Disclaimer: I don’t own the Teen Titans.

Author’s Note: I’m not really sure how this one-shot came to be-I think it came from watching the Titans Rising trailer and reading the Judas Contract at the same time… So just as a general warning, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE LAST HALF OF SEASON 2.

I repeat, MAJOR SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2, ESPECIALLY POST Titans-Rising. Don’t review me telling me that I just blew your entire world up because there are three warnings of spoilers – one in the summary and two in the author’s note.

Author’s Note – 3/13/04: Well, I put this under a well needed revision. Thanks to the readers and especially to Noriaki Kakyoin for the constructive criticism. Just a small quibble, but this is staying a one-shot. I’ve never been good with chaptered works for some odd reason.

Enjoy.

            The Report

            “Begin transmission. Audio only.”

            “You’re late.”

            “Sorry. I have the tapes, though.”

            “Send them to me.”

            Silence from both ends.

            “The downloading is taking a long time.”

            “You were supposed to change the format. Take note on that.”

            “Yes sir.” Mockingly.

            “What’s on the tape?”

            “Same old… though I did get something interesting. Want to wait for it, or do you want the gossip now?”

            “Give me the information now. I tire of waiting for your reports.”

            “Look, I tried, okay? I’ll start now.”

            I don’t think I ever realized how tense Raven’s relationship with me until we actually started interacting with each other. It’s kind of funny, you know? She’s a lot like one of those scary stuck up preppies who walk around with their noses permanently stuck in the air: pretty to look from a distant, horribly ugly up close. At least, that’s my opinion.

            “She’s not always like that, Terra,” Beast Boy told me as we sat together at the edge of the island. Poor, poor Beast Boy. Sometimes I wonder if I really have feelings for him. You’ll probably tell me that I don’t. Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t.

            “She sure does seem like it,” I said huffily, commanding a few pebbles to rise with my powers. “She hates me. I know she does.”

            “She doesn’t hate you,” Beast Boy said. “She just doesn’t trust you.”

            “Same difference,” I muttered. Beast Boy grinned.

            “Look, I used to think the same thing.”

            “You did?” I asked a touch sarcastically. I could definitely see his jokester attitude getting on Raven’s nerves. Beast Boy ignored the barb.

            “And then I went into her room and…” the green boy paused to bite his lower lip. “ Let’s just say that there’s a lot more to her that meets the eye.”

            Pause.

            “Surely it doesn’t stop there.”

            “Well, I tried drilling him about more information on what happened in her room. He didn’t give me anything more. All he told me was,

            “It’s a thing that’s hard to describe. Ask Cyborg or maybe Raven herself.”

            “That metal man’s really obsessive, the way he works on his cars like that. I think he also lost his brains. You know what he told me? He told me-

            “We took a trip through her magic mirror.”

            “He was either telling the truth or lost his mind all together.”

            “Don’t underestimate the Titans, Terra. They are a formidable enemy together. I can assure you, none of them are ‘losing their minds’.”

            “I’m not. Besides, I can dump them under an avalanche and they’d be dead. Do you mind if I continue?”

            “Raven?” I asked, finally pinning her down on the roof. I had to shield my eyes from the glare of the sun. I had looked everywhere in the Tower for her, except her room. The other had warned me not to go in there, since Raven would rip my head off if I did. Well, I’d get in there anyway, but that didn’t really matter now. And, like usual, Raven ignored me. She just continued sitting there in that weird Hindi position, chanting those weird, freaky words of hers. I half expected the entire tower to rise up from the ground.

            “Raven!” I shouted again, walking up to her and waving a hand in front of her face. She grabbed it and held it in a vice grip, all without opening her eyes.

            “Don’t. Disturb. My. Meditation,” she told me in a way that gave me goosebumps.

            “I just wanted to see how you were doing,” I said, squirming a little. For a someone who wasn’t supposed to be so hot on physical fighting, she sure had one hell of a grip.

            “And before you can go Mystery Science Theatre on me, do be quiet.” Mortified silence. “Oh, gosh, Slade, I’m sorry! I’ll just go on now.”

            “I am meditating,” she said calmly, opening her eyes and letting go of my arm. I gratefully began rubbing the spot where her hand was. “But since you had stormed up here, I might as well stop.”

            I frowned. “Well, sorry for existing.”

            “You are forgiven.”

            “Was that a joke?” I asked a touch incredulously. “Did the great, stoic Raven make a joke?”

            Raven frowned, getting up from her spot on the floor. I guess she felt a little intimidated with me standing and her sitting on the ground helplessly, but you would probably disagree.

            “I don’t do jokes,” she said. A sharp wind threw my hair in my face. I laughed.

            “Yeah, right. That was definitely a joke,” I said, brushing my hair out of my face. Raven just shook her head and looked at me oddly.

            “Why are you here?” she asked suspiciously, squinting as the sun was in her eyes.

            “I wanted to get to know you better. You know, the girl talk,” I said as casually as I could. “Braiding each other’s hair, painting each other’s toenails…”

            “You went up there for more information on the mirror, Terra. The Titans may notice your inconsistencies.”

            “You asked for me to learn more about the Titans, O Mighty Leader. I was utilizing that opportunity.”

            “No,” she said. It was amazing how much patronization she could fit in with one word.

            “Why not?” I whined. The wind blew again, and I shivered. Somehow, the wind never touched Raven. Her cloak didn’t move as much of an inch.

            It never occurred to you that she might be the person making the wind.” It was more of a statement than a question.

            “Not until now. But she doesn’t have wind powers…”

            “Her telekinesis might be able to mimic it.”

            “Whatever. Can I just go on?”

“It’d be a good chance for us to get to know each other.”

            She snorted. “I already know more about you than you think I do.”

            “Was she bluffing?” his voice was sharper than a razor.

            “...No.”

            “But I don’t know anything about you,” I said, trying to not sound hurt. Raven smirked at me, a rare display of emotion towards me.

            “I want to keep it that way.” 

            “She left me on the roof after that and now I have to report to you. You know, she really could run it up as your future apprentice.”

            “Perhaps.”

            “She’s a lot like Robin, you know. Maybe they have something going on.”

            “Perhaps you should review the tapes again.”

            “Why?”

            “Robin and Starfire… they are pathetically unsubtle when it comes to their feelings. I shouldn’t have to tell you this.”

            “Oh. Well, that’s the bad news. The good news is that I couldn’t get anything out of the Titans aside from Beast Boy. He wouldn’t give me his real name, though.”

            “You haven’t been able to get any information out...” Anger. Pause. A sharp intake of air. “Raven suspects you to be a spy. Do not lie to me, Terra.”

            “She does.”

            “I sense a great evil in you,” Raven said, looking at me darkly.

            “What, like I’m a spy?” I said nervously.

            “That didn’t cross my mind yet,” she admitted honestly. “But now… yes. Like a spy…Markov.”

            “I still don’t get how she knows my last name.”

            “She can read minds.”

            “Really? It isn’t on the list of her powers.”

            “Mental powers aren’t easy to spot, Terra. She knows-or at least suspects-who you are. I believe that she may have empathic talents as well.”

            “That witch is worse than a lie detector.”

            A humorless chuckle. “True.”

            “If we play our cards right, we could get her on our side.”

            “I see no reason for recruiting her.”

            “I wouldn’t mind seeing the other Titans’ faces when they find out that we’re working together against them. You know, we’re two polar opposites.”

            “I would not go as far to say ‘polar opposites’…” Beep. “Your tapes have finished loading. I will review the tapes alone. Slade out.”

            “Terra out.”

The End