Chapter 9: Freedom Call

The wind whistled softly in Robin's ears as he stood surveying the damage before him. He hadn't thought it possible, but it was over-truly over. Slade and his minions were finished, and it wouldn't be long now before the authorities were there to retrieve the bodies and finish cleaning up the scene. The Titans, though victorious, were definitely a battered group. During the battle, Slade had tried to attack Terra, crushing her beneath his iron grip, but with a little help from Jinx and Aqualad, this didn't last long. Robin helped his teammates to get back to the T-Car and the T-Ship, dragging their feet but their heads held high in pride.

Upon returning to Titans East Tower, the superheroes decided that Azarath could wait until morning-it was time to celebrate! Four hours after the battle, the Titans were out on the town, indulging in more than one party, and more than a little to drink. Even Raven, whose conservative nature usually made her stay away from alcohol, imbibed a bit more than usual. By the time they arrived home, it was needless to say that another shower and a warm bed were in order. Robin still sat in the living room after his teammates had retired to bed. Out of the shadows came the slender figure of their newest teammate.

"Aries?" Robin called softly.

"Yeah, it's me," Aries murmured. Robin rubbed his temples with his hands.

"Wow," he muttered, hanging his head. "I don't think I needed that last drink." Aries laughed.

"I don't think any of us did," she replied, sitting down beside him. Sighing softly, Aries turned a bit and leaned back against Robin's shoulder, closing her eyes against the dim light of the living room. Robin shifted his weight a little and Aries unexpectedly slid backwards into his lap. She laughed as he gasped and then relaxed, supporting her head and neck with one arm and then resting the other over her torso. Robin looked down at Aries and smiled a bit. He was more than a little dizzy, and a little cold, but Aries' body was warm and that heat felt so good. A tingle worked its way up his spine when Aries lifted her hand to stroke his face. Having been without Starfire for several days, he was lonesome for the touch of a woman's hand. The dizziness was back, and the alcohol firing in his veins made him bold. He leaned into her hand for a moment, absorbing her affection.

Aries slowly slid out of Robin's lap and stood, taking his hand and helping him up. Without saying a word, she led Robin downstairs and down the hall to her room. Aries had not had as much to drink as she let on. As a matter of fact, she had only had one drink. Aries forgot about her conscience as she and Robin worked one another out of their clothes and fell to her bed.

An hour later, down the hall and around the corner, Beast Boy was startled awake by the sound of his wife's voice. Raven had sat bolt upright in bed and was pressing her right hand against her head.

"What's wrong?" Beast Boy asked groggily.

"I don't know—my head!" Raven gasped. Beast Boy sat up and wrapped his arms around Raven, looking her over in an attempt to find out what was bothering her. As he did this, the pain intensified and Raven started to shake and she cried out in pain. Beast Boy's eyes widened as he watched his wife collapse into his arms. She was in so much pain she couldn't even see. Beast Boy got out of bed, hoisted Raven into his arms and exited the room, heading down a level to the still-new medical bay.

"What's happening?" cried Bumblebee, pulling her robe over her shoulders.

"I don't know! She woke up with her head hurting and now she's in so much pain" Beast Boy started, but before he could finish the sentence, Raven's grip went limp. Panicking, Bumblebee and several others who had awakened at the sound of the commotion, worked furiously to try to revive their friend. It was too late. As they worked, the crimson red crystal on Raven's forehead disintegrated. Her teammates gasped at this and then watched helplessly as Raven slipped into a shallow coma.

"No!" Beast Boy cried, squeezing her hand. "No! Raven! Come back!"

"She's not dead, B. She'll be okay. Give her some time to heal herself. I'm sure she'll be okay," Cyborg said, resting his hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. A tear fell from Beast Boy's eye as he pulled up a chair and sat down beside the bed.

"There's nothing else we can do," Bumblebee muttered. "We may as well go back to bed for a couple more hours. Until she's conscious again, we can't even get to Starfire and the kids. We're helpless."

Torque covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a sob as Speedy eased her into his embrace to comfort her. The Titans shuffled back to bed, exhausted and unsure of what the morning hours would bring.

