Fighting on the Edge.

Part I. Birth Rites.

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Time for Chapter Nine!

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9. The Beginning.

Raven sat awkwardly in the corner of the room. She could feel the other's eyes peering at her when they thought she wasn't looking. She pulled her legs close up to her chest, longing for everything to end and go back to the way it was. Her dark purple curls flooded into her pretty eyes as she bent her head forwards. Things could never go back to the way they were. She could never go back to the person she had once been.

A strong Raven. Not just physically but mentally. The old Raven would never have taken crap from her father. She would have fought him with her dieing breathe. She would never have given into her feelings of lust for Beast Boy, nor for Tempest. That was what it had all been, she reassured herself, a moment of weakness. Raven sat up straight, as she did she caught sight of the alien girl glancing in her direction but sharply turning back when their eyes met. Raven narrowed her eyes.

"Would everyone please stop looking at me like I'm some sort of freak!" she snapped.

Starfire darted to her side. "I am very sorry friend, but I can not contain my happiness at your expecting joy!" Without warning the alien clamped her arms around Ravens chest.

"Tell me, do you hope for a boy or a girl?"

Raven pushed her aside. "At this moment in time I couldn't care less." She turned her back on Starfire, who flashed a nervous glance at Robin. Robin walked towards his girlfriend and whispered something into her ear. Starfire looked even more confused.

"Raven, what are hormones?"

Raven glared furiously at Robin, but said nothing. Instead her attention was fixed on the only one person who truly matter in the middle of this mess. Beast Boy.

Garfield Logan remained huddled near the large windows of the T tower. His tiny eyes motionlessly watched the rain trickling down the panes, although Raven could tell they held little interest for him. Raven glanced over at Azar silently pleading for her assistance, but for some reason Azar also appeared distant. Trapped within the calculations of her own mind, The once Supreme One was questioning her own powers and abilities. Had she not come face to face with the greatest evil known to man and lost the battle? Had she not allow Raven to leave the safety of her home world thus allowing her to spawn Trigon a heir? Azar cursed her own foolish nature. If it had not been for her then Raven would never have been placed in this situation which could call for only one outcome: the death of her child or the death of her friends.

Awakening from her thoughts, Azar caught wind of Ravens pleading. She nodded, assuring the girl that she understood, but also advising her that it was now time to reveal the identity of the father.

Raven sighed. She knew she would regret doing this, but it had to be done. Suddenly an idea sparked in her mind. Only she knew the truth, and whatever she said Azar would not disagree with it, if it was Raven's will. Azar was one of the few people Raven knew she could always turn to, always trust no matter what. The girl had already placed the incident that occurred earlier that evening far out of her mind.

Beast Boy had suffered enough. He and Raven could never be together. After all there was still the element of Terra which complicated the equation. One day she will return, and then what? The half demon wondered. But she already knew the answer. Beast Boy would turn to her…to Terra. She was the light, and Raven…Raven was the dark. No one wants to spend their life in the shadows... Except Tempest of course. The boy loved her, and look how she had treated him? Raven shook her head. This was the only way she could make things right between the three of them.

Across the room, their eyes meet. Tempest drifted towards Raven. Forcing a smile onto his handsome face, he asked her how she was.

"I'm fine." Raven lowered her head.

"I think we need to talk." the young man continued.

"I agree."

Azar's ice cold stare cut sharp through Raven's tiny body. The girl stared back at her, equally as cold. The woman knew what Raven's intention were, but was powerless to intervene. This was after all Raven's decision. Azar bowed her head, indicating to Raven that she accepted her choice and would not try to talk her round it. Raven managed a small smile of thanks, before taking Tempest by the arm and leading him out of the den.

The other Titans were left to make up their own minds of what the conversation was about, with no clues from Azar. Beast Boy watched them leave, as he did his heart sank.

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Once Tempest had entered the half demon's dark and dreary bedroom, Raven closed the door behind them, checking first that no one had followed them. No one had of course, but Raven wasn't taking any chances. Tempest glanced in her direction, hovering above her bed. Before she had a chance to speak he spoke absentmindedly.

"I know about you and Beast Boy."

The news came as a shock to Raven, but she hid it well. Her strength was returning to her. She felt like she could lock all her feelings inside her once more without an repercussions. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ears she walked towards Tempest.

"It meant nothing." she lied.

Tempest tossed her an annoyed look. "Oh and I suppose that makes it any better!" a flash of thunder boomed from outside. He sighed and whispered in a calmer tone. "You could have told me. I would have understood."

"Would you?" Raven raised an eyebrow in disbelief causing Tempest to grin slightly.

"Okay. No I wouldn't have. But if you had said that you and him were …you know… together, then I would never have gotten involved."

Raven stared at the floor. "I'll admit I should have told you. But it's over. Not that there really was anything to it. Just one night."

"Raven, you know how I feel about." Tempest leapt in the air, hearts formed in his eyes once more. "You're my little turtle dove. I'd do anything for you. But I'm not going to play second fiddle…"

"You don't have to." She interrupted him, floating up besides the boy, Raven gently brushed her hand through his shimmering white hair. "You're the one I want. Not Beast Boy."

In a matter of seconds Tempest had his arms around the girl and was hugging her like there was no tomorrow. Raven relaxed in his arms, enjoying the feeling of being loved. Garfield didn't love you, she told herself. He couldn't wait to get away from you. Now you can have exactly what you've always wanted. A family…

"The baby's yours." she whispered into Tempest ear.

