Nightwing's shoulders slumped. "Ok, you have a deal."
"See, I knew you could be reasoned with." Slade replied in his monotone. "Now that wasn't so hard was it?"
Nightwing clenched his teeth and balled his fists.
"You'll pay for this, Slade. No one messes with my family."
"Don't make threats you can't make good on, boy wonder."
Cyborg crossed his arms and glared at the one eyed villain. "So what's next?"
"We'll be in touch." Slade replied before cutting the connection.
The changeling watched the screen in Slade's lair go blank before reverting to displaying Slade's angular 'S' symbol. Still carrying his son, he turned to face the man who singlehandedly over the years had caused the Titans so much trouble and grief.
"What do you really want with me, Slade? I don't buy your apprentice story for a second."
Slade leaned back, grabbing the armrests on his throne with his hands.
"You are quite right, Logan. I know that you would never join my little gang, and besides, I already have an apprentice, my daughter Rose, the Ravager."
"So why am I so important to your plans that you're blackmailing me by threatening my son?"
"And your ex." Slade added.
"She isn't my ex, but if you hurt either of them, I swear that you'll pay for it."
"So you did have something with the blonde bombshell … and yet you married gray and plain Raven." Slade chuckled. "You never struck me as someone who would settle for less, and yet you married the most undesirable girl in town."
"If you're trying to piss me off, it's working. Why don't you just get to the point, Slade? What do you really want from me?"
Slade leaned forward. Rose stood next to him, crossing her arms and grinning.
"I need your talents, Beast Boy. You remember how I used Robin as my personal thief? He wasn't very good at it. I think you'll be much better."
"You want me to steal stuff for you? You want me to become a common thief."
"Oh, there will be nothing common about what you'll steal for me. And you will do a great job if you value your son's safety."
"How do I know I can trust you? How do I know that you won't just kill us once you don't need me anymore?"
"Well, you see, you don't know that."
Gar gritted his teeth. "You're asking for a lot, Slade."
"Actually, I'm going to toss you a bone."
"What do you mean?" He asked in clearly skeptical tone.
"I'm going to let you live at home."
"What?"
"That's right Logan, every night, assuming you don't get caught by the police and they don't identify you, you'll be able to curl up with your mousy little wife. But when I summon you, you will respond."
"That's insane! You don't really expect that I'll be some kind of on call thief?"
"That is exactly what I expect of you, unless you'd rather spend your free time in one of my cells, wearing that collar when you aren't out working for me. So you see, Logan, I can be very reasonable."
"And when will I see Mark?"
"You can visit him once a week. Our location will remain a secret, changeling, and you won't be allowed to visit my secret lair without a collar around your neck."
The changeling mulled his offer. He hated the idea of leaving Mark behind, but he also knew that Raven and Coraline needed him. Plus if he wasn't imprisoned, maybe they could find out where the lair was located and rescue Mark and Alexa.
"OK, I'll do it. But this changes nothing, Slade. You're just a thug and when I get the chance, I'll get back at you."
"I would expect nothing less. I want you to return to Jump City, once you are thee, Ravager will train you for a month before you attempt your first burglary. Here are your instructions on how we will contact you." Slade handed him an envelope. The changeling opened it and read the note inside.
"I see you thought of everything."
"I always do … and before you leave … send my regards to Raven."
Before Garfield could reply, Rose took Mark from him just before a Slade-bot tasered him, knocking him out cold. She handed the wailing child to her father and placed a black bag over Beast Boy's head and picked him up, throwing him over her shoulder.
"Take him back to the Steele City Tower." He handed her a small envelope. "And leave this note with him for Nightwing."
"Dad … are you sure this is a good idea?"
Mark continued to bawl, calling out to his father.
"Rose, there is a saying … when a man has a child, he is no longer free. It doesn't matter where Logan lives and the truth is that it's better if he doesn't stay with us at all. But we control him; he will do as we say, without question. Now go and take him back to his wife."
-( scene break )-
"Garfield? Garfield! Can you hear me?" A fuzzy voice called out.
