Chapter 4: Family Resolutions
Friday afternoon a month later couldn't come fast enough for the young heroes. Each knew that as soon as their missions and responsibilities were finished on the Watch Tower, their parents would be boarding a transport ship and heading for Titans Tower.
"Are you sure you're feeling up to this, Raven?" Changeling asked. Raven continued to pack their luggage and nodded.
"I'll be fine. I just need to be careful what I eat this weekend. My stomach is a little sensitive," Raven replied. Changeling tossed another of his tee-shirts into the suitcase as he walked to the bed and wound his arms around Raven's middle. He slowly lowered his head to her shoulder and held her.
"I love you," he whispered. Raven smiled.
"I love you, too," she replied. A knock at the door interrupted this quiet intimacy and Changeling went to answer it.
"Hey, guys, almost ready?" asked Arsenal, a grin plastered on his face.
"What do you need, Roy?" Changeling asked, knowing the smile anywhere.
"Look, Ginny's not feeling so hot we're thinking of skipping out on the festivities. Would you guys mind taking Erin with you? She deserves to go and see her big brother and have some fun," Arsenal said.
"Well, misery loves company, right? Raven's been a bit under the weather, too. They could keep each other busy," Changeling suggested.
"Ginny's sick?" Raven asked, zipping the suitcase and joining them at the door.
"Didn't we tell you guys? We're pregnant again," Arsenal said proudly. Changeling and Raven looked at each other in surprise and smiled back at Arsenal.
"What?" asked Arsenal, raising an eyebrow.
"We are, too!" Raven stammered. The three shared a laugh for a moment before Nightwing and Starfire came upon the scene and soon, the whole team had been informed of the good news.
As they settled into the transport, Chameleon looked at her mother with a puzzled look on her little face.
"Mamma, what's 'pregnant' mean?" she asked, fiddling with a bit of her purple hair.
"It means that Auntie Raven and Auntie Torque are going to have babies in a few months," Terra said, strapping Coral in and then Cerdian.
"Where does the baby come from, Mamma?" asked Cerdian.
"Ask your father in a few years," Terra whispered as she stroked Cerdian's face and kissed the top of his head.
"Mommy, are you okay?" asked Hawkeye, strapping herself into her seat. Arsenal smiled at his daughter and double checked her seatbelt.
"Mommy's okay, sweetie. She's just not feeling well this weekend. Remember we talked about mommy's baby, right?" Arsenal said, sitting down next to her.
"But, Daddy, how did the baby get into Mommy's tummy?" Hawkeye asked.
"We'll talk about this when we come home, okay?" Arsenal said, patting Hawkeye's shoulder.
When the transport carrying the elder Titans landed atop Titans Tower, Hummingbird was still straightening up the Ops Room.
"They'll be here any minute!" she screeched.
"Calm down, Livie. It's just our parents," Robin said as he, Rumble and Beast Boy watched their team leader run frantically to and fro. The door to the Ops Room slid open minutes later and Nightwing's handsome face was the first to appear.
"Dad!" Robin called, causing Hummingbird to stop what she was doing. Robin let his father fold him into a big hug and Hummingbird smiled as her little brother, Beast Boy, ran to their father's arms.
"There's my boy," Changeling said, hugging him tight.
"Is there a stereo on somewhere? I hear music," Raven said. Hummingbird closed her eyes in a demonstration of swiftly declining patience.
"Toby has been in his Chopin period ever since we got home from Tamaran. It was cool at first, but he's been at it for weeks! It's all he plays!" Olivia grumbled.
"That's incredible," said Torque. "He should be playing at Carnegie Hall!"
"Don't give him any more delusions of grandeur," Hummingbird mumbled. Slowly, the other Young Titans filtered into the room and greeted their parents. Still a bit shy but willing to give it a try, Rorek and Kyler accompanied the Logan kids to their parents' side. Seeing Rorek in person nearly stole Raven's breath.
"You're just like I imagined….that's amazing," she said softly as Rorek gallantly bowed and kissed her hand.
"A summer flower hath not your radiance, dear Raven. What a delight my heart holds to see you again," he said. Thetis giggled and Raven blushed. She looked up at Changeling and gently prodded him, saying, "Why can't you talk like that sometimes?"
"Hi, mom," said Rumble, melting into Torque's arms.
"Hi, baby, what's wrong?" Torque asked, noting Rumble's lack of enthusiasm.
"Can I talk to you later? Alone?" Rumble asked.
"Sure. Anytime, okay?" Torque said, kissing Rumble's forehead.
