Raven held her breath. She hadn't expected him to actually do it! She watched as he slowly worked the bonds loose behind his head; she could feel his intense gaze on her face. Finally, he brought his hands to his face and put them against the mask, as if he was going to pull it off. But he hesitated; his broad shoulders lifted as he inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled.

He did it so quickly that Raven didn't register that the mask was gone for the first few moments. He reached up to ruffle his hair - it was black. He lowered his hand and looked intensely at her as she began to take in the details of his face. What she saw left her speechless.

His black hair was short and a little flat from being under the mask. His eyes - locked on her face - were a bright, steely blue. His dark brows that framed them were harsh, but not menacing. He had a strong, square-ish jaw line and prominent cheekbones, and his mouth was wide, his lips full. The last thing she noticed was a long, white scar, running from his temple to his jaw. His face altogether was extremely handsome, despite the scar; it spoke of strength and ruthlessness, but Raven could also see gentleness lurking in his eyes.

Raven didn't know what she'd expected; in fact, she hadn't had any expectations. But his face seemed to summarize everything she knew him to be. The one thing that had taken her aback however, was his attractiveness. She hadn't exactly expected him to be ugly, but not quite so good looking. It was unnerving to have his deep eyes fastened on her; she'd felt his gaze before, but not like this. Seeing him now for who he was changed everything between them. She would never see him as Slade again. He was Garret, a man that she felt a strong connection with - her friend, and never again would she see him as her enemy.

Garret was beginning to fear that he'd done the wrong thing by showing her. She was silent, scrutinising every aspect of his face. It felt strange to have someone looking at him so; he was the only person who'd seen his face for ten years. What was she thinking? Was she disappointed? Had she expected something more? If only she would speak and put him out of his misery!

Finally, her eyes came to rest on his, and she spoke. "I want you to know," she said slowly, "that you will never be my enemy. I have to go back, but I will never fight against you. They won't understand, but I will never betray the trust you have put in me, and I hope that we can always be some form of friends."

He nodded. "Yes. I understand."

Raven almost lost her composure then. Without the mask, his voice no longer had the metallic quality to it. It was deep and melodious. It was a beautiful voice - strong and gentle.

"What is it?" he must have noticed a change in her expression.

"Your... your voice - it sounds different. Without the mask."

"Yes, I suppose it does."

Raven looked down to her hands in her lap, steeling herself for what she had to ask. "Garret, can I assume that by taking your mask off you're agreeing to take me home?"

He sighed. "Yes." He said softly.

They sat in silence for a few moments. Then Raven stood up. "Please. Could we go now?" her voice was soft and sad.

Garret stood up slowly. "Yes." He said again. He came to stand in front of her, close. As he came near, she raised her head and looked at him. "Garret," she said quietly, "I just... I want you to know... thank you. For showing me your face. And I think you deserve my opinion." She swallowed, but did not break eye contact. "You are one of the most handsome men I have ever seen."

Garret was momentarily stunned. Then, slowly, he lifted his hands and pulled her into his arms. After only a moments' hesitation, she wrapped her arms around his waist in response. "Thank you." He whispered in her ear. "You have brightened up my life in the past couple of months, and I will never forget our time together." He squeezed her tighter. Then, suddenly, he became more aware of her female form pressed against his. He stroked his hand up her back, feeling her involuntary shiver, and brought it up to the back of her head. Then he tipped her head back and looked into her eyes. "I'm going to kiss you, Raven. Just this once." And he lowered his head to hers.

Their lips touched and Raven gasped softly. He brushed his against hers gently at first, then a bit more forcefully. He parted her lips with his tongue and her arms slid from his waist up, to wind around his neck. He pressed her closer and squeezed her tighter as he gently explored her mouth, not getting enough of her. She responded, and raised herself onto her toes, pressing closer. He felt her sigh with pleasure, and he caressed the smooth planes of her back tenderly. He deepened the kiss, hands roving her back, tickling her spine. Oh, how long he'd wanted to do this.

He moved his mouth to her neck, and explored that smooth column of flesh for a while. She turned her head to the side to accommodate him, gasping softly when his tongue touched her skin. His one hand glided from her back to her hip, then up to her waist, and up further until...

"Garret!" Raven jumped back from him. "Stop. We have to stop."

He shoved his fingers into his hair, angry with himself for getting carried away. "I'm sorry, Raven. Please forgive my lack of control. It always seems to abandon me when I'm around you."

"No, don't apologise, I got carried away too." She said.

They stood awkwardly for a moment, not looking at each other.

"I think it's time I went home now." Raven eventually said.

"Yes." He replied. "You can keep the clothes I have given you. As a reminder of what we've shared."

"Thank you. I think I might just take up horse riding."

Garret smiled and nodded. Then an idea struck him. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we meet here on the last day of each month to go horse riding?"

A slow smile spread across Raven's face. "What a great idea!" she said enthusiastically. "It would be just like it has been; time to pretend we're not on different sides and just be friends. It's perfect!"

"Then it's settled. The last day of every month." He smiled, happy now that they had a firm plan to see each other somewhere other than across the battlefield.

He held out his hand for her. I'll take you back to the titans now." As she took his hand, he looked into her eyes again and said, "I'll miss you."

She looked up at him, sadness in her eyes and whispered, "I'll miss you too."