"Where did you find him?" A second voice asked.
"He was lying unconscious next to the dock." A third voice responded.
Beast Boy groaned and tried to sit up.
"Take it easy B, you're still pumped full of sedatives."
The changeling rubbed his forehead and moaned. "Where am I?"
The infirmary door slid open and Raven came charging in. Starfire, carrying Coraline in her arms, was right behind her. The sorceress wrapped her arms around her spouse.
"Thank Azar you're safe! … He is OK, right?"
Cyborg smiled. "Relax little lady, I already checked him out. He's still recovering from a hefty dose of a sedative cocktail, one strong enough to knock out an elephant. Now that the collar's gone, his regular metabolism should clear him up fast."
"Slade …" The changeling moaned.
"Shh … just relax. You're home … you're safe." She soothed him.
He wrapped his arms around her. "Raven … Slade has my boy."
"We know." Raven replied. "How did you escape? I mean, you were drugged."
"I didn't … Slade said I could go home, and that he'd call for me when he needs me … and that's the last thing I remember … how did I get home?"
Nightwing was busy reading the note Slade sent him. He looked up from the letter. "It says here that Slade had you delivered, probably his daughter brought you back and dumped you on the dock … Garfield … it says here that you agreed to work for him as a thief …"
Grayson frowned.
"Slade has a lot of gall, doing this. This time it's personal."
"What other choice do I have? He has Mark; he's threatened to kill him."
"We'll rescue him." Nightwing growled.
"How? I don't know where he's keeping him."
"If there is anything I know about Slade is that he'll be near you. He wants you and Raven to go back to Jump and resume your civilian lives, he wants you away from us."
"What about the new team?"
"I'm sure he doesn't take them seriously … but I do … the five of us are moving back to the old Tower, and we'll find Slade's hideout and get your son back … and maybe Alexa too. And for now, you need to recover … it says here that next Monday that you're to meet Ravager in the Bad Lands to begin your training."
"The bad lands … you mean where we met Terra?"
"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if Slade's hangout is hidden somewhere in there." Grayson replied.
"The Bad Lands are over 200 square miles of canyons; it'll take forever to comb it." Raven grumbled. "And what if it's not there at all?"
"There is another option." Cyborg remarked. "You're free, so tell Slade to go screw himself."
"But he'll kill Mark!"
"I don't think so. Remember when we had the nanoprobes? Slade didn't kill us back then, and there was nothing stopping him. And you know why? Because had he killed us, he wouldn't have had anything left to control Rob with. It was the threat of killing us, not the act itself, that forced Robin into becoming Slade's apprentice."
"Cyborg, this is Mark we're talking about." Raven interjected.
"Slade knows that if hurts Mark that there will be hell to pay. He'd probably just turn Mark loose and move on."
The changeling shook his head dismissively. "No, tin man, I can't do that."
"Garfield's right. I do see your point, Cyborg, but it is too risky and we can't put Mark's life on the line."
"So you're saying that B just becomes Slade's cabana boy? That he's gonna just do Slade's bidding like you did?"
"Not if I can help it. So here's the plan. We all go back to Jump, but we move back into the Tower. Garfield, you'll train with Ravager and you need to really suck when she trains you. I want to buy as much time as possible. Hopefully we'll find Slade's lair before you have to steal anything for him."
-( scene break )-
Wonder Girl, Speedy and Jinx crowded around Raven, beaming happily.
"I called dibs; I get to hold her first!" Wonder Girl shouted.
Raven smiled as she passed Coraline to the blond Titan. Cassie smiled at the infant.
"She's so pretty! Don't you just love the way a baby smells … when she has a clean diaper? She makes me want to have one of my own!"
Raven responded with an alarmed look. "You and Connor, you're too young …"
"Relax Raven; Connor is half Kryptonian, it's impossible for us to have kids."
Raven smirked. "That's what I used to think, never say never, Cassie."
Mia, the new Speedy, delicately caressed the infant's forehead. "Raven … she's adorable, she looks just like you, well, except for the green hair and eyes."
