Disclaimer: They aren't mine… crap…

A/N: Okay, first off… Sorry for taking almost two full weeks to update… I've been busy with school, which tends to drain my creativity reserve… The good news is that this chapter is the longest so far, I think. Secondly, as always, THANKS A BUNCH for the reviews! They are the fuel that keeps me going. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Have fun!

Chapter 4: All Eyes on Me

See the devil on the doorstep now

My oh my

Telling everybody around

Just how to live their lives

- We Are, Ana

Raven wrapped her jacket around her body as the breeze lifted her hair to brush across her cheek. She was leaning against a large oak tree outside the math building at Jump University waiting patiently for her daughter's calculus class to end. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket, protecting them from the September wind. Her fingers closed around a folded piece of paper. She pulled it out, smoothing the wrinkles, and read the message scribbled across it.

Raven-

Everyone wants to meet your daughter. We're all having dinner at the Tower tonight, so there's no reason the two of you shouldn't join us. We'll expect to see you around 7.

- Cyborg

Raven did not want to go, but after eighteen years of disappointing them she couldn't very well let her friends down again. She thought it might be an awkward situation for her daughter, however. At this point she wasn't even sure if she would be able to convince Alette to come to dinner. Then there was the problem of her daughter sitting across the table from Nightwing, never knowing that she would be looking her father in the face. Or would she? Alette was more perceptive than Raven had ever been, and she was afraid that with one look at the masked hero Alette would know. Raven didn't want her to find out like that. She needed to be the one to tell Alette about Nightwing. The situation seemed hopeless. Discouraged, Raven stuffed the note back into her pocket and looked up as the first students began to creep out of the building.

Raven spotted Alette as she descended the building's stone steps. Twin pairs of violet eyes met, and Raven saw Alette roll her eyes in disbelief. You try too hard was the message her daughter sent to her. Without a second thought, Alette turned on her heel and walked away from her mother, and Raven followed her.

After about five minutes, Alette stopped abruptly and turned to face her mother. "You know everyone else just gets a care package from time to time. But not me. My mother feels the need to follow me to college, figure out my class schedule, and chase me around so she can explain things that don't need to be explained. I could have you arrested for stalking me… oh wait," Alette raised a finger in the air, feigning an 'ah ha' moment, "I forgot, you're old buddies with the local law enforcement. I guess they wouldn't really want to take a former teammate into custody."

"Alette, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just… you didn't need to know."

"Right. It's not at all important to know your own mother."

"I know you're upset but…"

"Upset?" Alette exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air in a show of frustration. A group of students walking by gave Alette a disapproving look then hurried off. She continued in a calmer, quieter voice. "I'm angry! You lied to me! You told me that you spent your childhood and teenage years alone before you had me! I wouldn't exactly call being a member of a crime fighting team a lonely life!"

"You'd be surprised," Raven whispered under her breath, but Alette caught the sadness in her mother's voice and her anger deflated.

"I just can't help but think that I…"

Though Alette could not say her thoughts aloud, her mother knew what she was thinking. Raven placed a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Alette, don't think for one minute that you did anything. I chose to leave, not you. If there's one completely innocent party in all of this, it's you."

"It's hard to believe that seeing as how I'm the reason you left."

"I left for my own reasons, none of which had to do, directly at least, with you." Raven paused. Seeing that her daughter was in a listening mood, she continued. "They want to meet you. They've invited us to dinner tonight."

"Dinner?" Alette said doubtfully, cocking an eyebrow questioningly. "Why do I have to come again?"

"Alette, you're the reason for the dinner."

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea."

"Neither am I."

As Alette contemplated her answer, she expanded her powers to gently brush across the surface of her mother's feelings. Normally it was understood between the two not to use their powers on each other, but Alette knew that she would not be attending this dinner for herself. The last thing she wanted was to interfere in a group she did not belong to. As she exposed herself to Raven's feelings, she found hope. Alette realized how much her mother wanted this chance. Dinner would be a chance to rebuild bridges that Raven had long since burned. She would not be the one to bury her mother's hope. Raven had made mistakes that had hurt Alette, but she'd also made sacrifices for the good of her daughter. "What time do we have to be there?"

Relief rushed over Raven's normally passive face. "I'll meet you around six forty-five near the library. We should be able to fly to the Tower without receiving much notice. Now," Raven took a motherly tone, "you better get moving. If I've examined your schedule correctly, you have an English class to get to." With a final soft smile for Alette, she turned around and walked away from her daughter, smirking as she heard her daughter's accusation from across the pathway.

