Prologue:
Ranma had had, even by his standards, a truly strange day. A bizarre series of circumstances involving a magic lamp, a ditzy genie, Nabiki's skepticism and a poorly-worded wish had somehow, and exactly how he wasn't sure, resulted in his being informed that he was to be reincarnated, though he would be allowed to retain his memories and skills. Finding a universe that could accept the level of chaos and weirdness Ranma tended to trail, and a mother able to cope with that, has led to a most peculiar and radically unexpected result. Let the joy and confusion begin.
"Oh happy day!" Starfire shouted, the words going through the entire T-Tower as she flew into the main area and picked up Raven in a hug. "Guess what Best Friend Raven, I am with child!" she told the gothic, and shocked, girl.
Robin, who was sitting on the coach watching Beast Boy and Cyborg play their video game choked on his water, while the other two boys eyes bulged and then darted to him. "IT'S NOT MINE!" He shouted when he could, waving his hands in the air in order to try and ward them away.
Starfire, who was still spinning and dancing with the cloaked and paler-then-usual Raven smiled brightly. "Of course not, Best Friend Robin; it is Raven's!"
This of course led to more hysterics, confusion, and when everybody was relatively calmed down, questions.
"How can Raven be the...parent of your child, Starfire?" Robin asked.
"Well, Tamaraneans do not reproduce quite as humans do Robin; we can make babies as long as sufficient genetic material is exchanged, and Raven has been the only person I have ever slept with."
"You didn't think I might have wanted to KNOW about that information?" Raven demanded, shock sublimated into anger.
"I did not mean to use the exchange to reproduce... are – are you angry Best Friend Raven?"
"I... I need to go meditate," she said, drifting out of the room,
Starfire looked on, her eyes teary as she watched her best friend and the person who she thought was the other parent of her child. Turning to go to her own room, she considered things and what this would mean for her. For both of them.
Cyborg rose from the couch and walked over to the gold-skinned girl, who had sunk to the floor. "Hey, Star. You wanna talk?" he asked softly, or as softly as his powerful baritone allowed.
She hugged him strongly. "Please," she almost sobbed, and resumed walking toward her room. Cyborg followed her, keeping quiet for the time being. Best to let her start, if she could. She opened her door, and waved him through, following him in then closing the door behind. She sat on the bed, and sighed heavily. "The chair on the floor can take your weight," she said softly. "I am not sure of the others." Indeed, most of the furnishings were surprisingly delicate-looking, especially considering the girl's tremendous strength.
Vic settled himself into the wrought iron armchair, which produced a surprisingly pleasant squeak. No wonder Star had taken so long picking out her furniture. Star didn't look like she was going to start, so he did. "You... kind of dropped a bombshell on us back there. On Earth, girls don't have kids with other girls. So the idea that she's going to be a mom was... well, it's not something Raven could ever expect. She didn't want to hurt you, she just needs time to take it in. We all do. We don't know anything about Tamaraneans, not really. I mean, do you need to go back to Tamaran to get special foods, or medical care? How do you know you're pregnant, how long will it be until the kid gets born, we don't know any of that."
Starfire's expression was lighter now, though still thoughtful. "Those are good questions, friend Cyborg, and I cannot answer them just yet. I fear this has hurt Robin, or upset him, or both. Perhaps he and I ought to perform the sleeping together as well? I do care for him greatly."
Vic smiled a little. That was about as big a news flash as yesterday's sunrise. "Well, that's a little complicated. Personally, I ought think you ought to talk with Raven first. She might not be too keen on bein' in a triad."
Starfire bounced into the air. "Thank you friend Cyborg, I will go at once!" she said with her usual boundless enthusiasm. Cyborg barely managed to catch her before she reached the door.
"Not so fast," he said firmly. "Like I said, you dropped a pretty big bomb on her. If she doesn't come talk to you tonight, talk to her after breakfast." He watched Starfire's face fall, then brighten again as she thought this over. Then she hugged him strongly enough to make him glad for being largely mechanical.
