A/N: Well, I have the entire weekend and house to myself and instead of throwing a wild party like I had originally planned, I decided to pull out the vodka and write fan fiction instead. Hah. I'm happy you guys enjoy this story though, because I really like where it's going to go down the road and I hope you'll keep reading. Okay, let's get this show on the road.
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Robin and Raven sat in the kitchen, coffee and tea remnants lie before them, sipped away aimlessly over the few hours they had spent here. The clock on the wall read out a glum 12:55am, with no hopes of the sun rising anytime soon. Robin cursed silently under his breath for keeping Raven awake so long.
"You can go to one of the bedrooms if you like, I doubt Bruce will be home anytime soon…" Robin muttered tiredly.
Raven sighed. "I'm alright. I really don't want to take advantage of your generosity without permission."
Silence filled the room again for a moment as the pair gazed at one another. The clock's hand nudged slightly to the next minute, grasping closer to one in the morning.
"Robin…You know a good deal about me…but I hardly know anything about you…" Raven took a sip of her tea, looking up at him.
He looked up at her, mouth twitching into a discontent expression. "Well, there's not really a lot to know. I just live here with Bruce and fight crime….yeah…"
"This Bruce….He your father?" Raven raised an eyebrow slightly.
Another pause, another shadowed emotion. "Nah….but…I suppose you could call him that. He's more of a mentor, I suppose."
Raven went to ask more, a lot of questions had arisen from the fragments of information he had given her. But she could see the pain that shadowed his expression and decided against it. He had been so kind letting her stay here, she figured it would be best not to upset him.
"Wanna go watch some TV?" Robin asked, a small smile returning to his face.
Her eyebrows furrowed in curiosity. "T…V?"
"Damn! That's right, you're new to the planet. Oh man, do I have a world of stuff to show you!" He stood up, a mischievous, but amused grin plastered to his lips.
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Wayne Manor, 5:32amBruce let out a lengthy sigh as he walked through the halls. He just come home from one long night with Penguin and needed nothing more than a good nights sleep and some aspirin. As he neared the living room though, he saw the flickering glow of the television making its appearance on the walls.
"I swear…That boy needs less sleep than I do…" Bruce mumbled and walked into the living room.
He stopped abruptly though at the sight before him. Robin was leaning far back into the couch, his head lulled to the side as a slight snore escaped him. The remote dangled loosely in his hand, inches from crashing to the ground. But it wasn't the sight of Robin that caught him off guard, more the fact that there was a girl next to him.
Her violet hair poured onto Robin's shoulder, it looked as if she had fallen over, rather than fallen asleep in such a position. Her lips were in a firm, straight line, heavy breaths escaping from her nose. Her skin looked almost white as it took on the blue hue from the television.
Slowly, as not to wake the girl, Bruce shook Robin's free shoulder, whispering his name harshly.
"Richard!" Bruce hissed.
Robin gave a slight groan, his eyes blinking open. "Huh? Oh…Bruce…Hey…."
The older man stood up straight, peering down at Robin with a questioning scowl upon his face. That scowl never did mean anything good was about to happen…
"You have quite a bit of explaining to do." His voice was firm as his eyes looked towards Raven.
Rob gulped and stood up slowly, placing Raven on the sofa with the utmost care. He stood up tall, staring Bruce in the eye to show he had some sort of a backbone when it came to being scolded.
"It's a bit of a long story…I found this girl and she was being mugged so I helped her out. Turns out she's got superpowers and everything, it's pretty neat. She didn't have anywhere to go, so I figured, hey we've got some room here, why not give her a place to crash? And…here we are."
"That wasn't that long of a story."
"It's an expression, B."
Their eyes met in a dueling glare, no clear winner in sight.
"Did you tell her about…everything?"
Rob nodded. "Yeah, but she's new to Earth. It's not like she's going to run to the paparazzi and expose your identity or anything. Hell, I think she could even make our duo a trio."
Bruce's teeth barred slightly. "This is completely unorthodox, you do realize that, don't you? Perhaps she was just playing stupid with you and she's going to expose us. How could be so careless?"
"Oh, this is ironic. You're going to scold me because I have more of a heart than you do? You've got, how many rooms, twenty, in this house and you can't even help a girl get on her feet?"
