Kid Flash stared at the button. It was huge, red, and literally screamed danger. It's basically Superhero Rule number uno: never touch huge red buttons, especially not when an unknown supervillain is the one who owns the machine that possesses said button. Especially if the previously mentioned supervillain has just spent the last new hours disappearing in and out of Morocco.

Still—Kid gazes longingly at the forbidden button. He'd been in the heat of battle mere seconds before, but now—he's in bubble of quiet calm. None of the supervillain's furred minions seem to dare go within two feet of the machine.

He glances around, trying to pinpoint the other Titans. Robin smashes a steel monkey into another and ducks away as the two explode. Raven wipes out several more with her mystical magic thingy—Speedy at her back—and Jinx seems to be holding her own.

Kid Flash would have leapt back into the fray, if it hadn't been for that button. Perfectly round and shining in the sunlight, it beckoned him seductively, its bigness and redness whispering, "Push me, Wally. What could go wrong?"

"Everything." Kid Flash replied, "The world could explode. You could be some twisted DNA collector that steals my double helix and then clones me. I could end up dead, or exploded, or in a hundred different pieces. I might let Mojo Jojo," he jerks his head at the supervillain, who does, unfortunately, bear a striking resemblance to a monkey, "get away again."

From the other side of the room, Raven looks up and sees Kid Flash talking absently at the machine. She frowns, blinks, but then another of the supervillain's steel monkeys attack her and she's busy again.

Wally can feel his hands drawing closer to the button. A part of his brain is screaming at him to stop, but he's dying of curiosity and hey, Robin, Raven, Speedy, Jinx, and, (most importantly) he is there. What could go wrong?

Jinx catches sight of her boyfriend's wandering hand and feels her stomach clench. "Wally, don't be stupid!" she screams, but the wave of steel monkeys drown her out. Her eyes flash pink and she sends pure energy shooting towards them—only to have the entire world turn black.

Chapter 1

Raven wakes up first, sprawled over what feels like concrete. Her head feels—light. Unclouded by the usual ongoing battle between her selves and Rage. She wonders is the machine killed her, and she's finally at peace, but then she glances down at the ground she just slept on and—no, heaven doesn't have gum wrappers or broken pencils or half-eaten sandwiches. Raven grimaces at the last item and brushes herself off. The last thing I need is Tuna in my nose distracting me from the Human Monkey.

By the time she stand up she's back on alert, expecting the screech of a steel monkey as it comes flying at her—but the air is surprisingly quiet. No, not quiet, but free of the noises of battle. Her eyes scan the area around her, and Raven frowns. The last thing she remembers is hearing Jinx warning Wally away form the machine—the machine.

What was it, a teleporter? A time machine?

Raven glances around, taking in her surroundings. She stood in a small clearing filled with dirty benches and chairs, overflowing trashcans, and a semi-rancid odor. Turning, Raven feels her confusion increase. The building is large, with decent windows and a sign proclaiming, "McKinley High."

The fact that she's in a high school is disturbing enough, but what really makes Raven start to panic is the murky glance she gets of herself in the window. The girl that stares back can barely be seen in the shadows, but she's definitely not wearing a cape or leotard, and she doesn't have a gem in the middle of her forehead.

Ok, calm down. Slowly, she reaches up to touch her forehead. The stone, as far as her fingers feel, is still there. Running her fingers down to her chest, she pinches at the fabric and feels cloth, not latex. A glance at her legs show tight jeans and sneakers, a quick twist proves that there's no cape.

I'm me, but—not. Wally better be ready to explain why he decided to push that thrice-cursed contraption.

"Not that seeing a sexy chick feel herself up in the middle of the quad isn't hot, but if you don't wanna get caught by Figgins, you might want to ditch class somewhere else."

Raven snaps her head back, instinctively summoning her powers and throwing up a shield. Two things happen. A mohawked boy with his shirt off and a smirk on his face winks at her startled look, and she realizes that her powers are almost nonexistent.

Crap. Wally, forget the explanation. You're dead.

When the girl doesn't relax after a couple seconds, Noah Puckerman starts to worry. "Shit. You are from this school, aren't you? Tell me you're not some dude's little sister who's coming to give him somethin' or any of that crap."

She blinks at him, and Puck sees her lips twitch upwards. It's such a contrast to her huge, somber eyes that he grins back. He'd been coming back from the Nurse's office, (or Math, for everyone else), after a good, long nap, and had caught sight of some random chick which her hands on her boobs in the middle of the favorite lunchtime space for McKinley's student body.

He hadn't registered more than that, but now he takes a couple steps back to study her more closely. Small, delicate build, cropped black hair, big, violet-blue eyes, and—his eyes rake down her body—a body he wouldn't mind spending some quality time with. Shit. He really hopes she isn't some kid's baby sis.

