Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans
liliac gurl: Perhaps a return is in order . . .
DarkRoseDevon: Thank you!
718darkstar: I agree! stupid tabloids . . . what trouble is it going to cause the Titans
One Girl's Imagination: Thank you. I try to keep my story full of twists. Thanks for reviewing
Tokyo Blue: Yeah . . . cute in a impending doom kinda way.
causexofxmayhem: Thank you!
I Want Candy: Thank you . . . I thought it needed a little fluff to off set the depressing
The week preceding the attack on the Tower by the Hive was an exhausting ordeal. It seemed that every villain they had ever faced had read that tabloid. They all strolled in . . . well exploded their way into the tower one by one starting with Adonis and ending with Mother Mae-Eye. The only villains to get close were the Hive who learned after their first attempt. The Hive had set off a small bomb in Jump's bank, which resulted in all the Titans leaving to investigate the crime scene and assist in any way possible. The Hive then attacked the Tower with only Robin and Raven inside. Mammoth had even gotten Raven out of the Tower . . . about ten feet before Robin ran him down and nearly bludgeoned him to death with his staff. But with the arrival of Speedy things in the tower were finally settling down.
Robin sighed as he left the medical. Cyborg had kicked him out of Raven's room and ordered him to eat . . . and shower. There had been a strong emphasis on the shower part. Robin knew he was obsessing, but a part of him felt that if he was not with her every moment something would happen to Raven. He was going to head straight to his room, but a soft chuckle stopped him. Peering around the corner he spotted Star and Speedy talking on the couch. Both had on huge smiles and seemed completely absorbed in each other. Robin was happy to see Star smiling a little . . . even if he could still see some sadness in her eyes. He turned intent on a shower, but Robin slammed into a figure. Beast Boy was thrown on the ground and looked up at his leader with an annoyed look plastered across his face.
Chuckling softly, Robin extended his arm down to Beast Boy. "Sorry Beast Boy, I didn't see you." Robin said as Beast Boy got back up on to his feet.
"I was going to tell you about the new love birds." Beast Boy said. Robin raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He could easily see Star and Speedy as friends . . . but nothing more. "They have been like that since he arrived. I can't believe the King of Seduction fell for our Ms. Innocent."
"Speedy is a good guy . . . you shouldn't necessarily believe all the rumors you hear. As long as Star is happy nothing else matters." Robin told his green team member. Beast Boy shrugged and then his eyes found the floor.
"How is Raven?" he asked. Robin sighed, feeling a weight press down into his shoulders.
"Better . . . we still have to sedate her, but Cyborg said the treatment is coming along good. He's in there now doing some blood tests and then a brain scan." Robin told him. Beast Boy lifted his gaze and fidgeted with his left glove.
"I think I'm going to go talk to her . . . tell her some jokes in her sleep. I mean . . . maybe she'll wake up just to get away from my jokes. . . I wouldn't be mad if she did. She's been like that for over a week. But Cyborg said she's better? She will wake up right?" Beast Boy asked. Robin nodded and headed for his room. He could not take any more of Beast Boy's questions. Raven was better . . . they had succeeded in killing off the parasite, but she was still having nightmares . . . she was still asleep. But, he and Cyborg had both decided to keep this from the others for now . . . no use bringing everyone down until they had all the information. Robin felt like he had aged three years in the past week and he was beyond exhausted. He had only slept a few hours here and there.
Robin left his room clean and somewhat refreshed. For a brief moment he thought about forgoing some food and heading straight to where he belonged . . . Raven's side. However, the grumble of his stomach convinced him a quick bite was a good idea. As soon as he entered the kitchen he glanced over to the couch . . . Speedy was teaching Star how to play poker. Opening the refrigerator, Robin did a quick scan for something edible . . . finding nothing he resorted to the cupboards. Only a small individual bag of potato chips were left.
"Friend Speedy . . . since I have lost this round does this mean I must remove one item of clothing?" Star asked loudly. Robin froze in his movements and his eyes shot over to the couch.
"SPEEDY!" Robin yelled forcefully. At least the redhead titan knew enough to look contrite.
"Er . . . no Star. We won't be playing like that . . ." Speedy said in a pathetic attempt to cover for himself. Star just gave him a confused look. Robin knew he needed to have a talk with Speedy . . . but later. Raven was his number one concern. For now, he just wanted to send them on some errands . . . with a chaperone.
"Starfire . . . we are all out of groceries. Why don't you go shopping for food . . . get some mustard too." He said. Star squealed in delight and threw the cards in the air. "Oh . . . and take Beast Boy with you . . . he seemed a little down today." Robin smiled at his cleverness. It was not entirely a lie . . . Beast Boy needed to get some fresh air and Speedy needed to be monitored. As Robin left the common room he could feel Speedy's death glare on his back, but he did not care.
Robin found the medical room just as he had left it . . . only instead of it just being him, Raven, and Cyborg Beast Boy had been added into the mix. The green changeling was sitting down next to Raven in the middle of telling her a joke.
"So Raven . . . why do they have fences around graveyards? Because people are dying to get in!" Beast Boy said and erupted into laughter at his own joke. Despite the cheesiness of the joke, Robin could not help but smile. Of course, his amusement was not the actual joke, but rather his mind imagining Raven's response if she were awake.
"Beast Boy . . . I know you are tired, but could you go with Star to the grocery store. I want you to keep an eye on Speedy." He explained. Beast Boy frowned at him while he stood from his seat.
"What happened to trust the guy?" Beast Boy asked.
"That was before he convinced Star to play strip poker with him. Don't be too obvious . . .just make sure he keep things . . . respectful." Robin explained. Beast Boy's widened at the phrase "strip poker" and he nodded enthusiastically before leaving the medical room.
"Speedy did what?" Cyborg demanded and slammed down a folder onto the desk in the medical room.
"Calm down . . . I'll talk to him later about that, but I think Star genuinely likes him . . . so we just need to inform him what will happen if he hurts her. What did Raven's tests show you?" Robin asked.
"She's dreaming . . . and the parasite is actually gone . . . I don't see any obvious brain damage . . . so I don't understand why she has not woken up. I also have no idea if she has her powers back or not. I think we need to give it some time . . . I'm calling a specialist tomorrow and send them Raven's brain scan results. For now, I'm going to grab something to eat . . . since there is nothing in the tower I'm going out. Will you be okay here?" Cyborg asked. Robin merely nodded. He wanted some alone time with Raven anyways. As soon as Cyborg had left Robin sat down in his usual chair and took Raven's hand.
"I'm sorry Raven . . . this is my entire fault. I should have told you how I felt instead of pushing you away." Robin told her sleeping from. Looking at Raven his eyelids became heavy. It had been so long since he slept and surrounded by the heavenly smell of Raven made Robin feel extremely comfortable. Convincing himself that he would just close his eyes for one minute, Robin laid his head down on Raven's bed and pulled her hand up to his cheek. Then darkness fell and Robin was deep in sleep. However, unknown to anyone Raven's hand began to glow and pulse with power. That power then traveled into Robin via their intertwined hands.
I wanted to have a chapter featuring the other Titans a little more. They have not been big players in this story so far. I kind of like the idea of Speedy and Star together. Also, sorry if my interpreation of Speedy is off . . . I just liked the idea of making him a player. Strip poker . . . oh Star . . . will you ever get earth? But then if you did you would not be the fun character you are. Like the ending? I hope yo are entirely confused and have no idea what's comming next . . . cuz then i did my job right. Don't worry you will find out what the glowing means . . . eventually . . . muhaha! JK! I hope you liked this chapter and please go and click on that small button at the bottom for reviews! Thanks!