The End of All Things
Chapter 2: I Want You to Want Me
"I want you to want me.
I need you to need me.
I'd love you to love me.
I'm beggin' you to beg me.
Oh, Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I, see you cryin'
Feelin' all alone without a friend
You know you feel like dyin'
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I, see you cryin'
I want you to want me.
I need you to need me.
I'd love you to love me.
I'm beggin' you to beg me."
Chase Holfelder, I Want You to Want Me
The black figure carried Raven back to the Mayor's office. He was slowly letting her down on the floor when she regained consciousness. Her eyes flew open and she saw a man in a black mask with pointed bat ears and a red bat emblem on his chest.
"Batman?" Raven said weakly, instantly recognizing what the symbol on his costume meant.
"Hey, take it easy. You were almost kidnapped by that League of Assassins guy, but you're safe now." Batman replied as he gently laid her on the floor.
Just then, they heard a groan from across the room. Their heads snapped toward the sound and they saw Mayor Dick Grayson slowly regaining consciousness as well.
"Dick!" Raven exclaimed as she shot up and rushed towards his side, with Batman right behind her. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay, Raven." he replied as he slowly got up from the floor. "And I see you've met Terry." He smiled at Batman behind her. "It's okay, she's a former Titan."
"Titan? As in Teen Titans?" Batman replied, surprised that Dick gave up his secret identity so easily. This girl looked like she was around his age, but he said that she was part of the Teen Titans with Dick, which didn't make much sense to him because their team was formed decades ago.
To quell the confusion that she felt from the man behind her, Raven faced him and offered her hand. "Hi new Batman. I'm Raven, former Teen Titan, empath and half-demon. Thank you for saving me earlier."
Batman shook her hand despite the many questions that were still on his mind. "Uh, you're welcome I guess. I came here as soon as we found out that Dick was in trouble." Turning to Dick he asked, "Were you attacked by the same person who tried to kidnap her?"
Dick's face suddenly became serious as he replied, "Yes. We have to get back to the Manor and fast. Bruce has to know that his son is back. And he's after Raven."
Batman became even more confused with everything that he was learning tonight. It was one thing to meet a half-demon empath, but it was another thing to find out that Bruce Wayne's son was now with the League of Assassins and was after said half-demon empath. Fortunately, Raven could sense the confusion coming off him in waves, so she tried to explain everything to him as fast as she could with an apologetic look.
"Yeah so Damian is Bruce's son and he's the fourth Robin. But he's also the grandson of Ra's Al Ghul, the former head of the League of Assassins. Basing from his clothing and the fact that he disappeared for years, it looks like he's taken over the League of Assassins as its leader. I still have no idea what he wants from me, but I'm pretty sure that it's not good. I hope that clears up most of it, Terry. I wish I could tell you more but Dick says we need to get back to Wayne Manor as soon as we can."
Terry McGinnis (1), the current Batman, was dumbfounded with everything that he heard. He didn't know how Bruce was going to take the news that his son was now the head of a secret organization of assassins. Maybe this was the very reason why Bruce didn't mention his son a lot. Maybe some part of him knew that his son had gone back to his darker roots. Whatever the truth was, he wasn't excited to break the news to the old man.
Batman was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Dick's voice ask him, "Terry, you came in here with the Bat jet right?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, I did." He replied absentmindedly.
"Okay. We'll just go ahead. Raven can create a portal for us to go straight to the Manor. You can just ride the Bat jet and meet us there." Dick ordered, as Raven stood at the side ready to open the portal to Wayne Manor.
Batman was quick to regain his composure. "Got it. Will you guys be safe from here?" he asked, just before he was about to jump out of Dick's office.
"Yeah, we'll be fine. You should be careful, though. Damian might still be out there and he won't be happy that you took Raven away from him." Dick warned.
Batman simply gave a slight nod before he jumped out of the window, activating his boosters and flying away.
Right at that moment, Raven had just finished creating her portal and she was ready to transport them to Wayne Manor. "I know it's been awhile, so I'm sorry if you feel weird while using the portal" she asked, teasing her former teammate.
"Oh, don't worry, I still remember the feeling. Travelling through these is an experience I'll never forget." Dick replied with a beaming smile before entering the portal that would lead him to Wayne Manor. Raven followed him, effectively closing the portal as she passed through. As they left the Mayor's office in ruins, sirens could be heard wailing in the distance. The police were on their way and nothing could prepare them for what they were about to find – a destroyed office and a missing Mayor.
