A Cat's Tale

By: Catty Engles Reporter for the Daily Gazette

Edition Eighth: An Offer I Can Resist

I open my eyes to a sterile white surrounding. I blink to clear my vision and realize I'm in a cot, also blindingly white. I groan as I turn my head to see an IV growing out of my wrist and quickly turn the other way, fighting nausea.

"Oh, you're awake." A fat, homely nurse with red splotches on both cheeks smiles at me. "Are you up for visitors, love? They've been waiting quite long."

I nod blearily not really thinking about the question, but suddenly realizing that I'm in a hospital.

The nurse bobs a curtsy and skips out of the room. My head clears a little and I begin to remember events and times and places. For about five minutes I collect myself slowly in the cot with the curtains drawn.

I also search my nightstand and surrounding area for the recorder that I had left undamaged when I crushed the other device Slade had planted on me. I had originally thought to use the recording to condemn Slick and so I was alarmed not to find it anywhere.

Then I must say I received one of the great shocks of my life.

"Here they are." The fat nurse pokes her head through the curtains and smiles wide so that her eyes disappear in folds of flesh.

She pulls aside the curtains and who should be standing there other than the Teen Titans. Starfire immediately kneels beside my bed and starts to stroke my un-punctured-by-a-huge-needle wrist, crooning under her breath.

"Oh, we should have gotten you here sooner. You look so damaged."

"It's okay Star," Beastboy pipes up from behind Cyborg, "We set a new record- fastest hospital arrival time by means of two flying girls and a pterodactyl." He smiles winningly and what can I do other than smile back at him.

Cyborg leans against my nightstand, making it groan with the effort, "But what else could we do? Superheroes don't normally call 911. We are the response team." A glimmer of concern passes over him, "But how're you feelin'?"

"Fine, for someone who's ..." I stop, bemusedly puzzled. I frankly have no idea what is wrong with me but I hurt all over.

"Fractured your collarbone, bruised two ribs, cracked one and are in danger of puncturing a lung. Not to mention the nasty bump on the back of your head." Robin supplies.

"Ah." I smile, dazed for a moment and finger the linen bandage draped over my forehead. "How do you guys handle it, I mean one good kick and I'm conked off like a three-day hangover."

Beastboy pinches my arm where my non-existent biceps should be. "That's why."

I nod, still smiling and still a bit dazed. I try to remember if the Teen Titans do hospital happy-hour on a regular basis. The silence stretches and I lean my head against the pillows, suddenly noticing that the Titans are nervous. I almost laugh.

Raven nudges Robin and he seems to come to an internal decision. "Catty, we've decided, even though you're obvious lack of powers won't make you a charter member," He fumbles with something inside his cape, finally producing the Teen Titans Communicator. Do I dare believe?

"to offer you a position on the team. As technical genius." My mouth plummets to the floor.

"It's okay to say no." Raven deadpans. Beastboy shoves her but Raven doesn't acknowledge him or break eye-contact with me.

I recover my composure and reattach my lower jaw to my upper, "Okay then, no."

"What?!" Cyborg, Robin, Starfire, and Beastboy exclaim in outrage.

"But you saved my life, in that surgery and all our lives when Slade got the digital fingerprints." Cyborg protests, his mouth about as wide as mine had been.

"I said no. Unless, you're getting your butts whooped and I'm really needed I won't deny the world their safety, but I'm not any kind of superhero. As to those situations, all I did was put in a password that you mouthed to me. And- but how did you know about the mini-recorder?"

"Cyborg is also well versed in the technology industry." Starfire pipes up looking like a proud mother hen.

"See, you already have your genius." I smirked, the reporter in me already formulating a plan as to the point of milking this situation till it's dry. Then something occurs to me, "But wait, you know exactly what happened?" That I was tricked into smuggling the device inside, and was going to record everything without their knowing.

Robin exchanges looks with Cyborg and picks up the conversation where he left off, "A few background checks and we could guess most of it. Also noting that Slick Boulderdash is in county jail and is now pending for trial. He confessed everything under pain of having play-time with the Titans who he was planning on ruining." Robin smiles grimly.

I return his grin, dropping the bomb squarely on his shoulders, "So you trust me?"

He doesn't flinch but I can see torment brewing in his stance, "Yes."

"Yes." Starfire.

"Yes." Beastboy.

"Yes." Cyborg.

Pause.

"Somewhat." Raven.

"That's good enough." I snatch the com from Robin, and to protests from my ribcage, I lean forward, putting on my most winning grin, "Have you ever considered taking an agent?"

From the varying degree of shock registering on each of the Titans' faces I know my statement has come with just the amount of surprise I wanted it to. Except for Robin, his eyebrow is cocked and his arms folded, shaking his head slowly at my audacity. I smirk at him. We speak the same language.

Okay, so this is where the story originally ends... but (YES! There is a but!) for my sake, because Catty is so awesome and fun to write with, the story most likely will continue. Reviews are always appreciated, and I've decided on StarRob as one and only pairing- I think. Ugh, new stories are so hard to predict, but it most likely will have a crime syndicate, another transfer of Raven's powers, and GASP where did the actual recorder go?