Author's notes: wow! Some of your reviews are just so.. WOW! And that's in both a bad and a good way. What's happened to reviews these days? A bunch of you are not actually 'reviewing' the chapter (what they like/dislike/what they think) and are going straight to telling me what to do and write! Seriously peeps.. I cant help but get defensive when I say that that if you want a story full of sex, drugs etc.. go read a different story. I'm trying to write a story of substance here (but that's not to say I haven't planned for some of these themes to come up later). And for the record, whatever does/doesn't happen to Raven and her baby is something I'd had planned for my story for the last month. Sorry if I'm crabby. Please read and enjoy :)
Ch11: It's just surprises all 'round!
"I'm pregnant," Raven cried. Robin blinked a few times, trying to process what she had said. He hobbled over to the tubside and sat down next to Raven. She was sobbing quietly. These weren't tears of joy. Robin was in shock over the sudden news. He thought about what all this meant. Was the baby his? How were they going to tell the others? Would Raven have told him if he didn't happen to walk in on her?
Robin had too many questions to even know where to begin. Instead, he sat beside his friend and pulled her into his arms. Raven melted into his arms and began crying uncontrollably into his chest. "Shhh..." He soothed. "It'll be okay.."
"Will it?" Raven sobbed. "I don't know what I'm going to do!"
Robin wanted to help Raven. He wanted to be there for her. But how was he going to find out if the baby was his. Of course the baby was his. Raven hadn't been with anyone else... Had she? Robin began stroking Raven's hair. She was still crying. He'd never seen her like this in all the years they've known each other. Even when Trigon tried to destroy the world through her, she hadn't cried.
"I wish we never slept together.." Raven sobbed quietly. She may have said it out of shock, or she may have said it in honesty. Either way, her words hurt Robin to the core. He felt the total opposite. He was glad they slept together because it opened his eyes and he wanted her more and more each day.
He couldn't help replying softly, "You don't mean that.."
"I do.. I really do," Raven cried even harder now. "I'm not one of those girls who just randomly sleeps around.."
Robin hugged her tighter without even realising it. He didn't want to lose her. "But we both know that these weren't normal circumstances.." Yes, the baby was his. He didn't know why, but tears began to well in Robin's eyes. He was shocked, but at the same time he couldn't help but think what this meant; a young mini-Robin crawling around the mansion. Dick Grayson was going to be a dad.
"I know," Raven replied, she pushed herself away from Robin and sat up straight. "I don't expect anything from you, and.."
Robin had to stop her there. "I want to be there for you, Raven," Robin explained, taking her hand in his. "Whatever you need, I'll do it."
"But.." Raven was trying to push him away again, but he wasn't going to have a bar of it.
"My parents died when I was barely in my teens," Robin began. "And I loved my parents. I don't want my kid growing up without the same love my parents gave me." Robin now took both Raven's hands in his. He looked into her deep purple eyes and said with total honesty, "So please let me do this for you."
Raven paused for a moment to think about it, before smiling at him behind teary eyes. "Okay," she whispered. "Because I don't believe in killing an innocent life."
"Same," Robin replied. His parents (if they were alive) wouldn't allow him to consider an abortion. It seemed to please Raven to hear Robin wasn't going to ask her to 'take care of it'.
Robin smiled and hugged Raven again. "It'll all be okay," Robin reassured her. "Can you imagine a baby titan crawling around the Tower?" He asked, "He'll have my hair and your eyes," he explained, trying to cheer her up. He hated to see her cry.
Raven snorted a laugh in his shoulder. "We'll enrol him in karate while I teach him magic," Raven continued.
"He?" Robin asked.
"Well, boys are easier to bring up than girls."
"I was a circus acrobat," Robin explained. "Our daughter is going to be bouncing off the walls," He joked.
"We're going to have a boy," Raven stated, noticing Robin's choice in the baby's gender.
Robin giggled, "We'll see."
