-Chapter 21-
~Raven's POV~
I opened my eyes. I couldn't see anything outside of my shell, but I knew that my time of freedom was nearing. The baby was coming very soon, and Beast Boy I would have to confront. Although I knew not what to say to him. Even still, love and romance was completely beyond my comprehension. I had dreamt a couple of times, but all had been nightmares. All except one that, as I recalled, had been about a dog saving a town. I didn't actually evaluate the dream, but it was a lovely change of pace from the nightmares I'd been having, which were about Slade taking the child. The baby would undoubtedly have my abilities, and apparently Slade thought this would make do for an excellent apprentice.
I didn't open my mouth to sigh heavily, being as I was submerged in a fluid similar to that of the fluid in a pregnant woman's uterus. This stuff had been the only thing keeping me alive, and still was. The top hadn't softened enough to where I could break free yet.
Where was the baby to live? Had Beast Boy already found a home for us? Were we still wandering in the wilderness? Was Beast Boy even still alive? So many more questions ranted in my head, driving me up the wall. I clenched my fists in anger. One of my thoughts had been whether or not Beast Boy had abandoned me yet, but that couldn't be true! That quick-witted changeling wouldn't do anything to hurt me. Ever.
But what if Beast Boy had failed to protect me and right now I was in a dangerous situation? Nah, that couldn't have been it. I trusted that Beast Boy would give his life to protect mine at any cost. On top of that, he was quite a shrewd fellow. His exploits so far have shown me more to him than I thought. I wouldn't ever underestimate him like that again.
I lifted a hand up to touch the top of my confinement. It would be a boring wait, but I could already feel subtle but distinctive pulses in my abdomen. My time was definitely arriving. And, if memory served right, I still had to tell Beast Boy how I felt. Part of me said it was suicide, that I couldn't pull it off. Yet another part said I had to, for the sake of him and the baby.
Come to think of the baby... Why had I not chosen a name for it? Poor thing may be tiny, but it still deserved to be called by something. I wanted it to be mysterious, just like it had been conceived, and probably how it was going to be raised. If it was a boy, how about... I thought for what seemed like a long time, but was only a few minutes. Alphaeus? Nah, too ancient. Khafre? No way, too Egyptian. Darn it! How hard could it be, coming up with names? What about Raul? Yeah, that seemed pretty decent, and not too ancient or other-cultured. But what about a girl name? Hm... I was a girl myself, so surely this wouldn't be too hard. Musa? No, no, no... Uh-uh. That just didn't seem right no matter how you put it. Where'd I even come up with Musa? Let's see here... What would my noggin have to offer? Oh! Ara! The perfect name would be Ara! So then it was settled. Ara if it was a girl, and Raul if it was a boy.
So, now that the baby had a name, I thought of more disturbing things. What if it didn't grow up properly? What if it had a severe deformity? Would Slade still take it if it came with a deformity? What if, what if, what if... What if I could stop thinking about these things?
I kept my mouth closed, not allowing any of the fluid to come inside, and continued to think. Until I reached a thought about the Teen Titans, or what remained of them. Two of the five had left, as far as I knew.
I turned on my side. What if push came to shove and we had to go back?
I ran my fingers ever so delicately along the walls of my pupa. These harder-than-diamond walls had given me physical protection, true, but it couldn't give me emotional protection. What if they hadn't forgiven me and we went back? Did they still think I was a slut? And what about Robin? There was no doubt he wouldn't have forgiven me. As far as he knew, I'd slept with his worst enemy. And he hadn't even given me a chance to explain myself... But it was probably for the best. It would only make them guilty, and it was only me who was at fault. I deserved all those things they said about me...
Alright, guys! Really short chapter, right? Well, I hope you'll be glad to know that the next chapter is gonna be much longer. I just wanted to show you all what Raven was doing in there. She finally woke up, so those of you who don't know what this means, you're in for a surprise, and those of you who do, I hope you're looking forward to it!