No One's Gonna Love You

by NeneJPhilly

"We are the ever living ghost of what once was." T for sparse language & suggestive themes. Title from Band of Horses/Cee Lo Green/Kristina Train song. Summary subject to change. {COMPLETE}

2. Taco Tuesday

Thanks so much for the support. I didn't think anyone was going to read it. It is quite long. Sorry this chapter is too but they get shorter. Not by much but shorter.

Enjoy!

NJPNJPNJP

Raven awoke as she usually did & gathered the clothes she would wear for the day. The team had retired wearing their uniforms all day & she was no exception. She found she liked wearing shorts & hoodies, an odd combination but it was comfortable for her.

She liked to wear different colored jean shorts with her favorite hoodies. Today she chose black jean shorts with a white tank-top & a grey hoodie with the word California emblazoned in dark blue stitching.

She picked underwear & girly socks (Starfire had gotten her into the thin, decorative socks). Then she went to the bathroom & showered using milk & honey body wash. She didn't know why. She usually used her melon & cucumber wash & saved milk & honey for when she needed to relax.

She shrugged it off & towel dried before pulling on her clothes & brushing her teeth. She went back to her room to dump her night attire in her hamper & pulled on her boots. She hadn't been able to get out of the habit of wearing them.

She went upstairs to the kitchen & made her a mug of tea. She liked nearly all tea & chose a citrus blend that really woke her up in the morning. As her water boiled in the kettle, she watched the sun come up.

It was beautiful & always filled her with a sense of peace & fulfillment in her life. As she reflected, the kettle let out a piercing whistle. She took it off the eye & filled her mug. It was her favorite one.

She squeezed in a teaspoon of honey & stirred before setting the kettle back on the stove. It had enough water for another cup. She turned off the eye & went to the Keurig coffee maker. She chose Italian roast coffee grinds & put them in the little k-cup provided & put that in the machine before grabbing a red coffee mug.

She put it under the drip & started the machine then grabbed her mug of tea & went over to the bay windows. She crossed her legs in lotus position & floated in the air.

"Azarath Metrion Xinthos." She closed her eyes after taking a sip & chanted. "Azarath Metrion Xinthos."

She quickly came upon her calm & was meditating peacefully.

L~O~V~E•Y~O~U

Nightwing yawned as he woke up. He hit his alarm & climbed out of the bed before making it & going to take a shower. He used his sandalwood soap & washed his hair. He put a towel around his waist & walked back to his room to pick out an outfit for the day after brushing his teeth.

He chose blue jeans & a red jersey for the Jump City Jaguars basketball team. He dressed quickly & put on black shades. He had nearly retired wearing his mask around the tower, instead choosing to wear sunglasses or nothing at all (that wasn't that common). He'd long ago shone his team what he looked like without his mask & trusted them completely.

He used gel to spike up his black hair & sprayed on his cologne, a clean, crisp number that wouldn't offend anyone with above average olfactory abilities (Changeling). He slipped on sneakers with Velcro before going up to the common room.

He saw Raven floating by the windows & smiled. Right on time. He went to collect his mug & sipped it before getting a light blue mug down from the cabinet. He put in a splash of milk & a teaspoon of sugar before putting it under the drip of the coffee machine.

He put in a disposable k-cup that was French vanilla blend. He pressed start & washed out his economical k-cup & put it in the dishrack.

Then he exited the kitchen & went up to the roof with his mug. The coffee was as black as tar, just the way he liked it. He reached the roof & went to a spot that was closest to Jump City & had lots of free space.

He found a red mat & unrolled it into the middle of the space. He set his mug down out of the way & began warming up before doing his sunrise yoga.

L~O~V~E•Y~O~U

Cyborg blinked as his servers started whirling. He yawned & stretched before disconnecting from his charger. He went to the bathroom & washed his face & brushed his teeth then went to get the newspaper from outside.

He rode the elevator to the top floor & went into the kitchen. He saw Raven meditating & grinned. It was business as usual. He divided up the newspaper. He set the front page & its accompanying pages by Nightwing's place setting with the social pages next to it for Starfire.

He set the comic strip next to his place setting for Changeling & the puzzles like the crossword & Sudoku in front of Raven's place with a pen. He set the rest of the pages in front of his place setting before going for his cup of coffee.

He took a sip & nodded. Just the way he liked it. He set his cup down & went for a sparkly purple mug in the cupboard. He lit the eye under the kettle & got down the box of tea. He rummaged until he found a packet of pomegranate white tea & dropped it in the mug.

He added a teaspoon of sugar & one of Dijon mustard. He set the mug aside & picked up his, taking a long draught.

He set the sky blue mug aside again & went to the fridge to take out ingredients. He pulled out tofu eggs, real eggs, bacon, turkey bacon, tofu bacon, sausage links, milk, orange juice & mustard. He went to the pantry for potatoes & maple syrup.

The kettle whistled & he went to it, taking it off the eye. He turned the eye off & went back to cooking. He used a sharp knife to cut the skin off the potatoes & cut them into strings.

Raven opened her eyes at the whistling. She felt refreshed & ready to face the day. She dropped to her feet & walked with her empty cup to the stove. She poured the water from the kettle into the purple mug before filling the kettle with enough water for two cups of tea.

She stirred her friend's tea & readied for her own. Then she set the purple mug in front of Starfire's place setting & moved to help Cyborg with breakfast. She cracked a few eggs & poured in milk before beating the mixture together.

She sprinkled in cinnamon & sugar & dropped slices of bread in the dish. She made sure both sides were coated before taking a pan out to fry the toast.

While both worked in silence, Starfire came in. She smiled wide & waved. "Morning of goodness, my friends!"

"Mornin', Star." Cyborg inclined his head.

Starfire set Christopher at her place at the table & went to the radio to turn it on. She chose an oldies station (like she did every morning) & went to the cabinet.

Raven, who was turned to the stove, hadn't seen Starfire nor Christopher. "Good morning, Starfire."

"Good morning!" Christopher yawned.

Raven frowned. That sounded like Christopher. She turned around & saw him. Her mouth threatened to fall open. So it wasn't a dream! She resolved to wake Charlotte up after she finished the French toast. "Good morning, Chris."

