The premise of the story is still the same, I just want to rewrite it. Looking back at this story, the story formatting and the story itself was atrocious that I'm embarrassed about it. Don't worry, younger me is getting a stern talking to.
TITLE CREDIT: Release the Panic by RED
RATING: M for Mature (blood, gore, violence, seduction– because I don't think I'll be writing any full on smut, mentions of violent crimes– murder, rape, etc.).
NOTE: This is a Nightwing/Raven story. I will include other respective love interests, but (most likely) they will not be having any romantic interactions with the two mains. If at any time it sounds like I'm slandering them, I'm really sorry. I don't mean to do it intentionally; and, if it is intentional I will post a warning beforehand.
Also I don't have a beta so expect issues with spelling and/or grammar. I'm going to do my best to keep up with everything but I won't be as fast as I used to be. Hope you guys enjoy.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own things (she said with hand-waving gesture).
" Every man I meet wants to protect me. I can't figure out what from. "
~ Mae West
Raven Roth, poised as ever, waited with all the patience she could muster. Given the circumstances, that was not much. Her face concealed her emotions as she continued staring straight. Whenever she felt impatient or was simply pondering thoughts, she would put her pen between her middle and ring fingers and tap the tool against any surface she could find.
She was usually much more patient, but even she had limits. Limits that ultimately motivated her to act. So, Raven finally stood from her chair and moved towards the center of the room. Then, she pulled an object from the inside pocket of her coat.
"Damian. I will give you this lollipop if you agree to cooperate."
Damian Wayne was currently on top of a green exam table with his arms crossed and his face in a sneer. He was bearing the image of a defiant child, but Raven could see his eyes occasionally focus on the cherry lollipop in her hand.
"C'mon, Damian, it won't even hurt. As soon as we're done, we'll head out for ice cream."
Damian glared, "Easy for you to say, Grayson. You're not the one getting shot."
Dick Grayson resisted an eye roll, "You're not getting 'shot'. You're getting a shot, a vaccination," he gave Raven an apologetic look, "The sooner you get your shot, the sooner we can leave."
Damian sucked in his cheeks as his eyes wandered everywhere except for the two adults. Finally, he looked at his older brother, "I don't want ice cream. I'll take the lollipop, and you must make father buy the new leather pet sofa for Titus," he sat up taller with a conniving grin. The ten-year-old obviously learned business dealings from his father.
The older man counted to ten in his head, ignored the doctor laughing the background, and held his hand out, "I'll call Bruce the minute we're in the parking lot if you agree to get your shot right now."
Satisfied, Damian uncrossed his arms and held his brother's hand.
Raven handed Dick the lollipop to hold. When she rubbed his arm with sterile alcohol, Damian flinched and nearly twisted his brother's wrist in the process. It truly amused her that a little boy who spent a majority of his free time kickboxing and practicing taekwondo was afraid of needles. So, the minute he turned his head away from her, she poked him with the needle. By the time Damian realized it was in his arm, she had already removed the needle.
"Wait, it's over? I'm done."
Dick had an I-told-you-so smile plastered on his face, "That didn't hurt, now did it?" This time, he didn't hide his rolling eyes. He affectionately tousled his little brother's hair.
"Whatever, Grayson. Just remember Titus' leather pet sofa," Damian said as he unwrapped his lollipop and proceeded to hop off the exam table.
Raven removed her gloves with a laugh, "You were really good today, love. It only took– what, 20 minutes?"
Dick laughed and offered his hand to her, "Thank you so much, Dr. Roth. I apologize for my brother's stubbornness." When she gave it to him, he couldn't help but place a small kiss on her fingers. "That's a lovely ring, Doctor. I had no idea you were married," he said.
She smirked at him, "Not married yet. I've been engaged for a few months now."
"To whom?"
"Just some guy," Raven said, "But, if I'm being honest, I'm just marrying the guy out of pity."