They sat silently for a few minutes, feeling totally relaxed in each other's arms.
"Robin..?"
"Yeah?"
"How are we going to tell the others?"
She was right to be worried. Her belly would be showing in a few months, and the other titans would be asking a lot of questions. She was already worried as hell about being pregnant. He didn't want to worry her even further. He didn't want to worry himself with it either. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
This new twist in Robin's life was certainly an unexpected one. As they sat quietly, Robin thought about his relationship with Raven. He secretly hoped that this baby would bring he and Raven closer together. But right now, Raven needed him to be there for her and to support her in this. And that's what he planned to do wholeheartedly.
"I'm sorry I told everyone about Red X kissing you," Robin finally remembering why he walked into her room to begin with.
"It's not important now.." Raven replied.
Robin nodded. They'd been sitting on the tubside for a while now. "Come on," Robin said softly. "Let's get off this tub."
Raven gave a 'hmm' in agreement. She got up from the tub's edge and helped Robin up too until he could steady himself with his crutches. "So.." Robin began as they began walking into Raven's dark bedroom. "Where does that leave us?"
Raven stopped walking for a moment, taking the time to think about his question. "You're the father of my baby," She replied calmly. "Let's just leave it as that for now."
Robin was disappointed, but at the same time he was satisfied with that answer.. for now.
--
He stayed with Raven atop her bed until she fell asleep. He watched her pale porcelain face and wondered why, in all their years fighting crime together, he'd never really noticed just how beautiful Raven was.
'I wonder if this baby is going to bring us together, or drive us further apart..' Robin thought to himself. Realistically, he knew Raven could only be a few weeks pregnant, and that the reason why people don't announce pregnancies before the first 3 months are passed is because during the first 3 months it is easy to lose the baby. He remembered when he was still at the circus with his parents and brother, the lion tamer lost her baby within the first 3 months. He was only 9 years old then, and his mother had to explain to him why the lion tamer was so sad. And Raven probably wouldn't have told Robin that she was pregnant if he didn't walk in on her and the pregnancy test.
He looked back down at Raven. He knew she was and was always going to be a private person. But he wished she would tell him why she didn't want to be with him or talk to him about how they slept together in Gotham City. Robin was seated upright in her bed, leaning his back against the bed head. Raven was fast asleep now, her head resting on his good leg. His eyelids were getting heavier. He remembered that originally he was on his way to bed when he decided to visit Raven's room.
Robin slowly and softly shuffled off the bed, careful not to wake Raven from her peaceful slumber.
When he got back to his room, he walked over to his bed and sat down, thinking about the moment where he saw Raven sitting on the tubside in her bathroom, with pregnancy test in hand.
"I'm going to be a dad.." Robin said to himself. "I'm going to be a dad!" he laughed to himself. It was scary that he was so excited about it.
--
Robin was in a good mood when he woke up the next morning. Last night he found out he was going to be a father. He woke up with a smile on his face. He couldn't help it. He had dreamt about the future and all the possibilities a baby could bring to life at the tower. He knew he was probably getting ahead of himself, but he couldn't help it. He knew that the first three months of a pregnancy were dangerous, but he couldn't help it. He knew he was probably too young to start a family at 19, but he couldn't help it. He was in a really good mood.
Raven had let him hold her and comfort her last night. And he felt that maybe, just maybe, there would be hope for the two of them and their new baby.
He sat up in bed and looked out the window. In all the excitement, he forgot to close the blinds in his room before going to bed last night. The sun was shining in and he saw that it was a beautiful day outside. He felt like going out.
Robin shuffled to the edge of his bed and picked up his crutches which were leaning on his nightstand. As he reached for his crutches, he saw on his clock radio that it was only 8am. The others were all known for sleeping in, so Robin figured he'd be the only one awake. He knew that if he went out dressed as Robin, the press would be all over him and his broken leg. "Time to introduce Richard Grayson to Jump City, I think," Robin said to himself. He left his mask on the nightstand as he got up and got dressed in his civilian clothes.
