A/N: After having the most successful story in my fan fiction membership with this couple, I have decided that it was IMPERITIVE for me to write another story with them. This fic is slightly AU, or Alternate Universe in a way. I was thinking about it, and decided that, yes, in fact it could be classified as such. This is a story I actually wrote over the summer and took up two 85 sheet notebooks. The original is basically one huge soap opera, but I took the core subject of it and this is my re-write. Original version is a mess because I think I was on crack during the summer, also, most of it was written at literally midnight so there's like little drawings of stuff all over the pages and I created a split personality….
Enough with my babbling, let's get this started.
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Gotham City. Many see it as a cesspool of crime with its notorious villains and numerous gangs. Others, though, see it as the home of a legend. The vigilante Batman, the dark knight, call him what you will. But, in the tale of the bat, many forget his loyal companion; the robin. Daring, smart, and cunning, like his predecessor, he scales the rooftops in the shadows of Gotham without fear. But from what is forgotten, great things may arise…this is where our story begins…
Gotham City: Wayne Manor at 7:55am"Aww, c'mon! It's not going to kill you to let me out on my own!" The boy whined relentlessly.
Richard Grayson, known to most as Robin the boy wonder. His future was bright, unbeknownst to him of course, but fate had a great deal in store for him. For now though, he was just a caged bird, dying for independence.
"Rich, You're only 16, I don't think you're quite ready to patrol by yourself just yet…" Bruce Wayne responded wearily. He had aged considerably by now, taking on Robin to pick up for the, what he considered, lack luster in his skills. He was strong, massive, and debonair. That was one thing Richard always admired him for; he aged so damn well.
"We've been training for endless hours, I can just stop a few muggings and if any trouble above that arises, I'll call you." They had been in this argument for weeks now, with fruitless arguments on both sides of the spectrum.
"Promise?" Bruce peered at him across the table. Richard nodded vigorously and the older man gave a sigh of defeat. "…Fine, you can go, but I swear to god if you respond to so much as a bank robbery…."
"I know, you'll have my head." Rich stood up, triumphant in his fight.
Bruce watched warily as he took his coffee mug and strode off like a proud peacock of some sort. That boy could be so obstinate at times…
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Gotham City: Alley Way off of 5th 9:24pm
Violet eyes opened into the darkness, absorbing unfamiliar surroundings. It was dark, dreary and cold here, she wasn't exactly pleased. Something shifted behind her and she tensed reflexively, pulling her hood back over her head in flash. How had she ended up here of all places? Why this planet, at this time?
All of her questions melted away as she felt someone hastily grab her hand and twist it behind her back. The barrel of a hand gun sent shivers down her spine as it was ground into her back.
"Where's your purse?" The man demanded, yelling. His breath smelled of some ungodly substance.
She grimaced in response, shouting her spell in her mind, but the fear that was boiling inside her prevented her from saying it aloud.
"I…I don't have any…" She managed out grimly.
"Liar!" He pressed her arm closer to her back, causing more pain to run through her.
He went to say more but it was cut short by a metal staff connecting a deadly blow to his head. He released the girl and fell to the ground, unconscious of course. She stumbled forward, looking at the man's body as she rubbed her arm sorely.
"M'am, you alright?" A shadowed figure asked, stepping forward into the light.
She collected herself, power crackling back into her hands. Thinking she would be mugged again, she raised her palm and sent a steady stream of black magic in the shadow's direction.
"What the? Hey, I was just trying to help!" Robin shouted, he had collided with a group of trashcans, which wasn't exactly fun, to say the least.
He stood up slowly, staring at her as she blinked. "Help? You…You don't want money?"
Robin raised a masked eyebrow and snorted in contempt. "Hardly. You must be new to Gotham…I'm one of the good guys." He rubbed his shoulder. "Perhaps you've heard of my…ah…Mentor, The Batman." Everyone knew the bat but certainly not the bird…
She shook her head. "Sorry…No. But, I'm uh….sorry about hitting you…" She mumbled.
He put a hand up. "Nah, it's alright. So, what's a girl like you doing out on the streets by herself anyways? Most people don't hang out in dark alleyways for a living."
She looked around. "Well, I sort of just landed here…"
"Huh?" He tilted his head. "Are you an alien of some sort?" He asked, jokingly of course.
She contemplated that for as second, "I guess so. I'm not from this planet, so that would classify me as one…"
Robin stared at her. "You've got to be kidding me…No way…Man, Gotham has some crazy shit…" He grumbled to himself. "If you're not from Earth, where ARE you from?"
"Azarath….Not many people have heard of it." She looked away for as second. Never really did care for interrogations…
"Alright, well, I know where you're from…but I don't know you're name. Care to share?" He was never normally this nosy, but it wasn't every day he met someone from an extraterrestrial planet.
She lowered the hood she was wearing slowly and lowered her dark lashes, inspecting him. "I'm Raven…You?"
Robin swallowed back his surprise at her appearance. Her skin…it was almost silver, glistening gently in the moon light. Her hair was nearly identical to her eyes in it's mauve coloring.
