Well, here it is. The finished product of about 4 sleepless night's toil. I present to you, the penultimate chapter in 'Of Birds and Bats' and I'm really proud of it. It's easily the longest chapter I've ever wrote and also some of the most fun I've ever had writing. As always, I do not own any of these characters. Also, this chapter takes place directly after chapter 6 of 'Fearless'. That said, here's the story. Enjoy.
Dick Grayson felt the lump in his throat grow, as he read the letter in his hand for the umpteenth time. It came in the mail three days ago, and reading it still made his palms sweat. Grayson swallowed the lump, wiped his hands on his pants, and read the letter again.
Rae & Dick,
So, I was thinking about what you said to me the other day, Rae, and you're right. The Titans really do need to see each other again, which is why I'm putting together this little shin-dig. So here it is. Friday night. Titan's Tower, 7pm. We're having us a reunion. See you guys then.
Peace out,
Cyborg p.s. You better be there Dick, we need to talk.
Richard sighed as he finished. If nothing else, Cyborg's letter had taught him two things. For one, Victor and the rest of the Titans seemed willing to talk to him again, after the way he deserted them without so much as a word. Secondly, the letter taught Dick that Raven had been talking to Cyborg (and probably the other Titans as well) and had failed to mention it to him. 'Well,' he thought, 'I guess I can't blame her. I just hope that things go over well with the guys. I hope they'll accept my apology, and we can just go back to being friends.' Dick reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a small black box. After staring at it for a good minute or two, he let out a long, deep sigh. 'Because if they don't, then that won't be the only thing making my life hell tonight. God...how am I going to pull this off?'
The letter arrived in the mail three days ago, and the very next day, Richard went down to the local jewelry store and bought a beautiful engagement ring. As soon as he read the letter, Dick realized that a reunion with their best friends would be the most opportune time to pop the question to Raven. It was all he could think about lately. Raven moved in with him about a year ago and things had been nothing but perfect ever since.
Richard spent his days working as a cop for the Bludhaven Police Department. Raven on the other hand, found a job working part time at the local library. Strangely enough, she was also talking to one of her new co- workers about teaching a weekend class on meditation at the new community center. While apprehensive at first, Raven had to agree that a community center sounded like a good idea. The people of Bludhaven need a place where they can go that can help keep trouble away from them. 'Well,' she thought, 'it would help a lot of people find their own personal balance. Rich is out there trying to bring physical peace to this city, I should do my part to help bring spiritual peace.'
Richard slowly opened the black box and stared at the ring he had chosen. It was white-gold, with a beautifully cut stone in it. But not a diamond, no, not for Raven. Cradled softly in the white gold was a gorgeous and deep- colored ruby. Staring at the stone, Dick found his train of thought moving once again, to Raven. Never in his young life did Richard Grayson ever think he would find a love like this.
Suddenly, the door knob started to jiggle and in the time lapse of a heartbeat, Dick had snapped the box shut and shoved it back into his pocket. Once the box was secured, he put a calm and collected look on his face and smiled as Raven opened the door.
"Hey Boy-Wonder." She purred. Ignoring the fact that Richard was now nearly 21 years old, Raven still loved to call him by his age-old nickname.
"Hey angel."
"You're off early today. What's the occasion?"
"It's the rookies' first day on the street. The Chief's got each one paired with a vet. Thing is, we've got more cops then we do cars, so us former greenhorns got the rest of the week off."
Raven laughed. "The rest of the week? Rich, today is Friday."
"Hey, I never said it was a dream vacation or anything."
"So..." Raven said, as she gently fell into Richard's lap, "You all ready for tonight? I can't wait."
Dick sighed. "Well, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
Raven smiled as she poked him in the belly, "C'mon Rich, don't be like that. They're your friends. Tonight's going to be a lot of fun."
Richard smiled. Although she may not be the dark and sarcastic girl she once was, Raven using the word 'fun' was still a bit of a rarity. 'I sure hope so...' he thought.
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"ARE THEY HERE YET??"
The hero formerly known as 'Aqualad' rolled his eyes. "For the hundredth time, Star, the party starts at seven. When it's seven, they'll be here. Right now, it's 6:20."
Starfire frowned. "But Tempest, it has been so long since we have last seen them. Do you not think they might arrive early, so as to make up for time lost?"
Tempest shrugged. "You got me there, Star. They just might. But then again, knowing those two, anything goes. I'll be happy if they're both here at all."
