Author's Note: This was a beast to write. But, here it is! Enjoy!
The subject of kids hadn't come up in their conversations until the third year of marriage. It wasn't that Raven didn't see them being parents; it was that they hadn't expected to get this far where having kids was an option. They had been in retirement for over seven years, so they were most likely to live much longer lives, and their home life was stable. Plus, Raven could see her husband being such a good dad to any kids they got. They couldn't go the biological route. That had been a long conversation that left both of them in tears.
Gar was sterile. The genetic change when he became a changeling had left him with so little of his own DNA. There was no way he could create a kid. Raven had her own reservations. There was the potential for having a child with demonic blood; she couldn't give Trigon a possible thread to come back into the world. She wouldn't subject any blood child of hers to a fate like that. She couldn't live with that. So, that left them with one option. Honestly, the idea of adoption had grown on them. After all, they were misfits too.
The current problem was finding an agency that would allow them to adopt. They weren't the run of the mill parents, and they knew that any normal child might be a bit overwhelmed. In the end, it had been Vic that came through for them. They had announced at Christmas that they were starting to look at adoption agencies. Starfire had started crying instantly, and her daughter, Nina, was excited at the prospect of another kid in the tower. Vic had done some research and given them several agencies that were mutant friendly. That term was being used more frequently.
Mutants were becoming more accepted in society, and certain agencies developed to help children with special abilities find good homes. They had no problem with adopting a child with gifts; they would, however, try and starve off the idea of them getting into the superhero business for as long as possible. Gar had thrust into it far too early and he wouldn't have his kid go down the same path. They waited until the holidays were over before they starting contacting the agencies and setting up appointments. Raven was told they wouldn't be able to meet the children just yet.
There were a lot of screening process, interviews, and home visits. They were evaluated on every possible level; Raven wasn't sure if she had ever been asked so many questions before. Gar didn't take it much better, but they got through it. Roughly seven months after they started the adoption process, they were notified that they could schedule their first meet and greet with some potential children. Both of them had decided that they didn't want to get a baby. There were older kids in the system that needed a home. Plus, they weren't overly fond of a tiny baby.
The lady that was helping them, Diana, was understanding. She could have been relived too; the waiting list for those wanting a baby was so long the wait time was well over a couple of years. The weeks leading up the visit were the hardest. Gar was restless and Raven was anxious. Both of them wanted to go and meet their future child. Thankfully, their friends seemed to pick up on their worries and did everything in their power to calm them down. Vic helped them redo their floor in the house and Richard helped with the endless piles of paperwork.
Finally, the night before they were due to go in for their first official meeting was here. Raven was staring up at their ceiling. Gar was tossing and turning before he huffed and started staring at the ceiling with her.
"Do you think it'll happen right away? Like, we'll just go in and find the perfect kid instantly?" Raven turned on the light and sat up on the bed. No use trying to get some rest when they were both so restless.
"I don't know. I would like to think that we'd find someone quickly, but it all depends on the child. We just need to take it one day at a time." Raven wished the words gave her husband more reassurance, but she knew him better than that. If Gar had his way, they would be adopting all the kids they met, not just the ones they thought would accept them as parents. "How about we talk about some happier things, ok? Like the fact that Vic and Star got into an argument the other day about what color to paint the room." They hadn't decorated the empty room just yet; they figured, once the placement had been done, their new child could pick things out themselves.
"I just want this to work out. I don't want us to go through all of this and then have it fall apart later." Raven could understand his fears. The very idea of being told that having a child was a possibility, and then snatching it away, terrified her. Raven wasn't sure if they could survive such a blow.
"Let's not get all dark and gloomy. I'm supposed to be the one with the whole gloom and doom persona, remember?" That got a smile out of him, which was what she wanted. "Come on, I think we can find a movie or something to watch until we feel ready to go to sleep." The movie didn't distract them much, but they did managed to get in some good cuddle time, which was just as important as sleep. They ended up talking about what they would do with their child. All the parks they'd go to, all the birthday's they'd celebrate, and it got to the point where both of them started crying. It wasn't because they were scared; they were terrified that this wouldn't become a reality for them at all.
X
All of their friends gave them some pretty long hugs before they headed out to the agency. Raven knew it was wrong of her to think that their friends had nothing to worry about, but it was how she felt. Robin and Star already had a daughter, and Vic and Lisa were getting married and had no issues with having a baby. Gar didn't talk much in the car, too focused on the road, and Raven let him be. The agency seemed to look nice when they pulled up, and they were holding hands as they entered the building.
There were a few other couples there; one of them was clearly mutant, with her unnatural eyes, but they didn't pay any attention to the new pair that came in. The receptionist greeted them and handed them a form to fill out.
"I'll call you back when Diana is ready for you." Raven found she couldn't give a nice reply at the moment and just settled for nodding her head. She and Gar filled out the form, they had gotten so used to it by now, and then returned it. The wait seemed to take forever, and all the other couples had gone before it was their turn.
"Ah, you must be Raven and Gar. I'm Diana, nice to meet you." The lady that walked out looked like she was in her thirties, but she didn't show any signs of aggression towards them. After they had shaken hands and greeted one another, Diana took them back to her office. There was a stack of folders on the desk and the woman told them to make themselves comfortable.
