Hi, the latest angst-ridden part of my BBXRAE story. I think my version of Slade came off as a cross between Joker and the villain from Saw "Do you want to play a game?"
As always enjoy, fav and review if you feel like it.
NOTE: Normal is Raven, Bold is Beast Boy, Italic is thoughts/dreams.
Part 7
It had been two weeks since Dr. Mitchel had confirmed Raven's suspicions and it was still only just starting to sink in. How was she going to be a single mother and a Titan at the same time? How was she going to be able to run head-long into fights when she knew there was a small life depending on her for survival? What would she do if the baby was green, or had pointed ears, or the ability to turn into animals?
She had been meditating on these questions and the only answer she could see is that she would have to quit the Titans. She couldn't put herself or her unborn child into situations where she could get hurt or possibly die, leaving the child on its own. She was tempted to stay at the Tower but it didn't feel right to take up a room that could go to a hero who could pull their own weight and help the team. And just because she was contemplating leaving the Tower didn't mean she would be leaving her little family for good. She could get an apartment in the city and catch-up with them whenever she could.
But it wouldn't be the same. No, it wouldn't be. But it was the best she could do. Her baby had to come first. It was still so weird, knowing a small little person was growing inside of her. In her weaker moments, Raven wondered what her baby would look like. Would it look like her or BB, or a combination of the two of them? Would it have the same difficulties in controlling its powers as she did, or would it take after the changeling? Raven sighed as she started to get dressed for the night ahead.
Last week, Dick had finally gone through with his and Raven's plan and proposed to Star while they were visiting Gotham. He had missed out on the romantic picnic they had originally organised before the fund-raiser happened and had ended up enlisting his adoptive fathers help. He had taken his girlfriend out on his father's yacht and moored it off a private island where they'd had the paradise to themselves for a few days. When they were sailing back to Gotham, Dick had let off fireworks that had spelt out the message 'Marry Me Kori'. Needless to say, she had said yes and the pair had yet to stop grinning.
The endless hours of planning with the Boy Wonder had paid off when Star had crushed Raven in a hug and shown her the engagement ring Dick had given her. Star loved it, especially since it was a gift from her future father and mother in law. Dicks would have loved to have given her a family heirloom but his mother hadn't really worn any jewellery and Martha Wayne's had been stolen by her murderer the night she and her husband were killed. Instead Dick and his step-mother, Diana, had found a pear shaped pink diamond surrounded by smaller white diamonds on a white gold band. Star had told Dick that she was a little worried about wearing such an expensive ring, but Diana reminded her that Kori was a princess and Dick was the eldest son of a multi-billionaire, so some things were expected. Like an expensive ring and a big wedding. Star was slowly coming around to the idea, especially when Bruce suggested they do what he and Diana had done and have a big wedding for Richard Grayson and Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, and a smaller wedding just for Dick and Star with just close friends and family.
Tonight, though, they were celebrating Kid Flash's 21st and all Titans were invited to celebrate in a club downtown. Raven had been a little reluctant about spending time in a club full of people, especially somewhere as emotionally charged as a club, but Wally assured her that he had made sure there was a room she could escape to if she needed some space. Raven sighed as she looked through her closet for something club-appropriate.
A knock on her door and the overwhelming feeling of joy coming from the other side told her Star wanted to get ready together. Raven opened the door and was almost squashed by the ever-excited Star as she rushed into the room with wardrobe choices and make-up bag in tow. "Friend Raven are you not excited! We are going to dance and have fun until we collapse with exhaustion" Raven couldn't help but smile at her friend's enthusiasm.
While Star started going through Raven's closet to find her something to wear, Raven headed towards her jewellery box to get out her favourite piece of jewellery. Not finding it, Raven scoured through her small collection before realising it wasn't there. When was the last time I wore it?
Memories she had tried to forget crashed through her and she had to sit on her bed before her legs collapsed under her. The last time she remembered wearing it was almost three months ago at the fund-raiser. She had worn it with her evening gown that night, but couldn't remember if she was wearing it when she escaped from BB's room. Could it be that he had found it and knew all along she had been with him? Raven wanted to say no, but if he had realised that he had sex with someone when he was drunk and grieving and realised too late that it was her, he might try to pretend ignorance to protect her feelings. Raven tried to dismiss the thought and joined Star in her pre-party excitement.
If BB knew, he would have said something. Right?
BB was nursing his beer, trying hard to have a good time while his mind was somewhere else. He had been looking forward to showing off Terra to his friends, but she had to go out of town for an exhibition where her work was being shown. She had tried to convince him to go with her, but he had promised Wally he would be there for his 21st and he always tried to keep his promises to his friends. Besides, with his busy schedule this might be the only time he got to see some of them for six months or more.
