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Chapter 14: Runaway

She awoke with more than a baby in her stomach. The butterflies were flying around in her stomach anxiously.

Living with the Titans for one more day made her more aware of the things around her. She noticed how much their world revolved around crime, she was more lonely than ever when they left to stop a robbery at a bank downtown. She saw how hard Beast Boy tried to make her smile and how Raven and Cyborg looked at her with their peripheral vision.

Were they still planning something against her?

Was she doing the right thing in running away?

She stood from the couch and immediately sat back down, unable to manage with the back pain an eight month pregnancy brought on.

"Do you need help getting somewhere Star?" Cyborg's voice startled her.

Hoping he'd go away she responded shortly "No." She waited for him to leave before she attmepted to stand again. She hung to the walls around her, breathing hard from panic. She felt like crying, she felt so hurt. How did it come to this? Her sneaking around the Tower and waiting for nightfall. She felt hot tears run down her face and wiped them away. If she was caught crying it would bring another wave of guilt in lying to them and saying she was alright.

She found comfort easily in sleep and when she awoke it was time to go.

A couple of blocks away from the Tower and her feet had already started to hurt. As she leaned against a building for rest she reminisced on the days where she could summon the ability of flight. With her feet rested she continued towards the docks. Where her and Speedy had decided on meeting at midnight.

Hanging on the wooden pole of the dock she saw an attached note. She made sure the hood was fully fastened over her head. All the note said was:

I'm in the abandoned warehouse.

Without hesitation she turned toward the abandoned buildings next to the docks. Out of all of them she didn't know which to enter. She decided to go into the closest one and sure enough the door was open. It was dark and she whispered Speedy's name. She felt her way in the dark wondering why Speedy would ever pick such a place to meet. There were no lights on and she failed in finding a power switch. She kept walking until she kicked a wooden crate and the result was a line of lights turning on one by one throughout the empty warehouse.

A shock of pain penetrated her body and she felt her forearm stinging with the prick of a needle. She fell to the ground, limp.

She heard footsteps close to her and out of the darkness Slade walked into view.

She felt her eyes water in terror instantly. Something was strange, she felt different. Her blood ran faster, her breathe came quicker, she could feel her temples contracting in exact rhythm with her heartbeat.

"What have you done to me?" She asked in bewilderment, the tears suddenly stopping.

"No 'Hello' for me?" He chuckled darkly to himself, "You've been injected with nitric oxide." He simply stated, like people were commonly expected to know what it was. "Basically it enhances the contractions of a normal pregnancy and induces labor. It can also be inhaled but injecting you brings back such wonderful memories." He explained and she could hear the smile plastered on his face as he spoke the last sentence.

A wave of pain surged through her body and she cried out.

"I've made all the right accomodations for you." He continued, ignoring her. "Would you like to see your room?"

She was in incredible pain, too much to pay attention to all of what Slade said. She allowed him to take her to another room and he set her down on a mattress that was on top of wooden crates. She laid there for two seconds and when he turned his back toward her she lifted herself off the bed and fell to the floor. She crawled to the door. Slade got on his own hands and knees and followed her as she attempted to find the exit. When she stopped and he caught up to her, he asked. "What do we do now?"

She plopped herself against the wall and cried in frustration. Everything was dim, she could barely see with all the tears in her eyes and she didn't know if she would even survive labor. Slade didn't know what he was doing and she didn't trust him the least bit.

"You know, watching you try to escape is amusing." He dragged her back to the lit room and left her on the ground.

She heard the stretching of latex gloves. Back on her knees, she tried to crawl away and heard him laugh as she struggled in writhing pain.

"I've been practicing Starfire."

Her eyes widened as she watched him pull out a knife.

Her eyes watered. "Oh no, don't worry my dear, this is meant for someone else." From behind him he pulled a curtain open where Speedy was beaten nearly unconscious and hanging from a rope.

"No." Was the only thing she could say, she was nearly out of breath with the contractions.

"I'd like you to consider a trade Starfire." He walked toward Speedy with the knife and she crawled after him instead of away.

Slade pointed the knife to Speedy's neck, temporarily lifting his head before letting it fall again "The life of him" he paused to point at Speedy with the knife and then knelt next to her "For the life of my baby" The gleam in his eye was cold. This was another deal he was planning since the beginning.