"Now, I just want to try and relieve some of the stress at this point. All of your background checks and reviews have cleared. At this point, all we need to worry about is the placement of a child." She gestured to the stack of folders on her desk. "I've taken the liberty of going through the files and selecting the ones that might be a good fit. You're still interested in adopting an older child, correct?"
"Yes, we don't have a specific age, but getting a baby didn't appeal to us." Gar told her. Raven could hear the excitement in his voice. Somewhere in this building was their child. Raven was smiling, but she held herself back. There'd be time for that.
"Alright. We can go and meet some of the children today. I also made copies of the files so that you can go through them. If any child stands out to you, mark it, and then we can go from there. Now, each of the children here have abilities, to some degree. I would like to say that they all came to us directly, but that's wishful thinking."
"They were harmed?" Raven grabbed her husband's hand at that. No doubt he was thinking of his own process to get adopted by the Doom Patrol.
"Some were abused prior to this."
It was no secret that children with abilities were some of the easiest to pick up and then exploit. Most kids were on the streets, either by their own families or by their own choice, and strangers were known to grab them. Sometimes it took months, or years, for a child to find a decent home. The ones that had been taken here first had been spared a long, painful road. Raven was anxious to meet them. Granted, it wouldn't be smooth sailing; she was expecting a long transition period, as children in the system took a while to trust.
"If you could let us know before we meet them, we can try and be as gentle as possible. We don't want to scare any of them." Diana nodded in thanks and started going through the files, telling them which children might be skittish. When they had completed that, the woman led them to one of the main rooms. Several children where there already, but there was only a few glances thrown their way. Diana started to point out the children playing; a little eight year old named Houston, a four year old girl named Molly, and an older child, age eleven, Marcus, was curled up on one of the chairs.
Their attention, however, went to a little girl in the corner of the room. She was off by herself and she and Gar shared a look before walking over to her. The girl glanced up at them before going back to her coloring book.
"Hi." Gar said gently. She peeked up at him from under her lashes. The girl reminded her of a fairy child; beautiful black hair, and a set of blue eyes that melted you on the spot.
"Hi." Her husband sat down on the ground across from her. There was a coloring book open in front of her, though she hadn't put any of the crayons onto the paper. "What's your name?" The little girl shifted in her seat.
"Evie."
"That's a nice name. My name's Gar, and this is Raven." The empath gave a tiny wave and Evie shyly returned it. "Can we color with you?" The child seemed surprised by the request, but she pushed the box of crayons over so that all of them could reach it. They spent the rest of their time with Evie, coloring and asking little questions every now and again.
When Diana came over and told them that their session was over, neither of them wanted to leave. Evie seemed sad to see them go, but she let the assistant walk her out of the room. Diana took them back to the office and handed them the files.
"I'm glad your first visit went so well. Most couples don't get a connection on the first try." Raven reached for the files.
"Is Evie's included in here?" Diana smiled at her and nodded.
"I added hers in when I saw how well she got along with you." Raven grinned.
X
Their next visit was scheduled for the following week, and Diana urged them to look through the folders. The entire drive home all they could talk about was Evie. Gar was worried about what they might read in her file, but Raven didn't want to linger on that. The important thing was that the little girl was comfortable around them and that in itself was a huge step. Their friends was anxiously waiting for them, and the two of them talked to them about the visit, but left early to get started. Of course, Evie's was the first one.
"Are we ready for this?" Raven was pulled into a hug and Gar gently pried the file away from her and put it back on the counter.
"Why don't we get comfortable before we start, okay? I know this is going to take a long time, and neither of us will want to stop once we get going." Raven knew he was right; with something as serious as this, they wanted their full attention devoted to this. Each kid in the pile deserved the same amount of care. Letting the file go, she headed to their bedroom to get changed.
Gar followed her after a few minutes and they both tossed each other things as they searched through the drawers. Gar tossed her one of her really comfortable shirts and she handed him one of his favorite sweatshirts. They knew they were delaying the inevitable. Whatever horrors were in that file of the sweet little girl that asked them to color with her would still be there. Raven just hoped, for all of their sakes, that it wasn't too heartbreaking. She was already in love with Evie, and it wasn't hard to see that Gar was falling for her too.
They took the stack with them on the couch. Evie's file wasn't very long, since she wasn't any older than three (she had her birthday a few months ago), and the agency had had her in their care for a little under a year. The physiatrist that had been assigned to her said she didn't hold any trauma from her past home, other than being withdrawn from strangers, and was fearful of smaller spaces. There was speculation as to her parents; Evie had been abandoned on the side of the road before being found by the police. They were furious.
They went through a few more of the files, but all Raven could think about was Evie. Her mind kept picturing her on the side of the road, alone, probably scared out of her mind, and without anyone to care for her. There was no mention of any powers she might have, other than that there might have been mutants running in her family, and the parents didn't want to take a chance that their daughter might have abilities as well. Gar was silent for the rest of the night, and Raven left him alone to his thoughts for now.
"Are we being unfair with this?" Raven looked up from where she was brushing her teeth. Gar was sitting at the edge of the bed frowning. Spitting so she could talk, Raven rinsed her brush out and walked over to him.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, we're fixating a lot on Evie. It's not a bad thing, but…are we even considering any of the other kids?" Raven shook her head.
"I think we are, but we did make a connection with her."