"Yeah, mornin', little dude." Cyborg finished cutting the potatoes. He put the scraps in a paper bag to be used later for composting (along with the egg shells).

Starfire took down a Hulk coffee mug. It looked exactly like one that had been destroyed the previous day but had mates. She put two tablespoons of sugar in the cup & plopped in peach white tea. "Would you care for the juice of oranges, bumgorf?"

Christopher scrunched up his face but nodded. "Yes, Mommy."

She poured him some orange juice in a sippy cup & gave it to him before tugging a seat over & setting it between herself & Nightwing's empty place. She transferred Christopher to it & sat in her place to finally drink her tea in peace.

Cyborg began cooking the bacons & sausage as Raven finished with the toast. The kettle whistled & she poured her water in. She set it at her place setting then went to go downstairs. She passed Nightwing coming in.

"Where are you going?" He was confused.

"To get Charlotte up."

"Oh." He nodded. They passed each other & she was able to get on the lift.

She went a level down & was dismayed to see Bumble Bee waiting on the elevator with Calvin. How could she even remotely forget about the children in their care?

"Morning, Raven." Bumble Bee said.

"Good morning, Bumble Bee." Raven exited the lift.

Bumble Bee got on & waved Calvin's hand for him before pushing the button to go up.

The elevator's doors closed as Raven went down the hall for her room & the one next to it. She opened Charlotte's door & saw her sleeping peacefully.

She went to the bags that belonged to her & found the dress she'd liked the day before with accessories. The dress was actually white with purple bows all over it. It was kind of a fancy dress but Charlotte had liked it.

Raven found underwear for her & shoes. Even a purple bow for her hair. When she was done, Raven woke Charlotte & dressed the upset toddler. "C'mon. You have to wake up. Don't you want to eat breakfast?"

Charlotte blinked. "Breakfast?"

"Have you never had breakfast?"

Charlotte shrugged.

Raven didn't like that at all & was unaware of her eyes turning red.

Charlotte pointed to her eyes. "Your eyes don't look like mine no more."

Raven blinked & her eyes returned to violet. "Do you know how to brush your teeth?"

Charlotte shook her head.

Raven took her hand & led her to the girl's bathroom. She helped her brush her teeth then took her up to the kitchen. "Would you like orange juice?"

"What's that?" Charlotte walked strangely.

"Why are you walking like that?" Raven countered.

"These shoes are big."

"Oh." Raven said brilliantly. "Orange juice is the juice from oranges. Have you ever had an orange?"

"I don't like oranges."

"We have other juice. Do you like apples or grapes?"

"I like grapes." Charlotte smiled up at her as they finally made it to the kitchen.

Raven did what Starfire did & put a chair between her & Changeling's settings. Then she filled a sippy cup with grape juice & gave it to Charlotte. "Do you like it?"

Charlotte nodded.

Raven went to pour the now lukewarm water from the kettle into the green mug & refilled the kettle. She sat it on a back burner & began making the eggs. She used a bit of tofu eggs with the rest of the eggs to make them fluffier.

Cyborg set aside the meat & began frying the potatoes with slices of onions.

"There's no mention of the kids in the paper. Chief Egan must want to keep this secret." Nightwing went to the front of the paper again.

"That may be a good thing." Cyborg said. "Reporters would be all over these kids & for a while, they wouldn't have normal lives. It could even affect them getting adopted."

Nightwing nodded once.

The doors to the common room opened & the missing member of the team walked in with his arms outstretched. "Wazzup!"

"Mornin', C." Cyborg acknowledged him.

"Mornin', Cy!" Changeling sauntered over.

"Morning, Changeling." Nightwing inclined his head.

"Mornin', BossMan!" He saluted.

"Good morning, Changeling." Bumble Bee kissed Calvin's cheek.

"Morning, Bee." He poked the baby's cheek & laughed when he seemed to glare at him. "Morning, Cal."

"The morning of goodness, friend! Were your dreams filled with the sweetness?" Starfire pulled away from the paper to ask.

"Yeah, I slept well. You?" He hugged her from behind.

"I had the most pleasant of dreams, thank you."

"Mornin', Rae." He grinned as he went to sit down.

"Good morning, Changeling." She didn't turn around.

"Mornin', Chris." He sipped his tea & burnt his tongue.

"Good morning, Uncle." Christopher giggled at his silliness & covered his mouth.

"A little hot?" Bumble Bee teased with a straight face as she fed Calvin a bottle.

"Just a bit." Changeling turned to Charlotte, who was watching him with the sippy cup in her mouth. "Mornin', princess."

She took the big girl bottle out of her mouth. "Good morning." She stuck it back in.

He put his hand on her head & shook it. She put her hand on top of his & tried to move it. He chuckled.

"Alright! Soup's on, people!" Cyborg shouted as he brought the home style potatoes over.

Raven scooped the scrambled eggs into a dish & brought it to the island where they all sat. She & Cyborg sat in their seats.

The adults (sans Bumble Bee, who wanted to finish feeding Calvin) began reaching for food. They fixed the kids plates first then their own.

"What's this?" Christopher picked up a slice of bacon.

"Bacon." Nightwing looked over. "Have you never had bacon before?"

Christopher shook his head. "What is it?"

"It's meat. It comes from the sides of a piggy." Changeling told him. "If you don't want to eat a poor, defenseless piggy, you can eat tofu bacon with me. It's not made from any animals."

"Okay."

Changeling brightened & passed the plate with the meats down to Starfire, who put a strip on his plate. "You're going to love it!"

Cyborg snorted rudely. "Bet he goes back to real bacon."

Changeling stuck his tongue out.

Christopher eyed the tofu bacon but it closely resembled the bacon he had previously picked up. He took a big bite. "Ew. I don't like that."

Cyborg laughed loudly as Changeling pouted.

"Try some of my turkey bacon." Nightwing suggested. He handed Christopher a strip off his plate.

Christopher tried it. "Yummy!"

Starfire hugged him gently. "I am gladdened that you have found a meat satisfactory for your first try."

