Shoujo-ai warning. Don't like. Don't read. Simple.

I don't want any flames for that reason. Other flames will be accepted happily. Pairings- Raven/Jinx, BB/Terra, Robin/Star.

Teen Titans: A Raven's Bad Luck

An individual clothed in a dark blue cloak stepped into the cafe. The hood was drawn up over her face, making it impossible to see her face through the deep shadows playing just underneath the hood. The cafe seemed to be done in exactly the right style for this person. The dark shades of blue, violet, and black served to remove the pent up stress obvious with even a cursory glance. The air pulsed slightly, as if the building itself had a heartbeat. There was two-seater tables scattered about, some with a lone figure, some by a set of two. Raven of the teen titans moved to her favorite table in the back corner and signaled to a waiter for her usual, the mug of herbal tea arriving less than a minute later. "Flown from the nest again, eh? Needed to get away from the chicks, right," the young waiter commented wryly. Raven came alarmingly close to smiling on that one, the corners of her mouth twitching spasmodically. "No, it wasn't the chicks this time. I just feel tired and worried, Marrion," Raven admitted. "You need to talk?" Marrion asked, concerned. "No," Raven sighed.

It was part of the reason that she regarded this place as a haven; she was never surrounded by titan fans or groupies, like she was at the mall or other places. There were really only two real reasons that someone would come to this place: for a romantic date, or to hide. Raven fit in the latter, but it was a good balance. The loners were too busy trying not to not to be noticed and the romantics were too interested in each other to have noticed anything short of a wall caving in. Raven glanced around nervously, good, it seemed as if Murphy's Law took the day off. Anyway, when things got to be too much for Raven, she came here to hide from anything and everything.

The waiter had long since walked away, talking Raven's refusal in stride. She called out to the shadows wordlessly and they answered, hiding her further in the darkness than any normal human eye could penetrate. She didn't worry; the staff here knew enough to know that she wouldn't skip out on the bill.

Even tough it was at least three days ago; she could still feel Slade's touch on her skin. No, she reminded herself, it wasn't his touch; it was her father's, Trigon. A yawning void opened up inside of her, as it always did with thoughts of the demon. It was filled with rage, pain, hatred, and all her powers. That was one of the reasons that Raven had joined the teen titans, and a small part of the many reasons that she stayed. She wanted to do good with the powers she had gotten from her dad, trying to distance herself from their blood connection. The apocalyptic visions playing in her mind's eye, she looked at her palms. Those damn marks were still apparent. She had tried every thing that wasn't fatal in her books to remove the stains, but they persisted. Summoning spells on a body were one of the hardest things to get rid of. The only non-fatal things she hadn't tried were Holy water and Angel's blood. Both of which would burn like hell on her half-demon body.

She felt reality pull her back as someone sat down in the seat opposite her own. Her shadows were still up, so she didn't actually see the person. Curiosity got the better of her and she dropped the darkness around her, revealing one startled ex-hive member. Jinx bristled like a cat when she saw Raven appear out of nowhere. She had to remind herself that she wasn't here to fight and held back a hex bolt.

"So, this is a surprise," she said, breaking the tense silence.

"Are you going to go quietly?" Raven sighed tiredly, not really feeling like taking the girl in, but a job was a job.

Jinx wagged a finger at Raven," Sorry, but the statue of limitations on all of my outstanding warrants expired two days ago."

Raven readily accepted the information; even if it wasn't true it was a reasonable enough excuse to dump the responsibility of Jinx on some poor cop with too much time. "Commit any new crimes?" Raven asked, feigning civil conversation.

Jinx did her best to pout and look innocent, which in Raven's opinion was pretty good. "If you must know, with Brother Blood gone I'm on the straight and narrow," she said defensively

That threw Raven for a loop, but she retook her senses quickly. A wordless truce was struck between the two after that and slowly the two began speaking on more friendly terms. Very slowly. Hours past by with the easygoing nature that they tend to have when spending time with someone that you get along with easily.

''So I ended up getting to know Starfire and I guess we understand each other better now I guess. I also hate puppets, I really, really hate puppets," Raven finished. Jinx managed to barely restrain herself; she knew that if she had let it go, she'd be on the floor in tears of mirth. When the pink-haired bad luck charm spoke next she was a little hesitant," so you said your powers are linked directly to your emotions, does that mean that." the incomplete sentence hung in the air along with a tense silence.

"If I feel emotion then my powers go totally haywire and 9 times out of 10 something will explode," Raven confirmed. Jinx winced at the non-chalant way Raven said it. "My powers are linked to things more circumstantial things," Jinx explained. Raven, who had long since dropped her hood, raised an eyebrow. Jinx expounded upon her earlier statement," like mirrors breaking, ladders, black cats, umbrellas, and," She visibly shivered," Friday the 13th." Raven looked confused," I thought those were all superstitions."

Jinx nodded," but they're true too. Something like a hundred generations ago, my great great whatever grand father was born on Friday the 13th and ever since someone in the next generation has been born on that day, and we all have had the power to control bad luck. One of my ancestors said it was so that the planet would have a kind of safety valve, of course he was also committed to a mental institution on his fortieth birthday." Raven smiled slightly; somehow Jinx had been making her do that more and more often these past hours.

"Things blow up a lot when I lose control too," Jinx said after a pause," and people get hurt too." Raven surprised a shiver, she really sympathized with Jinx. The pink-haired girl was probably one of only a few on the planet that actually knew what it was like to have a beast within you that was jumping at the least chance to get out, and when it was out it would kill and kill and kill. Raven suddenly stood up," I need to get back to the tower now, I hate to admit it, but it was nice talking to a girl other than Starfire. We should do this again sometime."

"Tomorrow night, same place, same time," Jinx suggested.

Raven thought for a moment then smiled again," I'd like that."

It had been a week since Raven met Jinx at the cafe and the two had met there each night since. The rest of the titans were whispering something about her having a boyfriend and said that she fad a 'goofy' smile on her face when she come in the last three nights. She had met them with a glare and her normal silent treatment. The blaring alarm that signaled an emergency cut through Raven's thoughts. Already ready,

She checked the time,'Damn,' she thought,' I'll be late for my date with Jinx.'