Starfire gave her teammate a look. "You do not think he is coming, do you?"
Tempest held his hands up in defense, "Hey now, I'm not saying anything like that. It's just...Nightwing's kind of a complicated guy..." He paused as he looked into Starfire's eyes. "But...I guess you're really the last person that I would ever have to tell that to. Good job, self."
"Why do you keep calling him that?" she asked.
"Call who what?"
"Robin. Why do you keep calling him 'Nightwing'?"
"Because that's who he is now, Star. Just like me and Roy, Dick grew out of his old mantle, and took up a new one. Maybe it's just a 'brooding-guy' kind of thing." He shrugged and gulped down his glass of water.
"Well..." said Starfire softly, "He will always be 'Robin' to me..."
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"C'mon Roy! You've been in there for 20 minutes! The party's starting soon and I need to take a damn shower!" Troia growled as she pounded on the bathroom door. Arms firmly crossed over her chest, Donna tapped her foot rapidly as she listened to her teammate bumble around and waste her time. "And you used to call yourself 'Speedy'. What a joke! Well at least now we all know why you ditched THAT name."
Un-tying the cloth from his arm, Roy Harper, the archer now known as Arsenal quickly swept up all his clutter off the bathroom counter and threw it into the bottom of his quiver.(Author's note: a quiver is that thing that archer's wear on their backs that holds their arrows.) Skillfully placing his arrows back in, hiding the other items from sight, Roy slung the quiver back over his shoulder. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he slowly stood up and headed for the door. After waiting for his hand to stop shaking, Arsenal opened the door and gave Troia a big grin. "Sorry 'bout that, Dee. Just wanted to spruce up a bit and look my best. You know how it is."
"Yeah," she smirked, "you're just a pretty-boy primadona, that's 'how it is'."
Arsenal gave her a sheepish grin. "What can I say? Guilty as charged." With a graceful bow, he held the bathroom door open for Donna and after she walked in, he sauntered down the hall whistling to himself.
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"What do you MEAN you 'don't like parties'?!?" A shocked look on his face, Beast Boy tried to comprehend what his friend had just told him.
Brion Markov shrugged. "I meant precisely that, Beast Boy. I am not so fond of parties."
"Dude...you must have been to some real stinkers to have THAT kind of attitude."
Geo-Force nodded. "It is true, in my home country of Markovia, my father would constantly throw royal balls and other such social events. None of which were ever very entertaining."
Beast Boy grinned. "Well G, I've got some good news for you. Tonight's reunion's gonna be nothing like a 'royal ball'. Think about it. A handful of friends, some bangin' tunes, the best party house this side of Metropolis, and some grade-A vegan eats. What more could one ask for?" He smiled as he threw an arm around Geo's shoulder as they walked to the living room. "Don't worry, Rocky. I'll make a party-animal out of you yet."
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As they walked up to the front door of Titan's Tower, Raven was doing her best to live up to her title as 'girlfriend' by handing out an ample dose of 'last minute hassling' to Richard.
"Did you really have to wear that?" She asked; a look of bemused annoyance on her face.
Richard sighed. "Well what else was I supposed to do, Rave? I can't just waltz into the tower as a civilian, and my Nightwing costume is the only one that still fits."
Sighing, Raven reached out and opened the door.
"GREETINGS, FRIENDS!" Starfire rushed over to Raven, and demolished her with a loving hug. "It is so good to see you again, dear-friend Raven!"
"Well, well, well. Look who flew back to the nest." Cyborg grinned as he lifted Raven up in a hug of his own, as soon as Starfire relinquished her.
As the rest of the Titans made their greetings, Nightwing stood off to the side. Awkward and feeling a bit out of place, until a certain green teen snuck up on him and slapped him on the back.
"Fearless leader! Dude, it's so good to see you again."
Richard smiled nervously at his friend. "Th...thanks, Gar. It's great to see you too. It's great to see...all of you." He felt his gaze drift over to Starfire and Cyborg. "Uh...hey Star, Cy. It's been a while."
"Sup Rich." Cyborg said emotionlessly.
Starfire on the other hand, was anything but. Tears falling from her eyes, she flew over and tackled Nightwing with an embrace. "Oh, Ro - er, Nightwing! I am so happy to see you again, friend. We have all missed you so much."
Cyborg raised an eyebrow to Starfire as she said that last sentence, but then, as if not being able to deny its truth, he nodded.
Nightwing looked down at the floor, and then up at his friends. "I...I've missed you guys too. God, you have no idea how much..."