Dick pulled her against her chest, "'Marrying out of pity'?" He kissed her for a few seconds before he said, "That didn't feel like pity. Actually–"
"Seriously? Do you guys have to do this right now?"
"I think someone really wants that pet sofa," Raven walked over to hug Damian– one he pretended to resist– and kissed his cheek, "Make sure your brother stays out of trouble, mkay?"
Damian nodded to her before eagerly leaving the office, occasionally swinging his arms to tolerate the discomfort in his arm.
"Don't be late for dinner, okay?" Dick said, kissing her on the nose, "These reservations took me forever to get."
Raven said, "Fine. But the minute we get married we need to cut back on these expensive dinners. I don't exactly have a trust-fund to blow like someone."
"So you're marrying me for money, not pity?"
She didn't dignify that with a response.
Bruce Wayne wasn't exactly as pissed as Dick thought he would be when he saw his boys strolling in with an extravagant pet sofa.
"It was the only way he would get his shot," Dick reasoned.
"You do realize that now that he has one, he's going to want another for the cat and the cow."
"Good thing he's your kid, not mine then."
Alfred Pennyworth walked in, "Master Bruce, a bed for the dog is fairly tame. Master Damian could've easily asked to adopt that exotic turkey he saw at the zoo."
Bruce didn't bother arguing with the butler– like he would actually win that conversation– and simply thanked Dick for even taking Damian to the doctors.
"Master Grayson, did you enjoy the desserts from last week? I hope it was satisfactory given the amount of cake testing you and your fiancé have been doing."
Dick ran a hand through his hair, "We still have your leftovers in the fridge, Alfred. Raven's worried she–" the older men gave him a look, "I would eat it all and we'd run out."
"How is the future Mrs. Grayson handling the wedding plans?" Bruce asked.
"I think it's overwhelming her a little," Dick said, "This wedding stuff is pretty new to her. And she always thought her mother would…" his voice trailed off, but Bruce and Alfred already understood the silence.
Dick and Raven would be terrible candidates to represent a "perfect" childhood. In some ways, he lucked out more than she did. He, at least, held a close bond with his birth parents and his ward; Raven, not so much.
Alfred said, "A wedding is a collaborative effort, Master Grayson. Please have patience."
"It's not that," he said, "She's invested in the planning but she's not acting like those neurotic brides you see in media."
"Nobody is as neurotic as those brides," Bruce mumbled under his breath.
Alfred ignored his master, "Do you worry she's not invested in your marriage?"
Dick chuckled a little, "It's not that either. I just…I really want her to be happy. Wedding or no wedding, that's all I care about."
"So we have the food, we have the place, and we have a band. Karen said she could only come to the reception because she was coming back from Prague. And Jason's the last one that needs to RSVP," Raven said.
Dick responded, "Damian said he'll be the ring bearer if Titus will walk beside him," without looking up from his menu.
She chuckled, "We barely got him through a vaccination. I enjoy a challenge, but I doubt we'll get Damian willingly into a tux."
He reached across the table to grab Raven's hands, "We're not going to spend the entire night nitpicking wedding stuff, are we?" He could actually see the exhaustion in her eyes.
"You don't want to talk about our special day?"
Just in case she wasn't kidding, Dick had an answered prepared, "I can't wait for the wedding, Rave. But our wedding day's going to be you, me, and a bunch of other people. I just want this to be you and me time."
"I offered to elope, but Bruce said he wouldn't go to Vegas."
He shook his head, "Seriously, let's talk about you. How was your day?"
Raven shrugged modestly, distracting Dick slightly when her shirt strap fell down her shoulder, "Fine; nothing to report. How was your day?"
He rolled his eyes playfully, "I missed out on a meeting that I could care less about because I need to take my brother for a check-up. Thought about my fiancé and our wedding. Had a chicken salad for lunch. Continued to think about my fiancé. Bought an extremely expensive sofa for a dog. Then, I met said fiancé here for dinner."
She couldn't help but smile, "Wow…you lasted all day with a chicken salad?"