The thought caused her to stop cold for a few seconds,' my date? With Jinx? I've been listening to Cyborg too long.' Deciding it was just a slip of the mind she pushed it out of her thoughts for the moment and rushed to the main room.

"It's Johnny Rancid and he has a few new pets," Robin announced once they were all gathered. The screen showed a large muscular man with black, scraggily, short hair on a motorcycle. Behind him were three mechanical monstrosities. They were similar to raptors in their design, from the speed of the background flashing by they were doing at least 70mph.They had steel structures and looked fearsome enough to tear apart cars.

"Please, what does the Rancid one want with this violence?" Starfire asked Robin.

"Same as always Star, he just wants money and destruction," Robin replied," Titans GO!"

"Here they COME!" Cyborg yelled over the roar of the oncoming engines.

"I'll take Rancid," Robin yelled in turn from his own motorcycle," Cy, take the left; Star and BB, the middle; Raven, the right."

Beast Boy nodded and took the form of a velociraptor himself. Cyborg charged his canon. Starfire's hands began to glow a luminous green. Raven began to speak," Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos," and her hands took on the black glow of her telekinetic powers. Robin gunned the engine of his bike and took out his staff, holding it like a lance.

Robin speed toward the oncoming biker, the robot-raptors leaving their master to do battle with the prey so obviously awaiting them. Cyborg got the first hit in, landing a blow on the machination's jaw. As it fell it knocked Cyborg's legs out from under him, sending them both to the floor. The brawl became an indistinguishable blur of organic and robotic body parts as the raptor and Cyborg let out bestial yells of triumph and retaliation.

The second raptor deflected the two balls of light that the Tamarainian girl shot at it and launched head long into a one-on-one with Beast Boy. The teeth and claws of the changing had little effect and a change of tactics was necessary. Starfire saw his predicament and pulled the mechanical dinosaur off, slamming him into a wall in the process. A shift to a rhino and the robo-dino was up and ready for more.

Raven pulled up two light poles and began to bludgeon the metal beast with them. Taking two hits in stride, the beast was able to knock the metal poles from the sorceress' control. Two parking meters came up next, enveloped in the familiar black glow. They wrapped like putty around the dinosaur and held him fast, at least for a few seconds. Breaking its bonds, the beast headed for Raven again. A shield of black energy rose up around the violet-haired girl, protecting her from the tooth and nail attack. Although the shield couldn't stand up indefinitely, it would give her a precious few seconds to get a new plan of attack together. The problem was, she was fresh out of ideas. There was no debris around to chunk at it and it was thrashing too violently to get a hold of. The others were occupied with their own battles, so she was on her own. With a grim smile she accepted her fate,' who would've thought that it would end this way? Torn apart by a mechanized reject from the cretaceous,' she thought wryly. Her thoughts spun to other topics, her friends, past victories, and Jinx.

The last one was quite a surprise to the teen. Maybe her feelings for the bad luck charm went deeper that she thought. She made a mental note that if she got out of this one she might see if Jinx wanted to go on a date or two.

"Speak of the devil," Raven said softly as pink hex bolts knocked the clawing fiend away. "Sorry, but that one's mine you robotic freak," Jinx said as the dinosaur's circuitry fizzled and an explosion ripped it wide open. "Sorry I'm late," Jinx apologized. Raven smiled,

"Better late than never." Her eyes wandered to her teammates. "If you wouldn't mind taking care of the other two?"

Jinx grumbled something like," Give 'em an inch..." She formed a pistol shape with her fingers and took aim at the one attacking Starfire and Beast Boy. "Bang Bang," she said comically and hit the mechanized beast with two bullet-like hex balls. This one had a similar reaction, exploding into a pile of scrap metal. She then took aim at Cyborg's and got in a headshot. The head spun around a few times before popping off and exploding like a miniature firework. Jinx blew on the tip of her finger like the barrel of a smoking gun and holstered it.

"Can we go now?" Jinx asked, bored.

"One minute," Raven replied and pointed to Johnny Rancid, who was currently revving up for another go at Robin, using a parking meter as a lance. Jinx impatiently watched the duel and remained non-pulsed when Robin won. "Now?" Jinx asked even less patiently.

Raven nodded and moved to speak with Robin," Robin, I have an... engagement," she motioned to Jinx. Robin looked confused, but Raven added," I promise to explain later."

"Okay," he agreed.

"Jinx, do you think we could go to somewhere other that the cafe tonight, and how did you know where we were?" Raven questioned.

"When you were late I ran over to the bar across the street and flipped to the news, it wasn't that hard to realize there must have been an emergency," the pink-haired girl replied," and it's been a while since I saw a decent movie."

"Jinx, how do you feel about homosexuals? Raven asked in her normal monotone, but inside an enormous amount of anxiety churned within her as to the answer of the question.

Jinx eyed the violet-haired girl suspiciously," I'm just taking a swing here, but I'm guessing that you have a 'friend' that needs advice whether or not to tell another 'friend,' of the same sex, that he/she might like him/her as more that a 'friend,' right?"

Raven nodded, unable to answer, for fear of what would come out of her mouth if she opened it.

"My advice is to take the chance, nothing lost, and nothing gained, right?" Jinx turned to keep walking, but Raven's hand caught her own, an electric sensation passing over the skin that connected.

"Jinx, I...I like you, a lot," Raven said, the anxiety still there in her blushing, but hopeful face. Jinx gave her a slightly fanged smile and leaned in very slowly to give the sorceress of Azarath a light kiss on the cheek. A row of light poles launched skyward, never to be seen on earth again. Raven blushed more and threw up her hood, hiding her face. Jinx couldn't help but giggle slightly.

"You look nice," Jinx complemented as Raven stepped out of the theater wall. Raven had quietly slipped back to the tower to change into a set of normal clothes. After all, a titan going to the movies would get mauled by fans or fanatics. She was dressed in a black, long-sleeved shirt and dark blue jeans with a purple jacket hanging open. Raven blushed at the complement and even more so when Jinx took her arm. The sorceress stiffened when she saw the crowd of moviegoers.