"Because she was the only child we sat down with. Kinda hard to compare anyone else." There was some truth to that; they had made an agreement to each other that they would go and try to bond with every child. But Evie had drawn them in, and Raven was loathe to let her go for the sake of keeping other options open.
"You're right about that, but Evie seemed to like us. I think it would be foolish to let that go. Maybe we could branch out, but I don't want to stop seeing her." Diana said they could schedule multiple visits with different children, maybe they had to do that to keep their promise.
"I never said that. We should see some of the other kids before we immediately decide that Evie is the girl for us." Raven frowned at him. She didn't like the idea of leaving Evie alone.
"And how long do you think that will take? We've been waiting this long to get to this point, Gar, and she likes us. Why can't we just go forward with this?" They didn't have fights, serious fights, mind you, often. Simply because when the two of them really went at it, things tended to get loud quick.
"I don't know, Raven. But I know you were the one who really wanted time with each kid, so why are you backing out on that now?"
"I'm not backing out! But, Evie likes us, and do you know how scared I was that none of them would? That we might scare them?" The words came out nastier then she wanted them to. Gar's eyes flashed a bit of hurt before narrowing.
"So, you automatically expected that none of them would like us. Based on what? Our looks?" Gar thought they had gotten past all of that; besides, it wasn't like she had any of the obvious differences in facial appearance.
"No, but you have to admit that either of us could have scared them off! It's not like we look normal, Gar, so yes, I have thought about that." Gar reeled back a bit and nodded. Lips pressed in a thin line, he got up from the bed and started to walk out of the room.
"You know what, I think I'll see if Vic wants some company. Good thing he doesn't have kids, or else I'd have to get a holo ring or something so I don't scare them." And with that, he left.
X
They slept apart that night, but when Raven woke up, Gar was sitting at the counter, looking as guilty as she felt. Fighting with Gar was never easy, and their arguments often left them feeling awful. There was a tiny bouquet of flowers on the table, and Raven knew they were meant for her. After every serious argument they had, Gar would give her a little thing of flowers before he apologized. She walked over and took a whiff of the bundle; it was soothing, with lots of lavender and a hint of roses. Raven came closer to him.
"You came home."
"Of course I did. I've been back a couple of hours now, but I saw you sleeping and didn't want to disturb you."
"The flowers are beautiful, thank you. Did Gregory help with them?"
"Ya, he seemed to think that both of us had a bit of a temper last night. But, as he reminded me, you're my girl, and a gentleman always tries to keep his girl happy."
"He's a sap."
"No more than me. I'm sorry, Rae. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."
"It's both of our faults. There's nothing to forgive, Gar."
They both spent some time hugging each other and kissing, then they started to make breakfast. They didn't feel like seeing their friends just yet, though they knew that they couldn't avoid them forever. The couple wasn't the only people excited for the idea of another kid in the house. They enjoyed a quiet meal, which was a rarity, and then decided they couldn't wait any longer and went to find the others. It didn't take too long, as everyone was in the main floor kitchen instead of the individual floors. It made hanging out a bit easier on everybody.
Starfire was there, braiding Nina's hair, and the two smiled when they walked into the room. Nina, sprinting at them with the same level of energy as her mother, hugged both of them as best she could with her tiny arms. Gar wasted no time in scooping her up so she could hug him properly.
"What's got you so excited, Ni?" Raven walked over to Star and accepted her own hug.
"Where are the others?" Vic and Lisa had told them that they didn't have plans for the week; Robin, on the other hand, like to be kept quite busy.
"Daddy said he needed to do paperwork 'cus the new recruits don't know how too. He didn't sound happy." Nina chirped as she scrambled from Gar's arms onto his shoulders. The little girl was just as nimble as her father.
"Well, it's not like we have any plans for today. I'm sure they'll turn up." Raven wasn't worried; after being friends for so long, none of them liked to go more than half a day without seeing or talking to one another. The old memories of being separated for a year still haunted them from time to time, even now.
"Uncle Gar? Are you and Auntie Raven gonna have a baby soon?" Starfire started to cough, as she had been taking a sip of her drink at the time, and Raven looked at her in concern before looking at her niece. Nina was waiting patiently for an answer.
"Well, we aren't getting a baby, Nina. Uh, we're hoping to adopt soon."
"Like for Christmas? If it's then, you should tell Santa, so that he knows to bring presents for them. It'd be sad not to get anything for Christmas." Gar plucked her off his shoulders and onto his lap easily.
"Well, Christmas is still a pretty long way off. Maybe you should write a letter instead. I hear Santa always answers kids faster than adults anyway." Nina was only four, but the idea of Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, and everything else was very real to her. So, they all played it up, cherishing those memories and dreading the day the first kid in the tower would be too old to believe in fables. "What did you do yesterday? I hear that someone got to go to the new park. It couldn't have been you, right? You don't like parks."
"I do! I like parks!" Nina immediately launched into her adventures and Raven allowed Starfire to lead her off to the other side of the kitchen. She handed Raven the kettle and told her to make a fresh pot; the red head started to gather the tea bags and mugs.
"How did it go? Anyone special?" Starfire was keenly aware how stressed they were about this process, and more than once both of them had gone to her almost in tears.
"We met a little girl. I think she's the one, but Gar isn't so convinced yet. He wants to keep meeting some of the other children before we make a decision."
