A/N: VERY short chapter, but it has to be, since the NEXT one will be rather unusual and weird, and... well… you'll see…
Chapter twenty-nine: Conceptions
Robin couldn't fall asleep. He also couldn't leave the bedroom, which, naturally, made him really want to… As Slade joined him late in the evening, Robin had at least curled up in bed again, after pacing the room and trying not to break anything. He was at that weird stage when you are exhausted but not sleepy. He tried to ignore Slade's presence and went to the bathroom when he couldn't stand to lie down any longer. After that he sat on the side of the bed until Slade grunted something and pulled him down. The man held him tightly, making sure he couldn't get away, and Robin stilled and waited. After an hour he was sure that Slade had fallen asleep, or at least relaxed enough so the man wouldn't notice or care that he tried to get away, but as Robin attempted to squirm out of the grip, it tightened immediately.
"Let go." Robin hissed.
"No." Slade answered calmly. "I told you to rest."
"You can't just tell me that, moron! How the hell am I supposed to relax when-"
"That's enough Robin. I won't tolerate this anymore. Change your attitude until tomorrow or you will not like what I will do to you. You can sleep on the floor tonight." Slade then kicked him out of bed. Literary. Robin, not being prepared for it, landed heavily, scraping his hands and knees. He got to his feet, though. He wasn't about to just-
"Lie down."
The only thing worse than the feeling of having to obey, was Slade's feet placed on his back as the man sat up on the edge of the bed and looked down on him.
"Good pet. You make a nice rug too. Now you'll stay there and be quiet until I tell you otherwise."
The floor was cold and the hours passed slowly. Robin had plenty of time to regret his behavior, but couldn't quite bring himself to do it. Would he rather have spent this time in a warm, soft bed? Yes. Did he feel sorry for calling Slade a moron? No. He could only watch as the room gradually turned lighter as the morning came. He felt so terribly empty. Helpless. Every second brought him closer to… His stomach and chest tightened. Suddenly he couldn't hold back the tears anymore, and shook with silent sobs.
Maybe Slade heard him, as the man decided to get up a little while later. He ignored the boy as he showered and got dressed, but Robin didn't notice him either. As Slade lifted the limp form up, he cursed himself as he felt how cold Robin was. He shouldn't have done anything to endanger the procedure, after all. Red eyes turned tiredly towards him.
"Slade… ple-"
"Don't beg, Robin. It won't do any good."
"Don't do this…" the boy continued. "Don't do this…"
"It will happen. I'm going to help you shower now. Warm you up a bit, and then it's time…"
Robin winced under the scolding hot water, but it loosened up the stiffness in his muscles and bones. As Slade wrapped a towel around him and used another to dry his hair and upper body, the gentleness of the act made Robin break down again. It was sudden and Slade barely had time to catch the boy that no longer could do anything but shake with sobs.
"We are a bit tired, aren't we?" Slade gently teased him, but Robin only sobbed harder.
"You… you don't… you don't understand! You don't care! You… I don't want to do this! How will I ever face Bruce again? He will think I let you! He will think… I don't want to do this! Not alone! And you don't care! You don't give a damn about me… you make me go through this and then you'll just get rid of me… I'll never see them again… I can't… I… not with someone who hates me… I should have stopped it! I should have done something! I couldn't even slit my wrists… I 'm useless… I… I … I don't feel so good…" the ramblings stopped as Robin suddenly leaned over and threw up. There wasn't much to throw up, but his stomach cramped again, and he dry heaved. Luckily they were still in the bathroom. Slade held the boy and as his stomach seemed to settle he carried him out and called Raven up. Robin heard him, and tried to weakly tear away, without any success whatsoever.
"Don't… don't call her… Pain… she… she'll hurt me… please… please don't call her…"
"You need something to calm you down, and we need to make sure you haven't taken ill… that this is just stress symptoms…"
Robin laughed a little, not really in the same world as Slade at the moment, all wrapped up in his own overwhelming emotions. "Everyone hurts me… always… just pain… always… you're the best though… hurts me the worst… good thing I'm not… immortal… you… you could do it more then… all the time… like now… never… never listen… I try… Luthor…"
Slade, who had had trouble trying to understand the muttered words, listened more closely.
"Luthor what?"