He contemplated that for a second, mouth twitching into a frown. "Fine. Get her to a bedroom and when she wakes up, she can train with you and me tomorrow. There she'll have a chance to prove herself worthy of what you play her up to be. Deal?"
Of course he was skeptical as hell, but if Richard could see something good in her, then perhaps he was right. That boy was much smarter than to pick up a common criminal in disguise.
Robin gave a single nod, turning back to Raven. "And Bruce…"
He stopped in the doorway, hand perched on the molding as he looked back from the corner of his eye. "Hmm?"
"Thanks."
They shared the briefest of smiles and Bruce walked away, still in a quest for that aspirin he had come for. Rob slowly picked Raven up, careful not to wake her as he traveled up the stairs and into one of the luxurious bedrooms. He placed her on the bed with a long sigh and pulled the covers over her as she shifted slightly.
Somewhere inside of himself, Robin knew that her arrival would bring change. He began to realize that he was never meant to stay caged here with the bat, there were bigger things ahead of him. Perhaps there always had been, but he had focused so greatly on the tragedies behind him, that he didn't see the greatness that lie ahead.
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Wayne Manor, Third Floor: Training room 8:15amBruce stood tall before Robin and Raven, dressed down in a muscle top and pair of black pants. He kept inspecting Raven with a cautious eye, waiting for her to make a single suspicious move.
After a minute or so of stares, Bruce held out a hand to Raven. "I'm sorry we didn't get to have a more formal meeting. I'm Bruce Wayne."
Raven nodded and shook his hand with uncertainty. She could tell he was wary of her, not a very trusting man, but then again, who could be in his situation? "I'm Raven…Raven Roth."
Richard watched them both, keeping a silent eye on their expressions. Everything was tense, and he knew that Bruce could be very prone to snapping on a whim of suspicion.
"Well Raven, let's see what you can do." His hands curled into ready fists as he stood in a fighting stance. He wasn't about to waste any time with useless conversation.
"Bruce…Wait a sec…" Robin began, but it was too late.
Raven had to swallow a gasp as Bruce came at her with an array of attacks. As soon as one fist missed her, another would target again, like a relentless string of bullets. She finally managed to conjure up her powers, after overcoming her initial shock, creating black shields that floated in the air, protecting her silently.
Bruce gave a silent nod to Robin, inviting…no, demanding that he help with his assault. Rob took a deep breath and pulled out a hidden staff, flying in the air, aiming for a weak spot on Raven's defense.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She cried out, seeing him from the corner of her eye. His staff was enveloped in her black magic, surprising the hell out of him.
"Inanimate objects; not a smart move with me." Raven said blandly, flicking her wrist and causing the staff to break in two. She ducked to the right, avoiding another one of Bruce's attacks and sent the two halves of the staff at Robin.
He dodged the attack with a quick black flip, his eye catching on the other half that was aiming at Bruce. Before Robin could speech a warning, it hit Bruce sharply in the back. He let out a low growl for not catching the devious attack, but awaited Raven's next move. He had already scouted out one of the few weaknesses she had.
Robin moved forward, spinning the broken staff in both of his hands, ready to knock Raven out cold if needed be. She shook her head slightly, wondering when he would learn that she could control his weapon.
"Azarath Metr…" She began to mutter under her breath, but Bruce, who had silently disappeared from her view seconds before, stopped her from finishing her spell with a crushing right hook to her jaw.
Raven tumbled to the ground, the faint taste of copper filling her mouth. She felt a small amount of blood escape the side of her lip, but ignored it. Instead, she looked up at Bruce, staring intently into his blue eyes. There, she saw no mercy. One of the very things he stood for. But it was no mercy to a point, he wasn't capable of murder, no. It was just he wasn't about to let some unknown person in his house without a fight; literally. He knew damn well she could handle these attacks and wanted to see exactly how far she could be pushed.
He was right too, she could handle this. Her hands were instantly enveloped in black as she rolled forward, sending both Rich and Bruce flying towards the back of the room. She had moments of surges of her power, bits of unruly rage and fear that would release themselves in unpredictable swirls of magic.
