I gave them Raven's diary.

"Is this not Raven's diary? Why would she leave it behind? We should not do the snooping Be-" I cut Star off.

"Read it." I demanded. They read it and looked back up at me.

"It makes sense now. Back in the church Happy, Timid, and Passion were trying to reach you. Then Raven flew away because she knew it." Robin said. I nodded.

"This won't be easy."

"Yes. Her Rage is quite powerful. She seems to be revealing herself to us as Raven uses the magic Slade has taught her more. Me must act fast." Star says.

"But how?" Cy asks.

"We have to give her something or show her something to help her remember that we actually care. This can't be of her own will. Slade has to be controlling her. Our Raven has more sense than that." I'm going in and out of the idea of if Raven is controlled or doing this on her own.

When she left it seemed like it was really her, but tonight it felt like she was being controlled by Slade, if that wasn't Slade himself. 

"What can we give her?" Robin asked. I was about to say that I have no idea, but Cy interrupted me.

"Someone's at the door." We headed downstairs to the door and opened it to find Raven's mirror sitting on the pavement.

I picked it up.

"Is that," Star started.

"Raven's mirror." I finished.

"I thought she took everything." Cyborg said.

"She did." I replied.

"Then what did it do? Walk here?" Cyborg retorted.

"I don't know, but let's bring it inside." Robin ordered.

We walked inside and I placed it on the table. We all looked at each other and back at the mirror. I touched the glass and nothing happened. I looked at Robin, then the glass glowed. Then I heard a voice. It whispered my name. My real name.

"Uh, did anybody hear that?" I asked.

"I did." Star said.

"Me too." Cy repeated.

"Did that voice say 'Garfield'?" Robin asked.

"I sounded quite like Raven." Hmm.

I slowly grabbed the mirror and looked into it. Then the four red eyes came into view.

"I'm going in." I say as I get sucked into the mirror.

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!! Ooofff!" I hit the ground hard. Really hard.

I look around for Happy.

Or Timid.

Or Passion.

Just not anybody else because then I'm screwed.

"Beast Boy! Over here!" I hear somebody whisper. I turn to the voice and it's Happy hiding behind a tree.

"Happy?" I run over to her relieved that it was her.

"Shh! Follow me." She grabs my arm and we jump off the platform. I hold back a scream.

We land in a little field with black grass.
"Ok. You can speak up now." She allowed.

"What is this place?" I ask.

"This? This is the field of Unused Emotions. It's were we go when Raven doesn't feel us anymore. I've never been here. And I don't like it. We can only leave for 5 minutes or else we will be forgotten completely." That's not good.

"Are Timid and Passion here?" I ask.

"Then you did get our note. Yay! Yeah. Passion is up there scouting. She'll be back soon. She left 4 minutes ago. And Timid is right behind you." I turn around and Timid is right there clutching her grey cloak. I scream and she flinches.

"Sorry Timid." I apologize.

"It's ok." She says.

"So why did you guys need me? I'm gonna take a guess and say you somehow got the mirror to the Tower?"

"Yeah. We did. We have to be quick. It's only a matter of time until Raven realizes it's gone and tries to take it back. Once she does you won't be leaving and even end up in the tower."

"Yeah I get it."

"We know you've been trying to figure out how to make Raven remember." Timid said.

"So we're helping you." Passion finished from behind me. I jumped and looked at her.

"Sorry." She flashed a flirty smile at me and continued talking. "But I remembered something you have to us when we needed it." She held up a penny and gave it to me. "For luck." Of course! The penny! I remember that?! How could I not?

It broke my heart when she dropped that penny.

Find a penny, pick it up, uhh...something something something good luck!

I still don't remember the words.

"What do I have to do?" I ask.

"Put it in her hand and talk to her. Help her remember. Do whatever you can to-" the ground shook.

"Hurry! Get out! Raven's trying to take it back!"

Happy teleports me out as fast as I entered. I waved goodbye and I was in the living room again. I watched as the mirror disappeared the second after I landed on the ground. That was close. Too close. But I got what I need. Now I just have to execute.

"What happened?" Robin asked. I open my hand to reveal the penny Passion gave me. They all smile.

If this penny doesn't do the trick, then I don't know what will. I would be officially out of ideas. If Raven doesn't come back from this then Slade is definitely controlling her. But how do I get this to her without dying?

****

We've been fighting Raven and Slade for three months now. Three. Months.

Every time we fight her my pain grows and I fight less and less. I'm loosing my edge without my sharpener.

Last time we saw her I tried to show her the penny. I tried walking up to her with it. She saw it, but she flew away before I could give it to her.