When they stepped out of the portal, they were instantly transported to the Batcave. Bruce turned to face them, still with his trademark stoic expression. Raven was surprised to see the Batman again after all these years. His hair was completely white, his face was filled with wrinkles and his blue eyes seem have become lighter with time. As he slowly got up to greet them, Raven noticed how sluggish his movements have become. It took him awhile to get up from his chair, and as he trudged toward them, she noticed how his back was hunched. It was a cognitive struggle for her to recognize the old man before her as the former Batman, the protector of Gotham city and one of the most feared heroes of her time.
"Dick. Raven." He stated, greeting them both as he looked at them.
"Bruce." Dick replied with a smile on his face as he shook his mentor's hand. "How are you? Back hurting again?"
"Yeah. It's nothing, just a sign of old age and a gift from our old vigilante days."
Just then, Raven grabbed his hand from Dick's. Bruce was a bit surprised at his movement and thought that she was just overly excited to greet him. But he suddenly felt the healing sensation of her powers. She was fixing his back pain by simply shaking his hand. Both his and Dick's eyes widened at what she was doing, but Bruce couldn't deny the comfort that he was experiencing because of Raven's healing powers.
When she was finally done, she released his hand and apologized while looking a bit sheepish, "I'm sorry about that. I could see that you were having difficulty with your back pain and I just wanted to help."
Bruce replied with a rare smile and said "There's no reason for you to apologize. I truly appreciate what you did. Thank you."
The two smiled at each other before Dick cleared his throat, bringing their attention to him. "I wish we just came here to heal you, Bruce. But I'm afraid we're here on more urgent matters."
The smile on Bruce's face fell and his stoic expression came back on his face. "I know. I heard your conversation through Terry's suit." His face looked pained for just a second before he had to rein in his emotions. "Was everything that you told him true? Damian attacked you and tried to kidnap Raven?"
"Yes. I don't know why, but he threw a poisoned knife at me and if wasn't for Raven, I would probably be dead now." Dick replied, as he gazed at Raven with so much emotion that it confused her, unable to determine the feelings that he was emitting through his gaze.
Bruce then turned to Raven and asked "Did he tell you anything useful? Any clue to let you know why he tried to take you?"
Raven shrugged before replying, "No. He just kept on saying that he needed to make up for lost time. He wanted to apologize for leaving me alone all these years and wanted to make it up to me. As if that made any sense."
"Of course it does, Raven." Dick interjected, making them face him, "He was an idiot for leaving you alone before. He already had you, but he let you go just so he could join the League of Assassins. And now he's realized what a huge mistake that was and he wants to make up for lost time."
Raven was a bit puzzled by Dick's explanation. She never regarded herself to be that special, so his explanation didn't make much sense to her.
"There's got to be more than that." Bruce mused. "Let me check on the data that we have from Terry. Maybe we can find some more information there." And with that, the former Batman turned around and slowly walked towards the huge computer in the Batcave, leaving the two former teammates to talk about everything that had happened that night.
Before she could even get a word out, Raven was surprised to find herself in Dick's tight embrace. It felt comforting to be in his strong arms, like he could protect her from all the horrors that happened tonight. As she hugged him back, she could smell his expensive aftershave and it reminded her of their younger years when he'd hold her like that after a traumatizing mission. But she had to remember that they were decades away from where they were before, and their time together had long passed them by. Which was why she had to ask, "Dick, what's the hug for?"
"It's a thank you for saving me earlier." he explained as he hugged her tighter, "I would be dead right now if you didn't come to my aid and healed me."
"You also wouldn't have been poisoned if it weren't for me." She said with an exasperated tone in her voice as she broke away from Dick's embrace. "Listen, I know you're grateful to me for saving your life, but you have to remember that it was my fault that you were in that situation in the first place. If Damian didn't use you to get to me, then you would be in your house right now and relaxing, and not here in the Batcave after almost dying."
Despite placing space between them, Dick's arms were still on her shoulders. He squeezed them as he replied, "Raven, I will risk my life every time if it means that I'll be able to keep you safe." He gently touched her face with a longing look in his heartbreaker blue eyes. "I've always been there for you, haven't I? When Damian left you alone, I was the one who helped you and kept you safe from everyone who wanted to harm you. And I won't stop any time soon. No matter how many years pass between us, I will never stop giving a damn about you."
Raven was taken aback by the sincerity and the emotion behind her former teammate's words. She couldn't comprehend how he could say things like that when he almost died tonight because of her. Her eyebrows were knitting in confusion at his words when his phone started ringing.
He quickly brought it out and answered the call, which revealed a hologram of a girl in her late twenties, with dark black hair and the same heartbreaker blue eyes that he had.
"Eliana! What's wrong, honey? Why did you call?" He answered, which let Raven know that he was talking to his daughter.
"Why did I call? Your office is a mess! And you're nowhere to be found! What happened to you? What's going on? Where are you?" she asked frantically, visibly worried about her father. Dick looked sheepish and started explaining everything to his daughter, which Raven took as her sign to leave them alone for a while. She walked towards Bruce to check and see if he had found any more information on Damian and his attack tonight.
