Author's Note: Thanks for any compliments; I was hesitant about writing it because of my ignorance of anything but the general details of Raven's background. Thanks go to blackshield, who cleared up the whole 'Roth' thing. Also, SpiderSquirrel, I'm sorry that the pregnancy factor made you uncomfortable, but this is a PG-13 fanfiction and that type of character situation can occur. Please continue to read, but I'll understand if you decline.

Chapter 10: Stains

My heart is weighted
with the pain of many ages.
My heart is tied
with the chains of many times.
And the tears of past
and present,
and future,
are stains upon
my broken heart.

"Stains" Raven Roth

The tall door that marked the exit and entry of Titans Tower shut with an audible clang. Doctor Phillip J. Salus, Jr., had just left after shedding the unwelcome news of Raven's pregnancy and mental and biological decline upon her roommates. The four were in a state of shock. And for Cyborg, extreme distress, shock, and embarrassment. For some reason, it seemed as though Cyborg was the only one at fault for the pregnancy.

"Dude," Beast Boy said as the four Titans, still numb, sat down in the living room. "I was joking about that whole home run thing…"

"Not helping, Beast Boy." Robin said shortly.

"We must look on the bright side. The bringing of new life into the world is a joyous event, and should be celebrated with sugar candies and dancing." Starfire said in a halfhearted attempt to make her friends feel better.

Cyborg sighed. The Titans looked over at him.

"Want to… um… talk about it, Cy?" Robin asked awkwardly.

"I'm so stupid!" He exclaimed with sudden fury, surprising the others as he jumped up and paced ferociously. "It's my fault she's going through all this, all my fault! I could have done something. I could have stopped it!"

He punched the wall with force. His fist left a dent.

"Cyborg, whoa!" Robin said in alarm.

"Dude, take it easy." Beast Boy said, backing away.

Robin got up and led Cyborg to the horseshoe couch. Cyborg didn't complain but numbly allowed himself to be pushed back into his seat.

"It's alright, man, Raven will get over the sickness or whatever and she'll be fine, and your kid will be fine." Beast Boy continued, obviously trying to be of some help.

"My kid…" Cyborg whispered, looking down.

Robin stood and put a hand on his friend's metallic shoulder.

"We're going to try as hard as we can to save Raven." Robin said quietly. "She'll pull through this and everything will be fine with her and the baby."

"The baby…" Cyborg whispered, still looking down.

"Yeah." Beast Boy said. "I'm kind of weirded out too."

"Not helping, Beast Boy." Robin said again.

"Cyborg, on my planet the reproductive act is not commonly made unless for practical purposes, but I have been informed that it is quite common when in love to perform the procedures. I do not hold grudges or bad feelings against you for impregnating my only other female friend." Starfire interjected innocently, a happy smile on her face.

"Uhh, thanks, Star. I think." He returned, face turning red. There was a moment's silence, then –

"I'm going to go see her."

Robin, Starfire, and Beast Boy did nothing to stop Cyborg from getting up, and the oldest Titan walked slowly down the halls to Raven's room. After he left, the trio sat, unsure what to do and how to do it. Beast Boy's stomach growled and he blushed as Starfire and Robin looked at him.

"Uhh… I'm gonna go cook me some tofu burgers… Do you guys want some?"

Robin glared and Starfire shook her head, and Beast Boy hesitantly left the living room and bounded into the kitchen, rummaging through the refridgerator for tofu, yelling about ten minutes later as something exploded in front of him.

"Let's go to the roof, Star. I can't think here." Robin said, grabbing her hand and leading her up to the top of Titans Tower. The two sat together at the edge, Starfire mimicking Robin's position of sitting with his arms across his knees and his head resting on his arms. The sun was just setting, covering the scene with orange, cherry, and pink hues. Far below, the quiet waters lapped soothingly at the jagged rocks, sending little sprays of salty water as they collided. The sea before them quivered as the sweet breezes blew across them and up into the air, ruffling the hair of two Titans as they sat.

"Robin, what will become of us?" She asked quietly. She didn't look at her best friend but merely stared out across the shimmering ocean and into the flaring orb that was slowly inching itself out of the day.

Robin exhaled audibly.

"Starfire, I wish I knew…"

"Do you believe that Cyborg and Raven had planned to add to the human race?" She asked with genuine innocence.

"Um, no, Star, I think that was an accident." Robin sweat dropped.

"Oh." Said the Tameranian.