Raven smiled. "I think it's a bit early to say she looks like me."
"Being a mom, with the HIV, that was out of the question for me. Thanks to your husband, I can be a mom someday."
Raven nodded. "Yes, I heard that the vaccine also cures all forms of HIV infections and that you're healed. Congratulations."
Gar and Wally were in the kitchen, doing their second favorite thing: eating junk food.
"So BB, what's it like to be a dad?"
His ears drooped. "It's a big burden."
"Sorry, I know you're worried about Mark."
"I only met him a few weeks ago, and yet I feel like I've always known him."
"Raven looks happy." Wally interjected.
The changeling smiled. "Yeah, she is. But she's also worried about Mark, even though he isn't hers."
"That's some lady you married, Gar, she's a real keeper."
"I know … people only see her professional side, she can be intimidating … but she's a lot more than that. So how are things between you and Jinx?"
"She's been talking about having a kid, thanks to you guys."
"Talking?"
"More like telling me that we're gonna have one. I don't know that I'm ready for this, BB, this is scary stuff."
The changeling snickered.
"What's so funny?"
"We've fought psychopathic villains and hideous monsters, but what are we afraid of? We're afraid of being dads."
The main common room doors opened and Jinx entered the common room and made a bee line to Raven. The two women exchanged a hug and the pink haired hextress had her turn holding the baby. Wally gulped as he watched. She turned in his direction and smiled.
"You're doomed, Wally." Gar remarked.
"I know … resistance is futile."
-( scene break )-
The Logans entered Raven's old room in the Jump City Tower. The first thing they saw was a crib with a large bow tied onto it. A small card on a changing table, next to the crib, identified Jinx as the gift giver. Raven smiled after reading the card and handing it to her husband. Gar read it and also smiled.
"Who would have ever thought back in the old days then that Jinx would someday give us baby furniture?" He asked.
"And who would have thought she would someday live here without having to steal the Tower from its legitimate owners?" She replied.
"I don't know how he did it, but Wally somehow pulled it off. He turned a villain into a hero. And now, a hero is going to become a crook."
"Don't say that. Slade's blackmailing you. It doesn't count."
Gar sat down on the edge of his bed. "It won't be the first time I was a thief."
"Gar … you were a child and were kidnapped by criminals … that doesn't count either."
The changeling sighed. "Sometimes I wish we could have been ordinary people."
"We would never have met."
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do. Had that monkey never bit you, you'd never have come to Jump. You probably wouldn't even be alive because …" She stopped herself.
"It's OK, Rave … and you're right … I would have died with my parents in the waterfall accident and we never would have met."
"I wouldn't be here either. My mother was thinking of aborting me. Had the monks of Azarath not intervened, and they wouldn't have had I been an ordinary girl, I wouldn't have ever been born."
"I know … it's so unfair, why can't we have a good life?"
"Gar … we do have a good life … we're going to get Mark back."
"Back? Wouldn't Alexa just end up keeping him?"
"We'll work on that later … he's just as much yours as he is hers."
"You've been a good sport about Mark … you care so much about him."
Raven nodded. "Somehow, I just don't think of him as being her son."
"I feel that way too … I just had a horrible thought."
"What is it?"
"What if Slade doesn't want to give him back, what if he keeps him?"
A horrified look appeared on her face.
"You mean, like an apprentice?"
"Yeah, maybe I'm not the apprentice, maybe Mark is. Slade wants to turn my son against me."
Raven frowned. "That's not going to happen. We're getting our boy back."
Beast Boy smiled. "Our boy?"
"OK, so he isn't really mine. We already know that."
He pulled Raven into a tender kiss.
"Thanks … sweetheart … that means so much to me."
She returned his kiss. "You've never called me that before … sweetheart?"
He kissed her again. "As Chrome Dome would say … it's about time … so, do you have secret pet name for me?"
She blushed. "Uh … you don't want to know."
"So you do have one!"
"I didn't say that."
"Oh yes you did. So what is it?"
