Chapter 11: Blocking
Raven had adjusted to living with Slade. He was a lot different than her team. For the kids, she had watched him prepare their meals. Unbeknown to her, Slade was a master at cooking. He made it a rule that they were to have their meals at the table. She laughed quietly as he split up the Timmy and Teether from each other as they both wanted to sit beside her. Melvin took the seat next to Slade with ease. Raven took in that detail in interest. Did Melvin trust Slade? Her eyes looked to the eating bundle in her arms. He sucked rather loudly as Raven sipped her coffee. Slade had placed the pancakes down onto each of their plates smoothly. Timmy had declared that he didn't like eggs and never would. Slade had sighed and made him choose between sausage and bacon. Teether told Slade he didn't eat meat because Beast Boy was a lot of the animals people ate. He nodded in understanding before placing a small amount of eggs on his plate. Melvin only requested extra syrup on her pancakes as she was fine with whatever he placed on her plate. Bobby was also fine with whatever.
"And you Raven?" he asked holding up the pan of eggs.
"I'll have a little of all plus another cup of this coffee." She smiled patting Cyan's back.
"Of course." He nodded placing the amounts requested on her plate.
"Hey, why don't you sit and I'll make your plate?" She suggested standing.
"You don't have too." He assured pouring her another cup of coffee.
"But I want too." Cyan had released his hold on her allowing her pull her t-shirt down. "Here, you burp him and I'll get what you want."
Slade took the half demon half dragon child covered in milk with ease. Cyan smiled down at him as he extended his arms for him. Though hidden, Slade smiled at the endearment of the child. Placing him on his shoulder, he gently patted his back till he heard a rather loud burp. Removing him from his shoulder, he caressed the small child's face soothingly allowing him to grab his thumb.
"What do you want on your plate?" Raven asked holding his plate.
"Everything." He nodded.
Raven nodded before placing all the fixings on his plate. Getting him a fork, she placed it before him rather nicely. Turning to her other children, she wiped Timmy's mouth of all the syrup he had managed to get on his nose and cheeks. Teether had requested she wipe him off as well. Once they were both wiped off, she sat at the table to eat her little portion in which she asked for. Her eyes watched him slip his mask up above his lips. The smooth cherry red color of his lips took her by surprise but didn't stop her from staring. With ease, he maneuvered his fork over the grabby child. Cyan soon found Slade's finger more interesting than the food.
Once the food was consumed, she cleared the table rather quickly. Melvin helped washed the dishes while to boys jumped at the chance to go outside and enjoy a little sun. She dried her hands only to turn and see Slade and Cyan on the couch. Cyan giggled as Slade flew him above his head carefully. She smiled at the scene before she turned to go outside.
"Timmy, don't push Teether." Raven sighed
"Raven!" Slade called. "Something's wrong with Cyan,"
Raven turned to see Cyan's body being wrapped around in a blood aura that was blinding and unsteady. She quickly took the ball and tried to break open the aura. In a panic, she raced up to her room where she quickly looked in her books. The swirling ball seemed to calm down and hardened. She tried to apply pressure to the aura but there was nothing.
"Don't push." Slade spoke into her room. "I know what it is,"
"What is it?" she asked looking down at the harden ball.
"The dragon has contacted him. This is the way he's protecting himself. I can feel the dragon trying to break through the barriers." Slade explained placing his hand on the solid ball. "Go and relax. I'll keep watch over this ball and work to put up more barriers to block him out."
Raven went to open her mouth in rebuttal when he grabbed her hands.
"Trust me Raven. He will be fine. You have to believe that I would let nothing harm him." He assured looking into her slightly red eyes signifying that the demon was just below the surface.
She sighed heavily. "If anything changes, please call for me."
"Of course." He nodded.
Raven placed a kiss on her two fingers before placing it on the ball. "Mommy's here." She whispered.
Slade watched her walk away before turning to the hard ball of the boy he had come to love. Taking a deep breath, he summoned all the will power he had to put up barriers around the boys mind. Hand on the ball and in the air, he worked hard to block out the dragon.
