So there he stood, on the roof of the tower. In his hands, the shadow of the man that had brought so much pain. He stared at the mask, and it stared straight back at him as if there was some life left in it. He could almost picture his face behind the mask, and the voice that brought a flood of anger and pain within him. The voice of his nightmares. Slade is dead, but not gone, the mask keeps his existence alive. Damian wanted nothing more than to be free from him, to simply let go of the mask, to let it fall over the edge of the tower, never to be seen again. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was afraid, more than he would admit. It wasn't letting go that scared him, it was what came after. To be free from what had governed over his life for so long, and then what? Could he just move on? No more was he bound to Ra's and the League, no more was he bound to his father, and no longer would he be bound to Slade. All that is left of him is Damian Wayne. Who is Damian Wayne? He didn't know, and that's what scared him most.

"He's gone, you know." The empath's voice alerted him of her presence. He turned to see her by his side, cloak drawn around her figure, her eyes on the mask.

"I know" was his simple reply. A moment of silence passed.

"Damian" she called, diverting his concentration from the mask. She turned to face him and opened her cloak, revealing a black Labrador puppy. To say he was confused would be an understatement. He raised an eyebrow. She understood his confused demeanor.

"Your obsession over Slade has brought you nothing but pain and anger. Now that he's gone, you need something else to focus on, some other purpose in your life" she explained to him. "This time, it should bring peace, maybe even happiness" she said, referring to the puppy. "But rather than having to get angry all the time, it requires you to care. It requires you to be you." She handed the Labrador over to him, which he held in his arms, and in his hands he clutched onto the mask.

"I guess" he replied, now sitting on the ledge, his legs hanging off the side of the tower. He shifted his gaze from the puppy to Raven, who had also sat down beside him. "But what if after all this time, I've lost myself to my anger. Raven, what if Damian Wayne doesn't no longer exists, just an empty shell? Or what if I don't what to find out what he's like?" His fears were out in the open now.

She looked at him with kind eyes. Those rich pools of amethyst always made him lose his thoughts, made his heart beat a little faster and on the rare occasion would cause a heat to rise to his cheeks. The only time he would like to be lot would be in her eyes. "Damian Wayne does exist, and he's sitting right here beside me. Not the grandson of Ra's Al Ghul and heir to the League of Assassins, Not the son of Batman, and not the mortal enemy of Slade, but Damian Wayne." She continued with a small smile "I've gotten to know him recently, and you should to. Besides, in my opinion, he's not half bad."

Sometimes it amazes him, how well she knew his thoughts, how she always knew what to say. Although it might have something to do with her being an empath, and the mental connection they shared, he couldn't help but believe it was because of how well they had gotten to know each other. Over the past year that he had been with the titans, he felt that they had become closer. Their regular conversations and playful banter could attest to that. He certainly felt more comfortable around her, more open with her. She was the closest friend he had, and considering her tendency to isolate herself from others, he knew that he was closer to her than any of the other titans. They were without a doubt best friends...

His thoughts were silenced by the warmth of Raven's lips on his cheek.

...And then some more he mentally added, thinking back to on a few weeks ago on the rooftop where the sky was dark save for the light of the heavenly celestial bodies, where the moon bathed her in a light, giving her skin an angelic and ethereal glow, and how the stars in the clear night sky above could not compare to the beauty of her amethyst eyes. He remembers how deeper feelings were brought to light, and how the feelings were reciprocated. And how it was to be kept a secret from the others. And the kiss...

"What do you want to name him?" Raven asked, snapping the teen out of his thoughts before his blush could progress any further.

"You haven't given him a name yet?"

"He's yours, so you get to decide."

"Don't tell me I have to take care of him by myself." He added with a smirk.

"I'll help, but you'll be held accountable for anything he does." She replied with a smirk of her own. "So, what do you think?" She asked, looking at the Labrador which was now in Damian's lap.

Damian looked at the puppy with it's large eyes and oversized ears. He pondered for a moment in silence. "Titus." He replied, after some time. "His name is Titus."

"Titus" the girl echoed. "Not bad."

"Why, did you doubt my naming skills?"

"Anything outside slicing people in half isn't exactly part of your skill-set, Damian." retorted the empath.

"Real funny Raven" the boy replied, wrapping his arm around the girl's shoulders. He smiled, content with himself and what they had. Raven's only reply was to rest her head on Damian's shoulder with a smile of her own. Only silence followed thereafter. He hadn't even realized when he had dropped the mask, which lay somewhere far below, forgotten. So there they sat, content in their loving embrace, ready to move onward to the future, together.