Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prologue:

Out in the bay of Jump City, USA, inside a large, T-shaped tower on a small island, a tall young woman twenty-two years of age with pale-grayish skin, violet eyes, short violet hair, and a small red gemstone embedded in her forehead was hard at work preparing a huge meal for her adoptive family.

Raven, founding member of the superhero organization the Teen Titans, now just the Titans, let out a tired sigh as she took a sip of coffee before returning to her task, giving a small smile when she breathed in deeply to take in the smell of freshly cooking pancakes and waffles, ingredients and utensils of all kinds covered in her black and purple magical aura swirling around her while she quietly worked the kitchen.

Her friends would be here soon, the empath could feel their spirits making their way to the Tower's common room, with one in particular radiating the same feelings of Tiredness and Annoyance she was currently feeling.

Hopefully a nice breakfast would fix that.

She couldn't blame him, though.

It had been quite a busy day of crime fighting in Jump City yesterday.

Someone had broken out poor Otto to use him as a distraction again, and the half-demon sorceress and her friends had spent some long hours rounding up criminals that had been forewarned of the breakout attempting to take advantage of the chaos caused by Plamus's latest rampage.

Fools.

The Titans had long since gotten used to this song-and-dance, and knew what was going on and what was about to happen the second they had gotten the alert.

You would think by now the various criminals and Villains of the city would have figured out they needed to try something more original after so many years, but Raven supposed that was giving most of them far too much credit.

Especially now.

Once upon a time, it might have required all five of the Titans to subdue Plasmus in a timely manner, but nowadays any one of them was more than capable of taking the beast down without too much trouble.

The only reason it had taken the sorceress so long to join the others after she'd restrained Otto and returned him to sleep was that she'd also had to spend precious time soothing the poor man's distraught spirit as he'd tearfully apologized for the damage Plasmus had caused and begged for her forgiveness.

Despite the fact she'd already assured him many times already he had nothing to apologize for.

Raven would need to make sure she visited Otto more often for the next few weeks to ensure his rest would be peaceful.

The poor man deserved that much at least.

After the sorceress had returned Otto to prison, and delivered some sharply pointed words to the Warden, she'd joined her friends in rounding up the remaining criminals before hunting down the true perpetrators behind the breakout using information gleaned from their victim.

The Hive Five had been attempting to use the chaos as cover to launch yet another zany scheme to put themselves back on top of Jump City's criminal element.

Ever since the only remotely competent member of the group, Jinx, had seen the light and defected to become an Honorary Titan thanks to Wally's efforts, the Hive Five had been reduced to nothing but a joke.

A pale, bitter shadow of themselves growing increasingly desperate to regain their former glory.

Pointless and pathetic.

The five buffoons hadn't even managed to get past the first phase of their "plan" before Raven and her friends had found them, and the sorceress was pretty sure that disgusting, foul-mouthed little goblin Gizmo had invented half-a-dozen new curse words when the Titans had broken down their door.

He'd shut up real quick when Raven had made her displeasure at the Hive Fives's actions known though, and by the end of it they had been ones begging for her forgiveness and swearing on their mother's graves they would never take advantage of Otto's condition ever again.

Which, she had to admit, had been quite satisfying.

Even if she'd had to deal with Garfield's incessant teasing about how much of a big softie she was afterwards.

The sorceress loved the changeling like a brother, but even now after so many years and some dearly needed maturation on Garfield's part, some things still refused to change.

The fact that Victor still couldn't help but egg his partner-in-crime on didn't help matters.

Regardless, all five of them had been exhausted after returning to the Tower so late, and had practically collapsed in their beds after enjoying a celebratory round of Pizza.

Unfortunately, none of them had the option of sleeping in.

Evil never took a holiday, after all, and their responsibilities as Jump City's protectors meant the Titans could not afford to let up on their patrols or show weakness even for an instant.

Hence why Raven was currently laboring away at the Titan's massive stove despite her own tiredness.

The sorceress didn't cook often despite how skilled she'd become at it since her disastrous first attempt all those years ago, but she knew her friends always greatly appreciated and enjoyed her meals when she did, and she'd always been an early riser, even more so than Dick.

So Raven figured she might as well go ahead and feed everyone so the other Titans could hopefully start what might be another long day off on the right foot before she, Victor, and Garfield began their shifts.

And, with any luck, keep the boys incessant whining about how their day off had been ruined yesterday to a minimum.

The door opened behind her, and a huge yawn promptly and loudly announced the arrival of the first of her friends as the sorceress sighed quietly.

Speak of the devil.

Raven turned slightly from her work to regard a tall, athletic, 20 year old man with green skin, dark green hair, and pointy ears dressed in a black and purple jumpsuit with gray gloves and boots.

Garfield Logan, Beast Boy.

The annoying, insufferable, wonderful little brother she'd never had or wanted but nonetheless cherished deeply, still clad in the colors of his old team, the Doom Patrol.

Who was currently wearing a rather grumpy expression as he dragged himself to his seat at the table, still bleary-eyed and half-asleep.

"Jeez Rae, you got up early after that trainwreck yesterday to make us breakfast? The world's not about to end again is it?" Garfield muttered moodily, face down on the table as he fought to stay awake and the sorceress snorted and raised an unimpressed eyebrow, idly biting back the urge to correct the butchering of her name given her friend's current state.

Beast Boy never was a morning person despite how energetic he normally was.

Whatever.

He'd get back to his usual, annoyingly chipper self once he got some caffeine in him.

"Good morning to you too, Garfield," Raven replied flatly as she silently floated over a thermos of her friend's favorite coffee and lowered the hood of her beloved navy blue cloak as she turned to address him, continuing to telekinetically work the kitchen while she did so. "And no, the world is not about to end again as far as I know. Just like all the other times you've asked me that question when I've cooked for everyone."

"Yeah, yeah," Beast Boy muttered irritably as he unscrewed the cap and started vigorously chugging down the coffee, sitting up straighter as the rush of caffeine entered his system. "Just thought I'd make sure. As nice as it is to know just how much you care under all that Doom and Gloom, we don't want to risk losing you again, now do we?"

Raven snorted with a well-hidden (very well-hidden) smile at the changeling's playful ribbing as she turned back to the stove.

Just as she thought.

It took Garfield no time at all to get back to his usual self.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of sacrificing myself for you ever again Garfield," she countered in an utterly deadpan voice, shooting Beast Boy the flattest, most expressionless look she could muster over her shoulder, refusing to give so much as an inch in this game they'd been playing for as long as they'd known each other while he just laughed at the barb. "I just thought I'd go ahead and feed you and everyone else so I wouldn't have to deal with your incessant whining about having to pull another late night."

"I heard that!" a loud, boisterous voice sounded out as Victor Stone, the huge metallic superhero Cyborg, agreed loudly as he walked into the room and glowered at Garfield, his single red eye glowing. "Seriously man, what's the matter with you!?! A lady gets up early to make you a beautiful breakfast after a long night's work and that's the thanks you give her!?! I oughta kick your ungrateful little ass into next week!"

With his imposing size, bulk, and heavily armored gray and blue robotic body that showed nought but the right half of his bald black head, that would ordinarily be quite an intimidating threat.

Beast Boy, however, was not fooled or impressed in the slightest as he snorted and fearlessly looked back at the massive mechanical man of 24 years.

They all knew just how much of a big teddy bear Victor was under his Frankenstein-esque appearance.

"Of course you would say that Victor," Garfield said nonchalantly as his best friend took a seat beside him and eyed the cooking food like a hungry dog, his mouth watering slightly. "Honestly, Brother Blood should have tried hacking into your stomach instead of your brain because that's clearly where you do all your thinking. Would have saved him a lot of time and money buying all your crummy hardware to build that army of knock-off yous."

Cyborg and the sorceress both snorted loudly at that.

"Please. You wouldn't know good hardware if it bit you in that nasty green ass of yours," Victor shot back with an eye roll and a dismissive wave as Raven nodded in agreement.

"Indeed," she concurred blandly without looking as she idly flipped a few more pancakes. "Wherever it is he does it, at least Victor actually thinks."

"Oh look, ganging up on poor Garfield and calling him an idiot. How original," Beast Boy drawled in an intensely bored voice as he stared at them both with half-lidded eyes. "And you guys call me a hopeless washout that needs to get some new material. Freaking hypocrites. At least I fight fair."

"Got no one to blame but yourself for that for having such poor manners Gar," Cyborg said haughtily as his best friend snorted before turning towards the sorceress. "I am deeply sorry for my friend's rudeness, Raven. Rest assured, he will be punished later."

She cracked an amused grin as she looked over her shoulder to see Victor shooting a downright evil look at a suddenly very nervous looking Garfield, who was giving her a pleading expression and desperately mouthing the words "HELP ME".

Deciding to take pity on her poor, foolish honorary brother, Raven shot him a look that very clearly said "You Owe Me" before stepping in.

"Thank you Victor, but that won't be necessary," she said smoothly as she turned back to her work while Beast Boy breathed a huge sigh of relief and Cyborg frowned in disappointment, no doubt having been planning one whopper of a prank. "I'm a big girl that's more than capable of defending my own honor if need be. Besides, I've long gotten used to Garfield's lack of tact and knew he didn't mean anything by it."

Victor grumbled for a moment before giving Garfield a sideways faux glare.

"You get to live for now, little man," he growled without much heat as Beast Boy childishly stuck his tongue out at him, before turning to the sorceress with a much more sincere expression. "In all seriousness, though, Raven, it's really nice for you to make breakfast for us after what happened yesterday. Thank you."

"Yeah, uh, thanks," Garfield echoed a bit more hesitantly as he nervously eyed a few burnt, sticky-looking pancakes roasting in the corner of the stove, clearly trying very hard not to make the same mistake they'd all made the first time Raven tried to cook for her friends.

"Those are for Starfire," the sorceress clarified without missing a beat as she violently wrenched one of the pancakes free and placed the other side on the stove with a splatter, instantly getting a pair of understanding "ahs" from both men.

They were both more than familiar with the alien woman's strange eating habits at this point, after all.

"What is that wonderful aroma!?!"

Once again, speak of the devil.

The three Titans all turned to see a tall, orange-skinned, green eyed angel float into the room, her long red hair flowing gently behind her as she eagerly sniffed the air.

Starfire, also known as Koriand'r, the drop-dead gorgeous 22 year old alien princess of the planet Tamaran and girlfriend of Dick Grayson, currently clad in a fashionably comfortable set of civilian clothes instead of her usual costume given it was her day off.

Hopefully she would be luckier in that regard than the boys were.

"Is that…?" she said hopefully, before she followed the scent and the tamaranean woman let out a delighted squeal as her emerald orbs found what they were looking for. "Oh it is! Pancakes made burnt on the outside and runny on the inside! Just like the incinerated Glorka Roaches of my homeworld! OH THANK YOU RAVEN!"

The sorceress sighed as Starfire swooped down and enveloped her in a massive hug, her Joy, Happiness, and Gratitude shining like the sun to Raven's empathetic senses.

Kori had always been more open and intense with her emotions than any human ever could be.

"You're welcome Starfire," Raven said as she indulgently accepted and returned the hug before eventually tapping Starfire's shoulder a few times to signal her she was squeezing the sorceress just a little too hard, before gracing the sheepish alien with a small but friendly smile. "How are you this morning?"

"Oh I am most wonderful!" Kori replied cheerfully with a radiant smile as her brilliantly shining emotions washed over her empathetic friend once again. "First I awaken to a most beautiful sunrise, and now I discover you have also endeavored to prepare me one of my favorite meals to raise my spirits after yesterday's ceaseless battles!?! What a glorious way to start the day! You are a most kind and generous soul, friend!"

The sorceress huffed, a pleased expression on her face as she shot Garfield a smug little smirk.

"Thank you Starfire. It's nice to see someone around here appreciates my efforts," she said haughtily as she got a cheeky grin in response.

"You know you love me Rae Rae!" Beast Boy declared tauntingly with an equally smug look as Raven's face tightened at her name being butchered once again.

And that is where I draw the line.

"Yes, I do. Doesn't mean you aren't an insufferable, inconsiderate pinhead though," she shot back coolly as she gathered up everyone's meals and set them in front of her friend's, causing their eyes to light up and their mouths to water. "And it's Raven."

"Ah come on now 'Rae Rae', don't be like that!" Victor said cheerfully, easily ignoring the massive stink eye and warning growl she sent his way as he eagerly rubbed his hands together and eyed the enormous plate of food in front of him with a ravenous expression. "We're all family here with our own little quirks and nicknames for each other! What, your closest friends in the world don't get any special privileges?"

"No," the sorceress answered in a spectacularly blunt voice as she abruptly jerked Cyborg's plate out of his reach with her magic just as he was about to dig in, a devilish smirk on her face. "As my friends, I expect all of you to have enough respect for me to use my proper name. So if either of you call me 'Rae Rae' again, you won't be getting anything."

Victor let out an affronted gasp and put his hand to his huge metal chest in mock horror as Garfield snickered and Starfire giggled cutely.

"Enticing a man with a delicious meal only to hold it for ransom!?!" he exclaimed indignantly as if it was the worst crime he'd ever heard of before giving Raven a smoldering faux glare. "You truly are a heartless, evil witch just like the Youth Guard and those weird street preachers say!"

"And don't you forget it," she said smugly before deciding her point had been made and returning the plate to her huge teammate as he let out a whoop of joy and attacked the food with gusto while the sorceress sighed and shook her head in fond exasperation.

Even after all these years, Raven still didn't have the foggiest clue how Victor was able to put away so much food, being mostly metal and all, but boy could he put it away.

The sorceress had had to dedicate fully half of their considerably sized stove solely to feed the massive mechanical man's monstrous appetite.

Though, the appreciative noises he was making and the thumbs up he was giving her made all that work worth it as Raven allowed herself a proud little smile at how far she'd come from her disastrous first attempt.

"Speaking of inconsiderate," Garfield piped up suddenly as he gave a curious look at the only empty seat at the table. "Anybody know where Dick…?"

"I'm here, Garfield."

The changeling immediately cut himself off and let out an exasperated sigh as the Titans all turned to look at their leader stroll into the room, fully armed and equipped for war, which explained why he had been last to arrive.

Dick was a tall, muscular man 23 years of age with long, sleek black hair wearing an intimidating black jumpsuit with a dark blue symbol of a hawk, steel bracelets, steel-toed boots, and his signature utility belt and V-shaped domino mask.

While Nightwing's costume might have appeared to be simple cloth at first glance, the other Titans knew it was actually a highly advanced body armor, the best Waynetech had to offer, made of ultra-lightweight, high-density polymerized Titanium, underneath which the former Robin wore a strength-enhancing exoskeleton that gave him the physical boost he needed to keep up with his superpowered friends.

All in all, it was quite an impressive piece of work that had left many a criminal soiling themselves in fear.

There was just one problem.

Dick was not supposed to be wearing it right now.

"Sorry I'm late guys. Oh, that smells good! Is Raven cooking again…!" he began excitedly, only to cut himself off as he took in the rather flat stares his team were giving him, particularly from the sorceress and Starfire. "Ahhh… I'm in trouble aren't I?"

Both women just let out long, long suffering sighs as Victor and Garfield both snickered.

Oh Dick…

"Good morning Dick. Your food is getting cold," Raven greeted dryly in a coolly formal tone, as she took her own seat and gestured at her leader's food while Nightwing flinched at the crystal clear signal that yes, he was in trouble. "Breakfast before business. You know Garfield and Victor work best on a full stomach. And so do you, for that matter,"

Dick winced before letting out a weary sigh and resigning himself to his fate as he slowly trudged to sit beside his stone-faced girlfriend and gave her and the sorceress a nervous smile.

"You never learn, do you dude?" Beast Boy asked with a maliciously teasing grin as he and Cyborg both cackled while Nightwing glowered at both of them murderously.

"Bite me. Both of you," he hissed in a voice of pure venom as both his teammates only snickered harder, before immediately wincing again as the two women cleared their throats expectantly.

"So, Dick, I'm rather curious. Why exactly did you bother to get all geared up when I could have sworn that today was supposed to be your day off?" Raven asked conversationally in a rather calm manner as she began gracefully eating her breakfast, before suddenly pinning her leader with a piercing Look. "Seems like a rather pointless waste of time to me."

"Indeed," Kori concurred in an equally calm voice before giving her squirming boyfriend a Look of her own. "I was quite certain you were not on today's patrol schedules when I reviewed them last night. Was there a last minute change that I was not aware of?"

Dick gulped and nervously tugged at the collar of his suit under the two irate women's chastising glares before raising his hands with a weak, reassuring smile.

"N-no no, you're right," he said in a rather shaky voice as Starfire and the sorceress both raised expectant eyebrows at him. "I… just thought I'd go ahead and suit up in case something came up with the fallout from yesterday's attack. We all got caught off guard a little last night…"

Raven and Kori both stared hard at him for several more moments before finally relenting with explosive, fondly exasperated sighs.

"Dick, I checked the Crime Scanner before I started and it came back clean. If it hadn't, I wouldn't have bothered making breakfast and would have alerted everyone immediately. You know that. We've told you before, just because we had an eventful day yesterday doesn't mean we need to be sitting on pins and needles for the next week," the sorceress chided gently in a weary, deadpan voice as Dick's shoulders slumped slightly in embarrassment.

"Yes, and even if a crime that required our attention had been happening in the city somewhere, that does not mean that you must always be the one to handle it," Starfire added her own two cents before putting a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder and smiling softly. "You are not alone Dick. You have many powerful, capable friends to help fight your battles and ease your burdens so you may rest and enjoy some peace from time to time, if only you will let us. And we have told you that many times before as well."

Nightwing glanced to the side to see Garfield and Victor had both dropped their teasing smirks in favor of much more sincere smiles as they both nodded and gave him a supportive thumbs up, before finally sighing and giving everyone a grateful look.

"Thanks you guys, I really appreciate that," he said earnestly before sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "It's just… I was trained to always be on my guard, always expect the unexpected, and always remain vigilant and plan for any threat or situation imaginable. And old habits die hard, you know?"

Everyone nodded in understanding as Raven's lips thinned into a grim line.

Someone really needed to have a talk with Batman about his parenting methods.

Even now, after so many years and so much progress, Dick still hadn't managed to fully break out of the deceitful and overly paranoid conditioning his mentor had instilled in him.

The sorceress respected the Dark Knight immensely, but by the Great Mother of Azarath did that man have issues.

And that was really saying something coming from her.

She could only pray he didn't make the same mistakes with Tim and Barbara that he made with Dick.

Or with Jason.

"Hey man, don't beat yourself up too much over this," Cyborg chimed in supportively as Raven was abruptly snapped out of her musings. "You're not nearly as bad about this stuff as you used to be."

"Yeah, it's been ages since the last time we had to knock you out and strap you to a table in your underwear to get you to take a break. If that's not progress, I don't know what is," Beast Boy added cheekily, lending his support in his own way as the other Titans either chuckled or cracked small grins at the memory.

"Relax," the sorceress said simply in a soothing voice as she gave Nightwing a kind look while all the remaining tension finally drained out of him at her words. "The City will survive without us for an hour or two. We can share a meal together first before we head out again."

"AMEN sister!" Victor agreed wholeheartedly in his usually boisterous manner as he held out his finished plate for seconds, which Raven silently obliged with an idle flick of the wrist without even looking up from her own meal. "Nothing gets a team ready for a play better than some good food!"

"Oh yes! And Raven has always made the best food!" Starfire concurred cheerfully as she happily munched on her burnt pancakes, completely oblivious to the way her three male teammates all coughed and fidgeted awkwardly in their seats as the sorceress stared at them with a face as flat as a board.

"She certainly makes a mean tofu waffle, that's for sure!" Garfield spoke up in a valiant attempt to break the awkwardness as he shot her a nervously hopeful smile, sighing in relief as Raven inclined her head in acceptance of the peace offering before cheerfully holding out one of said waffles to the others. "Speaking of, would anyone like to try one? They're really goooooddddd…"

"Man, how many times do we have to tell you!?! Nobody wants to eat that nasty ass fake meat!" Victor snapped with a glare as all the other Titans groaned at yet another attempt by the changeling to turn them all into vegetarians.

"It's not nasty and it's not 'fake meat'! It's a delicious and perfectly serviceable meat substitute that keeps people from having to eat innocent animals! The same innocent animals that I turn into!" Garfield countered hotly as he glared right back, and Dick and Kori both winced and braced themselves when Cyborg furiously opened his mouth to begin another round of this very old argument between the two…

"AHEM."

…only to immediately slam it shut with a full body wince as he and Beast Boy both turned to see the thoroughly unamused sorceress glaring at them coldly.

"Victor, what are the rules when I cook for you all?" she demanded in a stern voice that had gotten a lot of practice with Melvin's team as a thoroughly chastised Victor looked down shamefaced.

"No arguing at the table," he muttered in a quiet voice, looking for all the world like a big metal kid as he fidgeted with his fingers while Raven gave a sharp nod.

"That's right," she said in that same strict tone before turning her attention to a stone-faced Garfield. "And Garfield, we have had this conversation with you before. We all respect that you don't eat meat. Please respect that we don't eat 'meat substitutes'."

Garfield huffed petulantly.

"Yes, Mom," he grumbled with a mocking glower as he returned to his waffles. "Honestly Raven, ever since you took Melvin and her little brothers under your wing you've become an even bigger Mother Hen than Dick."

"Hey!"

But the sorceress just shrugged as she returned to her own breakfast.

"If you and Victor don't want me to mother you, then stop acting like a couple of children," she replied simply as Dick and Starfire both snorted uncontrollably while Beast Boy glared heatedly at them.

"Laugh it up you two lovebirds," he growled in annoyance before spearing his waffle with more force than was probably necessary. "You guys are all a bunch of savages, you know that? Especially you Raven. I thought Azarath was full of monks that were all about peace and love and harmony and respect for all living creatures and all that jazz?"

Raven inhaled deeply.

"Gonna let that one slide," she muttered under her breath after a long exhale before changing the subject. "So, do any of you have any big plans this week? I was going to go visit Otto in a few days to make sure he would be alright after the stunt the Hive Five pulled yesterday."

"Oh yes please! Do make sure to send him our best wishes and let him know we hold him no ill will for what Plasmus did!" Kori chimed in with an approving look at the sorceress, who nodded in agreement.

"I already told him that several times yesterday, but I'll make sure to tell him again regardless," she replied with a wry smile as the other Titans all let out slightly sad laughs. "What about you Victor?"

Cyborg sighed at the question, and Raven's smile immediately vacated her face to be replaced by a concerned frown at the crushing Disappointment she suddenly felt from her friend.

"Well, I was gonna try and coach that Little League game coming up here soon, but now I'm not sure I'll be able to, what with the mess Plasmus and those damn jackals made yesterday," Victor admitted sardonically, trying very hard to keep the Bitterness out of his voice as the other Titans all winced in sympathy.

They all knew how much the mechanical man enjoyed his part time gig coaching Little League sports around the city and how it helped remind him of happier times when he'd been a star athlete with a bright future ahead of him before his fateful accident.

Just as they also knew how much Jump's children loved having one of their city's beloved Heroes as their coach.

"You still might be able to Victor," the sorceress said as she immediately moved to reassure her distraught friend. "Like we told Dick, what happened yesterday isn't the end of the world. If they're smart, the remaining Villains and criminals will be keeping their heads down for a while after so many got caught during the Hive Five's little stunt."

"And I'm sure we can rework the patrol schedules so you won't miss it if need be," Dick added with an encouraging smile of his own as Starfire and Garfield both nodded eagerly in agreement.

Victor smiled warmly at that as the Disappointment he was feeling was replaced with Hope and Gratitude at the show of support.

"Thanks you guys, I really appreciate that. And I'm sure the kids will too," he said gratefully as the changeling gave him a thumbs up and a friendly pat on the back.

"That's what friends are for dude!" Garfield replied cheerfully before giving his best friend a wide grin. "You just make sure you and the Tiny Titans kick the other team's butts for us, ok?"

Victor let out a loud, boisterous, belly laugh at that.

"Oh don't you worry BB! The Cougars ain't gonna know what hit em!" he declared with utmost confidence as he and the changeling exchanged an enthusiastic high-five while the other Titans all looked on in approval, before the conversations all moved onto more mundane, pleasant topics as Raven listened quietly and basked in her friend's company with a contented smile on her face.

She wouldn't trade this for all the magic in the multiverse.

"Hey, can someone turn the TV on? I want to see the news."

"Sure thing Dick."

The sorceress was snapped from her musings as Cyborg happily obliged Nightwing's request, and glanced up from her plate to see the Titan's massive plasma screen TV flicker to life to show a news anchor currently going through the morning news.

Most of it was reporting on the weather and yesterday's breakout and the effects thereof, listing casualty and damage figures and showing clips of their battles with Plasmus, the Hive Five, and hordes of more common criminals interposed with interviews and statements by the police, prison guards, and ordinary citizens and opinion pieces by a bunch of talking heads both commending and condemning them.

Raven didn't pay it much mind, all things considered.

Most of it was about things she either already knew or a bunch of pointless jabbering she could not have cared less about.

Nevertheless, the sorceress still made sure to keep one ear tuned on the television just in case something important or interesting did come up.

One could never be too careful when they were a superhero, after all.

And as luck would have it, Raven's well-honed instincts were right on the money.

"And moving on to the National News, our top story: the city of Dayton, Ohio suffered tremendous damage late last night during an attack by an unknown metahuman and a large group of armed terrorists that have not been identified at this time."

The sorceress immediately perked up at that, as did her friends, and as one all the Titans turned away from their breakfast to give the television their complete, undivided attention.

It was not a pretty sight.

The images on the screen displayed a scene of complete and utter pandemonium, lovingly displayed in ultra-high definition from a bird's eye view by a helicopter circling the beleaguered city.

Entire buildings had collapsed or looked like they had been smashed clean through by a runaway freight train.

The streets were an utter mess of potholes and shattered concrete clogged with all manner of debris ranging from totaled and overturned cars and trucks, snapped street signs, and chunks of nearby buildings that had been broken off.

Destroyed vehicles of all kinds littered the city in all sorts of odd places, including on the rooftops and in some cases even sticking haphazardly out of buildings.

The destruction continued for blocks, carving a deep scar through the city, until finally ending at the outskirts where the urban landscape gave way to dense forests, where several trees had been smashed aside like toothpicks.

"Holy shit…" Beast Boy said in a shocked voice as he looked at the carnage with a disturbed expression. "A single metahuman did all that?"

"Hush, Garfield," Raven shushed him sharply, even if she couldn't blame him for being so stunned.

Even Cinderblock and Plasmus on their worst days rarely caused such destruction.

"At the moment, details on this new metahuman and the terrorist group that attacked the city are still scarce," the grim-faced anchor continued as the feed abruptly switched back to him. "However, scattered eyewitness reports claim that the metahuman was a hulking, malformed, red-skinned creature that was incredibly violent and indiscriminately attacked anything in its vicinity as it tore its way through the city until it reached the surrounding forests and subsequently disappeared. Furthermore, it has been reported that this 'Hulk' and the unidentified terrorist group were apparently at odds with one another, as they seemed to be relentlessly chasing the creature as it rampaged through the city before it eventually killed all its pursuers and escaped. Authorities thus far have refused to comment…"

The sorceress's eyes narrowed suspiciously as the man continued to talk about how the authorities had no comment or any new information at this time other than that this "Hulk" was still at large and extremely dangerous and not to approach him under any circumstances.

That was it?

All that destruction and carnage and that was all they had to say about this new metahuman and the terrorists who had apparently been chasing him?

No names, no history, no speculation as to their identities or motivations, no descriptions of this "Hulk's" powers, not even a shaky phone vid or a blasted photo?

Just a basic codename and physical description and an equally basic "don't approach, call us immediately if you see him" warning?

No.

Raven didn't buy it.

She didn't buy it for a second.

In this day and age where cameras were literally everywhere and the world was filled with suicidal morons who would rather stand around and record highly dangerous metahuman fights as close as possible on their phones so they could post it on the internet later than immediately get to safety, someone, somewhere, had to have gotten a picture or a video of this thing, even if it's attack had happened late at night.

There was no way it could have avoided that while causing such a large ruckus unless its powers somehow prevented it, and people definitely would have noticed and reported it if that had been the case.

No, something else was going on here.

Something dirty.

There was a big, smelly rat scurrying around somewhere and the sorceress didn't like it one bit.

And neither did Dick, judging by the dark expression he was wearing as he and Raven shared a highly skeptical look.

"Damn," Victor muttered with a troubled expression as he continued to watch the news report on the Dayton attack, bare bones though it was. "Whoever this 'Hulk' guy is, I sure hope he doesn't come our way."

"Agreed," Starfire concurred wholeheartedly, the Concern she was feeling lighting up the sorceress's empathetic senses like a Christmas tree.

"Ditto," Garfield chimed in, emanating more than a little Fear himself.

Dick grimaced before standing up to get everyone's attention.

"If he does, we'll be ready for him," he declared without an ounce of hesitation before shooting them all a devil-may-care grin that earned him several small smiles in return at the absolute Confidence he radiated, particularly from Raven and the tamaranean. "Just like everything else that's ever come our way. But honestly, I doubt it'll come to that."

"Dick's right," the sorceress agreed wholeheartedly as she gave everyone a reassuring look and subtly sent out pulses of Peace and Confidence with her empathic powers to calm their Anxiety. "Ohio is all the way on the other side of the country. In all likelihood, this 'Hulk' won't come anywhere near Jump, and will be dealt with by someone else long before we have to step in. We should keep an eye on this, but no more than that. We already have enough responsibilities to deal with here, so worrying about this on top of that is pointless and counterproductive."

Her three friends all glanced at each other for a moment before giving her firm nods.

"Raven's right you guys. Somebody else will probably handle this, so there's no use in worrying about it," Cyborg said cheerfully before once again eagerly digging into his food, all his troubles and worries instantly forgotten as Beast Boy nodded in agreement.

"I'm not surprised. She almost always is," Garfield concurred in a matter-of-fact tone as he went back to his waffles while the normally stoic woman immediately blushed scarlet and pulled up her hood in embarrassment at the praise while everyone else looked on, amused.

Beast Boy was quite right, after all.

While Raven might not be the leader of the team, there was no denying she was one of the wisest, most insightful, and most level-headed of them all.

So when the sorceress spoke, the other Titans listened.

"Stop trying to butter me up so I'll play Stank Ball with you and Victor again, Garfield," she growled grumpily as her idiot friend just laughed. "I've told you before, that was a one time thing that will not be repeated. Ever."

"Whatever you say, Rae Rae," Garfield replied in a sing-song voice as the other Titans all either laughed or gasped at his daring while Raven's eyes narrowed into slits.

"Garfield…" she snarled in warning as the insufferable little brat in front of her somehow avoided going up in flames from the red-hot daggers she was glaring at him and continued to give her that damnably cheeky grin.

"Threaten me all you want Raven. You know you still love me," Beast Boy fearlessly teased one last time before finally returning his full attention to his plate as the seething sorceress furiously opened her mouth to let him know just how much she "loved" him…

…only to immediately deflate like a balloon with a tired, resigned sigh as all the Anger, Frustration, and Annoyance bled out of her at the brotherly Love and sincere, honest Desire to make her laugh, to make her Happy, she could feel radiating from Garfield, and a small, warm smile slowly spread across Raven's features.

Yes… I do.

Authors Note:

Hello Everyone!

I'm new here, and this is my first attempt at a serious, long-running fanfic!

I hope you all enjoy, and please leave comments, feedback, and spread the word if you can so I can try and improve as a writer.

Thank you for your viewership!

Chapter Text

Chapter 1:

Raven felt a surge of Fear and Alarm spike up as she stepped out of a dark portal, looking for all the world like a ghostly blue wraith as her gently billowing cloak covered everything but the lower half of her face, and looked up to see a pair of very tense guards pointing rifles at her just outside of Jump City State Penitentiary.

They quickly relaxed somewhat when they recognized her though, but she could still feel some lingering Anxiety and Nervousness wafting off them as they cautiously approached her.

The sorceress didn't hold it against them, however.

She knew that with her foreboding appearance, dark magical powers, and naturally stern, closed-off nature, she wasn't exactly the warmest or most comforting presence.

Thankfully, Raven didn't have much need for fame or the love and adoration of the masses.

She had her adoptive family and all the other Titans around the world, as well as the support and respect of the rest of the superhero community and most of Jump City itself.

And that was more than enough for her.

The sorceress was content.

Hearing the cheers of Jump's children and seeing the way their eyes lit up in childish adoration every time they saw her fly by was nice though.

Even if she did have to suffer through making those damnable PSA's on Magical Safety and the dangers of Occultism to avoid getting lynched by hordes of angry parents after she had accidently… inspired some of the city's children to start looking into things and spells they really should not have been messing with.

How those little rascals managed to get their hands on all those cursed artifacts and dark magic tomes off the internet of all things in their attempts to imitate her, Raven would never know.

Regardless, the sorceress had no desire to cause the guards of the prison any undue distress, especially since she knew how beleaguered and underappreciated they and the men and women of the JCPD often were thanks to her and her friends' exploits.

So she decided to take pity on the poor men and lowered her hood to make herself more approachable and offered a small but kind smile before striding forward to meet them.

"Good morning officers," Raven said politely as she stopped in front of them and was pleased to see the tension leave their bodies even more now that they had a normal face to interact with.

"Miss Raven," one of the guards, the older judging by the way the second seemed to defer to him, replied with a similarly polite and professional tone and nod. "What can we do for you today? We weren't expecting you back so soon after the breakout a few days ago."

The sorceress blinked in surprise as she raised an eyebrow at the guards inquiry.

"I'm not sure why," she said in a slightly bewildered tone as both guards glanced at each other at her obvious confusion. "I told Warden Sharp when I brought Otto back I would be stopping by more regularly for the next few weeks to make sure his rest would not be troubled because of the Hive Five's actions. Did he not inform you of this?"

The guards glanced at each other again, and the Confusion they were both feeling immediately answered Raven's question as her eyes slowly started to narrow in suspicion.

"We… were not told anything about that ma'am," the younger guard said slowly in a noticeably shakier voice than his partner as the sorceress's countenance darkened even further.

If that slimy old rat was playing games with her again…

Deciding to give the old bastard the benefit of the doubt even though she knew it was likely pointless, Raven's face softened considerably as she looked at the young guard.

"I see. Perhaps he forgot to mention it because of everything that happened after the breakout," she replied graciously as she studiously ignored the spike of Doubt that immediately flared up from the older guard at that statement in favor of inclining her head politely to his young partner. "In that case, would you mind contacting Dr. Whistler to let her know I'm here to check on Otto?"

The younger guard nodded.

"One moment please," he said in a steadier voice as he reached for his radio. "Doctor Whistler? This is the front gate. Raven of the Titans is here. She says she's come to check on Prisoner 385-... ahhh…"

The sorceress raised an eyebrow and her eyes narrowed slightly at the sudden Nervousness she could feel emanating from the young guard as he listened to the response, her suspicion rapidly rising.

"Is there a problem?" she asked in a neutral tone, being careful to keep the mounting irritation out of her voice for the young guard's sake as he slowly turned back to her, his Nervousness growing larger by the second.

"Um… Dr. Whistler told me to thank you for your kind offer," the younger guard answered slowly, his voice shaking slightly as he desperately searched for the words to avoid angering the powerful sorceress while her face rapidly darkened again and his senior gave him a sympathetic look. "But… she also told us to inform you that would not be necessary and that you do not need to waste your valuable time caring for Prisoner 385901 when Dr. Whistler and her team are more than up to the task."

Raven took a deep breath.

So that's the game that pompous old bastard is playing…

"I see," she said in an icy voice cold enough to send shivers down both men's spines before looking up with a stern expression. "May I ask why? Dr. Whistler has always welcomed my help with Otto in the past. What brought about this change?"

The young guard gulped.

"Ah… Warden Sharp's orders, ma'am…" he answered weakly, as the thoroughly unimpressed sorceress scowled fiercely.

"Please inform Warden Sharp that I wish to speak with him immediately," she said in that same ice cold voice, her tone broking absolutely no argument, before her face softened again and she offered another small smile to put the man at ease and let him know she bore him no ill will.

The young guard stared at her for a moment before nodding at her gratefully as he moved to make the call, the Relief and Eagerness he was feeling to pass this up the chain apparent as the older guard snorted in amusement while he watched his partner go.

"Poor kid just started last month. He still hasn't gotten used to how fucking crazy things get around here yet," he drawled in a much more relaxed manner as Raven moved to stand beside him.

"May the Mother of Azarath have mercy on his poor soul," she also drawled in an equally blase manner as the old guard laughed at her blunt tone, before the sorceress eyed him from the side. "How have things been going since the breakout? Have you and the other guards been having any trouble?"

He shrugged.