He smiled and leaned over the table to chastely kiss Raven's lips, "Yeah. Thinking about you doesn't take as much energy as it used to considering I do it all the time."
Raven let go of his hands and leaned her chin on the back of her hand. She looked as if she was deeply distracted, and that bothered him.
He asked, "What's wrong, Rave?"
She sighed, "Remember how I told you Katherine went missing?"
Katherine Moth was the boss's daughter, and an old high school bully. She still lived with her father, living off his money, and spent her days at the clinic meddling with employees. Given that Katherine attended school with her, Raven was the number one target. She had no issue flaunting her money or her style. She even went to the extent of flirting with Dick at company functions (knowing Raven couldn't react irrationally).
"The police think she went over to Steel City," Raven obviously gave the issue a lot of thought, "It just doesn't make sense. Why would she leave without telling anyone– you know how much she loves bragging about her fabulous little trips– and then suddenly find her in Steel City?"
Dick asked, "If they already found her, why are you worrying so much?" However, he probably knew the answer already.
"Katherine once told me that she thought Hell would look like Steel City. She hated that city more than she loved annoying me. It doesn't add up," she explained, "I know she's an insufferable person, Dick. That doesn't mean she deserved to be abducted or killed."
"And that's why I love you. I don't mean the part where you jump to ridiculous conclusions," he said, taking her hands again, "You care, no matter how horrible someone is to you. But, sometimes, it's okay to take a break and be a little selfish."
She couldn't help but smile at him. Raven started to step out of her seat to kiss him, but their waiter arrived.
The rest of the date consisted of Raven talking about either work or the wedding. Dick couldn't help but drift from the conversation. Staring at her to the point of disassociating when she was talking had become a habit for him in their relationship.
"Do you want to go home or go somewhere else for desert?" he asked once his credit card was returned to him.
Raven glanced at the watch, "I have an early shift tomorrow since Dr. Marks is still out. I'm definitely taking an extended vacation for our honeymoon."
Dick laughed and was about to put his wallet away when he realized he forgot something. He was panicking slightly, and almost emptied his entire wallet right there in the middle of the restaurant. "I think I left my license at the office," he said, "I need to go back and get it."
"Do you want me to drive you?"
"You should go home," he helped his fiancé into her coat, "I took a cab here; I can take a cab back. I promise won't be long."
She pulled out her car keys, kissed him goodbye, and left.
As soon as she left out of the parking lot, Dick pulled out his own car keys and slid his license back into one of the wallet's empty slots.
Katherine Moth kneeled in a dark room of grey, wrists handcuffed and chained above her head. Her dress was slightly faded with dirt at the edges and torn sleeves. The heels of her shoes broke off and her blisters were bleeding.
A light switched on a dimmed headlamp and Katherine tried to scream, but her throat was too dry.
"It's just light. Get the fuck over it."
She whimpered, "Let me go, you bastard."
"You do nothing but bitch, and, since you're giving me a headache, I may do just that."
She growled, "When you said you wanted me, I didn't think this is what you meant. I've been in this room for a week with nothing but fucking lemonade. Who does that?"
The figure turned around and unlocked a built-in closet, bringing out a duffle bag and a shovel.
Katherine howled, "You're a freak! Get away from me, fucker!"
"Katherine Moth, you are a cruel bully. You didn't care about your victims, so why should I care about you? She did nothing to you, yet you tortured her to no end. Why were you so cruel to such an angel? Were you really that bored?"
She didn't respond, and he didn't need her to
"Well, guess what?" He pulled a knife from behind his back, "I'm bored now."
Katherine cried for the umpteenth time that night, "Why are you doing this?"
He spat at her face, "Because you deserve it. Did you even apologize to her? Did you even beg for her forgiveness?" Ignoring her whimpers of pain. He pressed the knife against Katherine's skin and flicked without hesitance.
Finally, Dick said, "You hurt Raven. No one hurts Raven."