"Hey Bruce." She greeted as she approached him in front of the Bat Computer. "Find anything on Damian yet?"
"No." he replied in his gruff voice. "And I have another problem. Terry isn't responding to my calls and his suit has just lost its signal."
Raven's eyes went wide at the news that she heard. That did not bode well for the new Batman. Come to think of it, he should have arrived in the Batcave by now. The fact that he was not here yet, and his signal has gone dark meant that he has gotten himself into trouble.
"Do you think something happened to him in Bludhaven?" Raven asked, preventing herself from asking the question that was burning in her mind.
"That's the most probable explanation. He might have had an encounter with him." Bruce replied, already answering her unspoken inquiry.
Raven could only gasp in response, knowing full well what he meant. Terry most likely had an encounter with Damian, which was why he was missing right now.
"If Dick is still talking to Eliana, tell her to scout for the Bat jet in Bludhaven. It should still be there even if Terry is down." Bruce ordered Raven, which she followed right away. She ran towards the father and daughter that were still engaged in a heated discussion on Dick's disappearance.
"Hey, sorry to interrupt," Raven said as she barged into their conversation, "but Bruce needs your help with something."
"Oh hey Raven." Dick greeted her in surprise at her sudden intrusion. "Eliana, this is Raven, she was my former teammate in the Titans. Raven, this is my daughter, Eliana."
Through the hologram, Raven could see Eliana's eyes widen in surprise. She remembered her father telling her stories about his days with the Titans but this was the first time that she had actually met one of them. And it didn't make sense to her why she looked almost her age, when she was supposed to be her father's teammate back in the day. But there was another thing that bothered her about Raven, a thought that escaped her conscious mind once the empath started talking directly to her.
"Eliana, you're currently in Bludhaven, right? In your father's office?" Raven asked, looking directly at Eliana's hologram.
"Yeah I am. Why?" was her puzzled response.
"I need you to look out for a black jet. Batman hasn't responded to any of our comms and we're worried that he might have been apprehended in Bludhaven. His jet should still be there though, even if he was attacked." Raven ordered, just as Bruce told her seconds ago.
"Wait, Eliana before you do that –" Dick interjected, visibly worried for his daughter, "you have to be really careful. The League of Assassins might still be there. Just confirm if you can see the Bat jet and then get to safety right away."
"Relax, Dad. I was part of the Special Forces, I can handle myself." Eliana said confidently.
Dick was about to interject once again when Raven placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "You have to trust your daughter, Dick. You are her father, after all. I'm sure she's more than capable to do some reconnaissance."
Even through the call, Eliana was amazed at the way Raven handled her father. She was able to disarm him right away, even if she has always known him to be one of the most stubborn people on the planet. Not only that, Raven was able to place her confidence in her even if they had just met a few minutes ago.
Dick let out a sigh, knowing that he didn't have a say in the matter. "Just be careful, Eli." He said in a pleading tone as Raven left them to go to Bruce's side. "Look, I know you have a lot of questions, and I promise I'll answer them all once we have the chance to sit down and talk about everything."
"That's okay, Dad. I actually only have one question." Eliana replied with a small smile on her lips.
"Sure, what is it?" Dick replied, thankful that his daughter didn't have much questions despite everything that had happened to them tonight. But nothing could prepare him for the question that she was about to ask.
"Why does Raven look like mom?"
Dick opened his mouth and then closed it, desperately trying to find a way to answer his daughter's question. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't find it within himself to answer it, so he simply let out a sigh and ended their call.
A/N: (1): Terry McGinnis is the New Batman in Neo-Gotham where most of Batman Beyond is set. He was first introduced in the Batman Beyond animated series, and is now the main hero in the Batman Beyond comic. And that is the second chapter of this story! I think this is where it will be different from Number 1 Zero and Cochise. In my previous stories, I was clearly rooting for the handsome bad guy to get the girl. But now, there might be a love triangle situation? *shrugs* We'll just see how this plays out as our country has two more weeks in lockdown. Hoping that you are all safe and healthy with your loved ones. Sending you much love from my quarantined home to yours! 3
Guest: Thank you!
Lord-of-Change: Hopefully this chapter shows how it's gonna take a different approach than Number 1 Zero and Cochise! But yeah I'm guilty for always going for the Dark!Robin route hehe.
jltvaughn : Thank you so much! I super appreciated your review! It put a smile on my face. Hopefully this story will distract us a bit from these anxious times.
Bebewolf : Thank you! Hope you don't mind it's a bit of a mix between DamiRae and RobRae hehe.
TWK: Thank you!