Hours later, when morning sun spilled over the folds and wrinkles in the bed sheets, Aries took a deep breath and rolled over, snuggling into the tightly muscled arms of the man beside her. Robin took a deep breath of his own, moaned softly and without opening his eyes, buried his nose in Aries' hair and breathed for a few moments as he wound his arm around her. It only took him that few seconds space to realize where he was.

"Aries?"

"Good morning," Aries mumbled back, lightly kissing his neck.

"What the—what am I—what did we…Oh my God…" Robin stammered, pulling out of Aries' embrace and sitting up to rub his tired eyes with his hands.

"What's wrong?" Aries murmured, sitting up beside him.

"What's wrong? Aries, I'm a married man!" Robin cried. "My wife is in another dimension and I spent the night with another woman! You want to know what's wrong?"

"You don't have to yell at me," Aries grumbled, tugging at the covers. "You didn't exactly protest when I"

"Stop! I don't need to remember the details. I gotta get out of here before someone catches me," Robin growled, getting out of bed and reaching for the scattered pieces of his uniform.

"Did this mean anything?" Aries asked as Robin pulled his shirt over his head.

"Aries…"

"Just answer me!"

Robin looked at her, searching for something in her eyes. "You didn't drink last night. I was totally thrashed and you knew it…you used me…You knew I'd never sleep with you otherwise…" Robin thought out loud.

"Robin, I"

"Leave me alone. I have a mission to finish," Robin snapped, lacing up his shoes and draping his cape around his shoulders.

"Robin!"

"Shut up!" he cried, ignoring it when she flinched. "I love my wife and I love my son and I can't believe you would think so highly of yourself that you think you can just put yourself above that…Just stay away from me." With that, Robin stormed out into the hallway and made for the upstairs living area for breakfast. On the way there, he crossed paths with Beast Boy, who filled him in on what had happened to Raven during the night. Robin squeezed Beast Boy's shoulder and told him to go and get some rest. He himself would go watch over Raven for a while.

Robin shuddered as he heard the beep of the machine that monitored Raven's heartbeat and brainwaves. He sat down in the chair that Beast Boy had just vacated and slipped his hand into Raven's.

"Are you in there, Raven?" Robin called softly. Robin's eyes widened as his best friend's brainwaves increased and her eyes flickered open. Raven took a shallow breath and turned her head, just as if she had heard him calling her. She looked at Robin and gently smiled.

"I see what's going on in your head, Robin," Raven murmured.

"Do you?" Robin asked.

"You're worried," Raven replied.

"Worried about you," Robin added. Raven closed her eyes, took a deeper breath and sighed.

"What happened?" Robin asked, standing up to get closer to her.

"Oh, Robin," she murmured. "I'm free." Robin looked a bit perplexed. "Free?" he echoed.

"I've had the voice of my father in my head all my life…fighting for control of my emotions…all my life…but it's gone…it's over…I'm truly at peace for the first time in my life," Raven replied, a tear escaping her eyes. Robin squeezed her hand and bent down to kiss her forehead.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Robin asked. Raven smiled and sighed again.

"I want my children, Robin. I want to hold my babies and tell them all that I love them," Raven replied, swallowing her tears. Robin slid his arms around Raven and hugged her. Raven smiled as she embraced him, allowing herself to genuinely feel the love in his friendship for the first time.

"Thank you, Robin," she murmured.

"What are best friends for?" he replied with a grin as he eased her back down to the bed and tucked her in.

In Azarath, the scene was far from the peace that Raven was experiencing. The people of Azarath cowered in their homes and feared for their lives as the demon, Trigon the Terrible, the crimson beast that became Raven's father, rained fire and ash upon the small community. The young Titans cowered in their grandmother's home as she and Starfire ran to assist the others in defending the town. The house shuddered on its foundations, and Toby and Olivia sheltered their younger siblings as they watched the windows trying to get a glimpse of Arella and Starfire in action. It didn't look good from their perspective.

"Can we do something now, please?" cried Olivia.

"Like what? We can't leave the others!" Toby cried.

"I'll watch them!" Jason cried. "Emily and me!"

With this, Toby and Olivia launched themselves toward the door and bounded outside.

"Why have the others not come for you and the children yet?" Arella shouted over the din of the battle.

"I do not know! There must be something wrong!" Starfire shouted, sending another barrage of starbolts hurling toward the monster. Olivia scooped her brother up as she leapt into the air, holding him under the arms as they soared toward Starfire. Not expecting them, Starfire gasped as Olivia dropped Toby onto her back and Toby clasped his arms around her shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Starfire cried. "You must return to the house where you are safe!"