"Stalker!"


Alette cursed her English teacher for holding the class. Now she only had half an hour to get ready, and she wanted to make a good impression. As she ran the pathways of the campus on her way to her dorm, a glimpse of a familiar red cloak halted her in her tracks as it disappeared into an alley. Temporarily forgetting her dinner plans, Alette followed the cloak into the darkness.

Cautiously, Alette peered into the alleyway. Before she even had the time to survey the small space, strong hands grabbed her shoulders and slammed her against the stone wall of the library. Her head bounced off of the rough surface, and warm, sticky blood began to seep down her neck. Her vision was temporarily distorted, but as it came back into focus she immediately recognized the figure that had her pinned.

"Hello James, I didn't think Trigon let his cronies out before sunset."

"My name is not James, it is Keahi. And I am not one of Trigon's cronies. I am his second in command." His grip tightened as his anger increased.

"You're an eighteen year old boy who decided one day that bringing about the end of the world would be fun. Trigon's using you to get what he wants, end of story."

The boy moved closer, his blonde hair slipping to cover one of his blue eyes. "After we take you and your mother, Trigon promised I could have you. You see, he really doesn't need you." His lips reached for hers, but she pulled away, using her powers to thrust him into the opposite wall.

"Stay away from me!" She raised her hand, chanting her magical phrase, but was cut off by his painful grip on her wrist. Her flesh burned and as he released her she saw the marks of her grandfather seared into her skin.

"It will not be long now, Alette. Your mother will succumb to Trigon and you…" His fist met her face and she stumbled backwards. "You will belong to me." He grabbed her chin and pulled her into an unwanted kiss as she struggled to free herself. Her teeth bit down hard on his bottom lip, and she grimaced as his blood entered her mouth.

"Bitch!" Keahi cried, pulling away from Alette and throwing her to the ground. He raised his fist, a ball of fire forming in his palm, but Alette quickly regained the upper hand as she swept her leg underneath his feet, tossing him to the ground.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Black curls of power wrapped themselves around Keahi's neck and Alette stood on shaky legs, moving closer to him as she watched him flounder in his lack of oxygen. "It's too bad you decided to work for the bad guy, because now I'll have to kill you."

Keahi grinned and Alette watched in surprise as a fire-red hand ripped through her noose. He leaped up, tackling Alette. Her head again split open as it made contact with the concrete ground. He placed a hand on the inside of each of her wrists and as he spoke she felt a familiar burning sensation creep down her arms as Trigon's brands traveled across her body. "Yes Alette, killing is in your future. However, mine will not be the life you take." Alette was paralyzed by her own weakness and could do nothing to stop Keahi from entering her mind. First she saw a blood red sky… people frozen in time… "Your mother will eventually fall to Trigon, and then what, Alette? Will you kill your own mother?" A bloodied, broken Raven lay at her feet…

"No!" Waves of black power issued from every part of Alette's body, throwing Keahi off of her. She rose into the air, her body convulsing as all control was lost. Keahi watched her, a cruel smile spreading across his face. Her body beaten and exhausted, Alette slumped to the ground, unconscious. Keahi, satisfied that his work had been done, crouched by her body, taking her hand in his own. He took a knife from his belt and delicately carved a permanent reminder into her palm. "You, like your mother, are a slave to your fate," he warned before walking off into the growing darkness.


"You're nervous aren't you?"

"What? No. Why would I be?"

Dick Grayson was walking towards the faculty parking lot after finishing his last class of the day. One hand fished through his jacket pockets for his keys while the other one supported the cell phone perched by his ear. Cyborg's was the voice on the other side of the phone.

"Because," Cyborg started, "Raven is coming to dinner tonight with your daughter. A daughter that, might I add, doesn't know who you are. Raven's nervous. She hasn't spoken to anyone all day."

"I trust Raven. If she thinks it's a good idea to…"

Dick stopped speaking as he came across a gruesome sight. His eyes had fallen upon a huddled, unmoving body lying in the shadows of a nearby alley. He felt his stomach clench, and before he could get to the girl, he knew who it was. He crouched next to Alette, surveying her battered body. Blood stained the concrete under her head, and burn marks scorched her arms. Her chest was rising and falling in uneven intervals.

"Hey man. Earth to Richard? Hello?"

