WARNING: I advise against reading this if you're a mega Young Justice fan; because I'm a petty person, I don't think I'll have the nicest things to say about some of the main characters.
Also, this is unedited so grammar/writing could be clunky.
DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own in this piece of writing is imagination, and that's just a loan.
After her last shift at the clinic, Raven would've happily accepted an offer to go out drinking with some fellow nurses. However, she wasn't inclined to soothe her fatigue with Jack Daniels and decided she needed a warm bath.
That's how the young doctor found herself pushed into an empty alleyway on her way home.
She just looked down at her bag for one minute – she was trying to find her cellphone – and before she knew it she was getting an unfriendly hug from some stranger.
The attacker's partner colorfully threatened her, "Give me yourbag, you bitch," and pressed his revolver into her abdomen.
"It doesn't exactly go with your outfit, sir," she said. The man holding her moved his hand to cover her mouth, an obvious sign that they didn't like her remark, and tightened his other arm around her waist.
His friend raised a hand to slap her – a little turned off because she wasn't even flinching – and almost touched her cheek had it not been for a gloved hand grabbing his wrist. The mugger looked over his shoulder for a few seconds before another figure was dragging him into the shadows and leaving Raven alone with the other one.
The one holding her stupidly forgot to restrain both her arms, giving her a chance to pull his hand off her mouth just enough for her to bite into his fingers. Then, she kicked his shin, and stepped on his toes until she heard a crack and a cry. Once she was completely free, instead of running like any sane person should, she turned around and sent a blow to his stomach, forcing him on his knees. "Azarath Metrio Zinthos," she chanted as her hands glowed on both sides of his head. He stilled for a moment before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell unconscious on an open trash bag.
"Not exactly my preference, but not bad."
Raven turned to see her hero walking with an unconscious thug on his shoulder. "I didn't need your help, Red Arrow," she said.
The masked vigilante smirked before he dropped the man on top of the other, "I've never heard someone say 'thank you' like that before."
She rolled her eyes and waved her hand over the two criminals, a black, glowing blanket concealing them. The men were gone and there was nothing but trash behind them.
"You do realize that the police won't know why two random thugs are on their doorstep, right?"
"You're assuming I sent them to the police." When she saw his warning glare, she couldn't help but laugh, "Relax, they're still in this dimension."
Red Arrow handed her the bag she unknowingly dropped, put his bow and arrow away – why did he have them out in the first place? – and said, "Maybe you should be more careful walking home at night, Rae."
"If you're implying that attack– the one I could've handled– is in any way my fault, I will smack you, Roy."
Roy Harper put his hands up in surrender, "You're right," he said, "You shouldn't have to worry about shit like that at night." That got him a nod of approval. "I was surprised to find you here in New Carthage," he commented.
"I'm just here for my residency. I'm hoping to move to Evergreen City when I'm done," Raven said, "But New York is far from Star City: why are you here?"
Roy looked left, right, and over his shoulder before he spoke, "You think we can talk somewhere private?"
"I just finished two 12-hour shifts and got attacked by two brutes. Needless to say, I'm tired. So, whatever you want to say to me–"
"It's about an upcoming operation."
Her face showed confusion and annoyance, "And that pertains to me how?" Raven watched him fidget with an answer, feeling his anxiety poke her skin. "Did he really send you out here just for this?" If she was right, Roy would be the fourth someone to unexpectedly visit her.
And he almost looked relieved that she figured it out, "He thought, for some reason, I'd be the one to convince you to…"
"If I remember correctly, Roy, you were the only one of the original sidekicks that didn't comply. If you didn't, why should I?"
"I'm not exactly a great model to be following after, Raven."
She gave him a look of sympathy, "Your little girl disagrees." Since Roy didn't need to answer, her glowing hand hovered over his visible wounds. "And, so do I," she kissed his cheek.
Raven proceeded to walk away, quite obvious that he wasn't persuading her, and said, "Tell him my answer is still 'No'. And the next time he wants to ask me something, he can do it himself."
After her encounter with Red Arrow/Roy Harper, Raven started driving to work (despite her apartment being a few blocks away from the hospital). She never took the same route consecutively. Sometimes, she even borrowed her neighbor's car just as some sort of countermeasure. She felt like a bystander in witness protection; her need to avoid her past really disrupted her life.
It took a month to pass for Raven to feel like she could go into her regular routine, assuming that they probably stopped looking for her.
Then again, humans stunk when it came to predictions and probability. And, given it was half her heritage, Raven was no exception.
She came to this conclusion when she felt a familiar presence in the air of her favorite diner. No surprise, it was sitting in her booth.
"What's good here?"
Raven put down her copy of The New Yorker with a calm attitude. "The grilled cheese isn't too bad. Especially with the garlic fries and an Italian Soda. But that's not my favorite."
"And what is your favorite?"
The empath leaned forward, "My favorite is the 'leave me alone' hamburger with a side of 'go away' onion rings."
All she got was a hearty laugh. "You sure, Roth? The hamburger?"
"You're the one who asked, Grayson."