"Try your starbolts again, Auntie Star!" Olivia shouted, getting behind her. Starfire wound up and screamed as she released another massive energy bolt. This one, instead of knocking the demon off balance, made him fall to the ground.

"Whooo! Go Auntie Star!" Olivia cried, adding her own very small energy bolts to fire fight. Stopping abruptly, Olivia stared at her hands.

"How'd I do that?" she gasped.

"Way to go, Sis!" Toby laughed, immediately turning his concentration back to Starfire. The Demon Trigon looked up from the ground, flat on his back, to see the woman he had taken so long ago, accompanied by their fledgling grandchildren.

"Why have you come, demon?" Arella demanded.

"You know full well why I have come. Those creatures you defend have been foreseen to be my downfall. It was my purpose in resurrecting that fool human Slade that he would remedy this problem for me!" Trigon bellowed.

"Look your last, monster!" Arella screamed. Toby and Olivia clutched their grandmother tightly as she levitated above the creature. Toby felt the energy in his little body surge as Arella began to generate what would become the final blow. It took every ounce of energy between her and her grandchildren, but the end result was a devastatingly large bolt of telekinetic power that Arella drove down through the demon. The resulting pulse rattled the buildings and temple and brought all the people of Azarath to the ground.

The monster destroyed, Arella took her twin grandchildren into her arms and wilted to the ground, falling unconscious as soon as they touched down to the earth.

When Robin walked into the kitchen, Beast Boy looked up from the bowl of oatmeal he was trying very hard not to fall asleep in.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you with Raven?" Beast Boy demanded. Then his eyes grew wide. "No…oh, God, no…" Robin grabbed hold of Beast Boy's shoulders and forced him to look at him.

"Hold up! Raven's fine! She woke up for me and she's conscious. Finish your oatmeal. She's gonna want to see you pretty quick. You won't believe what she's got to say," Robin said, leaving Beast Boy to balance himself. A bit in shock, Beast Boy finished his cereal in record speed and headed down to the med bay. When he arrived, Raven's bed was empty. He was about to call for her when he heard a voice behind him.

"Looking for me?" Raven said, a calm smile playing with her pretty features. Beast Boy turned and dropped his jaw. Raven was not just out of bed, but she was dressed in a costume Beast Boy had not seen since they were teens. It was startlingly white, and there was a new jewel on Raven's forehead. Beast Boy pulled her into his arms and kissed her, so relieved that she was alive. When he pulled back a bit, he lightly ran his fingers over the new gem.

"It's blue…" Beast Boy mused. Raven smiled. She explained to Beast Boy what she had told Robin and then added, "I hardly recognized myself when I looked in the mirror. I've worn that jewel for so long I didn't even look like myself without one. So I decided blue was in order. Do you like it?"

"Of course I like it," Beast Boy murmured, stroking her hair and then kissing her again. "Are you feeling up to going to get our children, Mrs. Logan?" Raven smiled at the tone of his voice.

"Of course I am! I'm free of that monster…if you willed it, I could do anything!" Raven replied. Beast Boy wasn't ready for such enthusiasm from her. He smiled in surprise and kissed her again. He could definitely get used to this.

Raven accompanied him back up to the living area, where the others had gathered.

"Let's finish this," Robin said with a smile.

Raven wasted no time creating the portal that would lead her teammates to Azarath, but she wasn't prepared for what she saw on the other side. The people were still picking themselves up off the ground, and Raven nearly panicked when she spotted her mother and the twins lying on the ground.

"Arella!" Beast Boy cried.

"My babies!" Raven cried, following him. The two knelt beside their family members and Toby lifted his head.

"Mommy? Is that you?" he asked, looking Raven up and down.

"Yes, honey, it's me," Raven replied, pulling Toby into her arms. Beast Boy gently rolled Olivia out of Arella's grasp and the little one coughed back to life.

"Hi, daddy," she grinned. Beast Boy laughed as he held her close, kissing her face and head. Raven set Toby on his feet as Arella came around.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Raven asked, supporting Arella as she sat up.

"We've done it…he's gone…the demon cannot harass you ever again, my daughter," Arella murmured, stroking Raven's face.