"Traitor… thought… kill me… coward…"
Slade relaxed again. He had had a nagging suspicion that something had passed between the two of them at the party, but… no, even if Robin tried to build a connection with the man, Luthor would stay on the side that were the most profitable, and Slade just had to make sure that that was his side.
Raven arrived quickly, followed by Chang, who after a moment gave Robin a sedative so he could finally go to sleep. Slade put him on the bed.
"Good thing we healed his heart, or he would have been dead by now. I'm surprised at the amount of stress his body can survive…" Chang drawled.
"Should we wait, Master? Maybe Robin really isn't strong enough…? If we give him a few weeks…?"
"It will just get worse. No. If you are ready, we'll do it. Can you do it while he is unconscious?"
"We could. But if it's acceptance you want, you might want him to be awake. If he knows what is happening to him, it might be easier to acknowledge the process."
"I see. Agreed. Take him away and call me when you are ready to start."
"Are you sure it's wise of you to be there? Maybe-"
"I'll be there." Slade said and stalked out of the room.
Robin stared at the thick needle.
"You are going to push that into my stomach?"
"Yes. It's not how it's normally done, of course," Chang started to explain, his voice for once rather serious "but since we have Raven, who will heal every bit of tissue damage as soon as the needle leaves it, and it's really the quickest way. This will first deposit the unfertilized eggs in the makeshift ovary, and another one will leave the fertilized egg in the womb. There it will hopefully attach itself and grow."
Robin had woken up from his drug-induced sleep, slightly more collected than before. He couldn't believe the things he had said… at least the parts he remembered… how close he had been to admitting that Luthor had helped him. Fortunately some part of his brain had still worked enough to avoid that. The embarrassment had to take the back seat, though, as he discovered that he was shackled to the table again, with Chang and Raven hovering above him. The two had explained the procedure, not to him, exactly, but to Slade, who stood somewhere behind Robin's head. Robin couldn't see him, and that was just as well. His upper body was bare, and felt icy against the metal surface.
God, I almost told the man I wanted him to care about me, didn't I? Robin felt nauseous again. He really didn't want that… he wanted someone too, though… I want someone to talk to… I never thought I wouldn't be able to deal with being alone! What a stupid weakness! But… it's been so long… Seeing Alfred was great, but it made it all so much clearer…so much harder to be left again… and any kind word Slade let's me hear, every gentle touch he manages… I find myself longing to be able to enjoy them… but I CAN'T, because it's HIM… I'm getting to a stage were I'm willing to just throw myself at anyone who is being moderately nice to me… and Rob… HE can enjoy Slade… he thinks of Slade as his lover, not his master, prison guard or enemy… It's so damn easy for him! Lucky bastard… But being like him… never… can't be like that and fight at the same time, even if it would be easier for me… because that would mean it would be easier for Slade, and I really don't want the bastard enjoying himself more… not after this. I told Slade the truth, he went too far this time… Richard… It's hard to understand him sometimes… but he seems to think that Slade will protect him… if he earns it… and he is desperate for Slade's protection, I think… Yeah… I used to believe him too… I BELIEVED that he wouldn't hurt me… stupid, stupid, stupid…
"Robin? Still –heh-heh- with us?" Chang wanted to know, and Robin was brought unwillingly back to the present.
"Go jump on a land mine, Chang." Robin snarled.
"I see you are. Good. Slade, help us hold him down, the restraints might not be enough, and we need to keep him perfectly still."
Slade stepped forward more into Robin's view and placed one hand just below Robin's chest and the other on one of his hips, pressing him down. The man seemed to feel something and let the first hand slide up a little bit.
"His heart is beating really fast." Slade commented, and met Robin's eyes. Robin tried to look defiant, not wanting to show how much he hated that Slade could feel how scared he was. They are about to plunge a couple of needles the size of drinking straws in my gut! Of course I'm scared!
"That's understandable. It will be over soon."
Over? This is how it fucking STARTS, right? It won't be over for ME…
"Ready?" Chang asked. "I will do the injections, Raven will guide my movements and heal the internal and external wounds."
"Ready." Slade confirmed, rearranging and tightening his hold again.
"I'm not." Robin muttered, but didn't expect anyone to care. Nobody did. Raven offered some advice, though.
"Robin, please try to be happy." she scolded him "It will hurt, but think about how wonderful it will be to carry Slade's child."