"Nothing we haven't dealt with before Miss," he answered with an airy wave, failing to notice the way the sorceress's face turned slightly sad despite his nonchalant tone. "Some of our guys got put in the infirmary when those Hive brats busted out Plasmus and it's been a bitch trying to find places to stick all those scumbags you caught with all the damage they caused, but we've had worse. You know that."

Raven nodded slowly.

"Yes, I do," she agreed in a quiet voice before fully turning to face the veteran guard, allowing a bit of naked concern to appear on her normally stoic face as she looked at him. "Have… you and the other guards been having any problems with the press or the public? Because if you have, the Titans can try and issue a statement…"

The old guard immediately cut her off with a gesture.

"I appreciate that ma'am, but it's not necessary," he replied in a gentle but firm manner as he pulled off his helmet to give her a reassuring look, revealing his aged, grizzled face in the process. "You and the rest of the Titans are good people doing good work. So don't worry about us, we can take it. We're used to dealing with mudslinging by now."

The sorceress sighed.

"Perhaps," she said in a sad voice as a few painful old memories briefly found their way to the surface before she ruthlessly buried them once more. "But that doesn't mean you should have to deal with it…"

The old guard just shrugged.

"Not much we can really do about it ma'am," he replied in a matter-of-fact voice as he put his helmet back on. "Honestly, the only thing that still gets on our nerves anymore is how pissy the Warden gets whenever somebody badmouths…"

"Quincy Sharp is an arrogant, corrupt, incompetent, opportunistic old windbag and a self-serving coward who only cares about becoming Jump's next mayor that should have been removed from this position a long time ago," Raven spat venomously, pure, utter contempt dripping from her voice as the veteran guard beside her let out a quiet, tired sigh at her comment before abruptly straightening up.

"That's above my pay grade, ma'am," he said in a carefully neutral voice as the sorceress closed her eyes and inhaled deeply at the Agreement and Weariness she could sense from him before opening them again as she sensed the younger guard returning.

"Warden Sharp has agreed to meet you, ma'am. He says a guard will be down to escort you to his office momentarily," he revealed in a somewhat nervous voice as Raven sighed at the pointless, petty attempt at a power play before her face hardened.

Two could play at that game.

"I'll make my own way to him," she replied coolly as she drew her hood back up before shooting them both one last sympathetic look. "Good luck you two."

And with that final farewell, the sorceress abruptly vanished into thin air before either guard had a chance to say anything, and the younger of the pair stared slack-jawed at the spot she'd been standing on just moments before as the veteran looked on completely unphased.

"You'll get used to it," he commented blandly to his young partner, who unfortunately did not find that statement nearly as encouraging as he probably intended.

***

Raven stared flatly at the portly, balding old man wearing a snappy, expensive looking suit and red tie currently clutching his chest and glaring at her behind his glasses as he desperately tried to get his heart rate back under control at her sudden appearance from the shadows in the corner of his office.

"Blast it all, you miserable witch! How many times have I told you not to do that!?!" Quincy Sharp shouted at her indignantly in his ridiculously posh accent as the sorceress's lips thinned and her eyes narrowed slightly at the insult. "You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days!"

Hopefully one day soon, Raven thought acidly to herself before pinning the fuming old man with a foreboding glare, his bravado quickly evaporating like smoke at the eerie way her eyes lit up and how the shadows seemed to stretch and darken as his face turned pale and sweaty and Fear poured off of him in waves.

"You have no one to blame but yourself for that Warden," the sorceress said coldly as she just barely managed to keep the disgust and loathing out of her voice in favor of cool, disappointed politeness, her face a stoic mask of stone. "If you did not keep insisting on wasting my time with these petty power plays and attempts to stonewall me, we would likely not even have to see each other at all for the most part. Something I'm sure we can agree we would both prefer. And I am a sorceress, not a witch. Do not make me correct you on that again."

Sharp gulped and awkwardly tugged at his collar.

"Er… yes. My mistake," he replied nervously as Raven's eyes narrowed at the painfully insincere apology before the old man visibly drew himself up and plastered on an equally fake smile that did absolutely nothing to hide the Anxiety he was still feeling from her empathetic senses.

Or the undercurrent of Anger and Resentment boiling just beneath the surface.

"In any event, I'm afraid you're mistaken, young lady," Sharp said in a much friendlier and more reassuring tone as the sorceress's eye twitched at the Malice and Smug Satisfaction that was rapidly overtaking his Anxiety. "I am in no way attempting to stonewall you from helping your friend. I am simply following proper procedure in dealing with dangerous, unstable metahumans like poor Otto, and unfortunately, I am afraid even a great Hero such as yourself is not exempt from them. It's for your and everyone else's own safety."

Idly biting back the urge to remind the good Warden that the Titans had been regularly fighting Plasmus for years now and that she had been the one to capture and bring him back to police custody a few days ago, Raven instead settled for glowering at the old man with the flattest, most unimpressed expression she could muster.

"Warden Sharp, please do not insult my intelligence," she hissed with enough venom to kill a whale as she desperately tried to remain civil. "I have always been welcome here to try and help Otto with my powers and have been for years. Until, that is, the day we informed you of the Titans policy to remain out of politics. After that, I suddenly started finding it more and more difficult to schedule appointments to see him. Do you take me for a fool?"

"Of course not," Sharp replied smoothly, that damnably fake smile still in place as his emotions told quite a different story from his words. "Unfortunately, as admirable as your desire to help Otto is, I'm afraid my predecessor's decision to allow you to see him was a grossly irresponsible error in judgment. State regulations clearly state that only licensed and authorized doctors and therapists may treat prison inmates, especially volatile metahuman ones. And you, my dear, unfortunately do not qualify as either."

The sorceress took a deep breath to recenter herself and calm her rising Anger and Irritation before once again giving the insufferable old bastard in front of her an icy glare.

"You are trying my patience Warden," she warned in a dire voice as her eyes lit up with that eerie white glow once more. "I may not be a licensed doctor or therapist, but I do possess powers that make me uniquely suited to help people like Otto and I am highly trained and skilled in their use. Furthermore, Doctor Whistler and every other therapist and physician that's worked with Otto have always welcomed my aid in treating him in the past and we have consistently been able to achieve positive results working together. So what does she have to say about this?"

"I am afraid that is irrelevant," Sharp said with a dismissive tone and an airy wave as Raven's hands balled tightly into trembling fists beneath her cloak. "Regardless of Gretchen's personal feelings on the matter, the regulations are quite clear, and as Warden, it is my duty to see that they are followed. I'm sorry my dear, but that is my final word on this issue. Now, I am a very busy man, so if that is all, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The sorceress stared hard at the old man for a long, long moment with a cold, utterly impassive expression, her face practically carved from solid granite for all the emotion it showed as Sharp fidgeted uncomfortably under her soul-piercing gaze, before at last Raven took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Very well then," she replied simply in a calm, agreeable voice as she fixed the rapidly blinking Sharp with a coolly polite expression. "If that is truly your final word on the matter, then I suppose I should stop wasting my time here and move on to other business. I am also a very busy woman and have many other important appointments I have to see too today."

"Is… that so?" the old man asked in a confused voice as he eyed her warily, Suspicion and Unease pouring off him in waves as the sorceress nodded sharply.

"Indeed," she said in that same calm, reasonable voice as her cloak billowed slightly in an unseen wind, expression still blank. "I'm on a rather tight schedule today. I have meetings with several news outlets around the city to schedule a series of interviews before I get back to my patrol. Hence why I was so… displeased with this interruption."

Sharp's eyes widened.

"Interviews!?!" he asked in a rather higher pitched voice than normal, what he had that passed for a soul lighting up with Shock, Disbelief, Incredulity, and rapidly rising PANIC like a Christmas Tree as Raven nodded again.

"Oh yes," she confirmed in a cool, conversational tone while her eyes narrowed in a rather dangerous manner. "It was admittedly a rather spur-of-the-moment decision, but the other Titans and I were concerned about how the negative press resulting from this latest breakout might impact the morale of the prison staff. And since I had such a close and beneficial working relationship with those who worked here for years, I figured I might as well go ahead and finally give the press the exclusive with me they've been chasing for so long. It truly is a shame that relationship has been terminated now. I fear I won't be able to give Jump Penitentiary the glowing praise I would have if that was not the case."

The old man was sweating buckets now.

"You're… you're bluffing," he said in a shaky voice as he swallowed thickly and glared at the sorceress, his Anger, Disbelief, and Resentment battling fiercely with the Fear and Dread he was feeling. "Everyone knows how much you hate the press and being in the spotlight. You're just trying to scare me."

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"True," she allowed in that same conversational tone before her voice suddenly became an ice cold hiss as she glared daggers at Sharp, who paled at the feelings of Seriousness and Sincerity that suddenly pressed down on him, "but I hate seeing my friends and the innocent suffer far, far more. Just as much as Dr. Whistler hates seeing her patients suffer because her boss cares more about looking good and the bottom line than basic human decency. And I'm sure many of the guards that work here also have complaints of their own about the current state of the prison they would like to make known."

The old man gulped.

"N-now see here young lady. You don't understand…" he began in a stuttering attempt at a reasonable voice, only to be immediately and violently cut off.

"Enough."

Sharp let out a strangled gasp at the booming, demonic voice that suddenly echoed out of the enraged sorceress's mouth as she was abruptly surrounded by a fiery black-and-purple aura of raw spiritual energy and all the light seemed to be sucked out of the room, leaving nothing but Raven's blazing, pure white eyes glaring down at the terrified bureaucrat while she loomed over him.

"You are the one who does not understand. So listen, and listen well, Quincy Sharp," the sorceress began sharply, tone deathly calm despite her voice still echoing with power as her cloak billowed violently in an unseen wind and her dark magical aura twisted and raged like a feral animal begging to be unleashed. "I can tolerate many things. I can tolerate your insults. I can tolerate your attitude. I can tolerate your incompetence, your mudslinging, and your sad, petty, pathetic attempts to make me look bad and make my life more difficult than it has to be. I can even stomach you speaking out against my friends, if only because I know that they feel the same way I do."

Raven's eyes narrowed into shining white slits.

"But the one thing I cannot tolerate, will never tolerate, is you attempting to make an innocent person suffer purely to satisfy this petty grudge you have against me and the Titans," she finished with complete and utter finality as she crossed her arms and glared down at the cowering old man as if he was a particularly disgusting bit of filth she'd just found on her shoe. "Otto Von Furth is my friend, and a tragic victim of a cruel fate that needs my help to find some small measure of peace and happiness that has been denied to him for so long. And I will not deprive him of that peace. Not for a stack of regulations, and certainly not for you. I will help him, whether you like it or not. And that, 'Warden' Sharp, is final."

Her point made, the sorceress extinguished her magical aura and resumed her normal appearance as light returned to the room before, with one last disdainful glare at the cowering wretch before her, she turned to leave with a dramatic flourish of her cloak.

"H-HEY! NOW WAIT JUST A MINUTE HERE YOU WITCH!" Sharp roared in indignant rage, the Anger and Humiliation he was feeling rapidly overtaking the bone-deep Terror that had been consuming him just a moment before as Raven stopped in her tracks and took a deep breath at the deliberate misidentification. "YOU CAN'T JUST WALTZ IN HERE AND DO WHATEVER YOU PLEASE! IF YOU TAKE ONE MORE STEP TOWARDS 385901's CELL, I'LL HAVE YOU ARRESTED AND LOCKED UP WITH THE REST OF THE FILTHY, DEGENERATE FREAKS INFESTING THIS CITY!"

The sorceress slowly looked over her shoulder to regard the red-faced, heavily breathing old man with an utterly blank expression, before cocking a thoroughly unimpressed eyebrow at him.

"Really Warden?" she drawled in a cool voice as the fuming Warden popped several veins at her completely unconcerned demeanor. "Are you absolutely certain you want to try and deal with the media circus that will result from trying to arrest one of Jump City's most beloved Heroes for the 'crime' of trying to provide aid and comfort to a critically disabled metahuman? Especially mere days after a massive breakout happened at your facility? Your reputation is already shaky enough as is, and I would hate to see how this might hurt your chances of running for mayor next year."

Sharp snarled in impotent fury and clenched his meaty fists so hard they turned chalk white as he shot Raven a look that clearly wished her a very painful death.

"Damn you back to the pits of Hell where you and your accursed father came from you wretched demon spawn," he hissed, pure venom dripping off every syllable as the sorceress simply huffed and turned away again, letting the insult slide off her like water off a duck's back.

As if she'd never heard that one before ever since her true parentage had come to light following Trigon's invasion and subsequent banishment.

That had certainly been a fun conversation with the Justice League.

And the United Nations.

And the Vatican.

"This conversation is over," Raven said simply as she resumed her march towards the door and the old man bristled at her utterly dismissive tone. "Do not interfere with my attempts to help Otto again."

And with that final, chilling warning, the sorceress opened the door and walked out of Sharp's office without so much as a backwards glance, steadfastly ignoring the vile litany of curses being hurled her way until the door slammed shut behind her as the guards just outside pointedly did the same.

***

Raven sighed as she materialized out of the shadows deeper into the prison and began making her way through the Maximum Security wing, giving cordial nods to the guards and other prison staff and studiously ignoring the jeers, catcalls, and promises of vengeance from the inmates as she made her way to her destination.

The sorceress had no doubt she was going to pay for that little display later, as Sharp was almost certain to find other ways to make her life more difficult in the future.

But strangely enough, she could not find it in herself to regret her momentary lapse in control.

Despicable frauds like Sharp that hid their arrogant selfishness and wicked intentions behind charming smiles and honeyed words were already enough to drive the empathetic woman up the wall as is, but no one threatened the innocent and her friends purely to get to her.

Raven was sworn to protect the former and had precious few of the latter she cherished more than Life itself, and would defend both with every last ounce of magical power and knowledge she possessed to her dying breath if necessary.

Still doesn't change how annoying it is to deal with him, she thought bitterly to herself as her mind wandered back to how Sharp had first come to Jump City.

The miserable old fraud had once been the Warden of the infamous Arkham Asylum before transferring to Jump Penitentiary following a particularly harrowing mass breakout and occupation of the Asylum orchestrated by the Joker, the notorious so-called 'Clown Prince of Crime' and greatest Arch-enemy of Dick's mentor, adoptive father, and Justice League founder Batman, also known as billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne.

The madman had been attempting to convert the Asylum's inmates into an army of freakish monsters using something called the Titan Formula so he could unleash them on an unsuspecting Gotham City and cause mass destruction and chaos in his wake, and while the sorceress had thus far been fortunate enough to have never met the deranged clown in person, she'd heard more than enough horror stories from Nightwing to know just how dangerous the Joker was and how disastrous it would have been had his plan succeeded.

The slimy old bastard had somehow managed to seize credit for thwarting the Joker's scheme despite how laughable the thought of some elderly, out-of-shape old bureaucrat who'd probably never trained or been in a serious fight a day in his life managing to stop such a dangerous Villain was, and had used the prestige he'd gained from his "accomplishment" to weasel his way into acquiring the much cushier position of Jump City Penitentiary's new Warden after his predecessor had unfortunately lost his life in a previous Villain attack while the Titans were off battling the Brotherhood of Evil.

Even Dick hadn't managed to figure out how Sharp had pulled that off.

Regardless of how he'd done it though, the fact of the matter was the Titans were stuck with the old fraud now, as Nightwing had been unable to find anything incriminating despite his best efforts even after he'd swallowed his pride and called the rest of the Bat-Clan for help, and it was not at all a stretch to say all five of them absolutely loathed the old man.

The sorceress in particular had utterly detested Sharp the second she'd first laid eyes on him when they'd delivered an unconscious Cinderblock to him for the first time five years ago.

While superficially charming on the surface, there was not an ounce of Sincerity in Quincy Sharp's body, and the old man positively oozed Arrogance and unearned Self-Importance out of every pore.

Every word he spoke, every expression he made, every seemingly well-meaning or altruistic act he performed were all so painfully fake and artificial it almost caused the empath physical pain just to be in the same room with him.

He cared not one whit for the safety of Jump's citizens or the well-being of inmates like Otto that truly were in dire need of help.

Only for his own gain and self-gratification as he lorded his power and "superiority" over the inmates of the prison and continued to hungrily eye Jump's mayoral office like a starving dog would a rotten steak.

The old man had even had the gall to try and coerce the Titans into endorsing his efforts to become their City's new Mayor, rather ironic considering the burning Jealousy for their popularity with Jump's citizens Raven could feel bubbling just beneath the surface every time he talked to them, and he had not taken their rather firm dismissal of the idea well.

Ever since then, Sharp had been doing everything he possibly could to drag their names through the mud without ruining his own reputation in the process and making it as difficult as humanly possible for them to effectively cooperate and coordinate with the authorities.

He tried to frame it as an attempt to move away from the police and prisons having to rely so heavily on the Titans to handle superpowered criminals, but anyone with half-a-brain could see it was just to get back at them for denying his ambitions, and there was no doubt in the sorceress's mind this attempt to stonewall her was just the latest in a long line of petty schemes trying to make her life more difficult.

Something he was already accomplishing quite well with his gross incompetence.

Conditions at the Penitentiary had noticeably deteriorated under his leadership, and every time there was an emergency or a Villain came knocking or escaped from their cell, the old man would barricade himself in his heavily fortified office and refuse anyone else entry as he frantically screamed for the Titans to come save his sorry hide.

In short, there was absolutely nothing even remotely useful or redeeming about Quincy Sharp.

The old man was just a disgusting, petty, utterly useless parasite that did nothing but take and take and take while giving absolutely nothing in return.

And the people that were forced to work under him knew it too, judging by the subtle miasma of Bitterness Raven could feel hanging over the prison staff.

The sorceress sighed.

Well, whatever.

She still had a job to do right now.

She could worry more about Sharp later.

So, snapping out of her musings as she felt the emotions of two familiar spirits drawing close, Raven let out a small smile as her destination came in sight before she phased through the door of Otto's specially made, soundproofed cell in a flourish of dark magic.

Inside was a large, open room made of heavily reinforced steel in the center of which an unremarkable looking man with short brown hair floated in a large stasis tank as various machines monitored his vitals, particularly his brainwaves.

The man was currently fast asleep, though one look at his rapidly twitching muscles and facial expressions and the erratic beeping of the EEG machine immediately told the sorceress said sleep was not peaceful, even without the soul-crushing Guilt and Terror she could feel from him lighting up her empathetic senses like a spotlight.

Raven let out a sad, exasperated sigh as she bowed her head mournfully.

Oh Otto…

Looking at him now, one would hardly guess that the poor man inside that tank was the monstrous supervillain known as Plasmus, infamous for his destructive, semi-regular rampages around Jump as the beast frantically tore the city apart searching for toxic sludge to satisfy his endless hunger.

The son of a family of German immigrants, Otto had once been a simple miner trying to eke out an honest living working in a nearby Radium mine that lay just outside the city.

Until one terrible, fateful day a mining accident caused a massive cave-in that left Otto and several of his fellow miners trapped deep underground and completely exposed to the deadly radioactive element.

The other workers all died within hours of acute radiation poisoning, but the universe had a much crueler fate in store for the poor german-american man.

Instead of simply killing him like it did his colleagues, the Radium instead activated and horrifically mutated his dormant metagene, and on that day, Otto Von Furth, for all intents and purposes, died, and the supervillain Plasmus arose to take his place.

Ever since then, everytime Otto was awake, his body was mutated into a hideous, disgusting, towering monstrosity of purple-and-green goo, and his mind was reduced to that of a feral animal driven solely by an instinctive need to seek out and feed on any toxic sludge it could find, with only the faintest hint of his former intelligence remaining.

Because of Plasmus's utterly uncontrollable nature and the immense danger the beast posed to the general public, the authorities had been left with no choice but to keep Otto in permanent stasis everytime his monstrous alter ego was subdued.

They hadn't even been able to give the poor man any basic psychiatric treatment for the terrible nightmares they could tell he kept having.

Until the sorceress came along, that is.

When Raven had first learned about Otto's horrific affliction, she had shocked her friends, and everyone else, for that matter, by immediately stepping forward and offering her powers to aid the unwilling supervillain in any way that she could.

None of the other Titans had known her as well back then as they did now, so they had been completely unable to understand why the normally aloof and seemingly emotionless sorceress had suddenly become so adamant about helping Otto when before she'd displayed nothing but disgust and cold disdain towards his monstrous other half.

At the time, Raven had brushed it off with the half-truth that she was the only one in Jump that could do anything to help the poor man.

Now though, everyone knew the real reason for her compassion towards Otto.

The sorceress knew better than anyone what it was like to be a victim of a cruel, inescapable fate through no fault of your own.

The previous Warden and Doctors assigned to Otto had been skeptical at first, back before the Titans had truly come into their own as Jump City's beloved protectors, but Raven had persisted, and with the help of her friends, had eventually managed to convince them to give her a chance to try and help Otto.

They had not been disappointed.

The sorceress had been successful in entering the sleeping man's mind thanks to her mastery of Astral Projection, and what she'd found in there had distressed her greatly, even if she didn't show it.

Otto had been an absolute, suicidal wreck, positively drowning in Guilt and Self-Loathing as he was tormented by terrible nightmares of Plasmus's rampages, having unfortunately not been quite as unaware in his mutated state as previously thought, and the first thing he'd done once he'd realized what was going on was beg Raven to put him out of his misery.

Something she had vehemently refused to do, of course, since the entire reason she was doing this in the first place was to prevent the authorities from eventually being forced to do exactly that.

Thus began the long, painful road to… well, recovery was probably too strong a word, but improvement was certainly applicable.

It had been slow going at first, not helped by how much other Villains loved using Otto's monstrous other half as a distraction or an attack dog, but under the guidance of the prison psychiatrists, the sorceress had gradually managed to curb the poor man's suicidal tendencies and stabilize his mental state, and the two of them had grown quite close over time as they bonded over their similar circumstances.

Otto's gratitude had known no bounds, and Raven was quite proud to say that nowadays her friend's rest was largely peaceful and nightmare-free.

When he wasn't being disturbed by desperate, washed up imbeciles who had absolutely no shame or respect for the disabled, that is.

Idly pushing away dark thoughts of further punishments she could visit upon the Hive Five for their reckless cruelty, the sorceress instead lowered her hood and cleared her throat to get the attention of the room's third occupant, a wizened old woman with black hair tied in a neat bun wearing a stereotypical white long-sleeved lab coat, who had been bitterly muttering to herself as she read the notes on her clipboard before jumping slightly at the sudden noise.

"Dr. Whistler," Raven said with a slight smile and a respectful bow of her head. "It's good to see you again."

"Raven! Oh thank goodness you're here!" Dr. Gretchen Whistler, Head Psychiatrist at Jump State Penitentiary, exclaimed with a fond smile on her wrinkled face, her thick German accent tinged with relief. "After what Warden Sharp told me yesterday, I feared we would no longer be able to count on your help with Otto's treatment."

The sorceress's smile immediately vacated her face and her countenance darkened considerably.

"I have already spoken with Warden Sharp about that, and you can rest assured there will be no further issues on this matter," she replied in a coolly formal tone, her voice chilly enough to send a shiver down the old woman's spine as she coughed awkwardly.

"Yes, I had a feeling you might. I know how… persuasive you can be when you set your mind to it," Dr. Whistler commented somewhat warily before her nervousness abruptly evaporated as she shot Raven an admonishing look. "Something the Hive Five have become quite aware of as well, judging by their latest psychiatric reports."

The sorceress shrugged, utterly unrepentant.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean Doctor," she said blandly as the old woman's lips thinned at the half-hearted attempt at feigning ignorance. "I merely had a very serious conversation with the Hive Five about the true scope and consequences of their actions and why they should never do something like that again. No more, no less."

Dr. Whistler snorted.

"Indeed," she replied flatly, the disbelief and disapproval in her voice clear for all to hear. "And you certainly made quite an impression on them during your 'conversation'. Enough that I daresay my team and I are going to have our hands full for quite some time."

That little comment finally did get a noticeable wince from Raven as she looked away uncomfortably at the Disappointment she could feel coming off the old woman.

While the sorceress still did not regret punishing the Hive Five for what they'd done to her friend, she had absolutely no desire to make the prison psychiatrists' lives any harder than they already were.

Especially not Dr. Whistler's.

Like Quincy Sharp, the old woman was a former staff member of Arkham Asylum who'd transferred to Jump Penitentiary after the Joker's rampage, her advancing age meaning she simply was no longer able to continue working in such a strenuous environment any longer.

Unlike the Warden, however, Raven had nothing but respect for Dr. Whistler for being a very, very rare example of an Arkham doctor who was competent, well-adjusted, and, above all else, actually cared about the patients she was trying to treat with no ulterior motives.

So being called out on her behavior by the old woman like this made the sorceress feel very much like a naughty child being scolded by a disappointed grandmother at the moment.

It was a rather confusing and unpleasant feeling, all things considered.

"Sorry Dr. Whistler," the sorceress muttered quietly, still slightly shamefaced, and Dr. Whistler held her chastising glare a few moments longer before finally relenting with a weary sigh.

"Just try to be more careful in the future Raven," she said in a softer voice as Raven felt Concern for her wellbeing emanate from the old woman. "I understand how much you care for Otto and how angry you must have been for what those foolish brats did to him, but you can't keep going around traumatizing people like this. I've already had to deal with more than enough of that from Batman, thank you very much!"

The sorceress chuckled and cracked an amused grin at that before abruptly sobering up as she turned back to Otto.

"How is he?" she asked quietly, more for formality's sake than anything else as Dr. Whistler sighed.

"I'm afraid he's relapsed again," she answered sadly as Raven gave a mournful little nod, not the least bit surprised but disappointed nonetheless. "Been suffering from chronic nightmares ever since you brought him back. Just like all the other times…"

The sorceress cursed the Hive Five one last time before taking a deep breath to recenter herself.

"Do you have a list of questions prepared?" she asked briskly in a businesslike manner, her face becoming stern and professional as the old woman nodded and handed her a clipboard.

"We do," Dr. Whistler replied in an equally professional manner as Raven carefully read and flipped through the questions, before the old woman's face softened as she looked at her patient once again, her emotions revealing just how Concerned she was for him under her stoic facade. "But honestly, Raven, I think what Otto needs most right now is simply a friend to talk to…"

Finishing the list, the sorceress handed the clipboard back to Dr. Whistler and gave her one last nod before turning back to the Stasis Tank and moving forward.

"I'll take it from here Doctor," she reassured the old woman before her body glowed with an eerie purple mystical light as she floated off the ground and assumed a meditative lotus position in the air.

"Thank you Raven. I'll make sure you're not disturbed unless it's an emergency," Dr. Whistler replied in a grateful voice before walking out the door and closing it behind her, giving Raven the quiet she needed to concentrate.

Taking a deep breath, the sorceress closed her eyes and reached deep within herself before slowly uttering her signature chant.

"Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos…!"

And as soon as the final word left her lips, Raven felt the bonds of her mortal shell slacken, and with one last burst of mental effort, her spirit broke free from it's shackles completely and soared from her body in the form of a huge, pitch black raven with a deep purple outline and shining, pure white eyes.

The sorceress flew around the room a few times to make sure everything was in order before pausing in the air to look back at her body, still floating there in a deep meditative trance as her eyes shined with a matching pure white light.

No matter how many times she did this, Raven could never get used to how odd it was to view one's own, still living body from the outside.

Nor the sense of pure, absolute freedom Astral Projecting gave her.

The first time she'd successfully managed it, it had taken Mother and her magic instructors back on Azarath hours to coax her giddy spirit back into her body, and to this day that remained one of her happiest memories.

Regardless, she still had a job to do here, and so, fighting down the wave of nostalgia, the sorceress turned and, with a piercing cry, her spirit dove headfirst into Otto's sleeping form.

***

The sight that greeted Raven when she entered Otto's mindscape was a familiar, if still highly unpleasant, one.

Jump City was in ruins, it's once pristine buildings and streets now shattered and engulfed in flames under a hellish blood red sky, and a quick glance out to the bay showed the sorceress that Titans Tower had also fallen, the once proud and stalwart monument against Evil lying in pieces scattered across her island home.

Terrified screams echoed out of the doomed city, and as she flew closer, Raven could make out scores of Jump's citizens frantically running for their lives as they were relentlessly pursued and mercilessly slaughtered by a seemingly endless army of hideous green-and-purple goo monsters.

Plasmids, as Garfield liked to call them.

And there in the distance, the source of all this madness and carnage.

Plasmus, even more hideous and nightmarishly twisted than he was in the real world, swollen to gargantuan proportions as he towered over the nearby buildings and smashed through everything in sight like one of those cheesy Kaiju movies Victor and Beast Boy liked so much.

The massive goo monster was currently locked in battle with five shades of Raven and her fellow Titans, all of which were doing a rather remarkable job of imitating their powers and combat tactics.

Which the sorceress supposed was only natural, considering how many times they'd fought Plasmus over the years.

There was Dick, hanging back and nimbly avoiding grasping tentacles, globs of acidic goo, and titanic blows from the monster's fists in a stunning display of acrobatics and liberal use of his grappling hook as he hurled all manner of gadgets and special birdarangs into Plasmus whilst simultaneously barking out orders and directions to his teammates.

There was Garfield, rapidly switching between animal forms like mad as he pecked, bit, scratched, and clawed at the beast's eye boils to harass and distract it while deftly avoiding its attempts to counterattack.

There was Victor, constantly leaping from rooftop to rooftop to stay on the move as he relentlessly pummeled Plasmus with powerful shots from his signature Sonic Cannon and barrages of missiles from his shoulders.

There was Starfire, circling above as she pelted the monster with an unceasing barrage of Starbolts from her hands and eyes, the ultraviolet energy projectiles falling like rain.

And finally, there was her, the doppelganger Raven hurling huge objects at the beast at high speeds and unleashing her full arsenal of dark magic in an attempt to bring it down.

Cars, trucks, chunks of concrete, and even entire buildings smashed into Plasmus along with blasts of raw dark energy and black lightning called down from the heavens themselves as the sorceress's doppelganger kept up an unceasing litany of chants and hand signs to cast spell after spell.

It was an awesome display of power, coordination, and teamwork, and if Raven didn't know any better, she might almost have been convinced the five shades were actually her and her friends…

…if not for the ugly, twisted snarls of pure, unadulterated RAGE and HATRED marring their faces as they all screamed a truly awe inspiring amount of horrifically vulgar abuse and ruthless condemnation at the monstrous supervillain…

…or rather, at the man currently helplessly trapped in the center of Plasmus's chest bawling his eyes out as he tearfully screamed out anguished apologies and begged for forgiveness while the five shades assaulting him continued to viciously flagellate him.

"I'M SORRY!" Otto wailed out in tortured agony as he continued to struggle in vain to free himself from his monstrous alter ego. "I'M SORRY! PLEASE YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME, I DIDN'T WANT ANY OF THIS! I NEVER MEANT TO HURT ANYONE! IT WAS PLASMUS NOT ME! HE'S THE ONE WHO DESTROYED THE CITY! I CAN'T CONTROL HIM! PLEASE, I'M SORRY! I'M SO, SO SORRY…

"LIAR!"

"DECEIVER!

"IT WAS ALWAYS YOU!"

"HOW COULD I HAVE FALLEN FOR YOUR PATHETIC SOB STORY!?!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I EVER THOUGHT TRASH LIKE YOU WAS WORTH SAVING!"

Otto sobbed at the furious shout from the sorceress's doppelganger as the real Raven frowned severely and her hands balled tightly into fists.

She knew what was coming.

The first to go was Dick.

A near miss from a lashing, slimy tentacle left him off-balance for a single, critical second.

Enough time for a massive swarm of Plasmids to suddenly appear from nowhere, bursting out of the ground and through nearby walls and windows, and mob the surprised Titan leader as they pulled him to the ground through sheer weight of numbers and began to gleefully tear him limb from limb.

The second was Starfire, who let out an anguished cry of grief and rage as Nightwing's howls of agony and the Plasmids sadistic laughs reached her ears before frantically diving down in a desperate attempt to save her boyfriend.

Only for Plasmus's massive hand to shoot out viper quick and seize Kori in an iron grip.

The monster gave a demented grin at the struggling heroine before, with a cruel laugh, it shoved her into it's enormous maw and began to chew, the sounds of cracking bones and Starfire's screams of pain echoing out loudly as it did so, until she finally fell silent forever as Plasmus swallowed thickly and let out a satisfied growl.

Victor was next, the lack of covering fire from the tamaranean freeing up the beast's attention enough it was able to quickly zero in on his location and shatter the building he was standing on with a single punch, destroying his foothold and leaving him helplessly falling through the air until he was snatched by a quartet of tentacles that each wrapped around one of his limbs.

The tendrils pulled hard, and Cyborg screamed in agony as his arms and legs were torn from their sockets in a screech of tortured metal before he dropped to the ground like a sack of bricks.

He lay there groaning for a few seconds before a shadow fell over him, and Victor had just enough time to look up before Plasmus's foot came crashing down on him with earth-shattering force, crushing him into an unrecognizable mess of shattered, twisted metal and bloody, pulped organs.

Finally, Garfield, currently in the form of an eagle, who screeched in utter Fury at the death of his best friend before he came crashing down on the monster's gooey head as a huge green T-Rex and began viciously biting at it's hideous boils before being nonchalantly swatted off, crashing to the ground below in a heap.

Beast Boy struggled to rise, only to roar in agony as he was drenched in a waterfall of acidic goo Plasmus spat all over him, the enormous glob of acid melting the man-turned dinosaur down to his bones in moments flat.

Four of the five Titans, gone in under 30 seconds.

The sorceress's doppelganger let out an unholy scream of all-consuming RAGE and GRIEF that shattered windows all across the city before summoning a colossal spectral bird of black and red magical energy, the demonic, corrupted soulself shrieking and cawing like a rabid animal while it's master glared down at Otto and his monstrous alter ego with tears streaming from all four of her hellish, crimson eyes.

"DAMN YOU OTTO VON FURTH!!!!!" the now red-skinned shade of Raven roared in utter fury and anguish before launching her soulself at Plasmus, and the massive spiritual raven slammed into the colossal goo monster with an ear-splitting shriek, engulfing the beast in a titanic explosion.

The sorceress's doppelganger floated in the air breathing heavily for several tense moments, before crying out in shock and dismay as several slimy tentacles abruptly shot out of the smoke and seized her in an unyielding grip.

The shade of Raven struggled and cursed viciously against her bonds as Plamus emerged from the huge cloud of dust, completely unharmed, and let out a cruel laugh before slowly bringing her face-to-face with the man trapped in it's chest, who gave the sorceress's doppelganger an utterly broken look.

"Raven…" Otto choked out miserably, the Guilt and Agony emanating from him absolutely unbearable to Raven as her doppelganger glared murderously at the poor man, face carved from stone. "I'm sorry…"

The sorceress's doppelganger was silent for several long seconds, eyes closed and hidden under her hood.

"I hate you…" the shade replied at last, the sheer amount of venom and Hatred in her voice enough to make Otto flinch back as if he'd been physically struck before she abruptly attempted to throw herself at him, snarling and roaring like a feral animal while she desperately struggled against her bonds and tried to wrap her claw-like hands around his throat. "I HATE YOU!!!!!!"

The poor man sobbed uncontrollably as Plasmus let out another cruel laugh before preparing to devour the still screaming shade just like Starfire…

…only to scream in surprise and pain as an enormous blast of dark magic abruptly shot out of nowhere and disintegrated both the tentacles and the false heroine in one shot.

"Enough."

The beast whirled around in a rage to face the true Raven, who glared right back with equal fury, her pure white eyes shining brightly.

"Raven…?" Otto whispered softly as he stared in disbelief at the black-and-purple spirit, who gave him a kind and reassuring look before returning to glaring at the hideous beast keeping him prisoner.

"This has gone on for far too long Plasmus," the sorceress hissed venomously as Plasmus let out a defiant roar. "You are done tormenting him."

The beast roared again and attempted to charge her, only for several massive black and purple chains to suddenly emerge from the ground from dark portals and wrap tightly around Plasmus with an errant gesture from the sorceress.

Staring back coolly as the monster desperately thrashed and strained against its bindings, Raven calmly raised a darkly glowing hand and a sudden pressure began crushing down on everyone as she started rapidly gathering power.

"Begone," she intoned in a voice echoing with power as Plasmus's struggles grew more frantic. "AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!"

A colossal wave of dark magic burst forth from the sorceress's hand at the incantation, utterly consuming Plasmus and the devastated Jump City as her spell dispelled the entirety of the nightmare in one fell swoop until nothing remained but her and Otto floating aimlessly in a peaceful white void.

"Raven?" he asked again as he looked around in confusion for a moment while Raven merely stared back patiently, waiting for the realization to set in, before Otto suddenly froze and slowly turned to her with a look of dawning comprehension on his face. "Is that… really you?"

The sorceress nodded.

"Yes, Otto. It's me," she replied in a gentle voice as her friend slowly started to relax.

