Disclaimer: Yeah, see chapters 1-6 for various and assorted disclaimers. Sorry the last chappie was so short, but this one is so long it comes in two installments!
Chapter 7, Part 1 Of Banquets and Masks
"Happy ½ birthday dear Acelin, Happy ½ birthday to you!" everyone sang. Sic month old Acelin clapped her hands joyfully and commenced to cover herself in cupcake.
"Hey Acie, you're supposed to EAT it, not WEAR it," Cyborg laughed, wiping her face. She looked at him in amazement, wide amber eyes seeming to say that that was the stupidest idea she had ever heard, and promptly hit him in the face with a mushy fistful of her now mostly obliterated treat.
The rest of the Titans cracked up, Beast Boy laughing loudest of all. Cy wiped his face slowly, and gave BB a look that sent him running.
"Come back here you little monkey!" Cyborg yelled, standing to give chase. Acelin shrieked in laughter, and Robin winked at Raven.
"She sure knows what's funny doesn't she?" He chucked her under the chin, bringing forth more laughter from the happy baby.
Raven smile affectionately at her daughter and nodded to Robin. "Yeah, I guess." She conceded. "She IS mine, you know."
Robin gave her a surprised and grateful smile. 'She's talking to me again!' he thought ecstatically.
"Rae," he whispered, leaning in. "Can I talk to you in private?"
Raven mulled over it for a moment and walked into the kitchen after Robin.
"Yeah?" she asked, tone only lukewarm.
Robin blushed. "Still mad, huh? Well, here's the thing. It's not just Ace's half birthday, it's the 6 month anniversary of your becoming a mother, and Batman and the JL think that's very impressive. They decided to have a banquet in your honor. I already arranged a babysitter, the one you usually use." Robin dropped his head and flushed even darker. "I, uh, also got you a dress. I mean, If you don't like it you can get something else, but I thought...Well, it's beautiful, it reminded me of something you'd like. Star helped me with the size, and yeah, so..."
Raven smiled soothing. "All right Boy Wonder. I'll check it out...And thanks for the effort."
'Why is he doing this?' Rae wondered as she checked on Acelin, who was happily tugging on Starfire's red hair, and went upstairs. Opening her door, she gasped.
Strategically placed right where she would see it was the perfect dress, the one that she had designed once in a notebook and shown proudly to Robin. Not even bothering to close the door, she stripped down and slipped into the cool satin of the dress. Off-the-shoulder straps accentuated her high collarbone, and an opening just below her breasts revealed a lilac underskirt and her perfect figure.
Looking down, she saw tiny, perfect shoes, dyed lilac to match, a simple silver chain with an amethyst charm lay across the top of one. Putting on both the shoes and the necklace, Raven stood before her mirror.
Suddenly, Robin stood behind her, looking polished and suave in his black tuxedo. Raven flushed pink and turned to face him, heat ripping through her body.
"Your mask! You took it off!" she gasped, too shocked by that fact to even ask why he was in her room.
He just smile and shrugged. "Yeah, I get to see your unrestrained beauty all the time, and while you were pregnant you said something about wishing I'd take it off, so...I did." His wide, startlingly blue eyes looked hopeful.
Raven leaned back into the couch, jar of pickles on one side, Robin on the other. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she studied Robin's strong features, and smile secretively to herself, but then frowned.
"Robin, I wish you'd take that mask off," she commented.
"Why?"
"So I can see your eyes...Just for once," she whispered, stroking his cheek before leaning in...
'Robin, you make it so hard to be mad at you,' Raven thought while sighing outwardly.
"You...have a nice face," she said simply, running a slender finger down the side of it.
"Rave?" Robin asked timidly, not sounding so sure of himself for once.
Raven's eyes widened at the unexpected use of her old nickname.
"Yeah?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant as her heart leapt into her throat.
Robin stepped forward, and pulled her close. "Will you..."
"Will I...?" she asked.
Their eyes locked, and before either of them knew what was happening, their lips had met in a kiss that left them both gasping for breath, chests heaving. Robin was the first to pull away, reluctantly.
"Later. Save me a dance." Is what came out of his mouth. "I'll ask you later." Kissing Rae's forehead gently, he left the room in a near run.
Raven stood frozen to the spot where he had left her, tears of utter confusion welling up in her deep eyes. Shaking her head, she walked over to her vanity and began pinning up her now shoulder-length hair with a vengeance.
