If you are squeamish about depictions of blood, proceed at your own discretion.

"All I can remember is my blood dripping on the floor and me waking up with blood all over my bed." I explained.

"Let's take a look at the security footage." Cyborg said.

"Ok here it is. This is at 4:31 this morning." Cyborg said as we watched the monitor.

I teleported out of my room.

"Let's switch over to the Ops Room camera." Cyborg did as he said.

I was suddenly in the kitchen, still no blood on the floor. I reached into the drawer and pulled out the largest kitchen knife we have that isn't a butchers knife. I seem to be examining it. Then I placed the knife on my wrist and slit it several times like I was mincing a vegetable. Blood dripped from my wrist and I moved on to the other and did the same. When I was done I wiped off the blood on the knife. I dropped some blood on the ground and I clearly saw it but I walked right past it.

Then Cyborg stopped the feed and everybody looked me.

"Why did you just walk away?! You clearly saw it on the floor!" Beast Boy yelled. I stepped back and thought for a moment.

"That wasn't me." I said.

"What?" He asked.

"It wasn't me. Last night I had a dream where Slade told me to cut myself. I told him no, but he kept telling me to."

"Is that what you were mumbling about last night?" Beast Boy asked.

"What do you mean? I was asleep when you left." Oops. I've said it much. Now they're going to ask.

"Friend Beast Boy, you were in Raven's room?" Beast Boy and I are blushing now. I think I'll let him explain.

"Well, after yesterday, Raven didn't want to be alone. And I was talking to her and she asked me to stay. Heh heh..." he said nervously while
rubbbing the back of his neck. "I woke up at like 2 o'clock and she was mumbling some stuff. I think it was, 'No, I won't do it.' Or something like that. That must have been what she's talking about."

"Oh. Well I guess I was. But I don't remember waking up, or cutting myself for that matter. So he must have bee controlling me. I don't know how he would have been able to get into my mind though."

"You don't remember? Hmm..." Robin thought out loud. "Maybe you should stay in today Raven." He suggested.

Yeah not happening. I'm not going to be a prisoner in my own home because of Slade. That's a deal breaker.

"Yeah no. I'm not going to stay at home. Especially if you guys are on a mission. That will be the perfect opportunity for him to do something else to me." I said.

"She's right. We can't leave her here by herself if we have a call." Cyborg said.

"Then you can leave then. But otherwise please stay in." Robin pleaded, not in a beggar's tone though.

I nodded my head. Then, as if called for, the crime alarm went off. We all ran into the ops room.

Nothing big. Mumbo was robbing a bank.

That was pretty easy. We got him in less than twenty minutes. That's a new record. I looked around and fixed all the collateral damage we caused.

I just saw somebody sneaking in the shadows of an alley. I float over and look in.

"Careful Raven." Cyborg cautioned.

I got a little closer and some sort of arrow flew at my face. I was quick enough to dodge it. The others came running over. I picked it up and analyzed it. It has some sort of liquid on the tip.

"It's some sort of poison." I looked back at the alley.

"Everybody down!" I yelled. And sure enough the person shot another arrow that, had we not ducked down, would have hit one of us.

"Titans! Scatter!" We just left mumbo in the ground to be picked up later KO'd. We had already called the police.

I'm flying alone. I should have gone with Starfire.

But I didn't, and now I'm by myself.

Then my communicator rang. I opened it just as an arrow whizzed by my head. I looked back, but nobody is there. But the arrows are still coming.

"He's after me guys!" I said into the round yellow communicator.

"He is after all of us!" Star said.

"How is that possible?!" Beast Boy said.

"There must be more than one! Titans! Once you know for sure you're safe get back to the tower! Then we'll count heads!" Robin ordered.

"Eye eye! Starfire out!"

"Gotcha Robin! Beast Boy out!"

"Right! Cyborg out!"

"Be careful Raven. Robin out."

"Raven...out."

