Summary: Aaron Grayson, son of the famous Robin and Starfire has been faced with challenges throughout his whole life, but he can deal with them. None, however, can compare to the wall that stands between him and the rest of his family. StarRob, BBRae, VicBee, JxKF
Disclaimer: Do I even have to say anything? OK…fine. I own nothing. Sorry. Now leave me alone. I followed the rule, but it doesn't mean I like it. If I owned Teen Titans, it would still be on and we'd start season 6.
Author's notes: 3rd chapter, baby! Yeah, pretty much. I'd like to thank the
4 REVIEWS from last time. You seriously made my day! I love you all. Now if only I could get more…
New Characters!
Mark Adam Logan: Second child of Raven and Gar, he has green hair, green eyes, and light skin. His powers include shape shifting. Mark is now 3.
Matthew (Matt) Jacob Stone: First child of Vic and Karen, he has dark hair, dark eyes and dark skin. His powers include that he is a genius and he has electricity in his hands. Matt is now 3.
Benjamin (Ben) Nicholas Stone: Second child of Vic and Karen, he has dark hair, dark eyes, and dark skin. His powers include flying and shrinking. Ben is now 1.
Madeline (Maddie) Gabriella West: First child of Gwyneth (Jinx) and Wally, she has red hair and blue eyes. Her powers include super-speed, and she can vibrate through solid matter. Maddie is now 2.
Enjoy!
Try
Chapter 3 : Cake and Calls
Sunlight streamed into the room, brightening up the atmosphere. Night was ending, and another day was dawning on Jump City. Inside the room, the white walls were glowing. As the light moved throughout the room, small painted handprints were found all over in every color of the rainbow. There were tiny handprints and big handprints. Pictures hung from the walls, too, reflecting memories of times past. There was a picture of a tiny baby and another of a toddler giggling. Drawings decorated the room – drawings of people, animals, and places, all done in soft crayons. The artist, himself, was still fast asleep in his bed.
The top of his head was visible over colorful quilts and sheets. His raven hair gleamed in the morning sunlight. When the daylight passed over his closed eyelids, he winced and slowly peeled them open. The brilliant blue eyes of Aaron Grayson peered around and glinted. He yawned gently and sat up, using a large pillow for a back support. He couldn't help smiling – today was his birthday. He threw back the covers, not wanting to miss a single second of his favorite day of the year. The green sheets were torn back, revealing his legs. To strangers, it would be a strange sight to look at, and they would stare. To Aaron's family, however, it was normal. His legs were covered in metal braces. There were metal bars that went up to his thigh, and there were giant metal plates that covered his scarred knees. This is where the braces went through his leg. More bars ended at his ankle. It wasn't painful, like it used to be, but Aaron had always wanted to freely move his legs like his brother, Bruce.
As if on cue, Bruce burst through his brother's door. He was floating in the air, as he often did. He enjoyed flying and showing off his super-strength to everyone he met. Aaron didn't seem to have inherited powers, something that confused him. "Happy Birthday, Aaron!" he yelled happily, landing softly by his brother's bed. The six-year-old grinned at the younger boy and hugged him. Although they were very different, you couldn't find two brothers who got along better. Bruce sat down beside Aaron and handed him a piece of folded red cardboard paper. On the front, Bruce had carefully written 'Happy birthday Aaron' with his new-found skill of writing and writing. Since Aaron couldn't run around and play like his brother, he had learned to read a couple months ago.
"Thanks, Bruce," he said, attempting to stand up.
"Here. Lemme help." Bruce draped his arm around his brother's shoulders and helped him rise to his feet. Unbeknownst to the boys, their parents, Richard and Kori stood by the door, watching their boys proudly. They hadn't changed much, except for Kori, who was now heavily pregnant with another child. The baby was due in a matter of weeks. They were extremely proud of both of their sons. Both were incredibly outgoing. Bruce was destined to be an athlete – Richard was teaching him to play basketball. He was starting first grade in the fall and had recently learned to read. Aaron, it was obvious, was smarter than Bruce. He also had the biggest heart that they had ever seen in any little boy. Aaron would never give up, even if it meant hard work.
After Aaron was safely on his feet, Richard and Kori appeared from the doorway. "Good morning, boys. How did you sleep?"