"Cyborg, I need you to prepare a bed in the infirmary. And tell Raven to wait at the Tower, not to come looking for Alette on campus."

"What's going on?" Cyborg sounded alarmed.

"I'll fill you in when I get to the tower. Just make sure everything's ready." Dick closed his phone before Cyborg could ask any more questions. Carefully he lifted Alette's limp body into his arms. He slipped on the mask that was forever with him and took a grappling hook out of his bag. As he took to the skies he clung desperately to his daughter.

"Hold on, Alette. Please hold on."


A sulfurous smell floated through her nostrils and clouds of smoke stung her eyes and burned her throat. She stumbled through the streets of a decrepit Jump City, avoiding the stone-encased eyes of the people she passed. Though the fire and lava around every corner warmed her body, she shivered and wrapped her arms around her for comfort.

"Hello?" she called into the abandoned city. Her voice was harsh from the exposure to the smoke. "Is anyone there?"

"Alette!"

"Mom?" Alette ran towards the sound of her mother's voice. She turned corners, passed red-eyed crows, and made her way to the shores of the lava pool that held the remains of the fallen Titan Tower.

"Here Alette. I'm here." A large, horned beast rose from the ground, towering over her. His four red slits glared down at Alette.

"Hello, child. Are you looking for someone?"

"What have you done with her?" Alette's fists clenched in anger and black sparks shot from them like electricity.

"Nothing that she did not want. It is too late to save her." A demonic grin graced Trigon's lips.

"You'll pay for this!" Alette's eyes became a blinding white as she cried "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Her power flowed freely from her body. Trigon's screams satisfied Alette, but suddenly they were not his screams. Her mother was screaming…

Alette watched in horror as the massive Trigon dissolved into her mother's frail form. Raven writhed in pain as she continued to be encased by her daughter's powers.

"No…" Alette released her mother from her grasp and ran to her as she fell to the ground. She slid to the ground next to Raven, listening for a breath, watching for a movement…

But her mother was still.

"What have I done?" Alette felt tears form in her eyes and slip down her cheeks.

"Only what fate has in store for you, child."

Alette shuddered as the eerie voice encircled her. She looked down at her mother's limp form, hoping to see some movement. "It's not true," she whispered. She fell on top of her mother's still chest, tears falling freely one after another.

"After I take your mother, you will be the only one standing between me and the destruction of human kind. If you are going to stop me, you will have to sacrifice your mother to do so."

"No! I won't!"

"Then you sentence your world to death."


Raven watched helplessly as Alette tossed uncontrollably in her bed, lost in a world Raven could not reach. Her hand clung desperately to her daughter's clammy one, gently stroking her thumb up and down the back of Alette's hand. Raven's other hand was intertwined with Nightwing's. He sat next to her, offering his silent support and comfort and equally as worried about the girl in the bed.

Cyborg watched on in silence, monitoring Alette, but also observing his two friends. How he missed it when they were younger, he would never know, but he saw it clearly now as they watched their daughter. Raven and Nightwing loved each other, and he was sorry things had not worked out better for them. A beeping from one of the machines drew his attention and he shook his head in disappointment at what he saw.

"Her brainwaves are extremely erratic. I'm not sure how much long she can take this before her body starts to give out."

Cyborg's warning fell on deaf ears. Raven remained focused on her daughter's bruised face. Every attempt she had made to get inside Alette's mind had failed. Whatever was going on in Alette's head, she was determined to keep Raven out of it.

"Damnit, Ali," Raven whispered. "Wake up. Get out of there. It's only a nightmare…"

Alette began to mumble as tears slipped from underneath her closed eyelids. "Mom… no… no… I didn't mean to… I won't!" Seconds later, amethyst eyes flew open, frantically searching for one person.

"Mom!" she cried, sounding relieved. Though her body protested, Alette pulled herself up from the bed and wrapped her arms around Raven's neck. She buried her face into her mother's warm flesh as tears fell from her eyes. She tried to explain, but all she managed to get out was a string of incoherent phrases. "Awful… it was… you were… I…"

Raven comforted her daughter, running her hand up and down her back. "You're safe, Alette. It was just a nightmare."

Alette gradually settled down, collecting her emotions. She looked around the hospital-like room, trying to regain her bearings. "Where am I?" she asked, lying back down on the bed.

"The Tower. Cyborg has been taking care of you."

