A/N: Okay, before I begin. I'm going to have one long ass author's note here…
Since this is an origin story, and we just recently had the episode 'Go', allow me to get some things off my chest….
(aggravated sigh)
Ack! Where do I begin, I mean, seriously. I expected a hell of a lot more from this episode, you know? Don't get me wrong, it had it's good points like Robin being TOTALLY Bruce like, that was hot as hell but I really hated how the entire story focused on Starfire. And I'm not biased just because I like RobRae and most RobRae fans hate Starfire, it's just, they made her like a god of some sort. Like it took the ENTIRE team to take her down, that was a tad ridiculous. And then, save for Robin and Starfire, the rest of the team just MAGICALLY appeared. I mean, we saw B.B in his doom patrol outfit and Cyborg had his little freak out, but that didn't really satisfy me enough. Especially with Raven, they just like, brought her in and that was that.
Then, yes, we had the RobStar kiss scene after like 5 delayed seasons of hints and moments and other various things pointing to their relationship. But it was so haphazardly thrown in there, it was ridiculous. She didn't even have a reason to kiss him. I was so angry about that. I expected their first kiss to be something all magical with music and love… And another point then, from my RobStar fanatic side, if they kissed when they first met, WHY haven't they kissed again?
Who all agrees with me that, just in general, the sixth season has not been the best. Infact, I'm losing interest in the show because it's just so…crappy. C'mon, we've got Stephen Hawking for a villain! If they had just ended the show with last season, I would have been happy, y'know? That season kicked ass pretty hard and I was satisfied. We have had a few high points in this season, like how they brought Kid Flash in, and Jericho in the newest episode but…it's just lacking. All these new characters they bring in are just, well, brought in. There's no background to them, or anything like that. For example, they just had Jericho like fight a bit and pat B.B's head, I know he's mute and all, but he's a character that could have soooooo much more done with him considering he's the SON of the uber badass sexy man Slade.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all up for a 7th season of Teen Titans, but I think that the producers have lost direction and just got bored with the show. Now in the sixth season, they're just shoving in everything they didn't plan for in the other seasons. Like the origin episode, everyone wanted that since season one and they just chucked it randomly in here and same with the RobStar kiss, they just threw it into 'Go' so that when the show finally comes to a close, the RobStar fans won't become rabid and kill them…(Because the RobStar fans are a little scary when it comes to their faith…sheesh, try and tell them that the fifth season points to RobRae, one sided or no, and they like blow up on you with their precious episodes 'Sisters' and 'Stranded'….)
Okay, Okay. I'm done with my rant…holy shit that took up a lot of space and time. But seriously guys, give me your opinions. If you think the sixth season rocks, then that's your opinion and I'd love to hear it!
Now, onto what we're actually here for…heh.
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Raven sat in the chair next to Robin's hospital bed, watching the news reports intently, amazed by the amount of violence around the world and in merely Gotham alone. It was about five in the morning now, and she hadn't gotten much sleep besides dozing off in the chair a few times. Robin had been asleep for quite some time now, gaining his energy back and snoring quietly.
"Well Winona, a disturbing new story straight from Jump City, California. It's a domestic disturbance turned attempted murder in the suburbs of the city. We have been told that that a woman and her husband, who have been identified as Adeline and Slade Wilson, were the only people harmed in this struggle. Reports from neighbors say they have a very complicated past and weren't all that surprised by the couple's fight. Police have told us Adeline pulled a gun out on her husband, with intent to kill him, but he luckily survived the shot…."
"Sad, really, when a marriage goes downhill like that."
Raven jumped slightly, she had been so absorbed in the report that she hadn't seen Bruce slip in. He looked as tired as she felt as he watched her.
"How's he doing?" He asked, nodding towards Robin.
"Oh, he's been asleep for a little while now, he should be back to normal when he gets up." Raven said, "And what about you?"
A Cheshire grin was her response. "I'm good. Joker's back in Arkham where he belongs and I've got an assignment for you and Richard to cover tonight."
Her eyebrows raised slightly. "Already?"
"Well you said he'd be back to normal when he woke up. It's nothing big, just a small drug bust. You can't tell me you're not dying for some more alone time with Richard." His grin widened.
She stared at him and said dryly, "Sorry, the butler already beat you to the suggestive comments."
"Really? Well, I suggest you get some sleep so you can eat breakfast with the rest of us in a few hours."
"Suggestion taken." She said, turning off the television to the image of a man named Slade Wilson.