"I don't want to tell you … it's dumb."
"How could it be dumb?"
"Because it is."
"OK, now you have to tell me, Rae-Rae."
"Don't call me that."
"I will if you don't tell me."
Raven groaned. "You're 29 years old and without skipping a heart beat you can switch back into that annoying 15 year old you used to be."
"Yeah … it's one of my many talents … Rae-Rae."
Raven heaved a huge sigh. "OK, I'll tell you, but if you laugh …"
"I won't … Scout's Honor."
"You never were a boy scout."
"Just tell me!"
"Fine … you're … Beastie Boo."
"Beastie Boo?"
"I told you it was dumb."
"No it isn't, I like it. How long has it been your secret pet name for me?"
Raven blushed even more. "Since the Gordanian incident."
"That was 14 years ago."
"Yes, I know, now can we change the subject?" She asked with a hint of edginess in her voice.
"Sorry … I'm just trying to not think about tomorrow."
"You know that I'm coming with you."
"You are? Why?"
"Because I don't trust Ravager. We don't know anything about her. I even asked Jericho what he knew about her. Turns out they have different mothers … he's never met her."
"She's Slade's daughter … and unlike Jericho she takes after her father."
"Which is why I don't trust her."
"And neither do I … but wouldn't your time be better spent searching for Slade's hideout?"
"Dick's in charge of that, and you know him, he's already obsessing, big time. He'll find it, he always does."
"I guess you're right." He sighed.
He turned off the lights and rolled over on his side, facing away from Raven. She curled up to him and spooned him, wrapping an arm around his chest.
"We're getting our Mark back, Gar, that's a promise." She whispered into his ear. "And if Alexa rejects joint custody, I'll send her to another dimension."
-( scene break )-
The next morning …
"So Slade Wilson is involved. That is an unfortunate twist of events, but not surprising, given the past history between him and your team."
"Yes, Luthor, I am aware that Slade is our nemesis." Nightwing replied. "I was just wondering if you had any intel on him you'd like to share?"
"I was under the impression that you were the Slade experts."
"We are, but he's been flying below the radar for years. When he showed up on the G. Gordon Godfrey show we were as surprised as anyone else … didn't Godfrey once work for you?"
"Before he bolted to the Gotham News Network. You might ask Bruce Wayne what he knows."
"Mr. Wayne sold off his remaining ownership in GNN years ago. And I already spoke with Godfrey; he claims to not have a clue regarding Slade's whereabouts. That was a nice retraction he made last night on his show."
"It was … so what do you need, Nightwing?"
"I'd like to borrow some of your satellites."
"Really? Which ones?"
"The ones you rent out to foreign governments for espionage, the ones that don't officially exist. You know which ones I'm talking about."
"That might be hard to do. They are in demand, backlogged for months. And besides, Pontone is his prisoner. He'll save me the trouble of teaching her a lesson."
"He probably will, bit consider this: Slade probably has all of your trade secrets too."
"I see your point, Nightwing … I'll tell my customers that we're having some technical glitches with the satellites … they're yours for one week but not a minute longer."
-( scene break )-
A dark flying disk made its way through the labyrinth like canyon. Raven had a map in her hands and navigated flawlessly. Starfire volunteered to babysit for her and for that she was grateful, as she wanted to focus her undivided attention on the task before her.
It was only 9 AM but it was already sweltering in the Bad Lands, the sand stone walls reflected the sun's light and heat like a mirror, and it wouldn't be long before it would be hot as an oven. The Logans came prepared, and had plenty of ice cold water in a large insulated cooler. Raven looked ahead and nodded while her mate pointed. They had arrived at their destination.
It was the top of a large mesa. It was nearly perfectly flat and was the size of several football fields. Its only anomaly was a cluster of boulders at its south end. And sitting on one of the rocks, waiting for them, was Ravager.
She wasn't wearing her cowl and her long platinum blond hair flowed in the steady breeze. She grinned when they landed in front of her.
"I see that you're punctual … good." She turned to Raven. "You should leave."
