The small green boy flew with a grin on his face, zooming up and down aisles, performing reckless barrel rolls and nearly grazing shelves and knocking over the merchandise. The child giggled with delight, not noticing that he bumped into an ancient Persian vase, which began to fall, until it was enveloped in a field of black energy and restored to its prominent perch on a pedestal.
"Mark!" A cross voice called out. "What is the rule!?"
The green child stopped his aerial acrobatics and slowly glided to the floor. He gently landed in front of his mother. He looked up at her and regaled her with one of his signature smiles. "But mom, it's fun."
"What's the rule?" Raven sternly asked a second time.
The child dropped his head in defeat. "No flying in the store." He murmured in an unhappy tone.
"That's right, Mark, no flying in the store … remember that statue you knocked over and broke?"
The boy dug the ball of his right foot into the floor as he stared down, unwilling to meet his mother's gaze.
"Yes, mom."
"Whose statue was that?"
"It was Mr. Ranesh's statue." He replied in a forlorn voice. "But mom, I'm bored."
The turban wearing Ranesh, who witnessed the exchange, did everything he could to not smile or laugh.
"I bought you some new books, you can go look at them until I'm done attending to Mr. Ranesh … and don't you dare wake your sister."
The boy pouted but obeyed his mother and slowly walked into the small storage room behind the counter where his mother was busy. Once he vanished through the curtains that separated the storage room from the store Ranesh allowed a smile to appear on his face.
"You have beautiful children, my dear Raven, you and your husband must be very proud … might I ask … will there be more?"
Raven allowed a small smile to appear. "Since you ask, yes, there will be more. In fact, we have one on the way."
Ranesh clasped his hands and smiled. "You are with child? That is magnificent! Many congratulations, my dear, what a blessing!"
"Yeah … a blessing." Raven sighed. "I am afraid that they will all have powers … Coraline has shown the first signs that she has inherited some of my abilities."
"But that is wonderful … is it not?"
"If all three of my children can fly … you saw what happened to your statue."
"Which you were able to flawlessly repair … and you sold it to me at a steep discount."
"I lost $10,000 on that sale."
"And I was willing to pay full price, but you refused to take my money."
"Which was out of the question. Just because you couldn't tell that it had been broken doesn't mean that it wasn't flawed or damaged."
Ranesh chuckled. "Children … they are a gift from the Almighty … even though they can be quite the handful."
"That they can be … which leads to some bad news."
Ranesh gave her a curious look. "Bad news?"
She sighed again. "I'm afraid so you're not going to like this … I'm going to close the store after the baby is born. There's no way I could run the store and properly raise my three children, it's just too much work."
"You are serious about this?"
She silently nodded her head.
"And what will you do?"
"If you think I'm going to become the stereotypical mom who drives her kids around in a minivan and does inane things with other moms, that's not happening."
Ranesh chuckled. "But Raven, you already traded in your Volkswagen for a minivan."
She frowned at him. "You know what I meant … and it's a Volkswagen minivan … so it doesn't count."
He continued chuckling. "Of course not … it's just that it would be such a shame if your expertise were to go to waste."
"It won't … I've been invited to teach part time at the University. But there is an even better job coming soon."
"Another job? Might I ask what it is?"
She smiled. "The Wayne Foundation is going to expand their museum here in Jump. Mr. Wayne is hiring me to be the antiquities curator. It's a great job, one that I can do right here in the house most of the time and it's also part time."
"I am so happy for you, Raven, though I am very sad that Azarathia will be closing … you have no idea of just how happy we all were when you reopened the store."
Raven sighed. "It was hard for me to decide to close it again … but … I just can't go on artifact hunting expeditions again. The only way for me to stock the store was to go myself and find the relics. And I was only allowed to keep them because I always turned over the best items to the local authorities. I just can't do that anymore, Ranesh, where would I find the time?" She replied in a dejected voice.
Ranesh took her hand and gently patted it.
"Do not concern yourself, my dear; you and your husband have a family to raise. Your children always come first. And speaking of your husband, I have heard that his practice is growing quickly."
"It has, even though he reopened it just two month ago. He's going to invite a classmate from the Veterinary School to join his practice."
"Fantastic! Have you met him yet?"
"Her." Raven corrected him. "And yes, I did meet her last week. Her name is Whitney Serrat. She and Gar were good friends in Veterinary School."
A small smile briefly appeared on Raven's lips.
"Why are you smiling, Raven?"
"I shouldn't … it's petty."
"I do not understand." He replied.
This time it was Raven's turn to pat her friend's hand.
"You know that I'm half demon."
"That is not a problem for me; you are and will always be my friend. You are a person of the highest moral character."
"Thank you Ranesh … but there is another thing that I am. Because I am half demon I'm extremely jealous. I abhor it when other women even just look at Gar, it makes my blood boil."
"I see."