Alette glanced at the mechanical man who stood next to her bed, adjusting her IV bag. She smiled up at him. "Thank you."

"No problem, kid. Now your mother," and your father too, Cyborg thought before continuing, "used to have a hard time obeying these orders, but I trust that you're bright enough to understand. You've lost a significant amount of blood and you have a concussion. I have to insist on bed rest for the next few days."

Alette quirked an eyebrow. "How about a compromise? I'll stay here over night, but only if you let me go to classes tomorrow. I can't afford to miss my first week."

"It's not safe for you there, Alette." Raven said, stroking the white bandage wrapped around her daughter's head. "Look at what's happened to you. You need to stay here."

"You can't keep me safe forever, Mom." Alette's eyes were determined.

Raven turned to Cyborg and Nightwing. "Can you give my daughter and me some time?"

Cyborg and Nightwing glanced at each other and nodded. They were not going to get in Raven's way, not when she sounded like that. Cyborg made some final adjustments to Alette's equipment as Nightwing gave Raven's hand one last squeeze. Then the two left them alone, heading off to the main room to update the others on Alette's condition.

For a few minutes all that could be heard in the room was the even breathing of two resolute women as they locked eyes with one another. "Do you think locking me up in Titans' Tower is going to keep me safe forever?" Alette's piercing stare saw straight through her mother in a way eerily similar to how Nightwing could penetrate her. Raven stood up and began to pace.

"You were attacked in the middle of the day. The sun hadn't even set! Campus isn't protected, and your safety can't be guaranteed there."

"Mom, I can't stop living because of these people. That's what they want. Hiding will only increase their power. And how long will it be before they find me here? It's not like they don't know who you are…"

Raven moved swiftly to her daughter's side, taking her hand and turning the bandaged palm to face Alette. Red stains crept through the white gauze, sketching out Trigon's ancient symbol. "Do you see this, Alette? You could have died tonight! You are acting as if this is some kind of game, but it is not!"

"I know exactly what this is!" Alette ripped her hand from her mother's grip. "I know what's at stake. You are! They won't kill me until they have you. Curse you for choosing to procreate with a human because all you managed to do was make it easier for Trigon to get to you. I'm not powerful enough for Trigon to use me as anything other than a pawn, and I can't do anything to save you!" Alette paused to catch her breath. Raven was sitting again, one arm resting on the bed next to Alette and the other supporting her head. Alette continued. "Keahi told me today that it is my destiny to kill you." Alette's tone was completely different. She sounded defeated, and she closed her eyes as images of her mother's dead body flooded her mind.

"He did this to you?"

Alette nodded. "Trigon must be getting ready to do whatever it is he's planning. Keahi usually doesn't come out like the others do."

"Listen to me, Alette," Raven took her daughter's shoulders. "I won't tell you that everything is alright. Trigon is getting more ambitious and I can feel him inside me more and more everyday. If it comes to the point where I am the one holding you back, then I do not want you to hesitate. Trigon must be defeated, no matter what the costs." She smiled reassuringly at Alette, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "But let's finish this conversation some other time. You're here now, and you're safe."

Alette looked out of the window at the city lights that glowed in the darkness. She could just make out the Jump University campus. "How did I get here?" she wondered aloud.

"Nightwing found you and brought you to the Tower."

"He spends his free time hanging around colleges, then?"

"He has friends there."

"So what's up with you and him, anyway?" Alette smirked at her mother when she noticed the blush creeping across Raven's face.

"What?"

"I was trained in the art of observation," Alette said, raising an eyebrow. "You were holding his hand."

"He was my best friend. He was just…"

Raven was cut off by a soft knock. Cyborg slid the door open. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." Raven stood up as he entered the room. "What is it?"

"Well, we were all wondering if you were feeling up to dinner." He looked at Alette, offering her a smile.

"You're the doctor," Alette said, shrugging. "What's the verdict? Can I eat solid foods yet?"

Cyborg chuckled as he moved to unhook Alette from the machines she no longer needed. He turned to Raven saying "It's nice to see she has your sarcasm."

With help from her mother and Cyborg, Alette managed to make it to the large main room that was the hub of life of the Tower. Conversations ceased, and Alette felt herself shrink under the sudden attention. Silence was the only sound in the room as she made her way to the table.

"Dinner time!" Cyborg proclaimed.