"I slept good," Aaron answered.
"You slept well, sweetie."
"Right."
"Now that you're both up, why don't you come down to breakfast?"
Bruce followed right away, holding his mommy's hand. Aaron, however, hung back for a moment. Hadn't his parents remembered that today was his fourth birthday? Sure that they had, he followed closely behind. Since he couldn't bend his knees very much, the walk was a little awkward, but to him, it was normal. He rubbed his eyes, as he was still tired. Breakfast, however, was a casual affair, and was usually had in pajamas. Aaron trudged into the living room in his baseball pajamas, and the automatic doors shut behind him. Inside, it was already lively. In the last few years, the tower had gone from mildly busy to slightly chaotic. Now, instead of three kids in the house, there were seven. Bruce was the eldest, and was very proud of that fact.
Wally was in the kitchen flipping pancakes, while Karen was pouring juice into plastic cups and glasses. She had her youngest, Ben, on her hip as she did this, and he was proving exceedingly difficult. Ben kept stretching to grab a glass or cup, so Karen had to keep a constant eye on him to make sure he didn't spill anything. Vic was sitting on the couch with his older son, Matt, who was trying to explain something from preschool to his father. Raven was nearby, resting her feet. She, too, was expecting again. However, it was not one child, but twins, making her extra moody. It didn't help, either, that they were due any day. Emily was sitting comfortably in her chair at the kitchen, and grinned when Bruce pulled a chair up beside her and sat to sip his juice. Gwyneth was off in a corner, trying to calm her crying daughter, Maddie, and was not succeeding. Finally, Gar was sitting on the floor with Mark, trying to teach him to say 'vegetarian' properly.
Overall, it was very busy, but it was their home. Everyone especially loved Aaron, because he was the sweetest little boy. Wally called the entire group over to the table as he placed the pancake platter in the center. Thirty seconds later, the giant plate was half-empty, and everyone was munching happily. Aaron seemed to watch from the outside. Except for Bruce, no one had noticed that it was his birthday. He didn't like to lie – it made him sad. After five bits of pancake, Aaron excused himself from the table, treading towards the door. "Son Aaron," Kori said, surprised, "Where are you going?"
"My room," he answered shortly before leaving.
"What's wrong with Aaron, Aunt Kori?" Emily asked sweetly.
"He believes that we forgot his day of birth," she answered, "but that is what we want him to think. Now hurry. We must make with the haste."
Upstairs, Aaron settled down on his beanbag, contemplating. How had his parents forgotten his birthday? They had never before. Maybe now, just maybe, they had begun to treat him differently because of his legs. The thought made him shudder. How could they? His thoughts were interrupted by a beeping noise from the computer in the corner. Racing over as fast as he could, he sat in his chair and looked at the screen. He clicked on the big button in the corner for emails. Inside, there was one new one. Reading the label, he discovered it was from his Grandpa. Grinning, he opened it. It was a video, and he watched in delight.
Bruce Wayne appeared in his suit, but he also had a pointy children's birthday hat and had a shiny horn in his mouth. The horn tooted and he beamed at his grandson. "To my wonderful grandson, Aaron, I want to wish you a very happy fourth birthday. I'm sorry I can't be there to tell you that, but I'm very busy with work. Your present is in the mail, and I hope it arrives soon. I love you very much. Say hello to everyone for me." The screen went blank and Aaron leaned back in his chair. At least someone had remembered.
Deciding it was time to get dressed, Aaron headed over to his closet and pulled out blue shorts and an orange polo shirt. He slipped the shirt carefully over his head and then sat down to pull on the shorts. Because of his conditions, he had only learned to dress himself last year. He had inherited a desire to make sure that every detail of his face and hair was perfect from his father. Therefore, before he went down, he went over to the Grayson children's bathroom to brush his teeth and spike the very front of his hair. Aaron admired his face in the mirror. His legs not might be perfect, but, in his opinion, he was a good-looking four-year-old. He was grown-up, yet cute as a button. Perfect. Even if no one remembered his birthday, he might as well look good for it.
