Solidarity?

Chapter Eleven

March 19, 2005

(MOO)

Beatrice slumbered softly next to Richard as they lay in bed. The sun had long since set, and the two young lovers had slept the afternoon away. But now that he was awake, Richard was being plagued by Beatrice's very convincing arguments. Why didn't the five of them get together? True, they had their differences, but they had a lot of common ground as well, and they were each very powerful. It didn't seem to make sense for the five of them to stay separate for so long, not when they could have a bigger impact together.

There was a soft knock on the door before it opened. Richard instinctively drew the sheet over Beatrice's bare shoulder. She was beautiful, and he had no intention of sharing that beauty with any other eyes. Including Alfred, who had just poked his head into his room.

"Hello, Master Dick. I just wanted to let you know that your presence was requested by Master Bruce." He whispered, and passed a very friendly and knowing smile at the young man, "Are you able to come down?"

Richard nodded. "Yeah, I'll be there in just a few minutes."

"I'll tell Master Bruce…" Alfred nodded once before pulling back and closing the door. Richard stretched his limbs gently, and took one last look at Beatrice before he slid out of the warm bed and dressed.

"Where are you going?" Beatrice muttered as his hand hit the doorknob. Richard gave a start and turned around quickly, his gaze meeting dark eyes. "Why didn't you wake me up?" She sat up, the sheet falling from her body and exposing her bare skin to him. He felt his cheeks get warm suddenly, and there was a strange, innate desire to lock the doors and say 'to hell with Bruce'.

"Bruce wants to talk to me." He left the door and padded softly to his girlfriend, giving her an innocent kiss on the lips.

"Oh?" Beatrice suddenly became aware of her state of undress, and pulled the sheet around her body again, much to Richard's disappointment. "Well, go forth and do what you need to." She fell back onto the mattress and looked up him.

"I'm going to tell him what you told me," Richard stated bluntly, looking a little sheepishly to the side. He always hated admitting when he was wrong, and it was always worse when he had to admit it to Beatrice. "I think… I think you're right. It's stupid for us to be separate when we could do so much more good together."

"Well," Beatrice smiled up at him, "I'm glad you're starting to see things from a different perspective." As much as she tried to fight it, she couldn't help that her expression was a little smug. It was nice to know, however, that her ideas weren't being simply tossed aside; that Richard was actually thinking about what she said. Raven hadn't been fighting crime for as long as Robin, but there were some things that seemed common sense… which he lacked on occasion.

"I'll come get you for dinner, okay?" Richard leaned down and kissed her forehead. Beatrice simply nodded, and he smiled softly before turning to leave. He didn't particularly like to leave Beatrice alone, but there wasn't much else he could do. Bruce had called him, and Richard was forced to answer.

"Nice to see you've arrived back in one piece," Richard said with a smirk, as he entered his benefactor's study. Bruce sat on a chair as Alfred disinfected and dressed his several, oddly placed wounds. "Who was it this time?"

"Johnny Rancid," Bruce bit out between clenched teeth, as Alfred gently rubbed alcohol on an open wound. He let out a long hiss of pained breath before speaking again. "He's got that damned contaminated knife of his, and he got a few good hits in."

"Looks almost like you're getting a little careless," Richard responded, cocking a rather smug smile at the older man. He knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but his benefactor was in far too much pain to do anything about it.

"If I wasn't being fixed up right now," Bruce said harshly, his eyes narrowing at the younger man, "you'd find yourself on the floor."

"I'm glad you two have such a loving relationship," Alfred interjected quickly, a slight musical and mocking tone to his voice. His dark eyes lifted and smiled playfully at Richard, who chuckled softly in response. There was definitely a strange relationship between the two of them… but it was something special. It was a fraternal bond.

Richard moved languidly across the study to plop down in a chair across from Bruce. He actually wasn't that worried about the older man's wounds; Bruce had been in far worse scrapes before and had come out spotless. Besides, Bruce hated it when Richard fussed over him, he said it made him feel like he was an old, decrepit man.

"There," Alfred said finally as he pulled away from his wounded friend, "You're all patched up now, Master Bruce. But, be careful for the rest of this evening, I don't want to have to stitch you up again." The elder man moved to put away the small medical kit he carried. And when he was finished he nodded politely to his companions before exiting the study.

