AN: Despite my hardest efforts, I still do not own Teen Titans or anything associated with them.

Chapter 17

Raven couldn't take much more of this. She was two weeks passed her due date and still this child was unwilling to come out. Beast Boy was growing upset because he only had a few days left before he had to leave for Japan. Raven was so big that she could barely move through her own home without knocking something over. She felt absolutely miserable.

"Why won't you come out!" she shouted at her stomach. She was sitting on the couch, since she dreaded walking or standing. "Am I really that comfortable?"

"Yelling at her isn't gonna make her wanna come out," said Beast Boy.

"I don't care," said Raven. "This kid better get used to listening to me. Did you hear me in there? I said I want you out!"

"Rae, she's obviously way too comfy in there to want to come out," chuckle Beast Boy.

"Not another word, you," she growled. "It's probably your stupid genetics making her stubborn."

"Hey, I thought I had the perfect genes," said Beast Boy, sitting down next to her.

"Well, I've changed my mind," she said, wanting to cross her arms, but she just looked foolish, since they had to go over her large stomach.

"Sorry, too late," said Beast Boy. "And, just so you know, you're the stubborn one, not me."

"I'm not stubborn!" said Raven.

"Oh, really?" he said. "Then who was the one who wouldn't admit she was afraid and sent a monster after us with her powers?"

"One occasion of being stubborn doesn't make me more stubborn than you," said Raven.

"Trust me, there are other times," said Beast Boy.

"Look, if you're just gonna make me feel bad then you can just leave," said Raven.

"Okay, I'm sorry," said Beast Boy. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

Raven sighed and began to massage her temples. She suddenly winced and groaned. "I am so sick of this!" she said in a frustrated tone.

"Sick of what?" he asked.

"These stupid false contractions," said Raven. "I've been having them for goddamn week now!"

"You wanna go to the hospital?" asked Beast Boy.

"No," sighed Raven. "They'll just tell me it's not the real deal, like they did yesterday and the day before that and so on. I swear she's doing this to me on purpose. She already doesn't like me."

"How can you say that?" chuckled Beast Boy. "She obviously loves you."

"Where the hell do you get that from?" she asked.

"Well, she thinks you're so warm and comfortable she doesn't want to leave," said Beast Boy. "What could be a bigger compliment than that?"

"I guess you're right," she said after some thought. "You always know what to say. Thank you."

"Hey, it's my pleasure," said Beast Boy with a smile. Raven smiled back and then winced, letting out a small yelp of pain. She sighed and relaxed back into her beloved couch.

The odd thing was that the contractions she was feeling were really starting to hurt her and she could have sworn that they were lasting much longer than before. Usually they would come in and out for an hour or so and then fade a way. It had been two hours and they were continuing on and even starting to get a little more frequent.

"Stop teasing me already!" she shouted at her body. "I've been so good to you and this is how you repay me? I exercise, eat right, meditate, heal any wounds I get. How dare you do this to me?"

"Rae, I think we should go to the hospital," said Beast Boy.

"No, they already think I'm one of those hysterical pregnant women who constantly think they're going into labor," said Raven. "Just wait, it'll pass just like the others."

"It's been too long," said Beast Boy, feeling like this may be the real deal. "If they were false contractions then they would've ended by now. And they already think you're one of those hysterical women, so we might as well go." He grabbed her hands and began to pull her off of the couch.

"I'm not going so I can make a fool of myself," said Raven as Beast Boy pulled her large body off of the couch. She gasped and felt something very strange. A warm liquid was gushing out of her, soaking her legs. "On second thought…"

Beast Boy drove Raven to the hospital as quickly as he could. The whole while Raven was taking back everything she had said that day. She wasn't ready to give birth. She wasn't ready for all of this to happen. But she didn't have a choice now.

"Well, well, look who it is," said her doctor with a smile. "More contractions?"

"Yes, and my water broke," growled Raven as Beast Boy wheeled her in. She wasn't in the mood for this doctor and his doubts that she was really in labor.