He didn't know what that meant but he caught the word glad & assumed the rest. "Thank you."

Charlotte pulled on Raven's hoodie. Raven turned to face her. Charlotte pointed to the eggs.

"They're eggs. Have you never really had breakfast?"

"We eat cereal." Christopher licked his hand. "A lot."

"So you've never had a real breakfast? Harsh." Changeling frowned.

"These are eggs. This is sausage. This is bacon. This is French toast & these are potatoes." Raven pointed everything out.

Charlotte tried the eggs carefully. She scrapped up the smallest amount on her fork & put it in her mouth. Everyone looked at her closely to see how she was taking it. She'd closed her eyes but opened them now with a slight smile. "Yummy."

"Try the potatoes next." Changeling urged.

She speared a potato & stuck it in her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully before nodding. "I like it."

"Now the tofu bacon…"

"Changeling!" Raven rolled her eyes.

"She's going to like it!"

Charlotte picked up the strip & ate it. "I like this!"

He pouted. "That was the real bacon."

He knew how it tasted. He'd accidentally eaten real bacon that Cyborg had cooked for a BLT sandwich & it had been the most delicious thing he'd put in his mouth.

He felt terrible for two days but the next time Cyborg made bacon, he'd asked for him to fry his using the house's bacon grease.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." Charlotte patted his hand.

He smiled. "It's okay. Try the tofu next. It's not as bad as everyone says."

"Yes, it is, Charlie." Cyborg teased with a straight face. "He's just tryin to convert you to his VegHead side."

Charlotte picked up the strip of soy product & took a small bite. She chewed & swallowed.

"Well?" Changeling leaned on her.

She shrugged. "It's okay."

"Yes! That's a win, Tin Man!" He pointed to Cyborg.

"It's not like she dug it! It's just "okay"!" Cyborg volleyed back.

"Guys." Nightwing refused to laugh. "She's eating. How about we just be happy about that?"

"You're right." Cyborg said. "She does like my food. She's a good girl."

Charlotte smiled before sticking her fork in her French toast. Before she could pull the entire slab over, Raven stopped her.

Raven cut the bread into bite sized pieces for her. Charlotte picked up a piece & ate it. "I like this the best."

Raven fought a smile. "I made it."

"It's good, Mommy."

"I'm not-" Raven rolled her eyes & fought the warm feeling evading her chest.

The Titans made small talk as they ate (with Bumble Bee & Cyborg passing around Calvin in order to eat). The day was nice & sunny, perfect for a beach day.

"I figured we could go down to the beach after training." Nightwing was saying.

The Titans trained twice a day. Once in the morning & another in the afternoon. It lasted two hours each time & was divided between outside & indoors. They had an obstacle course that spanned a quarter of the island that they spent half an hour on before going inside for strength training.

Then they trained with the indoor course in the simulator room for half an hour before spending the last thirty minutes sparring.

"We should go to the mall of shopping as soon as it opens." Starfire said.

"I've never bought swimwear for a baby before." Bumble Bee admitted.

"Realistically how hard can it be?" Raven didn't want to go to the mall but the chances of it being swarmed with people when it first opened was slim, which lessened the chances of her getting a headache.

Bumble Bee shrugged. "Probably not that hard."

"Should we take the children with us?" Starfire asked.

"That would look completely suspicious." Nightwing shook his head. "Leave them here & guess their sizes."

"It shouldn't be that hard. I guessed pretty well with their clothes." Bumble Bee kissed Calvin's cheek.

"We have a few hours to kill before the mall opens. What do you want to do after cleaning the kitchen?" Changeling sipped his tea.

"We can play a game." Starfire suggested.

"Oh! I know a game. The kids will love it!"

Raven sighed. This wouldn't end well.

L~O~V~E•Y~O~U

Changeling stretched as if he was getting ready to run. "Let's limber up, people! Don't want to pull anything!"

"What is this game?" Cyborg had opted to sit this out so he could hold Calvin.

"Head & Shoulders!" Changeling set his fists on his hips.

"I remember that game. It's fun."

"I remember it, too." Bumble Bee finished stretching. "I'm going to whip the pants off you."

Changeling gulped. "But there are not any winners in Head & Shoulders."

"But I'm going to be so much better than you. It's just as good as winning."

Her competitiveness scared him for a moment before his kicked in. "Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

"We'll see!"

Starfire looked between them. "Friends, is not the game of Head & the Shoulders supposed to be fun?"

"It'll be fun to take her down!" He jumped in place & shook his body to loosen up.

"Let's go, String Bean!" Bumble Bee cracked her knuckles.

"What are they doing?" Charlotte looked at Raven.

Who rolled her eyes. "Being children."

"Just teach us the game already before I leave." Nightwing snapped.

"Alright! Keep your shades on." Changeling stood still. "Okay, kids. Touch your head then your shoulders."

"What's shoulders?" Christopher asked.

Starfire touched his. "These, my little cherub."

He touched his shoulders.

"Both hands." Changeling commanded. "Then touch your knees then your toes. Now put it all together. Head, shoulders, knees & toes."

Everyone followed behind him.

"Now sing with me.
Head
Shoulders
Knees & toes
Knees & toes
Head
Shoulders
Knees & toes
Knees & toes
& eyes & ears & mouth & nose
Head
Shoulders
Knees & toes
Knees & toes"

"Wait!" Christopher was distraught & frantic. "What was that other part?"

"You cover your eyes then touch your ears then cover your mouth then touch your nose." Changeling explained patiently.

Christopher copied the moves. "Like this?"

"Yup, you got it. Now let's do it again.
Head
Shoulders
Knees & toes
Knees & toes
Head
Shoulders
Knees & toes
Knees & toes
& eyes & ears & mouth & nose
Head
Shoulders
Knees & toes
Knees & toes"

"This is fun." Christopher smiled.

"I'm glad you think so. Because we're going to go faster."

"I can do it!" Christopher jumped.

"Alright, come on.
Head
Shoulders
Knees & toes
Knees & toes
Head
Shoulders
Knees & toes
Knees & toes
& eyes & ears & mouth & nose
Head
Shoulders
Knees & toes
Knees & toes"

"This is repetitive." Raven complained.