"Then… all that was just another nightmare wasn't it?" Otto asked wearily, his voice tinged with embarrassment as the sorceress nodded again.

"Yes, it was just a nightmare," Raven said reassuringly, before her gaze turned sad and slightly exasperated as she continued in a more concerned tone. "The same nightmare you've had many times already."

Otto sighed.

"I know and I'm sorry I keep causing trouble for you and the Doctors. Especially after everything you all have done to try and help a needy, miserable little wretch like me," he apologized in a quiet, bitter voice as the sorceress stiffened at both his words and the pungent cocktail of toxic emotions she could feel eating away at him. "Making people's lives more difficult seems to be the only thing I'm good at these…"

"Otto," Raven cut in sharply, a warning note in her voice as Otto flinched at her lightly chastising glare. "Don't you dare start with this again. Not after all the progress you've made."

Otto nodded meekly.

"Sor-ok Raven," he quickly corrected himself as the sorceress's eyes narrowed before she let out an exasperated sigh and looked at him with a worried expression.

"Honestly, Otto, how much longer are you going to keep torturing yourself like this?" she said in a deeply concerned voice as she put a hand on her friend's shoulder and did her best to soothe the Pain she could feel coming from his weary spirit, Otto letting out a sigh of indescribable Relief as her empathic powers went to work. "If you keep this up, then one of these days you're going to damage your Mind so much that even I won't be able to put you back together again."

"I know that Raven!" Otto snapped in an intensely frustrated voice as he turned away from her while Raven looked on sadly. "You've told me all this before! But even after all our talks and everything Doctor Whistler and the others have done to try and help me work through this, it… it doesn't get any easier to accept the things Plasmus has done. The people he's hurt. No matter how many times I try to tell myself I'm not him…"

The sorceress nodded soberly.

"I understand," she replied quietly as she moved to float beside her friend in a silent show of support. "After Trigon's invasion, there were still a lot of people left hurt or dead because of him even after I purged my father's corruption from this world. Because of me. Even if I only went along with his plan because the Justice League were off world at the time and he had my friends, my family, at gunpoint, even if his minions would have just dragged me kicking and screaming to fulfill my role had I refused to cooperate, the fact remains I'm still the one who ultimately chose to become his Portal, of my own free will. And that's something I'll have to live with. Forever."

Raven sighed sadly at the memory of the protestors and furious, grieving friends and families whose loved ones her spell had not been able to save who had relentlessly accosted her in the weeks and months following Trigon's banishment even after she'd given her most heartfelt explanations and apologies, before her face firmed and she gave Otto a fierce look.

"But that doesn't mean I can just allow myself to fall to pieces over what happened to those poor people Otto," the sorceress continued with steely resolution and an uncompromising expression. "I've told you before, wallowing in one's Guilt and Self-Pity is pointless and never accomplishes anything but causing further pain, both to oneself and others. If I truly wish to honor those that suffered and died because of my mistake and make up for what I and my father did, then I must accept responsibility for it, soldier on with my head held high, and learn from my error so I can be better. And you, Otto, must do the same. Torturing yourself like this helps no one. Not Plasmus's victims, and certainly not you."

"Please, I'm begging you, my friend," Raven finished with a quiet whisper, a pleading look on her face as she once again put a hand on Otto's shoulder and stared deep into his eyes, radiating naked, bone-deep Concern while she did. "Don't let Plasmus win…"

Otto stared at her for a long time, his emotions a volatile, raging torrent of conflicting feelings ferociously clashing against each other, before he finally deflated with an utterly exhausted sigh as he gave her an agonized expression, the sheer amount of Hopelessness he was feeling enough to make the sorceress's metaphorical heart clench painfully.

"But how?" Otto asked in a dead, hollow voice, his eyes utterly devoid of any light. "How am I supposed to not 'let Plasmus win'? He's already won! I'm not like you Raven! I'm a helpless prisoner trapped in my own body! I can't even try to repent for Plasmus's crimes like you can, because if I do anything but float here in this fucking tank, I'll just end up hurting more people! So how…!?!"

"Then it's a very good thing that you have nothing to repent for, Otto," Raven cut Otto off in a gentle, but firm voice as she raised a hand and gave him a stern look to stop his tirade. "I have been telling you this for years now, you share absolutely none of the blame for anything Plasmus does. None. The only fault lies with the disgusting beast that has hijacked your body and the heartless fools that keep taking advantage of your condition to use him as an attack dog."

"But… didn't you just say we have to take responsibil-" Otto began hesitantly, Confusion pouring off of him in waves, only to once again be cut off with a sharp gesture and a warning glare.

"The difference, Otto, is that I still had a choice," the sorceress emphasized fiercely, her own Guilt and Sorrow briefly flaring up before immediately being crushed down again by her iron will. "At the time I believed I didn't because I had been gaslighted and indoctrinated by my father into believing my destiny was set in stone my whole life, but the truth of the matter is that it was always my decision on whether or not to become the Portal. Not his. Even when Trigon did everything he possibly could to stack the deck in his favor, it was still never his decision. It was mine. And mine alone. My friends tried to tell me that, they never stopped trying to tell me that, but I didn't listen. I gave up. And that, Otto, is why I must repent."

"But you are different," Raven continued in a much kinder voice as she emanated Compassion, Confidence, and Reassurance. "Unlike me, you have never had a choice in anything Plasmus does. It is as you yourself said, you are a helpless prisoner trapped inside your own body. Unable to do anything but float here in this tank without becoming the beast's slave. How then, could you ever be held responsible for anything Plasmus does?"

Otto bit his lip and looked away, his emotions once again in turmoil as he warred with himself while the sorceress waited patiently, before turning back to her uncertainly.

"Then… how am I supposed to honor all the people Plasmus has hurt?" he asked hesitantly as Raven gave him a pleased expression and sent a pulse of Happiness and Pride to her friend before hastening to answer.

"By not giving up," she replied immediately, voice strong and steady with not an ounce of hesitation or uncertainty in it as she radiated unyielding Confidence like the sun. "By not making the same mistake I did and losing all hope. By remembering those people Plasmus hurt and resolving to live the best life you possibly can despite your condition so their deaths will not be rendered pointless. That is how you can honor them, Otto Von Furth. The question is… are you strong enough to keep trying?"

The sorceress held out a hand expectantly and Otto stared at it for a long time before sighing and giving her a wry grin.

"Of course I'm not," he answered bluntly with a self-deprecating chuckle before taking her hand and finally allowing a small spark of Hope to flare up in his chest again. "But with you and the Doc's helping me… maybe someday I will be."

And the entire dreamscape lit up at Raven's beaming smile.

***

*Several Hours Later*

Raven sighed as she telekinetically lowered the last of the debris cluttering this area before exchanging a few cordial words with the grateful foreman and flying off.

Just as she'd predicted, most of Jump's criminals were keeping their heads well down after the Hive Five's disastrous scheme.

The sorceress and her fellow Titans had caught a few purse snatchers and other such petty criminals around the city here and there, but on the whole things were pretty quiet.

Which meant that most of their time had been devoted to helping with cleanup efforts for the past few days.

A job Raven in particular was uniquely suited for thanks to her powerful and precise psychokinetic abilities, and she'd already helped clean out several such areas of the city clogged with harmful debris.

Thanks to her and the other Titan's efforts, it looked like Jump would be clear and ready to begin rebuilding by tomorrow.

Which meant that all that was left to do was perform a few more sweeps of the City to make sure no one got any bright ideas before heading back to the Tower for the day.

And so, her task clear, the sorceress began flying an efficient grid pattern around her designated area of the city, randomized to prevent anyone from figuring it out, while occasionally checking in with Garfield and Starfire to make sure there was no trouble on their end.

Kori had very graciously, and very firmly, offered to sacrifice a portion of her day off today to cover a chunk of Victor's shift so he wouldn't miss his game and so Dick wouldn't need to.

Thankfully, it looked like she wouldn't have much to worry about, as everyone was reading All Clear so far, something Raven was immensely grateful for.

Even so, she still continued to keep her eyes, ears, and empathetic senses peeled, determined to make sure things stayed quiet as she once again marveled at the vast array of emotions living in such a densely populated city constantly exposed her too.

While the sorceress always made certain to keep a tight grip on her empathetic senses at all times even when scanning for possible threats and crimes-in-progress so she would only lightly brush against the minds of Jump's population, for the sake of both their privacy and her own mental health, the sensations were still awe-inspiring.

Every Emotion and Desire imaginable was on display for Raven to see.

Many were pleasant, from Happiness and Satisfaction at a job well done or scoring a big promotion, to Relief and Hope at finally getting a desperately needed job or finding out a Friend or Loved One was going to be ok, to finally Love and Companionship at spending time with people you cared about deeply.

Just as many were not so pleasant, however, and the sorceress always made sure to pay close attention to any strong feelings of Anger, Rage, Resentment, Fear, Desperation, Despair, or Hopelessness she could detect.

Especially if they were also tinged with an undercurrent of Malice and Selfishness.

Such emotions were very often an indicator of someone who either needed help, or needed to be put behind bars.

Fortunately, there weren't very many of the latter around right now.

The former, however…

Raven tensed as she suddenly felt a very young spirit within her current range light up with Sadness and Despair, and she immediately raced to the child's location with haste, speeding up as the sound of a little girl's agonized wails reached her ears…

…only to promptly come to a screeching halt and let out an explosive sigh that was both exasperated and sad as she looked down at the scene below her with a deep frown.

The girl, who couldn't have been more than seven, was on her knees, bawling her eyes out as she desperately tried to gather up the scattered, broken pieces of an antique porcelain doll off the sidewalk and put them back together while her distraught mother tried in vain to comfort her grief-stricken daughter.

The various passerby's were giving the scene a wide berth as they surreptitiously glanced at the pair with varying degrees of Discomfort and Annoyance at the child's ceaseless crying, doubtlessly thinking she was merely throwing a huge tantrum over a broken toy.

The sorceress knew better though.

The intensity of the emotions she could feel coming from both the girl and her mother made it crystal clear to Raven that doll was very special to the child.

Likely a gift or hand-me-down from a possibly deceased grandparent given its apparent age that had shattered when the girl had tripped over something, if the tiny scrapes on her arms and legs were anything to go by.

And now the child was likely going to blame herself for destroying her precious heirloom because she made a clumsy mistake…

…

Well, that wouldn't do at all, now would it?

The sorceress silently teleported to the shadows of a nearby alley and checked to make sure nobody was looking before her eyes glowed as she reached out to gently brush against the girl's spirit.

Psst, hey.

The child abruptly stopped crying and stiffened in Shock and Confusion as she frantically looked around for the source of the ghostly psychic whisper before Raven immediately moved to reassure her.

Shhhh, it's alright little one, I mean you no harm. Look over here.

The girl gulped and looked over to where the sorceress had instructed, only for her eyes to immediately go as wide as dinner plates as she saw one of her City's beloved Heroes standing there watching her from the shadows.

Raven offered her a kind smile before putting a finger to her lips and silently beckoning the stunned child to follow her deeper into the alley.

Follow me, and make sure you bring all the pieces of your doll with you.

Chuckling softly at the tsunami of Hope and Excitement that slammed into her at that, the sorceress turned and walked into the alley before waiting patiently for the little one to arrive.

She didn't have to wait long.

The sound of tiny shoes rapidly padding on the pavement quickly grew closer before the girl rounded the corner at breakneck speed and came to a screeching halt in front of the deeply amused sorceress, who gave the little scamp an indulgent look as she lowered her hood.

"PLEASEFIXHERMISSRAVEN!" the girl begged in a rapid-fire manner that would have impressed Wally as she held out arms full of shattered porcelain.

Raven chuckled again before giving the child a smile and nod as her breathless mother rounded the corner of the alley as well.

"SARAH! What on EARTH has gotten into…!" she demanded furiously, only for her question to die on her lips as she stared wide-eyed at the sorceress, who inclined her head to the woman before returning her attention to Sarah.

Raising a darkly glowing hand, Raven enveloped the pieces of the doll in her magical aura and gently floated them out of the girl's arms before expertly rearranging them into their proper place.

Casting a critical eye over the cracked doll as she slowly turned it in the air to make sure everything was in order, the sorceress gave a satisfied nod before casting a spell she had learned after taking Timmy under her wing that had seen a lot of use with his precious blanket.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

The cracks marring the doll's surface abruptly sealed themselves shut at her command, and in an instant the doll was whole once more as Raven slowly lowered it into Sarah's eagerly awaiting hands.

"CYNTHIA! YOU'RE OK!" the girl exclaimed as she hugged the doll tightly, jumping up and down in pure, unadulterated Joy as she did so while the sorceress let out a contented sigh at the overwhelming Happiness and Gratitude that washed over her, before grunting slightly as Sarah slammed into her long, shapely legs like a missile.

"OH THANK YOU MISS RAVEN! THANK YOU SO MUCH!" she cried out exuberantly, tears of joy running down her face as she looked up at Raven with a radiant smile while the sorceress chuckled and rubbed her head affectionately.

"You're welcome, Sarah," she said warmly as she allowed the hug to continue for a few more seconds before gently shooing the overeager tyke away and kneeling down to her level. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better. Cynthia must be very important to you for you to get so sad when she broke."

Sarah nodded sadly, her smile fading.

"She is, Miss Raven," she replied somberly, clutching the doll tightly to her chest as a wave of Sadness and Grief emanated from both her and her mother, who was watching quietly a short distance away. "She's all I have left of Nana after…"

The child fell silent, and Raven frowned briefly at her hypothesis being correct before reaching out and putting a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I see. In that case, I better make sure she doesn't break so easily next time," she said simply before smirking and raising a hand at Sarah's confused look. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

The sorceress waved a darkly glowing hand again and the doll glowed black and purple for a brief moment before returning to normal as she cast a basic Reinforcement spell that had also seen a lot of use with that damned blanket.

"There, now she shouldn't break so easily anymore," she explained with a smug little smile as the girl looked at her in awe, before her face firmed a bit and she continued in a slightly more stern voice. "Even so, you need to be more careful from now on, ok Sarah?"

"I will Miss Raven! I promise!" Sarah agreed eagerly with several affirming nods as Raven gave her an approving look in turn. "Oh, how can I ever thank you!?!"

The sorceress just chuckled.

"There's no need to thank me, child. I'm a Hero, and one of a Hero's jobs is to look after little girls like you," she replied gently in a warm, gracious voice, before beckoning the girl closer and whispering conspiratorially in her ear. "Though I would appreciate it if you keep this between us. I've got an image to maintain, and don't want anyone thinking I'm going soft. So let's just make this Our Little Secret, ok little one?"

Sarah giggled cutely.

"Ok Miss Raven. I promise I won't tell anyone else," she whispered back before shooting Raven a mischievous look. "And I promise, I'll make sure Mommy doesn't say anything either. She's got a really big mouth sometimes."

The sorceress let out a rare bark of laughter at that.

Eat your heart out, Garfield.

"Good girl, Sarah," she said kindly before pressing something in the girl's hand and smiling as she gasped in delight to see it was a red gemstone identical to the one Raven had on her forehead. "You run along now. And be good."

Sarah squealed with delight and glomped the sorceress once again, babbling a nonstop stream of thanks and promises that she would as Raven indulgently returned the hug for a few seconds before gently shooing the girl away once more.

"Thank you," her mother said warmly as Sarah darted back to her side, the older woman positively radiating Gratitude as the sorceress stood and pulled her hood back up. "Thank you so much."

Raven gave her a cordial nod before waving to her daughter one last time and soaring up into the sky.

***

Raven let out a contented sigh as she looked down at Jump City Park from the shadows of a nearby building.

It was late afternoon now, the sun was beginning to descend, and her shift was nearing its end.

All in all, given how quiet it had been and the small, but satisfying victories she'd accomplished, the sorceress could quite confidently call today a resounding success for her and her friends.

It had certainly been a vast improvement over a few days ago, that was for sure, and truth be told Raven was in a rather good mood right now, though only her fellow Titans would probably be able to tell.

She might even deign to cook dinner for everyone, provided of course Garfield's mouth didn't ruin her current good cheer.

Especially since it looked like they might have cause to celebrate, given the way Victor's game was going.

The Tiny Titan's currently had a comfortable lead over the Cougars and the game was entering the final inning, so unless their rivals managed to pull out a miracle her adoptive family's most favored baseball team had this in the bag.

A fact Cyborg was keenly aware of, judging by the way he eagerly and loudly shouted a nonstop stream of enthusiastic encouragement to the Tiny Titan's while also hurling an equally loud and non-stop barrage of (G-rated and mostly good-natured) abuse at the Cougar's coach, radiating giddy Happiness and fierce Pride as he did so.

The sorceress couldn't help but give a proud little smile of her own at seeing her friend so happy and full of life, completely in his element and not showing so much as an ounce of shame or embarrassment for his robotic appearance as the crowd all cheered enthusiastically for their Hero, even if she didn't much care for the game itself.

As much as she eventually grew to appreciate Garfield and Victor's ceaseless efforts to help her have fun and make her feel included, Raven had never been much of a sports person and likely never would be.

She detested large crowds and being in the spotlight and much preferred quieter, more intellectually stimulating hobbies and pursuits in her downtime like reading, chess, and puzzle solving, and got more than enough exercise during Combat Practice and their constant battles against the Forces of Evil.

They made Cyborg and the kids happy, however, and that was more than enough for her.

And even the sorceress had to admit to being rather touched and flattered so many of the Little and Junior League Teams around Jump had started naming and modeling themselves after her and her friends to show their support for their beloved Heroes, and the Titans had made sure to return said support whenever they could.

Raven had to be careful not to show too much support, however, or else Victor would ruthlessly exploit her well-hidden soft spot for young children to drag her into refereeing for his games.

The bastard.

Seriously, having cute little kids use eyes like that on empaths like her should be a war crime.

Regardless, the sorceress was quite content observing the game from a safe distance like this, and so settled into a cross-legged sitting position as she continued to watch from the rooftop in a silent show of support for her friend and his team.

She knew that with his onboard computer tracking their Communicator's locations at all times, Cyborg was well aware of her presence here.

And it didn't take him long to use that fact to his advantage either as he soon surreptitiously pointed out her location to his team, and Raven immediately felt the Tiny Titan's Determination to win skyrocket with the knowledge that another one of their Heroes was secretly watching them play, much to her fondly exasperated amusement.

Victor's tactic to further motivate his team proved quite effective, as the sorceress's quiet encouragement pushed the Tiny Titan's to play like children possessed, and by the end of it all a comfortable lead had turned into a landslide victory as the little madlads utterly dominated the final inning, much to the frustration of the Cougar's poor coach.

"BOOYAH!" Cyborg belted out his signature catchphrase so loudly Raven could hear it clear from where she was as the victorious Tiny Titan's all gathered joyously around their huge coach while he lifted the boy who had hit the finishing home run up onto his shoulders.

Smiling at the Pride and Happiness she could feel shining from Victor and the children like the sun, the sorceress stood up and moved out of the shadows just enough for the Tiny Titans to get a clear look at her as she inclined her head to them and reached out to gently brush against their spirits.

Way to go, champs, Raven said warmly in their minds, her own Pride at their accomplishment causing the children to all stand up straighter at the simple but profound praise before she withdrew from the psychic contact and walked away, their boundless Gratitude still echoing in her head.

Yep, this was definitely cause to celebrate.

"Raven reporting in, everything's All Clear on my end," the sorceress reported briskly into her Communicator before continuing in a much softer voice. "And Cyborg and the Tiny Titans won their game."

A delighted gasp sounded out from the little device and Starfire's radiantly beaming face appeared on the tiny screen.

"Glorious! This is most wonderful news!" she exclaimed joyously as Raven cracked a small grin at her friend's infectious enthusiasm. "Oh I knew our little bumgorfs could do it! We must celebrate their victory with a most joyous feast!"

"I'll cook," the sorceress offered with a wry, indulgent smile, which widened slightly at Kori's happy cheer as Dick's smirking face appeared on her Communicator.

"I think I know why their game went so well," he said with a knowing voice as Raven rolled her eyes fondly at his faux accusing tone. "Your Communicator didn't move from the Park's location for the last hour of your shift Raven. You been slacking off?"

The sorceress snorted.

"Just thought I'd show Cyborg and 'our little bumgorfs' some support since it's been so quiet today," she drawled with half-lidded eyes as Nightwing's grin widened and Starfire giggled in amusement before raising a questioning eyebrow at her leader. "You gonna write me up Nightwing?"

Dick hummed in thought.

"I should," he replied in a faux serious tone of voice as he gave her a mockingly stern glare, before a playful smirk crossed his face. "But given how well the Tiny Titan's game went, I guess I'll let it slide this time."

"And I shall let slide that you've been monitoring our Communicators when you're supposed to be relaxing," Kori cut in haughtily as Nightwing flinched and muttered darkly under his breath at his girlfriend's rebuke while Raven looked on in amusement.

"Speaking of monitoring our Communicators, has anyone heard from Beast Boy? I haven't gotten a call from him in a couple of hours and he's usually the first to be here whenever Cyborg wins a game," she asked with a slight tinge of worry entering her voice as Starfire and Dick's faces sobered at the question.

"I have not. And Beast Boy did not respond when I texted him about Cyborg's victory either," Kori replied in a concerned tone as the sorceress's and Nightwing's frowns both deepened at the answer.

"Hold on," he said in a low voice as he tapped a few buttons on the console he was sitting at. "Says here his Communicator's still intact and hasn't moved in a while-... oh."

"Nightwing?" Raven asked sharply as she and Starfire both tensed at Dick's sad tone and the way his shoulders slumped in dismay.

"He's at… that place again," he informed them mournfully as both women immediately deflated sadly at the news.

Oh Garfield…

"Raven, you're the closest to him right now. Can you…?" Nightwing asked hesitantly, only to be cut off by a firm nod from the sorceress.

"Of course," she answered quietly without hesitation as she looked off in the direction of her new objective. "I'll go get him and meet you all back at the Tower. Raven out."

Closing her Communicator, Raven sighed before slowly rising into the air and heading off to her destination, and it wasn't long before it came into sight.

A quaint, old-fashioned little diner nestled snugly in a small lot surrounded by taller buildings, inside which several teenagers and adults that had just gotten off school or work were happily eating dinner and chatting amicably with each other.

Garfield was sitting on the roof of one of the surrounding buildings, staring at the diner with a wistful look on his face.

Or rather, at one of the patrons who was sitting at a table near one of the restaurant's windows quietly enjoying a nice slice of pie.

A tall, blue-eyed girl with long, straight blonde hair.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2:

Raven sighed sadly as she landed without a sound on the rooftop behind Garfield and quietly approached, her heart clenching unpleasantly when he didn't even turn to look at her.

She didn't need to be an empath to sense the Melancholy and Distress throbbing just beneath the surface, a dull lingering pain years gone by.

"Hey Garfield," the sorceress said quietly, a whisper on the wind that was answered with a voice just as subdued.

"Hi Rae."

"Mind if I join you?" she asked as she moved to stand beside him, and was at least a little pleased to see Beast Boy's grateful smile, however strained it might have been.

"Free country or so they tell me," he snarked weakly as Raven's heart clenched again at the barely disguised pain in his voice before settling beside him in a cross-legged sitting position, feeling the rough concrete of the roof on her skin while they stared out into the city below.

Maybe she should think about getting some leggings.

"You weren't answering your Communicator," the sorceress admonished gently as Garfield winced before shooting her an apologetic look.

"Sorry."

"It's alright," she assured him kindly before they settled into silence, a quiet that wasn't easy so much as it was familiar as Raven waited with endless patience for her friend to come to her on his own time.

"You gonna say anything?" Beast Boy asked at last as he shot her a look that was both hesitant and expectant.

"Do you want me to?" she replied calmly as he bit his lip and looked away.

They'd been down this road before.

Many times.

Sometimes he was ok.

Sometimes he wasn't.

It wasn't like him.

The dichotomy, or the wallowing.

But this was a subject that hurt him unlike any other.

So the sorceress was patient with him.

Garfield had earned that much from her, hundreds of times over.

"I… I don't know," he said at last, a deeply conflicted look on his face as he furiously wrestled with the turbulent cocktail of emotions raging inside him before looking to her for guidance. "I should be over this by now... Shouldn't I?"

The sorceress sighed.

"In any other circumstance, I would say that yes, you should be," she began as Beast Boy winced at her slightly stern tone.

It had been many years now.

The wound that was Terra was a scab, long since healed in many of them, and continuing to pick and scratch at it was pointless and would only serve to prevent them from finally moving on with their lives.

But with him, it... it lingered.

Probably not helped by his semi frequent 'checking up' on the young woman in question.

Even still…

"But… you loved her," Raven continued in a considerably softer voice as her face turned kind and understanding when Garfield looked back at her in slight surprise. "More than any of us. You're allowed to grieve for that. You're allowed to be more hurt than we were…"

Beast Boy flinched at the slight tinge of pain that entered her voice and the mournful look that briefly flashed across her face.

"I'm sorry Raven," he apologized quietly as Guilt and Shame flared up within him at unintentionally opening old wounds. "I didn't mean to drag you into this. I shouldn't have come here to mope about ancient history again."

But the sorceress merely shook her head before reaching out with her empathic powers to project her Reassurance and Forgiveness directly into Garfield's mind, and was pleased to see him relax with a sigh of profound Relief as the intensely comforting psychic sensations washed over him.

This wasn't something she typically did unless it was an emergency or someone was in dire need of emotional comfort or stability, but as with many things, her friends were a notable exception.

They all trusted her unconditionally not to violate their autonomy or privacy, and Raven in turn trusted them all enough to bear her true, uncensored thoughts and feelings to them without fear.

"It's fine, Garfield," she assured him softly, radiating Sincerity as Beast Boy's conflicted and weary soul continued to eagerly lean into her gentle spiritual touch while his immense Gratitude washed over her in turn. "I told you before, as painful as it was, this is something I've long since moved on from."

Garfield laughed in sardonic amusement.

"I'm not surprised. You always were stronger than me about this sort of thing," he said wryly as the sorceress frowned severely at both his words and the spike of Bitterness and Jealousy that accompanied them, as well as the Guilt and Shame that followed soon after.

"Strength has nothing to do with it," she insisted sharply as she put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a fierce and understanding look, radiating Reassurance. "I was never as close to her as you were Garfield, even after I accepted her as my friend. And honestly, I think Terra was afraid of trying to get real close to me for fear that I would figure her out."

Beast Boy nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I guess that is true," he conceded hesitantly before shooting Raven a curious look. "Even still, I was always surprised by just how badly Terra's betrayal tore you up. Even back when we first met her you seemed like you hardly wanted anything to do with her."

The sorceress frowned.

"That's not… entirely true, Garfield," she corrected slowly as she searched for the words to voice her complicated thoughts and feelings. "I had nothing against Terra when we first met and I did sympathize with her situation to an extent. I just felt everyone was moving way too fast about allowing her into the Titans. I mean, for Azarath's sake Garfield, we had scarcely known the girl for more than a few hours before everyone was talking about accepting her onto the team!"

Garfield chuckled ruefully.

"Yeah, we probably were taking things a little too quickly," he admitted sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head before sighing and giving her a knowing look. "Still, it almost seemed like you knew she was hiding something from us from the very beginning."

Raven grimaced.

"I did know there was something she wasn't telling us," she admitted quietly as Beast Boy let out a sad sigh at his suspicions being confirmed. "Some secret about herself she was terrified of anyone finding out. I didn't know what that secret was, exactly, but it made me wary of trusting her."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Garfield asked curiously as the sorceress sighed in exasperation.

"I did discuss it with Nightwing in private because I could tell he also suspected Terra of hiding something," she replied wearily as she thought back to that fateful conversation. "And we both agreed it would be better to just keep an eye on her for the time being instead of confronting her about it. After all, everyone has secrets, and sometimes those secrets aren't meant to be shared, even with your friends. And as concerned as I was, I sensed no malice or ill-intentions from Terra at the time. Even still… we were worried…"

"And then you and Nightwing figured out she couldn't control her powers," Beast Boy said in a carefully neutral tone, unable to stop the Bitterness and Resentment that flared up at those words even as more of that accursed Guilt and Shame immediately followed them at the way Raven stiffened and grimaced at the reminder.

"Yes, we did," she agreed with a sad whisper and nod as she immediately soothed her friend's spirit to stop him from flagellating himself further while her eyes glazed over slightly in remembrance.

It had actually been a relief for her and Dick when they'd pieced together the reason Terra was so scared was because she couldn't control her powers properly.

Not only did it lay their fears that the geokinetic was secretly a Villain or hiding some terrible crime she'd committed to rest, it was also a problem they should have been more than capable of solving.

The sorceress couldn't deny that her heart had gone out to Terra just a little once she'd learned of her plight, and so Raven had cautiously given Dick her blessing to allow the geokinetic onto the team on the condition that she start training to get her powers under control immediately.

They had both hoped that revealing they'd figured out Terra's secret during a warm welcome to the Titans with everyone showing their support and understanding would help soften the blow.

They had been wrong.

So very, very wrong…

To this day, the sorceress could still remember with crystal clear clarity the profound shock and sheer, utter horror she and Dick had both felt when it came to light the geokinetic had already put her trust in Garfield by revealing her secret to him, and their ill-timed actions had shattered that trust into a billion microscopic pieces.

The overwhelming rage, grief, and hatred she'd felt from Terra and the bottomless sadness and despair that had consumed Beast Boy in that moment had haunted Raven for years afterwards, and she could quite confidently say that, aside from her accursed father forcing her to fulfill her Dark Purpose, she had never felt more like a worthless piece of subhuman filth unfit to even draw air in her entire life.

Especially since their mistake almost cost the Titans not one, but two friends…

"Sometimes..." Beast Boy began, before pausing and taking a deep breath to gather himself while the sorceress's face fell slightly at the hurt in his eyes at the memory ghosting across the surface of his mind. "Sometimes I'm still mad at you. You and Nightwing. For what you did. How you pushed her away. Even if it was an accident… sometimes I still blame you guys."

"I know," Raven whispered forlornly, and he looked startled for a moment before he caught himself.

"Ahh. Empath. Right," Garfield mumbled, his features scrunching up in embarrassment while she gave him an apologetic look.

"Sorry," the sorceress said in a quiet voice, her cheeks flushing slightly as she looked away for a moment, being careful to keep her own Embarrassment from bleeding through to her friend.

That always had been one of the most… awkward parts about her powers.

While Raven was grateful for her abilities now that her father had been dealt with, Beast Boy's private thoughts were his own.

His anger, his bitterness, his resentment, even the shame he felt after allowing himself to feel anger.

She was privy to all of it.

But those feelings were private, to be divulged only when he so chose and not one moment sooner.

The sorceress couldn't help feeling them, but she could keep her silence about what she felt until he was ready.

Besides, Garfield forgave her easily enough, just as he always did.

Well… almost always…

"I'm not proud of it, Raven. I always feel like a total piece of shit afterwards," he said in a weak, apologetic voice after a long pause as Raven let out a sad and exasperated sigh at his well-meaning but awkward and profoundly unnecessary apology.

The Self-Loathing she could feel hiding under that seemingly casual tone did not help matters.

"You shouldn't," she replied in a much steadier voice as she turned to give her friend a kind but firm look and once again reached out to soothe his spirit with a burst of Understanding and Forgiveness. "Nightwing and I have both told you this before, Garfield. Yes, you could have handled it better, but you still had every right to be angry at us for our mistake. Because the sad truth of it is… if we had just held our tongues and allowed Terra to tell us her secret on her own time, or even just discussed it with the rest of you first before we said anything… then none of this would have ever happened…"

And hadn't that been a bitter, bitter pill she and Dick had had to swallow?

Sometimes they both really were too smart for their own good…

Again, the two Titans fell into silence for a while, neither knowing quite how to proceed, until the sorceress took a deep breath.

"I've… I've stayed up... thinking about it a lot," she continued awkwardly, letting her Sincerity and Regret wash over Beast Boy to help convey what her words could not. "Wondering about the 'If's' and the 'Maybe's'. So has Nightwing. Sometimes we both think things could have gone better. Sometimes worse."

Garfield chuckled weakly.

"Isn't that a bit pointless? No way to know for sure," he replied teasingly, emanating Amusement and Triumph as Raven deigned to crack a small, self-deprecating grin of her own while she inclined her head in acknowledgment of the point (heh).

"Perhaps," she admitted freely as she allowed her own Amusement to bleed through to her friend, and was pleased to see his spirits lift in response, before the sorceress let out a forlorn sigh. "But even so, we both spent many nights wishing we could take it all back. That things could've been different. Nightwing and I we… we both saw how happy she made you Garfield. You deserved better. You still do…"

Raven sighed again before she allowed a rare bit of naked vulnerability to cross her face as she looked at her surprisingly impassive friend, radiating Regret, Concern, and bone-deep Sadness like the sun.

"I'm sorry."

Beast Boy nodded slowly.

No amount of 'Sorry's' would take it back, but...

He understood.

"You don't need to apologize anymore Raven," he said quietly as he sent back a pulse of Forgiveness that made the sorceress's shoulders slump in indescribable Relief. "It's like I said, you and Nightwing were both just doing what you thought was best for everyone. And besides, even if I did have a right to be mad at you two… I still took it way too far. Neither of you deserved to be treated like that. For me to push you away like I did. I should have been better. I should have been able to handle it. And I never… I never should have brought it out into the field."

Raven grimaced before nodding sadly.

"No, you shouldn't have," she agreed in a reluctantly stern voice as Garfield winced at the memory, before her face softened and she continued in a considerably gentler tone as she sent out a pulse of Reassurance and Forgiveness to soothe her friend's Shame. "But it wasn't entirely your fault you handled things so badly Garfield. You were still so young and fresh-faced back then, you had no idea how to process and handle such emotions in a healthier manner because you'd never dealt with them before. And we… we should have done more to help you work through them before things degraded to the point they did. But the others were all so used to you always being so cheerful and optimistic and always bouncing back so quickly they… they never thought things would get so bad. And I… I wasn't sure how to get through to you without making things worse."

Garfield snorted.

"That's still no excuse Raven," he insisted stubbornly, the bitter Self-Loathing in his voice causing the sorceress to look at him in concern. "People almost died because of me."

Raven frowned sadly at the memory of just barely managing to catch a huge chunk of flying debris in time to stop a family of four trapped in their car from being crushed during a battle with Cinderblock because Beast Boy had ignored orders.

"You made a mistake. We all do," she tried to reassure her friend gently, only to get an incredulous snort in response.

"That was a pretty damn big mistake Raven," Garfield countered bluntly, eyes half-lidded as he gave the sorceress a flat look. "Honestly, I'm still surprised you guys didn't kick me out of the Titans after that little stunt. Especially when I still refused to get the message after you all tried to bench me and started going out into the city on my own."

Raven grimaced as her heart clenched painfully at the memory.

It had come dangerously close to them being forced to consider doing exactly that.

"Why didn't you?" Beast Boy suddenly asked in a much more subdued voice as the sorceress looked at him in surprise at the Nervousness she could feel coming off him in waves while Garfield eyed her with an expression that was both curious and wary at the same time. "Kick me out, I mean? I've never asked before but I always wondered. At that point I'm pretty sure most teams would have happily washed their hands of me and shown me the door. Mento sure as hell would have. So why didn't you guys?"

Raven stared at him incredulously for a long moment before letting out a fondly exasperated sigh.

"Garfield, you really need to stop thinking so little of yourself," she replied wryly, a teasing glint in her eye as Beast Boy looked at her in confusion, before the sorceress continued in a much warmer tone. "You idiot. You weren't just our teammate by then Gar... you were family. We loved you. And you don't give up on your family so easily."

Garfield's eyes widened and his breath hitched in his throat at the Earnestness and sisterly Love he could feel coming off of the normally stoic and aloof woman as he desperately fought back tears.

"Raven, I…" he choked out thickly as Raven just sighed.

"Come here, you big crybaby," she said in a flat voice full of dry amusement as she indulgently pulled her quietly weeping honorary brother into a warm embrace, holding him tightly both physically and spiritually for a few minutes before gently shooing him away. "Ok, that's enough. You got it out of your system now?"

"Yeah… I… I think I'm good now," Beast Boy replied in a somewhat shaky voice as he wiped his eyes, still wearing a dopey smile on his face while the sorceress nodded in satisfaction.

"Good," she said in a deliberately dull monotone, being very careful not to show how pleased she was at the way Garfield's soul was positively glowing with Happiness in favor of shooting him a stern glare. "Because we will never speak of this again."

But Beast Boy just laughed knowingly at her foreboding tone.

"You know you love me Rae-Rae," he sing-songed cheerfully as Raven's lips thinned and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Yes. I do. That will not stop me from banishing you to another dimension if you ever breathe a word about this to anyone," she growled warningly before an ominous chill filled the air. "And if you call me 'Rae Rae' again, I swear to Mighty Azarath I will kick your sorry green ass up and down this rooftop."