"Well it's about time," he said with a smile. "Come on, we'll get you into a room."

He led them down a few halls and then opened the door to a room. Beast Boy quickly pushed her in and then helped her to the bed. She was really in pain now and couldn't help moaning and crying. Beast Boy would've given anything to trade places with her.

"I've changed my mind," she cried. "I don't want a baby anymore." They had been there for an hour and nothing had happened except for poor Ravens constant pain.

"Rae, it's kinda too late," said Beast Boy, trying to calm her down.

"I don't care," she wept as another contraction hit.

Beast Boy felt helpless. He decided to find a nurse and see if anything could be done for Ravens pain. He told her that he would be right back and sprinted out of the room. He found a whole mess of nurses chatting in the hallway and quickly asked one for help. She decided that Raven may benefit from an epidural and quickly went off to check with Ravens doctor to see if it was okay.

Raven was given the epidural and soon her pain began to fade away. Beast Boy immediately felt much better.

"Thanks," he said to the nurse as she exited Ravens room.

"No problem," said the nurse. "I've been in her situation before. Are you married or just boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Uh, well, I'm the father," said Beast Boy awkwardly.

The nurse gave him a kind smile and then headed off to do her rounds. Beast Boy went back in to see if Raven was doing okay. She looked far more relaxed and smiled when she saw Beast Boy.

"Do you feel better now?" he asked. "No more pain?"

"Nope," she said with a soft grin. Beast Boy had never seen Raven drugged before and it was actually quite amusing. "I think I can have her now."

"Well the doctor said that you still have a while to go," said Beast Boy. "But it's nice to know you really want her now. I was getting scared for a little while there."

"Sorry about that," said Raven. "Feeling like your loins are being stabbed and pulled apart makes you say crazy things."

"I'll take your word for it," said Beast Boy, sitting down in a chair next to her bed.

Raven smiled and settled in for a long wait. She was definitely feeling better now. Better than she had ever felt before. She didn't care who was coming or going or who was checking to see how far along she was dilated. She really was lucky Beast Boy was there to keep everything in order.

Finally, after what seemed forever to Beast Boy, Raven was ready to start pushing. She was more than ready and gave a happy cheer when her doctor said that it was time. Beast Boy, on the other hand, was actually feeling really anxious now.

And thus the actually birthing began. Raven was told when to push and for how long. She was finally coming down from her drugged high and was growing very tired from this whole thing. She realized that this was it and did her best to stay focused.

"You're doing great, Raven," said her doctor. "The head's almost out. Ready?"

"I think so?" she said in a tired voice and she began to push again. She had a firm hold of Beast Boy's hand and pushed with all of her might.

"Keep going," coached her doctor.

"You're doing awesome, Rae!" said Beast Boy, trying to be useful.

Raven felt energized by Beast Boy's support and kept going. Finally the doctor announced that the head was out. Raven knew that she was over the hump now and with one or two more pushes the doctor would be able to pull her daughter free.

"She's out!" announced the doctor and lifted the child into the air. He quickly cleaned the child's mouth out and a shrill cry filled the room.

Beast Boy was in awe as he watched the little girl take in her first breaths of life. He could even feel tears trying to push their way out of his eyes, but he did his best to hold them back. But Raven couldn't. As soon as they laid the child all warm in a blanket on her chest she began to cry happily.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to meet you," she said as she cradled her daughter. "Emma." She looked up at Beast Boy with tear filled eyes.

"You're… you're gonna name her Emma?" he asked, shocked.

"I couldn't think of a better name," said Raven, smiling.

Beast Boy smiled and said, "Congratulations, Rae."

Raven looked back to her little daughter and kissed her forehead. It was already clear that her skin was a faint pale green and her hair was more of a violet. Her ears were just hinting towards pointed and made her look oh so cute. She clung to her mother and blanket wrapped around her. She wasn't sure where she was, but her mothers feel and smell let her know that she was somewhere safe.