I closed the communicator and put it away. The person kept shooting at me. I dipped and dodged, but I felt the feather of one graze my leg. I think I'm gonna speed up.

As I did the arrows kept coming. The sun is high in the sky now. How long have I been out here? It's definitely past noon.

Maybe if I fly above the buildings then I can see this guy.

I'm up here now and I don't think he knows where I am. But I don't see anybody else. Then somebody backed into me.

"Ahh!" We both screamed.

"Oh, Starfire."

"Raven! I think I have lost my pursuer. Have you yours?" She asked. I guess Star had the same idea I did.

"I think so. But let's not be too sure." As soon as I finished saying that an arrow shot up and went straight through my cloak. The next one ripped a piece of Star's skirt off.

We bolt.

Almost literally. Both of them are after us now. We flew down into the city streets and weaved through alleys.

"Hold on. I have an idea." I said. Star nodded at me.

"Go faster." Starfire gave me a confident smile and we sped up.

Finally when we exited the alley, I pushed the buildings together with my magic, just as I had done with Slade before. Star hugged me and laughed.

"Friend your plan worked! Let us go home!" We flew home satisfied, and alive.

Back at the Tower; 4 PM

I'm glad I'm able to read peacefully in my room. Obviously with new sheets. I'm pretty tired from that chase. I think I'll take a-

Knock knock knock

nap... I guess I'll have to nap another time. I got up and opened the door and Beast Boy was behind it.

"Hey. How are your arms?" He asked. I showed him my wrists.

"I healed them."

"Oh. Ok."

"What happened with you with the arrows?"

"The guy stopped chasing me around 20 mins after we split up."

"Star and I bumped into each other and I crushed them with a building." I said bluntly.

"Nice!" I started blushing. I don't know why. Now that I think about it, I've been doing that around him lately. Maybe I have feelings for him. I do feel a little more comfortable sharing my feelings with him than everybody else.

I looked at his happy face and gave him a little smile. Then I felt strange.

Beast Boy's POV

She's smiling at me! Raven is smiling, at me!! What does this mean? Does she like me? I doubt it. I hope she does though. I've always kind of liked her, but she's not really that nice to me. But lately she's been pretty open for some reason.

She's stopped smiling.

"Were the only ones here." I said.

"Really?" She asked with a blank face.

"Yeah. Robin and Star are on a date and Cyborg is hanging out with the Titans East." She didn't respond. She just walked out of the room.

"Hey where are you going?" I asked.

She was silent. She walked into the kitchen and I followed her. She's probably going to make some tea. She opened the drawer and pulled out our biggest kitchen knife.

NO! Not again!

I lunged at her and grabbed the knife from her hand. She looked at her hand, then she looked at me. Then her eyes glowed and she went after me to try and get it back. I threw it across the room behind me and it lodged itself in the couch. She tried to run past me but I turned into a dinosaur to try and block her.

But I forgot that she can teleport. Eyes still glowing she grabbed the knife from the couch and then cut the palms of her hands and her wrists which were just newly healed. Then her eyes stopped glowing, she dropped the knife. She looked at me, then at her bloody hands, then at the knife, all with disbelief.

"What did I do?" She asks as if she didn't know what she did.

"Lets go clean you up." I said. I walked over to her but she backed away from me.

"Don't touch me."she ordered angrily as her eyes glowed again.

"Calm down Raven. It's Slade. He's gotten into your brain again." She didn't listen to me. She screamed and attacked me.

I turned into a mouse and scurried all over her body. Then when I got to her chest I morphed back and gave her a hug.

I'm getting blood all over my shirt, but I don't care at this point. Her eyes stopped glowing again and she started crying on my shoulder.

"I sorry..." she sobbed.
"It's ok."

8 PM; Starfire, Robin, and Cyborg are still out

The others aren't back yet. Robin had probably added an "extension" onto their date, and Cyborg probably started a video game war with Mas and Menos.

