Teen Titans: I Need Her

Chapter Nine: a little HBO special

A/N: Here it is: the last chapter of I Need Her. Sniff Sniff Excuse me a moment Blows nose and bawls loudly in the corner Just, just ignore me and get on with the story. Turns around again and screams "It's over! What am I going to do now!"

Robin let his head rest on the bed, the steady beep of the machines letting him know everything was still okay. Everything had been in a state of 'okay' for the last four days and Robin was beginning to worry about the petite girl on the bed next to him. He had practically rushed Raven back to the Tower in Cy's T-car with Terra keeping her steady in the back seat as Jinx led the rest of the Titans back to Slade's latest lair to collect all of Raven's possessions so she could return to her old self.

He lifted his face up to stare into Raven's peaceful expression, a nice change of scenery, compared to the looks of anguish she had been having lately, ever since Cy and Jinx worked for 48 hours around the clock trying to get her chakra back on and with all of her magic back inside her.

Robin tightened his grip on her hand and was just happy that she was here, by his side, once more and when she woke up, he vowed he was going to tell her he loved her every second of everyday and he was going to show her just as much as well. He leaned up for a second to brush her now lengthy hair back from her face and planted a small kiss on her forehead.

I hope that she can forgive me for being such a jackass, he thought as he stared at her angelic face. I hope she can see me for the loving person that I am. I want her to love me back as much as I have always loved her.

Robin was torn from his thoughts as a tiny voice coughed from the doorway, interrupting his musings and smiling awkwardly at him.

"How's she doing?" Jinx asked, walking slowly into the room.

Robin smiled back at her and his eyes caught on the yellow communicator that she had surprisingly accepted just the day before hanging off of her side. Jinx had decided to accept the invitation to become a Titan and she made a complete turnaround, changing her hair and outfit along with her social status.

Her cotton candy-colored pink hair now hung down her to her shoulders and it made her look a little less witchy, to say the least. She traded her "Hag Horror" outfit as Beast Boy had dubbed it and she now sported black knee-length leather boots, a short purple skirt and a torn up black and purple striped tank top, topped off with her signature choker.

"She's doing okay," he replied softly, stroking her hand. "Her vitals are a little more calm compared to yesterday."

"That's good," Jinx murmured, still a little nervous being this close to the 'good guys' without the urge to blow one of them away. She was going to ask Robin something when the loud sound of metal feet came clambering into the medical bay.

"Hey Rob, man," Cyborg greeted, placing an arm around Jinx's waist, earning a tiny blush from the spunky bad luck vixen. "How's Dark Girl coming along?"

"She's doing all right," he answered, smiling lightly at the early stages of affection in the new Tower couple. "Still no response, but her heart rate is back down to normal and she's looking better too."

Cyborg left his girlfriend for a moment and went over to place a large hand on his distraught leader's shoulder.

"Rob you've been by her side for four days straight without once taking a break or sleeping or eating or showering or anything," Cyborg lamented. "I think it would do you some good to go and get some rest or some food or a shower or something. Raven will be fine without your presence for a few minutes."

"But I want to be here when she wakes up," Robin argued adamantly. "I need to be here for her... for me..."

"Listen Robin," Jinx said, walking towards Raven's bed and placing a gentle hand on Robin's. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on her while you go take a quick shower and get some food in you. I'll alert you first thing if the slightest change comes up anywhere. I promise."

Robin looked forlornly at his new pink-haired teammate and kept looking back and forth between her and his only love. Finally, after five minutes, he relented and let Cy lead him into the kitchen to get him up and moving for the first time in the better part of a week. Alone with Raven, Jinx pulled up a chair to the opposite side that Robin had claimed and placed a warm hand atop of Raven's.

"Listen, Rae," she started, furrowing her brow, trying to pick the right words to say. "I know that in the past we haven't been exactly the best of...bosom buddies or anything, but after everything that has happened lately, I've been thinking about that a lot and I really don't understand it. I know we have our differences, doesn't everybody? But I think we have more in common than we ever wanted to admit. I know that maybe you weren't exactly yourself when you were Raina, but I think the majority of your personality, if not your memories, was still there with you."

Jinx paused to take a deep breath and she continued. "These past weeks have been great because I felt like I had found a true friend, one I could count on and could trust. You... you were like a sister to me almost, Raven, and you have to believe me when I say that I feel so completely awful for allowing Slade do that to you... I didn't know the real you, the one that everyone else has gotten to know, and I didn't know how much alike you and I are...

"I hope you can forgive me Raven, for everything I have ever done to you and... I would hope that we could still be friends whenever you wake up. With the exception of Cyborg, I have never known anyone who has made me feel so accepted and so... loved, and I think we could be, dare I say it, best friends? Anyway, I just want you to know I'm so, incredibly sorry for everything that has happened to you and hope you can find it in your heart to forgive a good friend..."

Jinx looked down to hide her watery eyes and she grabbed onto Raven's hand and squeezed as if holding onto her would make all of the bad things she had done with her life go away. Jinx jumped in her seat as her hand was suddenly being squeezed back; her head shot up and she saw Raven staring at her with tears running down her cheeks and a small but warm smile grazing her lips.

"I forgive you Jinx," she rasped, her voice nearly inaudible.

"Oh Raven!" Jinx cried, standing up and enveloping her new friend in a tight hug, neither of them caring as the other's tears dampened their shirts.

The two girls just sat there crying over their newfound friendship, oblivious to the world around them, just being content in the fact that they had put everything behind them and found a true friend in difficult times. Their cries and sobs caught the attention of the other Titans as they all rushed into the Medical Bay to see what the ruckus was all about.

