There was no doubt about it: yesterday, Raven had come dangerously close to the boundary of safety the men back at her unit was trying to keep her in. And now, looking down at the crumpled piece of paper in Roy's hands, today was going to be just as worrisome.

I know you have been following me. I see your arrogance. I suggest you drop this case, or else the next body bag will contain that pretty cop you all seem so attached to.

Five men, usually unstoppably talkative, we gathered around the table, speechless.

"So what do we do?" Roy asked, fear intermingled with the quietness in his voice.

"What else can we do? We have to get Raven out of there. We can't sacrifice a cop for a case that might never be solved," Willis replied, disappointment in his eyes. "This undercover stunt is over."

Richard was waging an internal war with himself. However, the result was voicing what Raven would have wanted. "We can't do that. She sure as hell won't want to come out, and—,"

"It doesn't matter whether she chooses to leave or not because she doesn't have a choice! This will become a rescue mission if we don't pull her out before Slade can get his hands on her!" Willis answered, angry at the insubordination of his decision.

"In all honesty we don't know that it's Wilson. Theoretically it could be any one of the humps we hauled in days prior to Raven's departure. It could be someone who is just observant and realizes that most cops on our precinct have partners at almost all times," Roy said, attempting to salvage the mission Raven had fought so hard for. He would never admit it if asked, but Roy was drawn to Raven for more than good looks. She was one of the toughest individuals he had ever met, and she loved the job. She also loved being right, and she would not be happy to find out everyone was thinking she was wrong.

"Yeah, well, we don't know enough to say it's not Wilson, so we're done here. I don't care what the hell you have to do to get Roth out of there, you will do it. That's an order. If she's not in this precinct in 12 hours, it will be on your heads." With that final demand, Willis left, again fuming.

What most people didn't realize was that Willis cared too.

Raven, not entirely thrilled with waking up at four, didn't really appreciate the shrill ringing that reverberated in her ears. The phone. Though not excited to get up, Raven figured the alternatives of breaking the phone, ignoring the phone, and having the angry neighbor come and stab her were far less appealing.

"Hello," Raven answered, groggily and questioningly.

"Ah, Arella, sorry to wake you," came a maniacal voice.

"Oh yes, Mr. Wilson, what can I do for you?" she questioned, attempting to rub the weariness from her eyes.

"I don't think you want the truth," Slade replied, plastering a smug grin on his hardened face.

"What can I do for you that wouldn't compromise my integrity?" Raven asked, disgusted by Slade's lack of decorum.

"Ah, but my dear, you are a prostitute, your integrity has long ago been compromised. Probably next to some middle aged politician. However, I have called because I need you to meet me at six this evening. I have the packages that you will be delivering. I trust you'll be alone."

With that, only the dial tone resounded in the earpiece of the phone, and Raven clumsily put it back on its stand with a soft click.

Leaning back on the pillow that she had propped herself up on, Raven let herself drift back to sleep.

In what seemed like five minutes, a loud slam shook Raven's room, effectively waking her up.

Through the paper thin walls, Raven could hear loud shouts of 'NO' and 'Get the hell out of here.' Once whatever the cause of these shouts was only one door away, Raven could hear bits of the 'conversation.'

"….but you must see the light…yes, like my brother says, the lord is our savior…."

I doubt Jesus would appreciate an interruption of his sleep.

Confirming her fears, a couple of knocks rested upon her ears. Raven responded by forcing the pillow over her head.

"The Lord Jesus Christ has beckoned and you must answer!" the southern drawl called.

"Please, the lord beckons. Your salvation is imminent if you only give us a chance," a second voice pled.

Raven, irked by their tenacity, got up, hopefully to make them leave. Opening the door, she began to rant and rave.

"Look, solicitation for God is bull—"

Almost immediately upon opening the door, Raven recognized the two faces framed by her doorway.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to listen," Raven said, much more placidly than the demeanor she opened the door with. With that, the two men walked in, locking the door on the way.

"What is it Roy? Why the disguises? And why the hell did you pick bible salesman?" Raven asked, worry etched in her frown.

