A/N: Please note that the rating has gone up. And sorry for not updating sooner, I had a week of grueling band camp, and then out of now where my dad decided to go to Boston. Despite the "long" wait, enjoy.
Slade started to clean the mess that was made of his living space only a little while ago, wondering where Raven did go. And wherever she went, he was almost sure, that she would be crawling back to him. She was apart of him in almost every way possible, almost. He felt like a hormonal teenager again, his senses still tingling, and his hands unable to keep steady. She consumed his every thought, the right and the wrong. Not only was she part of his life, she was part of his plan, his plan of an apprentice. With his strength and her amazing power, imagine what they could do together, genetically placed in a child of their own. The only flaw he faced was Raven, for she would not want the child to grow and cause havoc through out the city. But without her, his dream of an apprentice, and child of his own, would wilt and die.
-xXx
"He's as stubborn as an ox!" Cyborg said, heading down the steps with Robin and Starfire to the living room, to hang until dinner.
"But he is only trying to help," Starfire said in Beast Boy's defense.
"Yes, but he could clearly see that she was getting more and more upset with us being there," Robin stated.
"Well, whatever. He's going to get the ride of his life when Raven is restored to health," Cyborg said, partly smiling.
"Yes, I am sure," Starfire plainly said.
"Did you guys find anything unusual that needs considering?" Robin asked. Cyborg and Starfire looked at each other as they entered the living room, and headed for the comfort of the couch. They looked in each others eyes, trying to answer the question of whether to tell Robin of what the three saw. Cyborg started to speak.
"Well," he sighed nervously, "we found his bedroom."
"It was a disturbing sight for Beast Boy," Starfire chipped in.
"And us too, of course."
"There is nothing wrong with--" Cyborg coughed loudly, making sure that his cough was loud enough to muffle what Starfire was going to say.
"What?" Robin asked.
"Nothing," Cyborg quickly said.
"What is going on between you two?" Robin questioned.
"Nothing," the both of them said together. Robin gave them an odd look. "So what exactly did you guys find?" Robin asked.
"Not a very glorious site, according to Cyborg."
"Yeah. We figure something happened in the bedroom, we just don't know what. And both of us really don't want to find out, and are glad that Beast Boy is questioning her about it instead of us."
"So you mean--?" Robin asked, surprised at his own thoughts.
"I hate to assume the worst, but we are dealing with Slade, man," Cyborg clearly stated.
"We do fear for Raven, and the effect it will have on her," Starfire said, her voice alive with despair. Robin nodded, agreeing.
"What do we do?" Robin asked, for the first time, depending on his friends for answers and reassurance.
"Wait, just like we did the last time," Starfire said, resting a hand on his thigh.
-xXx
Beast Boy paced Raven's room, and didn't know whether he should scream with excitement, or reject her, and just leave her to deal with her emotions.
"Well say something," Raven said, anxious to hear a response.
"What is there to say Raven? What is there to tell you?"
"Tell me that everything's going to be okay…."
"It's not going to be okay Raven! Now with this! Why don't you just leave the team, now! Your absolutely worthless to us!" At this, Raven burst into tears. She hadn't felt this alone since she joined the team, and now her only friends may be letting her go.
'What have I done?' she thought to herself.
"I can't leave. I have no where to go!"
"Crawl back to him, maybe he might take you in," Beast Boy said coldly
"I want to be a Titan! I want to fight him, lock him up for all he's done. He still hasn't changed me!"
"Yes he has!" Beast Boy roared, "You slept with the flipping bastard, Raven! Don't tell me he hasn't changed you! You used to never let anyone in, keeping your heart closed to the outside world. We care Raven, and you keep pushing us away! Now all we want is for you to go away!"
'No, he did not just tell me to leave the team. He has no right, or does he? Can he cut me from the team? After all he said, all I am doing is crying? Where is your strength!' Raven thought with bitter haste.
"You want me to leave the team you selfish asshole! You want me to get out 'cause you're hurt we can never be! I want to lead my own life, and your holding me back, destroying me. Are you happy now, now that you've totally ripped me in half, the woman that you love. The woman that you love! No wonder you can't find a woman, or girl for this matter, to love you! You bastard, you selfish asinine piece of shit!" Raven yelled with all that was left of her heart. Beast Boy stood, ashamed at what he said, and soaking in what Raven tried to prove to him.
-xXx
Downstairs the team heard the yelling, the screaming and bickering of them, and decided to go up and interfere to save one of them, whoever needed saving. But when then got up to Raven's room, it ended as quickly as it started. Robin entered the room, and found a completely distraught Raven on the floor, breathing heavily, and Beast Boy sitting on the opposite side of the room, leaning against the wall.
"What happened?" Robin asked, running to Raven's side.