"What was wrong with the meeting? Did they not bond?" Raven shook her head and glanced over at her husband; Nina was creating large gestures with her hands and Gar was paying attention to every single one.
"No, they bonded, he just wants to give the other kids a chance too, you know?" Raven looked back to her longest female friend. "He likes her, but he doesn't want to walk away when we could connect with another child. We both agreed to meet with all the ones that were pre-approved for us."
"He would take all of them if he could." Raven laughed as she poured the water into the cups. The accuracy of that statement couldn't be any truer. They didn't talk about it longer, as Nina wanted them to come back to the table, and then she was enlisting their help in getting Robin. Or, as Nina put it, getting Daddy away from those boring files. As Nina dragged them down the hall to the small office, Raven let her mind wander as she envisioned little Evie pulling them both down this hall. Raven smiled wider.
X
"Do you think any of the kids actually want to be adopted by mutant parents?" Raven was used to Gar blurting out whatever thoughts entered his head, but this one made her drop her book that she was reading. They had taken a break from looking at the folders and Gar was in the middle of tidying up the living room. He was staring hard at one of the photos on the shelf; upon looking at it, Raven could see it was one from the early days of the team's formation. Hard to believe it'd been taken years ago.
"How did you get to thinking that?" Raven snapped as she set aside her book. Gar shrugged, but there was an odd sort of pressure in his eyes.
"Well, they ended up as orphans because of their abilities. What if they get adopted by parents who have powers and then they live the rest of their lives in fear thinking that it'll happen again? It wouldn't be the first time a kid lost their parents because of it." Ah, so he was worried about that. She had been wondering when the issues surrounding his own parents, both sets, would appear.
"Gar, we haven't been on active duty for years. The odds of us being killed like that are pretty slim. Plus, I think we have the advantage. We have powers, so we can empathize with them. It might make it a lot less scary for them in the long run."
"Alright, then what happens if they resent us for having powers. Like, they have the idea that if they don't live up to our standards, they aren't good enough." Raven frowned at that.
"I know you, Garfield Logan, and you will never let any child, OUR CHILD, feel like that."
"I just want to be sure that I'm not making the same mistakes. Mento did, and look how well that turned out for him, Rae." The idea of the man coming near her child started to send her into a bit of a rage. A few glasses in the cabinets rattled and Gar looked at her in concern. "I'm sorry, Raven, it's just… it gets hard to not think about those kinds of things." Raven took a calming breath and reach out for him.
"Come here, I think we both need to cuddle action." She didn't even have a chance to blink.
They ended up spooning on the couch, putting the conversation off to the side for now, and Raven could already feel him calming down. All this talk about parents and being the right fit for the kids… it got tough. Neither one of them was walking away; they had come too far and there was a kid out there for them, just waiting to be taken home.
"I think we should call Diana tomorrow. Ask her to arrange another meeting with Evie. It's been almost a week since we've seen her." Raven leaned back in surprise.
"You're sure?"
"Ya, I've been thinking, and you're right. Evie knows us, and she seemed to like us, so we should take that as a good sign." Raven smiled warmly at him.
"Just admit it." Raven couldn't resist a light jab at him. "You couldn't resist her charms. She's so adorable."
"She is adorable, Rae." A blissful look came over his face. "She could be ours someday." Raven curled up against him and started running her fingers over his wedding band.
"If everything goes well she could be our daughter. We could have a daughter, Gar."
"Nina would be ecstatic."
"Starfire, too." The idea of Star having another little girl to spoil was slightly terrifying, but then she thought of how Vic would love another kid to adore and she stopped worrying. Nina had them all wrapped around her finger, so it probably wouldn't take long for their kid to do the same.
"Alright, we'll call her in the morning. She did mention that we have pretty good standing already, so it might not even take long."
"Which part, setting up a visit or the actual adoption process?" Gar didn't want to end up as one of those set of parents that had their hopes dashed at the end of the road due to the system.
"The visitation part. The adoption process, well, we're already in pretty deep so I wouldn't worry about it. That would only add to the stress, and neither of us needs that." Raven tended to get pretty snappish when stressed, and Gar even more so. Their friends, thank Azar, knew them well enough to help curb it, and many times one of them had come to the rescue and stopped a situation from going wrong. No amount of thank you cards would be enough for them all.
"Come on, I think we need some adult interaction. All this sappy talk is going to have both of us crying in a minute." Gar said as he pulled her up from the couch. Raven made sure her book was marked and then followed him out of the room. Maybe they were getting too invested at this stage, but there wasn't exactly a guide to falling in love with a kid. Especially one that you wanted to be your own. Evie could be their daughter. The idea of being a parent, solely responsible for one human being, wasn't so scary.
They ended up going out for dinner with Vic and Lisa; Nina had roped her parents into a Disney marathon and wasn't about to leave. Robin was clearly hoping for his girl to fall asleep during one of the films, but it didn't look like it would happen anytime soon. Regardless, the four of them went out, had a nice dinner and some drinks, and kept the conversation free of kids for the moment. Instead, they talked about vacation ideas, when Lisa would finally get that promotion, and when they should try and get titans east over to Jump to visit.
X
"Do you have crayons at your house?" Evie was full of questions, and once she had gotten used to them coming to visit her, which was twice a week now, she simply fired them off as she thought of them. Today, it seemed, she was heavily interested in the types of art supplies Gar had. At the last visit the little girl had grilled Raven about the amount of books she owned. It was rather endearing getting interrogated by her. "I have a small box, but I keep losing colors. Or they break. Crayons do that a lot."