He flipped the lights off in the bathroom and went back into his room. Aaron grabbed a book from off of his shelf. Curious George. It was one of his favorites, and he had recently gone with is family to go see the new movie. Settling down on his beanbag, he opened the front cover and began the story about the Man in the Yellow Hat and the curious little monkey who finds him. Aaron had reached the part where the balloons in the park lifted George into the sky when there was a knock on his door. Lifting himself onto his feet and pulling himself steady, he headed toward the door, where he opened in with anticipation.
No one was there. How curious. Stepping out in the hallway with Curious George still tight in his grasp, Aaron walked down the hallway. He thought he saw a shadow disappear down the stairs, so he carefully descended the steps one at a time. He had once fallen down these very steps about a year ago. As soon as he reached the bottom, someone snuck up behind him and tied a handkerchief around his eyes. He gave a muffled cry, but was nudged forward by an unknown hand that prodded him from behind. Aaron heard an automatic door slide open and shut, but didn't know where from.
There was a sudden silence, and then the blindfold fell to his feet, as though the knot had been undone. Aaron blinked. He was in the living room, and it was quite empty. Nothing…no one was there. He was almost disappointed – had he been expecting something?
All at once, there was a burst of light, sound, and color, and everyone jumped out at the four-year-old. Aaron screamed and fell backward. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AARON!" they chorused. A giant sign had unrolled from the ceiling, and ribbon and streamers fell, drifting down slowly. Aaron stared around in amazement at everyone. He tried to get up, but his knee wasn't bending. He tried to rock back and forth to get momentum, but it didn't work.
"Help me!" he cried in frustration.
Richard and Kori immediately rushed forward and lifted their son to his feet. They presently hurried back to their previous spot and the whole group yelled, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AARON!" once more. This time, the little boy beamed in pleasant surprise. He ran forward as fast as he could and hugged the first adult he made contact with, which was his daddy.
"I thought you forgot, Daddy," Aaron said as two tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. Richard gently stroked his son's hair affectionately, but the little boy pulled away. "Hey," he snapped in a goofy way, "don't touch the hair." This line caused everyone to burst out laughing.
"He's more like you than I could have ever imagined," Vic chuckled.
Richard glared at Vic, but quickly recovered and leaned down to his son's level. "We would never forget your birthday, Aaron. You're more important to us than you could ever imagine. Now, how about some cake?" The raven-haired lad nodded gently and Richard scooped him up and brought him over to the cake table. The cake was chocolate – his favorite, and it had his name on it written in green frosting – his favorite color. His father cut him the first slice and placed it on a paper plate for him. Aaron picked up the fork and placed some cake in his mouth. He chewed for a moment, smiling, before swallowing and grinning at his father. "How is it?" Richard asked.
Aaron only dug into another bite, and that was everyone else's key to line up for a slice. Soon, every person in the tower had cake, and they were sitting around the living room, munching. However, after finishing his slice, Aaron went around from person to person, talking. In between Uncle Wally and Cousin Matt, he accidentally bumped into a door, which opened slightly. He peered inside and gasped. The room was full of brightly wrapped packages. Laughing, he raced back over to his mother and began talking very fast. "Mommy! I just saw this ginormous pile of presents in the room. Can I open them? Please, please, please, please!"
"You must have the patience, son Aaron. You will soon begin the ripping of carefully folded paper over gifts. Just wait for the cake eating to end."
If you did not know it before, four-year-olds are not patient.
But, at last, after forever, the last paper plate was in the giant trash bag hanging from the countertop. Richard, Vic, and Gar disappeared for a minute before returning with arms full of packages. All of the children's eyes followed the presents' progress across the room. Now, to a normal four-year-old, this would be more presents than they'd ever seen before, but for the handicapped son of a Titan, this was absolutely normal. Not only did he get presents from his parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandfather, but also from fans and foundations. The presents were placed in front of Aaron. The look in his eyes was nothing but pure delight and wonder – not a trace of greed was visible.
Uncle Vic and Aunt Karen placed the first package in front of him. Aaron ripped the paper open and threw it aside. Inside was a remote-controlled car that was the size of three loaves of bread. It looked very fun. He thanked them and Aunt Raven and Uncle Gar passed their gift over. Inside was a great collection of picture books – at least ten. Aaron gasped in delight at the books and looked up. "Thank you! Thank you!" Raven placed a hand gently on her husband's shoulder and smiled lightly. Uncle Wally and Aunt Gwyneth watched as the little boy ripped open the paper of their presents. Apparently, they hadn't settled on a gift and both accidentally bought him something. Wally's gift was a pair of special beginner's roller blades, and Gwyneth's was new clothes – two shirts and a pair of shorts.
