(Set after "Birthmark) After Slade's Brutal attack on Raven, the Titans must use this interlude of peace to comfort Raven, sort through issues, and strengthen their friendship.
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans
Author's note: I didn't update too much here. Just corrected some errors. I also wrote a sequel "All I needed Was You"
I. You're Never Alone
"Why can't you help us!" Robin was trying to keep his cool but this conversation was really pushing his limits. Robin hated asking him for help, but this latest attack by Slade had forced his hand. He had pondered every conceivable situation, but Robin was still at a loss. Contacting his mentor, Robin felt out of character but his concern for Raven outweighed his pride.
"It's not that I can't, Robin, it's that I won't. You wanted to lead the Teen Titans and not have to live in my shadow. Now is your chance." The dark figure on the monitor screen kept a calm demeanor.
"I'm not asking you to fight with us, old man! I just need you to give me all the information you have on Slade. Between you and the Justice League, you have to have some information!" The Dark Knight kept silent. "This man has terrorized us time and time again and now he's after Raven! If this involves that red demon father of hers, we need you to tell us what you know!" Robin slammed both his fists on the control panel causing the figure to become distorted.
"Robin, if it gets to big to handle then the Justice League will step in. Until then, you're on your own. Of all the years we've fought together, you should know the risks involved with becoming a superhero. If you can't handle a bloody nose, then maybe you should run home to Alfred. Batman, out!"
The screen went dark as Robin looked on dumbfounded. He ran his hand over his head and turned around. He was startled to see that Cyborg, Starfire, and Beastboy were standing in the doorway. Cyborg was leaning against the door post with his arms and legs crossed not as if nothing had happened. Starfire had her hands clasped together and brought them to her chest as her eyes told of the turmoil within. Beastboy looked down and didn't try to make eye contact. Robin didn't even want to know how long they were standing there. He just pushed right past them and walked down the hall.
"It's getting worse," mumbled Starfire as she closed her eyes, her hands still tightly clasped.
Cyborg let out a sigh. "We'll get through this, Starfire. For Raven's sake, we will."
"Dude, that was Batman, THE Batman! If Robin had to contact him, then the situation is hopeless!" Beastboy plopped on the sofa at the last word.
"No it's not!" exclaimed Cyborg.
"I remember Raven's father," Beastboy continued. "Although the one we fought was just a manifestation of Raven's rage within her own mind and he was tough. If both he AND Slade are involved, how can we win?"
Cyborg knew that Beastboy's questions were logical. For the moment he had no answer. Cyborg thought back to his final battle with Brother Blood. In a moment of despair and hopelessness a miracle had happened. He wondered what Raven would be capable of at the critical moment.
"Starfire and Beastboy, why don't you two check up on Raven."
"Agreed! But what will you do and what about Robin?"
"I have to check in with someone, Starfire. I know we're not alone, but I just need to hear it for myself. As for Robin, I'll go check on him when I'm done." Starfire smiled and finally unclasped her hands.
"Come, Friend. Let us see how Raven is doing." She then led Beastboy out of the room.
Cyborg smiled after them then turned his attention to the dark monitor. He then punched in a code. Cyborg sat in front of the scrambled monitor waiting for the signal to get through. He was sitting with his legs crossed and his hand under his chin. His eyes were closed as he contemplated the recent turn of events. The birthday party did much to lighten the mood. Now the Titans were in despair. Unbeknownst to them though, the reason why everyone was so downcast was because Raven was unwittingly projecting her despair and the Titans felt it as if were their own. Finally, Bumblebee's image came into focus.
"Hey there, Sparky!"
Cyborg grinned and opened his eyes. He was about to respond when he nearly fell out of his chair in shock. Bumblebee was sitting with her legs crossed working two giant needles and yarn.
"What are you doing?" exclaimed Cyborg as he stood up.
"Knitting, of course," replied Bumblebee matter-of-factly.
"But...why?"
Bumblebee sighed. "I told Speedy that if he could go one week without primping, I'd take up knitting."
Cyborg couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, uh…that scarf looks like it's coming along."
"It's supposed to be a sweater!"
"Sorry."
"Anyway," said Bumblebee as she put down her craftsmanship, "I know you didn't contact me to comment on my embroidery."
Cyborg fell silent for a moment gathering up his wits. He then proceeded to tell her about Slade and Raven. Bumblebee was shaken but she kept a calm demeanor as she listened to the horrors that her counterpart had experienced.
"I think that this will involve Raven's red demon father that BB and I saw when we were in her mind. We're in for the battle of our lives, Bee! Robin even tried to get Batman involved" Cyborg had sunk back into his chair. His machine side was functioning efficiently, but his human side was worn down with emotion. "There is so much tension here. I don't know how much we can take."
"You have a choice, Cyborg."