Garfield chuckled as he held up his hands placatingly in the face of the sorceress's irritated glare.

"Ok, ok, down girl. I know better than to try and pick a fight with you," he teased with a good-natured grin as Raven huffed, before his smile weakened and his mood grew a little somber again as his words turned his thoughts back to the fallout of Terra's first departure. "At least… I do now…"

The sorceress's shoulders slumped as her mood also darkened at the memory of her and Beast Boy's First, and so far Last, truly serious battle against each other.

"To this day I still don't have the slightest clue how you managed to get the others to go along with that crazy plan of yours to let me use you as a punching bag to get all my anger out," he said in a quiet, regretful voice as Raven snorted at his rather simplistic description of her plan.

"It certainly wasn't easy," she commented blandly as she thought back to how she and Dick had almost brought the Tower down arguing about the sorceress's proposal while Victor and Starfire cowered in the corner like a couple of frightened children watching their parents fight, before her face firmed. "But it was necessary. The only way we were going to be able to get you to open up to us again to actually talk about this issue was to find a way to get you to finally vent and expunge the toxic emotions eating you alive from the inside out. And to do that, you needed… a target. Something you could unload all the anger and bitterness you'd been bottling up onto…"

"You," Garfield finished tiredly as he sighed with a bone-deep weariness while the sorceress looked on sadly as that damnable Guilt and Shame reared their ugly heads again. "I'm so sorry Raven. The things I said that night…"

"Don't Garfield," she cut him off with a kind but firm voice as she put a hand on his shoulder and wrapped him in a soothing psychic embrace of Understanding and Forgiveness. "We've both long since forgiven each other for all that and moved on. Dwelling on it any further is pointless."

Beast Boy nodded slowly in acceptance and a long silence fell over the two as Raven continued to hold her friend tightly in her warm spiritual embrace and wracked her brain for something to say.

"I'm still proud of you, you know," she spoke up suddenly, sending a pulse of Sincerity to her friend to counteract the awkwardness in her voice as Garfield looked at her in slight confusion. "Despite the horrible circumstances that battle arose from, I'm still… proud of how well you handled yourself. You truly fought well, Garfield."

She really was.

The amount of her power the sorceress had been forced to call upon to withstand Beast Boy's relentless onslaught had been quite frankly shocking, and it had taken every ounce of skill and training Raven had to fend him off without reaching deeper into her power than she was comfortable with at the time or resorting to measures she absolutely refused to even contemplate.

While the sorceress would never, in a million years, think Garfield weak or useless despite what he himself might have thought sometimes back then, she'd always been of the opinion that his strengths lied far more in espionage, scouting, and his incredible versatility than raw brute force.

But apparently, Raven had been quite mistaken on that front, and it appeared that most of the time Beast Boy was simply far too nice and carefree for his own good.

It was little wonder Slade had never dared to show his true face around Garfield again once he'd lost the powers granted to him by her father.

Beast Boy sighed uncomfortably.

"Thanks," he muttered without much enthusiasm. "I just really wish it hadn't come to that in the first place."

The sorceress nodded understandingly.

"So do I," she replied in a somber voice also tinged with regret before she shot him a small, encouraging smile and emanated a pulse of Happiness. "But regardless of how unfortunate it was, my plan still worked. You finally managed to vent all your anger and opened up to me and Nightwing again. And we've all forgiven each other and become stronger for it. There's no need to dwell on the past any longer Garfield."

Garfield nodded slowly as he turned to look down at the girl currently chatting pleasantly with an elderly waitress with a sad and considering look.

"Yeah, I guess there isn't," he muttered morosely as Raven tightened her embrace on his spirit to calm his turbulent emotions, before he sighed wistfully. "It still doesn't feel real. That she's back... living her own normal life... like nothing ever happened."

The sorceress's lips thinned as she was very careful to keep a neutral expression and not let any of her profoundly mixed feelings bleed over into Beast Boy.

No.

No, that felt real enough to Raven.

It was just like before.

The sorceress had tried very hard to forgive Terra, as Garfield had wanted her to once he, Dick, and her had finally mended their frayed bonds.

But she'd just felt so incredibly angry.

Back when Terra had first left, that was it.

She'd left, never seeing what her leaving had caused, the damage and the hurt that it had inflicted, and then just waltzed back in as though nothing had happened, as though nothing was wrong, and all but demanded to be made a Titan on the spot after showing a few parlor tricks.

And Raven had resented her for that for a long time.

She hadn't been proud of that, and still wasn't, but even though the sorceress knew it wasn't fair, even though she knew it was her and Dick's own damn fault for not keeping their mouths shut in the first place, even though she knew all of that…

…Terra still almost cost Raven a dear friend…

And now, here she was again.

Doing the exact same thing, just with a new spin this time.

Still running from her problems and refusing to truly accept responsibility for her actions.

Responsibility for what she did to them…

…

The sorceress took a deep breath before letting out a long exhale.

Terra had made Beast Boy so happy.

And she just kept taking it away, ripping that happiness to pieces.

So yes... many times, Raven hated her.

But Beast Boy didn't need that from her.

Not now, not ever.

No, what he truly needed right now was someone to be there for him and help him work through this so he could finally move on from this part of his life at long, long last.

So denying her anger was simple, as was lending Garfield a sympathetic ear to vent his woes to.

The sorceress had quite a lot of practice with both, after all.

The other Titans often came to her to talk whenever they were feeling particularly distressed or unsure of what to do or how to feel, to the point that Raven often felt like she had somehow become the group's unofficial therapist over the years without even noticing it.

Personally, she thought her friends were giving her way too much credit, treating her like some kind of wise sage that had all the answers.

Beast Boy in particular had far too much faith in her "wisdom" given how often he sought her guidance.

It made the sorceress rather uncomfortable and embarrassed, to be perfectly honest, and the fact that the others seemed to largely agree with his opinion did not help matters.

Even if a part of Raven couldn't help but be rather touched that her friends all thought so highly of her.

Regardless of the sorceress's conflicted feelings on the matter, however, talking to her always seemed to make her friends feel better and help put their spirits at ease when they were distressed.

So, pushing her distaste for Terra's actions firmly to the side, Raven reached out and put a comforting hand on Garfield's shoulder as she prepared to share more of her much vaunted "wisdom" with him.

"Yes, it is hard to believe," she agreed quietly while she radiated Sympathy and Understanding to help soften the blow about what she was about to say next as her face firmed. "But that doesn't mean things can go back to the way they were before Garfield, no matter how much we might want them to. You said it yourself, this is what she wants. She's… happy now, and we need to respect her wishes. Terra must be allowed to forge her own path in life, just like the rest of us, even if that means we will no longer be a part of that path. You know that."

"Yeah… I do," Beast Boy conceded quietly as his troubled soul desperately leaned into her comforting spiritual embrace while the sorceress continued to do her best to psychically soothe her distraught friend without a word of complaint. "I… just wanted to see her… one last time."

"I understand," Raven said instantly as she psychically held her friend's spirit even tighter.

"She'll be heading off to college soon," Beast Boy continued in that same quiet, deceptively conversational tone as the sorceress was pleased to see the chaotic mess of conflicting feelings swirling around inside him gradually start to calm. "Took her a bit longer than normal because of all the work she had to make up, but she got into a good University somewhere near Metropolis. Heard she's going to be pursuing a degree in geology."

Raven snorted.

"Of course," she said blandly with a half-lidded stare, unable to decide whether to be surprised or roll her eyes at how painfully obvious that was while Garfield chuckled weakly at her bluntless.

"It suits her and she'll definitely be really good at it, so it'll probably make her happy," Beast Boy replied with a happy and proud little smile as Raven inclined her head in agreement, before his expression turned far more melancholy. "She'll be a long way from the city while she's studying for her degree though. And… there's a good chance she won't come back to Jump once she graduates."

The sorceress frowned at both his tone and the emotions she could feel emanating from him.

"I wouldn't be surprised," she said in a carefully neutral voice tinged slightly with concern as Garfield sighed sadly. "Even if she's moved on, this city still carries a lot of bad memories for her. It would make sense for Terra to want to move somewhere she can have a truly fresh start without the shadow of her past constantly hanging over her head."

"Yeah…" Beast Boy agreed hesitantly, Worry and Concern shining brightly from his soul as he looked down at the geokinetic. "I… just wish there was a way we could still keep an eye on her once she leaves. You know, in case Slade finally decides to make a move…"

Raven sighed sadly before giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze and sending out a pulse of Peace and Reassurance to calm his Anxiety for good measure.

"I understand how much you want to keep her safe, Garfield," she began kindly before her face firmed and she continued in a gentle but stern voice. "But you knew this day was coming, just like the rest of us. That sooner or later, we would no longer be able to always keep watch over her. This is the way things have to be. You must let her go, completely this time. Please."

Garfield stared at her with a deeply conflicted expression for a long moment as he mulled over her words and her whispered plea, before he finally let out a long sigh and shot her a weak, reassuring smile

"You're right," he said in a quiet but resolute voice as the sorceress breathed a sigh of relief at the Earnestness she could sense coming from him. "That's enough whining from me. It's time we all put this behind us for good."

Raven smiled.

"I'm proud of you," she whispered warmly to her friend as she allowed her fierce PRIDE to wrap around him like a blanket, and Beast Boy let out a relieved sigh at the intensely soothing spiritual embrace.

"Thank you Raven. For everything," he replied in an equally soft voice as he radiated GRATITUDE like the sun, before letting out a melancholy sigh. "I suppose that means we should get going then, huh?"

"We should," the sorceress agreed quietly as they both stood up and she gently guided him away from the edge of the roof overlooking the diner. "The others will start to get worried if we don't get back soon. Especially Victor. I promised I'd cook for everyone tonight and you know how he gets when he has to wait on his food."

Raven suppressed a smirk as Garfield's eyes lit up like a Christmas Tree, pleased at the way she could sense his spirits soaring at the promise of a good meal.

"You're cooking again Raven!?! What's the occasion!?!" he asked with a whoop of joy, his mouth already starting to water as the sorceress chuckled and finally allowed that smug little smirk to cross her features at the Excitement she could feel from him.

"Victor and the kids killed it at their game today," she answered in a deeply amused voice as she watched an overjoyed Beast Boy pump a fist at the news, before her tone turned slightly stricter. "Which you would have already known if you had been paying attention to your phone and Communicator."

Garfield coughed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at her lightly chastising voice.

"Sorry," he muttered with an awkward little laugh before sighing and casting one last look down at Terra as she exited the diner, the Sadness and Regret pouring off him kept firmly in check by his Resolve as Raven reached out and gave his shoulder a soft squeeze before ever-so-gently giving him one final push of Encouragement.

"...Goodbye, Terra," Beast Boy said in a quiet, solemn voice filled with finality as the sorceress embraced his spirit tightly one last time before he shifted into the form of a green bird in the blink of an eye and took off towards Titans Tower, eyes fixed straight ahead and not once looking back.

Raven watched him go with pride in her heart before stealing one last glance over her shoulder, an unreadable expression on her face as she watched the girl walk further and further away, before finally letting out a quiet sigh of her own.

"Goodbye."

And with that final, whispered farewell, the sorceress flew off after her friend, her own eyes fixed straight ahead as they both finally left the past behind once and for all.

There was nothing left to say.

***

Tara Markov hummed happily as she walked down the street, pleasantly full of pie and head bobbing to the music her headphones were playing while she headed home.

She didn't normally stay out this late, but she just had to get one final pie from Joe's before she left tomorrow.

The crust might have been a bit too flaky, and the filling just a bit too thick, but it was the place.

The place she'd found at her lowest, that helped her pick herself back up, that made her keep coming back, often enough that she'd gotten to know the staff, and they her.

Well enough that they were one of the few things she was going to miss about this damn city once she finally put it behind her for good when she headed off to college to get her geology degree.

College...

Even now, that word still felt so surreal every time Tara thought about it.

She, the unstable, homeless, superpowered teenage runaway turned Teen Titan turned traitorous Arch Villain turned stone corpse turned powerless school girl, was going to go to the prestigious Metropolis University and acquire a geology degree so she could live a simple, boring, normal life studying rocks.

Never in a million years did she think that's the course her life would have taken, but here she was.

And most shockingly of all, she was happy about that.

Overjoyed even.

Most kids dreamed of acquiring superpowers and living out their childish fantasies of becoming the next Superman...

But a normal life.

One with no powers, no danger...

That was Tara's dream now.

As far as she was concerned, being just another normal, faceless nobody in the crowd was a blessing, not a curse.

No more destructive, dangerously unstable powers.

No more abusive, back-breaking training from a controlling, narcissistic, borderline pedophilic madman.

No more constant, life-and-death struggles.

No more being trapped in that cold, suffocating stone prison, constantly drifting in and out of consciousness and surrounded by total darkness.

Just her and her nice, quiet, peaceful life.

And all it had cost was betraying the only friends Tara had ever known, spitting on all the Love and Kindness they'd shown her, and breaking the heart of the boy she'd loved like a lump of quartz.

…

The former villainess sighed as she removed her headphones from her ears.

That was the one and only stain on her newfound happiness.

That she was still trapped in this fucking city constantly being reminded of her failures at every turn.

Everytime she saw the Titans on the news, everytime she passed a little kid wearing their merchandise on the street, everytime she overheard one of her classmates gossiping about them, and EVERY. TIME. she accidentally glanced out into the bay…

…it was like a rusty, serrated knife right through her heart.

She couldn't even enjoy a slice of pizza without having a fucking Vietnam Flashback for God's sake!

Of course, many would say that she'd gotten off light.

That after everything Tara had done, simply having to live with the guilt of her crimes was little more than a slap on the wrist.

But the former villainess could quite heartily say "Fuck you!" to those people.

What did they know?

They hadn't lived a life as an outcast, branded a freak and constantly on the run because they were cursed at birth with destructive, uncontrollable powers that made them a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off.

They hadn't been tortured, abused, indoctrinated, and taken advantage of by a sadistic monster and had a suit of remote controlled armor secretly fused to their nervous system to turn them into a glorified meat puppet.

They hadn't trapped themselves in a living hell for almost two years trying to do the right thing for once in their lives.

They hadn't suffered through the sleepless nights.

Through the guilt, the pain, and the years of regrets.

And the loneliness, the fucking loneliness...

They didn't know a damn thing!

She'd changed!

She'd atoned!

She'd overthrown her dark master, apologized profusely to her former friends, tried to make the Ultimate Sacrifice to save them and this wretched city, helped Garfield realize he needed to let her go and move on with his life, and lived squeaky clean ever since!

She didn't deserve to feel like this anymore!

…Right?

…

Tara sighed.

She wanted this place behind her.

Wanted this life washed away to start a new one.

She deserved that much, but even that hurt.

The price of a lifetime worth of regrets, nightmares, and broken trust was a steep one.

But there was nothing to be done.

Nothing to be said.

She'd burned the last bridge she had with the Titans years ago when Garfield had found her again, shut that final door.

It'd been her choice to do it.

Sometimes Tara was ok with it.

Sometimes she wasn't.

And most of the time all she could do was live with it.

She could only pray Garfield and the others would finally forget about her and find peace again once she departed for good tomorrow.

Either way, what's done was done.

There was nothing left to say.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3:

Raven was confused as she looked around warily at her murky, ethereal surroundings, her powerful dark magic primed and ready to cast at the slightest sign of danger while her spirit radiated a rather profound sense of Irritation.

While this was far from her first time dealing with strange, mystical dreams, it wouldn't be remiss to say that she wasn't particularly in the mood for one right now.

After the fiasco with Otto a few days ago and such an emotionally charged conversation with Garfield not long after, the sorceress had been hoping to avoid any more serious incidents or drama for a while.

Which, of course, meant that something else just had to be right around the corner.

Figures.

No use crying about it now, especially since she didn't want to deal with Timid.

As annoying as it was, Raven was here now, and would simply have to deal with whatever trouble this dream undoubtedly had in store for her as best she could.

Worrying about anything else was pointless. And it couldn't be half as bad as some of her previous ones…especially that particular nightmare. Yikes!

Thus resolved, the sorceress continued to maintain her silent vigil, her ghostly black-and-purple shade scanning her surroundings with senses both mundane and magical, before abruptly tensing as she felt two presences rapidly drawing closer.

"Who's there?" she called out into the fog, her voice sharp and commanding as she spun around in the air to face the twin presences, a multitude of possible spells at the ready. "Show yourselves!"

The presences obliged, and out of the murky fog flew two beautiful, ethereal white birds, one a pigeon and the other a dove, each cooing softly as they radiated feelings of Peace and a gentle white light.

Despite the spectacle, Raven didn't let her guard down.

She knew better than most how appearances could be deceiving, and had long experience dealing with wicked spirits and magical beings taking on benign forms to lure in unsuspecting victims.

Her father was an expert at it, after all.

"That's close enough," The sorceress said in that same commanding tone as she held out hands, glowing with dark mystical power in warning, and the two spirits halted obediently. "Who are you and why are you disturbing my dreams? Answer me."

The two ethereal birds cooed softly again, and Raven felt feelings of Apology, Reassurance, and Urgency wash over her, and to her surprise one of the two spirits, the Pigeon, seemed almost… familiar?

The birds flew some distance away from the sorceress before abruptly stopping and turning around to face her, cooing again as that same sense of Urgency washed over her once more, and Raven raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Do you really think I'm so naive as to follow two unknown spirits to Azarath-knows where?" she asked sardonically as she crossed her arms over her chest to regard the two spirits with a cool expression.

The two ethereal birds cooed again as they once more radiated Reassurance and Urgency, along with a Desperate Pleading that surprised the sorceress in its intensity when it crashed into her, especially from the Dove.

Raven eyed the two suspiciously for a long moment as she internally warred with herself, before finally letting out an explosive sigh.

"Garfield's right, I am going soft," she thought morosely before fixing the twin spirits with a stern glare.

"If this is a trick, I will make you two regret it," the sorceress warned forebodingly, her eyes briefly lighting up with an eerie white glow to punctuate the threat, before she cautiously moved to follow the two birds.

They both cooed Happily in agreement and radiated feelings of Gratitude before they began leading Raven through the fog.

The sorceress followed the two spirits slowly, keeping her eyes peeled for traps or any sign of deception at all times, before the murky fog abruptly began to shift as her guides continued to lead her on.

Out of the fog appeared a quiet little town in the dead of night, silent as the grave with all the lights in the houses dark, their residents no doubt fast asleep.

Raven frowned as she came to a halt in the air, carefully scanning her suburban surroundings looking for any pertinent details, not an easy task given how dark it was and that the dreamscape was still rather murky, like an image on an old, grainy TV.

The only thing of note that she really noticed from her position high in the sky was a small blob of light in the distance many miles away.

Most likely a city of some kind.

"What is this place?" the sorceress asked quietly as she turned to her two guides, who were both watching her patiently. "Is this a memory or a dream? Or a vision of the future?"

The Dove and Pigeon both cooed and Raven raised a surprised eyebrow as she felt a strong sense of Denial wash over her.

"Well I'll be damned, a straight answer at last," she muttered wryly to herself as she nodded to the two ethereal birds. "Be a lot easier though if you just told me what you wanted."

It still didn't explain much, but at least the sorceress knew this was happening in real time now.

Assuming the two spirits were telling the truth, of course.

The Pigeon and Dove both cooed again, snapping her out of her musings as they flew ahead, and she slowly moved to follow them, keeping her eyes peeled for anything strange or noteworthy all the while.

It didn't take her long to find something.

Raven frowned severely as a small shape soon came into view while the two ethereal birds eagerly led her on, sticking out like a sore thumb among the deserted streets.

It was a young boy, dressed in dirty, ragged clothing and walking down the dimly lit sidewalk all by his lonesome.

The sorceress was immediately on edge.

A child that young being out so late with no one else around, in such a disheveled state no less, was already a massive red flag.

But the way he was constantly looking over his shoulder and nervously eyeing his surroundings as if he expected someone to jump out and grab him at any moment made it clear to Raven that something was very, very wrong here, and she immediately scanned the surrounding area for possible threats.

She wasn't sure how much she would actually be able to do in her current state, but she was still a Titan, and there was no way in hell she would stand idly by if someone dared to threaten an innocent child in her presence.

That brutish ape Monsieur Mallah had learned that the hard way.

Relaxing slightly as her scan found no threats at the moment, the sorceress turned to her two guides, making sure to keep one eye on the boy at all times.

"Who is that boy? Why is he all alone? And why does he look so scared?" she demanded sternly, her voice tinged with concern as she hovered protectively over the child high in the night sky, eyes still peeled for threats.

But the two ethereal birds merely cooed at her sadly, radiating Concern and Pity as they looked down at the boy in worry as well, especially the Dove.

The sheer amount of Sadness and all-consuming Grief the spirit was emanating caught Raven off guard in just how intense it was, and she bit her lip for a moment before cautiously moving forward to reassure her distraught guide.

"It's ok. I promise, I'll make sure he's safe," she said quietly, and nearly choked on the overwhelming Relief and Gratitude that washed over her in response before descending closer to the child.

While the sorceress still didn't trust the two spirits, there was no denying the Dove cared about this boy a great deal.

You couldn't fake feelings like those.

As Raven got closer to the child, however, she suddenly recoiled at the sensations that abruptly crashed into her spectral form.

Fear, Anxiety, and bone-deep Sadness rolled off the boy in waves, and the sorceress stared dumbfounded at him as he continued to trudge along the sidewalk.

It wasn't that she was feeling these emotions at all from the child that had Raven so shocked.

She was an incredibly powerful empath, after all, and even without such powers it would be painfully obvious to anyone the boy would be feeling such things in his current, sorry state.

No, what brought the sorceress up short was the fact that it shouldn't be possible for her to be feeling anything from the child at the moment.

She had never passively felt the emotions from someone in the physical world while in the Spirit Realm before, and she knew for a fact she had not made psychic contact with the boy yet.

After so many years of harsh training and constant, unending practice, Raven's mastery of Astral Projection and her soulself was exquisite, and her control over her empathetic senses ironclad.

There was no way she would make such a rookie mistake.

The only other option she could possibly think of was a permanent, pre-existing psychic link, but that was absurd.

She'd never seen this child before in her life, and ever since the Worst and Best day of her life, she knew, in the very depths of her soul, that she shared such a link with only one other person.

Dick, who she'd accidently bonded her spirit to when she'd been forced to enter his mind in a desperate attempt to save him from the hallucination of Slade that had been tormenting him thanks to the chemical reagent the bastard had snuck into his mask.

But ever since that terrible night the sorceress had always made sure to be extremely careful not to make that mistake again despite how much of a happy accident it was.

So how in Azarath's name…?

Raven shook her head.

Questions for later.

Right now, the boy's safety and figuring out what was wrong with him was her primary concern, and if her past inquiries were any indication, she likely wasn't going to get any more straight answers from her two guides.

She'd have to puzzle out how she could feel his emotions later.

So, pushing her concerns to the wayside for the moment, the sorceress floated down and took a close look at the child, committing as many details as she could make out to memory.

From what she was able to tell through the murky dreamscape, he looked to be a perfectly ordinary little boy around 10 years of age with brown hair, brown eyes, and rather plain, average features, though Raven noted with some concern that he had prominent bags under his eyes and that his skin looked unhealthily pale.

Just how long had he been on his own?

Too long, if the sudden growl that emanated from his stomach was any indication, and the sorceress frowned sadly as the child eyes teared up and he grimaced in pain while hugging himself tightly, his miserable sniffs bringing to mind two other little boys she held near and dear to her heart.

Shaking off her sadness, the sorceress bit her lip as she briefly warred with herself.

Should… should she really interfere right now?

She was still in unknown territory, had been brought here by two unknown spirits of dubious trustworthiness, and her ability to use her powers to affect the Physical Realm was quite diminished at the moment.

Attempting psychic contact with the boy right now could be dangerous both for him and her.

Was it really worth the risk if he wasn't in immediate danger at the mome-...?

Raven was abruptly snapped out of her musings as another wave of Sadness and Despair crashed into her like a freight train, and she looked down to see the child slump against a nearby street lamp and curl up into a ball, letting out several more heart wrenching sobs while his stomach growled again.

"I can't find her," he choked out miserably as the sorceress's ethereal heart clenched painfully at the sheer hopelessness in his voice. "I was so sure this was her neighborhood but I can't find her…"

Raven's frown deepened.

"Her"?

Was he looking for his mother?

If so, why didn't he know where she lived?

"Mommy…"

The sorceress's chest tightened once again at the boy's agonized sob and the flood of Grief she could feel from the Dove before she at last relented with a resigned sigh.

Yep, definitely going soft. Thanks a lot kids, she thought sardonically to herself as her mind wandered to the three little rascals that had managed to open up such a huge chink in her armor, before her face firmed as she silently floated over to the sniffling boy. At least Garfield won't be here to see this.

Raven sat down by the child's side and gently laid a spectral hand on his shoulder, causing the boy to stop crying as he stiffened and looked around in alarm and confusion at the eerie sensation.

"Shhhh, it's ok, it's alright," Raven whispered to him softly in the same voice she used to use with Melvin, Timmy, and Teether when they were frightened before reaching out and lightly brushing against his spirit. She made sure to be as gentle as possible as the child let out a full-body shudder at her spiritual touch and the strange, unfamiliar feelings that came with it. "I'm here now, and there's no one else around at the moment. You're safe."

But the boy merely gulped and shivered as his eyes darted around frantically, causing the sorceress to frown at the way his Fear and Anxiety continued to rise.

"Peace, child," she whispered in a kind but firm voice as she ever-so-gently wrapped his frightened spirit in a warm blanket of Peace, Reassurance, and Earnesty. "I mean you no harm. I know you're scared and confused about what's going on, but I promise you, you're safe with me. I'm a friend. Relax."

The child shuddered at both the odd feelings and sensations washing over him and the unknown voice whispering in his subconscious, before at last the tension gradually started to leave his little body as he realized just how comforting they were, and Raven allowed herself a small, triumphant little smile at the way the boy's weary soul eagerly leaned into her intensely soothing spiritual embrace.

"There, you see? There's nothing to be afraid of," she whispered smugly, allowing her deep Amusement to wash over the child as she indulgently tightened her embrace on his spirit, before her face firmed somewhat. "Now, what are you doing out here all by yourself little one? And so late too? Don't you know how dangerous that is?"

The boy's shoulders slumped at her gently admonishing tone before he gulped and looked around fearfully again, his intense discomfort plain for all to see as he hugged himself tightly while Raven frowned.

"Calm yourself child. I told you, you're perfectly safe with me. I'll protect you, don't worry," she assured him kindly as she emanated Confidence and more soothing sensations to calm his anxious spirit. "Even still, we need to find a place for you to stay, and soon. Where are your parents? Are you looking for your mommy?"

The child stiffened, and the sorceress's heart sank at the tsunami of GRIEF, GUILT, and PAIN that poured out of him as tears filled his eyes and his lips trembled violently at the question.

Those were feelings she recognized all too well…

"Oh, I see. I see…" Raven said in a sad, quiet voice as she looked at the sobbing boy with naked pity on her face. "You have my sympathies, little one. I know exactly how you feel…"

The child bowed his head and wept, shaking and shuddering with tears running down his face as he covered his mouth in a desperate attempt to stifle his pained cries.

This time, there was no hesitation.

The sorceress immediately extended a ghostly arm and wrapped it along with her cloak around the crying boy, like a great ethereal wing. Radiating Sympathy and Understanding like the sun as she held him close and whispered soft reassurances in his ear.

Melvin, Timmy, and Teether always did say how warm and safe this made them feel when they were sad or scared.

And apparently this lost child agreed, given how eagerly, almost desperately, the poor thing leaned into Raven's profoundly odd but intensely soothing ghostly embrace as she held his suffering spirit tightly.

"Shhhhhh, it's ok, little one. It's ok," she whispered to him in a profoundly gentle manner before continuing to speak in a strong and steady voice filled with confidence and kindness. "Listen, I know how difficult this is for you. Believe me, child, I know. But as much as it hurts now, I promise you, it will get better. The pain will fade with time. You'll see her again one day, don't worry. But until that day comes, you need to be strong, hold your head up high, and not let what happened to your mommy cause you to fall to pieces. She would want that, if she's a mother worth the name."

The Dove cooed.

The boy sniffed a few more times before taking a deep breath and visibly pulling himself together as he furiously wiped his eyes dry.

The sorceress smiled.

"Good boy. I'm proud of you little one," she whispered warmly in his ear as the child sat up straighter at the praise and the Pride that washed over him, before her face firmed slightly. "Even still, we need to get you taken care of. If your mommy's gone, then what about your daddy? Is he still around?"

The boy flinched violently, and Raven stiffened in shock at the profound feelings of FEAR and DREAD that immediately flared up at the question, before her face rapidly darkened.

"I see," she hissed in a voice cold enough to freeze her father's fiery realm over, being very careful to keep her intense Anger and Disgust from bleeding through to the child as she tightened her grip on him protectively and looked down at him with a thunderous expression. "Is he the reason you're so scared? The reason you lost your mommy?"

If he was…

…then may Azarath have mercy on his soul.

Fortunately for the boy's "father", her young charge's face merely scrunched up in bewilderment, and the sorceress released a long sigh as the tension bled out of her at the child's Confusion.

"Thank Azarath for small mercies," Raven muttered quietly before sending another pulse of Sympathy and Understanding to the boy as she gave him a sad and considering look. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, child. I know what that's like as well. It would seem you and I have a lot in common."

Was that why she'd been called here?

Perhaps, but the sorceress doubted that was the only reason.

Nevertheless, Raven was glad to see the positive impact her words had on her young charge as the boy relaxed and let out a contented sigh, unconsciously snuggling closer to her while she sighed in exasperated amusement and indulgently continued to hold him close and psychically comfort his troubled soul, a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips.

This actually felt… kind of nice.

Almost… familiar somehow.

In a way that not even Melvin and the boys were…

Brother…

Sister…

The sorceress stiffened in surprise and alarm at the sudden feeling of Deja Vu that washed over her as the child radiated Disappointment and Annoyance when she suddenly flinched away from him.

"Sorry," she muttered apologetically as she once again wrapped the boy in her ghostly cloak while he grumpily tried to get comfortable again, doing her best to soothe his irritated spirit while wearing a troubled expression.

Where had that come from?

Glaring suspiciously at the two ethereal birds floating a short distance away, the sorceress began quietly muttering a string of incantations as she ran a darkly glowing hand over both herself and her young charge, who was thankfully starting to relax again.

Her frown deepening when she was unable to find anything, Raven stared hard at the Pigeon and Dove.

"I'm warning you two. No funny business," she growled threateningly, her eyes lighting up in warning as she subtly shifted her spectral body to put herself between the child and the two ethereal birds, who merely cooed softly and radiated Peace and Reassurance once again.

Letting out a huff, the sorceress once again turned her attention to her young charge.

"Child, I'm glad to see that you're feeling better now, but you can't stay out here," she whispered in a gently stern voice as the boy grumbled at the prospect of moving from his cozy position. "If your mommy can't take care of you anymore, then don't you think it's time you went to the police? Or the Titans or the Justice League? You should have already done that the second you realized you were lost and alone, young man."

The child's eyes flew open, and Raven watched dumbfounded as he immediately tore free from her embrace and scrambled to his feet in a blind panic, looking ready to bolt any second while he hyperventilated and looked around frantically.

"Whoa, whoa hey! Easy there!" the sorceress said urgently as she quickly moved to put both her hands on the panicking boy's shoulders to steady him and stop him from running off while also radiating more feelings of Peace and Reassurance to try and calm him down. "What's gotten into you!?! All I said was you should have gone to the police instead of wandering around on your own!"

But that was evidently the wrong thing to say, as the child's hyperventilating increased in intensity and Raven's face hardened when she saw his muscles start to tense.

"Child, don't you dare try and go running off on your own again, young man!" she barked sharply as the boy immediately froze stiff at the stern command echoing in his subconscious, before the sorceress continued in a considerably gentler but still firm tone whilst also taking the opportunity to psychically soothe the child's PANIC. "Good. I've told you already, little one, you're safe with me. Now, I want you to pull yourself together and calmly tell me what's going on. Why are you so afraid of the police and the superheroes? It's their job to help little boys like you."

The boy swallowed thickly before glancing around with a nervous expression, and Raven's eyebrow rose when his nostrils suddenly started flaring, and rose even higher when the child suddenly relaxed with an explosive sigh of relief after several sniffs.

"They're not here. The bad men aren't here yet," the child said breathlessly to himself as the sorceress's eyebrow almost became one with her hairline.

"Bad men"?

The boy was being chased by someone?

Raven had already suspected as much, though that didn't make her any happier to have it confirmed, but the fact that these "bad men" had immediately come to mind to the child when she'd mentioned the police and the heroes…

…was very disturbing.

Idly making sure to keep a keen eye on her surroundings, the sorceress's lips thinned as she pinned her young charge with a serious expression.

"Alright child, I understand. I won't force you to go to the police right now," she began in a reassuring voice as the boy slumped in relief at the pulse of Earnesty he felt from her before Raven continued in a much stricter tone. "However, we still need to find you a place to stay and someone to look after you for the time being. Wandering around on your own like this is absolutely unacceptable. So tell me, where were you trying to go before I found you? Who are you searching for?"

The child sighed and looked down the street with a longing expression.

"Auntie Susan…" he whispered quietly, some of his earlier Despair returning along with a spike of Frustration before the sorceress immediately comforted him with a pulse of Reassurance as she smiled slightly at the first bit of good news she'd gotten all night.

Good. He's still got family left, thank Azarath, Raven thought triumphantly to herself as she psychically wrapped the boy's spirit in a warm embrace of Gratitude.

That made things much easier.

If she could find the boy's Aunt, then there'd be someone who could watch over him until the sorceress and her friends could come investigate in the morning.

Her task clear now, Raven shot an expectant look at her two guides, who were still patiently waiting nearby.

"Do you know where this 'Auntie Susan' is?" she asked briskly, and was pleased when the Pigeon and the Dove both gave affirmative coos and emanated Confirmation.

More good news, will wonders ever cease?

Nodding to the two spirits, the sorceress turned back to her young charge and gave him a kind smile.

"In that case, you're in luck, little one," she whispered warmly to the boy as he stiffened in surprise. "Because I just so happen to know exactly where your Auntie Susan lives."

Chuckling slightly at the confused look that appeared on the child's face at the HOPE that suddenly soared in his chest, Raven stood up and gestured at the two ethereal birds.

"Lead on."

Giving affirmative coos, the Pigeon and Dove both took off again as the sorceress gently took the boy's hand in her own, a look of deep amusement crossing her face at the way he was staring at the appendage in utter bewilderment.

"Come on now, child," Raven said gently as she began to lightly tug on the still hopelessly confused child's hand and sent him a pulse of Confidence and Reassurance. "I promise things will start making sense here soon, but for now, I need you to trust me. Let's go."

The boy hesitated for a few more seconds before he slowly began to take a few tentative steps forward as the sorceress smiled at him and sent him a pulse of Gratitude while she continued to gently lead him on.

They followed the two spirits for a while, the child still moving at a hesitant pace while Raven patiently guided her bewildered charge to their destination, until at last she felt a sudden spike of Relief from the boy as he perked up at the sight of a particular house and eagerly broke into a dead sprint while the sorceress chuckled warmly at the huge smile on his face.

Following at a more sedate pace, Raven glanced at the mailbox as she passed by and immediately committed the name on it to memory.

Susan Banner.

Reaching the door of the house, the boy began frantically knocking and ringing the doorbell, some of his earlier nervousness returning now that his goal was so close at hand as he repeatedly glanced over his shoulder, and the sorceress frowned.

She didn't need to be an empath to see the obvious desperation in the child's posture. Seems even here the boy didn't feel truly safe.

Casting one final scan for threats with a wave of the hand, Raven sighed quietly when it came back negative before moving to the boy's side and laying her ghostly hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough, child," she chided gently as her young charge ceased his frantic attempts to rouse his Aunt when he felt her familiar and comforting psychic touch yet again. "How many times do I have to tell you that you're safe? There's no one around except us, I'm still here, and you've made it to your Auntie's safe and sound. No one's going to hurt you. Relax."

The child's cheeks flushed in embarrassment and he adopted a sheepish expression at the muffled cursing that sounded out from the house as the lights turned on, swiftly followed by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, I'M COMING DAMMIT!" a highly irritated female voice rang out from the house's owner as the sorceress frowned slightly at Susan's accent while idly rubbing her embarrassed nephew's head in a comforting manner.

It sounded… Midwestern?

Why did that ring a bell to her?

Raven was snapped out of her musings when Susan wrenched open the door and glared down at the boy.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT…!" The woman began furiously, only for her tirade to be abruptly cut off as she got a good look at her unwelcome guest, and her eyes bugged out of their sockets and her mouth hung open slack jawed as the child gave her an awkward little wave.

"Bruce…?" she whispered softly, voice full of pure disbelief as the boy nodded slightly and the sorceress's ears perked up

So that was his name.