"Then why didn't you call?!" growled Cyborg.
Richard sighed. "I was scared, Cy. I took the coward's way out when I left, and couldn't bring myself to face it afterwards. I...I didn't think you'd respect me anymore, let alone like me. But...I want you to know, I want you all to know, how much I've regretted it each day, and how much I've missed every one of you. I...I'm just...I'm sorry."
A long and painful silence filled the room, until finally, a grin slowly crept up Cyborg's face. "Apology accepted, buddy. Now get the hell over here and give me a hug."
Smiling and laughing, the two best friends crashed into each other and in that instant, it seemed every bit of bad blood that had ever existed between the two disappeared.
Suddenly, Roy spoke up for the first time since the couple had arrived. "Well you know, the four of us over here still don't forgive you, Nighty, but then again, I guess since we weren't here when you bailed, we don't really have any beef to begin with."
Nightwing grinned as he walked over to Arsenal and Tempest and traded handshakes and embraces. "Roy. Garth. It's great to see you two here, as a part of the team. Man, the Titans have really grown beyond my wildest dreams." He turned to face Troia. "Donna Troy, I presume? I know we never got formally introduced before, but I'm Dick. It's great to meet you."
The Amazonian smiled. "Great to meet you too, Dick."
"So..." he blushed. "You're really Wonder Woman's sister?"
Donna barked out a laugh. "You can run a blood test if you want, Detective. But we're family through and through. I was supposed to keep it a secret, but after me and Vic got together, well, I just couldn't keep it from him, you know? Just didn't feel right hiding something so big from the one person who means the world to me." She smiled shyly and glanced over at her boyfriend. "So when he started rounding up some new Titans, I just couldn't say no." Troia smiled wickedly. "Plus, it pisses Diana off like nobody's business."
Chuckling, Nightwing now turned his attention to the strapping young man with the slick, spit-curled blond hair. "Nice to meet you, your majesty." He said, with full sincerity.
Blushing, Geo-Force replied, "No need for such formalities, Nightwing. Please, call me Brion, or 'Geo' if you prefer."
"Well!" Beast Boy exclaimed as he clapped his hands together. "Now that we've got all the formalities and introductions out of the way, how about we finally get this party kickin'?!"
Richard gulped. This was it. He could tell by the look in his eye, that Beast Boy was just itching to break out the alcohol, and Roy was already holding a bong in his hand, where it came from was anyone's guess. Dick knew he had to be sober to do what needed to be done, so this was it. 'Now or never.' He thought.
"Ah...hold on, Gar. Before we do, I've still got one more thing to say."
Beast Boy groaned. "Come ON, Richie, we all forgave you already. You don't need to say anything more."
Nightwing chuckled. "Actually, Gar, what I have to say now isn't to you guys, sorry. It's to Raven."
Surprised, Raven looked up at her boyfriend's face. A question mark practically appearing on her face, she asked, "What is it, Rich?"
He took a deep breath in. 'Wish me luck.' He thought, to no-one in particular.
"Raven...I know collectively, we've only been together for a bit over a year...and yet...I feel like I've been loving you for a lifetime. And even that doesn't seem nearly enough. Never in my entire life did I ever think I'd find a girl as amazing as you. You mean everything to me. You are the blood in my veins, the breath in my lungs. You give me life, Rae. You give me a reason to keep going, a reason to fight. I wish I could promise you more. I wish I could promise you the world, heaven and earth and everything in between. But...I can't." Now kneeling, Richard looked into his love's eyes as he pulled the small black box out from his pocket and slowly began to open it. "But," he continued, "if you'll take me as yours, Raven, I can promise you this. I promise you unconditional love. A shoulder to cry on, a mouth to kiss. Arms that will always hold you close, and a heart that will never stop loving you for as long as I live. With that promise, I ask you this question. Raven Roth...will you marry me?"
Not a single eye in the room (except of course, for Cyborg's robotic one) was left dry as the Titans stood in silence. One by one each hero turned to look at Raven, holding their breath as they awaited her answer.
Breathing in deeply, Raven wiped the tears from her eyes. A smile inching its way up her lips, she bent down so she could be eye-level with Richard. As she looked into his eyes, Raven grasped his hand in hers and held it tight. With a small, caring smile, Raven spoke.
"Rich...the life you've given me...the love you've given me...it's more than I could ever have dreamed for. Of course I'll marry you. I'd marry you a thousand times over. I love you...Robin."
