Disclaimer: They aren't mine. One little piece is, but you'll know what I'm talking about when you get there.
A/N: First off, and most important, THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS! It was great hearing that people enjoyed the prologue. Hopefully Chapter 1 lives up to all your expectations. I also wanted to let everyone know that I'm not really familiar with the comic book Teen Titans, so my story is coming from the TV series only. I use everyone's real name and hopefully I got them all right. The one that I had to fudge was Bumblebee's who I mention once. I have no idea what her real name is, but if anyone out there knows I'd be happy to change it to what it should be! I also turn Robin into Nightwing, but I'm not the top expert in that area. If you see something that needs to be fixed, again just let me know.
Warnings: Had to knock the rating up one, though it isn't that big of a deal. I have a bad word somewhere in here. Obviously this is going to have relationship complications so bear with me while I sort through the messy knots and tangles I've created.
Okay, on to Chapter 1! Have fun!
Chapter 1: Come Around Again
I've still got sand in my shoes
And I can't shake the thought of you
I should get on
Forget you
But why would I want to?
I know we said goodbye
Anything else would have been confused
But I want to see you again
- Dido, Sand in My Shoes
Though the night wind nipped at his skin, leaving cheeks and nose red, and sheets of icy rain barraged him from all sides, mating his black hair to his face and neck, Nightwing stood still in the shadows, watching over his city. Through the film of his mask he observed every nook and cranny of the city he had memorized. The bird was waiting for something to happen. Please… something happen.
It was not as if Nightwing wanted to see his city in shambles, the people suffering, and his life constantly full of fighting crime. He was just bored. Crime was at an all time low in Jump City thanks to him and his team, which he should have been happy about. But he slipped into bed every night with a sinking feeling that the profession of superhero was slowly becoming obsolete.
His teammates, however, were not of that opinion. Being a part-time Titan was enough for Starfire, Cyborg, and Beastman (here Nightwing allowed himself a chuckle… Beastboy had insisted on being referred to as 'man,' but it just didn't fit him somehow). It gave them more time to be themselves- Kori Grayson, Victor Stone, Garfield Logan- and that was what they had wanted since the day they had formed their crime-fighting group, though Nightwing doubted they'd realized it at the time. While everyone else flourished in normalcy, Nightwing floundered in it.
He was the only one who had not forsaken the night watch. He had grudgingly allowed the rest of the team to win that fight. 'It's not necessary,' they had told him. 'We'll know if something happens. That's what alarms are for.' Nightwing could not bring himself to give it up. The others could apparently easily distinguish themselves between hero and normal citizen… he could not. This was who he was. He had been fighting crime and keeping nighttime vigilances since he'd been a kid. Nightwing deserved as much room in his body and his life as Dick Grayson.
While Nightwing was tormented by nightmares of uselessness, Dick Grayson lived a content and, as he had predicted ten years before, safe life. Time had given him a daughter who, with her red hair and bottle-green eyes, was the miniature of her mother and a relationship that was stable and loving. When he's first realized that being a hero would not, in fact, provide for a family, Dick had taken a job at Jump University teaching psychology and criminology, subjects he knew inside and out. He had successfully integrated himself into the world of double-lives. Tomorrow would be the first day of class and the beginning of his sixth year at the school.
Cold rain droplets had begun to successfully penetrate Nightwing's uniform and a rumble of thunder and flash of lightning crushed his hopes of a quick end to the storm. Classes did start tomorrow… Nothing had happened in the three hours he'd been out… It was time to go home.
Unfreezing himself from his perched position above the city, Nightwing gracefully soared through the air and landed in the alleyway where he'd placed his motorcycle. Revving the engine, he skidded off through the deserted streets of the sleeping city. As he passed the now abandoned church where so long ago he had watched helplessly as Raven battled her future, Nightwing's sharp eyes caught a glimpse of a flash of red through one of the clouded stained glass windows. Making a one-eighty turn with his bike he back tracked and, leaving his motorcycle in the alley next to the church, pushed open the door to a building that should have been as asleep as the rest of the city.
Upon opening the doors to the dilapidated building Nightwing was greeted by nothing but darkness. Yet his trained ears heard the distinct sound of ragged breathing. "Who's there?" He took a step forward into the unknown but stopped short when he heard a warning that seemed to come from every direction at once.
"Leave trespasser." The eerie voice carried a note that chilled Nightwing to the bone, though he showed no signs of the unsettling feeling. "This fight is not yours."
"Fight?" At that moment the storm allowed Nightwing a flash of lightning so he could see exactly what he had walked into. Though it only lasted a second, it was ample time for the masked hero to get his bearings.
The voice he had heard came from a man who appeared to be dressed in some kind of robe. It was the sight at his feet that made Nightwing question his own perception. Huddled and bleeding was a figure who looked like… but it couldn't be.
"Raven?" he whispered, moving closer to her.