Bruce.

"Hi Auntie Susan. I'm really sorry I got you up so late," The newly named Bruce said in a quiet, sheepish voice as Raven gripped his shoulder and let out a pulse of Encouragement to sooth his nerves before "Auntie Susan" snapped out of her funk.

"OH MY GOD, BRUCE!" She exclaimed, the relief in her voice palpable as she immediately swooped down and pulled the child into a big hug, one which he happily returned. "YOU'RE OK! After what happened to Rebecca I thought…"

The woman trailed off as Bruce stiffened in her arms at the mention of "Rebecca" and the sorceress frowned at the Sadness and Grief that flared up within him again before sighing and reaching out to soothe his spirit again.

At least she had another piece of the puzzle now, even if this was one she'd hoped wasn't true.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry," Susan apologized quietly as she continued to hold her distraught nephew in her arms, though Raven noted with some pride that the child seemed to be holding it together decently well, and bent down to whisper some encouraging words in his ear while also taking the opportunity to study his Aunt.

Susan was an attractive woman in her 30s with green eyes and shoulder length brown hair. The sorceress could definitely see the woman's resemblance to her nephew in her facial features.

As well as the obvious love and affection she had for the child as she held him protectively close and murmured soft reassurances to him.

That, more than anything, helped set Raven's mind at ease.

"It's ok, Auntie Susan," Bruce reassured his aunt quietly, making an admirable attempt at keeping a stiff upper lip that nonetheless fooled absolutely no one present even for a second. "Can… can I come in please? I'm really dirty… and really hungry…"

"Of course," Susan replied immediately as she ushered her nephew into the house. "Let's get you cleaned up and something to eat right away. Have you been by yourself this whole time? Oh, you poor thing…"

But as the woman continued to fuss over her nephew, the sorceress couldn't help but glance cautiously over her shoulder while she scanned for any suspicious activity once more.

While it was good Bruce had found someone who could take care of him… Raven still couldn't shake the bad feeling in the pit of her gut as she silently followed the pair into the house.

***

It was a couple hours later, Bruce and Susan were both seated at the dining room table as Raven and the two bird spirits continued to maintain their silent vigil over the pair.

The child was dressed in a clean pair of clothes now, and looked much better as he eagerly dug into the food his aunt had prepared for him while the two talked and the sorceress floated cross-legged in the air a short distance away, keeping her attention split between the conversation and looking out for possible threats.

Raven had discreetly searched the house while the woman had been busy taking care of her nephew looking for anything of note, but had unfortunately not found anything you wouldn't expect to find in a typical middle-class suburban home.

Hopefully this conversation would provide her with more useful information.

"So Bruce, what on earth happened to you?" Susan asked urgently, voice tinged with concern as she took a sip of her coffee while her nephew winced at the question. "After you and Rebecca disappeared and the police… found her but not you, we all assumed the worst."

Bruce took in a long, deep breath to steady himself as the sorceress frowned and paid closer attention to what he was about to say, already preparing to add more to her mental list of details for Dick and Victor to look over later.

"What… what did they tell you?" The child asked slowly, and his aunt frowned before letting out a sad sigh.

"Nothing much," Susan admitted mournfully with a touch of bitter anger. "All they said was that you and Rebecca had been the victim's of a kidnapping of some kind. They had found her but not you, and that the perpetrators were still at large. I wasn't able to get anything else out of them no matter how hard I tried."

Raven's countenance instantly darkened.

That big, smelly rat was back.

While she couldn't claim to be the detective that Dick was, the sorceress could confidently say that she had picked up her fair share of investigative skills in her years as a crime fighter.

Enough that she knew a cover up when she saw one. They weren't even being that subtle about it.

It would seem Bruce's fears about the police were not unfounded.

And Raven's suspicions were immediately confirmed by what he said next.

"That's right," he said quietly with a small nod, and the sorceress could feel the Fear and Dread coming off of him as his eyes grew dull and haunted at the memory. "Me and Mommy were taken away by a bunch of very bad men to a really scary place deep in the woods. They locked her in a cage and then dragged me away to do… things to me."

Susan's face turned chalk white at that while Raven's hardened into an expressionless mask, Rage threatening to rear its ugly head.

"What… what kind of 'things'?" the woman asked in a horrified whisper, positively dreading the answer as her nephew gulped and hugged himself fearfully.

"I… I don't know," he answered in a frightened and confused voice as he, oddly, began rubbing and glancing at his bare skin as if expecting to see something there while the sorceress raised a curious and concerned eyebrow at the display. "Everything the bad men were doing was really weird. I couldn't understand what was going on. I was really scared and confused, but every time I tried to ask questions they just hit me and told me to shut up and stop struggling. That made Mommy really mad whenever they did it, but then they'd just hit her too to stop her from screaming at them…"

Bruce whimpered and trailed off for a moment as his absolutely livid aunt looked on, positively seething with protective rage while Raven's lips pressed into a grim line, before the child spoke once again.

"It hurt though," he choked out as he desperately fought back tears, absolutely drowning in Fear. "The weird things the bad men did to me… they really hurt… Please, Auntie Susan, I don't want to talk about it anymore…"

Susan bit her lip at her poor nephew's pleading tone before cautiously opening her mouth.

"I understand Bruce. But… there's still one thing I need to know," she began in a sympathetic but very, very tense tone before, with a deep, shuddering breath and an expression of extreme reluctance, she dropped the bomb. "Did… these men… Touch you?"

The sorceress immediately tensed at the question she had been dreading while her glowing, pure white eyes narrowed into shining slits, fearing her emotional restraints would give out.

While this unfortunately wasn't the first time she'd dealt with such crimes, that didn't make them any easier to stomach.

Thankfully, it seemed the Mother of Azarath had seen fit to grant the child some mercy on that particular issue, for he immediately shook his head in the negative as both women let out explosive sighs of relief.

"No Auntie, they didn't," Bruce said in a reassuring voice as his poor aunt clutched her chest in an effort to get her heart rate back down, before his expression fell once again. "But after they finished, they tried to get me to read a bunch of weird words out of an old book."

Raven straightened at that and instantly gave the child her full, undivided attention.

Weird words out of an old book?

Was she dealing with some kind of cult here? Was that why she'd been contacted?

But why her and not one of the other magic heroes like Dr. Fate or Zatanna? They were frankly more qualified than she was.

"I don't know why, but I had a feeling something really, really bad would happen if I did," Bruce continued in a fearful voice before screwing his eyes shut and snapping the sorceress out of her musings as she felt those familiar but highly unwelcome feelings of overwhelming Sadness and Grief pour from the child once again. "So I said no, and wouldn't do it no matter how many times the bad men hit me. They tried to use Mommy to get me to say yes, but Mommy fought back to try and save me, and then they… they…"

Bruce cut himself off with a strangled sob, unable to continue as he scrunched his face up tightly in a desperate attempt to stifle his tears and his aunt immediately darted over to envelop him in a comforting hug while Raven looked on with a face carved from stone.

"Don't worry Bruce. I promise, the ones who did this to you and your mommy won't get away with this," she whispered kindly in his mind as she enveloped his spirit in a warm blanket of Sympathy and Understanding whilst swearing darkly to herself she would be having words with the bastards responsible for orphaning the child.

The sorceress snapped out of her dark musings when she noticed that Bruce's sobs were gradually dying down, and she looked to see Susan still gently rocking him back and forth and rubbing circles in his back.

"I'm so sorry, Bruce" the woman said quietly, the undercurrent of pure, utter fury in her voice clear for all to hear as she wore an expression on her face that clearly wished those kidnappers a slow, painful death, before looking down at her sniffling nephew. "Are you… ok now, honey?"

Bruce nodded slowly, and Susan bit her lip before returning to her seat, and a long awkward silence fell over the two as Raven patiently continued her silent vigil and the two ethereal birds both cooed sadly.

"Bruce… I know you probably don't want to talk about this… but there's one thing I don't understand," the woman spoke up at last, clearly not wanting to distress her nephew further but still needing answers. "Why… why did those men need you to do this 'bad thing' for them? What could they possibly want with a sweet little boy like you?"

The sorceress watched carefully as Susan finally voiced the most important question, paying close attention as the child took a deep breath.

"I… I have powers Auntie Susan," Bruce admitted quietly to his aunt as her breath hitched in her throat and Raven's lips pressed into a grim line. "Really strong ones."

Of course, the sorceress thought irritably to herself as she let out a sigh at the child's admission, not the least bit surprised but saddened nonetheless. Now she could only hope this revelation didn't come with any more fallout and additional trauma.

"You're a metahuman Bruce?" Susan asked in disbelief, shocked to the core. "And those men were trying to get you to use your powers to help them?"

Bruce nodded hesitantly.

"I think so," he said slowly as Raven's eyes narrowed slightly and she arched an eyebrow at his evasive tone. "I didn't know I had powers until after… after what happened to Mommy. Then they just… came out, and I used them to get away from the bad men."

His aunt nodded slowly, still processing all this new info.

"I see. That's… certainly fortunate," the woman replied lamely, still looking quite out of her depth, before putting on an admirable attempt at a reassuring smile. "So… you've got superpowers. That's… really cool Bruce. What can you do?"

The sorceress grimaced slightly at Susan's well-meaning but painfully awkward attempt at encouragement, before said grimace immediately turned into a concerned frown as the child vigorously shook his head at the question, bone-chilling Fear pulsating off him in waves.

"I really don't want to talk about it, Auntie Susan," he begged pitifully as his aunt cursed quietly at her unintentional faux-paus. "I don't like my powers. They're scary."

That earned him another sympathetic look from Raven. She could certainly relate to that statement.

"I'm sorry Bruce. I was just trying to cheer you up honey," Susan apologized morosely as the child immediately moved to reassure her.

"It's ok Auntie Susan! Really! You didn't know!" Bruce said frantically as he hugged his distraught aunt, and the sorceress allowed herself a small smile at the touching scene and the Love she could feel radiating from him.

Which, of course, meant something just had to come along and ruin it.

"Well, Bruce, it's really late and the two of us are going to have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, I think. So how about we go ahead and get you off to bed, huh?" the woman said with a tired smile after she and her nephew broke the hug, looking very much like she was speaking for her own sake just as much as the child's as she stifled a huge yawn.

Something Raven could definitely relate to.

Unfortunately, it seemed like Bruce had other ideas as he winced.

"Um… actually Auntie Susan… can I ask you for… a big favor please?" he asked uncertainty, the sheer amount of Nervousness and Anxiety he was feeling was enough to immediately put the sorceress on edge as his oblivious aunt smiled at him indulgently.

"Of course sweetie. What is it?" Susan said kindly as the child took a deep breath in preparation while Raven looked on warily, before dropping the bomb.

"Can you… give me a backpack with some food and water? And some spare clothes? And maybe… some money?" he bit out slowly, wincing and bracing himself as his aunt's eyes widened in surprise and the sorceress stiffened in alarm.

He's not… Raven thought urgently to herself as she uncrossed her legs and glided over to float just beside Bruce, hoping and praying to the Mother of Azarath he wasn't that foolish.

Unfortunately, her prayers went unanswered.

"What? Bruce, what on earth would you need all that for? You're safe here now," Susan asked in a confused voice, positively bewildered as the child in question gulped.

"I… I can't stay here, Auntie Susan. I have to go," he answered miserably, pure dread on his face as the woman's eyes bulged out of their sockets and the sorceress slapped a hand to her face with a long-suffering groan.

He is, she groused irritably to herself as the Pigeon and Dove both cooed sympathetically.

"WHAT!?! Absolutely not young man!" Susan shouted angrily, utterly incensed as her nephew shrank back from her stern gaze. "I just got you back after thinking you were gone forever! There's no way I'm going to let you go back on the streets all by yourself! Now you march yourself up to the guest room this instant!"

But Bruce just frantically shook his head, tears in his eyes as he fearfully, but stubbornly stood his ground against his angry aunt.

"I can't Auntie Susan!" he wailed miserably, catching both women off guard with the sheer despair in his voice as they looked at the child in shock. "You don't understand! Those bad people are still chasing me! If I stay here they might try to use you to get me to do what they want like they did with Mommy!"

All the color immediately drained from Susan's face as Raven cursed quietly before redoubling her efforts to search for possible incoming threats.

She should have known.

Bruce seemed like a smart kid, so of course he would be worried that the "bad men" chasing him would go after his Aunt like they did his mother. And it was likely he was right.

That still didn't change the fact that he was being very foolish right now even if his heart was in the right place, but the sorceress supposed she could forgive that since he was only 10 after all.

Unlike a certain, domino mask-wearing hard head she could name.

"What!?! Bruce, why didn't you say so!?!" Susan exclaimed with an admonishing tone before doing the sensible thing and immediately taking out her phone. "I'll call the police right no…!"

"NO!" the child cried out in a desperate panic as he all but hurled himself at the phone to knock it out of his aunt's hands, causing her to stare at him in shock and Raven to whirl around in alarm at the massive wave of all-consuming Fear she could feel coming off the hyperventilating child.

"Bruce…?" Susan said fearfully, unsure of what to do in the face of her nephew seemingly on the verge of having a full-blown panic attack.

The sorceress, meanwhile, immediately moved to Bruce's side and once again put a spectral hand on his shoulder, whispering quiet reassurances that he was still safe at the moment and gently urging him to calm down as she emanated more feelings of Peace until the child's breathing gradually slowed.

"I already tried going to the police Aunt Susan," Bruce explained tearfully once he'd finally managed to regain his composure. "They were the first people I went to after I escaped from the bad men. But when I did… the bad men found me again."

Susan's eyes widened while Raven's narrowed.

"They came in wearing black suits and talked to the police for a little bit before taking me away again," the child said in an absolutely miserable voice as his aunt's horror continued to mount. "I thought they were going to help me at first. They seemed so nice… But they drove me to a bad, scary place where they locked me up again, kept taking my blood, and had some strange lady do more weird tests on me."

The poor woman simply stared slack-jawed at her nephew while he hugged himself fearfully and an utterly disgusted look crossed the sorceress's face.

"Those new tests hurt even worse than the old ones Auntie Susan," Bruce continued pitifully, eyes screwed shut as he desperately fought back tears. "They hurt so much, and that weird lady wouldn't stop no matter how much I cried. I had to use my powers again to get away, but the bad men are still chasing me. They're always chasing me…"

"Oh Bruce…" Susan said in a horrified voice, tears in her eyes and hand over her mouth, before she once again enveloped her poor nephew in a comforting hug as Raven bowed her head and took a brief moment to recenter herself.

It would seem this cult, whoever they were, was more dangerous and well-connected than the typical ragtag bands of wannabe witches and devil-worshippers she usually dealt with.

At least this explained why the child was so scared of going to the police.

"Ok, well, if the police are no good, then… we'll call the Justice League! Or the Titans," the woman said in a slightly desperate tone, only for her face to immediately fall as the child once again shook his head.

"I tried that too. The person on the other end of the line told me to stay where I was and the Black Suits showed up soon after," he said miserably as the sorceress swore viciously to herself under her breath.

While not entirely unexpected, she had been hoping that it had only been the police that had been compromised and that their betrayal was what had spooked Bruce from trying to contact them or the Justice League.

Because as concerning as that was, it was still something Raven and her fellow Titans were well used to dealing with.

But this… this made things a lot more complicated.

And dangerous.

The Titans and the Justice League's cyber security was some of the finest in the world, absolutely top notch stuff.

So if this cult had truly managed to break into their systems without them noticing, it meant that whoever these cultists were, they were well-funded, well-connected, and had some serious tech backing them.

In other words, they were beyond dangerous. And likely so was this child if they wanted him so badly.

Joy.

Dick and Victor were going to have kittens when they found out.

"Then… Bruce… what exactly are you planning to do?" Susan asked helplessly, clearly racking her brain for a solution to help her distraught nephew. "If these men chasing you are so good at it, then how is going off on your own going to solve anything?"

To that, Bruce could only give his aunt a helpless shrug as the sorceress frowned at the pungent cocktail of Fear and Hopelessness she could feel bubbling inside him.

"I don't know Auntie Susan," the child admitted dejectedly with dull, tired eyes. "All I know is that I can't stay in one place for too long or tell you where I'm going next. Because if the bad men come here looking for me they might hurt you to find out where I've gone."

Raven raised an eyebrow, impressed despite herself.

"So can you please give me what I need so I can get going, Auntie Susan? The longer I stay here, the more time the bad men have to catch up," Bruce begged pitifully as he cast a fearful glance at the door, causing the sorceress to let out an exasperated sigh.

But not smart enough, it seems.

"No, Bruce," Susan said firmly as she shook her head and her nephew's shoulders slumped. "I told you, there's no way I'm letting you go off all by yourself again. Listen, just tell me where you're wanting to go and then maybe I can take you there. It'd be much faster and safer than you trying to go off on your own again."

"NO!" the child insisted stubbornly with a vigorous shake of his head as looked tearfully at his aunt. "If you come with me you might get hurt Aunt Susan! I don't want what happened to Mom to happen to you too! You're all I have left!"

"I don't care Bruce," the woman replied resolutely as she kneeled down and placed both hands on her nephew's shoulders to give him a fierce expression. "You're my nephew, and with your Mom gone it's my job to take care of you. Rebecca would never forgive me if I didn't try to help you get through this. And I'd never forgive myself if I just abandoned you."

But Bruce wasn't having any of it as he continued to frantically shake his head with tears streaming down his face, and Raven stiffened in alarm at the sheer amount of Guilt and Shame she could suddenly feel welling up inside him.

"You don't understand Aunt Susan," he said pitifully as he gave his aunt a pleading look with his red, puffy eyes. "It's not just them you have to worry about, it's me. I told you, my powers are very scary and I can't control them very well. If you come with me, I might… I might hurt you with them! I've… already hurt people with them…"

Both women's faces promptly turned ashen white as the full implications of that statement crashed into them like a ton of bricks, and they stared at the sobbing child in utter horror.

"You mean you…? You had to…?" Susan stammered in disbelief, her mind absolutely refusing to process what she'd just heard, before the sight of her nephew breaking down completely, bawling his eyes out as he clung to her like a lifeline and begged her not to hate him. "Oh Bruce… Oh Honey, come here…"

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," the poor thing blubbered almost incoherently as he continued to beg for forgiveness. "I didn't want to… I didn't mean too… I was just so scared. So, so… Angry…"

"Shhh, shhh, it's ok. It's alright," Susan reassured him as she continued to hug her nephew fiercely, her own face now streaked with tears. "Listen to me Bruce, this is not your fault. Do you hear me? This is not your fault. Those bad men who hurt you and your mother? They are the only ones to blame here, not you. Never you. You are a sweet, intelligent, wonderful little boy who I know would never hurt a fly if he didn't have to and don't you ever forget that. Do you understand me?"

Meanwhile, as Susan desperately attempted to comfort her heartbroken nephew, the sorceress was, for the first time since this mess began, actually having a difficult time keeping her emotions under control.

They had forced him to kill.

Those bastards had forced this innocent child, who was no more than ten years of age, to kill after robbing him of his mother and treating him as nothing but a science experiment and a living weapon.

When she got her hands on them…

…

Raven let out a long exhale before taking a deep breath and placing her palms together.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she recited the sacred mantra of her people to calm her spirit and focus her power and emotions as she let out another long exhale before once again taking a deep breath. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"

The sorceress repeated the chant and breathing exercise several more times until she was absolutely certain she was firmly in control again, before opening her eyes and looking down at the sniffling boy with naked pity on her usually impassive face.

I think I'm starting to understand why I was contacted to help him now, she thought quietly to herself.

They really were a lot alike.

Gently floating to the ground, Raven kneeled down and put a comforting hand on Bruce's shoulder, who shivered slightly at her unseen, but not unwelcome, spectral touch.

"Bruce, listen to me," she whispered quietly in his ear, the feelings of Sympathy and Understanding bringing comfort to the distraught child as his sobs gradually died down. "Your Aunt Susan is absolutely right. I understand how frightened and confused you must feel right now, dealing with powers you don't understand and didn't ask for. However, pushing her away like this, even to protect her, is very foolish."

The child sniffed as his shoulders slumped, his emotions a rolling ball of Fear, Uncertainty and Anxiety battling fiercely with Hope and a desperate, yearning need for Love and Comfort as he warred with himself.

Frowning slightly at Bruce's stubbornness, the sorceress pressed her attack.

"You need her Bruce," she urged him gently, her hand firming on his shoulder as she projected feelings of Confidence and Reassurance to soothe the child's worries. "You need someone like her to love, care for, and guide you in times like these. That's the only way you'll get through this… it's the only way I got through it too."

Bruce relaxed even more at her words, and Raven smiled slightly as she felt his emotions begin to shift in the direction she wanted before launching the final blow.

"Besides, I don't think you need to worry about your Aunt Susan. She seems like she can take care of herself. It's the 'bad men' that need to be worried, once I get my hands on them" she said in a comforting voice, radiating absolute Confidence as she spoke, before whispering a few playfully creative punishments to the child that had him snorting and giggling at the mental images that no doubt popped into his head.

"Bruce?" Susan asked in a slightly confused tone, relieved but also somewhat bewildered at her nephew's improved mood.

Bruce bit his lip before letting out a long sigh and looking up at his aunt with a somewhat nervous expression as the sorceress squeezed his shoulder reassuringly to help calm his Anxiety.

"Aunt Susan… you… really don't hate me? Even after what I did?" the child asked quietly, fidgeting in place as his aunt immediately and vigorously shook her head in the negative while Raven soothed Bruce's rising Dread with a projection of Reassurance and a few whispered words.

"Of course not Bruce," the woman replied fiercely as she looked deep into her nephew's eyes to let him know how serious she was. "I already told you sweetie, none of that was your fault. Those bad men have nobody to blame but themselves for what happened. I love you, Bruce. I'll always love you, no matter what. Never forget that."

"She's telling the truth Bruce," the sorceress added her own two cents with a ghostly whisper. "She loves you like you're her own. You can trust her, she'll never abandon you."

The child gulped before smiling and giving a little sigh of relief.

"Thanks Auntie Susan. That… that really means a lot to me," he said sincerely with Hope and Happiness swelling in his chest, and both women smiled warmly at him before he abruptly sobered up to ask his next question. "But… are you sure you'll be ok helping me?"

Susan shot a cocky little smirk at that.

"I am," she replied confidently as she stood up and looked down at her nephew smugly, arms crossed. "You don't need to worry about me Bruce. Your Auntie Susan's tougher than she looks. You're completely safe with me, and if any of these bad men try to take you away again, then I'll just have to give them the ol one-two."

The woman threw several mock punches in the air for emphasis, complete with silly sound effects from her mouth, and Bruce giggled at the display of bravado while Raven smirked in wry amusement.

"Told you," she whispered teasingly in triumph, positively radiating Satisfaction as she felt the child's spirits finally start to lift as the Pigeon and Dove both cooed happily.

"Ok, Auntie Susan, I'll stay," Bruce finally relented happily, and both women sighed in relief at the knowledge he wasn't about to do something so stupid.

That's one crisis averted at least, the sorceress thought as she congratulated herself on a job well done before leaning down again.

"Good job Bruce. I'm very proud of you," she whispered warmly to the child, causing him to stand up straighter at the subconscious praise. "Now, I think it's time for you to head off to bed. You've had a rough time of it lately and your Auntie looks tired as well. A good night's sleep will do wonders for both of you."

Bruce's eyes immediately drooped at that and he stifled a huge yawn, which did not go unnoticed by his aunt.

"Bed," Susan said immediately as she gently scooped up her weakly protesting nephew and carried him to the guest room while Raven and the two bird spirits followed silently.

"Are you… sure it's safe Auntie Susan?" the child asked warily one final time as his aunt tucked him in, some of his earlier Fear and Anxiety returning.

"Of course I am Bruce," the woman replied confidently with a reassuring smile as she leaned down to give him a tender kiss goodnight. "I promise, everything will be better in the morning. Now, go to sleep, little one. I love you."

"I love you too Auntie Susan," Bruce said as well before his aunt smiled at him one last time and shut the door, leaving him alone in the dark with the three invisible spirits as he shuddered slightly and his Fear and Anxiety spiked at the oppressing darkness.

Well, that wouldn't do at all.

"Sleep, child," the sorceress whispered gently as she placed a glowing, spectral hand on the child's head, and his body started relaxing as her empathic powers went to work soothing his anxious spirit. "Your aunt's right, this will all be over soon. Rest."

And with that final, ghostly whisper, Bruce's eyes at last closed completely and Raven gave a satisfied nod as she sensed him begin to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep as her spell took hold.

Good. That's the boy taken care of, for now at least, the sorceress thought to herself as she turned to exit the room, only to gasp in surprise when she felt the child's soul unconsciously seize her own spirit in a stubborn grip and weakly tug on her.

Raven shivered as that eerie, unexplainable feeling of Deja Vu washed over her again before very gently prying her spirit loose from the almost desperate grip of Bruce's soul, surprising herself at her own reluctance to do so.

Shaking her confusion and discomfort away, the sorceress eased the child's disappointed spirit off to sleep with a few more reassuring words before floating out of the room and moving towards where she could sense Susan's soul, completely unsurprised to find the woman had headed straight to her phone once her nephew was safely in bed.

"I'm sorry Bruce, but there's no way all of the police are in these bastard's pocket," Susan muttered to herself as she dialed 911 and held the phone up to her ear when she heard the operator pick up. "Yes, hello, I need to report something very serious…"

Raven waited patiently as the woman talked with the officer before letting out a small smile as Susan finally gave the one piece of information she was looking for.

The woman's address.

"Got you," the sorceress said triumphantly to herself as she once again settled into a cross-legged sitting position in the air while Susan collapsed exhausted on the couch.

Now all that was left was to make sure the police got here ok and then Raven and the others would be able to come and investigate first thing in the morning.

*Thump Thump Thump*

The sorceress's head snapped to the door with a surprised look that swiftly turned suspicious while the woman perked up.

It had only been a few minutes…

"That was fast," Susan muttered happily to herself in a relieved tone as she hurried to the door while Raven scanned the surroundings again with her magic, and her eyes practically exploded out of her ethereal sockets at what she saw.

The house was completely surrounded by armed men radiating Anxiety and Grim Determination, and several of them were right outside Susan's door, fingers tightening on the triggers with cold Malice in their hearts…

No…

The sorceress launched herself after the woman in a desperate panic as she viciously cursed herself.

Even with everything Bruce had mentioned, even she foolishly believed she'd have at least a day to prepare some kind of protective measure, completely ignoring that in such a bizarre and chaotic world she lived in, even asking for a day's worth of preparation at times was asking too much.

Dick and her magic instructors at Azarath would have had her hide for such carelessness!

"Susan, wait!" Raven called out desperately as she laid a ghostly hand on the woman's shoulder and tried in vain to use her empathic powers to psychically warn and dissuade the unsuspecting Susan.

All to no avail.

Her powers were simply too limited in her current state for that.

And so, the sorceress could only watch in helpless horror as the woman wrenched open the door with Hope in her heart at finally getting some much needed help for a situation she was woefully ill-prepared to deal with…

…only to be met with a squad of heavily armed soldiers dressed in menacing, all-encompassing black combat gear with no identifying markers of any kind, her shocked and fearful expression reflecting eerily off the lenses of their gas masks.

Susan didn't even have time to scream before the soldiers opened fire, their silenced rifles hardly making a sound as her torso was riddled with bullets.

The poor woman collapsed to the ground like a sack of bricks as the three spirits all let out howls of RAGE and GRIEF while the soldiers briskly stepped over Susan and fanned out through the house, calmly sounding out all clears and completely uncaring about the horrific crime they'd just committed.

The Doves' cries were by far the loudest.

"NO!" Raven roared in Fury and Despair as she swooped down to the mortally wounded woman's side and desperately laid her ghostly glowing hands on the weeping bullet wounds, trying in vain to staunch the bleeding with her weakened healing powers. "SUSAN STAY WITH ME! BRUCE STILL NEEDS YOU!"

It was all for nought, however, as with one last weak, heartbroken muttering of "Bruce" and a few mournful tears, Susan's eyes glazed over and the light left them as her life was extinguished and her final feelings of GRIEF, SADNESS, and DESPAIR faded away into nothing.

The sorceress's hands balled tightly into trembling fists as the Dove and Pigeon both wept above her, the former practically inconsolable as the latter did everything it could to soothe and comfort its grief-stricken partner.

"You…" Raven snarled out in utter RAGE as she glared white-hot daggers at the impassive soldiers.

The sorceress didn't even need to send out another psychic pulse to tell that they felt absolutely no shame or remorse from Susan's murder.

It was quite clear from their utterly impassive body language and the brusque, casual manner in which they carried themselves that they cared not one whit for the kind, loving, innocent woman whose life they had just heartlessly snuffed out.

Nor for the fact they had just deprived that poor, suffering child of the last family he had left.

Susan was merely an obstacle and a witness to be removed, nothing more.

A fact that was immediately confirmed when the apparent leader raised two fingers to his ear.

"Director, this is Alpha team. House secure, witness eliminated. Moving to apprehend Angry Man," the soldier said briskly into his radio as Raven's hackles rose in utter FURY at the casual way this walking pile of horse manure referred to the act of dragging an innocent, peacefully sleeping little boy off to be tortured AGAIN after it seemed like he'd finally found peace at last.

"Over My. Dead. Body," the sorceress hissed in a voice of pure venom as her eyes blazed with an ominous white light and she ignited her magic, rising up off the ground from her place by Susan's body like a vengeful wraith, determined to do something, anything to stop what was about to happen despite her limited powers in this state as the soldiers started to move deeper into the house…

"...Auntie Susan?"

…only for everyone to freeze in shock at the tiny, horrified voice that suddenly spoke up as they all whirled around to face the source.

Bruce stood there, peeking around a corner, his face chalk white and shaking like a leaf as he stared at his aunt's corpse with wide, unblinking eyes, his pupils rapidly shrinking into tiny little dots.

"Auntie Susan…?" he said again in that same tiny, incredibly shaky voice as Raven stared at him slack-jawed.

How…? That spell should have kept him asleep for hours as tired as he already was, and the soldiers were completely silent. How did he…?

"SHIT, HE'S AWAKE! TAKE HIM DOWN NOW!" the lead soldier roared as the child let out an ear-splitting wail.

"AUNTIE SUSAN!"

The sorceress screamed in agony as a hurricane of GRIEF and all-consuming RAGE smashed into her weakened defenses like a freight train, collapsing to the ground in a heap and curling into a ball clutching her head while she desperately tried to shut out the RAGE relentlessly assaulting her mind.

What…? What is this…? Raven thought to herself in shock, eyes screwed shut and spectral teeth clenched tightly as she frantically continued trying to clamp down on her empathetic senses as much as she could while panicked shouts, gunfire, splintering wood, and a horrible, inhuman ROAR sounded out all around her. Was that… Bruce…?

No child should have been capable of making such an awful sound…

Furiously fighting through the pain, the sorceress managed to slowly struggle to her feet as she looked around to behold a scene of utter devastation.

The house was in ruins, the walls, windows, and furniture smashed to pieces and the mutilated bodies of the soldiers scattered everywhere, some so badly mangled they had been reduced to nought but a red, pulpy mess.

Susan's body was curiously undamaged, however.

The most striking feature of the carnage, however, had to be the massive hole that had been torn in the front of the house, as if something enormous had smashed right through it like a battering ram.

Outside of which Raven could hear more gunfire and panicked screams as muzzle flashes illuminated the night and the light's in the neighboring houses all rapidly turned on one by one, their residents no doubt awoken by the thunderous cacophony of noise.

And there, in the distance, constantly flickering in and out of view with the flashes of gunfire, the sorceress could just barely make out a massive, hulking humanoid shape, snarling and thrashing wildly as it furiously chased down and ripped apart more terrified soldiers, on an absolute rampage.

Is that… Bruce…? Raven asked herself as she squinted through her crippling migraine trying to get a better look, valiantly forcing herself to move forward one pained step at a time.

The sorceress would never get her answer, however, as that terrible roar sounded again before, with one final burst of all-consuming RAGE, her defenses were finally overwhelmed and darkness consumed her as she passed out with the screams of the soldiers and townspeople and the coos of the bird spirits sounding in her ears.

***

"NO!"

Raven awoke with a pained scream and a startled gasp, breathing heavily as she quickly patted herself down to find she was back in her own body at the Tower, covered in sweat and with her bed in total disarray from all her tossing and turning.

Quickly getting a hold of herself, the sorceress let out a long exhale before settling into a lotus position and repeating her signature mantra several times, feeling both her heart rate and her emotions steadily get back under control until soon she was calm and recentered once again.

Anger was proving especially stubborn and it was easy to understand why.

Raven was furious and profoundly disturbed by what she'd just seen, but her anger and disgust were both firmly on a tight leash, leaving her mind crystal clear as she opened her eyes with grim determination.

If she was going to get to the bottom of this, save Bruce, and bring those bastards to justice, the sorceress had to be at her absolute best.

Nothing less was acceptable.

Thus resolved, Raven let out a sad, frustrated sigh as she got out of bed and took a brief look around her room, taking comfort in the familiar dark space filled with books, tomes, and foreboding-looking magical artifacts all sorted neatly on various shelves while idly waving a darkly glowing hand to straighten out her bed.

All in all, her living space had a notable gothic atmosphere that she found quite appealing if she did say so herself.

Or a creepy one, depending on who you asked, though either way the effect was ruined somewhat by the giant stuffed chicken stashed away errantly in one corner of the room.

Not that the sorceress had any intention of getting rid of it anytime soon.

Regardless, it was home, and being back in her safe, humble, private abode after such a harrowing experience felicitated a small sigh of relief from Raven before she glanced at the clock to find it was early morning.

The others would be getting up soon.

Good. They had much to discuss.

The sorceress let out another sigh before she summoned her beloved cloak and wrapped it tightly around herself, taking comfort in the familiar sensation as she bowed her head mournfully.

Bruce, Susan… I'm so sorry I couldn't do more to help you, she thought sadly as she once again furiously berated herself for her error in properly keeping watch.

Even though she knew it likely wouldn't have changed the outcome given how limited her powers were at the time… Raven still couldn't help but feel guilty, all the same.

First things first, she needed to let the Team know about what she saw. Whoever those guys were, she couldn't exactly ignore what they did or let them get what they wanted from Bruce. And lucky for her she already knew where to start looking.

As she idly began to gather up what she needed, Raven's thoughts drifted back to the premonition she'd just had and the most pertinent points she'd need to go over with her friends.

There wasn't much to go on as of yet, unfortunately.

All she really had was a trio of names, an address, and that an unknown, but powerful and utterly ruthless organization was after Bruce for the powers he possessed.

Which she also didn't know much about.

The only truly critical piece of information Raven had managed to attain was the fact that someone had apparently managed to hack into the Titan's and the Justice League's phone lines.

Which was yet another thing about this whole mess that was absolutely going to drive Dick up the wall when he found out, to say nothing of how badly Victor was going to take it.

Not exactly a stellar place to start for an investigation.

But it was a start nevertheless, so her fellow Heroes needed to be informed of the situation immediately, and there was no point in worrying about their potential reactions.

The Titans all had their quirks, but they would move past them to get the job done eventually just like they always did, and that was all that mattered.

Her preparations complete, the sorceress looked down at the large, circular yellow tray on the floor holding three purple candles, one large and two small, sticking out of a pile of soil from Azarath itself.

She was ready to begin.

Lighting the candles in sequence, Raven pulled up her hood, covering all but her lower face in shadow, and assumed a meditative lotus position, her body rising off ground and glowing with that eerie purple light again as she activated her magic.

This was a spell she had cast many, many times already, but recent events indicated that today's casting would require a slight modification.

"By the powers of Azarath, I beseech you," the sorceress began to chant, images of Starfire, Dick, Garfield, and Victor flowing through her Mind's Eye as she called on the power of the almighty spirit of her homeland. "Mother Spirit of the Netherrealm, protect my brothers and sister, and give me strength to face the dark forces I fear are coming."

Both the candles and her magic flared softly as the spell was cast, and Raven felt an eerie chill permeate her body while four separate spirits throughout the Tower jolted awake in surprise at the sensation.

Good, that meant the spell had taken hold properly.

While Garfield and Victor might complain about her placing this protection spell on them without warning and the "creepy chills" it sent up their spines, the sorceress knew they both still appreciated the wards against evil, as did Dick and Starfire.

However, Raven could already feel Dicks's questioning prod through their bond, and immediately sent one back assuring her leader he would have answers soon.

For now, she needed to concentrate.

"By the powers of Azarath, I beseech you," the sorceress began again, this time calling to mind the image of the frightened little boy that reminded her so much of herself. "Mother Spirit of the Netherrealm, protect and watch over this wayward child, and ensure his travels are safe and his enemies' efforts fruitless until my family and I can find him. So mote it be."