"Relax," the bad luck charm whispered," we're just two normal girls seeing a movie. No one's seen you without your hood and Brother Blood paid enough people off to ensure that our faces never ended up on the news or front page." It wasn't what Jinx said; so much as it was Jinx that said it. A little of the stress eased from her body as Jinx took her arm and led her inside. For some reason beyond her comprehension, Raven felt soothed by the mere presence of the pink-haired girl. She had been feeling that way since a week ago when she and Jinx had met in the cafe. At first the feeling was dismissed, bet now it was consistently there anytime Jinx was nearby. Jinx quickly procured two tickets to a movie called "Constantine."

"So, what did you think?" Jinx asked after the movie.

"Well, they did get some things right, like all angels aren't that holy, but demons aren't all that bad. I mean some have been known to steal souls, but most just want to be left...alone?" Raven finished as Jinx gave her an odd look. She realized her mistake instantly and shut up quickly.

"Raven how do you know about demons?" Jinx asked curiously.

"We need to go somewhere else to talk about this," Raven stated uneasily and summoned her shadows around the two, transporting them to her room. "Warn me before you do that again," Jinx pleaded "Sorry," Raven apologized and moved to a bookshelf, removing a large volume. Raven motioned to Jinx for her to sit down beside her on the bed. Raven opened the volume to a familiar page. "Oooh," Jinx said in appreciation. "This book is the book of demons, this is Trigon. The king of Demons." She pointed to a picture of a misshapen beast,

"My father," Raven finished. Jinx looked Raven in the eyes and established there wasn't a joke to be had. This was the moment that Raven was nervous about. She didn't know if Jinx would be disgusted or terrified. She had wanted to wait a little while to tell the pink-haired teen, but due to her own slip of the tongue, it would have to be now.

"I guess it's safe to say you take after your mom, huh?" Jinx grinned. Relief flooded Raven's system and a few tears escaped her eyes. "Did I say something wrong?" Jinx asked, alarmed.

"No," Raven said weakly," It's just that there have only three people to accept me for who I am, other than my mom."

Jinx realized how much not caring about what the Raven was meant to the gothic girl. Gently, she pulled Raven into a hug, wrapping her arms around the titan waist. "I guess I just realized exactly how much you not caring kind of validated my existence."

"Hey," Raven's head popped up," I lost control and nothing blew up." There was a giddiness in expressing emotion and not having anyone get hurt. She savored that feeling, for once in a long, long time, she savored a feeling. "That's probably my fault," Jinx said, relishing the effect that the warmth from Raven's skin was having on her own.

Raven turned a curious eye on Jinx. "My powers have an effect on probability. What ever should happen doesn't and whatever shouldn't happen does. You should be able to let your emotions out more freely, but don't push it. There's a limit to even my bad luck," Jinx replied with caution. Raven buried her head into the nape of Jinx's neck

"Jinx, would you be okay with it if I said I might be falling in love with you?" Raven asked quietly.

There was a warm sensation inside Jinx that tripled when Raven said that. She had her own feelings for Raven, but didn't think that the gothic teen was ready to accept them yet. Raven, she had learned, had a problem letting people into the castle she built around herself. It was weird then that she had left herself open to this degree.

"I would be more that okay with it. I would love it if you were in love with me," Jinx said hauntingly. Raven shifted, and slowly pressed her lips to Jinx's. The kiss was soft and hard at the same time. Inexperience combined with an almost feral hunger in a fumbling, but pleasant experience that left both teens breathless...and floating two feet above the bed they had previously been sitting on.

Raven gently laid them both down and smiled that rare smile she did when she was truly happy. "Raven," Jinx breathed heavily," You know where this will lead if we keep going and you also know that neither of us are ready for it."

Raven nodded and forcefully suppress the spark of lust that had ignited, tightening her grip on her emotions as well. It wouldn't do any one any good if she lost control.

"And besides that I really do need to get back to my place. Mammoth offered to put me up till I was able to find a place of my own. He's like the big brother I never had," Jinx explained. She was about to continue, but a knock at Raven's door interrupted her.

"Raven?" Robin inquired from the other side," are you in there?"

Jinx and the aforementioned sorceress jumped apart guiltily, Raven going to answer the door.

The door slid open an inch or two, just enough for Robin to see the left side of Raven's face. "Sorry, was I interrupting something?"

The questioned stemmed from the almost unreadable irritation on raven's face. Even Robin didn't see it so much as he felt it in the lingering traces of the link that raven had once forged.

"No," Raven said," I agreed to an explanation and you are the leader of this team, so you have a right to know." Raven looked to Jinx before opening the door, wordlessly asking permission that Jinx readily granted. The door opened and Robin was only half-surprised to find Jinx sitting on the bed. "Hi," the pink-haired girl greeted. "Uh...hi," Robin replied.

"Robin, Jinx and I are..."Raven faltered, searching for the right word.

"Involved with each other," Jinx supplied.

Raven nodded a silent thanks and waited for Robin's reaction.

The Boy Wonder looked at the two and said thoughtfully," That was one of the things I wanted to talk to you about." He turned to Jinx. "From what the others tell me you helped out a lot in the battle with Rancid," he reached into his belt for something," I haven't talked to the others yet, but if you really have turned over a new leaf, then..." he left the statement hanging as he produced a titan's communicator and held it out to Jinx. She looked at it uncertainly. "It's yours if you want it," Robin assured her," You would be a welcome addition to the team."

"Can I think about it a little?" the pink-haired teen asked. Robin nodded and put the device back into his belt.

"Oh, Raven?" his attention shifted," you don't have to tell the others, but if Jinx joins it will probably come out anyway and Beast Boy will have a field day teasing you about your 'girlfriend' either way."

Raven nodded, accepting the facts as they were.

Robin gave a quick good night to each and left for his crime-monitoring computer.

"Would it bother Beast Boy that we were...I mean...together?" Jinx asked worriedly.

Raven allowed herself a self-confident smile," Beast Boy and I have an odd relationship. It's close to siblings in that we annoy each other, but there's no one we'd rather have by our side in battle. That's why he'll tease you and me, he'll be at least a little jealous."