"It's for little kids; it's supposed to be." Changeling smirked. "Alright, we're going to go faster."

"Faster?" Starfire gaped. "How much faster can we go?"

"You have to go as fast as you can." Changeling was a pro at this game & was really just trying to show up Bumble Bee, who had yet to look frazzled. "Let's go!

Head
Shoulders
Knees & toes
Knees & toes
Head
Shoulders
Knees & toes
Knees & toes
& eyes & ears & mouth & nose
Head
Shoulders
Knees & toes
Knees & toes"

Nightwing felt like this was a low grade workout & approved. "Who came up with this game?"

"I don't know but it's been around for a while."

"Come on, String Bean." Bumble Bee taunted. "I thought you were better than this."

"Let's go!" Changeling growled.

It soon became a competition between the two, the others stood there watching them go faster & faster.

"That's kind of fast." Nightwing narrowed his eyes.

"Neither one is going to give up." Cyborg shook his head in exasperation (although he was guilty of being just as competitive).

Just then, Changeling hit himself in the face when he was supposed to be touching his nose. "Ah!"

"Yes!" Bumble Bee jumped up & down.

"No fair! I demand a rematch!" He rubbed his nose.

"Nope. I won fair & square." She twisted her body in happiness. "But I got another game."

"What is it? I'll beat you at it!"

"Not even, Broccoli Stalk!"

"I don't look like broccoli. Do I look like broccoli? I don't look like broccoli." He looked between his teammates.

"You look like lettuce." Raven cleared her throat discreetly.

He pouted. "Now that my feelings are hurt, let's play the game."

"There was a farmer that had a duck
& Daffy was his name-o
D-A-F-F-Y
D-A-F-F-Y
D-A-F-F-Y
& Daffy was his name-o

Now instead of singing the "d", just clap." Bumble Bee said. "There was a farmer that had a duck
& Daffy was his name-o
(clap)-A-F-F-Y
(clap)-A-F-F-Y
(clap)-A-F-F-Y
& Daffy was his name-o

Now clap instead of singing the "d" & the "a".

There was a farmer that had a duck
& Daffy was his name-o
(clap)-(clap)-F-F-Y
(clap)-(clap)-F-F-Y
(clap)-(clap)-F-F-Y
& Daffy was his name-o

Now just sing the "f" & the "y".

There was a farmer that had a duck
& Daffy was his name-o
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-F-Y
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-F-Y
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-F-Y
& Daffy was his name-o

Now just sing the "y".

There was a farmer that had a duck
& Daffy was his name-o
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-Y
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-Y
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-Y
& Daffy was his name-o

Now just clap.

There was a farmer that had a duck
& Daffy was his name-o
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)
& Daffy was his name-o!"

"I like that one." Charlotte said shyly.

"Wanna do it again?" Bumble Bee asked.

She nodded.

"Do you remember how it goes?"

"Yes."

"Wanna sing it with me?"

Charlotte nodded.

"Okay, let's go. There was a farmer that had a duck…"

L~O~V~E•Y~O~U

Raven looked over the racks. "I don't know what bathing suit to buy."

"What bathing suit would you like at two years old?" Bumble Bee asked.

Raven looked at her askance. "I didn't learn to swim until I was ten years old. & even then it wasn't an in depth lesson."

"Just pick a suit. It's not like you can't get another one if she doesn't like it."

"Oh no. I am not coming back here."

Starfire pouted. "But it is the fun to do the shopping for them."

"Speak for yourself." Raven found a one piece purple swimsuit with ruffles around the waist. "I'll get this. She seems to like purple."

"I do not know which color Christopher prefers. He does not seem to gravitate to any." Starfire said.

"Just buy him one with more than one color in it." Bumble Bee suggested.

"Splendid idea!" Starfire grabbed a pair of child swim-trunks that had red, yellow & orange splashes.

"I think Cal will do good with just a diaper."

"Why did you name him? You know you're just going to get attached & it'll be harder to give him up when this is all over." Raven moved towards the cashier counter.

"You sound like Sparky. I can do what's right."

"You will be able to give him up?" Starfire asked.

"I haven't even known him 24 hours. & he's a baby."

"That wasn't an answer." Raven pointed out.

Bumble Bee stuck her bottom lip out. "I can do what's right."

The girls paid & left.

"Is there anything you want while we're here?" Raven asked her red haired teammate.

Starfire thought about it. "Yes."

"We might as well get it. I'm not coming back to the mall for another month."

Bumble Bee laughed. "Kinda burned out on the mall, huh?"

"You have no idea."

She & Starfire laughed as their communicators went off. They went into high alert, expecting trouble.

Raven was the one to open her communications device. "Yes, Nightwing?"

"Uh… we have trouble."

"We caught that." Bumble Bee said bluntly. "What & where?"

"Here… at the Tower." He fidgeted with his glasses.

Raven's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What did you three do?"

"It's what we didn't do. Or rather what we didn't know to do."

"What is going on, friend Nightwing?" Starfire peered into the video feed.

"It'll probably be easier to just show you. Can you come home?"

"We will be there shortly."

Raven closed her communicator as he was thanking them profusely. "Let's go."

The trio took off flying towards the island that housed their home. It took twenty minutes but they landed on their roof soon enough & went down to the common room to see what was going on.

"Alright. We're here. What's happening?" Bumble Bee put her hands on her hips. "I see the clouds are dark."

"Mommy!" Christopher ran to Starfire & clung to her legs.

Starfire swung him up into her arms. "Why are you the damp, Christopher?"

"Well…" Changeling stretched it out. "When was the last time any of the kids went to the bathroom?

"Huh?" Bumble Bee was confused by his line of questioning.

"The bathroom. Did any of you take the kids to the bathroom?"

Starfire & Raven looked at each other lost. Both thought hard. They shook their heads when it hit them. "No."

"I changed Calvin's diaper twice." Bumble Bee shrugged.

"I should have seen when you did it." Cyborg admitted. "I didn't know how."

"Well the other two had accidents. In the bedrooms & on the sofa." Nightwing said. "We stripped the beds & washed the cushions."