--
Robin found an open cafe, with seating positioned out onto the sidewalk. He hadn't been able to go out for a decent coffee in weeks. Nay, it'd been years since he went out for coffees as Richard Grayson. It felt liberating to be walking down the street without recognising him. Robin hobbled over to an empty table and sat down, leaning his crutches up against the table. The cafe looked out onto the road, with the beach on the other side of the road. It was a beautiful view and Robin didn't know why he hadn't gone out without his mask years before.
Robin ordered a coffee and two slices of raisin-toast for himself and the waitress brought it out pretty quickly. He was in a good mood and he was happy to take his time to drink his coffee. He looked out at the beach. It was a warm day, and if he had the use of both his legs, Robin was sure he'd be walking through the sand with his shoes off.
"As I live and breathe.." Robin heard a familiar male voice. "Richard Grayson in Jump City.."
Robin's eyes widened when he realised who it was. "Jason?!" Robin gasped when he saw none other than Jason Todd/Red X standing in front of him in a black business suit and a deep red tie. "What the hell are you doing here you snivelling son of a-"
"There's no need to be snooty," Jason cut Robin off, his demeanour totally cool and calm. "Mind if I sit?" But he'd sat himself down next to Robin before he could answer.
"I should have known you were back in Jump City when the flowers for Raven arrived a few days ago," Robin explained.
"Oh," Jason said with a sly grin. "So she got the flowers?"
Robin wanted to lunge over at his old friend and strangle him because he was sitting so calmly that it was pissing Robin off. "No. She didn't. We destroyed them before you could cause more damage," Robin sneered.
"Damage?" Jason laughed. "Come on, Robin. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you.. or Raven. She's a beautiful girl.. It's a pity she has eyes only for you," Jason smiled.
Robin didn't know what to say in reply. He just glared at Jason instead.
The waitress came over to their table, having noticed the new arrival. Jason ordered an ice coffee and the waitress walked off. Jason looked back at Robin to see the death glares he was getting. "Why are you s angry with me?" Jason asked.
Robin huffed. "Oh, I dunno. Maybe it's because you stole my Red X suit, tried to steal xenothium, then you kissed Raven, then you keep trying to dope Raven up with these pheromone bombs!" Robin growled softly, as so the other surrounding civilians don't hear him.
The waitress brought Jason his ice coffee and then left again. "You know me, Dick. Whatever I do is all in good fun."
Robin snorted. "You trying to justify being selfish?"
Jason snorted back. "No. But now that I've left the circus and am living my own life, I have to start looking out for myself. Wouldn't you do the same?"
"Not by stealing and destroying lives."
Jason stirred his long metal spoon through his ice coffee. He appeared calm and collected, but Robin knew him better. Robin knew Jason well enough to know that he was busting to go and do some thrill-seeking activity. Jason Todd was never known for sitting still. "A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do. And why are you against everything I do anyway?"
"Because you're a thief, and everything I am now is to stop people like you."
"No.." Jason replied, "Your job is to beat the bad guys. I'm not a bad guy," Jason explained. "I just do bad things, but ultimately I'm a good guy. I could be fighting crime like you, but I can't be stuffed."
Robin wanted to believe what he was hearing. At the same time it was so easy to believe that his old friend Jason had gone bad. "Uh-huh," Robin said sarcastically, crossing his arms.
Jason stopped stirring his ice tea. "Seriously, what have you got against me, Dick? We're two old friends, sitting down and having coffee together, so what's your deal?" Jason challenged him.
It wasn't what Robin expected to hear. It sounded like Jason almost wanted to be friends again. He wondered why he did have a grudge against Jason. He was so surprised when he found Jason in Gotham city, but after the last week or so of having thought about how Jason was Red X, all his past grudges against Jason came up. "You told me to leave the circus!" Robin growled suddenly.