Terra had said she had understood but the look on her face had given him pause. She hadn't looked upset, more…jealous. As if she resented him wanting to spend time with someone other than her. He brushed off the thought and focused on the party going on around him. The flashing lights and pounding music made it difficult to have a conversation, but the people flocking to the dancefloor didn't seem to mind. Near the edge Star was trying to drag Dick onto the dancefloor and having little success. Bumblebee and Jinx were trying to hear each other over the music. All through the crowd Titans were mingling and having fun.
Not long ago, BB would be out there with them looking to have some fun. Now it just made him feel older than his 21 years. Suddenly a slender arm slid around his middle and the smell of perfume filled his nose. Oh no. "Hello there Beast Boy, fancy seeing you here." He turned slowly, trying to remove her arm subtly with no luck. It was attached to a blue eyed blonde in a tight hot-pink dress. Suddenly it clicked and he remembered the constant needy texts that had only gotten worse when he moved on. "Amanda, nice to see you." He tried again to move away from her but she blocked his way with a coy smile designed to seduce. It just made him want to get away faster.
His salvation came from an unlikely source. "What is a beautiful woman such as yourself doing without a drink?" The soft Russian accent turned the blondes head and BB was quick to take the opportunity to escape as she was captivated by Red-Star. He made it to the booth where Roy, Wally and Cy were sitting and apparently laughing at him. "You looked like you could use the rescue BB so we asked Red to intervene" Wally chuckled as he toasted him with his beer. "Thanks, she has a grip like a python." Cy, Wally and BB chuckled as Speedy made a joke about not minding a firm grip on a woman.
From the corner of his eye BB noticed Garth lean in to whisper something in his date's ear across the room. A date that looked suspiciously like Raven. She wasn't wearing her usual jeans, hoddie and sketchers like she did at home. Tonight, she was wearing a maroon lace one-shouldered cocktail dress (probably a present from Star) that came to just above her knees and had on heels that somehow managed to make her legs extend on forever, her long purple hair in a messy bun at the back of her head. It would look out of place as a club outfit on anyone else, but on Raven it just made her look classy in a sea of women in skin tight outfits. Garth suddenly kissed her cheek and moved towards the bar. BB had to repress the growl that was trying to claw its way out of his throat. He didn't like that fishboy was getting handsy with his friend in public.
Wally waved Garth over and they all moved over so the Atlantean could join them. "Making some headway with miss goth girl are we?" Both Garth and BB stiffened at Speedy's attempt at a joke. "I respect her and consider her a good friend, Roy." Speedy didn't seem to get the hint, probably too much alcohol clouding his judgement. "I'd give it up if I were you. I've been trying to ride that pony for years, but she doesn't seem to be into men." 10…9…8…7… "I'm warning you Roy, not another word about her or fishermen will be finding bits of you in their nets for years to come."
Garth's threat made the table fall silent. He had always been fairly laid-back when guy talk came around. Women, cars, sex: very few subjects were left alone and Speedy had never been shy about talking about all the women he was with. Earlier in the evening he had come in through the alleyway door with a woman, zipped up his fly and walked over to the bar where his friends were as if nothing had happened. On the other hand, Garth had never been so blatant about it but it was no secret that while he had never really thought of himself as handsome, women flocked to him in droves and he hadn't always turned them down. It was one of the perks of being a young superhero. That and the costumes and gadgets.
Apparently still not getting the hint, Speedy continued "Wait, isn't she dating some professor at Jump U? I didn't know you liked to share Garth." Cy, who was next to Garth, grabbed the other mans' shoulder to keep him in his seat while glaring at Roy. "That's enough Roy, don't start picking fights you can't win." They all knew Roy tended to get offensive when he had a few too many. He always apologised in the morning, but by then the damage was usually done.
"Wait, didn't I hear you and little miss gloomy were bumping uglies for a while there? I just thought it was a rumour. Trying to start up again now she's all sad and vulnerable?" Before anyone could blink BB was out of his seat and Roy was on the ground with a hand clasped to his jaw. People continued to mill around them, fights not being completely uncommon in the club.
BB moved away from the table and through the packed crowd, trying to find the door to the alley. He finally found it and was relieved when a wave of cool air hit him and he could breathe again. "You shouldn't have done that." BB spun around and realised Garth had followed him out. He put his hands in the pockets and leaned against the wall, trying to act casual. "He was talking about my friend and teammate like she was some random skirt he wanted to bang. What was I supposed to do, sit back and let him say whatever he wanted about her?"