But that look in her eyes. I've never seen that kind of look before from Raven. I think it was...disbelief.

I twisted my ankle last week, but it healed pretty quickly. Like, yesterday quickly. It was right before I started fighting Raven.

I put some weight down on it by accident and it didn't buckle under. I think Raven actually healed it. Happy, Timid and Passion must be fighting hard to get Raven back on our side.

Hopefully our joined efforts will work because Robin and I have been staying up really late trying to figure out a plan. But every time we deploy a new one Raven stops us somehow.

Fighting Raven isn't getting us anywhere, but if we don't she could destroy the city in a snap of her finger if Slade tells her too.

I really just want her back with us, telling me how stupid I am and cuddled up on the floor with her book and tea.

This is why we came up with another plan. Somehow Bumblebee got intel that some very important cargo is coming into the shipyard around 8:30 tomorrow night. Apparently it's very dangerous and Slade will definitely want to get his hands on it.

We all know Slade doesn't do his own dirty work right away. Especially if he has help, so he's probably going to make Raven go and steal it.

Then we'll use the technology and magic from the safe room we made to capture her and render her powerless for a while. Then we'll try and talk to her.

I hope this works because we are officially out of options and ideas.

Raven's POV

I woke up in pain this morning. I looked at my scars and bruises from the night before. I don't even know why I did that. It was stupid and I didn't want to. I know what happens if I screw up, so why did I do that of all things.

I swear Slade makes these beatings worse and worse each time. He's making it hard not to crush him into a tiny centimeter long ball of meat and metal.

Yesterday

"I was watching you Raven." Slade said. Oh no.

"You were?" I ask.

"Don't I always?" No.

"Yes."

"Then why do you sound surprised?"

"I'm not surprised." I don't sound much like anything right now.

"I saw you heal the green boy's ankle." How?! I did it with my mind!!

"How did you see m–" he cut me off with a giant backhand slap right across my cheek. I stumble to the side holding my face and rubbing the spot where the impact was most effective.

"Why would you do that?! Would you heal the Titans East?" I was about to say "no" but he slapped me again, this time on the other cheek.

"Would you heal any other hero?" I was about to say no again but then he gave me a solid uppercut and I landed on my side on the hard concrete.

I adjusted my jaw and stood up just to get kicked in the shins and stumble my way back down to the floor.

Slade has steel-toed boots and that makes all the difference.

When the pain lessened I tried to get up again but Slade grabbed my arm.

"I will do this until you learn your lesson." He said pulling my face close to his. In desperation I punched him in the face and ran like I do every time. I'm starting to get tired of this. Why do I keep doing these stupid things? First I flew away in the middle of a fight, then I "saved" Starfire, then I helped Bumblebee, and then I healed Beast Boy's ankle. And every time Slade asks me more or less the same questions.

First it's, "Why would you do that?"

Then, "Would you ____ the Titans East?"

The intangible part would always be the thing I did. Help, save, fly from, heal, whatever the case may be.

Then lastly he would ask, "Would you ____ any other hero?"

Then he would beat me up and tell me he won't stop 'till I learn my lesson. I try fighting back but it never works. Slade always overpowers me by catching me off guard. If I could only get myself together, I could overpower him and make him give me the respect I deserve. If it wasn't for me he wouldn't have nearly this much power over the Titans.

I ran into the dark and hid within it. Usually this gives me enough time to heal myself a little but this time he figured me out. He grabs me by the cloak and yanks me out of my hiding spot and throws me on the ground.

He's going extra hard on me today. I try getting up again. I don't know why. But he kicked me in the ribs with the bulk of his steel-toe and I loose all air that was in my lungs.

I try to take back the air I lost but he stops me by kicking me again and punching me in the face, giving me a bloody nose and a large red mark on my cheek exactly where he slapped me. I collapsed under the pain.

"Have you learned your lesson?" I nod knowing he'll leave me alone.

"Good. Now get up." I barely stand on my own two feet and walk to my room in the warehouse. I sit down and read a book. Most people would probably tell me to leave him, but I don't want to. He lets me read my books, to an extent, and I trust him. I like all of this power. Before about a month ago I felt my rage try to consume me. But then I saw Beast Boy with a penny and suddenly the feeling stopped all at once.

That's when I started doing the things that got me beaten more often. I remember the last time I was given a penny. But that doesn't change anything. But I just feel like I'm doing something wrong.

Today

I got out of bed and meditated while I healed myself. Then Slade knocked and came in like he always does.

"I have a mission for you Raven."

