"I'm getting married...we're going to get married..." he stumbled.

"To Barbara Gordon?"

Starfire pronounced the words with obvious distaste.

"To...to the Bat-Girl? She is...not the one who is 'right for you', Robin."

Awkward silence saturated the tower, dominated by the glazed stare of Starfire and the Icy glare of the girl known as Raven. The masked superhero worried his stiff collar, trying desperately thereby to gain a bit of time in which to think clearly.

"Do you love her?"

The Boy Wonder's gaze flitted over to the petite-but-oh-so-forbidding darkling known as Raven; arms crossed over her ample bosom; standing beside Starfire like a protecting mother.

He shook off that last line of reasoning about the ample bosom, but remained frozen—stunned by the breverie and directness of the line of questioning.

"Huh?"

He absently pronounced the word, still lost in his jumbled thoughts.

"Will you take forever to make an answer to Raven's question?"

Starfire broke Robin's reverie.

"What did she ask me, again?"

"Do-you-love-her?"

Raven pronounced each word clearly, slowly, distinctly; as if speaking to a retarded child.

"Er-ah-ehrm-I care very deeply for Bat-Girl, you know, I've known Bat-Girl...I've known Barbara for...forever."

The pores covered by his eye mask began the process of exuding small beads of sweat, not yet showing outwardly, but beginning the inexorable process which would lead to the need to wipe his forehead...

Starfire drew a deep breath, painfully (for Robin) demonstrating the ridiculously large breasts with which she was forced to live. They sometimes proved to be a hindrance in a fight, and were a source of much unwanted lascivious attention. Yet, as large, prominent breasts were common among her people, they were also a certain source of pride to the girl from Tamaran.

"Robin—I love you—you have known that for some time now, and I understand that you do not reciprocate the feeling in like kind..."

another deep, heaving intake of breath:

"but the Bat—Barbara Gordon—is not the right one for you."

She bored holes in the Boy Wonder's heart with her puppy-dog stare; those enormous emerald eyes; the genuine concern and empathy plainly displayed on her face for all to see.

The one known to many as simply 'dark girl' now broke again intruded on the silence.

"I agree with Star."

Robin's head exploded—or so he thought.

"What? What did you say? What!?"

"I simply said that I agree with Starfire."

Her stare was still hurling frozen daggers; arms still jealously guarding her chest.

"What? What does that mean?"

Dick Greyson, now visibly perspiring, glanced nervously from Tamaranian to

Azeraethean. He was shaken and still at a loss for proper words.

The daemon princess glared at the masked one, her eyes flashing something other-

worldly; just for the briefest of moments, before she regained total control over herself once more.

"I said," she intoned evenly, carefully, "that I agree with Koriand'r: that your marriage to Barbara Gordon is not a good match. Moreover, I agree with her in that I know what it feels like to have feelings for you which are wasted."

She turned to her female companion.

"Come on, Star. Let's leave him alone to sort out his thoughts."

Raven sniggered, as Starfire was clearly out of the loop at this juncture.

"Also, I don't want to stare at him any longer—I don't want to see him pee in his pants..."

"I, also, do not care to witness such an act," Starfire replied, with deepest sincerity.

"Barbara, I think we need to talk—er—I need to tell you something that...about...well...ah...erhm, Starfire and Raven were discussing the engagement with me, and..."

Barbara smiled sweetly at the desperately nervous young man before her.

"Yes; and what did they say, dear?"

"Well, you know how Star feels; but Raven—I think she said something ridiculous like that she loves me..." "...I must have mis-heard her..."

"She finally told you, eh?"

"What?"

Bat-Boys' face slid off, pooling on the floor at his feet.

"You—you—you knew? How long...?"

The Commissioner's daughter took the hand of her betrothed gently in hers.

"It's been common knowledge forever, silly. It seems that the only one oblivious to her affection for you has been—you."

He stared down at his face, which stared up, incredulous at this devastating revelation.

"We'll just quietly break off our engagement while you digest this new (giggle) information—okay, hon?"

Barbara patted his hand, like a wizened grandmother.

"Don't worry—I'm just surprised that you never figured it out for yourself, mister super-sleuth. You need time to think, obviously. And, should you eventually come to the decision that you still want to marry me—well; I'll still be here for you. Honestly, hon—I'm not jealous of Raven. I've always known that, like her, I love you--but you don't really love me. Maybe Raven will have...better luck?"

Robin picked up his wayward face. After a long hug, and a chaste kiss by the one with whom he was newly un-engaged, he resolved himself to go back to the tower to confront Raven—maybe.

What will I tell her? How could I have been so blind? What will her reaction be? What if she doesn't want me? What if she wants to hurt me...

He drove slowly, carefully, responsibly. His Kawasaki Ninja had never been ridden in such a manner before, but her took his time riding on deserted back streets, knowing that he needed to prepare for a conversation: one which he would never have considered to be even a remote possibility.

It was true that he often felt that Raven looked to him for guidance more often than was necessary—she was, after all, quite able to handle her own affairs. And yes: he did often feel himself drawn to the unfathomable girl in whose eyes he saw...what did he see? He had naturally assumed that her gaze, when it softened from a normal glare or distant, distracted view, was somehow equivalent to Starfire's adoration, or the admiring glances he read on the faces of fan girls—or even, occasionally, B.B. or Cy.