Jinx quirked her head to the side and furrowed her eyebrows, she didn't understand.

"Titans GO!" Robin yelled for the third time that week.

The Titans knocked the door to the museum open, revealing the dark, empty building.

"Okaaaay, weren't we supposed to be here to stop a robbery or something?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yeah, but it was just a silent alarm, so no one was here to confirm the identity of the person who broke in," Cyborg conceded.

"My friends, does this situation not seem familiar?" Starfire said, not wanting to mention Slade to Robin or Raven.

Silence greeted Starfire's statement as Raven's stomach turned into a block of ice. The intense fear only quelled by intense control on Raven's part.

"Come out Slade!" Robin exclaimed, his voice echoed of the walls tauntingly.

"Perceptive as always Robin," Slade's voice, equally taunting, rang out clearly as he stepped out from shadows as black as the pits of Hell.

"Slade," Robin growled out," We saw you die, Terra died to kill you, Why aren't you DEAD!" Robin asked. The question of how he had survived had been eating him alive since he had seen the masked figure three weeks ago.

"Oh, but Robin, I did die," Slade replied smugly," and speaking of which, Raven, you need to come with me." Raven wished Jinx was here. She didn't know why, but the bad luck charm was a real, concrete part of her life now. She and Jinx had seen each other every night for the last week also and last night she had agreed that she would join the Titans.

"No," Raven gave the word as much malice as if she was talking directly to her father, who she was sure, was listening.

"I'm afraid my master didn't say you had a choice in the matter," Slade said, holding up a flaming fist.

The Titans all automatically put up a guard, ready for the fire. From their position by the door the Titans were knocked clear from the building. Slightly singed, the teens all managed to right themselves, except for Beast Boy, who landed face first on the pavement outside the museum. "Titans GO!" Robin yelled again as the battle commenced. Robin took Slade in hand-to -hand, alternating with Cyborg and Best Boy, the heavy artillery of the group. Once they had been knocked away, Starfire launched a volley of star bolts, and Raven, bringing up the rear, turned nearly anything she could get her powers on into a projectile. This circle continued for over an hour, the monotony of battle gripping the teen's minds, turning seconds to minutes, and minutes to hours. The actual time they were in battle lost to their intense weariness.

"I have enjoyed this battle, believe me Robin, but I must be going. Now, Raven," Slade said, stepping forward to the exhausted team.

Every Titan was breathing hard and sported at least five dark blue bruises apiece. "Get away," Raven said as the masked figure took another step forward," I don't want to go with you, go away. Tell my father I never want to see him again."

The strain on her body and mind was beginning to crack the control that normally stood so strong governing her emotions. "You don't have any choice raven, I will take you. By choice or by force."

That declaration pushed Raven over the edge. "LEAVE ME ALONE," she howled. Her cape blew open revealing tentacles of dark energy. The white two white eyes concealed beneath her hood were now six glowing red ones. The other Titans moved away obligingly, they had seen what happened to Dr. Light. Slade had expected another out burst of power similar to her last; fueled by fear, but not one fueled by raw anger. "YOU WILL NOT HAVE ME, YOU LAOTHESOME THING!" Raven declared, consumed by boundless rage.

What followed was a new battle. One where fire ate darkness and darkness suffocated fire. Raven attacks were vicious and animalistic while Slade was quickly pushed on the defensive. With every strike Raven took another step to exhaustion, Slade, however, was taking far too much damage to be confident about the outcome of the fight. With one final blast of energy, Raven fell back, completely void of any will to fight. Slade fell to the ground, but was able to catch himself. He, too, was breathing hard now and was anything, but amused when the now rested Titans jumped to their fallen comrade.

"This is getting tiring," Slade said, launching balls of bright flame at the Titans. The flames knocked them to the wall of a nearby building, binding them to the surface.

"Leave her alone," Beast Boy yelled.

"Yeah, dude, what's Raven ever done to you," Cyborg shouted out.

"It's not a matter of what she has done to me, it's what she will do to the world," Slade returned, walking over to his catch. "Well Raven, the game is over now, it's time to go."

"Jinx," Raven cried softly, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"No one can save you now Raven," Slade said with relish.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Jinx cried, landing the mother-of-all-kicks square on Slade's jaw. The power Jinx had put into the kick must have surprised even her because Slade was knocked at least ten feet away and slid another three.

"I'm so sorry Raven, I almost didn't get here in time. I'm so sorry," Jinx said as she held the violet-haired girl tightly in her arms. Slade rose once again, this time shakily.

"Jinx, he's getting back up," Robin warned from his place on the building's wall. The shock of Jinx's second appearance at one of their fights, or the pink-haired girl holding Raven tightly and Raven reciprocating didn't faze him as badly as it did the others. The remainder of the team had asked Raven why Jinx had saved them during the fight with Rancid, but she had only answered them with silence.

"Robin, why does the Jinxed one help us now?" Starfire asked, confused.

Robin sweat dropped, he really did not want to explain that to Starfire," Uh, I'll tell you later Star."

I am quite tired of playing games now," Slade said, irritated.

The venom in Jinx's glance was enough to make Slade recoil as she said," Slade, on my way here I happened to meet an acquaintance of yours and I brought her along."

Slade suddenly got the feeling that one gets right before he's hit with a truck. Looking up, he realized why. There was an immense load of earth above his head. "Nice to see you again Slade," a voice from his 'past life' said. The load of dirt fell and the other Titans were released from their bonds. Every person looked to the figure hovering above the ground on a large rock. Her blonde hair waved in the wind above a black T-shirt with a yellow 'T' with a circle around it, her pants were simple, brown shorts.

"Uh, Hi," Terra said, looking at the now free Titans.

"T-T-Terra," Beast Boy said. Terra nodded. "Terra!" Beast Boy yelled tearfully and ran, tackling Terra in a bear hug.

"Where's Slade?" Robin asked.

Terra raised the mass of land above her head and nothing. Just nothing. No Slade, no crushed remnants thereof. "You know, I thought for a minute there it was actually going to be that easy," Cyborg complained.

"Beast Boy, I'm glad to see you too, can you please let go of my waist now," Terra said, trying to remove the green teen from her.