Raven watches the other boy's eyes travel south and feels the beginnings of a blush staining her cheeks. She also feels extremely annoyed. It's not as if she's completely unused to male eyes, after all. "If, you're quite finished?" she asks tartly, crossing her arms. He meets her eyes again, a slow smirk spreading across his face.

"Noah Puckerman," he offers, "Friend's call me Puck."

"Ra—chel." Raven hesitates for a second before offering her civilian name. She takes his offered hand and shakes firmly, ignoring the fact that he holds it longer than is strictly necessary.

"Okay, Raaachel," his smirk grows. "Want to find a place where we won't get caught?"

Rachel eyes him, wondering if he even knows that his namesake is a mischievous, tiny hobgoblin that sprung from the mind of Shakespeare. "Probably not," she decides, noting the way his confident gaze doesn't waver despite the fact that she hasn't responded to his question. Finally, she nods.

He actually takes her into the school, which surprises her at first. The hallways are cleaner than the quad, but barely. Raven shudders in disgust when her arm brushes against something slimy and glances sideways to see a yellowish streak on one of the lockers. "Hey, you cold?" Mohawk boy—Puck—asks, and suddenly Rachel feels him tug her closer.

She stumbles slightly against him, her hands spreading across a thin T-shirt that does nothing to hide Puck's muscled chest, and her cheeks darken. Pushing away hastily, she forces herself to walk a little faster, forcing him to lengthen his stride to keep up.

What's wrong with me?

It's not as if she hasn't had plenty of experience with attractive males before. Hell, she's practiced hand-to-hand with Robin, (voted Jump City's hottest single guy), his shirt off and her in only a leotard! She's healed other Titans in highly personal places, all of which required hand-to-skin contact and complete concentration.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she chants silently, trying to calm the speed of her heart, but the magical calm doesn't come.

"This way, babe," Puck doesn't seem bothered by her brush-off, slinging a familiar arm around her waist and guiding her left. Raven tries not to notice the feeling of his muscled arms on her hip and the way his hand is splayed casually over her stomach.

So, inventory. I can't levitate, meditate, or use any of my powers. In fact, my powers seem to be at an all-time low, which explains why I can't my heart to slow down. Of all the times to become a hormonal teenager, this is probably the worst possible. Wally, you better get me out, fast.

Puck leads her into what looks to be a small classroom, plus several instruments and music stands. "It's the glee room," he explains, "Most kids won't be caught dead here."

Raven glances at him, noting the affection in his voice. It's hidden, but she hasn't lived with the World's Greatest Detective's sidekick for four years and not learned how to read people. "And you're not one of them?" she asks.

"Not anymore." Puck doesn't elaborate, brusquely closing the door. "Fuckin' losers don't deserve my badassness anyway." He smirks and suddenly Raven finds her back against the door and Puck's face inches from hers, his arm above her head. "Now, new girl," he says, and his eyes darken, "why don't I give you a special Puckerman welcome?"

"Um, no thanks." Raven's voice is pure acid, but cheeks are burning and she can feel the heat of his gaze all the way down to her toes. She has the feeling that he knows it too, because he doesn't move away, choosing instead to lower his head dangerously closer. She can feel his breath on her face. "Are you sure?" he asks, and she can feel the vibrations of his voice in her body—they're that close.

"She said no, asshole." There's a sudden rush of air as Raven feels another person yank Puck off her. The boy glares at Puck, slinging an arm around Raven's waist possessively. "Give me a reason to smash his face in, Rae—"

"chel, Rachel." Raven inserts quickly, telling herself she's not disappointed. She sighs despondently and pulls away as her traitorous body responds just as readily to this new male presence. "And no, Roy, you can't smash his face in. He's the only one I know who has any idea where this place is." She pitches her voice so that only he can hear the last part.

Roy's still glaring at Puck, but he catches on quickly, matching her tone. "Actually, I met someone else who knows her way around. She's kind of intense, and she threatened to pepper-spray me, call the cops, and do all sorts of other unpleasant things after catching me 'loitering.'" He jerks his head towards the door as a small brunette stalks in. "So, we don't need him." The last part is loud, and Puck snorts.

"Berry? You think Crazy's gonna be a better guide than I am?" He takes a step closer to Raven, who instinctively takes a step back. "Trust me, babe. I can lead you better any day."

Roy's arm snakes around her waist again, and he pulls her to him. Raven rolls her eyes as she's pulled against a very attractive male body for the second time that day.

I am not turned on by all the testosterone. I'm not. Damnit, Wally, get over here so I can pound your face in for getting me into this position!