Welcome to the next installment of the series! This story takes place after "Hearts Over Gotham City and One Night Love Affair. After the events in those two stories, the Titans are drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse that none of them could ever imagine. Rated R for future chapters.
The quatrains of poetry at the beginning of each chapter are from "Auguries of Innocence" by Robert Blake and are presented in order as they appear in the poem.
Chapter 1: Distress Signals
"TO see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour..."
Timidly, Beast Boy knocked on the bathroom door early one sunny spring Saturday morning.
"Raven, honey, are you okay?" he asked. The retching from inside the room was the blatant answer. He could hear her gasp for breath and then reply, "Seafood...I must be allergic...the shrimp at dinner last night..."
"You've never been allergic to anything before. Are you sure you're not coming down with a spring flu bug or something?" Beast Boy asked in concern. The bathroom door slid open and Raven shuffled out, still hugging her abdomen. Beast Boy wrapped his arms around her shoulders and guided her back to their bedroom to rest. It was actually Raven's bedroom, but as it was just a little bigger than Beast Boy's, they had decided that if they were to share a room, that was the better place. Torque had moved into Beast Boy's old bedroom and Jinx remained in the room above Cyborg's.
After tucking his wife back into bed, Beast Boy climbed the stairs and entered the living area on the top floor of Titans Tower. His friends looked up and smiled.
"Good morning, Beast Boy, where's Raven this morning?" asked Robin.
"She's not feeling so hot. She thinks she might be allergic to the shrimp from dinner last night," Beast Boy replied. The others nodded.
"I hope she is feeling better by this afternoon's combat practice. She and I have a new move we need to practice," said Torque, stirring the oatmeal with her powers.
"Perhaps a visit to the place of healing is in order?" Starfire commented.
"I don't know that a food allergy necessitates a trip to the hospital, Star," said Jinx.
"Maybe she's right. I'll talk to her about it and if she's got time today, maybe she should go in and at least make sure that it isn't something more serious," Beast Boy said, dishing up a plate to take to Raven before leaving the room again.
The sounds of laughter and squeals of playfulness echoed out of the kitchen as the suds in the sink turned into ammunition. Robin grabbed the sprayer and assaulted his friends as they took turns throwing the dish soap suds around and at each other. Poor Beast Boy hardly knew what hit him when he and Raven walked into the kitchen and he got a face full of water. Raven laughed softly. That was until seconds later when she acquired a beard of soap bubbles. Torque was laughing so hard her cheeks were pink, Jinx couldn't stand up straight for lack of breath, and Robin's usually spiky hair was soaking wet and plastered to the sides of his head. Starfire's costume clung to her and her hair looked like a wet red mop on her head as she squinted her eyes closed against the spray of water. Cyborg had the sprayer now, and Robin swooped in and covered her with his cloak in a mock attempt to 'protect her from evil'. It was the funniest thing Raven had seen for a long time.
"I have an appointment with Dr. Ivanova in a couple hours. She's making a special trip to the clinic to see me, so I won't be here for lunch. Beast Boy and I will eat in the city," Raven said as soon as the scene had calmed.
"No problem," said Robin, starting to shiver from being soaked to the bone. "Maybe we should all get cleaned up." The others laughed again and followed him out of the room.
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The first feeling to assault her senses that morning was cold. Had he left the window open again? She felt gooseflesh on the exposed skin of her arms and legs and opened her eyes. What she saw made her wish she could close them again and wake up as though she had been dreaming. She was in a drafty, cold, gray prison cell, the flimsy material of her nightgown lightly hugging her features. Feeling more than a little vulnerable, she lifted herself to her feet and ran a weary hand through her long black hair--her head hurt like fury.
"Good morning, princess!" shouted an obnoxious voice. "We're glad you could make it! We trust you slept well?"
"What do you want with me?" Wonder Woman growled, grasping the bars of her cell and scowling at the face of the man that grinned maliciously back at her.
"For one who has been endowed with gifts of the gods, she is not very bright," said a calm voice as another man joined the first, this one leaner, shorter, and wearing a mask.
"You haven't seen half of what I can do yet, bozo," Wonder Woman retorted, taking a swing at the bars. She recoiled seconds later, cradling her hand. Her powers! What had these madmen done?
"You are certain this will lead them all here?" the second man asked the first.