"Yeah… 'Alien'-wonderful…" Robin snorted.
Chang dabbed an area of his naked stomach with something cold. The first needle, really not nearly as thick as a straw, but rather wide nonetheless, punctured his skin soon afterwards. It went in slowly, Raven constantly telling Chang to go higher or lower, more to the left or more to the right. Robin unknowingly bit his lip until it bled. He could feel the bloody thing jabbing inside him! And it was deep!
"I… wish… your parents had considered castrating you…" he hissed up at Slade, who chuckled coldly.
"Hush Robin… enjoy the magic…"
"… sick… twisted… piece of…"
"Now what am I going to do with you?" Slade interrupted. The man didn't sound very amused, but since did Robin care?
"Say sorry and let me go? Hand me a gun? Heck, a toothpick would do, right now…" Talking to Slade took a bit of focus away from the needle. Finally it slipped out, and the wound closed almost instantly. Robin's body relaxed at the same time, turning into some sort of mush. He closed his eyes and drew deep breaths, wishing the air didn't smell, almost taste, of the med bay. What was that, anyway? Disinfectant? Medicine? Why did hospitals smell like that?
"One down, one to go." Chang chuckled. "It was easier than I thought it would be… Now for the fertilized egg. Are you two ready to become parents?"
Slade snorted in an half amused way, and Robin only stared blearily at the ceiling. This was it, then. Something obstructed his vision and he shifted his eyes to look up at Slade. The man used a cloth to dry Robin's chin, and Robin only then realized that he had bitten his lip and that Slade must be wiping the blood away.
"I want you to heal this afterwards, Raven." he heard Slade say. Robin didn't hear Raven's reply, perhaps she merely nodded as she was now focused on her new task. Robin felt his stomach being wiped again.
"… don't do this…" Robin whispered once more, so quietly he almost didn't hear it himself.
"Hold him." Chang's voice. The hands were back. Then the stab of the needle. Robin closed his eyes and gave in. Slade had been right, this was going to happen no matter what. It didn't affect his plans, though. This didn't matter. It was only painful and embarrassing, but no one would ever find out. Raven would never tell, once back to normal. Robin winced a bit at that,. They would all remember what they had done under the bind of the contract… would they be able to live with that? Robin didn't know, but he had to push those thoughts aside. He didn't want to sacrifice them, but there was no other way. Maybe he would still be around to try to help them? Chang would be in the psych ward faster than he could giggle, and no one believed a lunatic, did they? And Slade… Slade would be dead. That resolution had been growing inside Robin for some time now. He wouldn't be the one dying. Slade would. Maybe Robin had to die alongside the man, but that was not important. Slade had a price to pay, and Robin would make sure he did. He might have to regain the man's trust, but it might actually be easier now… Slade would have to keep a close eye on him while he was pregnant, wouldn't he? And you couldn't hit a pregnant wo- … guy, could you? So if Robin made it clear to Slade, somehow, that he knew he had some leeway now and then didn't use it… didn't provoke Slade… the man would have to think that Robin accepted it all, right? Robin's brain were flashing him ideas and scenarios, almost masking the stabbing pain in his stomach. He couldn't just seem to give up… that wouldn't seem probable to Slade, not after his resent freak-outs. No. One last big explosion of feelings and then he would act like he resigned to his fate. He would probably be able to start working on his plan within days…
"There. All done." Chang declared, and Robin felt the needle slip out. A moment later the pain disappeared completely with Raven's healing.
"How long before we know it has worked?" Slade wanted to know.
"We will check in two days, the egg should definitely be attached by then, but Raven will try to check Robin's vitals very often. She can do that remotely, so it won't bother either one of you. You won' even notice." Chang was all business once more "I need to see him too, every other day or so… at least in the beginning. After the first trimester we might be able to breath a little more easily. Raven doesn't have the energy to do it all herself, though, I need to help check and control the hormone-levels, among other things, medically. If Robin should be about to miscarry, Raven could, in theory, step in and save the baby, but I suggest we don't, unless it's during the end of the last trimester… if it would occur now, something might be wrong and we will just try again… Raven's energy should be saved until it's really needed."
"If she checks his vitals, will she check his mental state as well?" Slade asked.
