He found her on the rooftop, as he often did when she was illusively absent from the team's social activities. Admittedly, he knew that what the Titans chose to do in their spare time was completely different to how the sorceress would spend it, yet every time he entered the common room and saw every usual face smiling at him except hers, a small piece of his heart broke away from the main body. He had noticed her absence more in the recent days, hence why he was here, staring at his teammate and friend, who was oblivious to his presence behind her. The girl in question was sitting with her legs dangling over the edge of the tower, not at all afraid of the fall below were she to lose her balance, looking out at the horizon which housed a majestic view of Jump City covered in a blanket of fresh winter snow. Flakes had been falling from the zenith for an hour and he suspected that she had spent every minute watching the spectacle without becoming bored. He smiled and made his way over to her. As he got closer and closer, till he was approximately ten feet away from her petite form, he heard a sound that he had never heard in all his years of living with the young adult. Humming.
Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice. Give ye heed to what we say...
Raven knew he was watching. He was always watching, wondering why she chose to spend her time in solitude as opposed the company of her superhero friends. He always thought she was oblivious but she was anything but. Being an empath often helped her recognise when she was not alone, and she had felt his mixed-up emotions radiating off of him the moment he stepped into the Titans elevator and pressed the button to travel to the top of the tower. Yet, instead of greeting her leader as she usually would, she decided for once that she would not welcome the distraction. After all, she had practising to do. So she continued her gentle humming and ignored the sudden feelings of surprise she felt from him as he approached.
News! News! Jesus Christ is born today...
Yes, he was not going crazy. She was humming. Humming! Humming beautifully a Christmas carol he had not heard since his younger years. He was fond of the carol, and as he listened to her he was overwhelmed by memories of Alfred preparing the succulent turkey for Christmas dinner, along with the crispy roast potatoes and the healthy, vibrant vegetables which made his mouth water every December. Alfred used to hum the same tune as he transformed the raw ingredients into a festive feast for himself and his adoptive father, as well as for the many guests that occupied Wayne Manor during the Christmas season. He could not stop the smile from breaking out on his face at the nostalgia, nor did he want to. The smile remained as he sat down next to the half-demon and placed his arm around her shoulders.
Ox and ass before Him bow, and He is in the manger now. Christ is born today. Christ is born today...
She felt the added weight of his arm on her shoulders and the warmth his close body provided on the cold, winter evening. Keeping her head down, she continued humming. He was listening intently so she doubled her efforts into hitting every note correctly, keeping in time and portraying the meaning of the beautiful lyric while singing the words in her mind. She knew every word off by heart as it was one of her favourite songs from her childhood on Azarath. Growing up in the Temple under the guardianship of Azar and the other high priests and priestesses meant that she was surrounded by religion and spiritual belief from a young age. The religion on Azarath differed slightly from the Christian faith that many people followed on Earth, but they shared a similar celebration during the December month. Like at Christmas, the Azarathians exchanged one gift with another person before praying in the Temple and then gathering in the grounds for a choir service and an extravagant banquet. She loved the Day of Deliverance, for it was the one day that she got to see her Mother for the festivities and the one day that she felt that the rest of her dimension didn't despise her and her heritage. If anything, because she was in the Temple Choir, she was loved for those brief forty-five precious minutes when the populace went silent and listened to her angelic voice project lyrics from the most beautiful Azarathian songs into their awaiting ears. Imagine her delight when she was sent to Earth and was walking past a shopping centre and she heard the tune of one of the Azarathian songs she adored so much. The lyrics were different, but only slightly. But it did not matter in the slightest, for hearing the song provided her with hope that she would survive on this planet. Deep in thought, she did not notice that her humming had progressed into full-on singing, nor his arm leave her frame.
Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice. Now ye hear of endless bliss...
He was mesmerised, well and truly. He had no idea that she could sing, and he suspected that with her being so deep in thought that she was unaware that she was releasing such a beautiful sound into the winter winds as they blew past their bodies and weaved their way amongst the skyscrapers and citizens of the city they protected. He removed his arm from her shoulders and used them to support himself as he leaned back and enjoyed the sound of her voice and the snowflakes falling all around him. Every note was perfect. She was putting her all into the song, making it seem so effortless. He never realised that his friend had such a natural, God-given talent, and the song choice made her seem even more angelic. He continued to listen in awe until she held the last note and stopped, sighing as she did so. He had so many questions he wanted to ask, so much he wanted to discover about her, but he was speechless for the first time since becoming a Titan and instead continued to gaze at her pale face.
Joy! Joy! Jesus Christ was born for this...
She held the last note and finally stopped, sad that the carol had come to an end. Sighing, she looked up once more. Her eyes glanced towards the Titan on her left, who was looking straight at her despite the mask covering his eyes. To say he looked amazed was an understatement, and she could tell he wanted to say something, anything even, but was unable to. Their mind-meld allowed her to hear his inner most thoughts at that moment, and she was flattered by what he was thinking. He had nothing but praise for her, and many questions he wanted answered. She turned to face him properly, pulling her cloak closer around her slightly shivering shoulders to shield herself from the wind.
"On Azarath we hold a celebration similar to Christmas, called the Day of Deliverance. I never knew we sang exactly the same carols until I came to Earth, but 'Good Aza'rian Men, Rejoice!' was my favourite song to sing during the season. I was in the Temple Choir from a very young age, and was asked to solo every year. I was honoured, as I was singing to some of the most important people in the dimension. And, without sounding big-headed, I was good. For one day, I was loved by those who excluded me and wished me dead for the other three hundred and sixty four days of the year. I was even asked to sing at the Azar's funeral; the Royal High Priestess and my guardian. However, I was too distraught to sing and as much as I wanted to I just could not do it. I regret keeping silent even now. And I have never sung in front of you or the other Titans because I do not wish to draw attention to myself, and I only sing for special occasions."