"What is it?" I ask without opening my eyes.

"Look at me when I am talking to you." He demands. I quickly heal up my bruised torso and open my eyes. I turn and look at him without landing.

"I need you to go and pick up some cargo from the shipyard." Steal some crap from the shipyard to help me fight the Titans.

"What's the number?" I ask.

"03-21-378-1." He gives me the serial number of the box.

"When do I leave?"

"10 minutes. Get yourself situated." He's gone. I guess I gotta steal some more stuff. At first it felt weird but now it's normal. Nobody ever catches me because I'm just that good.

Since when did I get so confident in myself?

8:30, time to leave. I get up and teleport out of the warehouse.

A boat is coming into the dock. I use a magnifying spell that a book showed me to see the cargo numbers. 04-23-34-12.... 01-23-12-4... 03-21-567-1... 03-21-378-1. There it is. It's got a bunch of "THIS SIDE UP" signs plastered on it.

I'm going to wait until they unload the box and then take them out. I don't even need to use magic for this. The put the box on the ground and I walk up to them. Their faces are covered by hats, but it doesn't matter who they are. They look at each other and then back at me. These guys are seem to have gotten the short end of the stick in the thinking department.

"Miss, I'm sorry. You cannot be here. This is private property." The one on the left tells me in a low voice.

"I'm sorry sir. I was just leaving....With that box." I say after I grab the box with my magic and try to roundhouse kick them.

They dodged it?!

"How did you-?" They take off their hats. Beast Boy and Robin? I barely have time to react before somebody comes up from behind me and puts me in handcuffs, a gag over my mouth, and a blindfold over my eyes.

How the heck did they get me? I'm too confident and cocky that I wasn't doing what I was supposed to.

Beast Boy's POV

We got to the shipyard at 8:20 to get ready for our plan to take effect. Robin and I are going to be the people unloading the thing and Cyborg and Star are going to catch Raven when she comes.

We don't quite know how she's going to act so we're just going to go by what she's doing.

Ok. Cyborg and Star are hiding behind shipping crates with a gag, a blindfold, and anti-magic handcuffs made with elements of the safe room in the tower and Robin and I are waiting for the ship to get here.

I see Raven sneaking around in the darkness out of the corner of my eye. Time to do this.

Robin and I spot the box with all the warning labels and stuff on it and we unload it from the ship and put it on a dolly. Our faces are covered by the hats so Raven doesn't recognize us.

I have my hands covered too. Raven comes up to us and stares at us. Then I finally decide to say something as I turn around pretending that I didn't know she was there.

"Miss, I'm sorry. You cannot be here. This is private property." I say. She's obviously not going to leave.

I'm sorry sir. I was just leaving." She's gonna snatch the box from the dolly and try to get away. Then we'll reveal ourselves and catch her.  "With that box." Called it.

She tried to roundhouse kick us but we ducked.
"How did you-?" We revealed ourselves. She's stunned. I can see it written all over her face.

Cyborg and Star jump out and slap all the stuff on her. The sleeping agent we put in the mouth gag sent her collapsing onto the floor. It won't harm her. It will keep her asleep in just enough time for us to get her back to the tower.

Robin takes Slade's communicator that he gave to Raven and crushes it under his boots.

"He's gonna have to come get her now." He says with a smirk.

I can't believe we got her! I thought that was going to be much harder. Doing this made me a little uncomfortable though. But you've got to do what you've got to do to get stuff done, weather you like it or not. It was actually kind of satisfying getting her too.

Star picked up Raven and carried her back to the Tower. The rest of us drove in the car.

Raven is moving around now. The stuff is wearing off.

"Sit her down Star." Robin instructed.

Star gently placed Raven down in the chair and she slowly lifted her head up and waited patiently for us to take off the blindfold.

I slowly untied it and let it fall. Then I stuck it in my pocket. She looked at her surroundings. I'm surprised she hasn't tried to get up yet.

"Hello." She said. "So you guys set me up. Why?" She asks.

"Because we needed you in one place long enough to talk to you." Robin explained.

"And we doubted that you would do the cooperating with us in order to do so." Star continued.

"So we used the tech from the safe room, and a sleeping agent," Cyborg added.

"To sedate you to get you to stay in that one place." I finished.

"Tech from the safe room? Reverse engineering? Figured. Pretty predictable." She said with a nonchalant shrug.

"Then how did we catch you so easily?" Cyborg asked.

"I was too cocky and confident. I ignored logic and common sense and I didn't search to see if anyone else was there. Or else you and Star would be in the infirmary and those two would be in the ocean." She answered.