The candles and her magic flared once more, and Raven let out a sigh as she returned to the ground and gracefully rose to her feet before returning the items to their proper place with a flick of the wrist and walking out the door to meet up with her waiting friends.

She only prayed what she'd done would be enough.

***

Raven frowned severely as she worked at the Crime Scanner and idly kept track of the four spirits briskly approaching the Tower's common room.

It wasn't the report she'd got back on the status of the city that had her so worried.

Jump's criminals still seemed to be keeping their heads down for the most part at the moment, thank Azarath.

No, what had her so concerned was what she'd found when she'd switched the Scanner from Local to International Mode and input the address she'd acquired from Susan.

If this is right… then no wonder those people want Bruce so badly, the sorceress thought to herself grimly before bowing her head sadly.

"Raven, report."

Raven sighed before turning around to face her stern-faced leader with an equally strict expression as he strode briskly into the room, swiftly followed by the other three Titans.

"The city is clean," she began in a clear, concise, no-nonsense tone of voice before her eyes narrowed. "But we have a situation…"

"Yeah, I kinda figured that when I woke up feeling like I got a bucket of ice water dumped on me," Garfield cut in irritably as the sorceress shot him a highly annoyed glare at the interruption. "Seriously, Raven, I really wish you would quit doing that out of the blue. I still feel like I've got spiders crawling up my spine."

"Tell me about it," Victor agreed wholeheartedly as he fought back a shudder. "I don't even have skin anymore for the most part and it's still crawling."

Raven huffed.

"If my protection spell is really bothering you that much, I can always remove it…," she began leadingly in a coolly sarcastic voice as Cyborg and Beast Boy both quickly began waving their arms and shaking their heads in the negative.

"No no, it's on now, so we might as well make use of it," Victor assured the unimpressed sorceress with a nervous smile as Garfield rapidly nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah. Creepy or not, it's still useful," he concurred with his own awkwardly large smile as Raven rolled her eyes at the blatant attempt at flattery. "Especially since you never do that unless you think big trouble's coming."

The sorceress huffed again.

"Indeed. Which is why I need to brief you all as quickly as possible," she drawled in a spectacularly flat voice as Cyborg and Beast Boy both coughed awkwardly under her chastising gaze while Nightwing and Starfire both sighed and shook their heads. "We have a lot to talk about."

Raven extended a single arm from her cloak as she gestured to the living area.

"Come."

The sorceress glided silently to the center of the living room and took up a cross-legged sitting position in the air, letting out a small sigh as she was soon surrounded by her friends who were all giving her anxious and expectant looks, their emotions tinged with Anticipation, before her face firmed.

"So what's this all about Raven? Why did you feel the need to cast that protection spell on us if trouble isn't bearing down on our door right now?" Dick questioned from where he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, tone brisk and businesslike as he looked at Raven with a serious expression.

"Last night, I had a premonition," she began without hesitation as she opened her eyes and responded to her leader's serious, businesslike demeanor in kind, and he immediately tensed at the answer, knowing from past experience that was rarely a good thing.

"Great. Because that's just what we need. Another Portent of Doom," Garfield muttered grumpily under his breath from where he was lounging on the couch, before yelping in pain as Victor abruptly smacked the back of his head for his typical lack of tact as everyone else glared at him for interrupting again.

"Garfield…" the sorceress growled warningly through gritted teeth, her tone making it very clear that there had better be no further interruptions as her idiot brother shrank back from her chastising glare.

"Sorry."

"What did you see, Raven?" Kori asked softly, her hands clasped in front of her as she looked on in worry while Raven sighed sadly before continuing.

"I was guided to a child. A young boy, no more than 10, all on his own and being hunted for his powers," she answered quietly, and Starfire gasped and covered her mouth in Horror while their male teammates all stiffened and straightened up in alarm, even Beast Boy.

"Hold up, someone's chasing a little kid? So they can turn him into a weapon or some kind of sick science experiment?" Cyborg growled furiously, not a trace of his usual jovial demeanor to be found as he stared hard at the sorceress, who let out another sigh and gave him a mournful look.

"Indeed, though it's more like they're trying to get their weapon or science experiment back," she clarified sadly, another spike of Shock and Horror shooting through her friends as the full implications of that statement crashed into them.

"Explain," Nightwing said curtly as he stepped forward, face set in a cold, grim mask while he clamped down on the Anger Raven could feel bubbling beneath the surface as she nodded grimly.

"Unfortunately, I don't have much information for us to go off of at the moment. That's why I didn't have us set out immediately once I woke up," she replied with a frustrated expression before taking a deep breath and continuing in a clear, concise voice. "But here's what I know. His name is Bruce, and as far as I was able to tell, he's a newly awakened metahuman who lived with his mother Rebecca. However, recently a cult of some kind kidnapped them both. Somehow they knew about Bruce's powers before he did, and attempted to use his mother as a hostage to get the child's cooperation. But when Rebecca resisted in an attempt to save her son, they… killed her."

Kori let out a highly uncharacteristic snarl as their male teammates' faces all hardened into cold, expressionless masks.

Garfield in particular looked especially murderous, not surprising given his own past.

"Fortunately, Bruce's powers awakened after that, and he was able to use them to escape," the sorceress continued as the others all relaxed slightly at the first bit of good news they'd gotten so far, only to tense up again when she bowed her head mournfully. "Unfortunately, the boy was apparently forced to kill several of his kidnappers in his escape."

"Oh no… oh that poor thing…" Starfire choked out with tears in her eyes and a hand over her mouth as the boys all cursed viciously under their breath.

"He was rather distraught about it," Raven agreed with a sad nod, the memory of the poor child desperately begging his aunt for forgiveness still fresh in her mind.

Dick sighed.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. What's done is done. We'll just have to make sure he gets the help he needs once we find him," he declared in a sad, but firm voice before turning back to the sorceress. "So he's been on the run by himself ever since? And that's when you found him?"

Raven nodded.

"Yes. I was guided to him by a pair of unknown spirits that resembled a Pigeon and a Dove," she confirmed as she saw Kori stiffen in mild alarm. "I do not know who they are or why they contacted me specifically, but they both seemed to care for the child a great deal, the Dove in particular."

Nightwing frowned warily, his analytic mind already running possible explanations as Starfire stepped forward with a concerned look of her own.

"Raven, are you certain that these two spirits' intentions were benign and they were not trying to trick you?" she asked worriedly, her Concern for her friend shining like the sun. "You often told me of wicked and deceitful spirits that would attempt to trick unsuspecting visitors to lead them to a most horrible fate during our sessions together."

The sorceress inclined her head with an approving look in her eyes.

"Nice to know you were paying attention," she said with a pleased little smile as Kori rubbed the back of her head sheepishly before Raven's face firmed once again. "And you're absolutely right. Which is why I kept my guard up around them and meticulously checked myself for any hidden spells that might have been placed on me. That being said, I think we can relax for the moment. While I still don't trust them, neither of them have given me a reason not to trust them either. And I've already confirmed that what they showed me last night actually happened, so they haven't lied at least."

"Even so, you should be careful around them until we can find out more," Dick insisted in a stern voice as the sorceress nodded in agreement and sent a pulse of Reassurance through their bond.

"I will Dick, don't worry. Not exactly my first time dealing with dark spirits," she replied with a confident little smirk, before her face turned serious once more. "But to get back on track, once we found him, my guides and I were able to lead him to his Aunt Susan's house, who had been under the impression that he'd been killed along with his mother. And while I was there I learned some… rather disturbing things."

Victor and Beast Boy both groaned. "Great, just when I thought it couldn't get more depressing."

"Apparently, after he escaped, Bruce did the smart thing and went straight to the police," Raven continued without missing a beat as she steadfastly ignored the two dunderheads' profound Irritation with long practice. "However, this cult is more well-connected than I initially thought. After he made it to the police, Bruce was immediately taken away again by several 'bad men' wearing black suits who initially pretended like they were going to help him before taking him away to an undisclosed location where they subjected him to cruel experimentation until he used his powers to escape again. After that, he made his way to his Aunt Susan's house, which is where I was guided to and heard his story last night."

The other Titans all gaped at her.

"WHAT THE FU-?!" Garfield began loudly after a long pause, only to be immediately silenced by a stern glare from the Titans leader while the Tamaranean beside him positively seethed.

"Since we're having this conversation, I'm assuming Bruce is still in danger despite making it to his aunt?" Dick asked in an icy voice, still in absolute control despite the turbulent cocktail of volatile emotions the sorceress could feel churning violently just beneath the surface as she nodded grimly.

"I'm afraid so," she confirmed with a frustrated sigh as she once again cursed herself for making such a foolish mistake. "According to Bruce, this cult is still chasing him relentlessly. He only stopped by his aunt's house for some food and supplies before trying to leave again because he was afraid they might try to use his aunt against him the same way they tried with his mother."

The other Titans all frowned.

"Well, I can't say the kid's heart isn't in the right place, but his head sure isn't," Cyborg commented blandly, only to blink when Raven shook her head in the negative.

"Unfortunately he might've been right," she corrected as a scowl crossed her face and a trace of bitterness entered her voice. "I did my best to try and help Bruce work through his emotions and realize how foolish he was being, and I almost managed to get him to stick with his aunt despite how diminished my powers were in that state…"

"...but let me guess, those assholes chasing him showed up and ruined everything at the last second," Garfield finished with a growl, rubbing his face irritably as Raven nodded in confirmation. "Fucking typical…"

"Were these Villains successful? Did Bruce and his Aunt Susan get away?" Kori asked with an intensely worried frown as the sorceress's lips thinned at the question.

"Bruce has most likely managed to escape," she answered slowly before bowing her head mournfully as her heart clenched at the memory of Susan's murder and Bruce's agonized scream. "But his aunt… wasn't so lucky."

Starfire gasped and clapped both hands over her mouth as the boy's expressions all grew thunderous.

"Dammit," Victor snarled viciously as he shot a sympathetic look to the distraught Tamaranean before pinning Raven with a deathly serious look. "Are you sure Bruce managed to escape this cult Raven? How do you know he wasn't captured again?"

"...I doubt that very much Victor," she replied quietly, still shuddering at the memory of the wrathful roar he'd released.

Frowning severely at the small but highly uncharacteristic display from the normally stoic and stalwart sorceress, the Titans all glanced at each other before Dick spoke up.

"Raven… what did you see?" he asked quietly, Concern radiating through their bond as Raven sighed and looked up at her leader with a disturbed expression.

"It's not what I saw that's the problem Dick. It's what I felt," she clarified in a worried voice as she thought back to that horrible torrent of emotions that had slammed into her like a punch from Cinderblock. "It was pitch black and Bruce was too far away for me to make anything out, especially since the dreamscape was already murky and indistinct to begin with. But… I could hear these horrible, inhuman roars coming from the darkness as the soldiers chasing him, all panicked and screamed. The kind of sounds no child should ever be able to make. And the sheer amount of rage and hatred I felt…it overwhelmed me. The next thing I knew, I was back here in the Tower."

All the other Titans looked at each other warily.

"Ok, creepy…" Beast Boy muttered worriedly to himself before sobering up once more and continuing in an uncharacteristically brisk manner. "Well, what about the guys that tried to ambush Bruce? Any identifying markers you could see?"

All of the Titans were unsurprised but disappointed nonetheless when the sorceress shook her head.

"No. Whoever these guys were, they were serious professionals," she answered gravely as she thought back to the encounter in the house. "No identifying features of any kind and they were equipped with top-of-the-line military gear. Felt like I was watching a black ops squad or an elite mercenary company rather than the soldiers of some random cult."

Her friends all grimaced and exchanged dark looks.

"Maybe they were hired by the cult to grab Bruce? If these guys have enough money and influence to infiltrate the cops so thoroughly and afford a supervillain base then they should have the scratch to recruit some professional mercs," Cyborg suggested grimly as Nightwing gave a considering frown.

"Perhaps…" he said slowly, unable to shake the nagging Doubt Raven could feel eating away at him as he looked up at them shrewdly. "But it's still too early to say for certain. One thing's for sure though. If the people chasing Bruce have those kinds of resources at their disposal, then his powers must be incredibly strong to let a random ten year old evade and fight them off for so long."

The sorceress sighed.

Here we go…

"They are" she interjected with a resigned expression as her friends all turned their attention back to her. "But I still don't know much about them at the moment, unfortunately. Bruce didn't say much other than he couldn't control them very well and found them very frightening."

Garfield blinked.

"That… sounds familiar," he said slowly as Raven inclined her head in acknowledgment.

"Indeed," she agreed wryly before her face firmed and she looked back to her stone-faced leader. "I'm almost positive my similarities with the child are why I was contacted to help him, though I'm also sure there's more to it I haven't figured out yet."

Nightwing nodded.

"It makes sense…" he said after a long pause as he crossed his arms and furrowed his brow in thought, his brilliant mind working a mile a minute searching through the meager information he had so far for the missing pieces of the puzzle as the sorceress decided to provide him with another.

"However," she continued in a worried tone as all the other Titans focused back on her warily, "Even though Bruce refused to discuss his powers with his aunt and I wasn't able to get a good look at them before I passed out, I do have a hunch as to what they might be. As well as who Bruce really is."

"What do you mean Raven?" Victor asked in a tense voice as Raven sighed tiredly.

"Before she died, I was able to acquire Susan's address," she revealed in a resigned voice as the other Titans, especially Dick, perked up in interest, right before the sorceress reluctantly dropped the bomb. "And when I input it into the Crime Scanner, I found that her home is located… in Ohio."

All the color immediately drained from her teammates' faces.

"And that last night her neighborhood was reported destroyed… by the Hulk," The sorceress finished wearily as she gave all her friends a sympathetic look and reached out with her empathic powers to psychically soothe their rapidly rising Nervousness.

"God damn it…" Cyborg groaned miserably as he put his face in his hands, his exasperation palpable as Starfire gulped.

"Um, friend Raven, are you… absolutely certain you remembered the right address?" she asked nervously with a rather strained smile as Raven just sighed and nodded.

"Yes Starfire, I'm sure," she confirmed with an apologetic look as Kori's shoulders slumped at the answer. "And even if I wasn't, it still makes too much sense. Why Bruce was so terrified of his powers, why this cult wants him so badly, why there's so little information on the Hulk, these 'unknown terrorists' that were chasing him… it all fits."

The other Titans all looked at Dick as he frowned in thought for a moment before nodding slowly.

"She's right," he agreed reluctantly, not at all happy about that as everyone else groaned.

"Why us?" Beast Boy moaned in profound annoyance as he furiously rubbed his head, the irritation and resentment in his voice palpable. "Why do we have to be the ones that have to deal with a city-smashing rage monster all the way on the other side of the country? I mean, I feel for the kid, don't get me wrong, but… can't we just call the Justice League and let them handle this? We've got enough we have to deal with here already."

"No, Garfield," the sorceress cut in firmly as she gave her friend an understanding but stern look. "Believe me, I'm not any happier about this than you are, but I was contacted for a reason. What exactly that reason is, I'm not entirely sure yet, but I am sure it was a good one. These things never happen without cause, you've been around me long enough to know that."

Garfield grimaced for a long moment before finally letting out a resigned sigh of reluctant acceptance at Raven's words.

"Ohhhhhh, this hurts already," he grumbled irritably as he pinched the bridge of his nose while the other Titans looked on silently, for once unable to disagree with his rather blunt assessment of the situation.

"It doesn't matter," Nightwing declared firmly after a moment of silence as he stepped forward to give everyone a determined look. "Like it or not, Bruce still needs our help and the ones chasing him need to be stopped. Especially since there's more going on here than meets the eye. We were contacted for a reason, and we need to find out what that reason is."

Beast Boy and Victor both grimaced and nodded slowly as Starfire stepped forward with a stern expression, the emerald fire in her eyes burning fiercely.

"Dick is right. I will not allow this poor child to suffer a moment longer. We will save him and punish the ones responsible for harming him so," she declared in a voice that broked absolutely no argument while her fellow Titans all glanced at each with fondly exasperated amusement, before Kori's face softened considerably and she gave everyone a kind, encouraging smile. "Besides, the situation is not as bleak as you think, friends. From what Raven has told us, Bruce himself is a sweet, kind, innocent little boy that does not wish to harm anyone. Once we find him, we should be more than capable of helping him control his abilities. We have much experience with that, after all."

Everyone gave soft little smiles at that, their spirits lightening somewhat as they recognized the truth behind the tamaranean's words.

"Yeah, I guess you're right Star," Garfield conceded with a grateful smile at Starfire that she kindly returned, before looking at the sorceress for guidance. "All right, let's get to it then! So where do we start Raven?"

Raven graced him with a small, soft smile before her brow furrowed in thought.

"For now, I think the best course of action would be for Dick and I to go investigate the Hulk's last known location while Victor combs our systems for bugs and intruders," she replied as she gracefully returned to her feet and looked at everyone with a serious expression. "We need to gather more information on who exactly it is we're dealing with and what the Hulk is capable of before we go any further."

Cyborg and Nightwing both blinked.

"Wait… why exactly do I need to comb our systems for bugs?" Victor asked suspiciously, a rather dangerous edge in his voice as his and Dick's eyes both narrowed and the sorceress sighed in resignation.

Brace yourselves, she said privately to Beast Boy and Kori, who both blinked in confusion at the sudden psychic warning before Raven took a deep breath.

"The police were not the only ones Bruce went to. He also tried to call us and the Justice League after his second escape," she began warily as her body tensed in preparation for the explosion she knew was coming before, with a silent prayer to the Mother of Azarath, the sorceress dropped the bomb. "But when he did and was told to stay put until help arrived, the 'black suits' ambushed him soon after."

Garfield and Starfire's faces promptly turned stark white at that revelation, which was quite an impressive feat considering their odd, vibrant skin colors, and they both frantically covered their ears as Nightwing and Cyborg froze stiff and a weary Raven began a mental countdown.

3… 2… 1…

"WHAT!?!"

Beast Boy and Kori both winced at the ear-splitting screeches as the sorceress stared back blandly with half-lidded eyes, utterly calm and impassive in the face of the dual eruptions of Mt. Victor and Mt. Dick while idly wiping some errant spittle off her face.

"SOMEONE HACKED INTO THE TITAN'S PHONE LINES!?! MY PHONE LINES!?! THE PHONE LINES I WORKED AND SLAVED OVER FOR WEEKS WITH DICK TO MAKE SURE THEY WOULD BE SECURE!?! ALL SO THEY COULD KEEP TORTURING A LITTLE KID!?!" Cyborg roared like a raging bull, steam whistling out of his ears and the metal making up his body glowing red hot as Raven sighed, not even needing her powers to see the anger and wounded pride pouring off of him and Nightwing in waves.

Boys…

"It would seem so," she replied blandly as Victor started cursing up a hurricane and Dick looked like he was about two seconds away from locking up every Titan from around the world and anyone even remotely associated with them in a cell so he could interrogate them all one by one.

"And you didn't tell us about this critical security breach first, why?" Nightwing hissed with an icy voice and glare that had had many a criminal soiling themselves in utter terror as the sorceress fearlessly stared back at the two enraged Titans with a thoroughly unimpressed expression.

"Because I knew that if I did, you two pinheads would only focus on that. So I figured I'd go ahead and get the entire story out of the way first before you and Victor had your little freakout," she answered bluntly as her leader scowled and looked away petulantly, knowing she was right but refusing to admit it as his girlfriend and Garfield both tried desperately to stifle their laughter.

"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I'M GONNA FOCUS ON THIS TO THE EXCLUSION OF ALL ELSE!" Cyborg loudly agreed as Raven sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'M GONNA GO OVER EACH AND EVERY ONE OF OUR SYSTEMS WITH A FINE-TOOTHED COMB! THEN WHEN I FIND AND TRACK DOWN THE BASTARDS WHO DID THIS, I'LL TEAR THEM APART WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS! NO ONE MAKES A FOOL OF ME!"

"And so we can find out who's chasing and tormenting this poor child so we can save him. Right?" the sorceress cut in bluntly, bringing Victor up short as he abruptly snapped out of his rage and coughed awkwardly into his fist.

"Er… right. Of course. That is the most important thing here, after all," he agreed with a sheepish smile at his honorary sister's chastising glare before she let out an irritated sigh.

"You're missing the most important point here Victor," Raven said in an annoyed voice as she massaged her temples to ward off the oncoming headache from her fellow Titan's antics before giving them all a serious look. "The problem is not your security, everyone here knows how thorough you and Dick are when it comes to that sort of thing. Which means that if this cult was able to break our encryption without us finding out about it, then they must be well-funded, well-connected, and very well-equipped. In other words, this is no common street gang or crime syndicate we're dealing with here. These are some serious players that are after Bruce's head."

All her fellow Titan's immediately sobered up at the sorceress's words as they glanced at each other warily.

"Raven's right. There are only a handful of individuals and organizations with the kind of pull to do something like this, and all of them are among the most dangerous people in the world," Dick agreed gravely after a moment's pause, brow furrowed in thought as he went down a mental list of possible suspects.

None of them were encouraging.

"Which means that whatever Bruce's powers are, they must also be incredibly dangerous for such powerful and horrible Villains to want him so badly," Kori finished sadly, looking more concerned than ever as the Worry she was feeling for Bruce shone like a spotlight to Raven's empathetic senses.

"My thoughts exactly," she concurred with a grim expression, tone deathly serious as looked around at her teammates sternly. "Which is why we need to find Bruce and bring him here as soon as possible. He cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of these people. Nor can we
allow him to run around without supervision when he might hurt himself or somebody else with such dangerously unstable powers."

The other Titans all nodded resolutely in agreement, each wearing a determined expression on their face.

"All right, let's get to it then," Nightwing declared with a no-nonsense expression as he turned to the others. "Raven and I will go investigate Susan's address while Victor searches our systems for any leads or intruders. If what she says is true, then we can't afford to go in blind here. We all know how dangerous the Hulk is from what happened in Dayton and none of the Villains or organizations I have in mind that could have done this are people we can afford to pick a fight with without a plan. Like Raven said, these are serious heavy-hitters we're talking about here."

"Not to mention we still have responsibilities here as well," Cyborg chimed in with a grim expression of his own as stepped forward and looked down seriously at his friends. "As much as I feel for the kid, we can't just abandon the city to go off on a wild goose chase looking for him. Especially since all the other Titans have their own issues to deal with.."

"Right, which means Garfield and Starfire are going to have to watch the city by themselves," Dick said with a nod before shooting Garfield and his girlfriend an apologetic look. "Sorry, you two."

But they both just smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry about us you guys," Beast Boy replied confidently with a thumbs up. "We can handle it. You all just focus on finding out who's torturing that poor kid and kick their sorry butts into the next century."

"Indeed. I am most eager to have a serious conversation with these men on the proper way to treat little ones," Starfire agreed wholeheartedly in a bone-chilling tone, the undercurrent of viciousness in her voice enough to shivers up everyone's spines, especially coming from the normally unceasingly kind alien woman.

"And you can be sure that l'll do everything I can on my end to track these bastards down too," Victor added resolutely with a confident smirk and thumbs up at his leader before the glancing at Raven. "Speaking of which, can I go now?"

The sorceress sighed at his pleading tone.

"Go," she said with a resigned look and wave before her cloak was abruptly blown back by the massive gale force Cyborg kicked up as he damn near broke the sound barrier in his haste to get to the server room.

"Try to make sure he doesn't get so wrapped up in this he forgets to eat. Or sleep. Or recharge himself," Raven requested wryly with a fondly exasperated shake of her head as Garfield and Kori both howled with laughter at the mechanical man's antics and nodded in agreement while Nightwing cracked an amused grin.

"Do not worry Raven. I have long practice in making sure prideful, stubborn boys don't overwork themselves," Starfire said teasingly, a mischievous glint in her eye as Beast Boy's laughter doubled in volume and even the sorceress had to crack a grin at Dick's suddenly grumpy expression.

"Ha ha, you guys," he muttered sardonically before Kori's mischievous look abruptly softened into a gentle, sincere smile as she floated over to her boyfriend and took his hands in her own.

"Be safe Dick. I love you," she said warmly as she shared a deep, passionate kiss with her boyfriend, the sheer amount of LOVE and HAPPINESS radiating from the two enough to melt even Raven's heart like butter as she and Garfield both looked on with deeply approving looks.

"Love you too Star. And don't worry, I will be," Nightwing assured his girlfriend with a soft smile of his own before turning to the smirking sorceress and moving to stand by her side. "Well, I guess we should get going then, huh?"

"We should," Raven agreed with a nod as her face sobered and she pulled up her hood before turning to Starfire and Beast Boy. "Good luck you two."

"You as well, Raven," Kori replied softly with clasped hands and eyes shining with Worry and Concern. "Please hurry. I do not wish to hear about this poor child suffering any longer."

The sorceress nodded grimly.

"We will Starfire, don't worry," she assured her friend gently before flashing a small, encouraging smile. "Besides, Bruce isn't nearly as helpless as you think. He's a smart kid, and I also cast the Blessing of Azarath for him as well. If the Mother Spirit is gracious, my protection spell will find him and hopefully help keep the child safe on his travels until we can rescue him."

Starfire smiled warmly at that.

"You are very kind, Raven," she said proudly as the heroine in question simply shrugged her shoulders.

"I just did what any half-decent person would do in my situation," Raven replied in a nonchalant voice as her three friends all snorted and gave each knowing look.

"Creamy, gooey center," Garfield chimed in with a sing-song voice as the sorceress scowled thunderously and Dick and Kori both stifled laughter.

"Don't you have a city to be patrolling right now?" Raven growled through gritted teeth as Beast Boy just laughed at her heated glare.

"Love you too Rae Rae!" he replied cheerfully with one last teasing look before heading to the door with a still giggling Starfire while studiously ignoring the hole the sorceress was burning in the back of his head.

"I am going to strangle that insufferable little brat one of these days," she snarled viciously to herself while Nightwing merely looked on in amusement.

"But probably not one day soon," he commented nonchalantly as Raven let out an explosive sigh, all the irritation draining out of her, before Dick abruptly sobered up. "Come on Raven. We've got a job to do."

The sorceress nodded soberly herself before her eyes lit up and she raised two darkly glowing hands.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

And Raven and Nightwing both vanished as a dome of dark magic consumed them both before disappearing into thin air.

Author's Note:

Hi everyone!

Sorry this took so long, but I've been very busy with RL stuff, other projects, and finding a new editor.

But now I'll hopefully be able to start posting these on a more regular basis again.

Especially since I've got a pretty big backlog of chapters for this already written that just need to be edited.

Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Text

Chapter 4:

Raven and Dick both frowned as they looked down at the scene of utter devastation below them from their place high in the sky, Nightwing, glowing with the same eerie purple light as the sorceress, as she held him aloft in her telekinetic grip.

Lying just 30 miles outside the city of Dayton, Yellow Springs was once a small, but charming little town known for its unique culture, thriving art scene, and being home to a number of successful small businesses.

Now though…

"Damn, looks like a tornado ripped through here," Dick muttered quietly, unconcerned about being spotted thanks to a subtle illusion spell Raven had cast while the woman in question nodded solemnly as they floated slowly over the beleaguered town.

"Feel's like that's the nice way of describing this place," the sorceress agreed with a sad expression as she looked down mournfully at the trail of destruction the Hulk had left in his wake. All around, the Grief, Shock, Sadness, and Anger of the Yellow Springs residents sounded out loud and clear.

Much like Dayton, the Hulk had left a deep scar in the town, an almost literal river of destruction of smashed buildings, streets and cars eventually leading into the nearby woods.

He really seemed to like those, for some reason.

It had been bad enough seeing the creature's handiwork on the news, but witnessing it in person… was so much worse.

Taking a deep breath as she worked to shut out the torrent of negative emotions she could feel coming from the town's residents, Raven looked at Nightwing with a deeply concerned expression.

"He's completely out of control, Dick," she said softly, the undercurrent of worry in her voice palpable as Dick frowned and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, he is," he concurred with an equally concerned expression before giving her a firm look. "We need to find him, and fast. If this keeps up, Bruce is going to get himself killed before too long."

Raven nodded slowly, and the two fell into a tense silence for a long few moments before she perked up at seeing their destination come in sight.

"There," she said confidently as she pointed at the familiar looking house, which had unsurprisingly been cordoned off since last she saw it.

Nightwing followed her finger before nodding sharply and pointing to a secluded looking spot a few streets down.

"Put us down there. We'll need to suit up so we can blend in before we get closer," he instructed briskly, before cracking an amused grin at the sorceress's exasperated sigh.

"Disguises, oh joy" she muttered irritably as she reluctantly moved to follow her leader's command while Dick chuckled at her obvious annoyance.

"Come on Raven. Wearing something else besides that cloak and leotard can't be that bad," he teased lightly while Raven grunted and shot him an irritated look as they floated down towards their destination.

"This, coming from the guy whose closet used to be filled with nothing but spare uniforms?" she shot back with a slight growl as she touched down and deposited her chuckling leader gently on the ground.

"Guilty as charged," Nightwing admitted cheerfully without an ounce of shame before giving the unamused sorceress a damnably cheeky grin. "But I was able to grow out of that phase. For the most part, at least. Don't you think it's about time you did the same Raven?"

"No," Raven growled as she stubbornly wrapped her beloved cloak around herself tightly and gave him a petulant glare.

But Dick just laughed.

"Well, too bad, because I do and I'm the leader here," he reminded her haughtily as the sorceress's eyes narrowed in a rather dangerous manner. "Now suit us both up. That's an order."

"Don't push it, Dick," she warned ominously before finally relenting with a resigned sigh as Nightwing shot her a Look. "Fine."

Raven reluctantly waved a darkly glowing hand, and her and Dick's iconic uniforms were instantly replaced by a set of civilian clothes.

Nightwing was clad in a familiar outfit he'd briefly donnedand grown quite attached to during their eventful visit to Tokyo.

He was now clad in a skinny black suit, a long, flowing white jacket, and was completed by a pair of black jeans and a stylish pair of black shades in place of his signature domino mask.

Even out of uniform Dick still had an aversion to letting his eyes be shown for reasons even Starfire didn't know.

The sorceress couldn't blame him for being so attached to his mask and shades though.

They made you feel… cool.

Which was the exact opposite of what she was feeling right now as she looked down at herself with a bitter sigh.

"You look good Raven," Nightwing commented as he gave an appreciative look at her new outfit while Raven just huffed and crossed her arms grumpily.

"And you look like a wannabe Japanese delinquent," she grumbled testily as Dick just laughed at the catty comment.

"Well then, we're perfect for each other aren't we?" he said cheekily as he offered her his arm. "Just a wannabe otaku delinquent and his hot goth girlfriend on a trip to view the local art scene before their getaway was rudely interrupted by a rampaging metahuman. No one will give us a second glance."

The sorceress snorted in reluctant amusement as she linked arms with Nightwing and they began making their way to Susan's house.

"You better not let Starfire hear you say that honey," she muttered to him quietly, the sarcasm in her voice thick enough to choke a whale as she flinched slightly at some of the looks they got from various passerbys.

And the emotions that came with them.

Mostly centered around her.

Or rather, various parts of her now exposed anatomy.

"Wow, you really like that cloak don't you?" Dick commented wryly as Raven shot a murderous look at one particularly lecherous creep that sent him scurrying away for dear life, her Discomfort and Embarrassment coming in loud and clear through their bond.

"Yes Dick, I do," she hissed softly, her Annoyance coming through loud and clear as well as she gave him a profoundly irritated look. "I feel like I'm walking around naked right now."

Nightwing snorted.

"Well, maybe you wouldn't feel that way if you didn't insist on wearing that cloak all the time," he replied matter-of-factly as he grinned knowingly at the sorceress's smoldering glare. "Also, you walk around in a leotard all day, pretty sure you have more on now than you usually do."

"Bite me," she growled testily, wearing an expression that made it very much look like she was about to bite him instead as Dick rolled his eyes, not the least bit impressed or intimidated.

"Oh will you stop being such a drama queen already Raven?" he drawled with half-lidded eyes hidden by his glasses before that teasing grin spread across his face again. "I bet that goth kid you used to hang out with would love to see you right now. Starfire certainly has an eye when it comes to clothes."

Raven's cheeks promptly blushed scarlet and she looked away in a huff at the friendly jab, her Embarrassment rising even more.

"Oh, stop it Dick," she muttered irritably as she gave a couple of young neighborhood boys who were openly ogling her in shocked awe a stern expression and sent out a subtle psychic whisper to gently but firmly encourage them to be on their way. "That was never anything serious and I haven't seen Garth in ages. Besides, he's long since outgrown that edgy goth phase of his."

"If you haven't seen him in ages, then how do you know he's outgrown his goth phase?" Nightwing asked pointedly as the sorceress fidgeted slightly under his knowing gaze and muttered something about "Pen Pals" before he finally relented with a sigh and sent a subtle pulse of Apology, Reassurance, and Earnestness through their bond. "In all seriousness Raven, you really do look amazing. It definitely wouldn't hurt you to dress like this more often. Garth might have made the goth look seem edgy, but you make it look good."

Raven's blush grew even deeper at the Sincerity she could feel from her friend.

Dick was quite right, after all.

The sorceress was currently clad in a fashionable black jacket and royal blue blouse along with a navy-blue mini skirt with pleats that rather nicely accentuated her long, shapely legs and well-developed hips and rear.

Topping off the outfit was a pair of black boots and black fingerless gloves along with a minor illusion spell that turned her rather distinctive pale-gray skin tone into a more common, though still pale, Caucasian coloration and her purple hair black.

All in all, not only was her outfit effective at helping distance "Rachel Roth" from the fearsome and foreboding superheroine Raven, but it also revealed for all to see just how beautiful the sorceress truly was under her heavy, wraith-like cloak.

Much to Raven's chagrin.

"Thank you Dick. You're sweet," she said in a quiet but warm voice, Gratitude flowing through their bond as she held him tighter and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, both in thanks and to hopefully send a message to everyone watching the "couple" walk down the street that she was "taken" and not interested. "But that's exactly the problem. While I suppose it's… nice to have other people think I'm …attractive, you know how much I hate being the center of attention. Especially when I can feel what people are thinking everytime they look at me while I'm wearing this."

Nightwing frowned as he caught her meaning before he also started sending warning glares to anyone they caught looking for too long. Between them both and the subtle psychic warnings the sorceress constantly broadcasted, she and Dick were given a wide berth.

Raven finally started to relax somewhat after that, and the two friends chatted quietly about more pleasant topics for a few minutes as they took the opportunity to enjoy the brief, peaceful respite they knew was going to come to an end all too soon as they approached their destination.

Sure enough, the idyllic neighborhood gave way to a disaster area as they drew closer to Susan's house, filled with shell shocked citizens and grim-faced police, firefighters, and rescue workers all picking through the wreckage of the myriad of broken homes.

The sorceress grimaced at the pungent aroma of negative emotions in the air, as she and Nightwing both expertly adopted shocked and awestruck expressions, playing the part of a couple of hapless civilians perfectly as they moved deeper into the site of the Hulk's rampage.

And as they slowly made their way forward, being as careful not to get in the authorities way or disturb the grieving townspeople as possible, Raven immediately went to work, reaching out with her empathic powers to soothe and bolster the distraught spirits of everyone around them as much as she possibly could while also scanning for anyone that might still be injured or trapped in the wreckage.

And whenever she found one, she would quietly whisper in the minds of the nearest rescue workers to guide them to the location of whoever needed help.

The sorceress dearly wished she could do more, but the mission had to take priority and they needed to make sure whoever was chasing Bruce didn't catch on to the fact the Titans were gunning for them now.

This was the best she could do for these poor people at the moment.

Hopefully, it would be enough.

They continued like that for a while, carefully inching their way through the Disaster Zone as Dick remained silent to allow Raven to concentrate, before at last they arrived at their destination.

The sorceress frowned sadly at the familiar sight, the memories of last night still fresh in her mind as she stared forlornly at the massive hole in the house's front.

"That's definitely it," she whispered quietly to Nightwing, who nodded grimly before they approached one of the officers, a grizzled looking African American man whose name tag read "Mike Briggs" currently with a rather beleaguered look on his face.

"Sorry, can't let you go this way sir, ma'am. Crime scene." he said briskly as they approached before grimacing as he glanced behind him at the house. "And trust me, you don't want to go anywhere near that place anyway. It ain't pretty."

"We were just wondering what happened here," Dick replied before clarifying as Officer Briggs eyebrows rose incredulously. "Rachel and I are from out of town. We came to Yellow Springs to check out the local art scene and just got here last night. Then when we woke up it looked like a damn hurricane swept through here while we were asleep. What gives?"

"Don't you two watch the news?" Mike asked in a disbelieving tone as Raven let out a haughty little snort.

"Television rots your brain," she answered bluntly in a deadpan voice as Briggs stared at her for a few more moments before finally shrugging his shoulders.

"I guess I can't argue with that," he muttered wryly before sighing as he gave them a sad look, his Grief and Anger flaring up while the sorceress frowned at his pain. "Long story short, the Hulk and his little terrorist buddies decided to pay us a visit last night."