"Did you just call me Cyborg?" He looked up at the screen, but Bumblebee was determined not to get sidetracked.
"Look, we all knew the risks when we decided to become super heroes. You may not know what Slade is planning, how he's connected to this demon, or how this will play out in the future but you do have this…you have each other right now. All of you may or may not make it out of this but at least right now you can encourage one another, especially Raven. You're not alone, Cyborg. The Justice League may not help you but know but Titans East will. You're not alone and you never are. Don't let things get too out of hand before you decide to call us."
Cyborg stood up again and smiled. "Thanks, Bee. That's just what I needed to hear"
"Anytime, Sparky. Now that you mention it," said Bumblebee as she picked up her knitting, "this would make a nice scarf. Remember, when there's trouble…"
"We know who to call," finished Cyborg. "Over and out."
The screen went black. Cyborg stared at it for a few minutes. "She's right. We could all die. The world as we know it could be destroyed. Well, I'm not going to sit here and brood!" Cyborg left the room and headed for the roof.
II. In Good Company
"And then the English professor said, 'My grammar just keeps getting gooder and gooder!'"
Starfire let out a hearty chuckle. Raven groaned. Beastboy had been going on for about five minutes. Earlier he and Starfire had come into her room without knocking. Brave Souls! She didn't even chastise them and even let them sit on her bed. Beastboy had then proceeded to tell his jokes to lighten the mood.
"You might actually be funny one of these days, Beastboy." Raven was lying on her stomach with her hands propping up her upper body. Starfire was just sitting on the edge of the bed being a good captive audience.
"Thanks, Rae!" The sarcasm of Raven's comment seemed to be lost on him. The mood changed back very quickly. The three Titans sat there silently each lost in his or her own thoughts. They had sat there not moving or saying anything for what seemed like forever. Raven looked up and around her room. It was all coming so fast, her emotions. The dark décor of her room painfully reminded her of her state of being. Darkness, emptiness, and hopelessness were all around her. Even the chest which she kept Malchior's book represented betrayal and brokenness. Finally she sat up on her knees and faced Beastboy. She flung her arms around him. Beastboy did not hesitate, returned her embrace, and held her tightly. She was trembling as the memories of Slade came back. Beastboy began to stroke her hair. Starfire finally managed to talk.
"I'm sorry this happened, Raven." Starfire couldn't think of anything else to say.
Raven sat back and began to talk. "I really enjoy being a Teen Titan." Raven had held her head down as if she were ashamed of her words. "I think about all our adventures visiting Starfire's home world, getting out of Mad Mod's twisted world, and that time I helped Cyborg get his car back." She had smiled ever so briefly at the memories. "You all are what's keeping me sane. You have no idea what it's like to want to be a part of the group but having to shut down the very core of my being in order to prevent my father from taking control over me."
"But, you are a part of us, Raven. I mean…you even dressed up like Robin!" said Beastboy. Raven blushed at the memory.
"Why did I ever let you talk me into something that stupid?"
"But it was so fun!" beamed Starfire.
"Until we got caught," added Raven sheepishly.
"You know, Raven, you looked really nice in that Robin suit." Raven got angry but when she had turned and saw that Beastboy was sincere about what he had said, she calmed down and blushed again.
Getting back on topic, "I told you before that you are not alone Raven. I'm a green skinned human with pointy ears and can change into animals. Starfire's an orange alien with mad strength and shoots laser thingies out of her eyes. Cyborg's body is half metal and he goes 'Booyah,' and Robin's obsessive martial artist that's got Slade issues. Trust me, Rae, you're in good company!" Beastboy held out his right hand palm down. Raven timidly put her hand on top of his. Starfire put her hand on top of hers. "We're here for you, Raven. Starfire, Cyborg, Robin, and I will all be here for you to help you fight." Raven took her hand from the pile and extended her arms to hug both Starfire and Beastboy.
As she held them, she could sense their despair and realized that it was her own. At first she was horrified. "How could I be so stupid! They don't deserve this!" Raven mentally scolded herself. If Robin could swallow his pride and contact Batman for her benefit, Raven felt that she could swallow hers as she invoked that wretched pink-cloaked part of herself that was Happy and broadcasted Happy to her teammates. She sensed the mood change in them.
"Thank you for being my friends," said Raven.
"And you for being ours," finished Starfire. They held each other tightly. For the moment, they forgot about the impending sense of doom and took solace in each other's friendship.
III. And so it Begins
"If I know Robin…" Cyborg reached the top of Titans Tower. Not surprisingly, he found Robin leaning over the edge in his contemplative state. As Cyborg approached him, he looked beyond Robin to the reflection of the full moon in the water. He stopped just beside Robin still fixing his gaze on the reflection.
"Sup?"
"Nothing," replied Robin flatly.