"I--I don't know," he said, closing his eyes, feeling the warmth of Starfire's gentle touch.
"You don't know?" asked Cyborg, picked up Raven with his mechanical arms.
"Then say nothing at all, Raven and I said enough for the day," Beast Boy said. Starfire got up from the crouched position next to him, and followed Robin out of the room, leaving him alone to think, alone.
-xXx
It was if Raven had nothing left to live for, she wouldn't eat and would lay awake for hours. No one expected her to answer to calls, or even move for that matter. She slipped into a depression, and labeled herself worthless. Beast Boy was frightened to even walk by her room, afraid of what she might do to herself.
"You know, you should talk to her, it's the least you can do," Cyborg said, while stuffing his face with pizza on the couch.
"Yes, I agree. An apology would be very pleasing to her," Starfire pitched in.
"What did you guys talk about anyway?" Robin asked, curious to what fueled their fire.
Beast Boy paused, his slice of plain pizza just reaching his lips. "Nothing," he said, now taking a bite out of it.
"It must have been something, you guys were really going at it," Cyborg pointed out.
"It's just between her and I, for now," Beast Boy calmly said, while chewing on his dinner.
"Will we ever find out?" Starfire asked, curious to know.
"Maybe…well, probably."
"Probably?" Robin repeated.
"I'm not sure. I don't know, okay?" Beast Boy said, really not wanting to go back to what Raven and him fought about.
"Can you tell us? We promise we won't tell. It'll just be our secret," Cyborg pleaded.
"Yah! We can keep a secret!" Starfire sang happily.
"What if Raven does find--" Robin started.
"She won't! We won't tell," Starfire said, trying to get rid of the doubt in Robin.
"A promise is a promise," Cyborg said.
"And promises are meant to be broken," a monotone voice said, behind the four of them on the couch. The four, felt shivers down their backs, and jumped in surprise.
"Hi friend Raven!" Starfire said, surprised to see her out of the room. All Raven could do was glare. She was darker than ever, as if she was truly swallowed in her misery, forever.
"Do you want something to eat?" Beast Boy asked, quite bravely on his part. Raven turned her stare toward him, and rejected his offer by turning up her nose at him. He frowned at her discontent with him.
"Beast Boy is sorry," Starfire said out of the blue.
"If he is so sorry, than why did you say it for him?" Raven asked.
"I am sorry, Raven. I want us to be…close acquaintances, like before this whole thing started," Beast Boy said, standing.
"Things aren't going to go back to the way they used to, they never will," Raven said, and at this Beast Boy let his shoulders fall, "but, we can try."
"Really?" Beast Boy said, his eyes widening. A smile did not even cross Raven's face, but she nodded her head. He ran up to her, and threw her arms around her, bringing her in for a close hug. Raven clasped a pale hand to her face, but it quickly retreated as vomit escaped her mouth, and splattered onto the floor in front of her. Raven stood over the puddle with embarrassment and disgust, what should she do? The only thing that came out of her mouth where random words, trying to piece random sentences together. The heat of their stare got to her, and she ran out of the room.
"Perhaps you squeezed her to hard?" Starfire asked. Beast Boy stood there dumbfounded.
"All I did was hug her, I swear!" Beast Boy said.
Robin reacted to what Beast Boy had said. "I know what's wrong," he said plainly, and ran up to Raven's room.
"Great, who's cleaning this up?" Cyborg asked. Beast Boy and Starfire stepped away, as Cyborg sighed with disgust displayed on his face.
-xXx
Raven's heart was thumping in her chest, rumbling her sternum, feeling as if it was going to shatter. Her mind was racing with curiosity as to why her stomach decided to get rid of its contents. She ran for the shelter of her room, and huddled on her bed in fear that something was wrong with her. But not soon after, she heard a knock on the door. Her eyes were glued to the door, but she could not get herself to speak.
"Raven?" asked a voice that sounded like Robin. Raven still couldn't answer, she was silenced by her own fear. Robin opened the door anyway, despite the lack of answering on Raven's part. He saw her huddled on the bed, her eyes glazed in deep thought.
"Raven, are you okay?" Robin asked, stepping closer to the huddled Raven.
'Does it look like I'm okay?' she thought to herself. Robin sighed at her silence, his temper already endangered of being lighted. He thought of one question that would get her attention.
"I think I know what happened," Robin said, sitting on the bed next to her, looking at her face for a reaction. And to his satisfaction, she showed a sign of acknowledgement, by turning her head in curiosity.
"Do you know why you--"
"No, I don't," Raven quickly cut him off.
"I would have thought that you would of. Especially with the way your acting."
"Well I don't, do you?"
"Yes, I do."