When she was finally satisfied, she wiped her cheeks, and walked down to where her friends were waiting patiently for her.
Chapter 7, Part 1 Of Banquets and Masks
"Happy ½ birthday dear Acelin, Happy ½ birthday to you!" everyone sang. Sic month old Acelin clapped her hands joyfully and commenced to cover herself in cupcake.
"Hey Acie, you're supposed to EAT it, not WEAR it," Cyborg laughed, wiping her face. She looked at him in amazement, wide amber eyes seeming to say that that was the stupidest idea she had ever heard, and promptly hit him in the face with a mushy fistful of her now mostly obliterated treat.
The rest of the Titans cracked up, Beast Boy laughing loudest of all. Cy wiped his face slowly, and gave BB a look that sent him running.
"Come back here you little monkey!" Cyborg yelled, standing to give chase. Acelin shrieked in laughter, and Robin winked at Raven.
"She sure knows what's funny doesn't she?" He chucked her under the chin, bringing forth more laughter from the happy baby.
Raven smile affectionately at her daughter and nodded to Robin. "Yeah, I guess." She conceded. "She IS mine, you know."
Robin gave her a surprised and grateful smile. 'She's talking to me again!' he thought ecstatically.
"Rae," he whispered, leaning in. "Can I talk to you in private?"
Raven mulled over it for a moment and walked into the kitchen after Robin.
"Yeah?" she asked, tone only lukewarm.
Robin blushed. "Still mad, huh? Well, here's the thing. It's not just Ace's half birthday, it's the 6 month anniversary of your becoming a mother, and Batman and the JL think that's very impressive. They decided to have a banquet in your honor. I already arranged a babysitter, the one you usually use." Robin dropped his head and flushed even darker. "I, uh, also got you a dress. I mean, If you don't like it you can get something else, but I thought...Well, it's beautiful, it reminded me of something you'd like. Star helped me with the size, and yeah, so..."
Raven smiled soothing. "All right Boy Wonder. I'll check it out...And thanks for the effort."
'Why is he doing this?' Rae wondered as she checked on Acelin, who was happily tugging on Starfire's red hair, and went upstairs. Opening her door, she gasped.
Strategically placed right where she would see it was the perfect dress, the one that she had designed once in a notebook and shown proudly to Robin. Not even bothering to close the door, she stripped down and slipped into the cool satin of the dress. Off-the-shoulder straps accentuated her high collarbone, and an opening just below her breasts revealed a lilac underskirt and her perfect figure.
Looking down, she saw tiny, perfect shoes, dyed lilac to match, a simple silver chain with an amethyst charm lay across the top of one. Putting on both the shoes and the necklace, Raven stood before her mirror.
Suddenly, Robin stood behind her, looking polished and suave in his black tuxedo. Raven flushed pink and turned to face him, heat ripping through her body.
"Your mask! You took it off!" she gasped, too shocked by that fact to even ask why he was in her room.
He just smile and shrugged. "Yeah, I get to see your unrestrained beauty all the time, and while you were pregnant you said something about wishing I'd take it off, so...I did." His wide, startlingly blue eyes looked hopeful.
Raven leaned back into the couch, jar of pickles on one side, Robin on the other. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she studied Robin's strong features, and smile secretively to herself, but then frowned.
"Robin, I wish you'd take that mask off," she commented.
"Why?"
"So I can see your eyes...Just for once," she whispered, stroking his cheek before leaning in...
'Robin, you make it so hard to be mad at you,' Raven thought while sighing outwardly.
"You...have a nice face," she said simply, running a slender finger down the side of it.
"Rave?" Robin asked timidly, not sounding so sure of himself for once.
Raven's eyes widened at the unexpected use of her old nickname.
"Yeah?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant as her heart leapt into her throat.
Robin stepped forward, and pulled her close. "Will you..."
"Will I...?" she asked.
Their eyes locked, and before either of them knew what was happening, their lips had met in a kiss that left them both gasping for breath, chests heaving. Robin was the first to pull away, reluctantly.
"Later. Save me a dance." Is what came out of his mouth. "I'll ask you later." Kissing Rae's forehead gently, he left the room in a near run.
Raven stood frozen to the spot where he had left her, tears of utter confusion welling up in her deep eyes. Shaking her head, she walked over to her vanity and began pinning up her now shoulder-length hair with a vengeance.
When she was finally satisfied, she wiped her cheeks, and walked down to where her friends were waiting patiently for her.