"You did this?" Raven whispered, tears of concern rolling down her cheek.

"I had help," Arella replied, chuckling as Toby and Olivia snuggled against her. When the Titans located Arella's cottage, Jason heard his family coming and bolted out the door, straight into Robin's waiting arms. Robin kissed his wife and son over and over, grateful to have them back. Similar small microcosms were occurring all over the cottage. Speedy wound his arms around Torque as she held Aidan, Cyborg wept as he picked up his son again, only to surrender him to Jinx seconds later. Raven lifted Caleb into her arms and rocked him a bit as he cried. Emily, running across the room, leapt and landed smack in her father's arms.

"I missed you, daddy," Emily cooed, kissing her father's cheek. Toby and Olivia clung to their parents as they sat down for a moment to rest and recover from the separation they had all been through. The noise in the cottage was the equivalent of a block party as the emotions between parents and children became equalized. Once the kids were calm and the parents satisfied, Arella herself created the portal that sent the Titans back to their home. The last one through the portal was Raven, who threw her arms around Arella and held her.

"Thank you, Mamma," Raven cried. Arella smiled as she looked into her daughter's dark blue eyes.

"You just remember to bring those grandchildren of mine back to visit—often. None of this staying away for years at a time stuff," Arella said, sniffling away tears. Raven nodded.

"I love you, Mamma," Raven murmured. Arella's look of shock was priceless.

"You've never told me that before," Arella stammered. She embraced Raven again and then wept as she disappeared through the portal. When it closed, Arella was left to her empty cottage again, but her heart was filled to bursting—another dimension away, she had an entire family that she could look forward to seeing now and grandchildren to watch. Arella picked up a broom and hummed as she began to sweep the floors of the cottage. Perhaps now things would work out after all.

Back at the other Tower, the exhilarated Titans shared hugs of their own.

"Let's celebrate!" Beast Boy cried.

"Minus the alcohol this time, please?" suggested Robin. His teammates laughed.

"Spoil sport!"

"What's wrong, Rob, got a little too trashed the other night?"

"You could say that," chuckled Robin. As the focus of the conversation changed to making plans, Robin pulled Speedy aside, his heart pounding against his ribs.

"Can we talk? In private? I need someone to talk to and you need to hear it." Robin said in Speedy's ear. Speedy looked a bit confused, but followed him into the other room anyway.

"It's just a couple of Bacardi's, Robin. It won't kill you," Speedy chuckled when Robin shut the door. Robin smiled for a moment. Speedy was almost as bad a party animal as Beast Boy.

"No, it's not about the party. There's something you need to know about your sister," Robin replied. Speedy sat down. He was unprepared for what Robin had to say.

"You're lying!" Speedy shouted, standing and knocking the chair over in his haste.

"How long have we known each other? Why would I lie to you?" Robin cried, standing with him. "Look at me. Look me in the eye. I am not lying to you." Speedy rubbed his face with his hands. He wasn't sure what to do with this. Plainly, Aries was at fault. He had seen how many drinks Robin had had compared to her. Just like most of the other guys, Robin had been hammered.

"I…I didn't think she was capable of something like this," Speedy stammered.

"I'm sorry, Speedy," Robin replied.

"About what? You were sloshed, just like the rest of us. She took advantage of you and that's not right," Speedy said, turning away from Robin and biting his lip. He admired that Robin had had the guts to come to him—but now what? How was he supposed to handle this? Robin resumed his seat and sat forward, letting his head fall forward into his hands.

"What's wrong?" Speedy asked.

"Star…how am I ever going to tell her? I can't keep it from her—she could find out from someone else and I'd never hear the end of it. Or worse, I will hear the end of it: she'll leave me and take Jason with her." Robin moaned.

"You really think she wouldn't understand?" Speedy asked.

"Starfire is more emotional than Raven and Torque put together and more sensitive than Terra. I'm in deep shit…" Robin replied.

"I've got an idea. I think Torque could take it if we told her. She could help us tell Star," Speedy suggested. Then he smirked. "The advantages of having more than one family in one tower." Robin looked up. "Do you really think it will work?"

"We won't know unless we try," Speedy answered, clapping Robin on the back. "Buck up. This isn't the end."

"I hope you're right," Robin groaned.