Now that he reviewed his memories carefully, he realized that the look he had been seeing in the eyes of the daughter of Azar was not at all the blind adoration of Star—that was ridiculous, he saw clearly. Raven would never stoop so low as to allow such an emotion to display itself...

It was equally ridiculous, he thought, that he could ever have confused her look with that of open admiration. Certainly, Raven had respect for the leader of the Titans, but never would she allow anyone to mistake her noble deference to the founder of the Titans—to allow anyone to suspect that she might think that Robin was in any way—better, or superior to her in any respect.

No: what he had been unable to fathom, for all these years, was a simple look which said that she cared about him. She cared about him in a manner which was simply, deeply felt: she worried about him; she concerned herself personally for his safety and well-being; she expressed in her gaze, in her unguarded moments, that she would gladly give her life in exchange for his; she—loved him.

Holy Bat-Crap...!

He was greeted by complete normalcy as he entered the Titan's tower. Starfire hovered in the kitchen, fussing over some undoubtedly horrid concoction she was preparing. Cyborg and Beast Boy, fingers flying, were deeply engaged in a video game death-match. Raven, as was not unusual, was nowhere to be seen—probably reading or meditating in her room, or on the rooftop.

"Dude."

Beast Boy casually tossed his usual greeting, acknowledging the presence of the Titan's leader.

"'Sup?"

Cyborg.

"I am so glad to see you, Robin. I cannot find another who will help me to taste my 'Stew-of-Plaeforthnathe..."

Starfire.

"Uh, sure, I'll be right there, Star. Uh—do you know where Raven is?"

The Tamarand girl giggled, schoolgirl-style.

"Yes, I do."

"Er—would you please tell me where she is?"

"Oh, certainly. I would be most gladly reveal to you that information. Are you sure you (giggle) want to know?"

death-glare

"Oh yes: I believe that Raven is in her room..."

"Thank you," Robin coughed.

"But Robin: I must warn you..."

"Huh?"

"We have been hearing—feeling—strange noises from that section of the tower..."

"Oh—yeah—thanks."

Starfire went back to busying herself in the kitchen, lightly humming to herself.

Indeed, the noises emanating form Raven' room were, to say the least, disconcerting. As he rapped gently on the door, it opened automatically—it was not locked. As Robin peered into the semi darkness, he was nearly conked on the head by a large volume from Raven's collection. Various objects of all types and sizes swirled, danced, and darted through the air in the girl's room. The noises were generated by objects striking walls or each other, but other strange sounds were present, for which no simple explanation was handy. Among the objects being levitated were candles—many of them. Some floated, some seemingly obeyed the laws of gravity, still firmly in contact with the floor.

The Boy Wonder quickly decided that a talk with Raven could wait for another time. He tried to back away noiselessly, but made only a half step backwards and to the left when he heard his name called, softly. Or so he at first thought—on examination, it might have been that the voice he "heard" was telepathically transmitted directly to his mind.

Look at me...

This time, he was sure that it was telepathy. He noted, in the center of all the other-worldly activity, a softly glowing Raven, floating several inches off the floor.

I hear, and I obey, he thought. In response he received what, in his mind, he could only interpret as the impression of a soft laugh.

He took two or three hesitant steps toward the spectre that was his friend. He was close enough now, even in the dim light, to see that...

Look at me! Closer! The--voice was more insistent.

...Raven was nude.

Robin panicked—would have run—except that he could not move. Was his physical body unable, or unwilling, to respond to his command, or was it that...

Well? Do you like what you see? Do you want it?

...his conscious mind would not allow him to turn away, to avert his gaze?

Dick Greyson gritted his teeth, and bravely pressed on, having reached a decision. He did like what he saw. He wanted Raven—he wanted her badly, and he wanted her now. But first, he would have to tell her what had now become so absurdly clear: he loved Raven, and he was sure now that she loved him. He reached to slide a finger under his mask, to remove it, to reveal himself—as surely as his love had revealed herself to him...

...and Robin's head exploded.

He flopped to the floor, sitting in an awkward position, staring stupidly at the after-images still burning on his retinas.

"Robin? Are you alright?"

It was Raven's voice, heard with his own ears.

"Do you need help? How did you get in my room?"

He managed a small, crooked half-smile with one side of his mouth.

"I love you, Rae, I do. I'm so sorry I never realized before...you love me, too."

"Robin, take it easy, now. I'm not sure you know what you're doing—or saying."

"You are so beautiful—how come I didn't notice before?"

"Robin—I do want you to notice me, but what you saw was an illusion—I was hoping to shake you out of your complacency."

"I am shaken-- and stirred; and blended. What I can't shake is the image of your magnificent..."

"Robin!"

"Oh, believe me—I'm okay. But I don't want to go back to the way things were before."

"Neither do I, Rob. But I don't think I'm quite ready to..."

Raven blushed a pretty shade of chartreuse.

"I know. But maybe—could I kiss you?"

"Well, I guess so..."

"And could you show me that illusion again, while we kiss?"

SLAP-SLAP-SLAP-WHAP-POW

"Ouch! Was it good for you too, Rae?"