Bruce lie dormant for a few seconds, flying into a brick wall wasn't exactly fun, but he had encountered worse. He pushed himself back up slowly, cracking his knuckles. Richard sprung up after him in time, mouth twitched into a discontent frown. He still had a lot to learn about pain tolerance.
Raven took a deep breath, staring at the two men. "So do I pass or do I have break a bone before that happens?"
He chuckled darkly, walking forward. "You're good, I'll admit. But you have a few minor faults that need to be fixed before you go out into Gotham."
Robin cleared his throat. "Bruce…"
He held up a hand to silence his ward. "I've lived in this city my entire life, and I know, as well as everyone else that lives here, that it's rotten from the core. Only the best and the brightest can even begin an attempt to fix it. And that's not as easy as it sounds. It takes dedication, strength and wits. Do you have all of that?"
She took a deep breath. "I would hope so…"
"There's no room for hope in here! Are you really willing to give up any chance at a normal earthen life to protect this city?"
She straightened up. "I will do whatever it takes." Her voice had never sounded so firm. Her intention when she had arrived on Earth was to do something noble, something to make up for what her future would do to this planet…so, naturally, when Richard had offered her this position, it seemed sensible.
Robin watched them silently, remembering when he was in her position years ago. Of course, some of the circumstances were different, but it was still clear as day to him. Bruce's dark demeanor, the promise of honor and justice, and the promise of bravery.
"Richard, I want you to start organizing the case files for me while I talk to Raven."
"But I did those last week!" He complained, his gut still not trusting Bruce to be alone with anyone new. He had a volatile personality at times.
Bruce glared at him and he gave a groan, taking a glance at Raven as he sauntered out of the room. Her expression was blank, showing no fear, no excitement, just…acceptance.
"So what exactly is your plan with Robin and I?" He peered at her skeptically, listening to Robin's footsteps disappear into the darkness of the stairwell.
"To fight evil, just like you do now and try to fix the corruption on this planet."
"You really think you can accomplish that? A few magic spells and some dark powers won't get you as far as you'd like to think."
Her mouth twitched into a frown. "I have much more behind me than a few flashy powers. Just like I know there's more behind you than a sly grin and a fake, robust voice."
Bruce stared at her, his questioning gaze not faltering for a second. She was brash, showing that she did have a lot of hidden confidence. Confidence that could prove dangerous if not handled correctly.
"I'll allow you to stay…but don't expect anymore of a relationship other than the crime fighting from Richard. He's had a…complicated past that can't be fixed with a new friend. I've known him for about four years now, and I still can't figure out how to break the shield he puts around himself." He paused here, laughing bitterly to himself.
"I suppose I'm like that too in a way, bottling myself up from society in a cape and mask."
She peered at him. "I don't plan to try to magically heal Richard. I'm not going to make this into a teenage love story. But he's not completely lost like you claim. He has morals, sanity, and most of all, compassion. That's much more than the common criminal has."
"But that compassion can cause deadly mistakes at times…"
"No, you're wrong. That compassion stops him from making the mistakes. It doesn't create them. For example, if you had no compassion and killed every criminal out there, sure, it would be for the better good of the city, but then everyone would be in silent fear of you. Making you a criminal yourself in the end."
He gave a gentle nod and smiled to himself. He had been testing her, and she knew it, answering his questions with the utmost precision. Bruce knew damn well about the beauty and danger of compassion. It was what separated them from the likes of all the ruthless villains on the street.
"Make yourself at home and talk to Alfred. He'll get to work designing you a costume."
"A costume?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
He began to walk up stairs, signaling for her to follow. "Ah, you'll see."
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A/N: Yey! Another chapter completed! Whoo boy, I really like this one. Well, that's 'cause I'm in love with Bruce Wayne. XD No, I'm really a Batman nerd, I have problems. I got a twenty five dollar check from my grandma from my birthday, and you know what I spent it on? That's right, comics. Lots and lots of comics. Next chapter I plan to go into deep, yet somehow vague, first person account of the key part of Richard's past; His parent's death.
Next chapter: Raven begins to get a better taste of the life that Robin and Bruce live after she patrols with them one night. After a tango with the Joker trying to murder Robin, putting him on bed rest, she finds herself bonding with him as new wounds heal and old ones are re-opened.
Well, read and review everyone!
Love,
Emmery