Garth mirrored BB's pose and leaned against the alley wall across from him. The lane was barely two metres wide, so they could both act aloof and still be able to hold a conversation. "Generally Raven is more than capable of defending herself. Seeing as Roy didn't have the courtesy to make his comments to her face, I defended her. I couldn't care less if Roy suggests that Raven and I are back together. I don't think, however, that your girlfriend will like the rumours that there is something between you and Raven, who has enough on her plate right now without you adding to it. Just leave defending her honour to me. You had your chance with her and you let it go by. Time to live with the decision." Garth waited a few seconds, letting his words sink in before going back the way he'd came. BB stared after him, waiting a few minutes to clear his head and wonder what the hell Garth was talking about before he re-joined his friends in the club.
Unseen by either of them, a figure in the shadows moved down the alley and away from the club, eager to share what he had learned with his associates.
She had to tell him. Even with all the reasons why not to running through her head, Raven couldn't get past one simple fact that trumped the rest.
It was his child too.
Even if they didn't mean to end up in bed together. Even if he was happy with Terra. Even if it was a conversation she never wanted to have, she knew he had a right to know. Raven meditated on her bed, trying to force an epiphany on how best to broach the subject when the mission alarm went off. She rushed to her closet and put on her uniform before meeting everyone in the Com-room to be debriefed. She hesitated before she sat on the sofa next to Cy and Star. She looked around and noticed BB wasn't there. Nightwing was near the console typing away, trying to get as much info as he could before he handed out assignments.
The door swished open and Cy sniggered as Beast Boy and Terra stumbled in, the alarm obviously cutting into their make-out session. Raven's heart twinged but she kept her hood up so no-one would notice her grimace. I should always wear my hood. Unfortunately it was like wearing a giant bulls-eye in public and she got sick of people whispering about her when they thought she couldn't hear. Monster and abomination where two of the nicer of the comments most commonly used. Right up there with Demon-spawn.
Nightwing finally turned as BB plopped onto the kitchen counter and Terra made for the door. "Terra, we could use your help if you don't mind." Raven stilled as the earth-mover shrugged and jumped onto the bench next to BB. Nightwing started to give them the run-down. "Reports have come in from the warehouse district, they're not sure who it is but there has been a lot of trucks coming and going to an old factory that was shut down over 5 years ago. The police want us to check it out because of the…unusual reports of what's being unloaded from the trucks." Cy leaned forward and began to type on the hologram keyboard. "What kind of things?" he asked as he pulled up grainy surveillance video from the warehouse across the street. The all froze as a familiar figure came into view, directing the trucks. "Slade."
Needless to say, Star would make sure she and Nightwing would be paired up together. After his obsession with Slade's disappearance after the world almost ended, and his hallucinations caused by a coating on Slade's mask, Star wanted to keep an eye on her fiancé. Slade had a knack for getting into Nightwing's head.
It was decided that Nightwing and Starfire would enter through the roof, Cyborg and Beast Boy would go through the back and Terra and Raven would enter from underground. The assignments handed out, the group separated and made their way to the 'abandoned' warehouse. Raven used her dark energy to move through the shadows, trying to get the lay of the land as Terra tunnelled over from the building next door. They were lucky this part of town generally shut down after 6, it meant less chance of innocent bystanders getting hurt. After making sure the perimeter was clear, Raven gave the all-clear signal on her communicator and used her powers to get inside.
She materialised just inside the roller-door and slipped behind a pile of crates, unseen. Everything was still. Too still. While her friend had trained long and hard through the years, Nightwing and Raven were the only ones who were really any good at stealthy entrances. The others tripped on things, jabbed their toes and other things that happened when you were moving around in the dark in an unfamiliar environment. Raven moved forward, using the shadows as cover as she made her way further into the warehouse. It was then that she saw them. Two clear plastic chambers, like clean environment chambers used to study viruses. Raven felt movement behind her and then everything went dark.
Smoke and flames engulfed everything. Buildings were no more than rubble and people transformed into grotesque statues in the street. The sky was as red as blood. The lake was now lava, destroying anything unfortunate enough to touch it. In its centre was Titans Tower twisted and misshapen, a testament to evils triumph over good. The forms that were once her friends were now shells of their former selves, being pulled down by her father's minions all captured in stone. Raven stood on one of the few towers that was still standing and looked out at the world she had destroyed, nearly drowning in her despair. "No!" Please, not this. Anything but this. "Yeees. Look at it. Drink it in. Behold the world you are destined to create." Slade moved beside her and looked upon the destruction with glee...