"We could bring you some more crayons if you want." Raven was busy helping her color in a picture of a butterfly. Evie had told her it was important to color in the lines so that picture would look the best. "Do you have a favorite color, Evie?" Raven asked.
The little girl shook her head. "I don't want to pick one. Then I might hurt the other color's feelings and that would be mean." It was such a cute statement that neither of them could help but smile. "Do you have one? Adults have lots of favorite things, right?"
"Well, I like the color blue." Raven wasn't sure how this would help Evie, but she wanted to know so many things, and Raven never got tired of answering them. Evie nodded seriously before looking at Gar. "Do you like the color blue, too, Mister Logan?" Gar raised an eyebrow at the name, and shook his head.
"No, I like purple better. I'm sure the other colors wouldn't mind it if you had a favorite color." Evie shook her head.
"No, what if I picked red, then colors like gray and black would be sad since nobody ever picks them."
"I'm sure the others colors wouldn't mind and they would be flattered if you did. Besides, our friend Robin likes the color black, too, and I don't mind the color gray." Raven reassured her. Evie stared at her for a moment before reaching into the crayon box and pulling out a gray crayon. She handed it off to the empath.
"Maybe if we color with it, it won't be so sad anymore. I like to keep changing colors." Gar nodded and took the white crayon she handed him. They worked in silence before it was time for them to leave.
Before they knew it, several months had passed and in addition to meeting Evie, they were introduced to another child at the center: Huru. He was a shy three year old as well, and apparently was Evie's best friend here. He knew all about them since Evie talked about them endlessly, and soon he was involved in their meetings. Diana immediately put them on the approved list to visit with the little boy. Soon, the holidays were approaching, and Diana invited them in for a meeting to discuss the next steps of the adoption process.
"Alright, tell me everything, guys."
"We want to adopt Evie and Huru." Diana raised an eyebrow at that, but she didn't say anything negative about it. Huru was a surprise to them but she asked them to explain their reasoning for it.
"Huru and Evie have bonded a lot while they've been here. They both are still getting over some past issues and separating them doesn't seem like a wise move. If anything, adopting them both might make the whole process seem a little less scary." Gar's voice didn't waive, and Raven could remember how reluctant he was to leave either of them last visit.
"Alright, we need to get the ball rolling on all this paperwork. Once that goes through, you can take them home. There will be a six month fostering period, and then the official adoption will go through. But, after seeing you play with both of them, I don't think you'll have much to worry about in terms of bonding." Her voice turned serious after a moment. "I would strongly recommend a child therapist for the two of them. They have gone through some traumatic experiences, and I don't think you two want them to have to work those out alone."
"Of course. Is there any recommendations you have for them? We could easily find one them, but if they're already seeing a professional I would prefer to keep them there." Raven didn't want to overwhelm the two kids with too many changes at once. Simply moving into the tower was going to be stressful enough on its own. Raven and Gar had described the tower as much as they were able to, as well as their friends, and soon Evie and Huru warmed up to the idea. Huru seemed pretty excited about having his own room for the first time.
"When can we take them home?" Gar was almost bouncing in his seat, and all Raven could picture was him not letting the kids out of his sigh for the first few days. The rooms were finished; they had to add another one when they found Huru. They didn't paint yet, wanting the kids to pick it out themselves, but she knew the others had been stockpiling gifts and toys. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know how much just yet. It was bad enough that Gar was planning on spoiling them rotten. That was a given with him.
"Next week at the latest. The paperwork shouldn't take too long to go through, and you've already passed all the background checks. There might be another home inspection before they move in, but that should be it." Diana handed them some forms and they double checked the signatures before giving them back. "Alright, that's it. I'll give you a call to let you know the progress. Until then, I guess you could be happy with the knowledge that you're going to be raising two little kids." Raven and Gar smiled at each other, the statement making them so very happy.
X
Gar couldn't sleep. Granted, he knew he should, since once the kids came neither him nor Raven were going to be getting much rest, but he couldn't lay still long enough. Often when he got into this kind of mood he would leave the bed and go off to the kids rooms, picturing them playing on the floor or curled up safe in bed. Raven would notice he was gone after a while and bring him back, and she never asked what he was thinking of as he stared into the empty room. He knew she did the same. He thought back to their conversation from earlier.
"Do you think we have enough for them? Or should we go out again and pick up some last minute things?" Raven had been sorting through the closets all day and Gar was in the middle of assembling the bed in Huru's room. The kids were due to be picked up in two days and they were finishing up any last minute touches. The game plan was to get them settled here, and then start introducing them to the others. Nina was extremely excited, wanting to go with them, but Starfire told her that too many people might scare them.
"I think we're ok on the clothing aspect. They're gonna outgrow them anyway. Maybe get a few more toys or something. I know Huru said he likes trains, and there was a small train table downtown." Raven finally closed the door and came over to help her husband; Gar handed her the flashlight as he started screwing in the pieces.
"Why don't we get a few more gifts and set them aside. Bring them out when the kids need a pick me up. I don't want them to feel like we're trying to buy their affection or something like that."
