"Rave's pregnant."

Again, the room fell silent. Starfire, Robin and Cyborg exchanged furtive glances, until the tin man cleared his throat.

"You guys were using protection, right?" He asked in a very insecure tone.

"It's irrelevant now, but yes, we were." Raven answered in a soft whisper. "Somehow, it failed."

"Protection?" Starfire asked.

Robin took her hand and squeezed it. "He means a barrier form of contraception."

She nodded knowingly. "Oh yes, the rubbers, as Cyborg calls them. Fiance Robin and I also use them."

"Star, we agreed not to discuss that. Not in public." He hissed.

"Dude, we all know you two have been doing it since we got back from Tokyo. It's not a secret."

Robin blushed, then cleared his throat.

"Raven, I'm placing you on medical leave, at least until Dr. Midnight can examine you."

"Medical leave? Robin, I'm not incapacitated."

"I know, I just want to be safe."

"And who will keep Gar safe during missions? You know we always pair up."

Robin bit his lower lip. "OK, I understand, but at some point you will have to take a leave of absence. We can't have you out there fighting showing a baby bump, the villains will take advantage of that. I'll work on finding someone to back fill for you when you get that far and ..."

Robin was interrupted by the crime alert. With his usual aplomb he dashed to the mission console and began to type furiously.

"A teen gang is wreaking havoc at the Jump City Foothills Mall." He looked at Raven. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm not made of glass, I'll be fine … but I'll careful."

"Beast Boy … what do you have to say about this?" Robin asked.

"Well, I guess I am a little worried. But Rave's right, she's tough, even if she is pregnant."

"OK, if you're both on board then … Titans Go!"

-( - )-

Much to Robin's relief, the gang, which was armed and in a shootout with the police, immediately surrendered when the Titans arrived, having no stomach for dealing the local super hero team.

"My favorite kind of mission, where the bad guys give up without a fight, and Rave didn't get hurt." Beast Boy said in a relieved tone, earning a mild glare from Raven.

"Listen, all of you. I am going to remain on active duty until I decide I can't. So all of you, and that goes for you too, Gar, had better get used to it."

"Raven, I already agreed to that." Robin replied.

Raven frowned. "I saw the looks on all of your faces when the gang surrendered. You were relieved, and don't say it wasn't for my sake, because you all know that it was."

"We get it, Raven." Cyborg interjected. "But we can't help but worry. But we'll do better."

Raven glared at Starfire. "Of all people, you should understand. You have told me that Tamaranian women go into battle even when pregnant."

The princess tapped her fingers together. "That is true, but only when the absolutely necessary. And I do understand, dear friend. But as Cyborg said, I fear for the safety of your bumgorph."

Raven face palmed. "You don't get it! None of you do!"

"That's not true, Rave. We all do. Even I do." Her husband said in a calming tone.

Robin rubbed the back of his neck. "How about we discuss this some more over pizza? I'm buying."

Raven paused. She suddenly realized she was famished and the thought of chomping down on some pizza sounded very good. "OK. Let's go."

-( - )-

At the wedge shaped pizzeria, on the balcony are overlooking the street below ...

Raven snatched the first slice of pizza as soon as the waiter set the first pie down on the table. She raised it to her nose, inhaled deeply and sighed happily. She wolfed it down in three bites and grabbed another slice.

"They must have changed their recipe, it's never tasted this good." She said with her mouth full. The others exchanged glances, but said nothing.

"What?" She said before washing it down with a swig of orange soda.

Cyborg grabbed a slice and also smelled it. "It does smell really good today."

Raven grabbed a third slice before anyone else grabbed their first one. As they ate, Beast Boy kept track as wedge after wedge disappeared into his spouse's mouth. Raven usually would only consume 2 slices, maybe 3 if she was hungry. When they were done she leaned back and did something she never did before, at least not at the restaurant: she burped.

She then looked at the table and realized that they ate more pizza than they usually did, judging by the number of empty pizza pans on the table.

"Uh, how many slices did I just eat?"

"Do you really want to know?" Her husband replied.

"Oh Azar … Gar, how many?"

"You ate twelve slices … and drank a whole pitcher of orange soda. Do you feel OK?"

Another small burp escaped her lips. "Twelve slices?"

Cyborg began to chuckle. "Don't worry, little lady; I still ate more than you did."

She placed both hands on her stomach and frowned. "I'm probably going to have indigestion later. I can't believe I made a pig of myself like that, the pizza never tasted so good, I just couldn't stop." Her voice trailed off.

Robin smiled. "Well, you are pregnant."

"And if I don't watch it, I'll get fat. I always thought the stories about pregnancy cravings were made up, now I know they're true."

"I'd better buy some more ice cream." Cyborg snickered.

"I'm not joking! I completely lost control. I've never enjoyed stuffing my face this much."

"It's OK, Raven, I was just joking about the ice cream."

"Let's go home. We'll train this afternoon at four in the gym. We need to burn some calories." Robin announced as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

-( - )-

Raven and Beast Boy entered their room as soon as they returned to the Tower.

