A/N: Wow! We're in double-digits for chapters now! :O And, just as a warning, I'm not the best at writing fight scenes. I will do my best, but don't expect to be dazzled by my writing capabilities when it comes to that. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

Chapter 10

Nightwing handed his son to his wife, "If he gets near you, hit him hard." He kissed her forehead, "I love you. Be safe."

Starfire nodded, caressing her child close to her heart and soothing him in ways only a mother knows how to do. She watched as a berserk fight broke out before her. She attempted to cover the ears of her sensitive child. He cried loudly against her chest. She made silent prayers for the safety of her teammates and her son.

Despite being outnumbered four-to-one and being so close to death, Ryand'r fought valiantly. Starfire knew that her brother's starbolts were far stronger than anything she had ever produced. She calculated that when they hit any of the Titans they would be subdued for at least a minute. She also thought that his power wasn't strong enough to harm any of them indefinitely, but strong enough to knock the wind out of them. The fight started off well; the Titans were knocking him around a lot and dodging his hits.

Soon, Ryand'r became angry; he lost all patience. Starfire watched as her teammates flew back from the impact, one by one. Beastboy flew into a glass window, and Raven fell through it after him less than a moment later. A starbolt hit Cyborg and messed with his circuits. The damage to him was so bad that he had to sit down and repair himself before he could do anything else.

Nightwing was the last one left. He made careful notice not to stand in front of the hospital bed where his wife and son were residing because if a starbolt missed him, it would certainly hit them. He dodged the red starbolt that looked much like one that Blackfire possessed when she had taken control of the Tamaranian throne. Nightwing noted that his brother-in-law must have added more force to that one, as it penetrated a hole in the brass doors.

A growl emitted from the Grand Ruler's tight lips. Instead of throwing another sequence of starbolts at Starfire's husband, he engaged him in hand-to-hand combat. The fearless leader soon discovered that Blackfire wasn't the only one in the Tamaranian royal family who had learned alien martial arts. He was thrown across the room, and slammed into a pile of unidentifiable, purple goo.

Starfire readied a starbolt as her brother approached her. He zapped it with one of his, damaging Starfire's power momentarily. "If you think I'm going to let you do thi-"

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Silly sister," taunted Ryan. "You already have."

Without another word, Ryand'r threw a starbolt at Starfire's right shoulder and snatched the child out of her left hand. "No!"

"Yes."

He didn't waste any time. He knew that the Titans would be back to fight him off again at any given moment. He stared at his nephew, "I'm sorry for doing this to you, young one, but it will be tremendous help to your loving uncle." He raised a hand and formed a starbolt. Starfire's heart dropped in that second and she tried to jump out of her bed.

"Richard do something!" Starfire screeched, arms raised in helplessness and complete horror evident in every feature of her face.

Nightwing, who had been attempting to free himself from the goo, jolted free when he heard his wife's plea for help. It was too late, though. As he sprinted toward his brother-in-law, he watched in agony as a starbolt embraced his son like an old friend.

"Do you think we'll ever be able to have children?" Asked an exhausted Kori as the couple watched the local news one evening.

Richard shifted his weight uncomfortably in his seat. It was true that he wanted children, but he didn't like the idea of the stress it would put his wife under nor the actions his brother-in-law would take to get his hands on their child. "We could always adopt, if you really want to have children."

Richard actually liked the idea of adoption. After all, he was adopted after his parents were killed. Perhaps he could be the hope to some child that Bruce Wayne once was to him.

The suggestion was received with a pout, "I like the idea of adoption too, Richard, don't mistake me, but it just wouldn't be the same. Maybe if we could have our own children first and then adopt..."

Richard studied his wife carefully, "Well, Kori, if you really want that then I'm sure we could talk to Raven about it and see if she could come up with a way to make it safe for you. Until then, though, I think it'd be best to wait." Kori bit her lip anxiously, causing her husband to look at her with more confusion than before. "Kori, what's wrong?"

Kori sighed, "Well, I don't suppose I'll be able to hide it from you any longer... I'm pregnant."

Richard's bright blue eyes widened, "Uh... What? How did this happen?"

Kori giggled lightly. She supposed that this was the best reaction that she could have hoped for. His tone was relatively calm compared to what she was prepared for, but she guessed that he was only trying to portray himself as having his emotions under control. "Well, you see, when a man and a woman really love each other-"

Richard held up a hand to stop her from explaining, "Don't. I know how that works."

The Tamaranian woman continued to laugh, "I know, I know."

"Wait, I haven't noticed any pregnancy tests... How do you know that you're pregnant?"

Kori rubbed the back of her neck, a habit she picked up from her husband. "Tamaranians...are quite different to humans. When a woman becomes pregnant, her body knows right away. This is true for both human women and Tamaranian women, but Tamaranian women are more sensitive to the changes in their bodies."

A puzzled Richard shook his head in amazement. He knew that Tamaranians and humans were slightly different, but he didn't realize there were specifics down to reproduction. After all, he didn't take Tamaranian Biology 101. He took a deep breath, "So, you got pregnant last night?" Kori nodded. "We're having a baby?"

Kori nodded again. She grinned brilliantly when she saw a smile flash on the Boy Wonder's face.

"No!" Nightwing yelled, falling to his knees in defeat. It felt like forever had passed when the starbolt hit his son, but he couldn't move his legs fast enough. There was no way an infant could survive an impact such as that.

He was sitting there for about a minute when he heard the Grand Ruler scream in annoyance, "What? How can this be?"

Nightwing's head snapped up and he saw his son, still in Ryan's arms, glowing a brilliant gold color. His expression matched that of his wife's; complete awe.

"I did not believe it was possible," Starfire stated as she stared.

"What is it?" Nightwing inquired from across the room.

"According to Tamaranian legend, whenever a child is born prematurely, it forms an invisible shield around itself. It is intended only for protection until the child can grow strong enough to continue to live, acting as a womb, I suppose. It doesn't fade, though; the child is protected from unnatural harm for the rest of his or her life. When the child is in danger, it glows gold." Starfire explained, still recovering from her shock. "Not many Tamaranian children are born prematurely though; the condition is highly rare to the point that many don't believe that it actually exists."

Ryand'r responded by throwing the child at Nightwing, who jumped to catch him.

"This isn't over!" Ryand'r yelled, flying over to his sister. He picked her up roughly and she squeaked in response. "If I can't have my sister's child, I'll just have to make my own."

A/N: It's not quite over yet! :) If you have time, please let me know what you think!

God bless,
Rose