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The moon loomed high in the sky as Raven walked down the illustrious staircase to meet Richard and Bruce. She was dressed down, considering she would be going strictly undercover. She felt more comfortable in the outfit Alfred had put out for her than her costume, that was for sure.
Robin watched her descend down the stairs, gazing up at her through his ebony hair. He hadn't spiked it as usual, so it hung low in front of his eyes, hiding them slightly from the outside world.
Raven stood before him and looked around, "Where's Bruce at?"
"Where else? He's downstairs in the cave, he told me just to get you and Alfred will drive us to where we need to go." He said almost bitterly.
"I take it you don't like undercover work?" She raised an eyebrow at him.
He sighed and opened the door. "No, what makes you think that?" He muttered sarcastically and walked down the stairs to meet the limo that was parked out front.
The pair climbed in and Robin sunk into the leather seats, showing his further discontent with the situation.
"Hate it when he does this." He said, looking out the window. "Whenever I get injured he sends me out on some busy work."
He cursed under his breath and leaned further into the seat, wanting to be swallowed whole by the plush cushion.
A small smirk played at her lips as she continued to stare out her own window. "You miss the mask."
"Yeah."
"And the hair gel."
"Yep. But you know what I don't miss? The spandex. That stuff is not the most forgiving fabric sometimes."
Raven's teeth glistened quickly as she let out the slightest of laughs, watching as the car zoomed by an exploding bush; undoubtedly her fault. They came to slow stop and Raven gazed up at the building they had stopped at. It was fairly large with a small line of people waiting to get in and a large man standing at the door, arms crossed defiantly as he overlooked each of the potential guests.
"Thanks Al." Robin said quietly as he exited the car and opened Raven's door for her.
Almost all the heads in the line turned to watch as she climbed out of the car, silently taking Robin's offered hand as he lead her to the front of the line, disregarding any of the other waiting patrons.
"Sorry short stuff, clubs all full." The man said with a rough, low voice.
Robin reached into his pocket and pulled out three crisp hundred dollar bills. His face was like stone as he spoke. "The Benjamins say you have room for two."
The bouncer took the bills and inspected them for authenticity. Nodding slightly, he opened the door, much to the dismay of the line and let them in. Raven felt Robin's hand squeeze her own a bit harder as they entered.
There were people everywhere in the haze of thick smoke that filled the air. A considerable amount of people, but not enough to exclude the small amount that waited outside…
"Not really professional to bribe, is it?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What? You wanted me to force my way in? No, if we're going to be undercover, we shouldn't make too much of a scene."
The small dance floor of the club was packed with people dancing shamelessly with one another, eyes blood shot and faces worn with sleep deprivation. The music pounded through the building as Raven was pulled further through the crowds, a room that was shrouded by curtains coming into her view.
The thick, violet curtains were pushed aside and Raven grimaced slightly at the sight before her. People in groups, dealing with all types of various narcotics, selling, buying, shooting up, apparently, nothing was off limits behind those curtains.
"Richard…" Raven whispered, swallowing hard, her eyes darting away from the stares of the people.
He stopped and turned to face her. "I know, this is a little…creepy. But I'm here, okay? If we stick together nothing will…." He stopped mid sentence, looking behind Raven in disbelief.
She followed his gaze to a tall, well built red haired boy. He looked around their age, eyes a blazing green color as he inspected the room. She peered at him, trying to see if he was under the influence of any drugs like the rest of the people here were…
"Roy!" Richard called out and stepped forward.
The boy looked over at them, spotted Richard and grinned. "Hey Dick! What are you doin' here? Word on the street said you almost got taken down by Joker.
He scoffed. "As if I'd let that maniac be the death of me? " His tone of voice had changed now. Proud, and a bit relieved.
Roy, as Rich had called him, laughed. "Yeah, that'll be the day. But seriously, what are you doing in this neck of the woods? Bruce get tired of you following him?"
Richard suddenly remembered Raven and glanced back at her. She was rubbing her arm absent mindedly, watching the two guys talk.
"Ahh….actually, we're here undercover. Roy, this is my new friend…Raven." He moved to the side a bit, giving a reassuring smile in her direction.
She merely forced a smile onto her face in Roy's direction. He raised his eyebrows high and gave a Cheshire grin.
"Rawr. Cut me a slice of that pie!" He winked at her.
Raven stared at him, trying to stop the scowl from curling onto her lips. "Heh Heh…cute." She managed out with as little spite as she could manage.