She said nothing and then she heard Speedy's coughs from behind Slade's stare.

"Don't." She could hear Speedy protest. But what could she do? Slade was going to kill him in front of her and she wouldn't be able to live with that.

"You are a very bad man." She responded with as much anger as she could muster.

He laughed, his voice reverberating against the room and huge empty hallways.

"I do not want to choose." She spoke again.

He grabbed her by the chin and she cried out in pain as he pushed her up against a wall.

"If you don't choose, I'll choose for you." He threatened. He let her slide back down to the ground, she grabbed her belly. The pain was growing stronger and the contractions were becoming more frequent.

"What about you Speedy? Don't you have any advice? After all we are discussing your life." Slade's voice switched from venomous to sweet as he addressed Speedy with a patient air.

Speedy coughed more.

"Don't choose me." His voice was raspy and dry. She felt her heart ache.

"Hear that Starfire? He said not to choose him." Slade used the knife to level Speedy's head toward him, "that means I can kill him."

"Stop."

"He's made it easier for you." She saw the blade being pressed more against Speedy's face.

"I said stop!" She screamed. She began to sob, "do not kill him."

"What's that?" He let Speedy's face fall with no remorse for his limp neck "you don't want me to kill Speedy?"

"Please don't kill him" She whispered sadly, knowing well that she would willingly give her child to Slade by the end of the night.

"Can you say that one more time now, dear?" Slade swung the knife lightly in the air.

"I said do not kill him." She repeated.

"And in exchange for my mercy...?"

She looked away.

"Answer me." He demanded, squatting down next to her.

He took her face in his hands "What will you give me in exchange for his life?" He asked.

"I..w-will give you what you want." Her voice trembled.

"NO." Speedy's legs began to kick helplessly in the air, "Nooooo..!" His voice wailed.

Slade stood and walked toward Speedy, delivering punches to his stomach.

"You said you would not-!"

"I'm not going to kill him my love. I just don't like it when he interrupts."

"No." She whispered "You need to stop or he will not survive."

When Speedy had reached the point of coughing up blood and it was all over his chest, Slade stopped. "That should keep you quiet for now." He grabbed Speedy from the hair and pulled "Please don't make me break my promise to Starfire." He let go in disgust.

He then turned his attention to Starfire's labor pains "Breathe, everything's going to be fine."

"Get away from me." She said.

"You mean, you want to do this alone?"

She didn't respond as she tried to stand, she nearly fell to the ground from a contraction but Slade caught her and carried her, once again, to the mattress.

"You needn't worry. I know what I'm doing. As I said before, I've been practicing."

"P-Practicing?"

"You haven't seen me around often, have you?"

She looked at him.

"I've been out of town."

She was puzzled, why was he telling her this? She was in immense pain and yet he spoke with calm words.

"But I'll have you know I've kept a very close eye on you Starfire."

The intensity with which he spoke frightened her.

"It's how I knew you were planning on escaping tonight."

She gasped.

"Don't be alarmed, I'm not mad. I'm actually glad, you've made it easier for me, right now the Titans are probably still sleeping. They haven't even noticed you're missing."

She lowered her head, the sound of joy still ringing in Slade's voice shamed her. She was so stupid.

"I don't blame you for not trusting them, they were thinking of giving the baby to me."

"You are lying." Even though she had thought the same she still felt like she had to defend her former friends.

"Tsk, tsk. What kind of friends are those?" He ignored her.

She was quiet.

"Just think, it would have ended this way anyway. But on to something more interesting, did you miss me?"

"Why would I miss you?" She scoffed.

He ignored her last sentence, "From now on I'm the only one you can trust. I would never betray you."

"I do not-"

"Listen to me before you make up your mind."

She clung to the mattress as another wave of contractions followed and listened.

"I offer you a life next to me."

She was silent.

He couldn't sleep. The air seemed to be thicker for some reason, his throat felt like it was closing and he decided to get up for a glass of water. On his way to the kitchen he realized how truly empty this house - this mansion - really was. It made him feel more lonely.

When he entered, Robin switched the kitchen light on and reached for a glass from the cabinet. He filled it with tap water and drank more than half in the first gulp.