As the two lovers embraced in a raw and passionate kiss, Starfire exploded into a veritable geyser of tears.
"MAGNIFICENT!!" She cried, as she rushed over to engulf her friends in a three-person hug. "When shall the wedding occur?"
Raven looked over at Nightwing, who blushed. "Soon." She said, with a smile.
Starfire beamed as she swooped Raven up and twirled her around in a dizzying embrace. "Oh, Raven! Such a joyous occasion is this! I am so happy for you...my sister."
A tear in her eye, Raven smiled as she hugged her friend back. "Thank you Star...for everything."
Hooting and hollering, the guys bombarded Nightwing with an avalanche of back-slaps, hand-shakes, and knuckle-pounds. Smiling, Richard turned to his friends and said, "You know, that wasn't the only question I had for tonight. Do you think...I mean... would you guys want to be my groomsmen?"
"DUDE!" Beast boy crowed, "Like you even need to ask!"
Laughing, Tempest added "What he said!"
Throwing an arm around Nightwing's shoulder, Roy chimed in, "Damn straight, Wondy. We'd be insulted otherwise."
"It would be an honor." Said Geo-Force, smiling.
His face in what felt like a permanent smile, Richard turned to face his best friend. "Cyborg...Vic...I was wondering...would you be my best man?"
With a warm smile, Cyborg placed a hand on Nightwing's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Rob. I can't do that."
Shocked at the response, Dick stammered. "Wh..what? Why not? If this is about before, I already told you, Cy, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have bailed on the Titans the way I did and I feel horrible about it! What more do you want from me?!"
Chuckling, Cyborg shook his head. "Bro, I would've thought by now, you'd know me better than that. You're my best bud, Dick, and were you marrying any other girl on the planet, I'd be at your side faster than the Flash after Captain Cold. But this time bro, I can't do it. There's something else I need to do." He paused for a moment to glance over at Richard's fiancé. "I mean, someone's gotta be on the opposite side of that altar to give Raven away, and not to honk my own horn or anything, but I can't think of anyone better than myself to do it."
Robin smiled. "You're right, Cyborg. I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Me neither." Said Raven, as she pulled Victor in for a hug.
Slowly, Robin turned to face Beast Boy. "Hey Gar...look...I don't mean to make you feel like a fall-back or anything like that, but..."
Beast Boy grinned. "Dude, don't sweat it. You want me to be best man? I can be best man. You want me to be best dog, cat, kangaroo, goanna or chinchilla, I can be that too."
After an uncharacteristic giggle, Raven looked up at her best friend. "Be my maid of honor, Star?"
Starfire nodded like a bobble-head doll going through a 9 on the rictor scale. "I do not know what that means, but it sounds most exciting!"
"Donna? Would you...be my bridesmaid?"
Smiling, the Amazon gave Raven a wink and said "Wouldn't miss it for the world, girlfriend."
"Great." Raven smiled and turned to Richard. "And I'll ask Heather from work, and...Rich?"
"Yeah, Rae?"
"I think...I think I'd like Barbara to be there too. As a bridesmaid. If it wasn't for her...I don't think I ever would have found you again. I...we owe her so much. Do you think she'd say yes?"
He smiled back at his soon-to-be-wife. "Babs? Rae, I think she'd say hell yes."
Man, that was a fun chapter to write. One more to go, or rather, one more chapter and an epilogue. At first, I was going to put the epilogue at the end of 'The Trinity' but have since decided it fits in better here. The epilogue is already written, so you can expect this story to wrap within a couple of weeks. Then I'm going to take a break, but I promise to have the first chapter of 'The Trinity' up by the end of summer. In the meantime, I've got a few song-fic one-shots that I plan on doing, although those will have nothing to do with this 'series'.
Anyway, on to some author's notes. If any of you are wondering why I changed Aqualad's and Speedy's codenames, its because like the rest of the Titans, they're adults now, and although this isn't the comics, I thought it would still be fun to give them the names they graduated to there. Their costumes remain the same though, because, oddly enough, the costumes that Aqualad and Speedy wore in the Teen Titans cartoon show were a lot closer to the costumes Tempest and Arsenal wore in the comics, then they did when they were younger. In fact, the comic book Aqualad wore a red shirt with those same goofy scales that Aquaman had on his orange one, and he had some crazy little blue speedo-shorts. Speedy just looked like a red 'Green Arrow' complete with a little yellow 'Robin Hood' hat. I did the same with Troia, although I don't think I called her 'Wonder Girl' at all in these stories. Whoops. Oh well. Like always, please review guys, it means the world to me.