Aaron requested to open his parent's presents last. He was handed many packages from fans and organizations. Many were candy, books, games, or toys. One was even an outfit for a baby, at which Aaron announced that he'd be happy to donate that gift to one of the new babies. Finally, the pile was reduced to two medium-sized packages and an envelope from Richard and Kori. The first parcel was a child-size trumpet. Richard had always insisted that music was a good way to teach discipline. The second was a T-shirt that had a picture of Curious George on the front and read, 'Curious Little Monkey'. The last thing left was the envelope, which Kori pushed encouragingly towards her son. Aaron opened the card inside and read aloud,
"Dear little Aaron, you're growing up fast.
It's hard to believe you're four at last.
Your mind is so bright and soon you will see,
Just how wonderful you're going to be.
This present will take work, so don't give in,
Go look in the living room closet to give this a spin."
Grinning like mad, Aaron rushed over to the kitchen. The titans heard rummaging noises, and then a cry of triumph. Using all of his might, the little boy pulled the gift out and pushed it back to the living room. He now stood beside his beautiful new green bicycle. Aaron threw himself at his parents and hugged them tightly, a smile plastered on his face. Mark and Bruce marveled over the new bike, but the birthday boy didn't notice at all.
Once the hugging had stopped, lunch was served by Gar and Vic, who served hot dogs (or tofu dogs) to everyone. Aaron ate heartily, and slowly, the room seemed to empty as people headed back upstairs. Soon, only Kori, Richard, and Aaron remained. Aaron finished eating and cleared his plate, giving it to his mommy, who was doing dishes. There on the kitchen counter was his book, Curious George. Richard was about to leave, when his son gave a cry. "Hey, Daddy! Can you read to me?" As it was almost impossible to refuse, he turned around and plopped down on the couch with him. Aaron leaned into his chest and opened the book to the first page.
The familiar words flowed out of his mouth as he recited the story that had been read a thousand times. Aaron could bee seen mouthing the words softly as his father read them. By the end of the story, the tiny boy was fast asleep, his eyelids shut, and is innocent face fixed in a smile. Richard knew that Aaron had been drifting off long ago, but continued reading until the end, as his son always insisted that he do. Suddenly, the phone rang, and he slowly stretched over to pick it up, not wanting to disturb the sleeping figure in his lap. "Hello?" he answered.
"Hello? Is this Titan's tower? May I speak with Robin?"
"This is he."
"Hi. It's Dr. Walker. I have some news concerning your son, Aaron."
"Really? What about?"
"His legs. I've been running a few tests and examining the x-rays and screenings from the last month, and I came to a conclusion." There was a pause where Richard drew breath. "With one final examination, Aaron will be able to have the surgery to remove the braces permanently."
Richard was so surprised that he almost dropped the phone. "Oh my. Such good news on such a special day. You must understand, Aaron has been waiting for the day when he could join his brother and run around and play like a normal boy. This will, perhaps, make him the happiest little boy in the world."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that. I've set up an examination in five day's time. Will that be all right with you?"
"Yes…yes that will be perfect."
"Thank you. Oh, and by the way, tell Aaron 'happy birthday' for me."
The other end of the line went dead. Richard hung up and turned back to his son. He was about to wake him and share the good news, but he looked at Aaron's face – so calm and relaxed. The news could wait for later. For now, he stayed asleep, safe in the comfort of his father's arms.
Hooray! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. It took me a little while, but it was fun to write. It's rather long, in my opinion. As to all the Curious George references, I have no interest in seeing the movie, but Jack Johnson is my favorite artist, and I've been listening to the soundtrack as I've written this. Plus, I have lots of cousins about Aaron's age (one of my cousins is Aaron!), and they all love characters like George.
Oh yeah – ginormous is a combination of the word gigantic and enormous.
Anyway, I would really appreciate your reviews and comments (positive or negative). Please click the purple/blue button (what color is it, anyway?) and make my day!