Raven felt herself being pulled by a force she couldn't see, dragging away from the memories that had haunted her for years. As she started to gain consciousness her surroundings began to come to her in bits and pieces. Slowly and carefully, she opened her eyes. She was sitting upright in a chair, her limbs bound tightly so she couldn't move. She tried to speak her words of power, but her mouth was covered. She realised she was in one of the clean rooms she had seen earlier. She was positioned so she could see into the other one. Where her friends were unconscious, in much the same state she was. Bound to chairs that seemed oddly familiar. "Oh good, you're finally awake."
Raven stilled as the deceptively soft voice that had haunted her nightmares sent shivers down her spine. Moving from the shadows, Slade came into view and moved between the two chambers, ensuring her full attention was on him. Raven noticed movement as her friends started to stir. "I wouldn't bother trying to escape. You see, I have been researching you and your nemeses, gathering information on where their plans went wrong and the ways I could adapt their failures for my own purposes. How lucky I was when I came upon Mad Mod's power disrupting chairs. He wasn't using them so I decided to see if they still worked. Apparently, they do."
Slade drifted closer to her friend's plastic prison and tsked. "Now don't get any ideas Robin, or is it Nightwing now? I have made a few improvements to them. They will take a lot longer for you to break out of. In the meantime, let's play a game shall we?" He moved in front of Starfire. "I hear congratulations are in order, I hope nothing that happens in the next few minutes puts any dents in your nuptial plans." Nightwing yelled at Slade to get away from her, causing the villain to chuckle and move on. "Ahh, Cyborg. Half man, half machine. I wonder if one side would still function without the other?" Cyborg spat at him, and Slade moved on to his next target. "Beast Boy. Together with your one true love at long last. Not even being turned to stone could separate you for long could it? What would you do if you were to lose her again I wonder?" Beast Boy struggled against his bonds and cursed him.
Slade paused before he moved onto the last chair "And my dear, sweet apprentice. So good to see you whole and well again. Too bad you don't seem to be able to learn from your mistakes. When will you learn that being a hero only leads to pain? They will never accept you and when you show them you are still the child that turned to me in your time of need, the child who betrayed them, they will reject you and you will once again be alone in the world." Terra dropped her head forward, refusing to look at him.
Slade moved back to face all her friends as a whole, his back to her. "I have brought you here because I wanted to see if your bonds as teammates were still as strong as ever. After you defeated Trigon, I admit I was curious. How had five teenagers been able to defeat a demon who had crushed so many before them? How had you been able to do what so many before you had tried and failed to do? So I studied you. I studied your strengths and your weaknesses and realised that separate you were vulnerable, but together you are nigh on unstoppable. But soon that will all change."
Finally, Slade turned to Raven, pressing buttons on a keypad and stepped inside her chamber. He circled her before standing behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Raven resisted the urge to flinch away from him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. "I am going to test that loyalty. I want to see how far you would go to protect one another." Raven heard a growling sound and watched helplessly as Beast Boy tried harder to get free of his bonds. "Don't you touch her!" Slade just laughed "My, my, so protective aren't we? Careful, Terra might get the wrong idea. Or is it the right idea? Now don't worry I'm not going to hurt her…yet" Slade slipped his hands off her shoulders and moved back through the doorway, sealing it behind him.
"Here is how the game will be played. There is a canister attached to each of your rooms. It is filled with carbon monoxide. If inhaled in small doses it can lead to dizziness, light-headedness, vertigo and confusion. In large doses, it leads to damage to the heart and nervous system and is usually fatal." Slade paused to let the information sink in before he continued.
"Now here's the fun part. I'm going to give Raven a choice." Slade pressed a switch on the keypad and two buttons appeared under her hands. "At the moment, each pipe is only half open. She has two options. Option 1: She presses the button under her left hand, the pipe attached to her chamber closes while yours opens fully and fills your room with gas faster and she watches as you all suffocate to death in front of her eyes."
He paused for dramatic effect, watching their reactions before continuing. "Option 2: She presses the button under her right hand, the pipe attached to your room shuts while her room fills with the gas faster and she hopes you are able to save her before she dies. There is the third choice of you all dying slowly together, but I doubt that will be the case. A simple choice really, and one I would have been able to predict with certainty before. Now I wonder if her current circumstances have changed things."
Ravens heart stopped as Slade turned to her friends, seeming to revel in their confusion. "I may have forgotten to mention that carbon dioxide can also have severe effects on foetus if the mother inhales it while pregnant, sometimes even leading to miscarriage. Knowing this I wonder, will Raven choose to save the only family she has ever had…" He turned to face her.
"Or will she choose to save her unborn child?"