"Soo, Terra we thought you were, well you know...dead?" Robin asked at the tower about half an hour later.

"Uh, yeah, I guess I was," Terra responded unsurely," The big guy up there said that I had a little unfinished business on Earth and he sent me back." She stopped a moment and remembered something," Oh, and he gave me a message for you," She cleared her throat," No one except you has the ability to choose who you are, especially you Raven."

"You mean you died, went to heaven, met God, and came back," Cyborg asked disbelievingly. Terra nodded. "What does he look like?"

"He said that I wouldn't remember and I don't, something about media fanfare," Terra sighed.

Cyborg made a disappointed noise, but shrugged.

"Um, he also explained that you would be fighting someone really strong, and I was wondering if I could rejoin the team. I've learned my lesson this time and I'm sorry," she looked around the room at every one," sorry to everyone I hurt." She looked down and waited for a verdict.

"Friends, I believe we should have a vote, as your democracy has taught us," Starfire declared.

Robin shrugged," Okay, Titans, huddle." Raven and Beast Boy reluctantly left their respective 'other halves' to gather in a circle around each other.

"So," Robin prompted.

"Let's give her one last chance, she did sacrifice herself," Beast Boy pointed out.

"I think the green dude's right, it's not every day someone comes back from the dead," Cyborg added.

"Pleas, Robin, Terra does seem to have repented," Starfire pleaded.

"Raven?" Robin asked.

"...I'm not sure," she looked to Beast Boy and saw that same puppy-dog look that he gave when he really wanted something, he knew that it just reached a person's heart out to say 'no.' "You really trust her, don't you?" she asked him in a carefully neutral voice. Beast Boy nodded. Raven knew she was going to say 'yes,' it was because Raven felt how Beast Boy did, but about Jinx. She was fully aware that she loved Jinx and she was also pretty sure that Beast Boy loved Terra.

"Alright," she relented," But if this backfires, it's on your head."

"We're agreed then," Robin said at last.

Robin stood at the front of the room, emotionlessly. He cleared his throat professionally and said with a smile," I am pleased to allow Terra back into the Teen Titans." There were cheers by Beast Boy, who tackled Terra once again and Starfire and Cyborg.

Robin waited for the applause to die down then cleared his throat for attention again," I am also pleased to induct a new member of the Teen Titans today: Jinx."

All heads except Raven's, Robin's, and her own, turned toward the pink-haired teen. She blushed and moved slightly behind Raven.

Robin walked forward and handed Terra and then Jinx a Titans communicator.

"Hello new friend Jinx!" Starfire greeted excitedly. Jinx gasped for air as she was dragged out of her comfort zone into an alien bear hug. "Nice to meet you too," she managed. Starfire remembered what Robin that she needed to watch how hard she greeted people.

"Oh, friend I am sorry," the alien apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Jinx reassured her.

"Nice to see you again bad luck charm," Cyborg greeted, using her old nickname from the HIVE.

"You too Cyborg," Jinx said, shaking his hand.

"Uh, Hi," Beast Boy stated simply and shook the newcomer's hand, Jinx nodding in return.

"I'd like to make an announcement," Raven said blushingly, Jinx blushed too. She knew what Raven was going to 'announce.' They had talked about weather or not to try and hide their relationship from her friends and decided not to. It was going to be embarrassing, but in the long run, it would be best.

"You all wanted to know where I've been going the last two weeks, so I'm going to tell you," so said she walked up to Jinx and planted a firm kiss on Jinx's lips.

Immediately after Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Terra regained conciousness...all HELL broke loose.

"I've already died once, could you try not to give me a heart attack," Terra complained," hey, where did Beast Boy go?" The changeling was conspicuously absent.

"He and Cyborg said something about the end of the world and ran off," Robin supplied, watching Starfire, who was trying to convince Raven and Jinx to let her make a 'Gathnrap,' which she explained was a traditional marriage feast. The aforementioned couple was trying to calm the alien princess. Starfire was in full perky mode, which always caused Robin to have a headache. The Boy Wonder pinched the bridge of his nose, staving off the inevitable headache.

Two voices moaned in pure ecstasy as their owners climaxed.

"That was...wow," one voice said.

"Yeah, wow," the other voice concurred.

"We should get back before Bumblebee notices we're gone," Speedy said worriedly.

"She won't notice for a little bit yet," Aqua lad reassured his boyfriend," and besides, would you rather start your watch early or stay with me a while longer?"

It was a loaded question, so instead of answering it Speedy kissed Aqua lad deeply.

Half a second later the door swung open and the leader of Titan's West stared incredulously at the sight before her. "Oh My God," she breathed. Luckily the blanket on the bed the two nude boys was still moderately wrapped around them, so it preserved some decency.

The shock of what she had just witnessed sank in and she backed out of the room saying," get dressed and meet me in the main room," before the door closed.

Speedy and Aqua lad looked at each other. Speedy shrugged," It could have been worse."

Aqua lad sighed and disentangled himself to begin the lengthily procedure of dressing. Lengthy, at least if you were dressing with someone, a boyfriend for example.

"I need advice. I really need advice," Bumblebee sighed as she entered the code for Titan's East.

"Que se," mas y menos interjected," a problema?"

"You really, really don't want to know," She responded definitively.

The Boy Wonder appeared on the screen momentarily. "Bumblebee?" he asked, mildly surprised. Robin looked as though he had seen better days. Looking behind him she saw why. Starfire had a kind of crazed look in her eye and was assaulting Raven and a pink-haired girl. Cyborg was trying to interject himself waving a poster that said 'repent for judgment day is nigh.' Beast Boy was...praying...to tofu? There was also a blonde girl that Bumblebee didn't recognize who was eating popcorn and watching the scene with amusement.

"And I was calling to ask for help," she said in horror.

"You REALLY don't want to know," Robin said as his eye twitched.

"Who's the pink one?" Bumblebee asked.

"Raven's girlfriend," he answered neutrally," and a new titan, former hive member. You might of met her: Jinx."

"Oh yeah," Bumblebee remembered," we didn't have classes together, so we didn't see each other much. Jeez, Raven can pick 'em."