"There's more. Gar had some very pretty friends from his undergrad days. I've met them, and say this without exaggerating: they are unbelievably beautiful, and to make it worse, they all still have crushes on him. I don't know how he does it."
Ranesh nodded his understanding. "Yes, I can understand the distress this could cause you. But you have nothing to fear, my dear. Your husband is completely devoted to you. No matter how hard this Whitney might try, despite her great beauty, she is not a threat to you."
A grin appeared on Raven's face.
"You weren't listening, Ranesh. Gar's undergrad friends are beautiful; but Whitney wasn't an undergrad friend, they met in Veterinary school."
"Oh, so she isn't beautiful?"
Raven's grin widened. "She's not! She's a plain Jane if you ever met one."
Ranesh burst out laughing. "See, you have nothing to fear."
Raven blushed. "I'm terrible … Whitney is a perfectly nice woman, was already married when she met Gar and she and her husband want to move to Jump. She's a brilliant doctor and she helped Gar develop the dog vaccine. She's a perfect fit for the practice. He couldn't have found a better partner … and I'm glad he did, he's been so busy and the truth is that we both want to spend more time with the children. And speaking of that, once I close the store we're moving to a bigger house … There's no way I can raise three flying children in that apartment upstairs."
"Where are you moving?"
Raven smiled sheepishly. "To La Gemma. My in-laws bought us a house in Oceanview Blvd."
"In La Gemma? You mean they bought you the house George Clooney was selling?"
"Yeah, that one."
"You know that I own the largest real estate brokerage in Jump. That house sold for 33 million. Your in-laws must be very wealthy."
"They are … I almost feel embarrassed about moving in there, except that it is a really nice house."
"It's also a very large house. I got to show it once. You could easily raise a large family there."
"Yes … that thought crossed my mind as well." She replied as she finished wrapping up his purchase.
-( - )-
The sound of two adults snoring permeated the room. The alarm clock, standing like a stoic sentinel, silently announced that it was 2:46AM.
The calm and soothing silence was shattered by the trill that came from the round communicator with a "T" on it, which was resting on Raven's nightstand. She didn't seem to hear it at first, but after the third ring she cracked a single eye open and groped for it in the dark. Finding it she pulled the communicator up to her face and flipped it open. Nightwing's face appeared on the screen.
She still felt as if she was still half asleep, now that she was almost 30 years old she couldn't wake up quite as fast as when she was a teen. Beast Boy continued to snore, even more oblivious than she was to the incoming call. Forcing herself to focus, she responded to her caller.
"Do you have any idea of what time it is? Coraline is finally sleeping through the night and I was hoping that I could too." She moaned unhappily.
"I know and I apologize … something came up."
"Whatever it is, couldn't it have waited until later?"
"Starfire's in labor … her water just broke."
Raven quickly sat up, her eyes now wide open. She turned to her mate and shook him hard. He buried his face in his pillow. "Just five more minutes." He responded in a drowsy voice.
Raven gave up on him and refocused on the communicator. "When did this happen?"
"Five … ten minutes ago … I'm not sure … I just got her to the infirmary."
"I'll be there in a few minutes."
"You don't have to come."
"Yes, I do. She's what … 4 weeks early?"
"She is, Cyborg's got her set up … there's a really bad storm and we're not sure the doctor can make it in time. He might have to deliver her, but he's kind looking squeamish right now."
"You're in luck, Melvin is visiting … I'll leave her with the kids and bring Gar with me."
"Are you sure? I mean he's not a …"
"Shut up, Dick, we're coming."
After flipping the communicator shut she roused her husband a second time, this time with more vigor. He groaned unhappily before rolling over to face her. "What is it?"
"Starfire's in labor."
"That's nice." He replied as he rolled over, ready to go back to sleep.
"Get up."
"What? Why?"
She threw his clothes at him. "Because you're delivering her baby."
"Me?"
"Yes you. Their doctor is unavailable and being a vet, you're actually a perfect choice. Tamaranians are descended from felines, you know."
He was slipping his pants on as he replied. "OK … I'll go … but this is gonna be weird."
"Why? You delivered Coraline. Was that weird?"
"Yeah I delivered her, but that was you." He slipped his shirt on. "I mean … I'm gonna see Star's nether regions."
"Which look just like mine … for Azar's sake, Gar, you're a doctor. I can't believe you're embarrassed by this, it's not like you've never seen it before."
"Well, yeah … this is Star … not a stranger."
"Trust me … she won't mind."
The changeling sighed as he slipped on his shoes. "I should have stuck with being a biologist."
Raven conjured one of her dark portals and they stepped into it, disappearing into its inky darkness.
-( - )-
Starfire was already in stirrups when the changeling, who had already changed into his scrubs, entered the infirmary followed by his wife, who had also changed into scrubs. Grayson was holding his wife's hand while their daughter nervously hovered nearby. Cyborg was standing at the receiving end and looked relieved when he saw the changeling, who was assiduously studying a print out that detailed Tamaranian physiological differences from humans.