Jason stared blankly at Robin for a moment, barely registering that his old friend was pissed off with him for something that happened years ago.
Because he'd obviously left Jason speechless, Robin began to explain himself. "When my parents died, I wanted to stay at the circus. Your dad said he'd adopt me. But you told me to go with Bruce Wayne instead!" Robin explained. "You were like a brother to me," He said, feeling hurt and wishing he'd never brought up the topic to begin with.
"You think I told you to go live with Bruce Wayne 'cause I didn't want you around?" Jason asked. He clearly wasn't enjoying this conversation anymore. "Is that it?"
Robin felt foolish for sulking over an old topic, when things worked out well for him when he left the circus. "Your dad was going to adopt me!" Robin growled, trying to not cause a scene by raising his voice. "Why would you try and push me out of-"
Now Jason cut Robin off. This conversation was clearly affecting him emotionally too. "Social services rejected dad's application to adopt you."
Robin wasn't prepared for this bombshell. It was the last thing he expected to hear. "What?"
Jason leaned his elbows on the coffee table and clasped his hands together. "Remember when I sat with you at the wake?" He asked. Robin nodded. "Commissioner Gordon was going to have you taken into foster care that night if you rejected Bruce Wayne's offer to adopt you."
Robin's jaw dropped. Everything he believed about Jason on their final days as friends was the total opposite of what Robin believed to be the truth. He was left speechless.
"I had to tell you to leave because I knew Bruce Wayne would be able to give you a good life." Jason was looking down at his ice coffee as he said it, ashamed of his own past behaviour. "We've both heard how bad foster care can be. I was trying to help you.." Jason finally looked at his friend.
Robin's jaw was still wide open. He was flabbergasted with the revelations that Jason had let out. So was Jason still his friend now that he'd adopted Red X's persona?
"Like I said," Jason said, glaring at Robin. He pushed his chair back and stood up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few bills. "I'm not your enemy. I never have been."
Robin frowned at his friend. "So then, friend, how do you expect me to behave around you and your life of crime?"
Jason laughed at this. "Do what you gotta do, Dick." He replied. "And I'll do the same." And with that, Jason walked off, leaving Robin alone at the roadside cafe.
"Shit." Robin grumbled to himself. He certainly had a lot of thinking to do. He wasn't in such a good mood anymore. He finished off his coffee and decided to hobble down to the beach to calm his nerves.
--
Robin, feeling a newfound freedom as Dick Grayson, spent the day in the city. It gave him the time to put his life into perspective. It was after dinnertime when he returned to Titan tower. He had a great day, despite running into an old friend and new enemy.
He hobbled up the stairs, not really paying attention to the lengthy amount of time it took for him to get up the stairs because he was in such a good mood. He was going to be a dad, and his childhood friend tried to rekindle their friendship. What wasn't there to be happy about?
Suddenly, the alarm sirened. "Trouble!" Robin exclaimed as he tried to get himself to the living room that little bit faster. Robin totally forgot that he had yet to show his alter ego to his team mates when he walked into the living room.
"Intruder!" Robin heard BB yell. He quickly looked to his left to see his green friend spear tackling him to the ground.
Robin groaned as his body fell to the ground. The impact caused a shooting pain to run its way up his broken leg. "Beast boy!" Robin yelled. "It's me!"
Beast Boy leaned back to get a better look at his unmasked friend. "Robin?"
By now, the rest of the titans had walked over to see what the commotion was.
"Good on ya, Robin!" Cyborg congratulated as he helped Robin get back up off the ground. "It's 'bout time you showed us your real self."
"I guess.." He said nervously. Robin figured that he would never be totally prepared for his teammates reactions when he finally unmasked himself to them. Then again, Raven and Cyborg had already seen him without his mask.
"You look so... different!" Beast Boy explained, studying Robin's face. Finally seeing Robin's bright blue eyes and long black eyebrows.