"Is there something wrong with me?" Raven said, fear entering her eyes, but not her voice. Robin paused at this. There was nothing wrong with her, this was natural. But as far as the situation, it was wrong.
"No…no I don't think that you would consider pregnancy wrong." Oh how the word echoed in Raven's mind. She was with child, Slade's child. Does he know about this phenomenon already? Raven clearly remembered when he said, 'I know more than you give me credit for, my love', and she figured he probably did.
"What am I going to do?" she sighed, trembling with fear.
"I don't know. Do you think Slade knows?"
"I am sure he does."
"Should you tell the others?"
"I want to avoid the topic for now."
"You can't keep this a secret forever, Rae," Robin plainly stated.
"I know…."
"Do you want me to tell?" Raven looked into his mask, her eyes searching vigorously for his.
"It would be odd if you just went down and told everyone, like it is great news or something," Raven sighed.
"Despite the child's father, it should be exciting for you," Robin said, faintly smiling. Raven knew that he still was not pleased with the event that took place, but it was in the past, and this was happening now. No matter the father, it was still her child, a child that she chose to carry in that moment alone.
"I will tell…later tonight. When I am ready." Raven said, lying down on her bed. This was a clear clue that she wanted Robin out, and he responded immediately to her silent cry for privacy.
-xXx
"So why did Raven spew?" Beast Boy asked as Robin reentered the main living area of the tower.
"Whatever the reason, you can thank her for destroying my appetite for the next week," Cyborg said, grimacing.
"Does she have the sickness of the "flu"?" Starfire asked.
Robin calmly responded with, "It is not my place to tell you." He respected Raven, for carrying the heavy burden of telling the team herself. He realized she deserved more credit than any of the other teens from the past moments.
"So she is not sick?" Starfire asked.
"It's not my place to tell. She will confront the rest of the team. For now we wait."
They waited for three hours, and still no sign. It was nearing 10:30, and the team was getting cranky.
"Did she actually say that she was going to tell us tonight?" Beast Boy asked, impatient.
"I just hope she can keep whatever is in her stomach, in her stomach," Cyborg commented, slightly gagging. Starfire was already asleep on Robin's shoulder, and seemed to be deep into her dream world, whatever it may be.
The door hissed open, and in it's darkness, a human figure stepped into the dim light of the room.
-xXx
"Excellent," Slade said, staring at one of the computer monitors of Raven empting her stomach, "the perfection of this plan is intriguing, and the reward will be quite satisfying."
-xXx
Beast Boy and Cyborg turned around to face the door, and saw the hooded figure of Raven walk down the stairs to once again stand right behind the couch, to face the teammates. Robin shook Starfire awake, dazed, she opened her eyes and looked around to see Raven.
"Oh Raven! You have decided to share with us what happened?" Starfire asked, her sleepiness seemed to be placed with curiosity. Raven looked at Robin, and he nodded, giving her enough contentment that somebody believed that she would be doing the right thing. Raven took down her hood, and exposed her pale face, and purple colored eyes full with fear.
"I am here, am I not?" Raven answered.
"Well hurry up with it. We are totally wiped," Beast Boy yawned. Raven sighed, trying to gather the sentences she had together in her room.
"There comes a time in a woman's life, when she mentally, and physically, decides that she is ready to breed life," Raven started to say, with her head pointed to the ground, "but for some woman, she does not have that choice, it just happens unexpectedly." Raven looked up to the staring faces hoping they would understand what she was trying to say. But Cyborg and Beast Boy were blank faced, and Starfire was heavily in thought, probably trying to put two and two together.
"So you are ready to "breed life"?" Starfire asked, a smile starting to form on her face. Raven looked at Starfire and frowned. Something finally clicked within Star about the situation. "Oh," Starfire said plainly.
"What? Why are you talking about, well that, when you should be talking about what sickness you have?" Beast Boy asked, still clueless.
"It is her sickness," Cyborg said plainly, turning his gaze from Beast Boy to Raven. Raven could feel the blood rush to her head when they all started to look at her again.
"So she's having a baby?" Beast Boy asked, trying to confirm that his assumption was true.
"Slade's baby," Robin said, hating the name with every part of his body. Raven cringed at Robin's disgust, but she still stood there, enduring whatever nasty things they would say about her pregnancy. They had to understand that this child was hers too, forgetting the fact that Slade made this pregnancy possible.
"So what are you going to do? Are you going to tell him, or keep it a secret?" Cyborg asked.
"I do believe he already knows," Raven said, relieved that the truth was out.
"What do you think he's going to do?" Cyborg continued the questioning.
"I don't know, and I don't care," Raven said, turning around and exiting the room, back to her own.
A/N: It's shorter than usual, whatever the usual is. Hope you like this chapter, now please tell me by reviewing!