"Roy! Keep your pants on for once, would you?" Rich snapped at him, glaring slightly
He sighed and shook his head. "You never have time for any fun, do ya?"
"Rich…" Raven whispered in his ear, trying to remind him why they were here. She was just about done with this 'smooth' gentleman.
Rich straightened up now, "Well, Roy. We're just going to take care of business here and then go back to Bruce, care to join us?"
Raven cringed slightly, when she was trying to rush him along, that's not what she had intended. Infact, she wanted to be done with this entire place altogether, forget what Bruce had told them to do…
The small beeping noise of Richard's phone began to beep rhythmically. The trio looked at it for a second before he put it to his ear and his face became grim.
"Yeah, Bruce?….Uh huh…You're kidding….Alright, Alright. Fine. See you in five." He growled slightly and shoved his phone back in his pocket, acting as if he'd rather forget it had even rung in the first place.
He looked to Raven first. "We've gotta head home and suit up, apparently, Penguin is attempting a grand heist down at the museum, Bruce is asking for back-up since he's pre-occupied with Cat woman."
"A little strange they'd be out on the same night, don't you think so?" Roy said, arching an eyebrow.
Richard gave a solemn nod. "Looks like the bust is going to have to wait. You can meet us at the museum if you like, Roy. Raven, let's go catch the limo."
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Raven flew high in the air above as she watched Robin leap from rooftop to rooftop. She had offered to carry him there, but he refused, saying he enjoyed the old fashioned way of moving around.
Her mind was wondering about a number of things. Who exactly was this Penguin? Was he any worse than Joker? So many unanswered questions, so little time to seek answers . All she could focus on now was the array of flashing police lights gathered up ahead at the museum. She glided downward to join Robin on the rooftop across the street.
"How're we supposed to get in with all the cops guarding the entrance?" Raven muttered, peering down at the hundreds, perhaps thousands of cops that stood below.
"We'll take the same way Penguin did, I doubt he went in the front entrance." He gazed at the building, finding his destination. "We're aiming for that window way high up, see the hole in the glass?"
She nodded solemnly and on the count of three, she leaped off the building, taking a dive downward and sweeping back up in one quick motion. Her eyes darted to the flash of red and black that went by the corner of her eye, Robin had chosen a grappling hook at his method of travel.
Grappling hooks aren't exactly fool proof though, especially when there's two henchmen waiting at the hole in the window, sharp blades in hand, ready to cut the wire that keeps the entire thing together.
Raven noticed this before Robin did and swooped down, clutching onto him tightly as the wire snapped, fluttering away in the wind. The police from below gazed up at the pair soaring through the night, landing on the rooftop.
"Now if you had just swallowed your pride and let me fly in the first place…." She muttered, slightly amused.
He peered at her. "Gloat later all you want, we've got to get inside and stop Penguin before he…."
She gave a slight nod behind him and he snapped around, going instantly into battle stance. He expected Penguin to be standing there, ready to make his escape into the night, but instead it was Roy, dressed up in his costume, grinning slyly.
Raven inspected him warily, her eye catching first on his mask, it matched Robin's and her own, except it looked slightly crimson in the fleeting light. His outfit was simple, a deep maroon body suit accented with a pair of yellow boots and belt that matched the pack of arrows on his back. In his hand he held bow, completing the 'archer' look.
So he was a superhero too….
"Took you two long enough!" He said with mirth to his tone.
"Oh shut up Roy, you just got here too." Robin replied, the slightest of relief to his tone. "Now that we're all here, let's go inside already!" He was growing impatient, in his mind timing himself, knowing that Bruce was counting on him.
The three heroes wasted no time in jumping down the stairs, splitting up amongst the third level, the Egyptian exhibit, where Penguin was trying to dash off with a rare statue. This was Penguin's type of place, museums, but this crime was a bit…strange.
The statue was that of a golden cat…
Not a bird…
Robin noted this briefly as he balanced on a railing of the floor above. He was watching Penguin closely, monitoring his moves before making an attack.
His two henchmen, strange looking fiends dressed in all red and white masks, were guarding the Penguin's self made entrance, as well as the exit down below.
The stout man was just about to make his getaway, statute in hand when…
"You know, all that gold is really quite tacky!" A voice echoed through the building and a yellow, glowing arrow zoomed through Robin's view, hitting Penguin dead on in the back.
Penguin growled as he flew forward, nearly dropping the statue on the ground as he went. "It's not for me you little Brat!"
