Inevitability

Raven was not having a good time.

They had just come back from defeating the Brotherhood of Evil to realize the world had nearly been destroyed by a strange asteroid, only to be saved by a mysterious Phantom from a small town in Illinois. It was nice that a mysterious benefactor was throwing this masquerade ball in said small town in honor of the two victories but that did not mean Raven wanted to come.

Raven frowned and adjusted her mask. Remembering how Starfire had somehow managed to coax Raven into a slinky silver gown and matching mask, forcing her short purple locks into a loose bun. Raven had forced some of hair out to frame her face. She didn't want to be easily noticed. Starfire herself had slipped away with Robin an hour ago and they'd been dancing ever since. Beast Boy and Cyborg had made a run for the buffet table as soon as they got there. They were now drawing quite a crowd with their antics. Raven had been sitting in a chair in a dark corner for the better part of four hour, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. She wouldn't have minded spending the night like this, if not for one problem.

Her legs were starting to fall asleep.

Raven needed to stand up, but didn't want to associate with any of these snobby, albeit well dressed, masqueraders. She soon found a solution to her problem; a balcony. It was nearby, dark, and most importantly it was empty. Using the chair as support, she rose unsteadily to her feet, battling the numbness. She readjusted her mask and tottered as dignified as she could manage to the balcony, glad her gown hid the awkward movements of her feet. As soon as Raven got there she threw herself on the railing and leaning her whole weight against it, exhaled deeply; allowing the slight breeze to let the few strands of hair she had loose tickle her neck. Although the ballroom was a fair distance away from the town itself, it overlooked it. The lights of the town stood out in the pitch black of the night. The light of the full moon bathed everything in a soft light that made everything glow with an eerie light. All in all, it was breathtaking.

"Nice night for a masquerade, isn't?"

Raven turned her head in surprise. Apparently the balcony wasn't as empty as Raven thought. There was a boy opposite her on the balcony. He was very near the edge of the railing, near the door, and was leaning against the wall in the shadows. Raven now realized why she hadn't noticed him before. He was perfectly camouflaged in his pitch black tuxedo. The only thing about him that stuck out was his piercing blue eyes masked by his white accented black mask.

He moved out of the shadows and into the moonlight. He leaned on the railing about six feet from Raven. He was fit. Raven could make out the faint outlines of lean muscle as he moved. He was probably into some kind of rigorous sport, track and field maybe? Raven shook her head. She really needs to stop analyzing people.

"I didn't mean to scare you." He said.

"I wasn't scared. I was just…startled." Raven said.

The boy nodded and his messy black hair fell into his face, making the ice blue eyes and part of his mask. He brushed it back and for a second he reminded Raven vaguely of Robin.

"Why are you out here when there's such a party inside?" He asked.

"I needed some air." Raven replied. "Besides, I don't feel like mingling tonight." She added, dropping a hint. She didn't mind sharing the balcony. She just really didn't want to carry on a conversation.

"Me neither." He said.

Apparently, the hint had been missed.

"I really just needed to come out and think. The last few days have been absolutely insane." He said running a hand through his hair in frustration and staring off at the town in the distance.

"So I've heard." Raven said, empathizing. "I don't see what there is to contemplate. The world was saved – twice - no one got hurt in the process, and now there's this big party to celebrate. What's left?"

The boy chuckled softly, revealing even white teeth. "If I tell you, you'll think I'm weird."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Raven said. She stole a glance at the boy's face and saw his blue eyes were clouded with thoughts. "But," she said. "I'm willing to listen and offer the best advice I can."

The boy sighed. "I was just thinking about inevitability."

Raven inhaled sharply and secured her mask. She had gotten a lot of negative publicity in the aftermath of the fulfillment of her prophecy; the word inevitable headlined a lot of talk shows on the subject. None of which she was invited to so she could tell her side of the entire ordeal. The last thing she needed was this guy to freak out and try and drive a wooden stake through her heart. That happened far too many times in Jump City, she couldn't let that happen here in Amity Park. That would be bad for the team, not to mention her own public image.

The boy continued. "I was just wondering, hypothetically of course, about the strangest situation."

Raven swallowed. "Go on." She urged. "I'm listening."