She released him, and drifted over to her bed. "I will wait," she said. "Thank you again, friend Cyborg."
He smiled to her. "You're welcome," and stepped out.
Starfire sat cross-legged in the air above her bed, and allowed her thoughts to drift. There were things she needed to tell Raven, and the others. But for the moment, she simply let her attention wander. The one-point suspended chair where Raven had first permitted Starfire to see all of her. The swinging couch, where she had first stretched out nude before Raven. The light, suspended armchair, and the times they had spent there simply enjoying each other's warmth and closeness. Each thing was seen, and the memories allowed to surface and be savoured, then drift away once more, eventually leaving her empty of thought, aware of her surroundings without being aware of that awareness. Without conscious decision or unconscious hesitation, she removed her boots, then her top and skirt and bracers, leaving herself nude above her bed. She watched the sun go down, and the stars and planets come out. A soft knock filled the room, and she swung smoothly to face it, moving from half-lotus to supine as she did. "Yes?" she called.
"It's me, Starfire."
Ah, how wonderful! Best Friend Raven! Starfire darted through the air to open the door and let her in. Raven stepped in, and after taking in Starfire's current attire, touched the clasp of her cloak. "Would you like me to... ?" She trailed off. A part of her wanted to undress for sake of seeing Starfire's eyes roaming over her, and another simply because it seemed somehow improper to be dressed when her friend wasn't.
Starfire smiled brightly. "I would like it very much!" she said as she returned to her half-lotus above the bed, then watched her friend remove her cloak, followed by the rest of her garments. The moonlight on Raven's oddly coloured skin made interesting patterns, and the dark, quiet girl drifted into the single-point suspended chair. Starfire watched the whole time, with undisguised interest. "You are very beautiful," she said once Raven was settled.
"Thanks," she said, her voice for once free of her usual slight sarcasm. "I guess the first thing I want to know is, why you didn't tell me you could get pregnant from what we did?"
Starfire nodded to the query, and spoke with unwonted seriousness. "Because I did not think I could. If two Tamaranean girls did what we have, one or both might become pregnant, but it would be unlikely. And you are a human, descended from apes; my evolutionary forebears are more like your great cats. And... " She paused, trying to find the least upsetting to put it. "We have met your father. But however it happened, it is still a wonderful thing."
Raven actually smiled at that. "And kicked him out of the Universe. I see your point. So... if you're the mother, what am I? I can't be a father, can I?"
Starfire shook her head, glad that Raven was calmer now. "There is no word in English, but in my language, you would be called the baby's 'kaltor,' meaning 'woman who sired.' Welcome to the royal family," she finished as she glided over to hug Raven and kiss her gently.
Earlier that evening, Garfield Logan, AKA Beast Boy, had decided he just had to know what Raven and Star had to say to each other. So he'd played some games, had some dinner, and finally gone back to his room, turned into a fly, then a mouse, then a fly again to listen in while resting on Star's wall. A fly's vision was awful; Starfire had only been a purple and gold blur, then a golden blur. He'd barely been able to make out Raven at all. But his hearing worked perfectly well. It had been pretty boring, then he hit paydirt.
"There is no word in English, but in my language, you would be called the baby's 'kaltor,' meaning 'woman who sired.' Welcome to the royal family," she finished as she glide over to hug Raven and kiss her gently.
Gar lost control and returned to his normal shape, falling off the wall and landing hard. "Royal! Cool! Princess Raven the First!" he said, just before realizing that one, the girls were naked and two, their eyes were glowing. They both yelled his name as he turned into a cheetah and ran for the door.