"Grass Stain, I'm so glad you're here … she's all yours. She's already dilated to 15 cm." Cyborg quickly got up from the stool where he was seated, gesturing to the green vet to sit down. He instead approached Starfire and took her hand.
"How are you feeling, Star?"
"Good, but nervous."
"This should be easy. I mean 15 cm? Human women only open 10 cm. I'd better grab a net; because this little guy is gonna come flying out like a torpedo."
"One would think so, but my labor with Mar'i was not quite that easy."
He took her hand and squeezed it. "You're gonna do great, Raven will be with you, in case Dick faints or squeals like a girl."
"Very funny, Gar, I seem to recall that squealing like a girl was your specialty. Now would you mind doing that Doctor stuff you're supposed to be doing?" Grayson complained in what for him was an uncharacteristically high pitched voice.
"Chill, dude … Star's doing all the real work; I'm just here to supervise."
"Oh, that's reassuring."
"You want to do it?"
"Sorry … go ahead, Gar." Nightwing replied in a contrite tone.
At the other end Starfire's eyes bulged. "I feel a contraction coming."
Raven handed her what looked like the shaft from a set of hand weights. "Here, squeeze on this. It's made of steel."
The princess took the metal shaft from Raven and began to perform her breathing exercises.
"You're doing great Star, but it's not time to push yet."
The Tamaranian continued with her breathing exercises until the contraction had passed. Raven gave her a cup with ice chips in it, which the princess gracefully accepted.
"Starfire, you can unclench your hand." Raven told her.
The princess opened her hand, revealing the mangled remains of the dumbbell shaft. Raven took it from her. The only word to escape her lips was "woah". The sorceress's eyes began to glow and the shaft, which now looked like a steel pretzel, was engulfed in dark energy and straightened itself out. She then handed it back to Starfire just as the next set of contractions began.
"Baby's crowning!" Gar shouted. "On the next set of contractions, you can push, Star."
-( - )-
Mother and Father both seemed to glow. Starfire cradled her newborn son in her arms. Mar'i gently caressed her brother's head with her index finger and also looked ecstatic.
"John Bruce Grayson is a good name." Starfire whispered to her husband,
Raven smiled at her husband and gave him a kiss. "Well done, doctor."
He kissed her back. "She did all the work … well, I did remove the after births … both of them."
"Two placentas and two umbilical cords for one baby." She remarked. "At least now I know why Starfire has two belly buttons."
"She also has six breasts, though four are vestigial. She does have the extra nipples though." He added. "I guess that's why she never wore a bikini." He smirked.
"Gar?"
"Yes, Rave?"
"You still aren't funny."
-( - )-
The loose ends are all tied up! Next chapter is the epilogue, set about 25 years later. Also, only a few of you noticed that Bumblebee's vows did not include a vow of fidelity. I did that on purpose to see if anyone noticed. I already changed Bumblebee's vow so now it's legit.
And now, the second to last mailbag for this story.
guest speaker – My sequels have always been terrible, so no sequel is planned. Sorry.
Anoymous136 – You are going to get your wish. Also, it was easy to forget about Janey, unlike Tina she kind of vanished from the story.
Me – Thanks!
BartWLewis – Cyborg is unlucky in love, both in the comics and the show. At Comic Con Denver my daughter asked Khary Peyton about who Cyborg should ship with. His answer was that "Cyborg plays the field".
Walrus of Eden – Thanks, I'm glad you liked it.
JOHNXgambit – I have not had a chance yet.
Fl4mingTurd – I didn't notice that you had been gone so long!
Guest – I'll have to think about that. A story centered around Kole? Maybe about how she got her powers and wound up under the North Pole with Gnarrk?
titanfan45 – You guessed well.
Just a Reviewer – Reviews always mean a lot to fan fic writers. It lets us know that you really are reading the story and more so, how it touches you.
The Cretin – In hindsight, I put more thought into CyBee's wedding than for BBRae. I think Cy was overdue.
SuperNolon – Actually, I am a no talent hack who never took a creative writing class.
Kidstandout – They were way overdue for a break.
DeeThom – Yeah, that would be an "Oh crud" moment for Brother Blood, who is way nastier in the comics than the show. Deathstroke was sanitized into Slade, but Brother Blood took a Purel bath fro the show. He was a mass murderer in the comics.
Hairul The Nightrage Beast – I am so sorry if that funeral scene brought back any painful memories for you.
Bluedog197 – Congrats! You noticed that I left out that vow.
Guest – I plan on taking a break for a while.
krostovikraven1 – And you are the other who noticed the missing vow, which I left out on purpose. And yeah, while she knows she doesn't have a snowball's chance in Hell, Janey is pretty cheeky.
acosta perez jose Ramiro – Pues como era boda de superheroes todos vinieron en uniforme.
gabylokita41 – Yes, in the epilogue we will skip way forward,
mlbv-grimm – What can I say? We're almost done.