I bandaged Raven up a while ago until she heals herself. It's probably going to take a while since she still pretty flustered.

"Ahhhhh! Beast Boy!!" That was Raven! I sprinted down the hallway to her room.

I didn't even bother knocking. I kicked the door open and Slade was standing there with Raven in a headlock, putting a small slit in her forehead and a bottle of something on the floor. Her hands were exposed and the bandages were strewn all over the floor.

"Leave her alone! Haven't you already done enough damage?!"

"Oh dear boy, I have not yet begun to cause damage." Then he pulled on the knife and finished the cut he was making and blood dripped down Raven's face.

Then he poured the stuff over Raven's head and hands and left through the giant hole he left in her window.

Raven still stood there, drenched in whatever Slade poured on her. She shakily fixed the window with her magic, although you could clearly see the cracks.

Her blood dripping on the floor mixed with the substance made an odd purple color. Then it turned black and Raven, still soaked, is now tinted black.

"Maybe you should go take a shower Raven." She nodded and walked to me. She went for a hug but quickly withdrew. Then she walked away.

Raven's POV

What just happened? It all happened so fast. What was that stuff? And why did it turn black? It did get in my cuts. I felt it seeping in and now it's in my bloodstream. I can't remove it with my powers. But right now I just want to get this stuff off.

The warm water ran off of my body along with my blood and the substance, dying the water an unsettling faint maroon. My skin was back to its normal grey and my hair back to violet. A couple of red streaks on my hands and one running down my face on the left half of my face, but those will go away.

I got out of the shower and squeezed my hair. I wrapped the towel around myself and ran to my room.

Now in my regular clothes I feel normal. There's a mark on my head from the gash Slade made, but I was able to heal it. My hands however, still need a bandage. I sat on the couch and pulled my hood up.

Somebody is sitting next to me. I turned around and saw Beast Boy.

"Hey, how are you doing?" He asked.

"Better. But that stuff got into my bloodstream through the cuts. That was his plan."

"Maybe Robin can figure out what it is. I called them and they said they were coming home after I told them what happened. They'll be here in about 30 minutes."

"Thanks." He took my hands in his and faced my palms up.

He looked at the small blood splotches on the white, cloth-like wrap. Then he cupped my hands in his.

"Do you remember anything from when he had control?" He asked.

"No." I answer simply.

"You, tried to kill me just to cut yourself." What? I did?

"Promise me you'll try to fight it next time. If there is one." What?!

"What did you think I was doing?!" I shot.

"He seemed to have total control. I couldn't tell if you were still in there at all..." He replied calmly.

"Well I'm sorry if my presence wasn't apparent, but I was doing something! What are you telling me to do?! Try harder?!"

"Yes!" Why that little–!

....

He looks cute when he's angry. His ears get pointer than they already are and his fangs show.

We're staring into each other's anger filled eyes. I shove him off my bed. He pulls me off my bed and shoves me back.

Even more pissed off, I shove him again even harder and he falls on the floor.

"NEVER say I don't try to do ANYTHING Beast Boy!" I retort. He tries to get back up.

Ahh! He tripped me! I fall forward onto him. He stops me with his hands and rolls over onto me. He pins me down on the floor to try to stop me.

He smirks at me indicating that he won.

I see the game he's trying to play. I smirk at him, my little hissy fit over, and morph into the floor.

I give a little chuckle and pop up behind him. He looks around and turns around. Our faces are now inches apart. He looks bewildered, and I crack another smirk.

I lean in forcefully and kiss him. He jerks back a little probably from the initial shock, but quickly recovers and becomes comfortable.

His hands slowly make their way to my waist. My hands find their way to his face and then to his shoulders. He pushes me back on my bed and I let go if him completely. He smiles at me and pins me again.

I moan quietly as he kisses me again. He gets up and leaves with no words. Just a warm yet slightly sly smile. I blush as I look at my feet.

I regret nothing.

Word Count: 2510