"Wearing a mask will do that," Raven said bluntly. BB poked his tongue out at Raven in response.
Star, who's jaw had been dropped to the floor until now, noticed the smirk on Raven's face. "Why are you not surprised, Raven?" Starfire asked.
"Do you think we walked around Gotham City in our Titans uniforms the whole time we were there?" Raven asked with all seriousness.
The others could almost see the cogs turning in Starfire's head as she thought about it. "I guess I did not really think about that.."
"So that old man who answered your communicator when we called.." Cyborg began. "Was he your grandpa or something?"
Raven snorted to prevent from giggling at the assumption that Alfred was Robin's grandfather. Everyone turned to look at Raven, after her unusual display. "We don't have time for this anyway," She said, looking up at the roof to see the red lights were flashing and they'd wasted a good few minutes talking to Robin when they should be out fighting crime. "We can discuss Robin's 'coming out' later. We have crime to fight," Raven explained.
"Right!" Cyborg said enthusiastically. "Titans GO!" He yelled as they all ran out of the living room. All except Robin and Raven. They both stood mere feet away from each other. Raven was staring at him. Robin was staring back at her for staring at him. She still had a smirk on her face, as if she had a secret she hadn't told yet.
"What?" Robin said, feeling self-conscious.
Raven walked over towards him, still smirking. She placed her right hand on his left cheek and admired his face. Robin was taken back by how lovingly she looked at him. He had never seen her like this (when not under the influence of the pheromone).
"Raven, I.." He tried to say something to make things less uncomfortable for him, but Raven cut him off by pressing her soft lips onto his own. Robin was taken back at first, trying to register that this was the first time that Raven had actually kissed him. It wasn't Robin kissing Raven. Raven had actually moved in on Robin and kissed him!
Robin wrapped an arm around Raven's waist, hoping this would never end. But Raven broke the kiss. He looked into his bright blue eyes. "I miss seeing you," She said before taking a step around him and walking towards the door.
Looking back, Robin should have kept his mouth shut, but Raven's impulsive kiss had his mind going haywire. "Raven," Robin called out. Raven turned around to see what he wanted. "Don't go."
"What?" She asked, not sure what would make him stop her from crime fighting.
"I don't want you out there when you're pregnant."
Robin wasn't exactly sure what to expect when he said that to her, but it seemed to just slip out. He wanted her with him, in his arms. Maybe he said it because he couldn't be out there to protect her. Maybe he said it because he was just stupidly drunk on love. Either way. He said it.
And it made Raven furious.
"How dare you," She growled at him. "I'm not some wench you can keep indoors at your beck and call. I'm perfectly capable of fighting crime."
Robin instantly regretted what he'd said. Of course Raven was capable. But he was so excited over the possibility of being a dad that he wanted to protect his baby at all costs. "Please, don't go," He said sincerely.
"What's gotten into you?" Raven asked.
Before Robin could explain, Cyborg's voice could be heard over the loudspeaker. "Hurry your ass up, Raven. Mad Mod's downtown and we gotta go kick his butt!"
Raven looked back at Robin. "I'm going. Don't you dare order me around again." Her voice was spiteful. Robin had never heard her talk to him like that before. Sure, she used to talk like that to BB when they first formed the Titans, but that was until Beast Boy started to grow on her. However, she'd never spoken to Robin like that before.
He'd pissed her off royally. Now he had to make up for it if he was going to get Raven back.
Author's notes: For the record, I hate this chapter. Because I've been so busy with uni & life, I literally wrote it by typing it on my sidekick2 every time I got stuck at a red light while driving to uni for the last 2 weeks. So I don't think it really flows. Anyways, don't forget to review. As for Raven's baby, I know where it's gonna go, but as this is 'the Robin story', it's all about Robin's journey into manhood. Thanks for reading. I promise the story is gonna get betterbut I fear that massive uni assignments are bogging my artistic spirit down!