…
Cyan was scared. One minute he was looking at his family and the next a voice spoke to him. He knew the voice. And the fear came from not being able to call out to his mother. He could hear her frantically calling him both physically and spiritually. But her voice was soon drowned out by the voice of his father. He told him horrible things he was going to do to them, specifically his mother. The image of her tied the ground pregnant and haggard as many demon/dragon children begged for her attention made his heartache. She was dying. He turned away from the scene only to see adult Cyan holding her by her neck. She tearfully smiled at him as she told him she understood. Covering his eyes, he tried to block out the sound of his father torturing her. Tears started to form as he did everything he could to try and get to her but the more he tried the further she got. The voice whispered how easy it would be to kill him and his 'siblings'. It told him how he would make him watch as he slaughtered them one by one slowly. His body began to shake at the rage he felt and he wanted nothing more than to die. Because without him, his father couldn't do any of the things he was threatening to unleash. He wished he had never been born. Tears fell from his eyes as he thought about what method of death he would pick till he heard a voice. This voice was different. It wasn't his father. It was Slade's voice. Slade calmly spoke into his mind. He promised that he would protect him from his father all he had to do was trust him. Cyan wanted to believe, to go rushing to him but he knew the truth. Still, Slade persisted. He explained how much his mother was worried about him and how his siblings had come by and asked if he was any better. For every minute Slade spoke his father was getting further away. Images filled his head of how much his mother smiled at him and how Melvin loved it when he rested on her shoulder. Timmy tried to generate as much electricity as he but never could fully do it. Teether and Bobby both liked that crazy cartoon of the coyote chasing the roadrunner. The final image was of Slade protecting both his mother and he from the dragon's onslaught. He wanted to be with his mother forever. Closing his eyes once more, he allowed Slade's words to wrap around him.
…
Slade had made sure that he had removed the dragon's presence from him. He didn't know what he told the child but if he was anything like Raven had explained him to be it was gruesome. A simple reminder that he was loved by all always helped bring people off the edge. In this case, it was that he was loved by his family. That this group of people in this house would die for him. Placing both hands on the ball, he rubbed it slowly.
"You are loved Cyan. I promise you no matter what he showed you or told you, I will not let that happen. You are safe here with your mother and I. Your siblings love you as I'm sure you love them. No matter what your father has said, he will not get ahold of you." Sighing, he placed his forehead on the ball. "When you are ready, we'll be waiting."
The ball cracked.
Loudly.
Bit by bit it cracked till it was completely broken. Out of the ball arose a small child standing on his own two feet. Pale skin like his mother used to have was drenched with the red liquid from the inside of the ball. On his left shoulder and arm was a dragon leading up to his neck. On the right, was a demon looking much like Trigon. Cyan's black hair was now shoulder length as his second pair of eyes opened revealing the same blue from the first pair.
"You have grown." Slade commented grabbing a blanket from the crib.
"It was you that had allowed me to grow." Cyan nodded letting him wrap the blanket around himself. "Is it normal for me to be this big already?"
Slade picked up the now heavier child. "We'll have to ask your mother that."
"Thank you Slade." Cyan nodded placing his head on his shoulder. "It was scary in there."
Slade patted his back as he walked out of the room. "I'll always rescue you from the darkness."
Raven had heard the cracking. She wanted to race to her room to make sure everything was all good. But the other kids had begged her to tell him that their brother was okay. Melvin looked the most concern of the crew as she had spent a great deal of time with him when neither Slade nor herself could hold him. Taking a deep calming breath for herself, she assured them that he was okay, that he was just going through some things as demons do. The four sighed in relief but there was still a high anxiety about their brother not being in their vicinity. She decided to distract them with a wholesome movie about a fish wanting to be famous. Walking into the kitchen, she placed her hands on the edge of the sink only to grip onto the edge of it. That damned dragon was really trying her patience. He really thought he was going to take her son and end the world. Whatever he showed or told him had to be corrected when he came out of that ball. Unconsciously, she was releasing some of her magic allowing it to flare in the kitchen.
"It's the dragon isn't it?"
Raven looked over her shoulder allowing her magic to come back in.
Melvin sighed sadly. "I want to be stronger so that he doesn't ever touch any of my brothers ever again." Her almost green eyes looked up at the woman she had long thought to be like her mother. "Teach me everything Raven. I don't want him to touch you either."
Raven got to her knees in front of the girl. "Hey, look at me." She cupped her chin. "He will never get ahold of you or your brothers. I would die before I would allow him to touch any of you. But I will train you. Slade will help you too. So rely on me Melvin. You are my kids. It's my job to protect you. Come here." She wrapped her arms around the preteen. "You're safe here."
Melvin hugged her back tightly. "I never doubted it for a moment. Being here with you has felt the safest in a long time. Like when we were small."
Raven smiled. "Yeah, you guys were really annoying. But I always hoped all of you would grow up to be big and strong."
Melvin pulled back only to place her hands on Raven's red skin. "We hoped that we would see you again. Timmy always told the monks about you. Teether and Bobby often had reminiscences of the train ride." She shook her head. "I just really wanted to be in your presence again. We never knew our parents so having you felt like a parent. Even now, nothing has changed. I want to stay with you even when this is all over." Tears sprang to her eyes. "Don't make us leave you, Raven. I don't want any more temples or monks. I want to stay with you."