-JustAnotherMutant
Dick Grayson felt the lump in his throat grow, as he read the letter in his hand for the umpteenth time. It came in the mail three days ago, and reading it still made his palms sweat. Grayson swallowed the lump, wiped his hands on his pants, and read the letter again.
Rae & Dick,
So, I was thinking about what you said to me the other day, Rae, and you're right. The Titans really do need to see each other again, which is why I'm putting together this little shin-dig. So here it is. Friday night. Titan's Tower, 7pm. We're having us a reunion. See you guys then.
Peace out,
Cyborg p.s. You better be there Dick, we need to talk.
Richard sighed as he finished. If nothing else, Cyborg's letter had taught him two things. For one, Victor and the rest of the Titans seemed willing to talk to him again, after the way he deserted them without so much as a word. Secondly, the letter taught Dick that Raven had been talking to Cyborg (and probably the other Titans as well) and had failed to mention it to him. 'Well,' he thought, 'I guess I can't blame her. I just hope that things go over well with the guys. I hope they'll accept my apology, and we can just go back to being friends.' Dick reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a small black box. After staring at it for a good minute or two, he let out a long, deep sigh. 'Because if they don't, then that won't be the only thing making my life hell tonight. God...how am I going to pull this off?'
The letter arrived in the mail three days ago, and the very next day, Richard went down to the local jewelry store and bought a beautiful engagement ring. As soon as he read the letter, Dick realized that a reunion with their best friends would be the most opportune time to pop the question to Raven. It was all he could think about lately. Raven moved in with him about a year ago and things had been nothing but perfect ever since.
Richard spent his days working as a cop for the Bludhaven Police Department. Raven on the other hand, found a job working part time at the local library. Strangely enough, she was also talking to one of her new co- workers about teaching a weekend class on meditation at the new community center. While apprehensive at first, Raven had to agree that a community center sounded like a good idea. The people of Bludhaven need a place where they can go that can help keep trouble away from them. 'Well,' she thought, 'it would help a lot of people find their own personal balance. Rich is out there trying to bring physical peace to this city, I should do my part to help bring spiritual peace.'
Richard slowly opened the black box and stared at the ring he had chosen. It was white-gold, with a beautifully cut stone in it. But not a diamond, no, not for Raven. Cradled softly in the white gold was a gorgeous and deep- colored ruby. Staring at the stone, Dick found his train of thought moving once again, to Raven. Never in his young life did Richard Grayson ever think he would find a love like this.
Suddenly, the door knob started to jiggle and in the time lapse of a heartbeat, Dick had snapped the box shut and shoved it back into his pocket. Once the box was secured, he put a calm and collected look on his face and smiled as Raven opened the door.
"Hey Boy-Wonder." She purred. Ignoring the fact that Richard was now nearly 21 years old, Raven still loved to call him by his age-old nickname.
"Hey angel."
"You're off early today. What's the occasion?"
"It's the rookies' first day on the street. The Chief's got each one paired with a vet. Thing is, we've got more cops then we do cars, so us former greenhorns got the rest of the week off."
Raven laughed. "The rest of the week? Rich, today is Friday."
"Hey, I never said it was a dream vacation or anything."
"So..." Raven said, as she gently fell into Richard's lap, "You all ready for tonight? I can't wait."
Dick sighed. "Well, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
Raven smiled as she poked him in the belly, "C'mon Rich, don't be like that. They're your friends. Tonight's going to be a lot of fun."
Richard smiled. Although she may not be the dark and sarcastic girl she once was, Raven using the word 'fun' was still a bit of a rarity. 'I sure hope so...' he thought.
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"ARE THEY HERE YET??"
The hero formerly known as 'Aqualad' rolled his eyes. "For the hundredth time, Star, the party starts at seven. When it's seven, they'll be here. Right now, it's 6:20."
Starfire frowned. "But Tempest, it has been so long since we have last seen them. Do you not think they might arrive early, so as to make up for time lost?"
Tempest shrugged. "You got me there, Star. They just might. But then again, knowing those two, anything goes. I'll be happy if they're both here at all."
Starfire gave her teammate a look. "You do not think he is coming, do you?"
Tempest held his hands up in defense, "Hey now, I'm not saying anything like that. It's just...Nightwing's kind of a complicated guy..." He paused as he looked into Starfire's eyes. "But...I guess you're really the last person that I would ever have to tell that to. Good job, self."