"I just want them to have everything they might need. Azar knows we didn't, so I'm taking no chances." He popped his head out from under the bed frame and pointed the screwdriver at her. "And, no, we are not getting all psychological on this. These are our kids and they are going to get everything they could ever need." Raven put the directions down and sat down across from him. She took his face in her hands and kissed him before reaching for the discarded directions.
"I know that, silly, but we don't need to spoil them rotten on the first day. Just think, Christmas is about two months off, we get to a lot of fun with that." Gar's face lit up at that, and Raven could already see him going all out. These kids were going to be so loved in this family. A few hours later everything was set up and they went to the main floor for dinner. The other two couples were already there, and Raven was glad that they weren't overcrowding them. Since this whole process began, the four had been very perceptive as to when it was ok to ask certain questions.
"Everything set up?" Vic asked as he dished them out plates of pasta. Raven nodded as she took her seat beside Lisa.
"Well the bed won't be collapsing beneath them." Robin snorted and they all began to talk. Lisa brought up some upcoming events for the wedding, and Robin filled Gar in on some of the details he had missed; some of the days that the decisions had to be done had fallen on days when they were visiting the kids. Nina was excited, constantly asking them questions in between bites of food. Starfire had to slow her down often.
They spent the rest of the night with their friends and when it was time for all of them to retire Raven didn't feel bad about leaving. She had missed seeing everyone, but with the amount of stress and work on them, she was going to be glad when it was all over. The idea of her children coming to live here in less than 48 hours was almost a reality. She felt like a little kid waiting for Christmas; Gar was as anxious as her, checking the clock and wishing for the hours ahead of them to go faster.
"We should start figuring out how we're going to introduce them to the others. I don't want to have them get overwhelmed or feel like they can't escape if it gets too much." Raven didn't want them to have a meltdown on the first day, but she knew that her friends were already in love the two kids, and they hadn't even seen them. Gar nodded.
"Maybe we could invite Vic and Lisa over first, and then Nina and the lovebirds. That way Rob and Star can get her used to the idea so she doesn't seem too uncomfortable then."
"Why would she be uncomfortable?" Raven started to get ready for bed. Gar tossed her a pair of shorts to wear from her pajama drawer.
"She's been the only kid in the tower, Rae, her parents could help her work out any type of jealousy. Nina might feel left out."
"She isn't being adopted, Gar, she's had parents this whole time." Raven felt guilty at the look her husband was giving her at the moment.
"I know that, but if she's going to be playing with our kids, she's gotta know that she isn't being replaced by them or us."
"She isn't being replaced, Gar. I think it is a good idea to give Nina a few days to adjust; that way we can tell the kids about her so that they aren't completely lost." Raven wanted to make everything as smooth as possible for them. If they could get through the first day without a meltdown, or at least tears, then she would consider it a win. Gar went to bed after she did, going to check the kid's room one more time, and she feigned sleep when he crawled in beside her. That night, she dreamt of kids.
X
"This is where you live?" Evie gasped as they pulled up to the house. Huru was next to her, in matching grey car seats, but he didn't answer; they had learned pretty quickly that their little boy only spoke when he needed to. Raven turned around the smile at her from the passenger seat.
"This is where you live too now. There's going to be a lot for you guys to explore. Wait till you see the backyard." Huru perked up at that and Raven continued to talk, knowing he wouldn't speak unless he was ready. "There's a pool."
"We can go swimming?" Evie was practically vibrating with excitement. Huru looked happy and he tried to reach forward to touch Gar.
"We can go swimming together, Mister Gar?" The issue with names will still ongoing. They didn't want to the kids to rush into calling them mom and dad, so for now, they were Mister Gar and Miss Raven.
"Sure, Huru. Do you know how to swim?" He shook his head, brown locks falling over his face. "That's ok, we can teach you." Raven reached out to pat his hand.
"Gar's a good swimmer, you'll both learn pretty fast."
Evie was still asking questions a mile a minute as they finally pulled into the garage. Raven got her little girl out while Huru reached for Gar. With the boy in one arm, he grabbed the two small backpacks from the bottom of the floor and followed his wife inside. Evie asked to press the button in the elevator, and Raven held her up so she could do it. Huru was smiling and looking around at everything. When they reached their rooms, Evie was quick to start examining everything. Raven went off with to make sure she was kept safe.
"Can we look around, Mister Gar?" Huru asked softly into his neck. They had learned early on that the boy was clingy when in new situations, and Gar was anticipating not being far from his kid. Gar put the bags on the couch and went off to find his wife and daughter. Evie was currently in the bathroom, well the kid's bathroom, examining all the bath toys.
"Huru look! They have submarines! We can have water wars now!" Huru went over to look, still holding onto Gar's hand, and he sat down as the kids started to play around him.
"We can play with all of these?" Huru passed him a toy and Raven chuckled at seeing her husband being drawn into a game so quickly. She told the trio that she was going to start getting lunch ready.
"How does grilled cheese sound?" Evie nodded and Huru perked up. She had just finished and was about to call them in when Evie came racing to the table. "Someone's hungry."
"Mister Gar and Huru are coming. Huru said he wanted to try out the submarine." Raven laughed and wasn't surprised that Gar was already giving in to their every whim.
"Ok, no need to panic, we're here. Hey, Rae, did you know that the submarine has rockets?" The front of Gar's shirt was soaked, but Huru was grinning and seemed pretty happy to be in the changeling's arms. Evie pointed to the seat next to her and pushed the plate of food towards Huru when he sat down.
