

Robins expression did not change on the screen, nor did Raven pick up any clues through her bond. There seemed to be a hardened barrier in the mental path. She knew that it would take little for her to break through it, but she did not. Robin would reveal everything when the time was right, no matter what it could be.

"I'm fine, Star. Titans, move out!" he ordered, before his image disappeared from the screen.

"Aw, c'mon! Why does he get to stay behind and sleep?" Beastboy grumbled.

They were making for the garage, Raven and Starfire gliding behind the boys as they jogged.

"Robin said he had something to take care of. I do not believe he will be doing the sleeping." Starfire replied, her concern and discomfort evident in her tone.

"Then why don't we just send Raven? She could make him cave just by showing up." Beastboy said, turning his head slightly towards her.

The changeling slowed slightly in his jog, his ears suddenly twitching back as his eyes widened. He stared at Raven, his body going tense as he darted his gaze over her body. She scowled at him from under her hood, bringing her arms close to her sides to allow her cloak to cover her entirely.

"What?" she snapped.

Beastboy's cheeks were a darker shade of green as he swallowed heavily. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Cyborg calling him from down the hall.

"Get in the car, kids! Mommy and Daddy are ready to go!" he yelled.

Raven watched as the changeling closed his mouth into a grim line before turning and running down the hall, his shoes making slight squeaks on the floor. Her steadying breath helped to diffuse the torrent of confusion and shock that had pummeled her in the small space. She closed her eyes and chanted her mantra silently to herself once, reinforcing all of her mental and emotional shields before continuing towards her team.

The threat posed by Dr. Light had been a small one. When they arrived at the scene they found the man laughing at the cowering workers while he shot white hot beams of light towards them. He had attached a large cable to one of the main power supplies and was transferring the energy to the power pack on his suits back. When he saw the Titans he swallowed heavily, but tried to keep a fierce façade in front of his audience.

He only managed to take a few shots towards them before they closed in, Raven being the main force of the attack when she opened an inky black portal in front of him and sent a dark tendril of power to slide around his torso like a serpent. The man began to tremble and ended up wetting his suit as he stared deep into the abyss. Cyborg held his nose as he safely took the cable from him while Starfire called Jump Police on her communicator.

Once everything was in order, the team made their way back to the tower in uncommon silence. Starfire had simply stared out of her window at the faint rays of light beginning to come up over the horizon while Cyborg kept his attention on the road. Beastboy was fidgeting silently in his seat, ears pulled slightly back on his head as he kept sneaking glances at Raven from the corner of his eyes. She felt suffocated by his discomfort and suspicion. The mingling feelings of concern and slight panic coming from Starfire were also pricking at her skin, making the empathy consider phasing to the tower instead. She kept her place in the back seat, deciding that keeping a calm exterior would be the best course of action.

Placing her elbow against the window ledge of her door, she supported her chin in her palm, eyes looking at nothing despite the passing scenery. In trying to block out the waves of emotions from her friends, she let her mind sink back to her darkened room, to the sharp throb of pleasure at a wet mouth on her breast. The memory made her body clench and there was a fresh spike of unease from beside her. The hair at the base of her neck prickled as she looked at Beastboy from the corner of her eye.

He had shifted closer to his own door, body ramrod stiff as he looked straight at the back of Cyborg's headrest. When he glanced back over to her, he visibly started at making eye contact with her stoic stare. He tried to give her a lopsided grin, but it resembled a stiff baring of the teeth instead. Beastboy was rarely this uncomfortable around her, even when she was angry with him, he did not seem to let it really trouble him like whatever was now.

"Something on my face?" she asked.

Her voice was as steady and unrevealing as ever, but in her gut she felt a tight coiling of dread. Her mind was reaching through her brief interaction with him earlier, but could not deduce exactly what was the cause. He lowered his ears and looked away, not wanting to keep looking in her direction.

"Nothing that I can see." He mumbled.

Authors Note:

I'm back. I am already working on the next chapter, which will be longer and a lot more informing. Hope you guys are happy to see me.