She's right. She is a lot more confident. One of her weaknesses. One of all of our weaknesses.

"So what is it that is so important to talk to me about that you had to sedate me just to bring me back to...here...?" She asked.

"Because of this." I said pulling out the penny.

Her eyes grew wide and her head jerked down at it and back up at me, making her hood fall off lazily around her neck. Seeing those perfect purple eyes and violet hair again makes me want to kiss her again.

"What, did Happy put you put you up to this?" She asked after she snapped her head away to avoid us seeing her blush. But we all saw it.

"Mostly. Passion did help a little too."

"Stupid emotions. I wish they'd disappear."

"Raven you have to remember. We still care about you. We never stopped. We miss you."  Robin says.

"I know exactly what you're talking about and I remember it perfectly. Back then you actually gave a crap about me. But whatever Happy told you isn't true. Half of me doesn't care and half of me wants to stay with Slade and half of me will be the same as the other half soon enough." She still hasn't made eye contact with me.

"Your not going back to him." Robin says.

"What?"

"You're home. There's no need for you to leave."

"What?"

"You're staying." Robin stopped being so cryptic.

"You can't just keep me here until I comply! I'll never leave!"

"A month. Then we'll let you go."

"Whatever. Slade will come and get me." She rolled her eyes.

"That's just it Raven. He doesn't care about you any more than a potted plant does. He's using you so he doesn't have to get his hands dirty. He's not going to come and get you Raven." Robin said.

"You're wrong! He will..." She answered.

"Goodnight Raven." Robin says. They all walk out except for me.

She's looking down at the cuffs, her hair draping over her face like a curtain.

"You gonna leave me too?" She asks without looking up. "You gonna mock me and tell me I am never going to leave?"

"No. I don't want you to stay here for a month against your will. Here. Take it. Think about it and get back to me. I'll visit you everyday for a week and I'll let you go if you don't change your mind." I bargain.

"At least you've got common sense Beast Boy."

She looks up and at the penny in my hand again.

What's on her cheek? I take a closer look and it looks like a punch bruise. And trust me, I very well know what those look like.

"What happened here?" I ask. She looks at her cheek.

"Slade and I had a disagreement..." Hmmm.... I feel her stomach and she bends over in some slight pain. I knew it.

"He beat you didn't he Rave?"

"He interrupted my healing earlier." She mumbled. "It was for, healing you..." she confessed.

"Has it happened before?" I don't need her answer. I can read her well enough to know the answer. She didn't give me one anyway. She just turned her head away from me again.

"I'll take that as a yes." She looked at me without turning her head. She looks like she's about to cry. She takes a large sniff. "Would someone who cares about you do that? We care about you and we didn't do that when you did something wrong."  She didn't answer. "You know you can stand up."

"What?"

"We didn't tie your feet up or tie you to the chair. It's mainly just the cuffs. You can't leave and you can't use magic but you can walk around." She gets up and stares at me.

"What makes you think I won't kick you like I did at the shipyard?"

"Because if you do Cyborg makes the cuffs stop you. They tap into your nervous system for the time being." I know it's a little cruel but we have to be cautious.

"Fine. I'll bite."

"Bye Raven. There's a sleeping bag over there. G'night" then I left.

"Did you tell her?" I nodded. I'll tell them about the other deal later.

Raven's POV

They're just letting me walk around? Huh.

Letting their guard down.

I can't attack. But I don't want it to seem like I trust them again by hanging around and reading a book. But the only thing I have is this penny.

The penny....

I'd be lying if I said I feel nothing about it. Right now Passion and Happy are jumping around like idiots while Rage and Knowledge want to pretty much destroy them all.

I guess since I can get up and move around there's no sense in staying in the chair. I walk around the empty room and step on the sleeping bag in defiance.

I hear the penny drop out of my lap and onto the floor. I want to pick it up and keep it...

.....and put it in the trash.

Ugh! Why can't I just choose one side? Is Slade actually going to come and get me? Now that I think about it, he might not. Robin has a point. Slade doesn't like to get his hands dirty. I doubt he'll come and get me himself. And when I do get back he'll beat me again.

Oh great now I don't want to go back. I'm going to destroy my— communicator. I guess somebody already did. This doesn't mean I trust them.

I just means I don't trust Slade anymore. I can't stay here. But I can't go back. I guess I have to stay here. I can't use my magic to leave, but I can change my clothes.

All black would be nice.

Much better

No one to trust. No one to be with.
Against everybody. With everybody.
Against no one. With no one.
No one to trust. No one to be with.

Word Count: 4046