"Uh huh" said Cyborg unconvincingly. Cyborg waited.
"It's beautiful, isn't it? The moon I mean!" exclaimed Robin.
"Yep." Cyborg still waited patiently. Any minute now.
Robin let out a frustrated cry and punched the wall of the roof. "I've failed!"
"Finally!" thought Cyborg.
"Why, Cyborg! Why is he back! Why can't I defeat him! You defeated Brother Blood! Slade's back and now he's terrorizing Raven!" Robin struggled to control his anger. Cyborg gaze was still fixed on the moon's reflection. "I'm letting my team down," Robin continued. "First he used me against the team. Then he used Terra against us, especially Beastboy. Now….now he's going to use Raven!" Robin was too frustrated to continue. An awkward silence filled the space between them.
Robin began to remember the image of Raven's torn costume. He saw how Slade let her fall from the top of the tower. "You will pay for that, Slade!" said Robin through clenched teeth.
"Aww man!" thought Cyborg. "How long is he going to go on!"
"I know how you feel, man. Remember, I felt that same burden if only for a little while. I nearly lost my entire team to Blood's manipulation. If y'all hadn't shown up…" Cyborg didn't finish. Instead he decided to focus on the task as hand. "Look, I know we don't know what Slade's planning, but right now Raven needs us. We'll all fight Slade soon enough. We may not have much time left, and I ain't gonna sit here and brood. You're acting like the battle has already been decided for us. The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in the stars but within ourselves."
Robin looked to Cyborg at that last line. "Come again?"
Cyborg smirked. "It was a line from Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar."
"You read Shakespeare?"
"I'm more than just a half human/half machine that says 'BooYah' every 30 minutes," Cyborg replied. "I had to read it when I was in school."
"Sorry, Cyborg," Robin sighed.
"So…has your relationship with the Batman always been that strained?"
"Not always, Cyborg. It's getting worse every year. He raised me like a son and trained me along side him. It was nothing like Slade's manipulation. I want to be able to be on my own, but …I don't know. I got what I wanted, but I'm not sure if I want what I got. I have my own team, but am I destroying a lifelong relationship in the process?" Robin folded his arms and sighed. "I swore I would never be like him! When Starfire described my possible future as Nightwing, I was intrigued. I had accomplished what I had wanted, to be free of him and to prove that I'm not just Batman's sidekick. Yet, I was or will be alone, just like Batman."
"Ya know, Robin, I think you're looking at this all wrong."
Robin raised one eyebrow.
"Think about it, man. You said that he was the best."
"Yeah?"
"You said that there was no crime he couldn't solve."
"Go on," prompted Robin.
"Then why are you not trying to be like him. If we are going to help Raven and win, I would think that you would try to be like Batman more than ever. You'll need that brilliant sense of deduction and detective work to find out what Slade's planning and how Raven or her father is involved."
Cyborg let his words sink in. "You're right, Cyborg! I got out on my own to prove that I could be as good as Batman if not better! I need to think, explore all my options, go through all my files…"
"Hold up!" interrupted Cyborg. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Huh?"
"Come on, man! Think about it! Use all those years of Batman's training!"
Robin thought for a moment. Realization hit him. "Raven," he said simply.
"Right! Ooooh, my little Boy Wonder is growing up!" Cyborg wiped his cybernetic eye with his finger.
"Ha, ha. Veeery funny, Cyborg."
"Seriously, Robin. There's time to figure this out. Right now we need to be sure Raven is all right. You know, all of a sudden I feel better!"
"Yeah, me too!"
"I'm afraid I am the one to blame," Robin and Cyborg turned at that familiar deadpan voice. Raven was standing with Beastboy and Starfire beside her on either side.
"Raven!" exclaimed Robin and Cyborg simultaneously. Raven smiled slightly as she approached them.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I didn't realize that I was broadcasting. I didn't mean to burden you. I'm fine now."
"I'm fine," she repeated. She held out her right hand palm down. "Beastboy, Starfire, and I did this earlier, but we realized that we were shorthanded."
Beastboy and Starfire also put their right hands on top of Raven's. Robin and Cyborg joined them.
"I don't know what will happen to me," sighed Raven. "But I thank you all for being here to see me though it."
"Always!" shouted the others in unison.
"Remember, guys, we're not alone in this," said Cyborg.
"Right!" said Robin. "Raven, again, I promise that we'll find out what Slade is up to."
"I know you will, Robin. You were after all trained by the best."
Robin smiled as the two exchanged a look of understanding. They were now ready to face the tough battle ahead. The dark cloud that had covered their spirits had been driven away and replaced by joy and hope. Their hearts sang.
"Wonderful! I shall make a fresh batch of my homemade glorg!" Starfire flew back downstairs.
Suddenly, their stomachs knotted.
THE END