From what she could tell, Dick Grayson bulked up – and gotten taller – since the last time they were in the same room together. His hair was shaggy, but it still wasn't grown out (at least not the way Starfire described from the future). Her former teammate looked like he just came back from some CEO meeting. He was probably the only well-dressed customer in the entire place, not including the guy by the bar drowning his tie in mayonnaise.
A waitress well aware of Raven's status as a regular decided to walk over and take their order, "I'm guessing you want your usual, Doc.," then she turned and noticed him, "Who's your friend?"
Dick flashed his signature smile, "My name's––"
"He's nobody," Raven interrupted, "Just get him one of Martha's grilled cheeses and an orange Italian soda," she narrowed her eyes at him, "for to-go."
"Ignore her, ma'am. Raven's still a little bothered by my surprise visit. I'm Richard, but just call me Dick. And I would like a grilled cheese, but no soda. Just coffee." Given that he'd spent so much time with Raven, he wasn't exactly moved by the look she was giving him (even though it had been awhile since he'd seen it).
The waitress's eyebrows shot up, "I didn't know you had a man, Doc. And, to think, I was about to set you up with my nephew."
"Sheila, he's not my––"
Dick daringly put his hand over Raven's and said, "Yes, I am her man. I've known Ravey since she was fourteen; oh, the stories I could tell you about this girl."
Sheila laughed, "He must be a good one," she winked at Raven, "I'll get your tea, Doc. And I'll get you a straight-black, Richard," and walked away.
Raven pulled her hand back like Dick's touch would set her on fire, "You do realize I see these people every day, right?"
"Apparently you're here enough for the staff to set you up with dates."
She ignored the small prick of jealousy she felt from him, "You need to leave."
Dick loosened his tie and spread a napkin over his lap, "I'll leave after I've eaten. After all, it's a pretty long drive from Blüdhaven."
"It's not that long. And you could eat in the car."
He shook his head like a defiant child.
"I'll pay for gas."
He shook his head again.
"I'll pay for gas and tolls."
"Why are you so eager for me to leave, Rave?" he asked. If she wasn't an empath or a former Titan, she wouldn't've caught the small hints of hurt in his demeanor. "It's been–what? Five years since we've seen each other?"
Raven exhaled before she spoke, "I'm just not in the mood to have disruptions in my life. I would've at least like a little notice."
"Is that why you've been sending all your friends away? And why you've been mixing up your commute to try and throw me off?"
She just sat in silence and glared imaginary holes into his perfectly-blue eyes. She stayed that way even after Sheila came back with both of their drinks.
"I'm here to talk to my friend."
"About recruiting me for your cavalry?"
He sipped his drink – he seemed surprised that the coffee was actually good – Dick said, "We can get into that later." Sitting before her, he actually reminded Raven of a crime-boss from a few movies Victor forced her to watch back in the day. "How have you been?"
Since his curiosity seemed genuine, she decided to comply, "Aside from the slight interruptions, I'm doing okay. I do wish my shifts were a little better or that criminals stopped shooting innocent bystanders or each other at night. I'm thinking about getting a cat. And, my old friend seems to be keeping tabs on me using questionable methods. But, other than that, I'm dandy."
"I don't know why I thought it was weird that you were a doctor; you have such a nice bedside manner," he playfully mocked.
"Robin, why are you here?"
His demeanor changed at her question – he actually looked very tired. Grabbing Raven's hand again, he said, "We need to talk about some things."
At that moment, Sheila decided to come over with their food. She put their food down, "Enjoy the food, lovebirds," then she leaned down and whispered into Raven's ear, "Remember, if this goes down the crapper, I'll set you up with my nephew. He's a Wall Street man."
Raven politely thanked her and waited for Sheila to leave before she pulled her hand away from him again, "Dick, I really don't think my answer will ever change."
"Why?" he asked, "Why are you being so stubborn about this?"
She scoffed, "The kettle's seen your new uniform, pot, and it's black."
Dick rolled his eyes – sometimes she was just impossible. He said, "Rave, we think you could really help the team," and bit into his sandwich.
"The Justice League wouldn't let me within ten feet of their merry band of sidekicks," she was the evil demon child, of course, "And, I don't really use my powers anymore."
"Now that's bullshit," he countered, "I've seen a few of your 'thank-you' accolades from patients being miraculously cured in the newspapers. And, didn't you use your powers when Roy was here, after those guys tried to attack you?"
"Fine. How about the fact that half of your team doesn't even like me? And, the other half is just afraid of me?" The younger recruits kept their distance, which didn't bother her as much as some of the older members glaring at her like she was an unwanted bunion. It reminded her of the first time she met the Justice League. It's probably how Terra felt around Raven. The only people who wouldn't totally hate her presence were Garfield and Karen. "I can't work with people who don't trust me, Dick."
"I've told them I was going to ask for your help, and they're okay with it."
"Really? You mean Artemis finally got that arrow out of her ass?"
Dick let out a defeated sigh, "If you're wondering why they might not like you, it's probably because you say shit like that," but she could tell from the corner of his mouth he was trying not to laugh. "C'mon, Roth, are you really telling me that you don't miss it?"
"Yeah, Grayson, I am," she replied, "I mean, there are some times when I do miss being a Titan:levitating without care or using my powers. But I like what I'm doing now a little bit more."