"I thought the toys were supposed to be for the kids?" Raven wondered as she gave Gar his meal and then sat down. Evie was enjoying herself, looking at everything, and Huru was bold enough to ask a few more questions aloud.
Evie wanted to know when they could have a proper water war, and Huru was asking about the pool. Raven suggested that they could have a bath tonight to try out all the toys, and Gar said that if the weather was good this week they could go to the pool. After lunch was finished, Gar suggested showing them their rooms so they could put away their things. Evie darted ahead with Raven and Huru, once again, stuck with Gar. He made sure to grab the bags on the couch before following the girls. Raven was waiting in the hall.
Evie was zipping through her room, exploring everything, and Raven was watching with a smile. Gar handed her Evie's bag and then went to show Huru his room. The little boy was happy with it, and tugged him around while he looked at everything. There were building blocks, plenty of toys, and even a small pop-up fort for him to use. In between seeing each item, Huru would ask if this was really his, to which Gar responded with yes. Huru needed help putting his stuff away, and Gar helped him hang up things and set up a stuffed animal.
"Is this really all for me? I don't have to share?" Gar picked Huru up and held him close. He wished that they could have brought the kids home sooner, but they were here now, and he and Raven were determined to help those older wounds go away.
"Well, if Evie wants to play with one of your toys you might have to, but ya buddy, this is all for you. None of it is going to be taken away, so don't worry about that, ok?" Huru nodded and relaxed in his arms. Gar didn't plan on letting him go.
"Can we go ask Miss Raven and Evie to play? I want to build a tower." Gar let him go and watch as he ran down the hall, much bolder but still staying where Gar could see him, and pulled his daughter out by the hand. For the rest of the afternoon, he and Raven helped the kids build multiple towers; well, Gar helped, Raven kept knocking them over. Raven checked her phone, letting the others know that the kids were settling in just fine, and that they would bring up meeting everyone tomorrow. For now, they simply stayed here.
X
It was the following morning during breakfast that they brought up the idea of meeting some of their friends. Thankfully, neither of the kids had nightmares, but they weren't shocked to discover that both kids had snuck their way into the bed during the night. Raven was glad that the others were keeping their distance until it was ok to visit, because the minute she brought it up, Huru started to cry and Evie looked scared. Rushing into damage control. Raven calmed Evie down while Gar comforted Huru. They had made it a day without any tears or breakdowns.
"You're gonna send us back!" Huru was wailing. Evie was standing on the chair now, trying to comfort Huru, but she had the same look of fear in her eyes as her brother. Raven pulled the little girl close; almost instantly, Evie wrapped herself around Raven's waist and held on.
"We aren't sending you back, Huru, we aren't planning on giving you or Evie back. Do remember the friends we told you about? The ones that live here?" Gar was swaying from side to side trying to get Huru to calm down, and it seemed to be working its magic.
"Are they going to take us away?" Evie had finally convinced Huru to let go of his grip on Gar's shirt and was stroking his hand. Raven leaned over and tilted Huru's face up to her own.
"No, sweetie, but they do want to meet you. They've been so excited to for months now. I know it's scary to meet new people. You don't have to right away, but they would like to see you. Robin and Star even have a little girl you can play with that's around your age. Whenever you're ready to see them, then we will."
It took lots of hugs, plenty of reassurances, and a Disney movie to convince them that they weren't going anywhere. Evie had gotten her nerve back, and was steady exploring through the rest of the toys, but Huru hung back. He seemed willing to play, and would engage with Evie, on the condition that either Raven or Gar was there. He seemed reluctant to let them his sight. When the other was free, messages would fly back and forth over a group message. Everyone was understanding, and told them under no circumstances were they to rush to arrange a meeting.
At the end of the week, which was full of the kids exploring the house, and the backyard, even parts of the town, before Raven brought up the idea of meeting everyone again. This time, instead of tears, both kids were excited to meet them. Gar suggested having everyone over for dinner, which meant it wouldn't be a big affair, and Raven agreed. When Nina found out, she was thrilled. She had been waiting to meet Evie and Huru, and both couples were anxious to finally spend time with the kids. After so long, the little ragtag family was together.
"Oh, they're adorable." Starfire was already gushing when she saw them. She had Nina in her arms and Robin was carrying two different bags; one had an ocean theme, the other was a bunch of colorful sparks and swirls. "Nina, remember, be nice. They might be shy at first, so don't force them to do anything they don't want to." Turns out they didn't need to worry about Nina meeting the kids. Almost instantly they all clicked, and when Vic and Lisa came in, all three kids were building a fort and had enlisted Robin and Gar to help them.
Evie, the ever curious child, had decided that when Vic walked in she wanted to exam every inch of metal. Vic had no issue with that, and all throughout dinner he patiently explained what each part did. Huru was still shy, but he did talk a bit with each of the adults, before drifting back to Gar's side. Nina stayed close, and there was no shortage of ideas to keep the adults busy. For once, all of them could have a couple conversations before being alerted by one of the children. Too soon, it was time was the kids bedtime.