"Let's say-hypothetically speaking-you are going to turn into an unstoppable evil the likes of which the world has never seen in, say, a decade. This is all provided you make the wrong major life choice like cheat on you CATs or something."

Raven held her breath.

"Then let's say you do something good. I mean really good. What if you save the world or something? I was just wondering what would happen to that hypothetical, inevitable evil then."

Raven hesitated. "Well, that is strange." She said slowly, choosing her words carefully. His question definitely deserved an answer. For the first time since this conversation started, Raven was actually curious about her companion. "But let me answer your question with another scenario."

The boy turned to her, curious as to what she had to say. Raven inhaled a shaky breath and avoided his gaze by looking over the balcony at the town in the distance. "Let's say - hypothetically speaking - there was a prophecy that you would release a great evil. After which you would simply not exist, and the universe would be completely destroyed."

The boy shuffled close to Raven, interested in what she was saying.

"You live with that knowledge for most of your life. It crushes you, messes with your mind, prevents you from getting close to people. You do what you can to try and postpone it. You do good deeds, help a lot of people, save a few lives." Raven continued with a shrug.

The boy was quiet, listening intently.

"But no matter what you do; no matter how hard you try it still happens. You are ripped apart, you explode, you release a great evil and for a day…the world ends."

She heard him take a sharp breath.

"Then - against all odds – you live. Your friends help you. You banish that evil, you save the world. You are happy." She turned to him, looking him dead in his eyes. "What does that tell you?"

There was a pause. "I don't know." The boy said.

"It simply means the inevitable is just that. It's certainly going to happen and there's usually no way to stop it."

The boy stiffened and the corners of his mouth bent downward in a frown. Raven sensed she had said the wrong thing.

"But." Raven added quickly. "That doesn't mean there isn't a way to resolve it. Just because it will happen doesn't mean it will last forever."

The boy blinked slowly, digesting all Raven said. Then he broke out into a wide smile. A smile – Raven noticed – that suited him very nicely. "Thanks. You've helped my hypothetical world a lot." he said.

"Anytime." Raven said, glad her mask hid enough of her face to make her blush unnoticeable. The feeling was starting to return to her feet and with it the tickling pins and needles that always made Raven unsteady on her feet. Her knees started to wobble under her gown.

The boy looked down at her shaky legs and smirked. "First time in stilettos?" he asked.

Raven sent him a defiant glare. "No. It's not my first time in stilettos." She said.

The boy raised a bushy eyebrow. "Prove it."

Raven wasn't about to let this stranger get the better of her. Putting her focus on her wobbly legs, she started to walk unsteadily towards him. She was three feet away when her legs gave out and she fell towards the boy. Quick as a flash, he caught her and held her against him tightly so the both wouldn't fall to the ground. Raven looked up at him and released herself immediately, blushing from embarrassment.

"Okay. The truth is my feet fell asleep because I spent too much time sitting alone and trying to blend into the shadows." She said. Thanks for catching me."

"No problem." The boy said. "I had to do a lot of catching when my friend was learning how to walk in heels. She normally wouldn't be caught dead in anything other than her combat boots."

"Lucky her." Raven grumbled. She suddenly felt a breeze and looked down at her gown. She groaned.

"What's wrong?"

"My gown is ripped." She said. There was a long but surprisingly even knee-high tear in her silver gown. "I'll never hear the end of it."

The boy smiled. "Well, at least you're less likely to fall now." He said.

Raven glared at him.

There was an abrupt song change inside, drawing loud cheers from the partly goers. The boy smiled. "I love this song!" he said excitedly.

It was an upbeat song that Raven admitted had a catchy rhythm. Pretty soon she was nodding her head to it unconsciously. The boy suddenly grabbed her arm and started dragging her to the ballroom.

"You have got to dance to this." He said.

Pretty soon he had dragged them into the center of the ballroom and started dancing, flailing his arms and legs and gyrating wildly. It was all rather comical, but he looked like he was having fun. Raven stood self-consciously and wrapped her arms around herself, not sure what to do with them.

"C'mon! Start dancing." The boy prompted.

"I don't know how to dance." Raven said, shouting slightly to be heard over the blaring music.