He hath ope'd the heav'nly door, and man is blessed evermore. Christ was born for this. Christ was born for this...
He was captivated by the story of her past, yet saddened by it also. It was during moments like this when the two heroes, who had grown up like brother and sister in the last four years of living together, sat down and shared hidden secrets and memories about their pasts that he realised just how lucky he was to have his friends around him. None of them ceased to surprise him, but especially her. She was so illusive and mysterious, and consequently she was captivating and enticing. Like a puzzle with a piece missing, you would never get the full picture but you knew enough to know that you liked what you were looking at. She was a valued member of the team, and he wished that he could express that to her because sometimes, rarely, he thought she was unaware of how much she was loved. Her people may have shunned her, but she would always have a home here with the team; her family.
"What makes this occasion so special?"
Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice. Now ye need not fear the grave...
She was happy to tell her story, for it was a sentiment that she cared enough about him to share a memory she thought she would never reveal to anyone. They all knew her past was a painful topic of discussion. She loved them all, no one more than the other and even though she didn't show it as often, she knew she would be lost without them. They were her family, the four people who had let her into their lives and she would be forever thankful that here on Earth she had found three brothers and a sister, when in her home dimension she was only loved, and that was an exaggeration, by a select few. She made a mental note to tell them more often how much she appreciated them. His question had caught her off-guard, but her love of singing and the fact that he had enjoyed listening to her gave her a new found confidence to reveal her secretive happenings.
"I was asked last week to sing at the Jump City Hospital carol fundraiser. I was visiting a woman who was injured in that awful fight with Cinderblock ten days ago, the one I saved from the falling building?" He nodded, remembering the woman who Raven had heroically rescued from being crushed by loose debris. "Well, she was pregnant and went into premature labour because of the trauma. Thankfully her baby survived being born so early, but he's in the ICU so I decided to check up on him. The nurses caught me singing him a lullaby and asked me to sing at the upcoming fundraiser. They thought my being there would make the citizens more charitable, and celebrities bring in bigger crowds. I said yes instantly, but I haven't sung carols since I was twelve so I thought it would be a good idea to practise. Luckily my voice has not changed too much and I remember the songs well. I just need to continue getting used to the different lyrics." She smiled at the proud look on his face.
Peace! Peace! Jesus Christ is born to save...
He could not keep the smile from plastering itself on his face. Firstly, because he was pleased that she was avoiding the team for adequate reasons. For the past few days he had been deeply worried about the girl, however he knew his snooping and application of detective skills would probably backfire and cause them to row. So he stepped back and accepted that she needed her privacy and trusted her enough to tell him if something was seriously wrong. It was only now, after seven days of wondering why she seemed to be actively avoiding her teammates that he cracked and decided to make sure she was okay. He relieved to discover that she was rehearsing on the roof, away from listening ears, visiting the hospital and using her contacts as a hero to help arrange the fundraiser, thus ensuring its success. He had known that a fundraiser was taking place but because he wasn't asked directly to help, he had put it to the back of his mind. After all, during the Christmas weeks the villains of Jump City often wrecked more havoc. Secondly, he was smiling because he was proud of his adoptive sister. Everyone knew how shy she was and that she did not like drawing extra attention to herself yet she was going to go on stage and sing to hundreds of people for a charitable cause. He had no doubt that she would have landed a solo part in a carol or two.
"That's great. I'm sure you'll do fantastically. With a voice like that you can't go wrong even if you tried!" He saw her smile at his praise and encouragement.
Calls you one and calls you all, to gain His everlasting hall. Christ was born to save...
Smiling, she thanked her leader for his words of encouragement. His kind words made her question why she had not told the Titans in the first place about her upcoming performance. She guessed she was nervous, despite having sung for years in the past. Her friends had never seen her do something so bold, and she did not want to tell them lest she screw up and forget a lyric, or sing a bum note, or seize up in front of the people she protected on a daily basis. This was a big step for her, but one she was very much looking forward to. For the next ten minutes or so she explained to him the arrangements for the evening of carol singing, which was taking place in two days time and answered all his questions. She listed the carols she would be singing, which included 'Away in a Manger', 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman', 'The First Noel' and of course, 'Good Christian Men, Rejoice!', which was her all-time favourite carol and the one she would sing solo. Finally, she had no more information to offer about the event. He leaned in and hugged her, giving her a kiss on the cheek as he stood up from his seat on the rooftop. She watched him begin to walk back towards the door which led to the elevator which would transport him back inside the warm tower.
Christ was born to save.
After their talk, he had stood up and kissed her as a sign of departure. He observed that she made no effort to move and assumed that she was to remain outside practising her carols. Walking alone, he headed to the door and upon reaching it, he turned back around.
"I look forward to seeing you on stage, but until then good luck with your rehearsals."
Silence greeted him, but his mind felt instantly warmed through their bond. Smiling, Robin headed indoors as he heard Raven begin to sing 'Good Christian Men, Rejoice' again, her voice just as angelic and enchanting as it was when he had first come up to see her.
Thank you for reading this one-shot. I have been listening to Bob Fitt's version of 'Good Christian Men, Rejoice' on repeat all day and was inspired by it to write this short story. I highly recommend you give it a listen. Merry Christmas everyone!