"No!" The man, frustrated that Nightwing had not obeyed his commands, raised his hand. He chanted words that Nightwing could not decipher and a rush of hot flames issued from his palm, heading straight for Nightwing. Caught off guard, Nightwing could not dodge the fast fire, and was broadsided. He felt the fire eating away at his uniform and biting at his skin.
As if brought back to life by her attacker's distraction, the figure on the floor shot up and tackled the robed man, pinning him to the floor with one hand around his neck, slowly limiting his air supply. "You tell that bastard you call master to leave me alone," she said the last three words in a low, threatening whisper, her hand pressing down harder and harder on the man's throat.
"You only… deny…" the man coughed, but eagerly continued his threat, "the inevitable. You can't fight… our master."
"You don't know anything about what I can and cannot do." She stood up as if to leave, the man behind her coughed and chocked as he was allowed to breathe freely again. Then he stood on shaky legs, raising his hands as he had done prior to attacking Nightwing.
But before he got the chance, words that Nightwing thought he'd never hear again echoed through the empty church. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The man was again pinned, this time to the wall dully illuminated by the black power that encased him.
The girl's voice was determined and challenging as she issued a warning of her own. "Stay away from me. And tell Trigon I said 'hello'." With a final rush of power the girl threw the man to the opposite wall and watched as he fell and hit the floor, motionless. His body was immediately devoured in flames, leaving the injured Nightwing alone with the stranger who he thought he knew.
He listened as foot steps approached him, wishing he had a light of some kind. As if granting his wish, the storm produced another flash of lightning allowing him a glimpse at her face. He had caught her eyes, large and lavender, as they looked down at him. He tried to stand up so he could get closer to her. He needed to get closer to her. However, the burns he had sustained were worse than he'd originally thought and as he stood he had to take a pew for support.
"You're hurt." Her voice was worried and had a hint of… was it fear? She seemed to hesitate before coming up to him and gently guiding him back to the floor to sit. Then he felt warm hands touch his shoulder and back where the fire had penetrated his body and felt the stinging sensation that was a by-product of Raven's healing powers. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this," she said with openness that he had rarely heard from Raven. "There," her hands left his skin. "You might still want to go to a hospital." She stood up, ready to leave. But Nightwing was not going to watch her go… if he had anything to say about it, he'd never have to watch her go again.
"Raven, wait." He reached for her hand, but she stepped back. He sensed her fear.
"You really should go to a hospital." Blackness surrounded her and she sunk into the floorboards and out of his grasp.
Nightwing clenched his still open hand in defeat and brought it back down to his side. He had let her get away again. She'd run away from him again. But she was in Jump City, and judging by what he'd seen, Nightwing assumed it was going to be a long stay. She was back on his turf and he was going to find her and get the answers to questions he had formed all those years ago. He needed to see her, hear her, feel her…
This time there would be no running away.
Thirty minutes after his encounter with the past found Nightwing in his old room at Titan Tower. The living quarters were rarely used anymore; everyone had moved on to their own homes. It had been an end to the bond that living together created that they knew would eventually come. Their normal alter-egos needed somewhere to live their lives: Dick and Kori needed a place to raise their daughter, Victor and Jessie Stone had a home that lied between both Towers, and Garfield Logan could not easily refer to the Tower as his bachelor pad, so he had found an apartment in the city.
Now Nightwing's room had a thin layer of dust from disuse. He stood in front of the mirror, examining the injuries that now only appeared to be a bad case of sunburn. Satisfied that he could function properly without telling is teammates about the injuries, he changed out of the tattered uniform , put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and removed his mask.
Dick Grayson moved through the hallways of the empty, cold structure that had once been so full of life. He stopped briefly at the door with the name RAVEN engraved on it. His fingers gingerly traced the letters, wondering if it was still the same inside. Right after Raven's disappearance he'd come to her room every night, laid in her bed, and imagined she was there beside him wrapped in his arms, never to leave. Though he would never admit it to anyone, he cried himself to sleep on each one of those lonely nights.
His hands eagerly reached for the console that kept Raven's room safe from the world, but he stopped himself before punching the numbers. The face of his watch told him it was nearing one o'clock. Kori would start to worry if he didn't get home soon. Frustration bubbled inside Dick and he slammed both fists into Raven's door.
What am I doing?
He had made peace with Raven's ghost long before, but her appearance tonight made the casing he'd built around her section of his heart had crumbled upon seeing her again. But had it really been her? It had been dark, and he could easily have been seeing things… But it had been her powers, her voice, and her fight with Trigon.
"Nightwing?"
Moving away from Raven's door and continuing to the garage, Dick answered the call on his comm link. "Hey Star." Her face relaxed with relief and she smiled at her husband.
"Where are you?"
"On my way home," he said, straddling his motorcycle and starting the engine. "I'll be there in a couple of minutes."
"Alright." There was a slight pause on her side. "I love you."
"I love you too, Star." His response was instinctual by now, a force of habit. Tonight had convinced him of that. But she was his reality, and Raven was his dream. As he had fallen from the cloud that he and Raven had sat upon, Starfire had been there to catch him.