"I'm staying."
"Fine, but I want to make one thing clear … if you interfere with the training in any way … the boy and his mother die."
"You can do whatever you want to her." Raven replied.
Ravager chuckled. "I've heard a lot about you, Raven. Daddy has some interesting stories about you. One thing he did tell me is that you don't know how to lie, and he's right. I know you don't like Dr. Pontone, but you would never abandon her to her doom. You might be a demoness, but you are a goody two shoes if I ever saw one and I don't need my dad to tell me that."
Raven glared at the villainess.
"So, unless you want them to end up as worm food, you will watch and nothing more. I don't care what you see happen, you cannot intervene."
"I have healing powers."
"Yes, I am aware of them. And you can't use them without my permission. If I think they are needed, I will let you know. Only then can you intervene."
Rose tapped the cooler with her foot. "You also can't give him anything to eat or drink."
"But he could dehydrate."
"If I judge that he needs water, I will say so. Otherwise you are forbidden from giving him any sustenance. Is that clear?"
"Yes." Raven seethed.
Ravager smiled. "Good, I'm glad we came to an understanding."
She turned to the changeling.
"Robin kept you in great shape while you were a Titan, but that was a long time ago. When I'm done with you, you'll be a lean mean fighting machine and not the doughy scientist you've become."
"I worked out while I was in school."
"And that's why you aren't a lost cause … but tell me Logan, when was the last time you sparred? And I don't mean any of that sissy sparring where you wear pads … yes, I know you were on the Tae Kwon Do team when you were a student. You're a sixth dan black belt. But you and I know that's amateur stuff. You learned how to fight, how to really fight, when you were in the Doom Patrol and Robin continued to train you until you left the Titans … and now I'm going to finish the job. When your training is done, your technique will be flawless."
"What is the point of this? We all know that it's his shape shifting ability that you need for your heists."
Rose glared at Raven.
"The point, witch, is that he needs to be in top shape, both physically and mentally. He's always relied too much on his powers; of course the same could be said of you. I'd love to whip your flabby gray butt into shape, but that'll have to wait for another time."
"Don't call me a witch, Slade-Girl."
"Slade-Girl? I like that." Rose chuckled.
Rose turned to face Garfield.
"I want to start with an assessment sparring session. I've seen footage of you sparring in College, but I want to see what you can do in the real world. And this is 'no powers' sparring. I know you're stronger than a regular human, but don't worry, so am I. So don't hold back, because I sure won't."
Rose adopted a fighting stance and smiled. The changeling frowned before easing into a back stance, ready to fight.
"Spar!" Rose shouted as she lunged at him.
Even when in his human form Beast Boy had superhuman reflexes, which was fortunate as Rose was incredibly fast and strong. Within seconds she made her first contact, a round house kick to his ribs, which he partially blocked, absorbing most of the impact with his forearm with a low block.
"Not bad, Logan, not bad at all." Rose laughed. "Now show me what you got."
Gar exploded into a series of lightning fast jabs, all of which Rose successfully dodged or blocked.
"You're too slow, Logan, you've spent too much time sitting at a desk." Rose taunted him.
The sparring match continued for several minutes. Beast Boy managed to connect a few hits on Rose, but she didn't even flinch and always returned a barrage of strikes, many of them connected and they did some damage. Soon Beast Boy's face was bloodied, but he didn't relent, even though it was clear that he was beginning to tire.
"See, you don't have any stamina. Come on, Logan! You're looking bad, what is your little witch wife gonna think if I totally kick your ass? She might have to get herself a real man." Rose taunted him.
"He's more man than you can handle, bitch."
Rose connected a round house kick to Beast Boy's temple, and he collapsed onto the sandy ground. Raven rushed forward, but stopped herself. Rose grinned maliciously at the sorceress.
"I can handle him just fine … I'll bet he sucks in bed too."