"No time to explain. Look Raven, I know that you are dedicated to this mission, but Willis wants to pull you out," he replied, hoping she would not take out her anger on him.

Raven, flabbergasted by this information, walked across the room and took a seat on the foot of her bed. Resting her head on her hand, Raven ran her hand through her slightly disheveled hair in a vain attempt to shake away the rage.

"I can't; not now."

Richard sighed, "It's not really a choice. Take a look at this." Dick handed her the letter the precinct had received, not letting his own anxiety for her wellbeing surface. Taking the letter, Raven thoughtfully read down the page, her eyes fluttering between sentences. In an angry huff, she folded it up, and shoved it back into Richard's hand.

With calm resolve, Raven began to explain her words. "No, I am making this one a choice. Wilson called me this morning, telling me he had the package I needed to deliver. He said that I had to go down to the club at 6, and that's what I'm going to do."

As Raven stood up to head towards the bathroom, Roy spoke. "Well you know what, some of us care about your health, whether you do or not! Not to mention, some of us like your presence around the precinct. If you don't get yourself killed, you could lose your badge!"

To Roy's surprise, Raven did not explode, nor did she yell. She simply turned around and looked at him with determination in her eyes. "I'm not leaving, and there is nothing in hell you can do about it." With that, she turned on her heel, and walked into the bathroom.

Richard, angered by Raven's defiance and apathy towards her own wellbeing, shouted to her in the bathroom. "Well than what the hell do you want us to tell Willis? He wants you in the precinct by 9 tonight!"

"Don't tell him anything. If all goes well, I'll be back before then. You know the way out." Closing the door, Raven left Roy and Dick no choice but to leave. Obliging, Roy unlocked the door, and followed Dick out.

"So what are we going to do?" Roy asked, already knowing the answer.

"We're going to watch her every move and make sure she doesn't get herself killed running drugs for a maniac," Dick replied, shaking his head.

"Sounds like a plan."

Bugged and armed, Raven walked into the Monaco with two minutes to spare. Sifting through the crowd of drunks and disorderly, Raven reached the V.I.P. room. Running her hands along her very short skirt, Raven straightened it out. Taking in a deep breath, Raven entered the room, only to find Slade standing hands behind his back.

"Okay she's in," Victor called, encouraging Roy and Richard to join him in the surveillance room.

"What is she doing?" Roy asked, wondering what he was seeing on the camera.

"I have no idea."

"Here is the package, and make sure you don't lose it. Go to Tenth Street and hand it to the man in the blue bomber jacket. Make sure no one else handles this. Do you understand?"

"I understand. Is there anything else I can do?"

"Wait a second, what is HE doing?" Richard said, beginning to grow uneasy.

"Well, I suppose there is something you can do for me," Slade said, smiling evilly. Grabbing her arm, Slade pulled Raven towards him so that their bodies were touching. Using the other hand, Slade ripped off her shirt, despite Raven's struggles, now leaving her only with her sheer cropped camisole. Writhing under his touch, Raven did all she could to pull away, but was failing miserably.

Her voice faltering, Raven began to speak. "Wow, it's freezing cold in this joint, and I would really appreciate it if you could give me my shirt back."

The crack in her voice indicated her fear, and did nothing to convince Slade to do as she asked.

"Look, there is always a high price to pay when working with Slade Wilson. You should know, you worked those murder cases, didn't you, Raven?"

Immediately, Raven's eyes widened as she realized she made a potentially deadly mistake.

"SHIT!" was the first thing anyone could say. Eyes wide, the surveillance room became a scene of panic and frenzy.

"Did he just say Raven? We have to get a squad car over there NOW! Dick, let's go!" Roy yelled, rushing out.

Richard, trying to gain some of his sense back yelled to Vic. "Watch what happens. If you see ANYTHING worth noting scream it over the radio in the car. We need all the help we can get. And you might as well tell Willis." Seeing the question in his eyes, he fired "No questions! Just do it!"