"Why do you keep calling him that?" she asked.
"Call who what?"
"Robin. Why do you keep calling him 'Nightwing'?"
"Because that's who he is now, Star. Just like me and Roy, Dick grew out of his old mantle, and took up a new one. Maybe it's just a 'brooding-guy' kind of thing." He shrugged and gulped down his glass of water.
"Well..." said Starfire softly, "He will always be 'Robin' to me..."
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"C'mon Roy! You've been in there for 20 minutes! The party's starting soon and I need to take a damn shower!" Troia growled as she pounded on the bathroom door. Arms firmly crossed over her chest, Donna tapped her foot rapidly as she listened to her teammate bumble around and waste her time. "And you used to call yourself 'Speedy'. What a joke! Well at least now we all know why you ditched THAT name."
Un-tying the cloth from his arm, Roy Harper, the archer now known as Arsenal quickly swept up all his clutter off the bathroom counter and threw it into the bottom of his quiver.(Author's note: a quiver is that thing that archer's wear on their backs that holds their arrows.) Skillfully placing his arrows back in, hiding the other items from sight, Roy slung the quiver back over his shoulder. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he slowly stood up and headed for the door. After waiting for his hand to stop shaking, Arsenal opened the door and gave Troia a big grin. "Sorry 'bout that, Dee. Just wanted to spruce up a bit and look my best. You know how it is."
"Yeah," she smirked, "you're just a pretty-boy primadona, that's 'how it is'."
Arsenal gave her a sheepish grin. "What can I say? Guilty as charged." With a graceful bow, he held the bathroom door open for Donna and after she walked in, he sauntered down the hall whistling to himself.
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"What do you MEAN you 'don't like parties'?!?" A shocked look on his face, Beast Boy tried to comprehend what his friend had just told him.
Brion Markov shrugged. "I meant precisely that, Beast Boy. I am not so fond of parties."
"Dude...you must have been to some real stinkers to have THAT kind of attitude."
Geo-Force nodded. "It is true, in my home country of Markovia, my father would constantly throw royal balls and other such social events. None of which were ever very entertaining."
Beast Boy grinned. "Well G, I've got some good news for you. Tonight's reunion's gonna be nothing like a 'royal ball'. Think about it. A handful of friends, some bangin' tunes, the best party house this side of Metropolis, and some grade-A vegan eats. What more could one ask for?" He smiled as he threw an arm around Geo's shoulder as they walked to the living room. "Don't worry, Rocky. I'll make a party-animal out of you yet."
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As they walked up to the front door of Titan's Tower, Raven was doing her best to live up to her title as 'girlfriend' by handing out an ample dose of 'last minute hassling' to Richard.
"Did you really have to wear that?" She asked; a look of bemused annoyance on her face.
Richard sighed. "Well what else was I supposed to do, Rave? I can't just waltz into the tower as a civilian, and my Nightwing costume is the only one that still fits."
Sighing, Raven reached out and opened the door.
"GREETINGS, FRIENDS!" Starfire rushed over to Raven, and demolished her with a loving hug. "It is so good to see you again, dear-friend Raven!"
"Well, well, well. Look who flew back to the nest." Cyborg grinned as he lifted Raven up in a hug of his own, as soon as Starfire relinquished her.
As the rest of the Titans made their greetings, Nightwing stood off to the side. Awkward and feeling a bit out of place, until a certain green teen snuck up on him and slapped him on the back.
"Fearless leader! Dude, it's so good to see you again."
Richard smiled nervously at his friend. "Th...thanks, Gar. It's great to see you too. It's great to see...all of you." He felt his gaze drift over to Starfire and Cyborg. "Uh...hey Star, Cy. It's been a while."
"Sup Rich." Cyborg said emotionlessly.
Starfire on the other hand, was anything but. Tears falling from her eyes, she flew over and tackled Nightwing with an embrace. "Oh, Ro - er, Nightwing! I am so happy to see you again, friend. We have all missed you so much."
Cyborg raised an eyebrow to Starfire as she said that last sentence, but then, as if not being able to deny its truth, he nodded.
Nightwing looked down at the floor, and then up at his friends. "I...I've missed you guys too. God, you have no idea how much..."
"Then why didn't you call?!" growled Cyborg.