"No, Master. I would rather stay away from Robin's mind right now, unless it's necessary." Raven answered herself. "It's rather like a… whirlpool at the moment, I can sense flashes of his emotions without even trying… I'd rather not be dragged down."
Robin relaxed. He had been worried about having the empath probing his mind while he tried to carry out his plan. Slade, on the other hand, grunted something.
"I was hoping you could keep an eye on him, since I know what he is capable off… but I guess I'll have to do it this way instead… I won't take any risks this time..." Robin's field of vision was once more invaded by Slade's mask. Robin tried to look away, but Slade grabbed his chin. "Listen, boy… you're under no circumstances allowed to do anything that might hurt the fetus, directly or indirectly... understood?"
Robin sighed and nodded, feeling Slade's fingers loosen up a bit, about to let go… with the speed of a snake, Robin bit down on Slade's hand, hearing the bones grind together. He didn't have enough strength to break any, but he sure as hell tried.
He heard the man curse, before tearing his hand away. Robin glimpsed his deep teeth marks, some of them seeping blood.
"You should order me not to hurt you either, Master," Robin sneered
Raven had been busy unbuckling Robin from the table, and with only one arm tied down by now, Robin quickly freed himself, and stood shakily.
"Now, where would be the fun in that?" Slade growled, flexing his fingers.
"Want more fun?" Robin offered, trying to ignore how badly he shook.
"Careful with him, sir. " Chang cautioned. "He is in a fragile state…"
"Yeah, that's right… Robin sneered. "I'm fucking fragile… can't hit me then, can you? Bet it kills you, not being able to show that you're stronger than a teenager! Damn coward…"
"I might not be able to hit you…" Slade started, and if Robin had noticed the deadly tone in his voice he might have held back, just a little.
"Nah, you'll hurt one of the others, won't you? The brainwashed or the prisoners… all completely helpless… that's nice… really big of you…"
"I warn-"
"Well fuck you and your warnings! I HATE you! Don't you get it? I hate you and I never want to see you again! You are the lowest scum on earth! I'm disgusted that something of yours is inside me…" Robin laughed harshly "Anything of yours, as a matter of fact…" Robin spat. He didn't just hit Slade's face. He hit his eye. The only thought Robin had as he noticed what he hade done was 'too far'.
Then everything happened quickly. Slade grabbed Robin's arm, and the boy was still so stunned at what he had done, that he didn't remember to kick and scream for several seconds. Slade dragged him down the corridor, and Robin knew that he was heading towards the bedroom. He was therefore surprised when Slade turned a different corner and hauled him down a rarely used hallway that used to be mostly storage. Now it looked like the construction site it was. Robin tried to dig his heals in, but that was like trying to slow down a train. Slade stopped abruptly in front of one of the doors.
"Never want to see me again, do you? Well… that can be arranged. You'll never see anyone again!" Slade threw the door open and pushed Robin through. It slammed right behind him and everything went quiet.
Robin spun around and pounded on the door. A reflex, nothing more.
"Think I care? I'm happy! This is a bloody reward, Slade!" he shouted, before giving the door a last irritated kick. He had forgotten he wasn't wearing shoes, and the kick hurt… but at least it helped him calm down a bit.
He looked around the room. It was completely bare. Floor, walls, and ceiling, everything metal. In flickering fluorescent lights, Robin could make out a water pipe with a faucet stuck out of the wall by the side of the door, and under it was a small floor drain the size of a fist. There was a wide bench, fastened to the opposite wall, which might serve as a bed. Bad thing it was metal as well. Except small ventilation-shafts set in the ceiling, there was nothing more to see. Robin walked over to the bench and sat down in a huff. Okay, so he had gone too far… Slade would let him cool down for a bit, and then he would come back. A few hours. Tops. Robin knew that he would have to grovel then, and didn't look forward too it…
It would actually be nice not to see him in a while… a day or two… if only the room was more comfortable, I might just spit on him again to get to stay here longer…
Robin settled down to wait.
To be continued…
A/N: See? Short! It's bad planning, really. The next chapter needs to be separate, and I just didn't have enough things to fill up this one… Hopefully the next chap won't take a whole week, since its Easter and everything…
WOW! Just noticed! The rev's might hit 500 with this chapter! Really SHOULD offer a drabble-award for the 500th reviewer, shouldn't I? Weeeelll.. if you ARE and you WANT one… let me know! I'll leave it up to you…