"Whaddya want to do?" He asked her.

"I need to read a good book, a really good book."

"Hey, me too!"

"The Adventures of Captain Carrot isn't a good book." She smirked.

"Is too, just because it's a comic book doesn't mean it isn't good. and there's gonna be a movie soon."

"I rest my case." She replied as she pulled an ancient looking book out of her bookcase. Before she could open it, the videophone in their room rang. The caller ID showed that it was the Dayton's calling.

"You get to tell your parents that you knocked me up."

The changeling gulped as he pressed the answer button. He could already see in his mind's eye how the scandal of a visibly pregnant Raven walking down the aisle would shake his parents social circle. His parents faces appeared on the screen. He gulped a second time.

"Garfield! Are you alright?" Rita immediately asked. Beast Boy was never good at displaying a poker face. Instead he pulled at his collar.

"Yeah … sure … everything's fine."

"Garfield?" Her tone hardened. "What are you hiding?"

"Your mother's right. Come on, spit it out."

Raven, who was on camera, remained silent.

"Raven, did you not like the wedding dress?"

"It's lovely, but it might need some modifications before the wedding."

"Modifications? Is there someone wrong with the way it looks? You did give final approval to Inga's design."

Raven shook her head. "There is nothing wrong with its aesthetics. It's just that it might not fit me next April."

Rita shook her head, looking confused. "Raven, you don't need to lose any weight for the wedding. You have a lovely figure."

Raven turned to Beast Boy. "Like I said before, you tell them."

"Tell us what?" Mento asked. "Garfield, what is going on? Are you treating Raven well?"

The changeling continued to tug at his collar.

"I … uh … you see ..."

"Garfield!" Rita snapped at him.

Raven groaned before speaking. "Fine. I'll tell you, I'm pregnant."

The Dayton's looked stunned. Gar had a sinking feeling in his stomach, this was going to be bad, very bad. He braced himself for a scolding. Then to Raven's and Gar's surprise, they smiled.

"I'm going to be a grand mother!" Rita gushed.

"Excellent news!" Steve added, suddenly looking very pleased with himself.

"Uh, you guys aren't upset?" Beast Boy asked.

"Why would we be upset?"

"We were concerned that my walking down the aisle with a visible bump would be embarrassing for you. I will be almost six months pregnant by the wedding, and given that I am short I expect that there won't be any way to hide my condition." Raven droned in her monotone.

Rita laughed and waived her hand in a dismissive gesture. "We already told everyone that you eloped and that this is just going to be a renewing of your vows."

Technically, that wasn't correct, but Raven knew better than to correct Rita. Much like Beast Boy she was feeling very relieved.

Mento, who was still smiling, interjected. "I take that this wasn't planned."

"No, it was not … and we are a bit worried about the future time line, as my future self made no mention of this child."

Mento suddenly looked sad. "There is another possibility."

"No, Steve; don't even say it. Raven is not going to lose the baby." Rita snapped at him.

Raven's heart froze. How could she have overlooked that possibility?

"Raven, has Robin placed you on maternity leave yet?" Rita asked.

"He already brought it up."

"It's good to see he can be sensible. I take it that your leave has already started. Right?"

"Actually, I haven't chosen a start date."

Suddenly the Dayton's smiles vanished. "What?"

"I want to be with Gar on the missions. We work together as a team. Without me, no one would have his back."

"Surely Robin can find a temporary replacement." Mento remarked.

"No, I don't trust anyone."

Rita turned to look at Beast Boy. Rita truly did like Raven, but she knew that the demoness could be stubborn and proud. The look she gave her son was clear: do something about this, you're her husband.

"Rave … they kinda have a point."

"This is our decision to make, not theirs." Raven replied in curt and clipped tone.

"I know … and I know you want to be there with me when we fight bad guys."

"How about both of you take a leave?" Steve remarked.

Deep down Raven knew they were right. Now she understood that meddling in-laws were not a myth or a stereotype. But she also knew they meant well.

"We'll discuss it with Robin. That's all I can promise at this point."

Rita gave her son another look that told him that Raven going on missions wasn't an option.

"We'll talk with Robin." Gar agreed with his wife.

-( - )-

"Titans, five more minutes, then we hit the showers!" Robin shouted as he continued to pound on a punching bag. Starfire and Cyborg were lifting weights, trash talking about who could lift more, especially after Cyborg's recent upgrades.

Beast Boy, in his default human form, was running on a treadmill. The green Titan was a glutton, who loved to eat ice cream and other high calorie goodies. To stay thin he often ran on the treadmill, and like today he pushed himself hard and he was drenched in sweat.

Raven was running on the other treadmill, next to him. Raven usually didn't work out in the gym, at least not in the conventional way. Normally she would fly around and exercise her dark energy powers. Now Raven was in very good shape, due in part to her partial demon physiology, but as she ran on the treadmill she noticde that her husband was running faster than her. She peeked at his console and saw that he was running 2.3 mph faster than she was. She gritted her teeth and picked up the pace, until she matched his speed. Her console showed that her heart rate was above 170 beats per minute, while his was only 140.