Though her torso was mostly bare and being manhandled, Raven managed to kick Slade's side, forcing him to let her go. Dropping to the floor due the sudden shift in balance, Raven began crawling towards the door. However, Slade was far more resilient than she expected and he rose to his feet, walking menacingly towards Raven. Reaching her after what felt like an eternity to Raven, Slade grabbed her hair, lifting her to his eye level. Smiling and winking at her, Slade threw her into the wall with such force that she blacked out for a few seconds. Coming to a last resort, Raven admitted her identity.

"Look Wilson, I know what you did, and I have it all on tape. You're busted. Don't make this worse by beating me into the ground. You should—oomph" Raven rolled onto her stomach, in which she was just kicked as hard as possible, and on the verge of tears.

Slade only smiled his maniacal grin, and replied to her pleas. "My dear, Ms. Roth, I have no intention of beating you to a bloody pulp. At least not one that can talk."

Roy and Richard were in the police Crown Victoria, speeding through the Gotham slums filled with such immense anxiety that both Roy and Dick had white knuckles, even though Roy was the one driving. Though they were followed by several other squad cars, the two men who cared deeply for someone who may be facing grave danger weren't sure it would be enough.

Over the radio, Dick could hear Vic's frantic voice and reached toward the volume so he could more clearly understand it. "You guys have to get there quick! Wilson's doesn't want witnesses!"

Right then, Dick's heart began to sink. Never had he felt such an intense dread in the pit of his stomach. Of course, he wasn't sure what exactly is was he felt for his partner, but he wanted to have the options available, which meant keeping that person alive. Under his breath, he muttered, "Come on Raven…"

Roy could only shake his head and as he sped towards their destination.

Placing her hands on either side of her body, Raven tried to stand up, but failed. However, it was not because she couldn't muster the strength, it was because a heel had just found its niche on her back. After asking Slade if it was him who wrote the letter, she realized there was a problem. That problem was that the heel was that of some sort of stiletto boot. Rolling on her back, Raven faced the second source of pain.

"Jinx," she said with as much venom as she could muster in her groggy state. Jinx only smiled with an amount of malevolence that rivaled Slade.

"Ha. That's funny, you're probably wondering why I'm here. Well, to clear things up, I saw you in the precinct when they hauled me in." Recognizing the look of betrayal in her eyes, Jinx continued. "Don't think because you kicked that bouncer's ass that means I am forever in your debt. When I told you that you shouldn't have done that, I meant you just proved yourself a cop in a staged setting."

She paused, smiling cruelly. "It was a setup." With that, Jinx kicked Raven in the stomach again.

Rolling over in pain, Raven had finally had enough. Going back to her basic academy training, Raven swung her legs to knock Jinx's feet out from under her. Unfortunately, Raven had ignored Slade's presence throughout their entire conversation, and therefore failed to see the knife he pulled from his suit jacket.

Raven, eyes widening at the realization and she closed her eyes, whispering "I'm sorry Dick, Roy. I should have listened."

Richard, only three quarters of the way there, practically choked when Victor's yells woke him from his reverie. "Dick, Roy, Slade pulled a knife! He's going to kill her! Get down there now!"

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! What are we supposed to do! She's going to die in there!" Richard could only frantically cry out.

Grabbing the radio, Roy yelled into it. "Willis! I know you're pissed right now, but you need to— "

"Roy, right now, I could care less. Let's just hope when we get there I still have someone to be pissed at."

Roy would never say it, but he almost thought Willis' gruff voice had reverted to his teen years by the cracks that littered his speech. He could only hope for the same, however.

Slade circled the black and blue Raven, who was now leaning upright against the wall. Raven, hopeful that someone would reach her quickly, merely waited for Slade's advance. However, Slade faked a punch, which Raven moved to block, while he kicked her legs out from under her. On the ground and effectively incapacitated, Slade knelt down to and brought his face to Raven's ear.

"Well, my darling, it's been fun. But as you know, all fun must come to an end."

Squeezing the handle, Slade dug the blade deep into Raven's abdomen. However, true to her character, Raven did not cry, nor did she scream. She simply let out a muffled "mmph," tagged with a wince. Grinning, Slade got up, and left the room, planning on heading to a new location. Meanwhile, Raven bled out onto the floor, not even hearing approaching sirens. To her, all hope was lost as she heard Vic reassuring her that everything would be okay.