Hello everyone. Today it's Mizu online and updating in place of Sora. She apologizes for her absence. However, she's feeling just a little under the weather. So, she wrote the next chapter and I'm here to update the post.
Sora really hopes this chapter satisfies you, it's a little longer than her previous chapters and has an interesting plot twist. By the way, Sora would again like to thank all of the wonderful people who reviewed her story!
Anyway, we don't own the Teen Titans and we never will. On with the chapter!
When Raven was finished speaking to Cyborg, she returned to her room. However, Robin was not in there. She sighed; she had been hoping to talk to him more. There were still many things to discuss and settle. Raven flopped down on the bed and expelled another tired gust of air.
Her mind began to contemplate Robin's favorite haunts in the tower. She didn't necessarily feel like searching all eight stories of the tower. A knock on the door put an end to her thoughts. "Come in," Raven called as a tendril of black energy allowed the door to open. Starfire stood in the doorway. Her face looked troubled.
"Friend Raven," Starfire began slowly, "you are alone right now, yes?"
"Uh, yeah," Raven answered, feeling a little apprehensive.
"May I enter?" Starfire asked. Raven silent gestured for the alien princess to join her on the bed. The redhead gave a small smile of joy.
Once Starfire was settled Raven gave her a searching look. "Is something bothering you?"
"I am wondering if we can partake in the confession that is the talk of girls." Raven looked visibly startled. Girl talk was very rare between the two girls as Raven usually had a very low tolerance for it. However, the pleading and desperate look on Starfire's face indicated that saying no was out of the question. She nodded and tried to look comforting. It was a very strange effort.
"Well, I suppose. What's on your mind…Star?" The nickname felt strange on her tongue. However, it helped Starfire to relax.
"I have been keeping a secret from our team," she breathed out. Raven stiffened. Were they going to have another Terra episode? Bile rose in her throat, she wasn't sure if she could handle another betrayal. However, Starfire quickly put that fear to rest with her next statement.
"I should begin by admitting that I know you and Robin are life mates," Raven looked startled, but did not deny it.
"Is that all, that's nothing terrible, or anything to be upset about. But…" Starfire cut the sorceress off.
"There is more. I knew something was destined to happen since the rise of Trigon…or maybe before." Raven's eyes widened, she didn't give Starfire enough credit. The woman was sharp in her own way. However, she could not find a way to express the thought.
"Ummm…"
"I shall confess," Starfire continued as though Raven had not spoken, "this understanding brought me much ache of the heart." Raven felt a pang of guilt. "Once, I truly thought Robin was the one for me. I had quite the smash on him."
"Crush," Raven corrected distractedly. Where was this heading?
"Crush," Starfire repeated dutifully, "yes, I had a very large crush on him. It wounded greatly to find that "my boy" belonged to someone else." Raven winced.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, all monotone forgotten.
"Do not be, Friend Raven!" Starfire insisted. "I am no longer hurting. Robin is not the one for me, but for you. My heart knows great joy that my best friend knows love and happiness. You are a good person, not like Kitten or others, and deserve to feel this joy." Raven's eyes prickled with tears.
"Star, you're turning me into a fountain over here," she said thickly. The Tamaranian looked horrified.
"My friend, my apologies! This is a power I was most unaware of! Come! Friend Cyborg may fix this horrible accident!" Starfire grabbed Raven's hand and prepared to drag her out the room.
"Starfire!" Raven cried when she was able to get a word in edgewise, "Relax. It's an expression. It means you're making me cry." Starfire's face turned from horror to misery.
"My friend, I meant not to harm you." Raven sighed.
"They're happy tears. They mean I'm very happy."
"Joyous!" Raven was suddenly trapped in a very tight embrace. While trapped in Starfire's arms, Raven read her emotions. Though she could feel joy radiating from the girl, she could also feel worry and apprehension.
Once Starfire relinquished her, she asked, "Is there something else you want to tell me?" Starfire sat back and regarded Raven.
"Yes, but I am afraid," she replied quietly. Raven suppressed a groan. They were going to have to beat around the bush.
"Okay," she said calmly. Being flat and monotone now would only serve to agitate Starfire further. "How about we just talk until you're ready to talk to me?"
"That would be splendid."