"Everything okay, slugger?" Arsenal asked his son.
"Yeah, It's okay. Where's…Erin!" Rumble cried. Hawkeye bounded across the room and threw herself into Rumble's arms.
"Brother! I missed you, Aidan!" Hawkeye squealed.
"I missed you, too," Rumble said affectionately as he ruffled her ponytail.
"Guess what? Guess what? Mamma's gonna have a baby!" Hawkeye gushed. "and so is Auntie Raven! And Auntie Starfire's baby is going to be here any day now!"
"Mom? You're really pregnant?" Rumble said. The other Titans laughed and proceeded to confirm Hawkeye's report.
"So, Reese was right," Catalyst said.
"What do you mean?" said Changeling.
"When we got back from Tamaran, Reese said that he thought some of mom's hormones were off balance. I guess he was right after all," Catalyst explained.
"You can say it, I'm a genius," Proteus said with a cheeky grin. After sharing another round of laughter, Arsenal interrupted the group, calling out, "I'm starving, let's eat!"
"You're always hungry, Roy!" Cyborg replied. The luscious smell of steaks, hamburgers, ribs and tofu hotdogs cooking on the grill filled the air minutes later on the roof of the Tower.
"How are you feeling, Auntie Star?" Hummingbird asked as she handed her aunt a plate of food.
"I am ready for my child to come forth. In truth, I should not have traveled in this condition, but I could not bear to be there when everyone was here. I am not very hungry today, but I will partake of whatever I can for the sake of the baby," Starfire replied. Nightwing sat down beside Starfire a moment later and softly kissed her.
"Soon, dear. The baby will come soon, don't you worry," Nightwing said. Hummingbird smiled and returned to the buffet table. As she began loading a plate of her own, she gasped as Robin tiptoed up behind her and kissed her cheek.
"How's it going?" he asked, a cheeky grin on his face as he fell in line behind her.
"Great. This was an awesome idea," Hummingbird replied. Robin's face lit up even more when he caught sight of the large glittering bauble on Hummingbird's right hand.
"You're wearing your ring!" he said happily.
"Of course I am," she replied, turning to look at him. "You gave it to me." Slowly, she leaned closer to him and he took the hint, preparing to kiss her. Just before their lips met, Proteus' grinning face peered up between them.
"Aww! Isn't that sweet?" he teased. Hummingbird smiled and blushed and Robin took a good natured swat at Proteus as the younger boy ducked away giggling.
"Beat it, egghead," Robin said with a laugh.
As the youngest Titans played on the roof under the watchful eye of their parents, young Beast Boy wailed in shock when he discovered that little Chameleon had borrowed his collection of stuffed action figures and was playing with them with Fortune and Hawkeye.
"What are you doing?" he screeched. "Those are mine! You're ruining them!"
"They're just dolls, Caleb," Fortune said, looking up as she held the figure that resembled her father.
"You didn't ask," he replied, trembling and starting to cry. "You're getting them all dirty!"
"Don't worry, Caleb. Faith can clean them up with her powers, can't you, Faith?" Hawkeye suggested. Fortune nodded and extended her hand over the figures, charming each of them to become like new again. Beast Boy mumbled 'thank you' and swallowed his tears as he gathered his toys and took them downstairs to his bedroom. Upon arriving there, he arranged them on the shelf in married pairs.
"…Uncle Tempest, Auntie Terra, Uncle Nightwing, Auntie Starfire…and Mamma and Dad go over here," he said, placing the figures of his parents on his bed, where he could sleep with them at night.
"Are you all right, Caleb?" a voice called from the doorway. His mother, dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a loose white top looked at him with maternal concern. Beast Boy nodded, but couldn't seem to shake his somber mood.
"Mamma, when this baby comes, will I still be your baby?" Little Beast Boy asked. "Livie says that I won't be your baby anymore." Raven sat down on the edge of the bed and Beast Boy came to her and wrapped his arms around her neck.
"Caleb, you are all my babies and nothing, not even death, could make me love you any less," Raven said.
"Mamma, is it fun to be a big brother?" Beast Boy asked.
"That's a good question for your big brother, Toby," Raven said with a smile as Beast Boy's attitude began to brighten.
"Is the baby a boy or a girl?" Beast Boy asked. Raven grinned and whispered in her youngest son's ear.
"Really, Mamma?" he asked.
"Really. And no one else knows, so it's just between you and me, all right?" Raven said. Beast Boy nodded and hugged his mother tightly before returning with her to the roof.
Rumble sat down beside his mother and she affectionately rubbed his back.
