Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Teen Titans
Chapter 18: The Confession
Three days later, Raven was released to go back home. She was still pretty weak and could not walk or use her powers. Cyborg, Nebula and Jhun went to pick her up while the rest of the team prepared for her return. They had a banner in the center of the common room reading:
WELCOME HOME RAVEN
Rin and Jason were overjoyed that their mother was coming home, but noticed that their father was not as thrilled. They watched as he cared for Arella obviously very deep in thought.
"Daddy?" Rin called timidly.
"What's up, Rin?" Nightwing asked.
Rin grabbed Jason's arm. "Well…I was wondering if you and Mommy were okay."
"We're fine," Nightwing replied stubbornly.
Jason looked at him sternly. "At least I know where I'm getting my stubbornness from," he said dully.
Nightwing sighed. "I don't know, but I hope we can figure it out."
"All rise! The queen of Sheba has arrived!" Nebula announced as she entered with Jhun carrying Raven's bags and Cyborg carrying Raven in his arms.
"Thanks for that marvelous introduction, Nebula," Raven said irritably with a vein about to pop out of head. She hated to have attention drawn to her and Nebula had a habit of doing that…a lot.
"You're welcome," Nebula said pleasantly.
Rin and Jason ran up to her with Nightwing, carrying Arella, not too far behind them. Starfire and Garfield followed.
"Hey, Mom," Jason greeted.
"Welcome back," Rin added.
Raven smiled at them happily. She then looked at Nightwing.
"Hey," He said softly.
"Hey," Raven whispered back.
Nightwing sighed heavily. "Cyborg, you can take her in our room."
"Sure," Cyborg said about to leave.
"Wait!" Raven said suddenly. "Where are you sleeping?"
"I'll stay in the guestroom so you'll have your privacy," he replied.
Nebula narrowed her eyes shifting glances between the two of them.
"I'll take care of everything," Nightwing told Raven adding a smile. "I'll handle Arella and the twins."
"Right," Raven whispered as Cyborg carried her to their room. As soon as she did not see Raven, Nebula hit Nightwing in the back of his head.
"Ow!" He cried.
"Dummy!" Nebula called him shaking her head.
For a week Nightwing and Raven did not really talk. The only time that they did was when Raven wanted to hold Arella. Both could not find the words to say to each other. They could only stare at each other blankly hoping that one of them would have the courage to say something to the other.
Late one afternoon, Nightwing allowed Arella to sleep in the crib set up in Raven's room so Raven could watch her while the baby slept. Raven was sitting up in her bed reading a book and eating lunch that Starfire had brought up for her (which was all Earthly and edible) just before she and the rest of the team were called to protect the city. Nightwing and the twins were the only one's home with her.
After an hour's nap, the baby started crying announcing that she was ready to get up and be fed. Raven put her book to the side and struggled to get up from her bed to at least calm her down. She still could not use her powers or walk on her own without assistance from anyone else, but tried on her own anyway. She grabbed onto the nightstand and struggled to move her feet one at a time. Both of them felt like they were full of lead. She grabbed onto the wall, gradually making progress. The crib was only five feet away from her. Just as she tried balancing to walk over to it, she fell on the carpeted floor unable to get back up on her own.
Arella was now wailing loudly.
"I know…" Raven said trying to grab onto something to pull herself back up, but could not reach for anything.
Nightwing, who heard the baby's cry, walked into the room calmly, but when he saw Raven on the floor, he panicked. He scrambled to her side.
"Raven, are you okay?" He asked frantically.
"It's a shame," she began with tears strolling down her face, "I can't even calm my own child when she cries."
Nightwing scooped her up bridal style in his arms and placed her back on the bed. "It's okay," He told her gently. "You should have called one of us to bring her to you. You know you still can't walk or use your powers yet." He went to the crib, picked up Arella and handed her to Raven.
"Thank you," Raven whispered as Arella calmed down.
"Jason!" Nightwing called.
Jason walked in.
"Bring a bottle for Arella," Nightwing told him.
Jason nodded as he headed for the kitchen.
Nightwing looked at his wife. "Okay now?"
Raven nodded.
"Good." He got up and was about to leave the room, but suddenly stopped and turned around looking as he was forcing himself not to leave.
"What is it?" Raven asked.
"I can't do this," He said softly.
"What?"
"Pretend like I don't have anything to say. I've been without you for seven months thinking."
"About what?" Raven asked seriously.
"You; me. Trying to see what life would be like without you, but I can't. When you fell into that coma, I was devastated. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to cope with you not being with me. Everything was chaotic with the baby and the twins."
"Nebula… told me that. She also told me that you were fine without me."
"No, I wasn't. There wasn't a moment where I didn't think about you." He sat next to her on the edge of the bed. "There wasn't a moment where I didn't think about what I put you through or what I put our family through. I was you for two months and, to be perfectly honest, I didn't think I'd make it. I didn't see how you could."
Raven stared blankly at him as Nightwing took her hand.
"I can't stop loving you, Raven, and I can't be without you. When I asked you to marry me, I meant what I said. I wanted you to be my partner for life. I love you too much to let you go."
"How do I know… that we won't end up like this again?" Raven asked suppressing her urge to cry.
"We don't," Nightwing said softly. "But…I don't want to live the rest of my life without still being married to you, do you? Do you think that you can?"
Raven shook her head now in tears. "No."
"I don't deserve you, but… please stay my wife."
"Yes…" Someone sang imitating the gospel singer from The Color Purple. Nightwing and Raven knew that it had to be Nebula eavesdropping because she sang that exact same song when Nightwing proposed to her in Nebula's living room.
Nightwing and Raven looked to see Jhun, Nebula, Garfield, Starfire, Cyborg and the twins staring at them. Nebula was singing waving her hand high in the air spiritually.
"Yes…" Nebula continued to sing. "If I were you, I would say 'yes'…Speak, Rae…Speak to him…"
Raven glared at her.
"Who are you glaring at!" Nebula asked her. "You better say 'yes' or you'll be dealing with me!"
Raven softened her look, turned to her husband and softly kissed his lips. "Yes," She answered. They kissed again and held each other tightly making up for all the time they had been apart.
"Dang! You two are about the slowest people I've ever met! You're a couple of turtles!" Nebula commented bluntly.
"Agreed," Starfire added nodding her head with everyone else. "But, please, what is a turtle?"
No one replied.
"How long have you all been standing there?" Nightwing asked now blushing along with Raven.
"From the 'I was you for two months' part," Cyborg replied adding a sly smile.
Garfield snickered.
Nightwing ran up to the door, took the baby bottle from his son and shut the door.
"Behave, you two," Nebula said from behind the door. "Don't forget that Arella is still in there. Keep it G Rated!"
Nightwing opened the door again handing the baby to Nebula, and then he shut it once again to be alone with his wife.
"Carry on!" Cyborg said playfully as he and the rest of the group went on with their business.