Raven took a moment to don her cloak; Starfire just chased him, hurling (weak) starbolts at him as they both tore down the hall, Raven trailing them but only slightly. The confined quarters meant that none of them could reach high enough speeds to end the pursuit quickly, and the girls couldn't keep line of sight long enough to be sure of hitting the peeping tomtit. "When I catch you, Beast Boy, I'll turn you into a tiger and use your skin for a rug!" Raven screamed in a fury to make her father proud, and Starfire had reverted to extremely corrosive-sounding Tamaranean. Raven thought she was able to make out "klorbag," but wasn't sure and didn't really care. Beast Boy was going to be Beat Boy when they caught him!
In his own room, Robin woke at the first starbolt detonation. A few moments' listening told him roughly what was happening, and that intervening immediately would likely be unwise. Still, he was team leader, and did like their home mostly intact. So, he rose from the bed and reached for his cape while the chase continued.
Beast Boy rounded a corner, then another, running as fast as he could. Cheetahs were sprinters, not endurance runners, how could he get away from those two? There, the main stairs! He turned hard, leapt down and changed into a kite, hoping the girls wouldn't be able to outrace him in the tight confines of the spiral, or at least not be able to draw a bead. They were still chasing, though; he wasn't seeing starbolts now, but he was still hearing those detonations and they were getting way too close! Down, down, down, through the two main living levels, the entrance level, the sub-basements, with the crazy girls hot on his tail the whole way! Why wouldn't they stop, he hadn't seen that much! Finally, at the lowest sub-level, he pulled up and flew straight for the sub pen, hitting the water as a bottle-nosed dolphin and swimming away as fast as he could.
Starfire and Raven had followed as fast as they could, but in the relatively tight confines of the tower could move only a little faster than a running human. So when the furies reached the sub pen, they were barely in time for Starfire to hurl one last bolt before watching the dolphin flee the building entirely, in the one environment where he would have all the advantages. Reluctantly, Starfire set down; Raven circled above the waters of the pen. "When I get my hands on him I'll wring his little green neck," she snarled.
Starfire shook her head, and walk over the water's edge. "Please, friend Raven, calm yourself. Beast Boy will not cause trouble for some time; we have put the fear of us into him. That is enough." She held out her hand, and after a few more sweeps above the pool, Raven accepted it.
"Ah... Starfire, you do know you're still naked, right?"
She glanced down at herself. She'd been so caught up in the chase she'd entirely forgotten. "Yes. I am. Perhaps we should go back to my room, and we can both be naked?" she asked with a suggestive smile.
"I'd like that," the other girl admitted, blushing slightly. Just then she heard metal on metal coming down the stairs, and turned to face the stairs, levitating just enough for her cape to hang closed, positioning herself between the stairs and Starfire, thinking to give them both at least notional modesty. "Starfire, stay where you are." The Tamaranean girl made an affirmative sound.
Robin had taken the time to dress, and to rouse Cyborg. Following the battle had been easy, but what was coming up wouldn't be. As he entered the lowest sub-basement, he reflexively swept the room while he flipped on the lights. "Where's Beast Boy?" he asked, voice harder than usual.
"On the way to Baja last I saw," Raven replied, her usual slight sarcasm creeping back into her tone.
"I am sure he will be back," Starfire added. "Once he has time to calm himself."
"I'll ask once we're in the living room," Robin said. "Meet us there in ten minutes." It was not a request.
Cyborg nodded in agreement. "And try not to blow up the Tower. I don't like it when my work gets wrecked." Robin walked across the room to the elevator, Cyborg following him, Raven moving slightly to continue acting a shield for Starfire's modesty, such as it was. Once the boys were in the car, the girls flew back up to Starfire's room, where they quickly dressed.
"Think we went overboard?" she asked her lover while she pulled on her leotard.
"No," Starfire replied after she slipped on her top. "Such rudeness and disrespect cannot be allowed. Beast Boy is a good person, but he is slow to understand boundaries." She fastened her pectoral in place. "I hope that Robin is not too angry with us. Or with him."
Raven had no answer for that.
In the main room of the tower, the four Titans had gathered. Starfire and Raven stood before the great window, Robin faced them from in front of the sofa. Cyborg stood off to the south. "Why were you two chasing Beast Boy to start with? And why were you using your starbolts? Starfire, you know they can be lethal, and you were turning them on a team-mate?"