"RAVEN!" Terra cried as she ran into the room and saw her good friend awake at last. She rushed over to the bed and latched onto the much-missed Titan and the three girls just sat there giggling and hugging and crying. Insert hysterical Tamaranian Alien Princess here as well. Starfire came zooming into the room, nearly knocking over her fiancé and Beast Boy on her way, as she joined in on the fray and hugged and laughed and cried at the reunion of her female cohorts.

"Woah dude," Beast Boy said, smiling at the sight on the medical bed and motioning over to Roy. "Just add a mud pit and a video camera and we'd have ourselves a little HBO special right here."

Roy busted out laughing, as did Cyborg who came sauntering into the room at that moment; the girls, though, were not that amused, as a barrage of pillows, blankets, gauze, bandages, and other various materials were scooped up and pelted at the elf-like shape shifter. As the little green man was buried underneath a mountain of supplies, the other two guys came over and welcomed their resident Empath back, each giving her a warm hug and wiping away all the tears that had accumulated on everyone's faces, including theirs and Beast Boy's, who was now free and next to Raven, giving her that type of hug that only a little brother knows how to give.

Everyone was so excited and questions were flying everywhere that they failed to notice they were currently short one Titan, that is, until he happened to hear the commotion all the way from his shower and dashed into the room. Robin ran into the room to see what the yelling, laughing, and crying was all about and stopped at the sight; he just stood there until finally Roy looked over and saw his dazed expression.

"Rob?" he questioned, pulling away from the excited fray and drawing everyone's attention to the newest addition in the room. "You okay, man?"

"Raven..." was all he could get out as his gaze never left hers, his attention solely on the one he had thought he lost a thousand times over.

"Ahem," Starfire said, backing away from the bed and the transfixed half-demon. "Friends? I think maybe I hear the bell of the doors. We should depart and check to see the new visitors that have come at this exact moment, of all times."

"Star what are you talking about?" Beast Boy asked dumbfounded, as the others proceeded to drag him away and they all left the two birds to themselves. "I didn't hear anything, there was no doorbell. Hey! What's going on, guys? Wh— "

The door to the Medical Bay swished behind them and the two remaining Titans just sat there, tears running down their cheeks and so many emotions flying across their features. Neither knew what to say or do, for they had so many situations running through their brains at the moment, and both of them seemed frozen in place.

"Robin..." Raven finally whispered, a small smile gracing her angelic face as her beautiful violet eyes stared into his and her lavender hair seemed to float as if she had her own personal sexy wind machine.

Robin cried freely as he could do nothing but stare at this gorgeous creation, alive and well, and so completely in love... with him. He couldn't find the strength to say anything and so, in another attempt to ridicule the Flash, he was next to Raven's bed and holding onto her as if his very life depended on it. They say there for what seemed like forever, each truly content to just sit there in the other's arms for the rest of their lives. Finally, after an eternity, Robin pulled back a little and brushed away Raven's tears and caressed her soft face.

"Oh gosh Raven," he murmured, resting his forehead against her own and closing his eyes. "I missed you so much. I am so, so, so, so unbelievably sorry for everything I have done to you. I never meant to hurt you, I never meant to do any harm of any sort to you, I never want to let you go, ever again... I thought I had lost you and I was so frightened."

He paused for a second and then continued. "I'm sorry that I took advantage of you and that I was so completely oblivious to your feelings towards me... It makes me feel just that more stupid because, after all this time, you really did love me, and I couldn't see it... The one thing I have always desired, and you were right here in front of me, all this time."

He lifted his head again and placed his face that much closer to Raven's and lost himself in her loving pools. "Raven... I love you... I love you so much and I always have; you were the only one I have ever been in love with, and I hate that I deluded myself to think anyone else could take your place. I never said anything because I thought you didn't feel the same way and I couldn't risk you rejecting me, I don't know what I would have done. I'll understand completely if you decide you want nothing to do with me, but Raven, can you ever, please forgive me? Can you give me peace and just let me finally love you like I've always wanted to?"

Raven just searched his handsome eyes and found such love that she had only ever dreamed of before and the tears fell in even more abundance as she let his words sink into her heart. She brought her hands up to his face and brushed against his own tears, making her smile as she realized those tears were full of love... love, for her...

Without a second thought, Raven closed the distance between them and claimed his lips in their first real, passionate kiss; as far as they were concerned, this was the first ever real kiss between the real them and they were going to make it count. Robin's thoughts dissipated as her soft lips seized his and he could practically taste the love in her mouth. He unconsciously moaned and she opened her mouth to let him enter. His tongue gracefully darted to hers and they tangoed in a loving, sensual dance as the two lovebirds drowned in their own private, true love.

Raven didn't have to say it out loud, but Robin knew, he could just feel, how much she loved him, how much she would always love him. The moment was perfect to them and they wouldn't change a thing, everything they had been through was in the past now and the only thing left to do was make the journey into the future together, their future.Neither cared about the time or anything as they just sat there, embraced in their love's arms, finally joining together as they had been fated to do since the dawn of time.

Fin...

A/N: I did it... I finished another story...I am so...proud of myself. And yet, this one was my baby, and I can't believe it's really over. I know it wasn't that long or anything, but I didn't feel the need to draw it out, especially after everything they had been through, which was, after all, quite a lot, if you ask me. Well, let me know what you think of this creation as I am going right now (seriously) to try and get the first chapter of my newest fic done and posted. L8R Daze...