"Why didn't they just go to the bathroom?" Raven wondered.

"We asked. They don't know how. Yeah, it messed us up, too." Changeling pursed his lips.

"They don't know how to use the bathroom?" Raven seriously wondered where these kids came from & if anyone was even taking care of them.

"Not the room."

"Where is she?"

He pointed to the window seat. "She cried herself to sleep."

Raven stamped down her empathy. "Why'd you call us?"

"We didn't know what to do." Nightwing admitted. "We thought you would."

"Well first thing's first; making them feel better." Bumble Bee said. "It's not their fault they're not potty trained."

"I think you should also change them. We thought you'd be best at that."

Raven went to the window seat & picked Charlotte up. Even in sleep, the little girl looked contrite.

"Did you change Calvin?" Bumble Bee asked Cyborg.

"Changed him, yes. Did it well? no." He held the baby out to her.

Calvin was just wearing a diaper that was hazardously hanging off his behind.

Bumble Bee frowned. "This diaper is wet, too."

"My sensors don't pick up baby waste, alright! I only thought to check after he'd been crying for a while & the other two peed the couch. I didn't know what to do & he pooped! When I took the diaper off, he peed on me! I just put another one on him until you got here."

"Did you even clean him?"

"He peed on me!"

"Sparky!"

"I've never had urine in my circuits before! Sue me!"

"Useless!" She readjusted the baby in her arms. "Let's go. He has to be supremely uncomfortable."

The girls rode the elevator to the barracks.

"Don't we get any kind of credit for cleaning up?" Changeling whined.

"I guess not." Cyborg sulked.

Nightwing ran a hand through his hair. "Do we really deserve it?"

Neither had an answer.

L~O~V~E•Y~O~U

Starfire, Raven & Bumble Bee gave the children baths before putting them in their swimwear.

"Do you feel better, my bumgorf?" Starfire asked.

Christopher nodded. "I'm sorry."

"It is not your fault."

"It's not your fault." Raven repeated so Charlotte would understand.

Charlotte just looked at the floor.

"Maybe we should get them pull-ups until they're potty trained?" Bumble Bee emptied the baby tub & set Calvin on her hip.

"The exercise of pulling ones self-up on the bars?" Starfire was confused.

"No. Like the sippy cups are a bridge between bottles & glasses? Pull-ups are the bridge between diapers & underwear. You can have an accident & not worry about ruining something."

"That seems like the most logical approach." Raven said. "How do you know about this stuff?"

"Came from a big family." She shrugged.

Raven & Starfire suspected it was far from casual but didn't bring it up. "What are we going to do with them during training?"

"We cannot watch them & complete our training." Starfire added.

"I'll watch them." Bumble Bee volunteered.

"Training?" Christopher looked between the adults.

"It is conditioning for strengthening our bodies, powers & skills as a team & individuals." Starfire explained.

Christopher looked so lost. "Huh?"

"It's playing for big people." Bumble Bee said.

"Oh." He waited a beat. "Can I do it, too?"

"He does have powers." Raven slid in.

"Perhaps we shall see." Starfire picked him up & put him on her hip.

The girls exited the bathroom & went upstairs. The guys were on the cushion-less couch, playing video games.

"Are we ready to train?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah, we can get started." Nightwing paused the game.

"Yeah. We don't want Nightwing crying to the Bats about gettin whooped." Changeling turned the TV off.

Nightwing stopped in his tracks & turned slowly to face the green shifter. "Excuse me?"

"It's alright. We know you were about to lose. Right, Cy?" He elbowed his mechanical friend.

Cyborg rolled his eye. "You both were in my dust."

Both Changeling & Nightwing turned to him. "No way!"

"Yes, way! I was blowin the doors off you!"

The girls groaned. This could (& would) go on for a while.

"Hey!" Raven snapped. "Let's train!"

"Raven's right." Nightwing visibly got back in control. "Training is more important than petty squabbling."

"Though you were losing." Changeling crossed his arms across his chest.

Nightwing cut his eyes at the jade jokester (though the effect was lost behind his sunglasses). "Let's go."

"Wait! What are we going to do with the kids?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm watching them." Bumble Bee said.

"So you're staying in here?" Nightwing asked.

"I wanna see." Christopher stomped a foot.

"See what?"

"See you train." Christopher went to him & raised his arms.

Nightwing looked at him blankly. "What are you doing?"

"Up." Christopher said simply.

"You want me to pick you up?"

Christopher nodded.

Nightwing's cheeks flushed but his facial expression didn't change. "No."

Christopher pouted. "Please?"

"No."

Tears welled up in Christopher's eyes. He started sobbing loudly.

Nightwing was taken aback (& had to contend with everyone staring at him). "Stop crying. I'm not going to pick you up."

"Why… not?!" Christopher leaned against his legs & wailed.

"Because we have to train." Nightwing lied smoothly.

"Train?" Christopher sniffled loudly.

"Yes. We'll be outside doing things & I can't hold you during." That sounded good to Nightwing.

Christopher stopped crying. "Can I train?"

Nightwing's eyebrows shot up.

Starfire eyed him. "I do not think it is wise for a child so young to engage in battle, even if it is superfluous."

"It's better to be over-prepared than overpowered."

"That is ridiculous!"

"Better safe than sorry." He was unrepentant.

"I do not want him being attacked. Surely you can understand that?"

"I don't want him attacked either but he will be one day & he should know how to defend himself."

"He is a child."

"We know better than most that being a kid doesn't stop people from messing with you."

Her eyes glowed. "Nightwing,-!"

"Starfire." He didn't want her upset but it was only logical to teach the children to protect themselves. "These children might be with us for a while & we won't be able to protect them all the time. We live in a giant T shaped tower on an uninhabited island. Anyone could get to us if they wanted."

She frowned, not liking that. "I will never allow harm to come to Christopher."

"You may have no choice."

She was clearly torn. Christopher held his arms up for her to pick him up & when she did, he wrapped his arms around her neck & patted her back. "I suppose it shall be beneficial. But only a small amount of training!"