For a brief second he wanted to return to the Tower, to his real home. He looked out past the window and saw the glimmering city lights. He felt an ache in his chest, how he longed to feel the wind soaring past him smoothly; to stare down into a deep blue ocean for who knows how many feet down, and hear the flap of his cape whipping through the air. The grip on his glass became tighter for a second, and then he let go.

"If you come with me Starfire, you can watch our baby grow."

She looked away, with perspiration beginning to form on her forehead. Slade stood for a brief second and brought back a towel to wipe away at her tear stained face, "What do the Titans offer you?" He continued.

"I merely want the same as what you were already going to do...but with me in place of Speedy" There was a slight edge to his voice she could sense, maybe anger?

"But before we start anew, I must confess" Starfire moaned in pain. No matter what he blabbered about she would not accept him.

He started by grabbing her hand and holding it up to his face, she felt the cold mask and yanked her hand away. He looked at her for a second, "The reason why I haven't been around is because I have been doing some research in Gotham" She was stricken with disgust as Slade retold his story of keeping Robin busy and as far from here as possible.

"I came to know the body of a pregnant female quite well."

Compared to his story Starfire's labor pains became more of a background noise.

"Of course I couldn't leave evidence of why I aimed for pregnant women, so I had to leave the bodies completely-"

"Do not continue, please." Starfire's words cut through his and, in a way, his pride as a villain.

"But you must know."

"Why does it matter?" She was becoming frustrated, she didn't want to hear anymore.

"Because I want you to know."

"Why would you do such horrible things?" She screamed, unsure of how crazy he really was.

"For you." Was his simple reply.

"No, please do not say that I am responsible."

"Everything I did I did for you Starfire. I did it all for this moment." He further explained, his arms extending. This was what it all came down to.

She was overwhelmed, and very scared. There was no limit to what he would do. She began to sob, she was incredibly afraid, there was no one here to help her and she didn't know if she would survive. Her child might but she did not want her baby growing up next to someone like Slade.

He mistook her fear for pain and began to rub her swollen stomach and she didn't stop him, she was too concerned of what he would do to her if she rejected him. Her life, and the life of her child, were in this man's hands.

Why not?

It really was his home, besides he could give the other Titans a surprise. It would be fun, wouldn't it? He left with the same thought back to his room, he turned his light on and walked over to his closet. There were suits, ties, expensive shoes, etc. He reached under his bed to pull out a bin, he reached inside and felt it. He pulled it out and examined it, his Robin suit. He deliberated in whether he was doing the right thing or not. In the end he honsetly thought he was doing the right thing, but breaking the news to all the Titans would be difficult for him to do.

He reached for another case...and put the first back.

"I'm tired Starfire. I want to live without masks. I don't want to hide myself from you or the world."

"X'hal." She breathed, why had he chosen her?

"I'm willing to work for your trust; and be patient." He waited for her response, but she had none that would please him.

The fact was that she wasn't willing to put up with him. "And.." She was afraid to ask.

"Yes? Ask me anything Starfire."

"And what if I was not willing to live with you?" She was blunt, but it was necessary. She didn't want to give him any false hopes.

He turned away from her, "Well, I was hoping it wouldn't come down to that but the truth is you don't have a choice."

So all this time he was the one giving her false hopes.

"I thought you would resist so I tried to play the nice guy, but even that didn't work. So full out force will be used." He said.

"But I do not wish to give you my child."

Her back arched into the pain ripping through her, she would expect nothing more than blinding pain from this point on.

Next to her, he pulled out another syringe.

She slapped his hand away from her "I wish for you not to touch me." She barked, frustrated.

He dropped the needle and held his hands up in defense, "As you wish."

He would get to the Titans' Tower around 3 am, but it didn't matter. He preferred not having anyone awaiting him. Having the capacity to jump on a private jet in the middle of the night was something he could get used to.

A new life was waiting, he would be accepted with arms wide open by the Titans; and Starfire? Starfire will be happy? They will be happy? Honestly he was uncertain of the steps he would take in a few hours but one thing was for sure: he would return to the Titans as Nightwing.

Almost done y'all! A few more chapters should do it.

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~AvePlateada~