Raven and Nightwing both stiffened in feigned shock and alarm.

"You mean that monster that smashed up Dayton last week!?! He was here!?!" Dick exclaimed, masterfully imitating the fear and dread of an ordinary civilian who just realized they'd narrowly dodged a bullet as Mike nodded somberly.

"Yeah, he was here alright, and he brought his friends with him. And they smashed this place up good last night playing their little cat-and-mouse game," he spat bitterly before sighing again as he cast a regretful look behind him. "Starting with the poor woman who lived in that house…"

"I'm very sorry to hear that," the sorceress said in a sincere, sympathetic voice, not acting one bit as Briggs nodded glumly in thanks. "Did you know her?"

He sighed sadly.

"Yeah, I knew her," he replied in a deeply tired voice. "Small town like this, everyone knows each other at least a little bit. She was a Guidance Counselor that worked at one of the nearby schools. Helped my boy Daniel when he was going through a tough time after his Mom died. Helped me too…"

"What was her name?" Raven asked kindly, giving Mike a sympathetic look to try and help ease his Grief as he bowed his head mournfully.

"Susan. Susan Banner," he answered in a low, hollow tone of voice as Nightwing and the sorceress both nodded. "She was a good woman. A kind woman who'd already dealt with more than enough shit in her life already. She… she didn't deserve this…"

Briggs trailed off as Dick and Raven glanced at each other.

"Do you think those terrorists might have targeted her for some reason?" Nightwing asked innocently as Mike blinked before his eyes narrowed shrewdly.

"What's it to you? Did you know her? I thought you said you were from out of town…?" Briggs asked gruffly, Suspicion rapidly rising in his soul as Dick frowned before turning to the sorceress and locking eyes with her.

A short, non-verbal debate ensued as Raven frowned in thought at what her leader was suggesting before finally nodding in agreement as they turned back to the waiting officer.

"Remain calm," the sorceress instructed briskly in a low voice as Mike tensed in Alarm before her eyes lit up and she waved a glowing hand while whispering an incantation under her breath.

The air around them shimmered and grew hazy before a grayish bubble of some kind formed around them as Briggs whipped out his pistol in a lightning fast motion and aimed it squarely at the two superheroes' heads.

"Get down on the ground now!" he barked sharply, only for his eyes to widen in shock as he felt his entire body seize up and looked down to see he was completely enveloped in a black-and-purple-aura.

"I told you to remain calm, officer," Raven repeated calmly with a patient expression as she gently held the confused officer in her telekinetic grip before giving him a reassuring look. "We mean you no harm."

The sorceress gestured with a glowing hand again, and in a flourish of dark magic she and Nightwing were both back in uniform, and Raven let out a small sigh of relief at the comforting feeling of her cloak wrapped around her once more while Dick rolled his eyes and Mike's jaw dropped.

"Do you recognize us now?" Raven asked the stunned policeman kindly, giving him a small, pleased smile when he nodded. "Good. Now, I'm going to let you go, Officer Briggs, and when I do I would appreciate it if you don't try and shoot my friend and I here. Ok?"

Briggs nodded again, and the sorceress nodded in turn before releasing him from her paralyzing grip as promised.

"You're… Raven and Nightwing. From the Titans," he said dumbly in shocked awe as Dick smirked and Raven had to suppress an eyeroll at the burst of Pride that came from him at being recognized so far from home.

Always trying so hard to step out of Batman's shadow…

"In the flesh," Nightwing said cockily before his face grew more serious and he looked around at the ruined neighborhood with a sad expression. "Though I wish we'd come under better circumstances."

Mike swallowed thickly as he visibly drew himself back up, trying to sort himself out despite all that was happening.

"Why are you here? And what is this?" he questioned briskly, his tone becoming steadier and more professional as he gestured at the bubble surrounding him while Dick and the sorceress both adopted businesslike expressions in kind.

"We came here to investigate the Hulk's rampage," Raven answered in an equally professional manner before glancing at the bubble's outer wall. "As for this, don't be alarmed. It's just an illusion spell I cast to give us some privacy. Anyone looking from the outside will only see you talking to two hapless civilians. We're trying to keep a low profile."

Briggs blinked owlishly as Confusion poured off him in waves.

"...Ok," he said lamely after a long pause before shaking his head to regain his composure again. "But why do you two care about this? Isn't your cell of the Titans based all the way on the other side of the country?"

Nightwing and the sorceress shared a glance.

"Let's just say we received an anonymous tip from a reliable source that the Hulk and the people chasing him are a lot more dangerous than they appear," Dick answered cryptically before fixing the policeman with a stern and determined look. "Regardless, we're here now, and we want to help, but we're a little in the dark here. Any information you can provide that might help us in our investigation would be greatly appreciated, Officer Briggs."

Mike nodded slowly as his brow furrowed in thought.

"I would love to help you and your friend catch the bastards that did this Nightwing, but unfortunately I'm not sure how much I can actually tell you," he said in a frustrated voice as Raven frowned at the palpable sense of Helplessness he was feeling. "As far as I know Susan was well-liked, had no criminal record, and didn't really have any enemies or shady connections either. Nor did she have much in the way of money. So unless those bastards were secretly working for Brian, then I don't see why having a shitty dad and a walking pile of vomit for a brother would make them want Susan dead."

Nightwing and the sorceress both blinked.

"Susan… had an abusive dad and a horrible brother?" Dick asked weakly, a horrible feeling forming in the pit of his and Raven's guts as an awful suspicion started to rise within them at Brigg's sad nod.

It can't be… There's no way Bruce's luck is that bad… the sorceress thought with mounting dread as she desperately prayed to the Mother of Azarath that her instincts were wrong.

To no avail.

"Yeah, she did," Mike confirmed with a sympathetic look at Dick and Raven's mounting horror. "She didn't talk about it much, but her Dad was apparently a real piece of work who abused her and Brian relentlessly when they were kids. That's why she became a Guidance Counselor in the first place, to help kids like her. And unfortunately, her brother apparently decided to follow in his old man's footsteps. Got sent to the nut house three years ago for beating his wife and Susan's poor little nephew senseless for God knows how long before trying to kill them both. Some crazy shit about how Bruce was a monster because Brian's dad was a monster so any kid he had would also be a monster or some nonsense like that."

Nightwing and the sorceress just stared at Briggs with their jaws on the floor, absolutely speechless.

…Are you kidding me? Are you fucking kidding me right now!?! Raven growled to herself in sheer Disbelief after a long pause as she furiously massaged her temples to relieve her pounding migraine, the Anger, Disgust, Pity, and Sadness she was feeling threatening to boil over any moment now. I… I have no words. For Azarath's sake, just how much does the Universe hate this poor kid!?!

Starfire was going to have an aneurysm.

One thing was for sure, this Brian Banner was very, very lucky he was currently locked up where he belonged.

"So if Susan was just an ordinary Guidance Counselor, then what would the Hulk or these terrorists want with her?" The sorceress asked in a voice of half-feigned, half-sincere bewilderment as she fought down her incredulous disgust and refocused on the task at hand. "Have the police here found out anymore about them?"

Briggs frowned, his Frustration obvious.

"No we haven't and that's the worst part," he replied in a bitter tone before giving the two of them a serious look. "All we know is that these guys are dangerous and seriously well-equipped. Not only were they packing state-of-the-art military gear, they also somehow managed to hack the Town's entire communication network and set up some kind of EMP Scramblers on the outskirts before they made their move on the Hulk. All our radios were down along with every phone and camera in Yellow Springs for hours before we managed to find all the Scramblers."

Nightwing and Raven's eyebrows both rose high at that as they shared a concerned glance.

I guess that explains why it took them so long to kick Susan's door in, the sorceress thought wryly to herself.

She had been wondering why they hadn't acted sooner ever since she woke up, as the people chasing Bruce had to be watching his relatives closely just in case he showed up.

Still, this was getting very worrying.

Could a simple cult really have such incredible resources and technology at their disposal?

Something wasn't adding up here.

"I see. That's rather concerning," Dick said in a wary tone as he rubbed his chin in thought, his mind racing. "Tech like that doesn't come cheap or easy, and an assault like this would require some serious planning and coordination to pull off. Whoever these guys are, they mean business."

"One thing's for sure, they really didn't want anyone to see them," Raven commented blandly as she and Nightwing shared a meaningful look.

Or the Hulk, went the unspoken message that the sorceress knew Dick heard loud and clear as Mike nodded.

"No, they didn't," he commented in an equally bland manner before his eyes narrowed, his Anger flaring up again. "Can't say that I blame them though. I sure as hell wouldn't want anyone to see me after the shit they've pulled. Especially considering who's after them."

Raven and Nightwing both perked up in interest at that.

"What do you mean? Who's chasing them?" she asked sharply with a quirked eyebrow as Brigg's face grew worried.

"I… don't really know for sure," he answered in a low tone after a long moment, glancing warily at the bubble as the sorceress's eyes narrowed at the sudden influx of Nervousness she could feel from the policeman. "Bunch of government spooks showed up not long after the Hulk and the bastards chasing him disappeared, damn suits confiscated everything they left behind. Bodies, weapons, gear, tech, they took it all. The Chief and our forensics guys raised holy hell about it at first, but they shut up real quick when the spooks showed them a few documents and haven't breathed a word about it since. Made damn sure to let the rest of us know to drop it too."

Dick and Raven both frowned deeply.

That rat just kept getting bigger and smellier by the minute.

It had scarcely even been 10 hours since Susan's murder.

For these people to have already swooped in and gathered all the evidence up in so little time, they would have either had to have been right on the "terrorists" heels when the Hulk's rampage began…

…or already in place, waiting for the creature and his pursuers to leave the area before they moved in.

This was a cover up, that much was certain.

Any idiot with two brain cells to rub together could see that.

The question was what was being covered up and why?

Why were these people so keen on making sure the regular authorities were kept in the dark about these "terrorists"?

Why were the "terrorists" seemingly so hell bent on making sure nobody got a good look at the Hulk?

How were these two groups connected?

How could some random cult have access to such incredible resources and wide-reaching connections?

And for what exact purpose did the people so desperately chasing him want with Bruce and his monstrous alter ego?

All these questions and more flashed through the sorceress's mind as she shared a long, understanding look with Nightwing, knowing he was thinking the exact same things she was.

"Are any of these guys still around?" Dick demanded urgently as Briggs sighed and shook his head in the negative.

"Sorry, but no," Mike replied apologetically, unable to keep the stark relief out of his voice as Nightwing and Raven's faces both tightened in disappointment. "They packed everything up and left not too long ago, and good riddance. Shifty bastards gave me the creeps…"

Dick and the sorceress both scowled.

"Dammit," he cursed bitterly at such an opportunity slipping through his fingers before giving Briggs a piercing look. "Do you have any idea where they might have gone? Or what agency they were from?"

The policeman shook his head.

"No, I'm just a beat cop. Shit like that is way above my paygrade," Mike answered in that same apologetic voice before shuddering slightly as Raven gave a concerned look at the Fear she could sense from him. "And more importantly, I don't want to know. I've worked with Chief Johnson for years and he along with the forensics guys are some of the toughest bastards I've ever known. And I have never seen any of them look so scared, like they just squared up to Darkseid. Whoever those guys were, they were trouble. Serious trouble. And I wouldn't want to be in those terrorists' shoes once those spooks finally get their hands on them…"

Nightwing and Raven both shared a dark look as Briggs trailed off.

This just kept getting better and better.

"I see. Thank you for your help Officer Briggs. You've given us a lot to think about," Dick thanked the policeman politely before shooting the sorceress a look as she sighed and reluctantly shifted them back into their civilian clothes with a wave of a hand.

"Indeed," Raven concurred as she forced down her annoyance in favor of bowing her head in gratitude to Mike. "Thank you for your time Officer Briggs, you've been a great help."

Briggs nodded.

"I only wish I could have done more," he replied graciously before glancing back at the house with a mournful expression as the sorceress sighed unhappily at his Sadness and Regret. "For Susan…"

Both heroes' faces hardened.

"Don't worry officer. We'll find the ones that did this. And they will answer for their crimes," Nightwing declared resolutely as Raven gave a firm nod beside him while Mike finally cracked a small grin.

"Thanks you two. I… I really appreciate that," he said in a grateful, sincere voice, and the sorceress was pleased at the way she could sense his spirits lifting. "It makes me feel a lot better knowing people like you are on the case."

Nightwing flashed a cocky smirk and gave him a thumbs up while Raven offered a small smile.

"There's no need to thank us, Officer. We're just doing our duty. Same as you," the sorceress replied warmly before her face grew slightly stern. "All the same, for your own safety, I think it would be best if you forget this conversation ever happened. The last thing we want is for your son to end up fatherless because someone decided to tie up loose ends."

Briggs nodded grimly.

"Consider it forgotten. I doubt anyone would believe me anyway," he agreed wholeheartedly in a wry voice. "Good luck you two."

"And you as well," Raven replied graciously as she bowed her head respectfully one last time before dispensing her illusion and walking away with Dick, taking solace in the Hope she could feel in Mike's heart as he watched them go.

"Well that was certainly informative," the sorceress commented dryly a few moments later as Nightwing nodded slowly in agreement, his emotions a broiling stew of conflicting thoughts and feelings. "So what now Dick? I'm sure you'd like to question Chief Johnson and the forensic team, but I'm not sure that's such a good idea. I'm guessing these guys are the type to keep an eye on possible loose ends, and we might put them in danger if we start poking around too much."

Dick frowned in consternation as he mulled over his friend's words before finally letting out an explosive sigh, his Frustration coming through loud and clear from their bond.

"No, you're right. As much as I hate to say it, we can't risk the police's safety and giving ourselves away by going to the Chief," he agreed reluctantly before giving Raven a considering look. "So I think the best thing for us to do for now is split up and ask around some more, see if the people on the ground know anything else. There's still a lot we don't know. One thing's for sure, though. There's a lot more going on here than just some cult with a few rich backers and some cops in their pocket."

The sorceress nodded slowly in agreement, a deep frown on her face.

"No kidding," she concurred apprehensively as she crossed her arms and gazed out at the ruined neighborhood with a troubled expression. "I already knew whoever's after Bruce would be dangerous after finding out they hacked our phone lines. But, having this much influence and resources at their disposal, all ready to go at such short notice… this is big Dick. Really big."

Nightwing nodded grimly.

"You're right," he said seriously before a determined look crossed his face. "Which is why we need to find out what's going on and rescue Bruce as soon as possible. Both for his sake and everyone else's."

Raven nodded with a resolute expression of her own.

"I'll meet you back here in a few hours," she told him simply before they exchanged nods one last time and headed off in separate directions.

Hopefully someone around here had seen something they could use.

***

Raven let out a frustrated sigh from where she was leaning against the wall of a still-intact house, spotting Dick approaching her with a similarly frustrated expression, practically overflowing with Annoyance.

"You too huh?" she asked blandly with half-lidded eyes as she sent out a pulse of Sympathy and Understanding through their bond while Nightwing just sighed and nodded.

"Yep," he confirmed in an equally bland manner, frowning heavily. "Nobody I asked knew anything more than Briggs did and all I got on the Hulk was more of the 'giant red, pissed-off rage monster' stuff the news has been spouting. And anytime I mentioned these 'spooks' they all clammed up immediately and told me to keep my mouth shut. Hell, one guy almost arrested me…"

The sorceress nodded in understanding.

"Same on my end," she said in a sympathetic voice before a deep scowl marred her features. "That is when I was able to get people to stop staring at my 'assets' long enough to actually answer my questions. Speaking of which, can I please have my cloak back now?"

Dick sighed in fond exasperation at her pleading tone and the Desperation he could feel through their bond before nodding his assent with a cheeky grin.

"Alright Raven, you can have your cloak back now," he replied teasingly as Raven huffed at his condescendingly indulgent tone.

She was not a child wanting her favorite blankie back, dammit!

She should know, she'd babysat one for years before Timmy finally outgrew that damn blanket of his.

And burning that accursed thing to ash the second he gave it up would forever be one of the sorceress's fondest memories.

"Besides, we need to be getting back to the Tower anyway," Nightwing continued in a much more serious voice as Raven immediately sobered as well. "Victor should have finished his sweep of our systems, hopefully he found something we can use. We should compare notes with him to see if we can get to the bottom of this."

The sorceress nodded before she yet again cast a subtle illusion spell to dissuade anyone from looking their way and raised her darkly glowing hands.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

And they both vanished as they were swallowed by the darkness once more.

***

Deep in the woods many miles outside the recovering city of Dayton, Ohio, well off any beaten paths, there used to lie a little stone abbey.

It was once a small, humble-looking structure constructed of stone and wood well hidden in the brush, and there were no roads or trails of any kind leading to it through the dense foliage.

One would have had to traverse through miles of thick, wild woods to reach it, assuming you even knew it was here at all, and it was quite obvious that whoever had built the abbey did not want it to be found.

All their efforts were in vain now, though, for the abbey was in ruins, smashed to pieces that were scattered every which way and a huge swathe of broken and splintered trees had been carved through the dense foliage as if a bulldozer had barreled straight through.

The most striking feature of the site, however, was how the area immediately surrounding the ruined building was completely barren of life, not a blade of grass or weed growing in the large dirt circle around the abbey, nor the chirp of a cricket or animal. The entire area was silent as a cemetary.

And the reason why immediately became apparent to a ghostly, wraith-like figure who appeared above the ruins in a burst of darkness, glancing upon the ruined abbey.

What little could be seen of the cloaked woman's face under her hood scrunched up in disgust when the pungent scent of Dark Magic slammed into her as she descended to the ground.

While the wraith had already known that something horrible had taken place here, this was considerably worse than she had imagined.

Being so intensely magical and highly trained in the Mystic Arts herself, the cloaked woman could tell that this place was old and that many, many dark, evil things had taken place here over the years before it had finally been destroyed.

And that the horrid, ghastly magics released from those evil acts and perverse rituals had seeped into the land, corrupting and tainting it, ensuring it would forever remain barren and lifeless.

This would not do.

Face set in grim determination, the wraith's eyes lit up with a shining, white, mystical light and she raised her darkly glowing hands before she began slowly making her way around the ruins whispering various incantations under her breath as she meticulously scanned every inch of the cursed grounds with her magic.

However, after a while, the cloaked woman's incantations ceased and she lowered her hands with a disappointed frown.

Whoever was responsible for these evil magics certainly knew what they were doing.

There was nothing the wraith could use to track down or ascertain the identity of the casters or the exact nature of the dark spells cast.

Just a feeling of disquieting familiarity the cloaked woman couldn't quite put her finger on but made her uneasy nonetheless.

Regardless, this cursed place was a dead end, so it was pointless to linger here any longer.

There was only one thing left to do.

Rising slightly off the ground and assuming a meditative lotus position, the wraith closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she began to chant.

"By the powers of Azarath, I beseech you. Mother Spirit of the Netherrealm, lend me your strength to cleanse and purify this tainted land of the evil that pervades it so that life may grow and flourish here once more. So mote it be."

The cloaked woman's eyes opened, blazing with that white mystical light once again.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

A massive burst of dark and purple magic exploded from the wraith's body as the spell was cast and spread over the tainted grounds in a wave. The cloaked woman let out a soft smile as she felt the evil magic poisoning the land like a cancer slowly begin to recede.

Good.

Gracefully returning to the ground with a contented sigh, the cloaked woman took out a small device and spoke briskly into it.

"Raven here. Sorry Dick, the abbey was a bust. I'm heading back to the Tower now."

Nodding in assent at the response she got, Raven walked away a few steps before vanishing into the shadows without a trace.

And a few hours later, a lone deer cautiously stepped onto the barren grounds for the first time in many, many years.

***

Raven breathed in deeply.

Find your center…

She exhaled slowly.

Focus your energies…

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

Good.

The sorceress breathed in again.

Find your center…

She exhaled slowly once more.

Focus your energies…

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

Excellent.

Just as Mother and her Masters had taught her back in Azarath all those years ago.

Raven breathed in a third time.

Find your center…

She exhaled slowly yet again.

Focus your energies…

"Azarath Metrion…"

"sniff, sniff…"

The sorceress frowned slightly as her calm tranquility was disturbed by the sobbing of a child briefly sounding out in her head.

Clear your mind of distractions…

Expertly silencing the soft cries echoing within her mind with iron discipline honed through almost two decades of constant, unending practice, Raven began again as her spirit returned to being as calm and placid as a lake.

She breathed in deeply.

Find your center…

She exhaled slowly.

Focus your energies…

"Azarath Metri-..."

"Mommy…"

Raven's face scrunched up in displeasure as that familiar, innocent voice called out again, sounding absolutely miserable as she felt a tingle of bone-deep Sadness echo through her spirit, eliciting a tiny, involuntary shudder from the sorceress.

No. I'm sorry Bruce but I can't deal with this right now. I have to meditate.

Once again calling upon her iron will to banish the child's heartbroken cries from her mind in spite of the way they made her own heart clench painfully, Raven sighed as she felt her mind and soul become placid and calm once more, before yet again attempting to continue her daily meditation.

She breathed in deeply.

Find your cent-...

"Auntie Susan…"

The sorceress's eyes flew wide open and she let out a shocked gasp at the flood of GRIEF, DESPAIR and SELF-LOATHING that smashed into her like a freight train, falling painfully on her rump from where she was floating and clutched her chest while she hyperventilated.

"I'm sorry…"

Raven bit her lip as the image of Bruce, filthy, disheveled, and shivering in ratty, patchwork clothes, slumped up against a wall somewhere and crying his heart out, flashed through her mind. It proved too much as she finally relented with a sad, exasperated sigh.

"So much for getting a full session of meditation in today," she muttered morosely to herself as she rose to her feet and dusted herself off.

It had been like that for a while now.

The sorceress had gotten several more dreams about Bruce ever since this mess started a week ago, and while none of them were as deep as the first, they all painted a rather bleak picture nonetheless.

Everytime Raven closed her eyes and attempted to meditate or go to sleep, her mind would invariably be assaulted by images of the child, desperately scrounging for food, shelter, and new clothes whilst vehemently rejecting and fleeing from any offered aid.

And while Bruce was smart enough to make use of soup kitchens, Goodwill centers, and homeless shelters whenever he could, he never stayed for long, no doubt fearing what the "bad men" would do if they caught up to him, and more than once the sorceress had seen the poor thing literally picking through garbage trying to find what he needed.

When he wasn't busy crying himself to sleep over what had happened to his poor mother and aunt or running for his life that is.

The Hulk had made a couple more appearances in the latter case, though Raven had still rather frustratingly not managed to get a good look at the creature because its overwhelming RAGE would always drive her back before she got a chance.

Another Hulk sighting or attack would inevitably be reported on the news soon after, and people were starting to seriously ask questions about the continued lack of information on the monstrous metahuman.

Starfire was going out of her mind with worry, knowing there was an innocent child out there that was suffering greatly and endangering himself and others with his uncontrollable powers, and the other Titans weren't much happier.

Especially since they were still almost as much in the dark as to what was really going on as everyone else.

Speaking of which, I should go check on Dick and Starfire and see how they're doing. Maybe they've found something new, The sorceress thought to herself as she exited her room and began making her way to the Tower's common area where she could sense her two friends Anxious and Frustrated spirits, though she personally doubted they had.

As she walked through the Tower's halls, however, Raven's mind could not help but drift back to a question that had been nagging at her relentlessly for the past few days.

Namely, why was she still having these visions in the first place?

The sorceress had not seen hide nor hair of the Pigeon and Dove ever since they'd guided her to Bruce the first time, and yet visions of his plight still haunted her dreams and meditation ceaselessly.

It was almost as if she was… connected to the child somehow.

But how could that be?

Ever since she'd accidently bonded her spirit to Dick's all those years ago, Raven had always been careful to make absolutely certain she did not make that mistake again despite how beneficial it had turned out, and was positive she had not established such a bond with Bruce when she'd psychically guided him that fateful night.

Just as she'd also made sure to thoroughly check herself for any hidden spells that might have been secretly placed on her after her little spiritual excursion.

So how was this possible?

The sorceress sighed as she entered the common room to find Nightwing hard at work on the main console while the Tamaranean looked on anxiously, for once not reprimanding her boyfriend for working on what was supposed to be his day off as they both stared up at the massive central screen.

Just one more question to add to the pile I guess, Raven thought morosely to herself as Dick and Starfire both glanced at her approach.

"Raven, you are… finished with your meditation early again?" the Tamaranean asked in a rather worried voice, her Concern for the sorceress shining brightly as Raven graced her with a small, weak smile and sent out a pulse of Gratitude and Reassurance to soothe her spirit. "Did you… see anything?"

The sorceress's tiny smile immediately vacated her face as she let out a sad sigh.

"Bruce is… safeish, for now," she answered slowly, starting with the good news to help soften the blow before reluctantly dropping the bomb. "But… he was crying about his mom and aunt again…"

Raven trailed off as Nightwing briefly tensed up before immediately continuing on like nothing had happened, the tightness of his face and the slight narrowing of his eyes the only indicator of the Concern and boiling Anger the sorceress could detect just beneath the surface.

His girlfriend, as always, was far more explicit in her reaction.

Starfire's breath hitched in her throat and she bowed her head, visibly fighting back tears as she scrunched up her face and gritted her teeth, fists trembling, before opening her eyes again with a bone-chilling expression.

"I see."

Dick and Raven both shivered slightly at the coldness in the Tamaraneans' normally warm and kind voice before the sorceress turned to her leader. Raven didn't even need her powers to know exactly what she was feeling.

"Find anything new?" she asked cautiously as Nightwing let out an explosive sigh at the question, his Frustration palpable.

"No, and at this point I'm starting to think I'm not going to find anything else either," he admitted reluctantly in a voice like pulling teeth as both women's eyes widened in shock.

Dick never gave up on a case.

Even to this day he was still trying to find out more about Slade despite having mostly moved past his obsession with his old Archfoe.

So if he was admitting defeat…

"Oh Dick, please don't say that," Starfire said softly as she floated forward and took his hands in her own, an encouraging smile on her face. "Surely there must be something, some new clue or lead you haven't uncovered yet? You mustn't give up so easily. We all believe in your skills."

But Nightwing just frowned and shook his head as he turned back to the monitor.

"That's just it Starfire!" he replied irritably as his hands flew over the keyboard and several case files with familiar mugshots attached to them. "The problem isn't that I haven't found anything. It's that I have found pretty much everything I can with the information I've got and with those bugs we rooted out being dead ends. And it's all basically useless!"

The two women both frowned as they exchanged glances.

"What do you mean Dick?" Starfire asked hesitantly as her boyfriend sighed in exasperation.

"What I mean, Star, is that it's not like the Banners records were sealed, classified or anything like that. Getting a hold of them was child's play. There's just nothing that we didn't already know or couldn't have guessed and nothing we can actually use to find out who's behind all this," Dick explained in a frustrated voice as he clicked on one of the files and brought up an image of an attractive woman in her early thirties with brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair alongside one of a slightly older man with short black hair, brown eyes, and a rather striking mustache.

"It's pretty much exactly as Officer Briggs said. Susan's brother Brian had a rough childhood with an abusive father, met Rebecca in college, they married, and Brian eventually started abusing her and Bruce before being institutionalized three years ago after he tried to kill them. Basically the only noteworthy piece of new information I found was that Bruce was Brian's stepson instead of his biological son, but even that's not much help given the police never found anything on the bastard that raped her."

Raven's frown deepened considerably as Nightwing's recounting stirred up painful old memories.

That had certainly been quite a shock to learn.

Mulling over the information avaliable, Rebecca and Brian had both been studying for a PhD in Physics before the former had been forced to dropout to take care of Bruce after being the victim of a brutal sexual assault by an unidentified assailant the police never found while the latter went on to graduate at an impressively young age.

They married shortly after Brian's graduation, and he would go on to work on a government project trying to find a clean way to develop nuclear energy.

Apparently, the stress of his job eventually drove Brian to rampant alcoholism, which shortly thereafter resulted in his termination after he drunkenly overloaded some of the machinery and caused an explosion.

He would then go on to take his frustrations out on Bruce and Rebecca for a few years before eventually being incarcerated after an especially violent and nearly fatal drunken episode.

More and more the sorceress was starting to understand why she was contacted to help the boy above any other hero.

An abusive father, conceived by rape, a loving mother taken far too young, incredibly frightening and destructive powers he couldn't control, and completely friendless without a home or anyone to turn to?

Raven's resemblance to the child was truly uncanny.

It was almost scary just how eerily similar they were to each other.

Like the sorceress was looking in a twisted mirror…

Hell, in some ways Bruce had it even worse than she did!

As bad as things had been for her before she and her friends finally managed to vanquish her accursed father, Raven at least had the love, protection, and guidance of her mother and the Monks of Azarath during her early years. Not to mention she was already a highly trained sorceress and martial artist with extensive knowledge on how to control her powers and resist her father's influence when she'd been forced to flee to Earth once Trigon finally came knocking on Azarath's door.

And subsequently found her adoptive family in the Titans soon after.

The boy had none of those things.

He'd had his mother, aunt, and home ruthlessly snatched from him and been thrown headfirst into the deep end with powers he couldn't control and was being hunted by brutal enemies for reasons he didn't understand with no training or guidance whatsoever.

All at the tender age of ten.

If she had been forced to go through something similar when she was his age…

The sorceress grimaced at the thought and once again sent a quiet prayer of thanks to the Mother of Azarath for both her mother, the Azarathian people, and her precious, precious friends before she was abruptly snapped out of her musings by a powerful pulse of Anger and Hatred from a rather unlikely source.

"Yes. Him," Starfire ground out in a low, vicious tone as she glared bloody murder at Brian's picture with twin green suns while Raven frowned.

"Calm down Star," she said in a soft but firm voice as she put a hand on the Tamaraneans shoulder and gave her a look that was both stern and sympathetic. "Brian Banner is locked up where he belongs and has been for years now. He can't hurt anyone anymore and can't be behind the people who are after Bruce, so getting angry about him is pointless."

Starfire growled and looked at the sorceress with a fierce expression.

"K'norfka's should not harm their bumgorfs," she replied in a severe voice that broked absolutely no argument, practically spitting fire as she spoke. "When he took myself, my brother, and my sister in after the death of our parents, Galfore never once raised his hand against any of us, no matter how angry we made him. Even Blackfire never felt his wrath until she came of age and became an unrepentant criminal. It is a sacred law of my people."

"I understand," Raven said calmly as she wrapped her friend in a comforting blanket of Sympathy and Understanding and spared a look of cold disgust at Brian's mugshot herself, before once again giving her friend a firm expression. "Nevertheless, Brian Banner is not our concern. Bruce and the people currently hunting him are. There is no point in wasting precious time and energy getting angry about a man that has already been punished and rendered harmless when we have far more pressing issues to worry about. Calm yourself."

Starfire stared at the sorceress for a long moment before finally relenting with a sigh and a nod as she put her palms together and once again began slowly breathing in and out with the meditative breathing technique the sorceress had taught her while the woman in question looked on with a small, approving smile.

Good, Raven whispered warmly in her friend's mind before turning back to Dick.

"I assume this means you also haven't found anything new about Susan and Bruce that we can use?" she asked matter-of-factly, completely unsurprised but disappointed nonetheless when Nightwing frowned and shook his head, his Frustration spiking once more.

"No, I haven't," he answered morosely with a growl as he clicked on another file and brought up pictures of Susan and Bruce. "Again, everything here was stuff we already knew or could have guessed before. Susan managed to pull her life together and become a Guidance Counselor once she got away from her father and lived completely normally until last week. And Bruce is listed as deceased after the police found Rebecca's body in that smashed abbey in the woods outside of Dayton. There's nothing here that gives us any clues as to who's after Bruce!

The sorceress nodded slowly.

"And if our luck so far is any indication, we're not likely to find anything new from searching more sites of the Hulk's attacks anytime soon either," she commented blandly as Dick's face scrunched up in irritation.

"No, we're not," he agreed in a tone of both profound annoyance and begrudging respect. "Whoever these guys are that are 'chasing' the 'terrorists' that are after the Hulk, they're good. In and out in a flash before hardly anyone knows they're there and taking absolutely everything that could give a clue as to the 'terrorists' identities. I'd be impressed if it wasn't so damn annoying."

"Indeed," Raven said in a flat voice before her eyes narrowed shrewdly. "Almost a little too good, in fact."

Nightwing snorted.

"Yeah, I'm almost positive at this point these 'spooks' and 'terrorists' are one and the same, or at the very least working closely together. Not exactly rocket science to figure that one out," he concurred with a mocking smirk at his quarry's expense as the Tamaranean giggled which Raven matched with a small grin.

"True, though the Hulk isn't exactly easy to hide or overly concerned with keeping a low profile," she pointed out wryly as Dick let out a short bark of laughter before abruptly sobering up again.

"Even still, knowing these guys are all most likely connected to each other still doesn't actually get us any closer to figuring out who they really are or what they want with Bruce," he said irritably, frustration seeping back into his tone as he turned to face the screen again with his brows furrowed. "Nor does it tell us where some random cult is getting their hands on all these resources and connections."

Raven frowned, still not thrilled at the idea of a cult of all things being this well connected.

"I don't know, but what I do know is that whoever these people are, they are practicing magics of the darkest kind," she replied severely, unable to keep the sheer Disgust she was feeling out of her voice as she pinned Nightwing and Starfire with a dead serious expression. "Bad things happened in that abbey Dick. Very bad things."

Dick nodded seriously as the Tamaranean looked on with an intensely worried expression.

"Are you certain there is nothing here we can use to find Bruce, Dick?" Starfire asked pleadingly with clasped hands, practically begging her boyfriend to tell her it wasn't so as her Concern for the child overflowed from her being.

Nightwing sadly nodded as he gave his girlfriend a sympathetic look.

"Sorry, Star. I don't like it anymore than you do, but unless Raven finds out something more in her visions or we catch a lucky break during another Hulk sighting, we're stuck for the moment," he replied reluctantly, his own Sadness and Concern coming through loud and clear through their bond as the tamaranean's shoulders slumped and the sorceress stiffened at his words.

Her visions.

Raven frowned, the beginnings of a plan brewing in her mind as she silently watched Dick console his distraught girlfriend.

It was risky and there was no guarantee it would work but…if they were truly stuck on this case using traditional methods, and the sorceress trusted Nightwing enough to believe that they were, then… maybe it was worth the risk.

"In that case, maybe it's time we start looking into… alternative means of investigation," Raven spoke up suddenly as both her fellow Titans looked at her in surprise, before Dick's eyes narrowed slightly in consideration.

"What do you have in mind, Raven?" he asked shrewdly as the sorceress sighed before giving him a stalwart look.

"I'm saying that instead of simply waiting for me to get lucky with my visions again, we instead cut through the red tape and go right to the source of those visions," she answered seriously as Starfire's eyes widened.

"Raven you… wish to contact the Spirit World to find out more about Bruce?" she asked hesitantly, her Concern and Anxiety shining like the sun to Raven's empathetic senses like the sun as the sorceress nodded in confirmation.

"I do," Raven replied resolutely as she sent a pulse of Confidence and Reassurance to soothe the tamaranean's worries. "If the spirits were able to guide me to Bruce once, then perhaps they can do so again."

Starfire bit her lip in a conflicted manner, her concern for Bruce and desire to help the child warring fiercely with her nervousness about the idea.

"But Raven… did you not tell me that contacting the Spirit World in depth can be a dangerous and risky endeavor?" she pointed out reluctantly as she recalled some of the seances she and the sorceress had conducted occasionally during their mediation sessions together. Even during those instances they only ever brushed the outermost layers of the spiritual realm for exactly that reason. "And that even if one is successful, they will not always find what they're looking for?"

Raven nodded seriously as she acknowledged the tamaranean's point and sent out a pulse of Pride to her friend for remembering her lessons so well

"I did," she confirmed gravely as she thought back to what her own Masters had taught her about the dangers of delving too deeply into the Spirit World. "The spiritual realm is as full of deceitful, mischievous, and downright malevolent entities as it is kind and benevolent ones. And the deeper you go, the more powerful and potentially wicked they become."

Starfire shivered, recalling more of the in depth discussions they'd had on the subject. Raven painted an impressively detailed picture.

"However, we are running out of time," the sorceress continued in a firm voice as she turned the TV on with a flick of a finger, the massive screen displaying yet another news story discussing both the latest Hulk sighting with frustratingly sparse information on the infamous metahuman. "The longer this goes on, the more people that are going to get hurt, the angrier they'll become, and the more desperate Bruce's pursuers will get. They've already got to be feeling the pressure with all the questions people are asking now. If this keeps up, then sooner or later Bruce is going to get himself killed, either by the people chasing him deciding to cut their losses or by somebody else deciding they've had enough of the Hulk's rampages."

Nightwing and Starfire both grimaced heavily and shared a dark, deeply concerned glance at that.