Raven's eyes turned crimson red and Rose began to laugh. That was when Beast Boy, who was still on his back, kicked her legs out from under her. As she fell, he back fisted her, connecting his knuckles with her face just as she hit the ground, landing right next to him. A loud crack was heard when his fist hit her nose and Rose yelped both in surprise and in pain. Raven subtly pumped her right arm and muttered 'yes' under her breath.
Beast Boy leaped to his feet, ready to continue the fight. Rose wiped the blood off of her face.
"Not bad, Logan, you broke my nose. You took advantage of my distraction. Good job … maybe you are good in bed after all."
She turned to Raven. "Go ahead, heal him and give him some water. After that you can fix my nose."
Beast Boy relaxed from his fighting stance. Raven approached him, walking past Ravager.
"Just for your information, bitch … he's fantastic in bed." Raven whispered as she passed.
"Aren't you gonna tell me that he's well endowed too?" Rose sneered.
"You have no idea … he's huge. Bigger than anything you've ever seen." Raven trash talked her.
"I've seen a lot, witch."
Raven ignored the rest of Ravager's remarks and tended to her husband's injuries, her blue light made its appearance. Rose watched them from a distance.
"He does have spirit. He didn't give up … I like that." Rose muttered to herself before grinning. "Now I need to break that spirit."
-( scene break )-
OK, that wasn't a great chapter, but some things need to happen before the interesting stuff begins.
Also, I am really touched. When I resurrected this story, I never expected it to be so popular. So, to express my gratitude, I'm actually giving something tangible away.
I have a copy of "Teen Titans Spotlight: Raven". It's a 128 page graphic novel story about Raven going undercover to high school. Now before you get too excited, this is comic book Raven, not TV Raven. Also, the artwork is kind of funky. Still, she is recognizable as Raven. This is a solo story, Raven is alone and there are no other Titans in the book.
Now, what I'm going to do is this: I will collect a list of everyone who reviews the final chapter and put their Fan fiction names in a hat and draw a winner. Unfortunately, if you don't have a fan fic account, I won't be able to tell you if you won, so anonymous reviewers won't get a chance to win … sorry. I will wait two weeks from the date of the update to give everyone a chance (I will indicate the cutoff date in the mail bag). Also, I won't ship outside of the USA, it costs too much (sorry again).
So, let it not be said that I don't share the love!
And now, this week's mailbag!
jovanchin2013 – Actually, more like an errand boy.
JasonVUK – I wish they had used Slade more in the original show.
Adventuresstime – That would be sneaky.
Glacier – Raven is way too attached to mark to put him in danger.
TW – Slade always pushes the envelope.
Soulsurfer2112 – You never know what Slade really wants.
gabylokita41 – BB gets to commute from home. Slade wants to keep the location of his lair a secret.
BartWLewis – Raven does love Mark
titanfan45 – Maybe this time Slade won't get away?
Just a Thinker – Having back stories like Alexa's adds color to a story.
mlbv-grimm – You too, huh?
chica13 – What else? He's being Slade!
Death Stroke The Kid – Does anyone not think that Alexa is up to something?
The Cretin – I just wanted to show that Rage has a girly side.
Chayse-man – You too?
JOHNXgambit – You were close. But it's Rose who is training him.
Shadico - I guess it has to be one or the other.
krostovikraven1 – Raven definitely won't wait.
Katt In The Box – Yeah, just who did kidnap him? Was it Rose in disguise?
Hairul The Nightrage Beast - Yeah, Slade wasn't a good dad in the comics
Anoymous136 – Slade will have a lot of folks angry with him. But since when did ever care?
Bluedog197 – Lex can be a stalker, he wants to know everything he can
7SheWolfShaman7 – "I'M GOING IN THERE MYSELF AND KILLING SLADE!" – Take a number!
TJSC25 – Nothing like the first week of school!
DeeThom – It's always good to be lucky.
Iskandar06 – Gosh, I feel so needed!
SuperNolon – Part one of the plan is to find the lair.
Ravenandthefire – Alexa probably doesn't agree.
Kidstandout – Thanks!
Dragonkyng – spoilerSomeone is going to die./spoiler