He straightened himself up and pulled out an umbrella, pointing the daggered end in Roy's direction. "Besides, what makes you think you, an amateur, can waltz in here and try to stop me?"
Robin landed almost silently behind Penguin, followed by Raven appearing from a malicious looking black swirl on the ground.
"Well, if we're such amateurs, then you'll have no problem facing three of us." Raven said slowly, her hands becoming enveloped in their black magic.
Penguin's eyes widened and he swallowed hard. "Umm…let's talk this out here, I'll just put back the pretty statue and…Heh…"
Robin glared at him. "And you'll tell us why you're working with Catwoman."
"No! I offered to give up the prize, that's enou-oof!" A small crack rang through the room as Robin's fist connected with his jaw in a right hook.
He stumbled to the ground, the statue almost shattered, but Raven caught it with her powers and placed it back on its perch. Roy gazed down at Penguin, watching as he gave a slight groan.
"Think you over did it." He grumbled idly.
"Alright Penguin, ready to talk?" Robin asked smoothly, bending down to his level.
When Penguin merely laughed, he went to ask him again, but his eyes darted up in Roy's direction. "Speedy, ten o'clock!"
The archer barely had time to roll away from the razor sharp blade of Penguin's assistant. Robin leaped forward, using his bo staff to impale the one assistant and swiftly kick the second that had begun it's advance on Raven.
"They're after the statue!" Roy called, pulling out his bow and a blue glowing arrow, aiming directly for the group of running henchmen.
Raven, using her powers, beat Roy to the punch and bowled the group over using a large display model of an Egyptian pyramid. The group looked around, seeing all the henchmen were either taken down, or fleeing.
Penguin, seeing that his plan had failed miserably began to run for his self made entrance, umbrella ready for him to soar away into the night. But Raven chanted low beneath her breath, and used the velvet rope that lined the display cases to bind his hands and feet, causing him to collapse in a heap on the floor.
The police, finally able to get in after Penguin's henchmen were gone, began to flood into the room instantly. The trio was already out of sight, meeting each other on the roof in a matter of seconds.
"Hey, we did a damn good job in there!" Roy said proudly, stretching his arms high in the air as he walked.
Robin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, we caught Penguin, but didn't manage to get any information out of him." He pulled out his phone and dialed up Alfred, requesting a car.
Raven walked up beside Roy, "I'm sure Bruce has the information from Catwoman."
Roy scoffed. "Yeah after playing a little bit of 'Naughty Veterinarian'…."
Both Raven and Robin looked at Roy with almost matching dry expressions on their face. He merely laughed their glares off.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Batman is not sleeping with Catwoman!" Robin yelled, groaning afterwards, putting a hand to his forehead and snapping his phone shut after giving a quiet thank you to Alfred.
"Okay, whatever. Let's get back to the cave."
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Raven gave a relived sigh as she walked into the Manor with the guys. The promise of sleep before the sun rose was something she was looking forward to. They weren't quite there yet though, as there was still much to be discussed in the way of tonight's events. Why exactly had Penguin and Catwoman been working together?
When they entered the Batcave, Bruce was sitting in the massive chair at his computer. His cowl was off somewhere, but the rest of his costume still remained, cape spilling over the edge of his seat, dangling to the floor.
"Back so soon?" He questioned, turning.
Robin smiled slightly. "Ah, the three of us are pretty lethal together."
"So, anything interesting…" Bruce said slowly, testing his ward.
"Well," Robin began, glancing back at his friends. "Roy instantly noticed when you called us that it was strange that Catwoman and Penguin were out on the same night. Then, I noticed when we got to the museum, that Penguin was robbing a statue of a cat, not a bird like he usually does. He also mentioned that the statue wasn't for him, leading me to believe they had a plan going on."
"Very good, A plus for all of you, well except Roy. You get a C minus for making the crack about me and Catwoman."
"You heard that! What the…" He said indignantly.
Robin laughed. "I was already in the process of calling him when you opened your stupid mouth."
Bruce shook his head. "Well, anyways. You all really did do a good job. I didn't expect you to catch Penguin, but hell, you did it. "
"And Robin, you were right about Penguin and Catwoman. Apparently, it was a bit of a trade going on between them. They split up trying to confuse me, not realizing that I would send you out on your own."
"So, what's our reward? Swing at the ol' liquor cabinet?" Roy said, hopefulness to his tone, a sly grin on his face.