"Oh yes, Slade. We are more than certain. The flying rodent is a friend of theirs. Surely, when they hear that his lady love is missing in action, they will start looking and then they will find us and it will be perfect!" explained the first man, proceeding to cackle wildly.
"We will see, Two Face. If this works, it could be the beginning of a very profitable partnership between us," Slade said confidently. Two Face again roared with laughter as it suddenly dawned on the Amazon princess what was happening. These two maniacs were enemies of Batman's and they were using her to get to him...but who were the others that this Slade character was referring to? Diana gasped softly...no! He wasn't talking about the Teen Titans! Slade was an adversary of the Titans? This was about to get deeper than Diana thought possible. One super villain was bad enough, but when they started to work in groups it was much, much worse; and in the case of Two Face, the problems only compounded exponentially. Wonder Woman sank to the floor of the cell and rubbed her tired eyes with her hands. She could tell that this was going to be one hell of a Saturday.
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Beast Boy sat in the clinic's waiting room and tried to be patient. He picked up a magazine to pass the time, but the first one he picked up illustrated summer beef and pork recipes. Suddenly, Beast Boy thought it was his turn to feel sick. He had no more sat down back in his chair but Raven emerged from the back hall. Standing quickly, Beast Boy rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Is everything okay?" he asked. She looked at him with a strange fear in her eyes. Startled, he nearly panicked himself.
"I need to talk to you...in private. Can we go home now?" Raven asked, her voice growing small and quiet.
"Do you want me to go and get the T-Car? Are you feeling okay?" Beast Boy whispered.
"No, I don't need the car. Let's just go home. I'm tired," Raven murmured. Beast Boy sensed that this was an excuse to get him to move faster but it worked just the same. The newlywed Titans hurried home, enduring a silence thicker than the clouds as they flew. When they reached the Tower, Raven pulled Beast Boy into their bedroom and before she could sit down, Beast Boy pulled her into his arms and hugged her.
"I don't care what it is, honey. I want to know. We can deal with anything as long as we have each other and our friends. Whatever it is, Raven, we can get through it. Just tell me. I can't stand the suspense anymore," Beast Boy babbled. Raven wrapped her arms around her husband and mustered a weak smile. Her left hand tangled with his hair a little as she found her voice.
"I'm not allergic to seafood..." she started. She seemed choked up by tears as she continued. "I...I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant, Beast Boy. We're having a baby." The more she said it, her voice gained strength again. Beast Boy released Raven and felt for the chair behind him. He was so shocked he lost his breath.
"Beast Boy?" Raven murmured, afraid that he might be angry. They hadn't planned to be parents so soon. They had only been married in September and it was now May. Beast Boy looked up at his wife and stammered, "A baby...for real this time...our baby..."
"Yes!" Raven laughed, letting happy tears finally course down her cheek.
"There's really a baby...right now? Our baby..." Beast Boy stuttered again. He reached out gingerly, took Raven's hips in his hands and pulled her close to him as he lightly kissed her abdomen and then rested his head against her as though he were trying to listen for the baby.
"We won't be able to hear it for a while--a few months at least. Dr. Ivanova says I'm healthy, and there shouldn't be any complications of any kind that she can tell," Raven said as Beast Boy held her. A few moments of silence ensued as the thought settled in. Slowly, Beast Boy relaxed back and looked up at Raven again, his face tear-stained and stunned.
"I'm a daddy...Raven, I'm a daddy," He gasped. Raven laughed softly and stroked the top of his head. "You're a mom, too!" he continued. Suddenly he stood and the tears left his eyes. "We've gotta tell the others!" Raven laughed again as Beast Boy grabbed his communicator and ordered the whole team to meet them in the living area.
When they had all assembled, all of them confused and a few of them afraid, Beast Boy stood up and the room full of people hushed.
"I asked you all to come because Raven and I have an announcement to make. Drum roll please!" Beast Boy paused for dramatic effect and then continued, "Raven and I are having a baby!"
At first there was a perfect silence in the room. You could have heard a pin drop. Then it happened. The emotions began to flood the room. Starfire started to cry; Cyborg and Robin laughed and clapped Beast Boy on the back. Torque cried as she smiled and threw her arms around Raven. Jinx was still so shocked she could do little more than laugh along with them and smile like she had never smiled before.
That night, the Titans feasted on pizza, popcorn and tofu and watched the longest CSI: Crime Scene Investigators marathon in Titans history. At least for the Titans and at least for tonight, there was peace in Gotham City.