The two sat together in companionable silence, staring out over the city they had sworn to protect and at the diminishing sun, who seemed to be trying extra hard to give all it's cheeriness to them before letting the night and moon have its way with their world. Robin found himself idly wondering if it knew they would need it.

"Starfire, what will you do if the Titans ever are defeated?" Robin asked finally.

Starfire stared at her best friend. Robin never had any doubts about the solidity of the Teen Titans; and if he did, it was his job as their leader not to reveal them.

"I… I do not know, Robin. I can only hope that our team is not destroyed in our near future."

He stared ahead.

"I don't really know what I would do without you guys. Especially you."

Starfire looked at him questioningly.

"I mean, you're my best friend, Star. I've said before that no one can replace you, and I meant it." He recovered, smiling at her.

Starfire smiled back at Robin, her emerald eyes glowing.

"Thank you, Robin."

She was about to say more when a roar shook the very foundation of the Tower. Robin was up with what seemed like inhuman speed, speeding down from the roof with Starfire just behind. He skidded into the kitchen, where Beast Boy was dropping a half-eaten tofu burger onto a plate and standing up.

"What happened?" Robin demanded fiercely.

"Dude!" Beast Boy said defensively, pushing Robin away from him. "I know as much as you do!"

"RAVEN!" Cyborg bellowed in the distance. "FORCE HIM OUT, RAE!!"

The Titans looked at each other once and ran in the direction of Raven's room.

! ! ! !

Cyborg paused in front of her door, hesitating for a moment, then knocked.

"Cy?" Raven's voice was shaky. "Cyborg, is that you?"

The door slid open to admit him and he hurried in, hearing it swoosh shut behind him and connect smoothly with the metal doorframe as it closed. He sat in Salus' previous chair and held Raven's pale hand in his. He leaned toward her.

"Rae?" He whispered quietly. "I'm here, Rae, I'm here."

The teenager sprawled on the bed looked deathly sick. She was without her customary leotard and cloak, but instead wore a plain shirt and thin cotton pants that bagged slightly over her bony hips. Her face was ashen and her lips blue though her forehead was burning with fever. The light sheen of sweat glistened across her skin. The dark blue sheets around her were crumpled and disheveled in her writhing moments of pain. Violet eyes were lined with purple circles that came from lack of restful sleep, and every now and then they would flash with a red glow that she would shut her eyes against and cringe, fighting inwardly. She'd lost weight almost everywhere except for her stomach, where she seemed to have gained, and her normally thin body was gaunt. Cyborg nearly cried when he looked at his Raven, this girl he'd admired for so long and finally gotten love and recognition from. She couldn't be taken from him, not so soon, not now.

"Cyborg." She gasped out, breathless. She turned on her side tentatively and faced her boyfriend. "I… it hurts."

Cyborg squeezed her hand gently.

"I know, Rae, I know." He said soothingly.

Her pained eyes widened.

"Do you know everything?" She asked, a barely noticeable hint of panic and despair behind her calm voice. Something shattered downstairs and the two could hear Beast Boy's aggravated yell from the kitchen.

"Yeah…" He said hoarsely. Raven's shirt had twisted upwards in her movements and a small expanse of her white belly showed. He moved his hand from hers and rested it on her slightly bulging stomach. She moved to stop him, surprised at his sudden movement, but realized what he was doing and relaxed visibly. He looked up at her and smiled genuinely. Raven returned it, managing to offer her own happiness to him.

"This… this is too much." He said after a moment, his smile fading slightly and his hand slipping away from her abdomen. Raven's own smile dropped off her face and she frowned.

"I mean, child, baby, kid, this is… I'm just trying to finish up being a kid myself!" He cried. "What are we going to do?!"

"Cyborg, you won't leave me… will you?" The enchantress asked weakly.

Cyborg blinked. The idea hadn't even occurred to him.

"Raven, what… I'm never, ever going to leave you." He said, taken aback by her question. "I love you!" He choked out against all his normal macho bravado. "Do you think I would do what I did with you for nothing?"

It was Raven's turn to be taken aback, but she covered it relatively easily. She breathed in deep in the meditative way she had perfected on Azarath and sat up slowly in bed, wincing. Cyborg made to help her but she waved him away weakly.

"No, Cyborg, I…" She hung her head, purple hair that had been vibrant just days ago now dull and lifeless. Then she looked up at him, and spoke softly.

"I'm half demon. Our child will have direct roots to the devil. I'm already a target, Cyborg. So what of… what of our child?"