"Of course. He's a child." Even Nightwing wouldn't work a child.

"Am I gonna train?" Charlotte said her first words in half an hour.

"Only a little." Nightwing vowed.

Raven glared at him. "What exactly are you trying to have them do?"

Nightwing hadn't thought of that. He tapped his chin. "Maybe have them doing exercises of strengthening their powers?"

"Like what? Charlie has all our powers." Changeling piped up.

"Maybe that's what today's training can be? Teaching them how to use their powers better?"

"As long as I ain't gotta run laps, I don't care." Cyborg said.

"Let's go to the simulation room & set up."

The group walked to the room & Bumble Bee sat against the wall with Calvin in her arms. Cyborg hunkered down next to her.

The simulation room was white, big & empty. There was a booth in back that held the controls to turn the room into any landscape necessary for training.

Nightwing just wanted an empty space. He stood in the middle & faced the group. "Let's work on flying first. That requires nothing but your bodies."

Charlotte looked up at Changeling with her wide eyes. He nodded. She started hovering then flew up a little until she was level with him & Raven.

"Now you." Nightwing turned to Christopher.

Christopher concentrated but he could only hover an inch or two above the ground before he grew weary & fell on his bottom. "Ow!"

"That is the alright, bumgorf. You simply do not have the joy of flight yet." Starfire soothed him.

"I can't fly." Christopher said sadly.

"You shall be able to one day."

"Just practice hovering." Nightwing said. "Can you do that?"

Christopher nodded.

Nightwing turned to Charlotte. "Since you can fly, let's try shifting for you. Can you shift into anything big?"

She shrugged.

"Watch me." Changeling moved back & shifted into an African elephant.

Charlotte landed on her feet & shifted into one, too. Except it was a baby African elephant.

Changeling blew his trunk.

Charlotte copied him.

Changeling shifted into a duck.

She copied him & shifted into a black duckling.

"Big animals, Changeling." Nightwing smirked.

Changeling quacked before turning into a lion.

Charlotte turned into a lion cub.

"The adorable!" Starfire wanted to pick her up so badly.

Changeling morphed into a panda bear, his spots a darker green than the rest of his fur.

Charlotte morphed into a panda cub, her spots a darker black than the rest of her fur.

Changeling changed into a gorilla.

Charlotte changed into a baby gorilla.

Changeling shifted into a rhinoceros.

Charlotte shifted into a baby rhinoceros.

Changeling morphed into an orangutan.

Charlotte morphed into a baby orangutan.

Changeling shifted into a vulture.

Charlotte shifted into a baby vulture.

"Less adorable." Bumble Bee said quietly.

Changeling changed into a walrus.

Charlotte changed into a baby walrus.

Changeling turned a wolf.

Charlotte turned into a wolf pup.

Changeling shifted into an ostrich.

Charlotte shifted into a baby ostrich.

"So she's a baby version of everything you turn into? Try mythological creatures." Nightwing commanded.

Changeling shifted into a unicorn.

Charlotte turned into a baby unicorn.

Starfire screeched lowly. "May I be permitted to hold her?!"

"Hold on, Star." Nightwing held up a hand. "Try bigger."

Changeling turned into a griffin.

Charlotte looked at him for a moment before turning into a baby griffin.

Changeling morphed into a chimera.

Charlotte morphed after a moment's hesitation.

Changeling shifted into a dragon.

Charlotte shifted into a baby dragon.

Changeling shifted into a merman. He had green scales & his upper body remained the same as usual as he flopped on the floor.

Charlotte shifted into a merbaby. Her scales were purple & her upper body was the same.

Changeling shifted into a jaguar.

Charlotte shifted into a jaguar cub.

"Okay, change back." Nightwing said.

Changeling shifted back & Charlotte copied him.

"You did very well." Starfire complimented.

"Thank you." Charlotte was tired.

"Raven, teach her how to use your powers while I help Chris with his strength." Nightwing lifted a brow. "Follow me, Starfire. We're going to the gym."

The gym was where the well… gym equipment was.

Starfire picked up Christopher & followed her leader out.

Charlotte leaned against Changeling's legs.

Raven looked down at her before sighing slightly. "Let's go to your room & practice levitating objects."

"Aww! You're leaving us out!" Cyborg teased.

"Shouldn't you help your baby?!" Changeling shot back.

"He's a baby…"

Changeling laughed. "He needs to control his powers."

"He's too little for that." Bumble Bee kissed his hand. "Besides, he went to sleep."

"Already?" Raven lifted a brow. "It's barely eleven o'clock."

"He's going to sleep a lot. He's little. When he wakes up, I'll feed & change him."

"Change him into what?" Changeling asked.

Cyborg fell out laughing. Raven shook her head.

Bumble Bee blinked. "Change his diaper, Changeling."

"Oh. Don't judge me!" Changeling swung Charlotte up into his arms.

"Too late." Raven walked out.

Changeling frowned & set Charlotte high against his shoulder as he followed. "Mean!"

Cyborg looked at Bumble Bee. "What do you want to do?"

"Let's watch a movie. We might as well make the most out of him being asleep." Bumble Bee carefully got to her feet.

"Oh yeah. Let me show you something." He led her out & to the elevator. They rode down to the bedrooms & walked to Calvin's room. "Close your eyes."

"Why would I do that?"

"Would you just do it?!" He snapped.

"No!" She wrinkled her nose.

"Bee,-!"

"Fine! You get on my nerves!"

The feeling is mutual…! He stepped in front of the door & it automatically opened (as did all of the children's rooms). He tugged her in gently & brought her to his surprise. "Okay, open your eyes!"

Bumble Bee opened her eyes. "Wow!"

In front of her was a crib. A metal crib that had a built in mobile (still metal), a mirror & built in activities such as bars with affixed toys to move & soft things to pull. It was painted a dark blue & had a tiny mattress with accompanying sheet set.

"I went out & got the mattress & sheet set during the night. Baby stores stay open late." He rubbed the back of his head nervously, a habit that he'd picked up from his peridot pal.

"This is great." She set Calvin on the mattress & rubbed his back when it seemed he would wake up.