As food was passed from person to person, Raven whispered introductions into Alette's ear. "The woman next to Cyborg is Bumblebee, his wife. Next to her is Starfire, then Nightwing, her husband. The little girl is their daughter Tamara." Alette thought she heard forced calm in her mother's voice as she spoke of the family, but she chose to ignore it. "The green man you're sitting next to is Beast…" Beastman interrupted Raven as she finished her introductions.

"Beastman, the amazing green changeling. Pleasure to meet you." He stuck out his hand.

Alette chuckled as she shook his hand. "Charmed."

"Actually, he only thinks his name is Beastman," Nightwing observed. "It just doesn't seem to fit him, though."

"Yeah, we all still call him Beastboy. It's not like he's grown up at all," Cyborg added.

"Hey!" Beastboy cried in indignation.

Alette laughed at the antics of her mother's old friends. They seemed to be very nice people, and once again Alette felt a feeling of sadness wash over her as she thought of what her mother had to give up in order to raise her.

"Dad, will you help me cut my steak?"

Alette's attention focused back on the family sitting across from her. As she watched Nightwing carefully cut his daughter's meat, she was consumed by an uncontrollable yearning and jealousy. This girl had the one thing that Alette could never have… a father. How unfair the world could be sometimes to allow some girls the chance to lead a normal, happy life while forcing some to make do with only half a family. Nightwing suddenly looked up, noticing her stare. The pair locked eyes for a second and Alette was assaulted by a sudden rush of images. A baby's cry, her mother's smile, a comforting voice saying I love you… all accompanied by a strong feeling of loss.

Alette reeled under the emotion, dropping her fork and swaying in her seat.

"Alette!"

Her mother's hands were around her shoulders, steadying her. All of the eyes at the table were on the pair. Raven looked around at them all. "I think she needs to rest." She helped Alette out of her chair, but Alette found that she could barely stand on her own two legs.

Nightwing rushed to her side, carefully cradling her in his arms. "I'll carry her," he stated to Raven, looking down at her surprised face. Raven nodded, said good-night to everyone, and then disappeared with Nightwing down the hall.

Alette was embarrassed to have the stranger carrying her, yet his embrace made her feel safe. She relaxed in his arms as he and Raven walked down the hall in silence. Raven stopped by her door, but Nightwing kept walking.

"Where are you going?"

"She can sleep in my old room. There's no need for both of you to share a bed, we have plenty."

"I think I should stay near, just in case."

"Raven, my room is the next one down. You'll be close enough."

Raven rolled her eyes at Nightwing's stubborn ways. She followed him down the hall to his room, where he gently laid Alette down on the bed.

"Feel better," he said.

"Thank you," Alette responded. With a final look at Raven, Nightwing left the mother and daughter alone.

"I'm sorry I ruined dinner," Alette said as she slid under the white covers.

Raven bent over her daughter, smoothing her black hair away from her face. "No worries. You need to sleep. There's always tomorrow." She placed a kiss on Alette's forehead. "Good night. I'm in the room down the hall if you need me."

Alette watched her mother slide the door close and sat up in the foreign bed. She wasn't about to go to sleep, her latest nightmare was too fresh in her memory. She needed to distract herself first. Carefully, she managed to stand up and move to the bookshelf on the other side of the room. As she reached for a book on the topmost shelf, her arm hit a box and it and its contents came showering down on her. She bent down to pick up her mess, and as she was collecting the fallen debris she noticed that the box had held letters, all written in the same familiar script.

Alette knew that it was inappropriate to snoop into other people's belongings, but she found herself being drawn to the papers with her mother's handwriting on them. Dear Robin they all began. And they all ended with Love always, Raven.

Love letters from her mother to this person Robin. But hadn't Nightwing said that this had been his room? Who was this Robin? Whoever he was, Alette had a strange feeling that he must be the answer to the only question that ever mattered.

Mommy, who is my daddy?

How stupid could I be?

A simpleton could see…

- Stupid, Sarah McLachlan


A/N: Well, I hope it was worth the wait… I wouldn't be happy if I ended up disappointing you guys… On another note, you know what I was thinking? If Starfire is an alien and Robin is human, that means they're different species, right? Now correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't biology say that two members of different species can't procreate? If they can, you get a sterile product… like a mule… Anyway, that's about the point to which my brain has degraded after two hard weeks of school sucking me dry… And it's not like I can take the child out of the story, she's kind of important… Sorry for the rambling… Don't forget to review! Thanks!

Ashlyn