Raven had the notion to smack him, just to shut him up for once, but she merely grumbled. "How about sleep? I know all of you are used to it, but I still like to sleep while the sun isn't in the sky."
Chuckling slightly, Robin agreed. "Yeah, a bed does sound good right now. You stayin' the night Roy?"
"You think I'm hauling my ass all the way back home after what we just did? This is me you're talkin' about here, right?"
"I'll tell Alfred to prepare another room." Bruce said, slight amusement lining his tone as he shooed them off with the flick of his wrist.
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Raven sat on her plush bed, legs crossed, eyes closed, back straight, sitting in the perfect locus position. She took a deep breath in and began her mantra, slow and steady, focusing her powers and thoughts. It had been ages since she had meditated, bordering dangerously with overusing her powers. They were still highly unstable, as far as she was concerned, and didn't need any of Bruce's expensive furniture spontaneously combusting.
Richard and Roy were outside in the hallway, talking to each other in front of Rich's room next door. Their voices echoed slightly in the thick silence of Raven's room, interrupting her meditation slightly, but not enough for her to yell at them. She simply bowed her head, falling further into her trance, picking up only bits and pieces of their conversation.
In the hallway…"So, I know it's been a while since we've talked but…how long have you been with this Raven?" Roy asked, raising his still masked eyebrow.
He thought about that for a second, "About a week or so…"
"Oh…" Roy said slowly, looking away for as second.
Richard looked at him suspiciously. "What…?"
"So, you two aren't…." He began to make obscene hand gestures.
"Why do I even bother with you?" Richard asked, rolling his eyes. "And to answer your question, no, we're not. We're just friends, just fighting crime, nothing more."
He grinned. "So, say I were to come along…."
"Don't even think about it!" Rich said, raising his voice in a severely scolding tone.
Roy glared at him, partially playful, partially spiteful. "Oh, I thought you didn't like her like that." He said mirthfully, a smirk playing at his lips.
"I never said…." He growled slightly, glaring at the mocking expression on Roy's face. "I'm going to sleep, see you tomorrow."
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Robin yawned loudly, stretching his hands high into the air as he walked up to where Bruce was sitting. The computer was already on, news reports flickering by along with miscellaneous pictures and information.
"You wanted to see me?" He questioned, tilting his head slightly.
Bruce turned in his chair, inspecting him for a second before speaking. "Well, yes…I'm debating on something, but I wanted your approval first."
"My approval…for what?"
"Now, before I say this, don't jump the gun. I'm still considering it, I haven't made my decision yet…."
"Okay, now my interest is peaked, c'mon and tell me already." He prodded impatiently.
"I've gotten word of some rise in gang activity in a city over in California…It's nothing too serious, just a little more than the police can handle. My presence has been requested by some allies of mine, but you know as well as I do, Gotham needs me…"
"So…." Robin said slowly, catching on. "You were thinking of sending me?" It was hard to contain the small smile on his lips.
He gave a solemn nod. "Now that you've got Raven and Roy with you…"
"You're actually, seriously considering this?" He felt like a little kid again, asking his parents for a long desired puppy and for once, instead of a simple 'no', it becomes a 'maybe', giving a much needed ray of hope.
"I have to do my research on this city but…so far so good…" Bruce could already see the excitement and happiness written all over Richard's face and couldn't help but chuckle lightly.
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A/N: Well, there we have it, chapter four! I'm going to have our original base titans in jump city consist of Speedy, Raven and of course Robin. I began foreshadowing RobRae romance, obviously, I couldn't really hold back on it anymore. But there's nothing wrong with Speedy poking a little harmless fun. I love making him the big brother type.
And more on Speedy, we're going to learn a lot more about him in a chapter or two down the road. He was at that club for a reason….
Ah, what else, oh yeah, Slade! Yey! He's going to be coming probably sometime towards the end of next chapter, making his first appearance as the evil bastard he is. I've become obsessed with Slade, really, been reading far too many DC comics for my own good. But, man, he's so awesome. Enough with my babbling now.
We're going to be introduced to someone else next chapter too, it's one of Teen Titans. I'm going to do it so that they meet the team now, straighten some things out and then we don't see them again until after they go through a major life change. Woo, that was hard to do without spoiling it. But, if you're smart enough, you've figured it out already.
Next Chapter: Robin, Speedy and Raven arrive in the not so glorious Jump City. A giant cesspool for mobster activity and mischievous bank robbers. Can the trio hope to fix this city before it's too late?
Keep Reading and Reviewing!
Love,
Emmery