"& there's more." He turned her to face a metal playpen much like the crib. It was painted midnight blue & came up only so high. The bottom was lined with a mattress & had space for more than one child.

"You made all this in one night?" She looked back at him in amazement.

"I stayed up all night. & I made these. I figured we could leave him in here during his naps & we'd be able to know how he was doing." He grabbed a baby monitor from a nearby empty bookshelf. "These rooms are soundproof so you wouldn't be able to hear him at night anyway."

She turned it on. "Good idea."

Cyborg beamed.

"Did you get any sleep?"

"A little. I didn't do much yesterday so I had a lot on my charge."

"Do you need to recharge? We can skip the movie-"

"No!" Pink evaded his brown cheeks. "I mean, that's okay. I'll need to hit the hay early tonight but I can watch a movie with you."

She smiled. "Well let's go."

L~O~V~E•Y~O~U

"Concentrate on using your energy." Raven spoke softly as to not break Charlotte's focus.

Charlotte stared at the objects Bumble Bee had bought her & used psychic energy to levitate them.

The objects floated in midair & moved in a circle.

"This is boring. Have her do something fun." Changeling was reclined on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Raven glared at him. "This is the fundamental basics. She needs control-"

"Boring!" He cut her off. "Teach her how to make shapes & throw daggers or spells. Make a potion or something!"

Her eyes glowed red but she forcibly calmed herself. "She needs to learn the correct way."

"What? The way you learned? She doesn't have emotion based powers. You can skip all that."

"She still needs control. Every power requires skill & control. Not everyone is as wild as you."

He grinned at her. "You want to know how wild I can get?"

Her cheeks burned & she hurried to throw her hood up. He was always flirting with her & making lewd innuendos. She'd told him to stop it & he'd countered that she was in love with him.

She broke every light bulb in the tower that day…

They continued to go back & forth but Changeling insisted they were in love & that he would wait for her to come to him. He pushed her boundaries every day asking if she was ready for him.

He made a nuisance of himself flirting subtly as well as brazenly. There were times where he looked at her with such heat that she couldn't breathe but when she looked away then back, the look would be gone.

Quite frankly, he drove her crazy. But she couldn't admit that he was right. There were too many factors involved for her to be in love. Especially with him.

So she pushed it (& him) away & pretended to be annoyed by him.

"Don't be crude, Changeling. There's a child here." She hoped her voice was hard enough.

"Wanna make another one?" He stopped grinning & his eyes burned.

There was a fine tremble to her as she tried to control her powers. She had near perfect control over them but there were times when she was surprised or shocked enough that things would go haywire. "Stop it. That's not funny."

"I'm not laughing." He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not going to "make a baby" with you."

"It'll be fun."

Her color rose & she was thankful for her large hood. "If you're not going to help with her training, you can leave."

"I'll be good." He grinned.

She nodded once before realizing it was a double entendre. "If you won't leave, we will."

"Alright, I'll stop." He sat up. "Hey, look!"

Raven looked behind herself & saw the objects Charlotte was levitating were now dancing for the child's amusement. "How are you doing that?"

Charlotte giggled.

"You're such a smart girl!" Changeling praised. "How are you doing that?"

Charlotte pointed at a doll. She grinned.

"Can you give me the doll?"

Charlotte waved her hand & the felt doll flew at his head.

He caught it. "Good girl!"

She giggled.

Raven was amazed. She didn't have nearly the control that Charlotte did at that age. "How are you doing this?"

Charlotte shrugged.

"How do you feel?"

Charlotte shrugged.

"I can't really teach you about empathic abilities at this age but maybe I can help you with shapes."

"Yes!" Changeling fist-pumped.

Raven ignored him. "Do you know your shapes?"

Charlotte shook her head.

Changeling put his hands up. "This is a square."

"Focus your attention & imagine your energy. Picture it in your mind as the shape of his hands." Raven instructed.

Charlotte dropped her floating items abruptly & focused like Raven said. A obsidian square showed up in the middle of the room.

Changeling clapped & cheered. "Good girl, Charlie!"

Charlotte beamed.

"Can you do a circle?" Raven asked.

"What's a circle?"

Changeling showed her with his hands.

Charlotte nodded & closed her eyes to concentrate. She opened her eyes & an onyx circle appeared.

Changeling put his hands together again. "How about a triangle?"

Charlotte focused & a black triangle appeared in thin air.

"Where's a flashlight? I can do more shapes with my hands in shadow." Changeling looked around the room.

"There is no flashlight in here." Raven rolled her eyes. "We can move on to other things. She has amazing control over her powers for a two year old."

"I wonder how they work? Does she have to be around metas to use them?" Changeling wondered idly.

Raven blinked. She hadn't thought of that. "I'm not sure."

Changeling tapped his chin. "Hey, Charlie? Can you use Star's starbolts?"

"What's that?" Charlotte flew up to the bed & landed on it before walking towards him.

He caught her as she fell on him. "Remember when you broke my cup yesterday?"

"Let it go, Changeling." Raven murmured.

He sat Charlotte on his lap. "Do that again. Just focus & zap something else. Like this sock monkey." He pulled it from the bottom of the bed.

Charlotte snatched it into her arms. "But I like it!"

"I'll get you something new. Better. Just zap it." He held it up.

Charlotte squinted & two purple eye-blasts exited her eyes & obliterated the stuffed toy.

Changeling hugged her close. "You did it! So you don't need to be by someone to copy their powers."

Charlotte threw her arms around his neck & squeezed.

"Ow!" He twitched. "Was that electricity?"

"Either it was static or Bumble Bee's powers." Raven deduced.

Along with shrinking & growing, flight & wings, Bumble Bee had the ability to manifest electricity, which she used with her stingers or from her hands freely. She also could grow plants & flowers by touch.

Changeling pulled Charlotte off him & looked at her hands. They were sparking. "Bee's powers."

"You have to be careful." Raven told Charlotte. "You need precise control or you could hurt yourself. Or other people."

Charlotte nodded sagely. "Okay, Mommy."

"I'm not your mother." Raven said flatly.

Charlotte laid her head on Changeling's chest & smiled.