"So, you slept the whole afternoon?" Bruce asked, after Alfred had left. He raised a questioning eyebrow at the handsome young man in front of him.

Richard shrugged calmly in response and leaned back into his chair. "Among other things," He responded ambiguously, as his eyes drifted to the blazing fire in the fireplace. There was a long pause before he turned back to his benefactor. "She figured out who you are, Bruce." His gaze was serious and worrisome, as if telling Bruce this news would anger him greatly. Surprisingly, the older man appeared to be unfazed by this new information, he merely shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

"I expected she would put two and two together," he replied, his own eyes drifting to the hypnotic red-gold blaze. "Raven is very intelligent. All the reports I've read about her show her to have a very sharp and sound mind…" He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if trying to decide what to say next. Finally, he moved to look again at his ward. "I also know that you told her about our search."

"You have eyes and ears everywhere, Bruce," Richard replied stoically, his gaze shifting to meet the older man's, "I didn't expect for you to not find out. I told her, and she wants to help… but…" He shifted a little, as if uncomfortable about what he was going to say next. "But she thinks we would have a much better chance at fighting with and defeating Slade if all the Jump City heroes banded together."

Bruce looked mildly surprised, as his eyebrows shot up slightly. "Is that what she thinks?" He took on a thoughtful look for a few minutes, and waited in silence until all his mental strings were tied together. "I guess she has a very valid point… I don't see why all of you can't get together. After all, each of you protect the city… and there is strength in numbers."

Richard let his head roll back, and he let a long sigh escape his lips. "You agree with her?" He let a low growl escape from the back of his throat.

"Dick," Bruce said airily, trying to reason with the headstrong, young man, "the four –now five– of you have been fighting petty crimes in Jump City for nearly a year now. No one, not even you, or me, or even Victor ever expected a serious threat might arise… I think, Beatrice is right. There is strength, not to mention security, in numbers." There was a heartbeat of a pause, and Bruce nodded his head decidedly, as if he had made up his mind and would not change it for anything. "I will contact the others this evening… we will figure this problem out together."

Richard's head popped up and he looked rather sourly at his benefactor. "She's never going to let me live this down now, I hope you know." He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted slightly.

A slight chuckle spilled from the older man's lips. "That's your own fault for trying to have a mental match with someone like Raven." He stood up slowly, hoping his wounds were going to be agitated. He didn't have time to heal tonight; there was something far more important that needed his attention. "I'm going to call the others, why don't you and Raven have dinner and then meet me in the library."

Richard stood up and shook his head gently. "I really wish you would stop calling Bea that," he said exasperatedly, "I don't think she likes the title too much."

"Like it or not," Bruce began firmly as he moved behind his desk, "She is Raven, there is no way for her to change who she is now. She will become a member of Jump City's little force of heroic titans."

Richard let out a snort, and a smirk passed over his lips at his benefactor's odd word choice. "Titans? Somehow I don't think that's something we should be called…" He grinned mockingly at the older man. "Or shall I start calling myself Saturn?"

"Suit yourself," Bruce shrugged nonchalantly as he picked up the phone, "but I would be honored if someone compared me to a titan. It'd make me feel strong and powerful."

"And Greek too… kind of makes me want to go read about the birth of Zeus and Hera…" Richard laughed a little more before he went to the door. He paused for a moment as his fingers touched smooth metal, and then he turned and looked at Bruce. "I'll get some food in Bea and I, and then we'll meet you and the others in the library in an hour, alright?"

"That's fine," Bruce said, slightly distracted as he dialed numbers into his phone. "I'll see you then."

"Bye…" As Richard stepped out of the office he had a strange feeling like he was leaving something behind. Something important that he should remember forever… 'That's stupid,' he thought sharply, as he walked down the dark, eerie hall. 'I'm leaving nothing behind, but I am stepping into the unknown. But at least I won't be alone.' He smiled slightly, a light blush filling his cheeks at the thought of companionship. 'At least I'll be with Bea. Even if it is the unknown, I'll journey it with her.'

He opened the door to his room and walked in, finding the covers to their bed tossed in an unruly fashion, as if someone had decidedly jumped out of it without bothering to remake the covers. The scent of lavender wafted headily from his bathroom, and he could surmise that Beatrice was taking a bath.