"You probably never met Terra, she just got back from being dead," Robin answered seriously.

"You're right, I didn't want to know. Any way, I need advice on how to deal with a situation," Bumblebee said.

"Does it have anything to do with the fact that mas y menos are being chased by Aqua lad and Speedy?" he asked as a blur passed by.

Bumblebee sighed," I just caught Aqua lad and Speedy in bed together."

It was all Robin could do to keep from falling to the floor in laughter as he said," don't worry about it, my basic rule is to keep them from killing each other. Other than that I try not to worry."

"Did Starfire just put one of your bird-a-rangs in the microwave?" Bumblebee asked interestedly.

Robin's eye twitched again and he hastily signed off to deal with more urgent matters.

"Wow," Bumblebee repeated, Robin had so much to deal with.

Two out-of -breath, but fully clothed teens reported in soon after. "Mas and Menos stole my pants," Speedy explained breathlessly.

"And my shirt," Aqua lad added.

"Okay, first off I want to say that I'm sorry for walking in on you two and I'll support any discussion you make. Mostly I just wanted to make sure you know it can't interfere with your duties," Bumblebee stated sternly.

The male Titans nodded. "We knew and agreed to that before anything ever started," Aqua lad replied. "Yeah, we know what'll happen if we let emotions get in the way," Speedy agreed.

The conversation was cut short by a disturbingly normal sound, one that Titans East had not heard in their tower before. A doorbell.

"La Puerta! La Puerta!" Mas and Manos exclaimed simultaneously. "We have a doorbell?" Bumblebee asked incredulously. Speedy shrugged and went to answer the door.

The sight that greeted him was more than slightly odd. Someone who appeared to be ready for bed. This person wore a set of red P.J.'s with yellow stars on them and a blue sash that covered his face and turned into a cape of the same color. The light blue hair that hung in front of the person's eyes was topped by a night cap of the same design as the P.J.'s ending in two droopy points with light blue puffs on each one.

"Hello," a subdued, but feminine voice said, jarring Speedy out of his stupor.

"Uh, hi," he answered.

"Is this the home of the Teen Titans," she asked.

"Yes, how may I help you?" Speedy said politely.

"May I come in, I have a long story and it is going to rain soon," she replied.

Speedy led the stranger inside and into the main room where the other four members of the team looked her over.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion, but I'd like to join your team if it is at all possible," she said in a meek voice.

Bumblebee was clearly confused," How about we start with who you are. Your name?"

After a little pause she said," Dream Clown is my name. I can create illusions and I really don't have anywhere else to go and when I saw you on the news I thought I might have found a place where my powers can be of some use."

Speedy nodded," so, Dream Clown, any family or friends? I'm guessing you had a life before your powers manifested."

She stared at her lap and her hands curled into fists. In a teary voice she got out," I ran away. Everyone at school called me a freak so I didn't have many friends and I didn't want to cause my mom any more trouble, so I left. I never knew my dad. I just started walking and my feet took me here."

"What did you mean by illusions?" Aqua lad asked.

Dream Clown looked to Bumblebee and asked," is there a place you liked when you were a kid?"

"There was a tree by a river in the winter where I loved to go sit on a bench and watch the snow fall," Bumblebee answered, more confused.

"Take my hand," Dream Clown said and took off one of her gloves, holding the delicate digits out. Bumblebee hesitated, but laid her hand onto the other girl's. "Think about that place now. See it feel the cold of the wind and ice and snow," Dream Clown's voice took on a hypnotic thrall and lulled the feminine insectoid into a dream like state.

Aqua lad, Speedy, Mas, and Menos looked on in awe as Dream Clown's eyes glowed for a moment.

Bumblebee was the first to feel it. An icy wind that flowed gently through the room. The others soon felt it and then the room began to blur and shift. All at once they were no longer in their sitting room. They were in a snow covered field next to an iced over river inside the childhood memory Bumblebee called up. The snow was cold, the wind had a soft bite to it, it was, in short, just as she had remembered it.

The illusion quickly faded and Dream Clown said," What I choose can become reality, a false reality but no less real for as long as I choose."

"That's all well and good, but it wouldn't do us any good to bring up a happy memory from our villain's past in a fight," Aqua lad critiqued.

Dream Clown sighed," Imagine your worst nightmare coming to life around you. Eating away at your mind, tearing at your sanity."

A shiver ran up everyone's spine at the chill in her voice all of a sudden. 'How had such a quiet girl gone to being able to hold her own against Raven at such a simple question,' Bumblebee wondered. On top of that there seemed to be this super creepy vibe coming from her Bumblebee usually only got when Raven was really pissed.

"I'm sorry, I sometimes get a little emotional," Dream Clown apologized. "So if you don't have a place for me I need to find a place for the night," so said she moved to leave.

"Wait," Bumblebee said, looking at the rest of her team," So? Does she stay?" It was group discussion weather or not to induct a new member and she wanted to make sure everyone was okay with it.

They all looked at each other and then they nodded. "I think we're all in agreement," Speedy said, smiling.

"I think we just found a place for you," Bumblebee concluded. Dream Clown smiled as the titans began to introduce themselves.

"I'm Speedy," the archer declared.

"I'm Aqua lad," the fishy teen introduced himself.

"Mas y Menos son nos nombres," the fast-paced duo declared.

"They only speak Spanish," Bumblebee explained," and I'm Bumblebee, the leader of this motley crew. It is an honor to welcome you to this team, Dream Clown. Now all we have to take care of is the initiation." Dream Clown was immediately struck by the ominous quality of the statement.

The newest member of Titan's West was saved from the unknown horrors by an alarm suddenly sounding.

"Titans GO!" the inherited catch phrase rolled off Bumblebee's tongue easily now, as it had become the norm in the past months. A communicator was tossed Dream Clown's way, and she caught it deftly. "We've got a mission, c'mon."

"I'm so glad I got out of Jump city, here in Steel city I should be able to at least earn a living," Dr. Light said as he pushed money into a bag inside of the vault of yet another bank vault. "Plus I'll never have to see that demonic witch ever again," he said, thinking of Raven. The thought of her sent a chill deep into his bones.

"Stop right there!" Bumblebee yelled.