"Yeah, me too." Timmy announced lip quivering.
"We too, Raven." Teether spoke holding Bobby's hand. Bobby had tears forming in his eyes.
Raven looked over at the three boys trying to hold back their tears. An endearing puff left her as she opened her arms for her three boys to come crashing into her. Tightly embracing them, she shushed their fears. "I promise we will never part. You're my kids for life."
"Promise?" Teether asked looking up into her purple eyes.
"I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die." She smiled kissing his forehead.
"Oh, look at the happy family." Slade spoke into the room holding Cyan still. "I hope there's room for us."
The boys opened up the circle as Slade walked into the kitchen only to kneel next to Raven with Cyan. He embraced them as well. "I'll let nothing happen to your mother so she can stay by your side forever."
Timmy sniffled. "Promise?"
Slade smiled behind his mask. "Promise. Cross my heart and hope to die." He placed Cyan down next to Raven. "Now come on, let's go see the surprise I have in the yard."
Once the kids and Slade were out of the room, she looked at her small child standing before her in a blanket.
"You have grown." She commented running her hand through his longer hair.
Cyan embraced his mother tightly.
Raven held onto him tightly.
"We have to kill him." Cyan whispered.
"I know."
"I don't want him to ever get his hands on you." He closed his eyes as he breathed in his mother's scent. She smelt like a demon, fiery and spicy.
"Same could be said for you. But I'll always protect you."
"I owe papa-Slade a lot. He brought me out of the darkness. He promised you would always be safe as father had showed me lots of images of you in horrible states. The worst was when he showed me killing you."
Raven's eyes widened. Her internal anger boiled as she could only imagine what that image looked like. "If you have to then so it is. Everything he showed you, I will do my best so that it doesn't become reality."
"I love you mom. I'm sorry I was born."
"Don't ever say that again." Raven snapped holding him closer. "You are here and you are mine. I love you to hell and back Cyan. Not once have I ever wished you dead nor will I ever. You're my son regardless of your genes. I gave you siblings so that you wouldn't grow up alone like I did. So enjoy everything in this time. Cause when it's all said and done, they maybe all you have left."
Cyan pulled back to look into his mother's hard eyes. He smiled softly. "It's like looking into a mirror. You say what I feel a lot momma."
Raven shook her head. "It wasn't always like that. Seems having kids brought that out of me."
He brushed some hair out of her face. "I want to meet grandpa."
She sighed. "Soon."
Raven took Cyan upstairs to try on some of Teether's old clothes. Only a small shirt and shorts fit him. A soft sigh escaped her as she thought about going shopping. He took her hand and led her out the house to the backyard where Slade and the kids were roasting s'mores over a nice well-kept fire in the middle of the yard. She never paid much attention to it. In the corner was a water flow with sitting rocks in the middle of it. Perfect for meditation. Her eyes moved to see the flowers that were planted around to show some color. So he was even meticulous in flower choices huh? A smile crossed her face as she walked over to the five waiting on her.
"Raven, look!" Timmy had four flaming marshmallows on a stick.
"Wow, you should be careful with that." Raven smiled sitting in the empty chair next to Slade.
"Here." Slade passed her an already made sandwich which she gave to Cyan to eat.
"Momma, this is so good." Cyan blurted after taking a bite.
"Well do I have news for you." Slade chuckled.
Raven shook her head as she looked out at her kids enjoying this time just being kids. They seemed comfortable like this. Occasionally, Timmy and Teether would bicker but it would be settled over more of what they were bickering over. A claw went into her mouth as she wished she could take a picture of this moment.
"Everyone gather around your mom." Slade announced standing up.
All the kids tucked in tightly around her as Slade took the picture of them smiling brightly. He took another one of everyone kissing Raven. There was one with them all holding up the peace sign. His heart swelled at the cosmic background she had emitted for the kids to have mustaches and beards with eye patches.
"Papa-Slade, you get in it too!" Melvin called wiping some chocolate off of Cyan's face.
"Who will take the picture?"
"I will." Raven nodded.
Slade moved to the seat she had been sitting only for all the kids to pile up on him like they had been with her. She gave them the countdown and all of them smiled brightly while holding onto various parts of him. She did it a few more times as they wanted to switch positions with each other. Raven laughed softly at her family as they decided that they had had enough pictures and started to eat again. It was a moment of normal for kids that had had never had normal. It was a moment for Slade to begin to be in place for a father. And it was a moment for Raven to decide that Slade was right. Her kids did need a father.