Since when is he in better shape than I am?

Raven's heart rate continued to slowly climb, until Robin shouted. "Titans, time!"

Raven stopped running and bent over, her hands on her knees as she panted and the treadmill came to stop.

"Rave, you OK?" He asked.

She nodded before gasping. "You kicked my sorry gray butt."

"Well, duh, you never run on the treadmill. Why today?"

"Because I ate 12 slices of pizza."

Robin walked by and handed Beast Boy two bottles of a blue colored sports drink. Gar opened one and handed it to Raven, who stood up and began to drink it. He then opened his bottle and took a deep swig.

"This tastes awful." She said between gulps. "I know its good for restoring electrolytes, but the flavor … ugh."

"Brawndo, it's got the electrolytes plants crave." He replied with a snicker.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's a line from a movie called 'Idiocracy'. It's about a future world where stupid people water their crops with a fictional sports drink called Brawndo."

"Sounds like Academy Award material." She quipped before taking another gulp. She looked at the now empty bottle. "I've never had any of this stuff before."

"Cuz you never worked out before. Ready to hit the showers?"

"Yes … Azar, I stink of demon." She said as sniffed her armpit.

"You smell fine. After showering I'll meet you upstairs. Chrome Dome and I haven't played any game station in like forever." He said as the walked to the changing rooms.

"OK, I'll see you there." She replied as they parted, going into their respective locker rooms.

-( - )-

After her shower, with a towel wrapped around her torso, Raven walked back to her locker. As she did, she passed Starfire, who had finished drying herself off and was posing sideways in front of a mirror, without any clothes on.

"Starfire, what are you doing?"

"Raven, why do we not shower with the boys?"

"Uh, because you don't do that on Earth. But that's not why you're looking at yourself in the mirror, is it?"

"No, it is not. I was wondering what I would look like if I was the pregnant?"

"Your stomach wont be flat." Raven droned as she headed off to her locker.

"Raven, when you have 'the bump' will you allow me to touch it."

Raven paused to think about it. "You and Gar, yes; Cyborg and Robin, no. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get ready."

Raven walked to her locker, which she opened. It contained a fresh change of clothes: underwear, leotard, boots and cape. She removed her towel and partially dried off her hair with it. As she reached for the blow dryer in the locker she saw her own undressed reflection in another mirror. She stopped and turned sideways. She looked carefully at her reflection, focusing on her belly, which wasn't quite as flat as Starfire's. She frowned, turned back to her locker and hastily dressed herself, the blow dryer now forgotten.

She resolved to never eat that much pizza ever again, no matter how much she craved it.

-( - )-

Cyborg made his 'patented' three meat spaghetti for dinner that night, and to his dismay Raven ate some of Beast Boy's tofu spaghetti, and just one helping.

Later that night back in their room, when Beast Boy came out of the bathroom in his boxers he found Raven standing in front of a mirror, holding her nightgown up, staring at her belly. He stood next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He also stared at her reflection.

"It's amazing." He whispered.

"What, that I'm a pig and getting fat?"

"What? That's not what I meant. And for the record, you're not fat."

Then what do you mean?" She frowned at him.

He placed his ungloved palm over her stomach.

"Our baby is in there."

Raven's expression softened. "She is."

"She? Do you know something you haven't told me?"

"I can sense her. Just now, for the first time."

"Whoa." He said as he looked at his own reflection in the mirror. "Rave, will I be a good dad?"

"I'm sure you will. Why do you ask?"

He pointed at his reflection and his ears drooped. "I'm still a stupid kid. How can I have a kid if I'm still a kid?"

"You're eighteen and you'll be nineteen when she's born. You're an adult, we both are."

"I don't feel like one."

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Gar, we're superheroes who live independently. We aren't like people our age. We're far more mature."

He smiled. "I never thought you'd ever call me that … mature … I like it."

"You have your moments. You always did, at least when you stopped being goofy for even just a second."

"Can I be goofy and a dad?"

"I want you to be goofy and a dad. Maybe not not goofy all the time; but you know what I mean."

She hugged him. As they embraced she whispered in his ear.

"There is a big advantage to being pregnant."

He kissed her. "Yeah? What?"

"I don't have to worry about getting pregnant."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that we don't need to use protection." She purred seductively in his ear.

His eyes widened. "Babe, I love you."

"Prove it." She whispered back at him.

The next morning, when Cyborg checked the Tower's overnight computer logs, the sensors showed that for about half an hour the night before that the Tower experienced a series of small tremors.

He checked the news wires for any overnight seismic activity in Jump, but found none. He stared at the computer log, reading it over and over, until he shook his head.

"Nah, no way. The sensors are probably just out of calibration."

He headed to the kitchen, with his brow furrowed. "He can't be that good."