Dr. Light turned in time to see an arrow headed his way. The arrow exploded in his face, leaving him momentarily stunned.

"There are MORE of you?" he asked unbelievingly.

"I think he's met our counterpart team," Aqua lad guessed. "and gotten his but kicked by his reaction," Speedy agreed.

"Si, Si, Ello es muy comico," Mas y Menos laughed.

"What do we do now?" Dream Clown asked.

Bumblebee got a sudden idea," Dream Clown, how about you take this guy down for your initiation?"

Dream Clown gave her a surprised look and a meek," I guess." She stepped forward to challenge the bad doctor.

"So, the best these Titans can give me is a kid whose ready to go beddy bye," Dr. Light laughed.

"I'm Dream Clown, summoner of illusions and your worst nightmares," Dream Clown proclaimed and promptly disappeared.

Dr. Light was startled, but led himself to believe it was just an illusion, like the teen had said, right? "What's the matter, you can't beat me without your tricks?"

"My 'tricks' will have you on your knees," she said in a voice completely unlike the meek one she had used earlier," try this." As her words came forth the rest of the titans faded to be replaced with dark serpents that came slithering towards the doctor. Dr. Light felt a scream well up in his throat as he shot rapid beams of energy toward the phantom snakes, which remained unaffected.

To the rest of the Titans, Dream Clown hadn't moved an inch and Dr. Light was jumping like mad shooting the ground around him, yelling about snakes.

"What's happening?" Speedy asked.

"I think it's her powers," Aqua lad concluded.

"What are your nightmares?" Dream Clown asked," What do you fear?"

"No!" Dr. Light screamed as the serpents began to expand and darken the entire vault," Not the darkness! Please!"

His cries fell on deaf ears as Dream Clown took more steps forward and finally placed her hand over his face. In that instant she saw the other Titans and how the one named Raven had terrified him. The darkness that so scared him was now hers to control. A barely audible cry escaped his lips before he fainted. She pulled back her demons from his mind gradually and sighed, 'I always loose myself in their terror when I scare someone, why?' she thought, depressed.

"Did I pass?" she asked in the meek voice she used normally.

"Yes. And let me just say; Holy Hell," Bumblebee replied.

"Give my compliments to the Titan Raven, she's the one who gave him the intense fear of the dark. It was a marvelous phobia to instill in him," Dream Clown said to her leader.

Bumblebee could only blink as their newest member walked outside, leaving a sputtering, quivering Dr. Light.

Things had finally managed to calm down in TitansWest, Raven and Jinx retreating to the sorceress' room.

"Starfire is caring, but she doesn't know what smothering means," Raven said ruefully.

"I don't really mind. I haven't had that many people be nice to me, so this is something that's new for me," Jinx admitted, sitting across from Raven on her bed. "Um, I just thought of a problem: where am I going to sleep?"

"We haven't set up a room for you yet, but if you want to you can share my room," Raven was sure that her face would spontaneously combust if she blushed any harder.

"Are you propositioning me?" Jinx asked slyly.

"Maybe," Raven said as she blushed harder.

"Good," Jinx smirked and wrapped her arms around Raven's waist. Raven melted from the warmth she felt coming from within Jinx. Jinx took the relaxation as an invitation, letting her hands roam across Raven's body. Raven's breath caught in her throat as she began to feel a spark of lust ignite, the spark grew larger as she deeply kissed Jinx. She let her own hands rove over the pink-haired girl's body.

"Raven, are you sure?" Jinx asked, concerned.

"Yes," Raven said as she kissed her again.

"Good," Jinx returned as Raven removed the first layers of Jinx's clothing. Jinx unfixed the clasp on Raven's cloak and it fell to the ground with her own discarded articles of clothing.

"How do you get this damn thing off," the bad luck charm growled, trying to remove Raven's leotard.

"There's a clasp between my legs," Raven supplied as she further stripped Jinx to her underwear, revealing a pair of very wet white panties.

Jinx ran her hand over Raven's crotch, eliciting an excited moan from the violet-haired teen. The clasp came away easily, along with the leotard itself. Raven's black bra and panties contrasted well with Jinx's own underwear. "I would have thought you didn't wear underwear," Jinx commented. Raven sparred her a mock glare," I'm a sorceress, not an exhibitionist." Having said her peace, Raven popped the clasp to Jinx's bra and tossed the garment to the ground. The blood rushed to her face as Raven began to gently massage Jinx's breasts…

"That was sooo goood," Jinx sighed, savoring the sensation of their naked forms on each other.

"We don't have to be done yet, that is, unless you're tired," Raven teased.

The glint in Jinx's eyes made Raven sure this was going to be a night she wasn't going to forget.

Robin stood outside Starfire's door, his hand raised to knock. He turned away indecisively. "Okay, Starfire I know we've been friends for a long time but..."The sentence hung in the fog of tense air around the teen. Why, why couldn't he say it? It was just three words: I love you.

"Friend Robin?" Starfire questioned the boy wonder standing out side her door. She had come down the hallway and found him in deep concentration," did you wish to have a conversation?"

Robin remained calm and acted like he hadn't just been scared out of his skin and turned," No Star, I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to go for a ride."

Starfire nodded and looked as if she wanted to say something, but swallowed it," Very well friend Robin, we will 'tie down the fort' as you say."

Robin didn't correct her; it would just confuse her more.

Rides were one of the few pleasures he allowed himself. If asked, he would say they were patrols, but they were really just an escape. A last ditch effort to air out his brain and reinforce his dwindling sanity. Clearing his mind always allowed him to think about complex subjects with a level head. Lately all he thought about at these times was Starfire, though. He took his irritation out on the acceleration and used a set of newly installed booster rockets to completely jump an offending traffic light.

"Why can't I tell her?" he asked, not to anyone in particular.

He was saved the answer by a bright flash of light. Instinct told him to hit the boosters hard. The ball of fire flew underneath him, and he pulled the bike into a three-sixty, turning to face the attacker. It was who he had already known would be there, Slade.

"Two times in one day? You're loosing your touch, Slade."

"Hello Robin, you never would have dodged that blast before I went away, I think someone's been training."