Richard sighed. "I was scared, Cy. I took the coward's way out when I left, and couldn't bring myself to face it afterwards. I...I didn't think you'd respect me anymore, let alone like me. But...I want you to know, I want you all to know, how much I've regretted it each day, and how much I've missed every one of you. I...I'm just...I'm sorry."
A long and painful silence filled the room, until finally, a grin slowly crept up Cyborg's face. "Apology accepted, buddy. Now get the hell over here and give me a hug."
Smiling and laughing, the two best friends crashed into each other and in that instant, it seemed every bit of bad blood that had ever existed between the two disappeared.
Suddenly, Roy spoke up for the first time since the couple had arrived. "Well you know, the four of us over here still don't forgive you, Nighty, but then again, I guess since we weren't here when you bailed, we don't really have any beef to begin with."
Nightwing grinned as he walked over to Arsenal and Tempest and traded handshakes and embraces. "Roy. Garth. It's great to see you two here, as a part of the team. Man, the Titans have really grown beyond my wildest dreams." He turned to face Troia. "Donna Troy, I presume? I know we never got formally introduced before, but I'm Dick. It's great to meet you."
The Amazonian smiled. "Great to meet you too, Dick."
"So..." he blushed. "You're really Wonder Woman's sister?"
Donna barked out a laugh. "You can run a blood test if you want, Detective. But we're family through and through. I was supposed to keep it a secret, but after me and Vic got together, well, I just couldn't keep it from him, you know? Just didn't feel right hiding something so big from the one person who means the world to me." She smiled shyly and glanced over at her boyfriend. "So when he started rounding up some new Titans, I just couldn't say no." Troia smiled wickedly. "Plus, it pisses Diana off like nobody's business."
Chuckling, Nightwing now turned his attention to the strapping young man with the slick, spit-curled blond hair. "Nice to meet you, your majesty." He said, with full sincerity.
Blushing, Geo-Force replied, "No need for such formalities, Nightwing. Please, call me Brion, or 'Geo' if you prefer."
"Well!" Beast Boy exclaimed as he clapped his hands together. "Now that we've got all the formalities and introductions out of the way, how about we finally get this party kickin'?!"
Richard gulped. This was it. He could tell by the look in his eye, that Beast Boy was just itching to break out the alcohol, and Roy was already holding a bong in his hand, where it came from was anyone's guess. Dick knew he had to be sober to do what needed to be done, so this was it. 'Now or never.' He thought.
"Ah...hold on, Gar. Before we do, I've still got one more thing to say."
Beast Boy groaned. "Come ON, Richie, we all forgave you already. You don't need to say anything more."
Nightwing chuckled. "Actually, Gar, what I have to say now isn't to you guys, sorry. It's to Raven."
Surprised, Raven looked up at her boyfriend's face. A question mark practically appearing on her face, she asked, "What is it, Rich?"
He took a deep breath in. 'Wish me luck.' He thought, to no-one in particular.
"Raven...I know collectively, we've only been together for a bit over a year...and yet...I feel like I've been loving you for a lifetime. And even that doesn't seem nearly enough. Never in my entire life did I ever think I'd find a girl as amazing as you. You mean everything to me. You are the blood in my veins, the breath in my lungs. You give me life, Rae. You give me a reason to keep going, a reason to fight. I wish I could promise you more. I wish I could promise you the world, heaven and earth and everything in between. But...I can't." Now kneeling, Richard looked into his love's eyes as he pulled the small black box out from his pocket and slowly began to open it. "But," he continued, "if you'll take me as yours, Raven, I can promise you this. I promise you unconditional love. A shoulder to cry on, a mouth to kiss. Arms that will always hold you close, and a heart that will never stop loving you for as long as I live. With that promise, I ask you this question. Raven Roth...will you marry me?"
Not a single eye in the room (except of course, for Cyborg's robotic one) was left dry as the Titans stood in silence. One by one each hero turned to look at Raven, holding their breath as they awaited her answer.
Breathing in deeply, Raven wiped the tears from her eyes. A smile inching its way up her lips, she bent down so she could be eye-level with Richard. As she looked into his eyes, Raven grasped his hand in hers and held it tight. With a small, caring smile, Raven spoke.
"Rich...the life you've given me...the love you've given me...it's more than I could ever have dreamed for. Of course I'll marry you. I'd marry you a thousand times over. I love you...Robin."
As the two lovers embraced in a raw and passionate kiss, Starfire exploded into a veritable geyser of tears.