He would forget about the events of the night, just as he had seemingly forgotten every look, every touch, and every kiss she'd ever given him. Yet as he sped down the tunnel that connected the Tower to his home in suburbia, the only image in Dick's head was her piercing violet stare glaring at the most intimate secrets of his heart.
"Miss Davenport?"
Professor Dick Grayson had been lecturing for an hour, the last fifteen minutes of which he'd spent slowly making his way to the back of his classroom. He was headed for the girl in the back row whose head had conveniently settled itself into her right hand, black hair obscuring her closed eyes from the professor, but that hadn't prevented him from knowing they were closed. The other students, interested to see what would happen to the girl, had all been paying rapt attention to the professor ever since he'd started his journey up the stairs to the back of the lecture hall.
"Miss Davenport?" Dick repeated calmly.
Her head slowly rose from its position and she shook it a couple times as she reclaimed her bearings. She looked around the room, and upon realizing that she had fallen asleep in her very first class at Jump University, her face flushed to a lovely cherry color. Her head rose as if to meet the professor's crossed arms and slightly annoyed, slightly amused face, but she kept her eyes focused on the floor.
"I'm sorry, Professor."
"Perhaps I should be the one apologizing if my lectures are so boring that they put my students to sleep."
"Oh no, sir," she said, finally looking directly at him. "I just had a late night is all… It won't happen again."
Dick had not heard the girl's explanation. She'd looked at him and he suddenly didn't care why she'd fallen asleep. Her eyes were the distinct shade of purple that he'd seen on only one other person. Caught off guard, Dick had allowed a floodgate to open in his mind… question upon question built up in his brain. He could not string together coherent thoughts. Then he noticed his sleeping student shift uncomfortably under his stare.
Blinking and quickly moving from her desk to the front of the classroom, Dick told his students, "I think we've all had enough for one day. Read the first section of the book in order to prepare for next class." The students, happy that their first class had ended early, rushed past him, some thanking him for his time. He sat down at his desk and raked his hands through his hair.
"I really am sorry, Professor. I'm not usually the type to fall asleep."
She was standing in front of his desk, books clutched to her chest, looking at him with those eyes… He could not bear to meet her gaze. She needed to leave. "It's fine, Miss Davenport. I'll see you in class on Thursday." He listened as her footsteps carried her out of the classroom and down the hallway.
Dick attempted to organize his thoughts in the now empty room. He'd seen her powers last night, her eyes this morning… Raven had perhaps developed more secrets than she had had when she left the Tower. Now, more than ever he felt the need to see her. He desperately needed her explanation.
"I need some air," he concluded aloud. Grabbing his jacket on the way out, he went to take a walk around campus.
The cool September air cleared his turbulent mind. He walked through the college campus, greeting past students as he passed them and watching late students rush past him, coffee in one hand and books in another. After a twenty minute walk, he thought he was ready to return to the psychology building and prepare for his next class.
Then he felt it.
Eyes on his back, looking through the flesh into his soul, into his mind. Slowly he turned around, and there she was. Not a ghost, not in his imagination… she was there in the daylight looking right at him. Her back rested against the building behind her, arms crossed. Her longer, but still violet hair framed her pale, almost unchanged, face. Her eyes, still wide and clear, met his and acted as a magnet, drawing him toward her.
He broke into a run, crossing the grounds eager to get to her before she had time to get away. For eighteen years he had fought with her memory. He was tired of fighting. He wanted to make peace with her, and now was his chance.
"Raven," he said breathlessly. He took his final steps toward her cautiously, afraid that she might disappear if he got too close.
"Not here."
"What?"
Raven's eyes never left his own. "You and I both know that your mind is reeling with questions." She shifted her weight so she was no longer supported by the building, moving closer to him. "I've owed you answers for a long time. But right now is not a good time for either of us. You have class soon and I… have some things to take care of."
"When?" Dick could have smacked himself for allowing his desperation to taint his voice.
"Tonight, my room in the Tower."
"And you'll be there?"
She offered him a weak smile. "I know I haven't given you any reason to trust me. But you have to believe me when I say that I've kept things to myself that I can't keep anymore. You need to know, and I need to tell you before you work things out for yourself. Are you doing night watch tonight?"
"I'm the only one who ever has night watch anymore."
"I'll wait for you in my room. Come when you're ready." She looked to her right and left, finding the campus conveniently deserted. With one last smile, she enveloped herself in black and flew off into the blue sky out of sight.
Dick followed her with his eyes, turning to leave when she disappeared. "Tonight."
Additional notes: So the church scene was a personal homage to "Birthmark." I thought it was so cool that they went into a church to (temporarily) escape Slade. It's like the whole sanctuary thing… a church offers protection from things like demons. I just thought it was an interesting concept. Also, I'm sorry it took a while to get this chapter up. School is not fun right now. I'm trying to finish Chapter 2 before the school week starts, but I'm not making any promises except that I'll work as fast and as best as I can. Don't forget to let me know what you think!
- Ashlyn