"Believe me Starfire, I know better than anyone just how risky this is and that there's a very real chance it will just lead to another dead end. But if all our other options are exhausted, then I see little other option," Raven finished with finality before her face softened and she continued in a much gentler manner, radiating Reassurance as she spoke. "Besides, things aren't quite as bleak as you think they are. Remember, we already have allies on the Other Side to call upon to help us find Bruce."

The Tamaranean's eyes widened.

"You mean the two spirits who guided you to Bruce the first time?" she asked as Hope began to rise in her chest at the sorceress's nod.

"Yes," she confirmed quietly as she thought back to the two bird spirits who'd contacted her on that fateful night a little over a week ago. "I have not encountered the Pigeon and Dove again since that night, but if they care about Bruce as much as I think they do then they are almost assuredly still watching over him. If I can contact them again, then perhaps they can help shed more light on what's going on."

Despite the optimistic idea, Dick didn't seem too certain.

"Maybe," he began slowly before pinning her with a calculating gaze, "but are you sure these spirits can be trusted? You said it yourself, the Other Side is filled with evil and deceitful entities just waiting for some poor sap to come along that they can dupe. How do you know the Pigeon and Dove aren't trying to trick you?"

Raven's brow furrowed as she crossed her arms and bowed her head, deep in thought. That was a point she'd dwelled on since the encounter and it was a valid concern…

"I still don't trust them completely," she admitted freely before her face firmed and she continued in a resolute voice. "But neither of them has given me a reason not to trust them either as of yet. And if nothing else, I do trust that they love that child deeply, especially the Dove. Not even the most powerful and skilled of deceitful spirits could fake such feelings."

And I think I might know why, she thought privately to herself as she once again considered a hypothesis she'd been contemplating for a few days now.

Nightwing's lips pursed in thought for a moment before he finally relented with a sharp nod.

"Alright Raven. You're the expert here when it comes to things like this. So if you think it's worth a shot, then I'll trust you know what you're doing," he declared in a confident tone as the sorceress was snapped out of her musings and let out a soft little smile at the unwavering Trust and Confidence she could feel through her bond with her leader.

"Thank you Dick," she said warmly, radiating Gratitude as she spoke, before her face firmed as she pulled up her hood and turned to head back to her room. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have preparations to make. We'll begin after dinner when Victor and Garfield get back, if that's acceptable."

Starfire winced slightly at that.

"Our friends will most likely be rather displeased with the prospect of more work when they get back," she warned in a rather uncomfortable voice, emanating Concern and Nervousness as she spoke. "Garfield, Victor, and I have been pushing ourselves quite hard this past week. They will likely be… quite tired when they get home."

Dick and Raven both grimaced at the Tamaranean's point.

With Nightwing's attention needed on working Bruce's case and the sorceress's meditation constantly being disturbed by the ceaseless visions of the child's plight, the other three Titans had unfortunately been forced to shoulder more of the burden of keeping Jump City's criminal element in check for the last week.

None of them had complained overly much aside from a bit of good natured whining from Beast Boy and Cyborg, but even still…

"Tell them that if they behave themselves I'll make them whatever they want for dinner tonight," Raven offered kindly, a bit of Smugness and Satisfaction lighting up her soul at the way Dick and Starfire perked up happily at the prospect as Eagerness poured off them in waves.

"Oh that is most wonderful!" the Tamaranean declared joyously as she beamed at the sorceress Happily, mouth practically salivating. "A hearty meal will most certainly raise everyone's spirits and ease our weary souls! Thank you Raven!"

Raven just shrugged.

"Everyone's been working hard lately. I figure we all deserve a nice reward," she replied nonchalantly as she started making her way back to her room, sending out a small pulse of Gratitude to her friends as she went. "I'll see you all at dinner."

Nightwing and Starfire both nodded as the sorceress walked through the door, a small smile gracing her features at the way she could feel their spirits lightening.

Hopefully things would start looking up soon.

***

Garfield let out a contented sigh as he and other Titans followed Raven down the corridor, pleasantly full and his earlier grumpiness forgotten.

"Thanks Rae. That really was just what we needed after the week we've had," he said in a grateful voice, Gratitude pouring off him in waves as the sorceress grunted in acknowledgment.

"You're welcome," she replied in a voice that was somehow both bland and sincere all at once before she glanced over her shoulder to regard her friend with a stern expression. "Just remember that you and Victor promised that you'd behave yourselves during the seance."

Beast Boy huffed good-naturedly.

"Yes Mom, we'll be good," he assured her in a teasing voice as he and Cyborg exchanged grins while Raven rolled her eyes and Dick and Starfire both chuckled. "But if any ghosts or zombies show up then we both reserve the right to scream like little girls and swear like sailors. Right, Cy?"

"Yep," Victor agreed sagely as the sorceress snorted and turned away to hide the ghost of a smile on her face. "No offense Rae, but I still get the occasional nightmare from the whole Wicked Scary incident."

"Fair enough," she conceded wryly before they all stopped in front of the door to her room, which opened as Raven turned and made a sweeping gesture as she bade her friends to enter. "Come in."

The other Titans all nodded as they walked past the threshold, being careful to be as quiet and respectful as possible while the sorceress shut the door behind them.

Raven wasn't quite as ferociously territorial about her living space as she used to be, at least when it came to her friends, but even still, the Titans all still knew that being given relatively free reign to enter her private chambers was not a privilege the sorceress granted lightly. So none of them took it for granted, Beast Boy especially.

"Still just as dark and creepy as ever I see," Garfield commented bluntly, the teasing tone in his voice and the Playfulness he was emanating letting Raven know he was just poking a little fun at her as she merely huffed and shrugged her shoulders at the friendly jab, before something abruptly caught the changelings eye.

His mood turning considerably more subdued at the sight, Garfield slowly approached a nearby desk and carefully picked up a familiar-looking mirror, his expression an odd mix of nostalgic and wary as he cautiously turned it over in his hand, before jumping a little as he felt a hand lay on his shoulder.

Raven was staring at him with a surprisingly gentle expression as Cyborg also walked over, wearing an equally cautious and nostalgic look on his face while Nightwing and the Tamaranean both observed quietly from a respectful distance.

"It's alright Garfield. It won't pull you in again," Raven assured him softly as Beast Boy and Victor both relaxed visibly at her words and the Confidence and Reassurance she radiated. "Rage is locked up tight where she belongs and without her interference the mirror requires a specific incantation to work. It's safe."

Garfield nodded slowly.

"Sorry. I probably should have asked first before I picked it up," he apologized sheepishly as the sorceress merely shook her head. "Guess that lesson didn't quite sink in."

"It's fine. I understand completely," she said gently before she too looked down at the mirror with a nostalgic and considering look.

"Hard to believe it's been so many years since our little vacation inside your head, isn't it Rae?" Cyborg asked quietly, his single organic eye glazing over slightly in remembrance as Raven and Beast Boy nodded slowly, before the mechanical man suddenly winced and turned to the sorceress with an apologetic look. "Garfield and I… we never did apologize for that, did we? That was a pretty big violation of your privacy…"

But the sorceress merely shook her head and wrapped both her friends in a warm blanket of Reassurance and Forgiveness to quash their rising Guilt.

"Don't apologize Victor," she replied in a kind, firm voice as she soothed their spirits. "It was an accident, and one largely of my own making at that. Even back then, I knew you and Garfield would never knowingly betray my trust like that."

"Besides," Raven continued warmly as she graced Victor and Garfield with a fond, grateful little smile, "I'm glad it happened. After all… it's how we truly became friends."

Her fellow Titans both smiled and nodded at her in turn before Beast Boy looked down at the mirror curiously.

"How are things in there, if you don't mind me asking?" he asked in a surprisingly quiet, respectful tone before that familiar cheeky grin made its reappearance. "A little less dark and dreary now, I hope?"

The sorceress chuckled.

"Not really. I haven't changed that much Garfield," she replied wryly as her fellow Titans all laughed, before her face softened. "But I will say this… the inhabitants are a lot happier now than they were back then."

Garfield and Cyborg both smiled warmly at the sincerity in her tone.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that Raven," Victor said cheerfully as Raven let out a contented sigh at the Happiness she felt wash over her from everyone in the room before nodding at him.

"So am I," she replied simply, the warmth and honesty in her voice saying far more than mere words ever could before she gently pried the mirror out of Beast Boy's grip and set it back on the desk. "But as much as I like reminiscing with you two, we do still have a job to do here."

Cyborg and Garfield both sobered and nodded at the gentle reminder as the sorceress turned and beckoned them to follow her where Dick and Starfire were patiently waiting.

"Come."

Victor and Beast Boy followed Raven to the large crystal ball resting on a tall wooden pole in the center of the room, surrounded by a circle of ritualistic candles and an odd white powder.

"Everyone sit and form a circle around the ball."

The Titans did as instructed, with the boys all pulling up chairs while the sorceress and Tamaranean both floated cross-legged in the air.

Raven took a deep breath before holding her hands out to the large glass sphere and looking around at her friends.

"I don't know how long this is going to take so make yourselves comfortable," she warned before her eyes narrowed slightly as her expression grew stern. "But make sure you keep it down. Contacting the Spirit World takes intense focus. Absolute quiet is required."

Everyone stared pointedly at Garfield, who snorted before muttering a petulant "Yeah, yeah" as he waved them all off and bade the sorceress to continue.

Rolling her eyes at the display, Raven's face firmed as she returned her attention to the crystal ball and ignited her magic, closing her eyes in concentration before she began to chant, images of Bruce, the Pigeon and the Dove flashing in her Mind's Eye as she did:

"By the powers of Azarath, I beseech you. Spirits of the Netherrealm, if you can hear my voice, I beg your aid. Help us find the child Bruce Banner and reveal to us the identity of those who hunt him so we may finally provide him with aid and protection and punish the ones who have tormented him. So mote it be."

The sorceress's eyes flew open blazing with that mystical white light.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Her magic and the candles both flared as the spell was cast, and the crystal ball immediately began glowing with an eerie light as a swirling fog appeared in its center.

The translucent fog writhed and twisted like a living thing as a series of confused, jumbled images rapidly flickered in and out of view in the crystal ball while intelligible ghostly whispers sounded out, causing all the other Titans, sans Raven and Starfire, to lean back in alarm.

"Um… should BB and I start screaming like little girls now?" Cyborg asked in a low, nervous tone as he warily eyed the way the shadows in the room seemed to lengthen and darken while the whispers grew louder.

"Hush…" the sorceress and Tamaranean both commanded in soft, stern voices as Raven's brow furrowed in intense concentration.

While her friends might have only heard unintelligible whispers, to the sorceress's highly trained mystical senses, the words emanating from the large glass orb were far easier to understand, though no less disorienting for it.

Many of them were simply questions as to who she and Bruce were, what intentions she had, and a few demands as to what she wanted with Bruce and who was hurting him.

Still others were rather shifty questions as to what was in it for the spirits if they helped her and shady offers of providing the information she sought in exchange for favors or services.

And yet still more had absolutely nothing to do with Bruce and were all about Raven herself. Many offered her empty praise and condemnation, promising her power, begging her for aid, and a million other things the sorceress had precious little time for or interest in at the moment.

All this and more Raven had to painstakingly shift through as she gritted her teeth in a desperate attempt to block out the noise and sort out the clutter to find what she truly needed.

Or rather, who.

Please, if you two are out there then answer me! the sorceress begged as she used every last drop of hard-earned will and discipline to block out everything but the image of the Pigeon and the Dove and all the memories and sensations associated with them before gathering all her mental and magical might and pushing. I need you! Bruce still needs you! So if you truly care about him, then HEED MY CALL AND COME FORTH! NOW!

"AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!"

And with that final shouted incantation, Raven's magic and the candles all flared violently and the Titans all jumped back as her desperate plea echoed all throughout the spirit realm, before the whispers all abruptly ceased.

Several tense seconds passed in uncomfortable silence as the candles returned to normal and the Titans all eyed the softly glowing orb with bated breath, before gentle coos suddenly sounded out from the crystal ball.

There, materializing through the fog, a trio of shapes took form as three beautiful white birds, a Pigeon and two Doves, appeared in the glass sphere and began calmly circling within its confines in a loose circle, cooing softly all the while as the Titans all looked on in awe.

"Raven, are those…?" Beast Boy asked breathlessly in sheer Amazement, his eyes wide as the sorceress nodded.

"The spirits who guided me to Bruce the first time," she confirmed slowly as her eyes narrowed shrewdly in consideration at the three birds currently flying around inside the crystal ball.

"They're so beautiful…" Starfire said joyously as she looked down at the trio of spirits with wonder in her green orbs, her Happiness at their success shining like the sun.

"Yeah, they are," Nightwing agreed quietly before his brow furrowed and he looked up at Raven radiating Confusion and Concern. "But I thought you said there were only two birds?"

The sorceress nodded slowly.

"I did," she confirmed in a considering tone as everyone stiffened at her words, before Raven sighed and spoke gently to the three bird spirits as she decided to put her hypothesis to the test. "Rebecca? Susan? Is… that you?"

The other Titans all gasped as the two doves both cooed and glowed brighter at the question, emanating Shock and Disbelief while the sorceress just sighed again and bowed her head mournfully at being proven correct.

"No way…" Garfield said dumbly, mind utterly blank as he desperately tried to contemplate what he'd just seen.

"Even in death they're still trying to care for Bruce…" the Tamaranean choked out with tears in her eyes and a hand over her mouth as Raven was nearly crushed under the weight of the sheer Sadness and Admiration Starfire was feeling right now.

"Now that's a Mom and an Aunt right there," Victor declared somberly before as one all the Titans bowed their heads in solemn Respect to the two spirits.

"Yeah… but who's the third one?" Dick asked after the moment had passed, ever the observant one as the other Titans all frowned at the Pigeon, who simply cooed softly.

"It doesn't matter who she is," the sorceress said firmly after a moment of thought as everyone looked at her. "Rebecca and Susan both trust her and she's willing to help us save Bruce, so that's all that matters."

Her fellow Titans all glanced at each other for a moment before nodding resolutely in agreement as Raven focused her attention back on the crystal ball.

"Please, help us," she whispered softly to the trio of spirits as she projected her memories of the past week to them. "We're trying our best to help Bruce but we've hit a wall and we're running out of time. Can you tell us where he is right now? Do you know who's chasing him?"

The three birds cooed once again before the sorceress suddenly felt a gentle tug on her spirit and frowned at the emotions that washed over her before nodding slowly.

"I understand," she told them as she sent back her thanks before looking to her waiting friends with a stalwart expression. "They need us to lend them our strength so they can show us what we need."

Her fellow Titans all immediately nodded with fierce Resolve in their eyes.

"What do you need us to do Raven?" Nightwing asked without an ounce of hesitation, practically overflowing with Determination as Raven graced him and the rest of her friends with a small smile and sent out a pulse of Gratitude before her face firmed once again.

"Everyone join hands," she instructed briskly as everyone quickly did so, Cyborg and Beast Boy fighting down their Embarrassment while they did, before the sorceress's eyes glowed with that eerie white light again. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Everyone gasped slightly as their bodies began glowing with a mystical purple light that started gradually flowing into Raven before the light reached out from her body and began streaming into the crystal ball in turn, which immediately lit up like a Christmas Tree as the trio of spirits within all cooed in thanks.

Hurry you three. I don't know how long we'll be able to keep this up, the sorceress communicated urgently as she felt both her strength and the strength of her friends start gradually fading away.

The three birds cooed one last time before vanishing as the fog in the mirror shifted to show a crystal clear picture of a curiously pedestrian scene.

It was an older man sitting at a desk, brow furrowed and scowling heavily as he looked through various documents, and one look at him immediately pegged him to the Titans as one of the leaders of Bruce's pursuers.

Everything about the old man from his muscular build, to his grizzled face sporting a spectacular bushy gray mustache, to the stern, no-nonsense way he carried himself screamed "high ranking military officer" even without the army green uniform and cap studded with medals he wore.

It was as if the old man had stepped right out of the most stereotypical military recruitment posters one could imagine.

Raven might have been tempted to roll her eyes if she wasn't currently busy glaring daggers at the man and committing every last detail of his appearance to memory along with the other Titans.

"So, he's the one behind all this, huh?" Garfield growled in a low, threatening tone before glancing at his friends with a confused expression. "Doesn't look much like a cult leader or an evil sorcerer though. Don't those guys tend to prefer long, dark robes and cloaks over camo? Er, no offense Rae."

"None taken. And you're right, he doesn't," the sorceress nodded candidly before she frowned and her eyes narrowed as she continued with a note of warning in her voice. "But appearances can be deceiving."

"Still, it's nice to finally have a face to put to the guys responsible for all this," Victor chimed in as he regarded the old man with a cool expression. "I'm recording everything I see here. If I put this guy's face through Facial Recognition I should be able to find…"

"General Ross, sir. Major Blonsky is here to see you."

"Send him in."

"...or we could just keep watching," Cyborg finished lamely with a rather put out expression as Beast Boy and the Tamaranean both chuckled while Raven and Dick both kept their eyes firmly fixed on the newly named General Ross and the man who walked into the room.

Much like the not-so-good General, "Major Blonsky" was a grizzled man that also screamed "career military", though he appeared a good deal younger than Ross, looking around 45 at most with brown hair lightly streaked with gray and a noticeable amount of stubble on his somewhat aged, worn down face.

"General Ross sir," Blonsky said respectfully with a crisp salute that the General returned. "It's an honor to meet you."

"Likewise, Major," Ross replied in an equally respectful tone as both men sat down. "I've looked over your service record and it's impeccable. You're one hell of a soldier, and exactly the sort of man we need to sort out our current… 'predicament'."

The Major smiled.

It was not a nice smile.

"Thank you sir."

"We're short on time Blonsky so I'll get straight to the point," the General said briskly, tone and face growing deadly serious as both Blonsky and the Titans sat up straighter at his abrupt change in demeanor.

Ross suddenly didn't look so comically stereotypical anymore…

"You've been briefed on your new target, correct?"

"Yes sir, I have."

"Then you know, what's at stake here?" the General emphasized severely as he leaned forward to pin the Major with a piercing look.

"Yes sir, I do," Blonsky replied briskly with a stoic expression, completely unbothered by Ross's scrutinizing gaze, before a slight tinge of confusion entered his voice. "The only real question I have is, why are we still bothering trying to bring the kid in alive? Why not just kill him and be done with it?"

All the Titans immediately stiffened in Shock and Outrage and glared white-hot daggers at the Major at the casual way he was talking about murdering a child as the General scoffed.

"Believe me, Major, if it were up to me, that thing would already be six feet under," he spat coldly, the sheer amount of venom in his voice catching the Titans off guard as even Blonsky raised an eyebrow before Ross let out an irritated sigh. "Unfortunately, Director Tala and the boys in R&D have managed to convince the Chief Director that it might be more useful to us alive. So as it stands, our orders are to make every possible effort to bring it in alive."

The Major grimaced as the Titans all gasped and immediately cast concerned glances at the sorceress as she froze stiff and stared at the crystal ball with wide eyes, her heart skipping a beat.

Tala…?

"No way… that witch is involved with this!?!" Victor snarled in utter disbelief, pure Contempt pouring off him in waves as Nightwing frowned heavily.

"It makes sense. The dark magics Raven sensed in that abbey are right up Tala's alley," he pointed out shrewdly, already adjusting his plans and going over possible countermeasures in response to this new development.

"Still… what are the odds?" Garfield muttered worriedly as he nervously eyed the way Raven's expression was rapidly growing thunderous.

"Raven? Are you… ok?" Starfire asked with a deeply concerned expression as the sorceress took a deep breath to recenter herself and get a handle on her rising Anger and Bitterness.

No.

She was not ok.

While Raven had little love and more than a little contempt for the myriad of Villains the Titans had faced over the years, the dark sorceress Tala, student of the infamous, several thousand year old villainous wizard Felix Faust, was one of the very few who had successfully managed to make things truly Personal with the half-demon, a feat only Slade, her father, and Terra had thus far accomplished.

Much like her former master, Tala was a thoroughly nasty and unrepentantly amoral piece of work that cared nothing for responsibility or magical safety or ethics.

She was only in it for her own self-gain and aggrandizement, hoarding an ever-increasing amount of magical knowledge, power, and artifacts all to herself in pursuit of those goals. It was no stretch to say the dark witch would do anything and sacrifice anyone to get what she wanted, no matter the cost.

And it was exactly that ceaseless, unchecked lust for power and knowledge that had brought Tala into bitter conflict with Raven over the years.

After Azarath's destruction at the hands of her father, many Azarathian artifacts, magical tomes, and other such objects found their way to Earth, cast here by the Monks in a last attempt to preserve as much of their knowledge as possible, and as the sole surviving Child of Azarath, the sorceress felt it was her solemn duty to recover as many of these artifacts as possible.

Either to preserve them for future generations or return them to Azarath and lay them to rest with her deceased people.

Unfortunately, being from such a highly magical realm, steeped so deeply in the Mystic Arts, those artifacts and tomes often held great power that made them highly sought after by all manner of mystical beings.

And while Raven had been forced into conflict with other practitioners of the Mystic Arts many times in her quest to preserve her people's legacy and keep their power and knowledge out of the wrong hands, that witch had been by far one of the biggest and most persistent obstacles in the sorceress's way, and Raven had battled against her in many titanic magical duels over various Azarathian artifacts.

Often to no avail, much to the her ever increasing frustration.

Faust had trained his apprentice well, and Tala quickly proved herself a powerful, skilled, and wily opponent, matching Raven blow for blow and often ending their duels in a maddening stalemate.

And even when the sorceress did manage to gain the upper hand, the dark witch would always inevitably manage to slip away before Raven could capture her and exact rightful retribution for her crimes, and her fellow Titans had unfortunately not been much help in aiding her efforts to apprehend Tala, as interfering in a duel between two highly powerful magic users was… ill-advised to put it very mildly.

At least she usually managed to retrieve the artifacts she was after in such cases.

Regardless, it was still an absolutely infuriating state of affairs that had been going on for years now, and one which had worn heavily on both Raven's and the dark witch's patience.

The mere thought of someone as ruthless and morally bankrupt as Tala abusing and perverting her people's sacred knowledge and artifacts for her own selfish gain was enough to make the sorceress's blood boil. And naturally, the petty witch had been none pleased by Raven's constant interference either.

So naturally, it did not take long for a vicious rivalry to form between the two women, and the sorceress could confidently say that the only person that had been a bigger thorn in her side in her quest had been Felix Faust himself, though the dark wizard had not been seen for quite some time now.

And it appeared said rivalry was about to get even more bitter, if today's events were any indication.

"I'm fine, Starfire," Raven assured her friend gently once she'd gotten her temper firmly under control, sending a pulse of Gratitude and Reassurance to the concerned Tamaranean before looking back at Blonsky and the General with a deep frown. "This is just one more reason I have to put that witch away for good and, more importantly, rescue Bruce.

Starfire nodded slowly as the Major spoke up.

"Never did like her sir. She always was a creepy bitch," he said bluntly, the sheer disdain in his voice making Ross and even the Titans all let out reluctant barks of laughter in agreement. "Give me a good gun and knife over that magic shit any day."

The sorceress huffed.

Arrogant jarhead.

"I couldn't agree more, Major," the General drawled in a rather blase manner before his face firmed once again. "Unfortunately, this is her area of expertise, and she thinks we might be able to use that little monster to find a more permanent solution to the overarching problem here, among other things. So we're stuck trying to bring it in alive if at all possible until I can convince the Chief Director the risks outweigh the possible benefits."

Raven and Dick both raised an eyebrow and shared a considering glance at that.

Overarching problem?

"Doesn't matter all that much to me sir. I'll do the job either way," Blonsky replied nonchalantly before cracking a wry grin. "Though for his sake, the kid better hope you manage to convince the Chief to let me put him down before Tala and those ghouls get their hands on him again. Be a lot less painful for him that way."

But Ross merely pinned the Major with a hard, humorless stare, not an ounce of levity appearing on his face this time.

"I couldn't care less how much pain that thing goes through Major. It might look human on the surface, but it's not, and thus it has no human rights," the General declared in a spectacularly cold voice that left absolutely no room for argument as the Titans all snarled viciously at the old man and even Blonsky seemed somewhat taken aback by his superior officer's vehemence, right before Ross dropped a bomb that froze the watching Heroes dead where they sat. "As far as I'm concerned, that creature's whole body is property of Cadmus to do with as we please."

…

What.

All the Titans stared open-mouthed at the oblivious General, positively thunderstruck as their minds desperately tried to process what he'd just said.

Predictably, it was Beast Boy that found his voice first.

"Cadmus!?! Did he say Cadmus!?! The secret anti-metahuman black ops group that even the Justice League doesn't want to mess with!?! That Cadmus!?!" he demanded in a rather higher-pitched voice than normal, face pale as his Nervousness and Anxiety spiked dramatically.

"That's who's after Bruce!?! Oh man…" Cyborg groused miserably in an odd mix of pity and dread for Bruce, feeling no small amount of Nervousness and Anxiety himself.

"That certainly explains a lot…" Nightwing muttered morosely, body tense like a coiled spring and his mind working a mile a minute trying to account for this most unwelcome development as the sorceress nodded grimly.

"It does indeed," she replied quietly as she reached out with her empathic powers and did her best to soothe her friends' anxious spirits whilst also fighting down her own nervousness.

They were right to be concerned.

Headed by the infamous and absolutely ruthless Amanda Waller, Project Cadmus was a top secret US Government black ops division created for the sole purpose of developing weapons and strategies to counter powerful alien and metahuman threats, including heroic metahuman organizations the Justice League and the Titans.

Especially the Justice League and the Titans.

Those in power had long been concerned about the awesome might both organizations wielded despite their noble intentions, especially since they were closely allied with each other, and had formed Cadmus in an effort to "level the playing field" in case either of them ever went rogue.

As such, the amount of resources, technology, and highly skilled personnel afforded to the black ops division was… considerable, and Cadmus's determination to keep the Justice League, the Titans, and the metahuman population in check was matched only by their sheer, utter ruthlessness.

As far as Waller and Cadmus were concerned, there was almost no line too far or sacrifice too great so long as it served their mission of protecting the human race from all threats, and the organization was so formidable that even the likes of Superman and Batman were wary of crossing them openly, fearing the collateral damage that would ensue.

A fact that Raven knew all too well.

While the Titans had not had too many run-ins with Cadmus so far, likely because the higher-ups considered the young heroes a secondary concern compared to the Justice League, there had been one very notable exception.

It had been after the many, many hearings and interviews by various governments and organizations the Titans and especially the sorceress had been forced to suffer through following Trigon's invasion and subsequent banishment. By the time all of it was over, all of them had been eagerly looking forward to returning to the Tower and enjoying a large round of pizza in celebration of getting through the harrowing ordeal.

Instead, they'd found Amanda Waller there waiting for them.

The Head Director of Cadmus had come to personally confront Raven over her father's failed invasion, and let it be known in no uncertain terms that, while she was grateful to the sorceress for banishing Trigon and understood and even sympathized with her and her friends plight to an extent, Waller was not happy about what had transpired and would be watching them very, very closely from now on.

The Titans had not seen hide nor hair of her after that, something Raven was privately rather grateful for.

Being a powerful, veteran superhero and sorceress who was also the daughter of what might as well have been the literal Devil, it took quite a lot to actually intimidate Raven.

But Waller… Waller had definitely managed it.

So if her organization was behind this and Tala truly was one of its Directors… that would definitely explain a few things.

Like why the sorceress's efforts to track the dark witch down after their duels had always been fruitless, or why Tala had really started to become a pain in her backside after Trigon's banishment.

It was only natural Waller would want to know as much about her and Azarath as possible after that fiasco.

This just keeps getting better and better, Raven thought to herself bitterly in a rather resigned voice, before wincing slightly in strain as she felt the spell continue to sap at her strength, as did her friends. Got to keep this going as long as possible.

"Understood sir. Don't worry, I'll take him down, human or not," Blonsky said obediently as everyone refocused their attention back on the large glass orb, before flashing another one of those cocky, bloodthirsty grins. "This isn't the first time I've tangled with metahumans. The Hulk'll go down just like all the rest of those meta punks who thought their powers would give them an edge over me."

The General nodded slowly with a considering look in his eyes.

"Yes, I'm aware you've already got a few metahuman kills under your belt. That's a key part of the reason you were chosen to lead this mission after your predecessor was killed in the last engagement," he replied thoughtfully as he leaned back to give the Major a shrewd expression. "Tell me, how old are you Blonsky? 45?"

"...39," Blonsky replied after a brief pause with a rather stoic expression as the Titans all blinked in surprise while Ross huffed sympathetically at the slight tinge of self-consciousness in the Major's voice.

"You know, when I came back from Vietnam I was 27. I looked 45," the General said wryly with a small, understanding smile at Blonsky's plight on his weathered face. "So you're beating the curve. It takes a toll doesn't it?"

"Yes it does," the Major replied sardonically, no small amount of bitterness in his voice as Ross chuckled before leaning forward with that appraising gaze again.

"So why not get out of the trenches?" he asked searchingly as Blonsky grimaced at the thought. "That was the only thing I was confused about when you were recommended for this mission. You should be a Colonel by now, with your record."

"No, I'm a fighter. I'll be one for as long as I can," the Major said immediately in a tone broking absolutely no argument and not an ounce of hesitation in his voice as he instantly shot down the possibility, and the sorceress frowned severely at the hungry, slightly manic glint in his eye and the way his face lit up at the prospect of combat.

This guy was trouble.

The General evidently did not share Raven's concerns however, if the approving grunt he let out was any indication.

"That's just what I wanted to hear, Major. We need men like you out there, fighting the good fight to protect this great country from the myriad of costumed lunatics running around threatening her safety," Ross declared with an appreciative grin as Blonsky sat up straighter at the praise while the Titans all either scoffed, growled, or rolled their eyes, before the General's face turned serious once more. "All the same, I would advise you to be cautious. As much as I love your enthusiasm Major, the Hulk is no common metahuman. Your predecessor, Major Talbot, was also a fine soldier with a commendable attitude and service record who'd faced metahumans before. And now he's dead, along with many other brave men and women we sent to neutralize and apprehend this threat."

The Major nodded seriously.

"I understand sir. I've read the files. I'll be careful," he assured his commanding officer confidently as Ross gave him another approving nod. "I didn't live this long by being stupid."

"Good. All the same I think it's high time we do something to even the odds out there. Which is why I've authorized the deployment of our new Xenothium infantry lasers for the next engagement with the Hulk," the General said eagerly, now sporting a slight bloodthirsty grin of his own as the Titans eyes all bugged out of their sockets.

"XENOTHIUM!?!" Dick roared furiously as he glared daggers at the two men while Raven nearly gagged at the pungent cocktail of Shock, Fury, and Disbelief that slammed into her through her bond with her leader, along with the undercurrent of Guilt, Shame, and Self-Loathing she could feel just beneath it.

Figures Nightwing would have such a strong reaction after the Red X fiasco.

Both of them.

And the other Titans weren't much happier.

"ARE THESE GUYS OUT OF THEIR GODDAMNED MINDS!?!" Victor shouted just as loudly, almost as incensed as Dick as his own Anger threatened to boil over.

And surprisingly, Blonsky didn't seem too enthused with the idea either, if the slightly nervous look he was wearing was any indication.

"Xenothium? Forgive me sir but… are you sure that's wise?" he said hesitantly as eyed his grinning commanding officer warily. "I thought that stuff was internationally banned for being so unstable and volatile it makes nitroglycerin look like a wet firecracker?"

But Ross just chuckled maliciously as he sat back in his chair with an intensely satisfied expression.

"Not anymore," he crowed triumphantly as the Major raised an eyebrow while the Titans' faces all paled. "A while ago Cadmus was able to 'acquire' the designs for various Xenothium weaponry and power cells from one Professor Chang before his untimely demise. Said designs were flawed but judged to be a workable base to build off from. So we sent them off to Lex Luthor, who was able to improve upon them and remove these flaws. These new Lexcorp-derived Xenothium power cells are still too expensive to be viable for commercial use, but they're safe, stable, and perfect for our purposes."

Blonsky's eyes widened before a hungry, eagerly demented smile split his face as the Titans all stared at each other in sheer, utter horror.

"Ffffffffuck…" Garfield spat viciously after a long pause, the spectacularly blunt curse summing up everyone's feelings on this new development quite well.

"This is… horrible," Starfire said in a quiet, terrified voice, shaking slightly and her skin rapidly paling as the sorceress's eyes widened in alarm at the sheer amount of FEAR and PANIC she could feel overtaking the Tamaranean. "If they bring such terrible weaponry to bear on Bruce before we can find him…"

"It won't come to that Starfire," Raven interrupted fiercely as she psychically embraced her distraught friend's spirit tightly and shot her a stalwart expression. "I promise you we will find Bruce before that comes to pass. I swear it."

Starfire stared at her fellow Titans for a long moment as they all expressed similar sentiments with confident and determined looks before finally letting out a deeply relieved sigh as she gave them all a weak smile and nor, Gratitude pouring off her in waves.

Still, this is very concerning, the sorceress thought to herself as she looked down at the crystal ball in worry, wincing again when yet another wave of fatigue washed over her and her friends.

Xenothium was powerful stuff, and Professor Chang's weapons, flawed though they'd been, were no joke.

So if Cadmus and Lexcorp had truly managed to fix those flaws…

…this could be very, very bad.

"When will we be ready to deploy?" the Major asked eagerly, that hungry, manic look still in his eyes as The General huffed in amusement at his subordinate's obvious impatience to try out their new toys.

"Hopefully here soon. That little monster has proven surprisingly resourceful and been on a rather annoying lucky streak lately," Ross answered briskly, more than a little frustration seeping into his voice as the Titans all grinned and sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness. Your protection spell made it to him Raven," the Tamaranean said with a happy sigh, indescribable RELIEF and HAPPINESS radiating from her like the sun as some of the tension left her body and Raven cracked a small smile of her own at the first bit of good news they'd gotten so far.

"I'll make sure to recast it for him here soon before it wears off," she assured Starfire gently as she sent a quiet prayer of thanks to the Mother of Azarath for her graciousness, before the General's next words abruptly snapped everyone out of their brief good mood.

"But don't worry Blonsky. We'll find it again. We always do. And next time, the Hulk won't save it from us again," he declared in a voice of absolute confidence as Blonsky smiled a smile with far too many teeth.

"Damn right he won't sir. These new guns will certainly go a long way to leveling the playing field against metas for guys like me," he agreed with a vicious undertone in his voice as Ross chuckled knowingly.

"Oh trust me Blonsky. Those new guns are just the tip of the iceberg of the possibilities these Xenothium power cells have opened up for us," he said maliciously as the Titans' stomachs dropped and the Major raised a curious eyebrow.

"Sir?"

"I'm afraid that's on a need-to-know basis at the moment, Major. And right now, you don't need to know," the General replied sternly as Blonsky nodded in slight disappointment while the Titans all cursed. "With any luck, it won't come to that. For now, your orders are to familiarize yourself with your new weapons and remain on standby with your team until we track that little monster down again. Understand?"

"Yes sir," the Major said briskly as he stood up and snapped off another crisp salute before turning towards the door as the image in the crystal suddenly started to fade as another wave of fatigue washed over the Titans.

Dammit, we're out of time, the sorceress thought bitterly to herself, breathing heavily and her skin soaked with sweat along with her friends as they desperately tried to keep the spell going.

"And Blonsky."

The Titans looked up as Blonsky paused at the door and looked over his shoulder to see Ross staring hard at him with that same cold, uncompromising expression from before.

"I meant what I said about that thing," he said icily, the sheer venom in his voice making everyone present shiver slightly. "It might look like a harmless, innocent little child, but it's not. It's an unnatural, inhuman aberration that never should have been born in the first place. Just like the other one."

The Titans eyes all widened.

Other one?

"So if you get the shot, you do not hesitate even for an instant," the General declared vehemently as he pinned his subordinate with a fierce glare that promised dire consequences if his orders were not followed to the letter. "You bring that thing in… or you put it down. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir. I understand," the Major said with an obedient nod as Ross raised an eyebrow.

"I hope you do Major," he replied gravely as a slightly haunted look overcame his features. "Because we're running out of time. It's getting harder and harder to keep this situation under wraps, and every moment that creature is running around free it is an existential threat to the entire human race. Remember that."

Blonsky nodded one last time before walking out the door as the General slumped in his chair with a deeply tired expression and picked up a nearby picture on his desk to stare at it sadly.

"Never again…"

And Ross's mournful voice was the last thing the Titans heard before they all finally collapsed, breathing heavily in exhaustion as the crystal ball returned to being a simple glass orb, its supply of energy utterly spent.

The five friends all stayed there for a while, staring at each other in shock as they desperately tried to catch their breath and process everything they had learned, before at last it was Raven of all people who broke the silence with a spectacularly dry voice.

"Well… that was certainly informative."