There was a short silence as Raven studied Starfire and decided that Star's relationship with Speedy would be a decent course for the conversation.
"Speedy, he helped you past Robin, didn't he," she said. Starfire cringed slightly and blushed vividly. Raven raised an eyebrow. Pay dirt. She had not been wrong in guessing that Speedy fed into Star's need to talk.
"Very much so, yes," Starfire answered guiltily. "We began talking at the large celebration tossed when Trigon met his end. Speedy is much like Robin, yet very different. He is not so dark or intense." Raven nodded. Starfire's anxiety was cresting. They were getting close to the heart of the matter. Starfire looked lost in a daydream for a moment before forcing her thoughts back into focus. "Eventually I developed a crush on him and we partook of the earth custom known as dating. I knew he was the one for me, and I told him as much several earth months ago. He feels the same…" Starfire trailed off.
"That's wonderful, Starfire," Raven said softly. Happiness and relief overtook her sorrow and worry.
"There is still more, Friend Raven. This is most difficult to speak of. Six months ago, near the day of your birth, Speedy was chosen to accompany the League of Justice on a mission. He would be undercover and far away." Raven frowned in sympathy; she recalled his going away party. It had been very hard on Starfire.
Starfire continued. "Though it was a great honor for him, I was afraid of losing him. I feared he would find another girl, a prettier girl…a better girl. Like Robin did. I expressed this fear to Speedy. He told me I was the only one he wanted to spend his life span with. He proposed marriage that night and I accepted." Raven looked very stunned.
"Oh…my," was all she could get out. Starfire ignored her.
"On the day of your birth, we were, as they say, wed. I apologize that we missed your party of celebration."
"I-it's no problem," Raven replied slowly. "Congratulations?" Starfire smiled briefly before her troubled look resumed.
"I give you thanks, but there is one more thing."
"What's that?"
"I am going to be a mother now. I am now three months into development. Tamaranians carry longer than humans, but still, the child will make me stretch soon. I will need to tell the others. Do you think they will be as peaceful as you?"
Raven said nothing. She simply stared in wide eyed shock. She wasn't even aware that she had ceased breathing until it made her light headed. Suddenly, the dark woman toppled from the bed. Starfire gave a startled scream. However, Raven did not seem to be harmed. She was conscious and staring at the ceiling in a stunned fashion. "Friend Raven?"
Behind them, the door flew open and the three men of the tower raced in. "Star, is everything okay?" Robin demanded.
"Yeah, we heard your scream. Somethin' happen?" Cyborg asked.
"Dudes, is Raven okay?" Beastboy looked a little freaked out.
"I do not know. I think Friend Raven may be damaged…"Starfire replied fretfully. Robin looked stricken as he approached his girlfriend.
"Rae? Rae, can you hear me? Did you hit your head?" he asked worriedly.
"She's married and pregnant, we're both pregnant…this can't be happening…" Raven murmured, though it was hard to tell if she was talking to Robin or herself. Behind them Cyborg gaped and Beastboy looked confused.
"Am I missing something?" He asked. "Who's pregnant?"
"Raven and Starfire, apparently," Cyborg replied, finally regaining his voice.
"Dude! No way! This is too weird…I gotta…I gotta go lie down." Beastboy hit the floor. Cyborg looked at the green changeling and then back to the scene before him. They were going to have to have a long talk very soon, all of them.
"I'm going to take grass stain to the living room. When y'all are done here, join us. I think it's time we had a nice long talk to sort everything out." Robin nodded mutely and Cyborg carried Beastboy from the room. Once the door was closed, Starfire clapped in delight, her previous worries forgotten.
"Glorious day!" She cried. "We shall rid the air of our secrets! I shall have to make the pudding of new life!" Robin watched as the excited princess began listing all of the ingredients required and Raven's normally pale face turned green. Finally the poor girl took off towards the bathroom with Starfire gazing after her in confusion. Robin sighed.
"I have a feeling these next few months are going to be very very long…"
Well, folks, that's it for this chapter. Sora isn't as fond of it as she was of the others, but she still hopes you liked it. Let us know if you want to! Well, chapter six should be out faster as Sora is now recovering from her illness. Thanks to all of you who have stuck with us! Mizu out.