"Hey, Bea?" He poked his head into the bathroom to find Beatrice soaking in the deep, bubble-filled tub with a book in her hands. She looked up at him and smiled, her eyes brightening slightly.

"Hi. How was Bruce? Is he still in one piece?" She asked, closing her copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray and setting it to the side. Richard sauntered into the room and sat down on the edge of the tub. He silently cursed the bubbles for being so thick and blocking his view of her flawless body. It really was a shame to hide something so heavenly from him.

"Bruce is fine, a little sore from his last fight," Richard responded calmly. "Apparently his opponent took a few good hits at him." He smiled slightly as he finally noticed the rare content expression Beatrice was carrying. "Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked, reaching forward and brushing a loose strand of hair from her face.

"We don't have a bathtub at home and I want to soak. Is that a crime?" She looked up at him and smiled slyly as a devilish thought popped into her mind. "You're more than welcome to join me."

"Don't tempt me, dark one," He teased, placing a single finger on her soft, pouty lips. "As much as you don't want to, you've got to get out and get dressed. Bruce wants to have a little meeting here in an hour, and you haven't eaten yet."

"Alright." Beatrice's normal, cold veil fell over her demeanor and she stood up and stepped out of the bath. She did, however, notice that Richard's eyes never left her body, and she made a bit of a show as she sauntered to her towel and dried herself off. A low growl escaped his lips, and he stood up swiftly. He hated not having the time to make love to her, especially when she was so teasing at the moment… and naked.

"Don't tempt me like that, Bea… I'm in a bad mood as it is, and knowing I can't touch you is making it worse." His voice almost seemed like a feral growl as he snapped sharply at her. He walked out of the bathroom and returned with some jeans and her favorite sweatshirt. "Hurry up and get dressed, you need to eat before this damned meeting."

"I'm not sure if I like you when you're sour," Beatrice responded calmly as she dressed. "You're very rude to me." Her eyes narrowed slightly and she slipped out of the bathroom, Richard close behind her. He suddenly felt like he was running in circles and getting nowhere with anybody.

"Look, Bea… it's just…" He took a deep breath to calm himself, and waited as she put on shoes. "It's just Bruce thought you were right. He thought it would be a far better idea if all of us got together…" Her looked away, and made a face of frustration.

"You're angry at me for being right?" Beatrice cocked her hips to the side and raised a questioning eyebrow. "That doesn't seem very mature."

He offered his hand to her. Raven accepted it graciously and the two of them walked down the cavernous halls together to the kitchen. "I'm frustrated because now I have to deal with Kory and Victor, that's why I'm frustrated or angry… or whatever."

"Kory?" Beatrice's eyes glowed white for a fraction of a second. "You've got to be kidding me!" Memories of her first meeting with Kory snapped back into her mind. She really didn't want to see the pretty redhead throw her curvaceous body around, trying to seduce Richard. It wasn't a very pleasing sight.

"Well," Richard responded conversationally as they turned a corner. "I would just keep your fist at bay. Being on the receiving end of it several times, I don't think she would appreciate it if you popped her one in the face."

"She better keep her hands off you, or I won't need to use my fist. My emotions control my powers, and they do just about whatever they want." Beatrice's lips pursed in irritation at the prospect of having to meet her again; she had no desire to see her whatsoever.

"My, my are you jealous, Beatrice?" Richard asked, his lips curling into a sly smile. Although, the smile was quickly terminated as Beatrice let her eyes glow for a quick moment. He was smart enough to realize that he shouldn't pick a fight with a half demon, particularly when she was irritated. Instead, he settled for feeding her. She should at least eat something before life, as they knew it, ceased to exist.

"Come on, let's get you some food."

(MOO)

Okay, so I know I said this was going to a long chapter, and it was going to the last, but I lied. As I was writing this chapter I realized the last chapter would be like fifteen pages long, and that's just far too long for a single chapter… or something like that.

So expect the next chapter to be the last, and I mean it this time! Cross my heart and hope to die… from eating chocolate!

THIS WEEK'S SHOUT OUT: Sarah Cabbage Patch! Why? Because you ROCK! … and I'm trying to motivate you to update. I miss your stories so much! They need some TLC from their author! PWEASE?

Okay… that being said, please leave a review! I always love it when I hear from the readers!