The boy held her hands and swung her in time to the music. "There is nothing to know. You just dance!"

Raven was very stiff at first, allowing the boy to pull her and moving rigidly with him. Eventually the atmosphere and the music got to her and she soon found herself dancing and moving with as much ease and freedom as her companion. She was sure she looked absolutely ridiculous, but she didn't care. She was having…fun. All too soon the song ended, much to the displeasure of the dancing crowd. The ballroom quickly emptied, its occupants trickled out slowly until there were just a handful of people left. The ball was over.

"That was great fun." The boy said panting.

Raven was out of breath too. "It's funny how we start having fun when the party's over, isn't it?" she said.

"The fun doesn't have to stop here." He said suddenly nervous.

"What do you mean? The ball is over." Raven stated. She didn't understand what he meant.

He scratched the back of his head. "No, I mean, I know this great dance hall slash roller rink that's really fun. If you're interested, that is."

Raven's eyes widened. This total stranger was asking her out on a date. That was both sweet and sad.

"I live in Jump city." Raven said, trying to make her voice soft.

"Oh." The boy said with a nervous smile. "I hope it isn't too far from here."

"It's in California." There was no softening that.

The boy's face fell so abruptly Raven felt her heart pull.

"That's a very long way from Illinois." He said forcing a smile - and failing.

"Unfortunately." Raven admitted. "If I'm ever in Amity Park again, who should I ask for?"

The boy smiled again, broadly and sincerely. "Danny. Danny Fenton." He said. "And if I'm ever in Jump, who should I ask for?"

Raven smirked. It was now obvious this boy had absolutely no idea who she was. "Ask for Raven."

"Last name?"

She shook her head. "Not needed. I'm the only Raven in town."

"Yo, Raven! We're waiting for you in the T-Car. Hurry up." Cyborg said suddenly appearing behind them. Danny jumped, startled, and gaped up at Cyborg. Although he was in his Holo-ring disguise, he was still very intimidating. Right now, he was all but glaring at Danny.

"All be there in a minute Cy. I'm just wrapping up." Raven said.

Cyborg broke out into a sly grin. "Oh sure Rae. I'll tell everyone you're wrapping up." He said.

He practically ran out of the ballroom. Raven sighed. "I'll never hear the end of this." She deadpanned.

Suddenly, Danny bent down and gave Raven a kiss on the cheek so quickly the only way Raven knew he actually did it was by the cherry red blush on his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry. I have no idea why I did that. I just wanted to thank you. I mean, I don't normally thank people like that." He was rambling out of embarrassment, ice blue eyes looking everywhere except at Raven's face. "I just - I'm such a doofus. You probably think-"

"Oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh." Came a series of voices at the entrance.

Danny and Raven turned to face all the Titans watching them. Raven scowled at them, narrowing her eyes in a fierce glare; telling them to back off. The message was received. The smiles fell from their faces and they all rushed to the T-car, scrambling for their lives.

"I'm sorry. They'll tease you for months." Danny said.

"If that's the case, then I might have to leave Jump just to get some peace." Raven said. "Maybe I'll come back."

Danny beamed. "See you later?"

Raven nodded. "Hopefully."

"Hey Raven! No farewell kiss for your new boyfriend?" Beast Boy shouted suddenly appearing in the doorway.

Raven blushed furiously. "Just wait till we get back home and I throw you out a window again!" she hollered.

Beast Boy blanched and ran to the car. Danny raised an eyebrow. "Throw him out a window?" he asked.

"Don't worry." Raven said with a passive wave of her hand as she gathered her gown. "He can swim."

Danny snickered.

"See you later Danny." She said, sparing him a backwards glance. She ran as fast as her stilettos could manage and left Danny in the ballroom, waving after her with a small smile on his face. He couldn't wait until they inevitably met again.

/

Dear readers,

Since I published this and the next part Drafted so far apart and before I finished the rest of the series, I decided to republish them and add some new things. Drafted has completely new content. As for this, I liked it the way it was so much I decided not to change anything except for some descriptions.

I know I promised not to post this until I finish Live!, it was burning such a hole in my story folder I just had to post it. It's completely unrelated to Live! – takes place in another universe, even.

Reviews are appreciated.

Psyche.