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Jericho was upstairs in his room doing his homework, having no idea what was going on at the tower. Unlike the other Titans Jericho still lived at home. His mother didn't actually know he had joined the Titans yet, Joey was waiting for the right opportunity to tell her. Gnawing the end of his pencil, whilst trying to solve a difficult maths problem, the door bell rang. His mother called out that she would get it. Joey sighed, for a minute there he had hoped he could escape algebra for a minute or two. Nevertheless he might get lucky and it was the Titans in desperate need of his help. Homework would have to wait then.

Who am I kidding? Mum won't let me leave until all my work is done. Even if the city was on fire… She be more interested why the Titans were knocking on her door…And that could be a real awkward moment.

It wasn't that his mother didn't like the Titans, rather she would disapprove of her son run around the city at night with them. She was so protective of him. Jericho really couldn't understand why.

A sudden cry snapped him from his thoughts. Dropping his pencil, the boy crept to his door, opening it slightly. A thin crack of light from the hall entered his room. The voices became cleared, but not as much so that he could recognise the new one. It was definitely a man. But it was unfamiliar to him, so Joey could deliberate no more. From the positioning of his room, Joey was able to sneak on the landing and get a clearer look. Naturally the man had chosen to hang in the shadows. All Joey could make out was a thick lock of spiky black hair. There was something familiar about him, but Joey couldn't place his finger on it.

At that precise moment his mother happened to look up and caught his eye. "Joseph get to your room this instant!" she snapped. She seemed distressed, and so not wishing to offend her, Joey obeyed. But as he stood up, he saw his mother's pale figure reflecting in the hall mirror, an unmistakable feeling of misery swiped over him.

This is the last time you'll ever see her again. His mind told him.

Once she had seen her son shut the door, she turned back to her ex-husband. "You can leave now."

"He's my son too." The man reminded her. There was something sinister about the way he spoke, there always had been. She questioned why she had ever been attracted to that man.

"No." she shook her head. "He's not. Because of you, he lost his voice. If you truly cared about him, you would never have placed either of us in that situation!"

The man smiled. "I had hoped that over time you would have come to forgive me for that little incident."

"Get out." The woman held the door open for him. "And don't even think about coming back!"

The man passed through it. "As you wish."

From his bedroom window Joseph watched his father go. He clutched the window frame, as he did so he sensed the man's angst. For some reason Jericho knew that this man was his father with out needing to be told. He sighed, secretly wishing that his father had tried sooner to get in contact with him. It was too late now.

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Concerned that Beast Boy wouldn't take the news of Raven's pregnancy well, Cyborg when to his friends room to try and speak with him. But the green creature had locked his door and wouldn't answer it for anyone. Cyborg was about to bang on the door with all his might, but then changed his mind. What would be the point? BB would be mad. He would throw a huge sulk that could last for weeks. The Titan sighed, not realising Robin was stood behind him.

"How is he?" Robin asked.

"How do you think?" Cyborg turned around. "Man, I can't believe Raven would do this to him!"

"I don't think she meant to hurt him." Robin protested.

"Yeah but that still didn't stop her." Cyborg folded his arms. "And now she's going to be rubbing her nose in his face, whilst she and Tempest play happy families!"

Robin shook his head. "I never realised Beast Boy felt so strongly for Raven."

"Dude, I don't even he did until recently." A look of concern appeared on his face. "Why are we falling apart?" he questioned.

"We're not." Robin said in automatic defence mode.

"Doesn't look that way from where I'm standing." Cyborg glanced over his shoulder at his friends bedroom door.

"Do you want me to ask Tempest to leave?" Robin asked.

Instantly Cyborg caught Robin's eye. He nodded. "It's not even like he's a real member of the team, like a month ago he was our enemy!"

"Yet but now he's not."

"I can't believe you're putting this jerk ahead of BB!" Cyborg snapped. Robin was taken a back a little. He had never known Cy to display his feelings as openly as he was doing. How long had he felt that way towards Tempest? The boy found himself wondering. If he was able to conceal his feelings for Tempest so well, what else had he been hiding?

"I can't do that."

"Sure you can!" Cy bellowed. "Its easy. I'll do if you don't!"

"No you won't." Robin tried to calm the other Titan down. Resting his hand on Cyborg's shoulder he gave him a tiny smile. "Tempest is the father of Raven's baby. She obviously cares for him. And what this Azar lady has told us, Raven's going to need all the help she can get. If we get rid of Tempest, it might destroy her…" his voice trailed off when he caught sight of a figure drifting through the shadows. At first Robin thought it might have been Raven, but as the person approached them he learn that it was Jericho, with a grim expression plastered all over his face.

"Joey, what's the matter?" Robin left Cyborg's side.

"Yeah man, shouldn't you be at home right about now?" Cyborg said. His anger seemed to have melted away.

Joseph held up his hands and in the dimly lit hall made the signal for danger. Unable to understand, Cyborg turned to his friend for help, but found Robin mesmerized by each flick of Jericho's hands.

"He says dangers coming sooner then we think." Robin's voice was all that could be heard above the silence of the corridor.

"When?" Cyborg asked.

Joey shook his head. I don't know. In fact I don't know how I know these things. But all of a sudden I know them. What I can tell you is that this time tomorrow, things will never be the same again……

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That's all for now.

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DIT XXX