"MAGNIFICENT!!" She cried, as she rushed over to engulf her friends in a three-person hug. "When shall the wedding occur?"
Raven looked over at Nightwing, who blushed. "Soon." She said, with a smile.
Starfire beamed as she swooped Raven up and twirled her around in a dizzying embrace. "Oh, Raven! Such a joyous occasion is this! I am so happy for you...my sister."
A tear in her eye, Raven smiled as she hugged her friend back. "Thank you Star...for everything."
Hooting and hollering, the guys bombarded Nightwing with an avalanche of back-slaps, hand-shakes, and knuckle-pounds. Smiling, Richard turned to his friends and said, "You know, that wasn't the only question I had for tonight. Do you think...I mean... would you guys want to be my groomsmen?"
"DUDE!" Beast boy crowed, "Like you even need to ask!"
Laughing, Tempest added "What he said!"
Throwing an arm around Nightwing's shoulder, Roy chimed in, "Damn straight, Wondy. We'd be insulted otherwise."
"It would be an honor." Said Geo-Force, smiling.
His face in what felt like a permanent smile, Richard turned to face his best friend. "Cyborg...Vic...I was wondering...would you be my best man?"
With a warm smile, Cyborg placed a hand on Nightwing's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Rob. I can't do that."
Shocked at the response, Dick stammered. "Wh..what? Why not? If this is about before, I already told you, Cy, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have bailed on the Titans the way I did and I feel horrible about it! What more do you want from me?!"
Chuckling, Cyborg shook his head. "Bro, I would've thought by now, you'd know me better than that. You're my best bud, Dick, and were you marrying any other girl on the planet, I'd be at your side faster than the Flash after Captain Cold. But this time bro, I can't do it. There's something else I need to do." He paused for a moment to glance over at Richard's fiancé. "I mean, someone's gotta be on the opposite side of that altar to give Raven away, and not to honk my own horn or anything, but I can't think of anyone better than myself to do it."
Robin smiled. "You're right, Cyborg. I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Me neither." Said Raven, as she pulled Victor in for a hug.
Slowly, Robin turned to face Beast Boy. "Hey Gar...look...I don't mean to make you feel like a fall-back or anything like that, but..."
Beast Boy grinned. "Dude, don't sweat it. You want me to be best man? I can be best man. You want me to be best dog, cat, kangaroo, goanna or chinchilla, I can be that too."
After an uncharacteristic giggle, Raven looked up at her best friend. "Be my maid of honor, Star?"
Starfire nodded like a bobble-head doll going through a 9 on the rictor scale. "I do not know what that means, but it sounds most exciting!"
"Donna? Would you...be my bridesmaid?"
Smiling, the Amazon gave Raven a wink and said "Wouldn't miss it for the world, girlfriend."
"Great." Raven smiled and turned to Richard. "And I'll ask Heather from work, and...Rich?"
"Yeah, Rae?"
"I think...I think I'd like Barbara to be there too. As a bridesmaid. If it wasn't for her...I don't think I ever would have found you again. I...we owe her so much. Do you think she'd say yes?"
He smiled back at his soon-to-be-wife. "Babs? Rae, I think she'd say hell yes."
Man, that was a fun chapter to write. One more to go, or rather, one more chapter and an epilogue. At first, I was going to put the epilogue at the end of 'The Trinity' but have since decided it fits in better here. The epilogue is already written, so you can expect this story to wrap within a couple of weeks. Then I'm going to take a break, but I promise to have the first chapter of 'The Trinity' up by the end of summer. In the meantime, I've got a few song-fic one-shots that I plan on doing, although those will have nothing to do with this 'series'.
Anyway, on to some author's notes. If any of you are wondering why I changed Aqualad's and Speedy's codenames, its because like the rest of the Titans, they're adults now, and although this isn't the comics, I thought it would still be fun to give them the names they graduated to there. Their costumes remain the same though, because, oddly enough, the costumes that Aqualad and Speedy wore in the Teen Titans cartoon show were a lot closer to the costumes Tempest and Arsenal wore in the comics, then they did when they were younger. In fact, the comic book Aqualad wore a red shirt with those same goofy scales that Aquaman had on his orange one, and he had some crazy little blue speedo-shorts. Speedy just looked like a red 'Green Arrow' complete with a little yellow 'Robin Hood' hat. I did the same with Troia, although I don't think I called her 'Wonder Girl' at all in these stories. Whoops. Oh well. Like always, please review guys, it means the world to me.
-JustAnotherMutant