"Ready to go dancing tonight, Aidan?" Torque asked.
"Yeah. It's gonna be great. Mom, can I ask you something?" Rumble replied.
"Sure, baby, what's on your mind?" Torque said, sitting up more properly.
"I was doing some research in the archives and I found out that the space where dad's name should be is empty. Do you think it's just a typo?" Rumble asked. Torque suddenly grew very serious.
"I promise we'll talk about this later on tonight after the dance, okay? Your sister's been looking forward to this and I don't want to ruin it for her. We will talk about it, okay?" Torque said.
"Okay, mom, I believe you," Rumble said with a grin. Torque opened her arms and Rumble leaned into them as she held him close.
"I love you, Aidan," Torque murmured.
"I love you, too, Mom," Rumble replied.
"All aboard!" Arsenal cried from the door. "Time to get going, everybody!"
"Whoo-hoo! Let's party!" Proteus cried.
"Booyah! I'll second that!" Cyborg said, hoisting Fortune up onto his shoulder as she giggled with joy.
When the Titans arrived, the street dance was just warming up as popular music blared from the speakers. As expected, the younger Titans far outlasted their parents on the dance floor, and everyone went home that night, tired, satisfied, and happy. In the excitement of the evening, Rumble forgot about the conversation he had planned to have with his mother, but made up for it in the morning, when she came to wake him up.
"You got really serious when I asked about that blank in the archives. What's up, mom?" Rumble asked, pulling his favorite bright orange tee-shirt over his head and running his hand through his straight brown hair. Torque sat down on the bed after smoothing the covers and beckoned for Rumble to join her there.
"I guess part of me was hoping that you wouldn't ask about it and that I wouldn't have to explain it to you. But I love you and I don't want you to think that I deliberately kept it from you. You were just too young until now to understand what happened," Torque began.
"Understand what, mom?" Rumble asked.
"The reason that the space for your father's name is blank is because I don't know who your father was," Torque said. Rumble's confusion was blatant on his thirteen year old face.
"What do you mean you don't know? Arsenal's my dad, isn't he?" Rumble asked.
"Baby, the year that you and Emily were born, a villain called Brother Blood held all of us women and Jason and Olivia hostage. One of the men that was supposed to be guarding us forced me into another room away from the others. He beat me and he took advantage of me," Torque said.
"Took advantage…you mean he—he raped you?" Rumble said in shock.
"Yes, baby, he did," Torque said softly, biting her lip as tears spilled over the corners of her eyes.
"Then you got pregnant with me? That man that beat you up and raped you is my father?" Rumble cried. Torque couldn't control the tears. Every time that terrible word escaped her son's mouth it stung her heart.
"Aidan, honey, listen to me," Torque said, attempting to calm him.
"Why did dad raise me if I wasn't his son?" Aidan added. "Why does he even call me his son? Did he even try to find that man and get him for what he did to you?"
"Aidan, stop and listen to me for a minute," Torque pleaded.
"Aidan, please listen to your mother and me, would you?" said another voice. Arsenal walked calmly into the room and pulled up a chair.
"I don't understand…" Rumble wept.
"The simplest way I can explain it, Aidan, is that I was in love with your mother long before she and the other Lady Titans disappeared. When we found her—and you—left for dead, it was the hardest thing I've ever done not to track down the man that did this. I had to keep telling myself that that wouldn't help. What mattered to me were you and your mom and as long as the two of you were alive and safe, you were all I needed. It's not that I didn't care about the man that hurt your mom. I cared about her more," Arsenal said. Rumble knelt on the floor as he cried and Arsenal gently joined him there, lifting his chin to meet his eyes. "As for why I raised you: the first time I held you in my arms I knew that you were my son. I didn't care who else's blood ran in your veins. I knew then that you needed a man in your life, and I was ready to be that man. It won't be too many years now before you're going to want to call yourself a man. If you learn anything from me, learn this: family is not just the family that you are born into, not just the people who share your bloodlines. Aidan, we're all blessed with two families. The one we're born with, and the one we choose. I chose you and your mom, and I love you. Is that clear?" Speechless Rumble could only nod and throw his arms around Arsenal. Torque eased herself onto the floor and wound her arms around them as Hawkeye came to stand in the doorway.
"Mommy?" Hawkeye called. Both Arsenal and Torque beckoned and Hawkeye joined them, completing the huddle of hugs and kisses on the bedroom floor. Arsenal looked up a few minutes later and said, "Whew…that's done. Who's hungry?" Arsenal shared laughter with his family as he helped them all up off the floor and walked with them downstairs for breakfast.