"They were not strong enough to truly injure him," she said in a small voice. "Ask Cyborg, he has seen what they did." In retrospect, she wasn't entirely sure her bolts had been so weak as she'd thought at the time. She had wanted to frighten the spying tagrovess, but not to truly harm him.
Robin turned his head. "How about it? How strong were her bolts?"
Cyborg sighed. "Not very. From the scorch marks, they were like... firecracker level. If she'd hit, he might need some burn ointment and a bandage, but that's about it."
Robin nodded slowly. "So why were you chasing him to start with?" Starfire told him, then Raven gave her version, and he nodded slowly. "You should have come to me once you chased him out of your room. As of tomorrow, you're both confined to quarters for three days, except for meals and missions. I'll give Beast Boy the same once he gets back. Now what's this about the royal family?"
They both nodded. Robin was right, they had gone overboard. "As my child's kaltor," Starfire explained, "Raven will be a member of the royal family. I am not the Grand Ruler, but I am still the Crown Princess, and our child is heir unless Galfore chooses otherwise. So when we go to Tamaran to register my pregnancy, Raven will become my wife."
A stray hair could have landed on the carpet and been heard clearly. They'd known that Starfire was royalty, of course, but they'd never really thought much about it, or what it really meant.
Raven finally spoke up. "Your... wife. What does that actually mean?" Married? Her? She'd never imagined such a thing might ever be a part of her life, and certainly not to another woman.
Starfire smiled. "It means you are my wife. As my child's kaltor, to exclude you from the royal family would be far beyond merely insulting; it would be to make you less than... " She groped desperately for an Earthly analogue. "Less than the lowest beggar. You will become Princess Raven, and Galfore may also create you Duchess, probably landed. There are certain ceremonial duties you must also perform; you will learn those on Tamaran. You will not be in the line of succession, but you could act as regent if needed."
Every jaw but hers was hanging loose by end of that. Raven, a landed noble?
"Ah... okay," Raven finally managed to say. "So what actually happens? I mean... " She trailed off, unable to even frame a meaningful question.
Fortunately, Starfire was quick on the uptake. "Since I am already pregnant, that will be registered first. Then the wedding must be arranged; I will not allow anyone to say you are not held in highest honour, so our wedding must be of the finest in every way. Have you more formal attire, or can you get it? Robin and Cyborg will be our ceremonial guards, of course. And Beast Boy will be the Fool. He is good at that."
By this point everyone's head was spinning a little. "Ah... yeah," Robin said. "We'll ask later. This is way too much to take in this fast. Everyone to bed, we'll deal with this more in the morning."
Sleep was elusive that night for Raven, for Robin, and for Beast Boy. Starfire slept blissfully, dreaming of the wedding to come, and the birth of her and Raven's child. Cyborg too slept easily, happy for his friends, even though he knew this would lead to plenty of emotional turmoil. But he was pretty sure it would work out. And besides, weddings meant feasts.
Out in the bay, Beast Boy had turned into a great blue whale, one of the least likely sea creatures to be attacked. The decision had been hard, since he was a mostly committed vegetarian, and there weren't any large sea creatures that only ate plants. He had to settle, reluctantly, for something that only ate very, very small animals. He was heading for the open ocean; the bay was simply too crowded with shipping, and he needed to be alone for a while to think. Whales were good for that; very few creatures would attack a whale, and whales never truly slept. The girls were furious with him, and he had to admit, he didn't totally blame them... even if he still thought they'd gone overboard. Maybe he ought to stay away until they cooled off a little. Like just after lunch, maybe. They wouldn't try to put him through the wall on a full stomach. Hopefully. Until then, he just had to swim around. Princess Raven the First. That was so cool. How did a two-girl wedding work anyway? I now pronounce you wife and wife? His thoughts continued along those lines, and were soon distinctly R-rated and heading for X territory.