"We can play with Nina tomorrow, right? We wanted to build a fort outside and play dragons." Evie was firing off questions one after another, and Raven said that, yes, they could play together again tomorrow and dragons sounded like a fun game. The baths took a bit longer since the kids wanted to play with the bath toys, and when they were in pajamas and dry, Evie and Huru was about ready to fall asleep. They wanted a story, so they went to Huru's room this time and let him chose the book. It was about some magical fairies.
"Come on, let them sleep together for tonight." Gar whispered as they both covered the children up and crept out of the room. Raven started to tidy up a bit and Gar checked his communicator. When he started laughing, Raven came over. His inbox was filled with everyone's messages about how much they loved Huru and Evie, about how happy they were from them, and that they couldn't wait for the adoption to go through. Six months seemed like such a long time off, but Raven was hoping that it flew by. She wanted it to be official so badly.
When they finished up and were in bed together, Gar started listing about all the things they were going to do with the kids, and Raven added things, and soon both of them were crying. It wasn't a bad thing; they had their kids finally. Two little children of their own, and there had been a chance that they wouldn't be allowed to have a chance at parenthood. And when they woke up in the morning, and had two little bodies squished into their own on the bed, they weren't mad. Instead, they adjusted the covers and snuggled in closer.
X
The weeks following the kid's arrival flew by. They ended up painting the rooms; Evie wanted an ocean theme, and Huru said he wanted all sorts of patterns on his walls, so Gar, Vic, and Robin spent a whole day working on the project. The kids were ecstatic, so it was worth the mess. Evie had taken to the house like it was nothing and was running around everywhere. It wasn't uncommon to get messages from the others saying that their daughter was visiting them. Huru was slowly coming out of his shell, but he still clung to Gar.
The couple faced their first big hurdle at month two of the six month waiting period. They had gotten called in for a conference, in Steel City, for the weekend. The problem was that there was no way from them to take the kids. Evie grew sullen when she heard the news, and Huru burst into tears so often that both of them had started crying those little packages of them on their person at all times. Raven felt extremely guilty, and Gar was trying to get them out of going, but eventually they had to leave their two kids.
Robin sent them updates every hour. Star sent pictures. When they were in between meetings, Vic set it up so that they could video chat with the kids. Lisa made sure that the kids weren't too stressed about this. When they finally got home, it was to a flying tackle from them, and for the rest of the week the kids didn't leave their side unless they had to. Diana checked in from time to time, mostly to inform them on how the adoption process was going. She told them that it would be official by the end of the year.
"I think we should have a small party when all the paper work goes through." Raven and Gar were enjoying some alone time tonight. Nina had been begging for a sleepover, so the kids were sleeping on Rob and Star's floor. "Nothing major, I think a big event would overwhelm them, but maybe we could invite some of the people from titans east. I know Garth has been asking you when it would be ok to meet them." Always the polite one, the Alantian was always self-conscious of barging in. Roy, on the other hand, didn't seem to care.
The archer had popped in two weeks after the kids had arrived. Turns out Roy loved kids, and meeting the newest arrivals to the original titans was a priority. Oddly enough, Evie and Huru seemed to like him. Granted, Evie liked everyone, and Huru was still shy, but he could hang around Roy and listen to his funny stories. Raven, however, told him that there was no swearing or lude comments allowed around the kids. Roy took it seriously; whether it was for the kids benefit or because he was scared of Raven was anyone's guess. Then came the call.
They were sitting down for lunch, all of them, when Diana called them. Raven felt a small twinge of panic before answering. Right away Gar noticed and she grabbed his hand as Diana started to talk. "Well, everything went through! I just need both of you and the kids to come into the office and sign the official papers. Congratulations, Raven, you and Gar are the proud parents of Evie and Huru." She was pretty sure she was crying at that point, and Gar, who hadn't heard the conversation, was fearing the worst, but all Raven could do was smile.
"Rae, what happened?" Gar was anxious and Raven kissed him hard before reaching for both her children. Children! They were officially hers, and no one could take them from her.
"Nothing's wrong, Gar, everything's perfect. We're parents now. Officially parents to them." And then Gar's face melted and they were both crying and holding onto the kids with all their might. The others were ecstatic, but they didn't try to take the kids from them. It was late by the time they headed to bed, and after the kids were asleep (in the same bed again), but they couldn't take their eyes off of them.
"We're really doing this now. They're ours, Rae, we finally get a chance to be parents." Gar's voice was soft, but she could tell that he would be crying again soon. Not that she could blame him; Raven had been crying on and off since hearing the news. "God, they're gonna be the happiest kids ever."
"I know, I don't think it's really sunk in for them yet. Evie seemed happy and even Huru was smiling. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that no one is coming to take them away. They get to grow up here, with us, and no one can ruin it." Raven could picture them running around the house, being happy, and with no awful memories of being in a place that didn't want them. She would get to wake them up each morning with a smile and a kiss, and Gar would get to play little games with them. Neither of them would have to see a repeat of a sad childhood. Their kids were going to have happy, loved lives with them. Starting today. She couldn't wait to go and sign the papers in the morning.
The day of them signing the adoption papers would be one that Raven would cherish forever. From the look of wonder on Evie's face, Huru's blinding smile, and Gar's look of joy, she knew she wouldn't be forgetting this anytime soon. And as she listened to Gar read them a bedtime story later that night, and looked around the house that was filled with toys, she knew that whatever happened next they'd be able to handle. The one wish they had been terrified of never getting had been achieved and now they had the rest of their lives to enjoy it.