"What do you want?"

"I want you, but my master wants Raven and your team stands in the way of that. You are your team's leader, the heart and soul of the group, without you they will crumble. My master has deemed that you must die," Slade proclaimed with finality.

Robin had grown used to the almost bored, emotionless tone that Slade gave his voice so it was a little bit of a shock to hear an ounce of...regret? in his voice. Another ball of flame spurred him into action as the back wheel of his bike was melted.

Slade took the second of hesitation that Robin showed to leave his motorcycle and landed a solid kick to Robin's side.

Landing on his feet, the boy wonder drew his staff and leaped at Slade.

The few civilians who had stopped to gawk at the ensuing battle started to run as the fireballs Robin deflected went soaring into buildings, leaving debris hurtling towards them. The battle continued at the insane speeds that only two expert martial artists can keep up with. Robin gave as well as he got throughout the first few minutes, but soon his steam started to run out. Battles with Slade always went at this pace and his body just couldn't keep up with the strain. The punches and kicks that got past his guard were increasing by the second and within a minute a punch landed home, striking his breastbone and snapping it. The white-hot pain seared his brain just as the fire had actually seared the skin around the impact zone. It went downhill badly from there, but Robin fought Slade tooth and nail. A massive kick ended his left leg's participation with another snap that pushed his mind to the limit of conciousness.

"Robin!" Raven yelled, waking up in a fit of panic. "Huh," came the unintelligible reply from her nude lover.

"It's Robin, he's fighting Slade, we've got to go now!" Both teens were dressed in less than a minute. Raven looked at the clock; it was past two in the morning, why did Robin leave the tower?

She pushed the large 'T' on the communicator and the red alert sounded. She briefly noted that in her panic several items had spontaneously broken or shot across the room.

All the teens were gathered in the main room in half a minute.

"Robin, Slade, City, NOW!" That was enough for every veteran Titan. Unknown to Robin, the Titans had a practiced scenario for this occurrence. The key was speed, in this level of emergency; any spot in the city could be reached in less than five minutes.

As Slade continued to deprive Robin's battered body of oxygen a distant part of his brain registered that help was coming though the link he shared with Raven. He knew that if he couldn't break the iron grip Slade had on his neck then this fight would be over in another thirty seconds. The problem was that every limb he had was currently broken. His brain desperately reached out for every grain of energy he had and came to one conclusion: he was going to die.

He was even starting to hallucinate; he could swear that there was a woman standing behind Slade. She was see-through, like a double exposed picture and long black hair that wafted in a non-existent breeze. A white, low cut dress made her look beautiful in a motherly way, but her eyes. Her eyes had the deep pull of something familiar, but beyond the reach of his mind. A pair of white wings was motionless behind her.

"Hello Robin," she said in a voice that echoed inside his head.

Slade didn't seem to hear her, which was odd. "What do you want," he thought desperately.

"I want the safety of my daughter from this man," she responded," and for her to be safe you must live."

The pull of that thing beyond his mind got stronger," I'm having a problem doing that at the moment."

The woman gave a humorless smile," I'm here to give you a chance at life, if you want it."

"I want to defeat Slade, I'll protect your daughter if you can give me that," Robin thought with great effort.

"Then listen," as the woman said this time began to slow until an airless void surrounded him. "In the flow of time, disaster strikes many times. It is about to again. Years before each cataclysm, guardians will take up the fight. The Archer, Water, The Dream Walker, Animals, Light, Thought, and ice are among some. The four most powerful, though are: Luck, Ice, Darkness, and Fire. The one you fight now is a guardian who fell into temptation. You however, need to awaken your power. I will aid you in that respect, but then you will be alone."

Time reasserted itself and he once again felt the fingers around his neck.

Pulling out every stop, he concentrated. He could already feel conciousness slipping away and his extremities were beginning to feel cold. The cold began to spread and one word fought its way to his lips with the last puff of air in his lungs," ice."

The air between the warriors froze instantly and the ice itself exploded toward Slade, knocking him off Robin.

Life giving air pumped into the Titans lung, coming out in white puffs. He was alive.

Pulling from a store of energy he didn't know he had Robin roared and materialized a wave of ice and snow that hit a still stunned Slade head on. Robin fell to his knees as he heard," Well done Robin. You survived." Slade's voice seemed to come from nowhere, indicating as it always did, that he had left.

"Please, protect my daughter," the woman's voice pleaded inside his mind," you know her as Raven." The voice faded and he was left alone on the battlefield.

If he had had the energy to do anything but stay awake, he would have laughed. It was that insane kind of laughter that came from people who were just glad to be alive. Once the momentary ecstasy had passed Robin became aware of exactly how bad he was injured. His pumping lungs still burned, there were burns of various severities all over his body, and he was sure he had at least five broken bones.

"ROBIN!" Starfie shouted as she came into view of the boy wonder. Robin had propped himself up beside a building to keep himself awake if the pain didn't do it. Robin gave her a weak smile," hey Star. I think I have a broken rib or two, so no hugs k'."

The rest of the team arrived shortly, Raven seeing to Robin's wounds.

"'I suggest taking it easy for a while, Robin. The bones were clean breaks and I was able to mend them, but the burns will take at least a day, though. It would also be wise to see if you have a fever, one of them might have gotten infected," Raven said in the tower, two hours later. Starfire brought in a thermometer promptly and inserted it into Robin's mouth.

It beeped and the sorceress took it out," It's broken. Your body temperature can't be 65 degrees F."

"Actually, I had some interesting things happen to me during the fight," Robin said and began to explain his encounter.

"And that's what happened," he finished, his breath apparent in the air.

"Dude, you expect us to believe that the world's headed for doomsday!" Cyborg exclaimed.

"And what was up with that woman, what did she want?" Beast Boy questioned.

Robin gently dodged Beast Boy's question," Guys I'm completely thrashed, can I get some sleep?"

The Teens conceded, except for Starfire, Raven, and Jinx left.

"I got the feeling there was something you wanted to talk about," Raven prompted.

Robin looked at Starfire and Jinx," can you two keep a secret for Raven's sake?"

Dun-Dun-Dun, till next chapter…