Suddenly, Raven fell into a fit of raspy coughing. Her hands shook and speckled with red as she covered her mouth. Her body tensed and she retched, a silent stream of tears wetting her cheeks. She stiffened unnaturally, her coughing ceased, and her eyes burned red as Trigon forced his way through the barriers in her mind. Cyborg had his arms around her instantly.

"Rae, don't let him get you. Force him out, Raven. C'mon, you can do it."

Raven's body moved violently from his grasp; Trigon had control of her mind, pulling her away from Cyborg and floating suspended in the middle of the dim room. Trigon raised her hands into the air and opened her mouth to utter the words that called forth her powers, but choked. Raven, a prisoner in her own psyche, was pushing at her father's presence, shoving him away with what powers that hadn't been drained from her. The red eyes flickered to deep purple twice, and Raven's white teeth grew into menacing daggers. The plum hints finally faded away from the crimson and Trigon roared through Raven's throat a victorious cry.

"YAH!!" Cyborg yelped, jumping out of the way as a beam of darkness singed the place he'd been standing just before. Raven advanced on him.

"You." Trigon hissed, narrowing Raven's burning red eyes as he glared at the metallic teen. The voice came from Raven, but it was nothing like her own monotone. Thousands of yells and screams of Hell blended and mixed together into one chord that rang with each word Trigon formed, flaming with intangible fires deep that caused scorched and sizzled.

"You." Trigon's voice uttered from Raven's throat again, scratchy and unfamiliar to her body. A burst of black magic surrounded Cyborg so quickly he didn't even have time to cry out. "You are the reason why I must leave my kingdom to destory this threat?"

The darkness squeezed Cyborg's chest and his voice wouldn't come, lacking the air to form coherent words. Trigon let out a noise of amusement, a scraping sound that meshed together tortured screams and villainous laughter. The dark hold on Cyborg loosened a fraction, and he was able to find breath.

"RAVEN!" He yelled. "You can do it! Force him out!"

He shouted in pain and surprise as the darkness relinquished its hold on him and he fell heavily to the floor. He rolled to his feet immediately, cocking his laser cannon, whispering an apology to Raven, and shooting right at her possessed figure. The blue beam sizzled through the air, connecting with her chest, and knocking her into the wall. He ran over, but she was already up, still controlled by Trigon. His presence was larger, bigger, more intimidating then before, and he seemed to spread out from Raven's body like a misty red entity hovering in and around her.

"Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos!" Trigon roared, raising Raven's arms as a torrent of crackling ebony light burst forth from her palms like water breaking from a dam. The entire tower shook at the force of this giant drawing of power. The tidal wave loomed over Cyborg, and he stepped backwards against the wall.

"RAVEN!" He bellowed. "FORCE HIM OUT, RAE!!"

The tidal wave shuddered.

"C'mon, Rae! You've almost got him!"

The wave shuddered again, leaning forward and pulled backward at the same time.

BOOM

A huge explosion covered the area in dust and Robin ran into the room, leaping over the fallen theatre faces statue and pieces of debri from the broken door and halting next to Cyborg.

"Hi." He said pleasantly.

Cyborg nearly fell over.

"Hi?! Do you not see the huge tower of black energy that's hovering right there because Trigon was trying to shoot it at me but my girlfriend's stopping him?!" He gestured at the looming wall in front of them.

"So she is your girlfriend!" Beast Boy interjected, waggling his eyebrows at Cyborg.

"What the… Where did you come from, you nasty little grass stain?!"

"Friends, we have no time for talk, for we must assist Raven in her battle." Starfire interrupted, hovering above the three with emerald hands.

Robin and Beast Boy moved to attack, but the black wall was gone. It simply vanished. On the other side, kneeling and doubled over, was Raven. Her breathing was labored and her arms wrapped around her stomach as if protecting the child to come. Cyborg and the Titans were beside her instantly, Cyborg put his arms around her and she leaned against him, breathing heavily. She looked up at her friends eyes that were tired and pained. But they were purple.

Starfire knelt next to her and held her hand as Cyborg let her rest against him, laying her hot forehead against his cool metal chest.

"I…" She began weakly.

"Don't speak if it'll hurt you, Raven." Robin said reassuringly. She shook her head, distressed.

"No," She said, her voice raspy, barely finishing her sentences. "You have to help me. We need to save... He wants our… The child to pull his reign apart…"

And she fell into unconsciousness.

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter was late. My dad just got home and in like two weeks he has to go to Iraq. :-( So I might have some late updating. Check in my profile for notes about it.

And, the poem is the reason the chapter is titled "Stains".

And because this stupid thing wouldn't let me put a space there, the second portion is defined by exclamation points.

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