"I'm uh…Batman…Or…Uh…Robin…Richard…No…Dammit!" He groaned. He could help kick the Joker's ass on a daily basis but couldn't tell a pretty girl his name? Bruce would be disappointed.
She blinked. "Come again?"
"Robin. Robin the boy wonder." He said in a firm tone of voice, a bit proud of his notorious title.
Raven tilted her head slightly. He wasn't all that tall for a normal human male, at least from what she had learned about them anyways. His hair was a striking ebony, spiked perfectly in all different directions. His skin was pale like hers, glistening with a bit of sweat around his forehead from his acrobatic escapades. The feature that caught her off guard the most was the mask…What was it for?
"So, Raven…What was that you hit me with?" He asked, referring to the magic that had sent him colliding with the trashcans.
She gazed at her hands for a moment. "I'm a telepath…I can move objects with my mind and magic…"
Robin's masked eyebrows raised. "Wow! So, assuming the fact you were being mugged…I guess you don't use those powers to fight crime, huh?"
"I don't cause it either, if that's what you're suggesting. I just arrived here and didn't exactly receive the warmest of welcomes. I haven't even begun to find a place to stay until I figure out what to do with myself…" She would have preferred if she had no idea why she was sent here, but she knew why. Until that time came, she could ignore it and perhaps even prevent it…
He thought for a second. She had superpowers and didn't know what do with them, perfect criteria for a super hero…or super villain…"Hey, I can take care of a place to stay for you…" Bruce had said something about helping people out. Besides, if she happened to fall into the wrong hands, she could end up being the next Joker or Penguin.
"Why don't you come home with me?" He suggested with a broad smile.
Raven looked at him skeptically. "What for….?"
"Well, you've got super powers, so might as well use them. We sure could use some help with protecting Gotham." He held a hand out to her.
She stared at his hand. "Well…Alright…" She didn't have much to lose really, and he seemed like a good enough person.
Raven took his hand and he promptly pulled out a grappling hook. She gasped slightly as he pulled her to his chest and the spiraled into the night sky. She totally ignored the fact that she could fly on her own…
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Robin had surprised himself with how friendly he had been towards Raven. He was usually much more subdued, finding himself a miniature Bruce at times. But tonight, it was different. She had needed a place to stay and the manor certainly had the space to spare. Besides, it would be nice to have someone his own age to talk to.
They arrived at the illustrious manor, stopping at the spiraling gates. He had smartly opted not to enter through the batcave like he usually did, figuring it would keep Bruce in a good moon. He buzzed the gate and waited for Alfred's response.
"Oh, Richard, it's you. I shall buzz you in."
"Al! I've got company…So it's Robin, alright?" He whispered into the speaker.
Raven hadn't heard it though, she was too busy staring at the manor. There were multiple windows all over, accenting each steeple that protruded from the house. Dark red rooftops blazed, even in the night and she could see the ghostly glow of lights in nearly every room. The fences were nearly covered in crawling vines and flowers, shadowing the brilliant view of the city that was behind the mansion.
The two metal gates swung open slowly and Robin walked forward, signaling Raven to follow. She trailed along after him, watching the gates creep closed behind them. They entered the house and Raven took in more of the brilliant sights before her. It was breathtaking really, the spiral staircase that seemed to loop forever, statues and paintings probably worth millions decorated the walls, taking her breath away.
An older looking man met them at the foot of the stairs. He inspected raven with the cock of an eyebrow. "Shall I get a tie for you to leave on the door master Grayson?"
Robin glared at him. "Very funny Al, but I was hoping to have her as just a guest. She's new around here and almost got herself hurt when I found her."
Rae seemed to snap back into the conversation, tearing her eyes away from a particularly striking painting. "You know…this really isn't necessary."
"No, No I insist. Alfred, make us some tea would you?" He smiled serenely.
Alfred gave a slight nod. "You may as well make your new acquaintance comfortable. Master Bruce is officially out for the night, most likely making sure you aren't getting into trouble."
Robin sighed. "Tea Alfred."
Without another word, the butler left the room. Rob turned back to Raven, looking worn.
"I really have to…thank you for this…I could have just found a place myself, really." She told him.
He shook his head. "Nah, where would you have gotten the money anyway? And believe me, Gotham isn't exactly the safest place on Earth at night time. Now, let's go get something to eat…I'm starved!"
Raven watched him walk towards the kitchen, delaying her steps momentarily to gaze at him. What exactly lie ahead for her on this planet? Would more people be like Robin, or would more of them be like the man with the gun?
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A/N: Ah, end chapter one. I'm happy with how this story is turning out so far. Don't expect any romance for a long while, I'm learning to train myself on how to build up romantic tension in stories in order to make them more interesting. Though it's hard because, well I love, love fluffy stuff. So, I have the entire weekend to myself to play playstation until my eyes bleed and I will be working on this new fan fiction. Though don't expect a new chapter for another week because I have thanksgiving break next week and can't post my chapter. -sigh-
Alright, please read and review!
Love,
Emmery