He frustratingly ran a hand through his hair, "Would you at least consider moving to Happy Harbor? You could finish your residency in Rhode Island, and maybe work part-time with us."
Her nose crinkled, "How is Rhode Island any different from here?"
"For one thing, the crime rate's not as bad as North Carthage. You won't even have to put the uniform on. You can be a magic-informant."
"You got Zatanna for that. And she doesn't mind the uniform."
"Well, I don't want Zatanna, Raven. I want you."
As smart as she was, Raven didn't seem to catch the double meaning to his words.
Sheila chose the perfect time, again, to come for their empty plates. She saw how tensely they were both sitting, and nervously treaded, "Will you be having some dessert?"
The empath gave Sheila an apologetic smile, "Just the bill, please." Raven turned back to him after she was sure their waitress was out of earshot. "Robin, seriously, what the hell is going on with you? You know very well that your team doesn't need me; hell, they don't even want me. Stop using them as an excuse."
Dick didn't answer immediately: he could lie to her, but she would've seen right through it as an empath and as his friend. He could just stop talking, but he wasn't one to give up so easily. He had no choice but to settle for the truth: "The team's been in bad shape ever since…"
She had heard about Wally ceasing; even though she didn't know the speedster very well, she knew what he meant to her former leader. In a surprising move, Raven held his hand. Her thumb soothingly grazed over the back of his hand, "It's only been a few months, it's okay to still be upset about it." The former Titan didn't go to the memorial, but she did visit him for a weekend just so he had someone to talk to. She asked, "You miss him?"
He squeezed her hand back, "Yes, but it's not just that, Raven. I'm just…"
"…afraid?"
He nodded, "I can't let that happen again, I just can't," he finally looked up at her, "And I have to know that you're safe and that…I just need to make sure you're okay."
"I'm only three hours away for you to check up on me. You can always call or visit," she tried to comfort him, "You have Garfield and Victor close by. And, I'm sure Koriand'r would be happy to see you from time to time."
She wasn't getting it. "Raven, I can barely handle losing my best friend. If I lost you…"
"We're fine, Dick."
"But if I lost you," his eyes urged her to understand, "I don't know what I'd do."
Based on the shocked look on her face, she finally did.
The two sat there, staring at each other and holding hands, in pure silence. They didn't even recognize Sheila putting the bill on their table.
Raven finally broke their somewhat familiar silence, "You chose one path, I chose another. I'm not going to lie and say I don't worry about you either. Because I do, more than I'd like to admit," her thoughts seemed to be jumbled, but, to be fair, she wasn't exactly a master of emotions, "And parts of me want to say that I'll go to Rhode Island so you can have some peace of mind, but…I can't uproot my entire life to be your second-in-command again." Well, she could but she didn't want to. As much as she loved Dick, she loved how her new life as a doctor gave her some sense of normalcy, a pinch of humanity.
This is why she was pushing away all her old friends he sent and why she was trying to avoid having this conversation. She had stayed away for so long, she wasn't sure she was ready to come back to that life or to him.
Dick slumped a little into his side of the booth, but kept his hand with hers. He was extremely disappointed by her response, despite unconsciously already knowing what she was going to say, but didn't say anything.
"So what happens now?" Raven asked when they finally left the diner, after an awkward argument over who was paying only to result in them splitting the check. "I don't want to move. But, I want to…" be with you.
He sadly smiled down at her, "We'll figure it out," he leaned into her hands when he felt her holding his face. "But it would help if you'd stop dodging my calls or any of my attempts to contact you."
"Fair enough. And," she sighed in a reluctant manner, "when there's trouble, you can call. I'll work with your petulant teammates if that's what you need me to do," she started digging through her bag for her phone, "I guess I should give you my private number."
"I won't contact your phone for missions," Dick pulled a small object out of his pocket, "You'll just have to use this," he was referring to the mustard-yellow T-Communicator in his hand. It was the one Raven gave back when she left all those years ago.
Raven took it from him, "You are so sentimental," she was trying to hide how touched she was by him actually having the old thing.
He enveloped her in a hug, "So you promise you'll keep in contact? Not just yearly emails like you used to do: I mean texts, video conference, phone calls. The whole package."
"Fine, I promise," she said like a child being lectured over stealing candy.
"And you'll come visit me every weekend?"
"If you mean every other weekend, and that you'll come visit me, then yes, I promise."
"And that you won't go out with the waitress's nephew?"
"But, he's on Wall Street."
"Raven…"
NOTE: This is just something I've been thinking about since I heard YJ season 3 was happening. Personally, I made my peace with the ending; so, I'm not super excited about the revival. (When they made DickBabs semi-canon in the comics I just kind of gave up on it.)
Honestly, the only thing that got me potentially excited about it was hearing rumors that Raven would be in it. But then I thought they'll probably bring her just so they can do the Trigon arc which is tedious.
I don't think I'll be watching it in full if I decide to watch it at all, and it bugs me a little that I'm probably going to be seeing it all over the place (especially my Tumblr dash). So if I sound a little cynical/negative, that's probably why.