"Say "Whatever you say, Mommy"." Changeling grinned.

"Whatever you say, Mommy." Charlotte parroted.

Raven telekinetically threw a spelling block at Changeling's head. "Imbecile."

L~O~V~E•Y~O~U

Starfire put the bar back on the rack. "You have completed your training for the day. Now we will go down to the beach & have the fun!"

"Yay!" Christopher popped up from the weight bench & kicked his legs.

"You guys go grab everything you want & go down there. The guys & I will make lunch." Nightwing finished writing Christopher's performance down.

Starfire picked Christopher up & floated out.

Nightwing opened his communicator & messaged Cyborg & Changeling before he headed to put away Christopher's chart. He left the gym & went to change into swim trunks. He grabbed a beach towel & went up to the kitchen.

He saw Changeling & Cyborg were already there. "What are we making for lunch?"

"I say sandwiches." Cyborg said. "They're the perfect food."

"Aw yeah!" Changeling grew excited. "Nothing sounds better than a PB&J sandwich right now."

"Alright, we're doing this assembly line style?" Nightwing asked.

"As long as we whistle while we work." Changeling grinned.

Cyborg turned the radio back on & found a station playing Top 40. Radioactive by Imagine Dragons was playing. "Like this?"

"It's a little bass heavy." He teased.

"Shut up." Cyborg grinned.

Nightwing rolled his eyes & got the wheat bread from the bread box, creamy peanut butter & strawberry jam from the fridge & two butter knives from the drawer before piling it all on the counter.

"I got peanut butter!" Changeling called.

"You always were a bit nutty." Cyborg taunted.

"& you're just jelly!" He stuck his tongue out.

"I like strawberry."

"Guys!" Nightwing's lips twitched. "We want to eat before next week. Can you argue while you work?"

"Course we can." Changeling assured him. He went over to the peanut butter & unscrewed the top. "I'm a multitasker."

Cyborg took the strawberry jam & opened it. "We've got the sandwiches covered. You worry about the chips."

Nightwing went to the pantry & gathered up a few bags of chips. He debated putting the chips in baggies but figured that was too much work. So he just put the bags in the picnic basket under the counter. He set the basket on top & went to the fridge for fruit.

He took out apples, oranges, pears, bananas, cherries & grapes to wash off & put in the basket. "Any other fruit?"

Changeling looked over. "We got any cheese?"

"Yes & that wasn't what I asked."

"I know but it's important. I want string cheese."

"We all want string cheese." Cyborg said. "But the question is beef jerky."

"How can you eat dried animal carcass?" Changeling made a face.

Nightwing shook his head at the ensuing argument & just put both items in the basket. He added granola bars, trail mix, pretzels & a jar of pickles.

"Don't forget cookies!" Changeling yelled.

"Weren't you busy?" Nightwing turned.

"Always notice cookies." He was serious.

Nightwing chuckled. "Admit it; you're still four years old."

"Completely."

"I'm still older than you because I'm six." Cyborg scratched his nose.

"You both need babysitters." Nightwing smirked.

"You're our babysitter." Changeling announced.

"I am not your babysitter."

"You're the oldest at 80." Cyborg had an angelic look on his face.

Nightwing glared at him as Changeling laughed. "I am not 80 years old!"

Cyborg simply continued putting strawberry jam on slices of bread.

Nightwing narrowed his eyes & grabbed carrots, celery & radishes from the fridge to wash & pack into baggies. Then he put the bags in the basket. "How did Charlie do in her training?"

"She's really good." Changeling grew excited as they switched topics. "She can move things with her mind really good & she doesn't need to be around someone to use their powers. She used Star's starbolts & Bumble Bee's powers."

"She's a powerful little girl." Cyborg noted.

"Have you got the results of the tests you performed on them earlier while the girls were at the mall?" Nightwing asked.

"I haven't even looked. When we get done in here, I'll go grab them. They should be done."

"When is the Chief going to call us with an update on the case?" Changeling asked.

"I have no idea but I'm going to check my account before we go outside just in case." Nightwing told him.

"You can do that now. We're almost done here." Cyborg said.

"Grab some drinks." Nightwing left the kitchen.

"What do you think they want to drink?" Changeling looked to his cybernetic bro.

"Probably soda. We don't want to bring any cups outside & we have cans."

"Good idea. But I think the kids should have their sippy cups. Charlie loves that thing."

"Probably because she can use it without anyone's help. She seems like a pretty self-efficient kid."

"She gets it from Rae."

Cyborg laughed. "You'd love to be the daddy to her mommy."

"Out of everyone on the planet, you called Bee." Changeling shot back.

Cyborg shut up quickly.

"How is that by the way? Are you close to asking her out?"

Cyborg nearly short circuited. "No!"

"Why not?! I know you like her!"

Cyborg blushed. "It's a delicate process! She's very headstrong!"

"I'll say." Changeling put soda cans in the basket.

"What about you?! I know you're in love with Raven but you just dance around each other like five year olds!"

"That's not my fault! She's the one who won't make a move!" His jaw dropped.

"You could make a move!"

"I have! Plenty of times! She just ignores them!"

"You have the subtlety of a bull in a china shop. You could make a bigger move!"

Changeling made a face. "Why are we fighting?"

"I don't know but it has to be your fault."

Changeling ignored that. "Let's take this stuff down."

"You take it down. I'll clean up in here & go get the test results."

"Alright. It'll take a second to stop off in my room to change." He closed the basket & took it out of the room.

Cyborg quickly cleaned up & went to the med bay. He went to his computers & checked to see if the results were in. They were.

He read them over carefully twice before committing it to memory & leaving. He took the elevator down to the first level & exited the Tower. He walked the path to the beach but saw a package on the walkway.

He picked it up & read the outside packaging. It read Titans & was from Chief Egan. He took it with him to the beach. "Hey, guys! We got something from Chief Egan!"

The group had waited for him.

He looked the girls over & was glad his little sisters were on an uninhabited island. Raven was wearing a swimsuit that was basically her leotard without the sleeves. Starfire was wearing a tiny polka dotted purple two piece.

He caught a glimpse of Bumble Bee & nearly died. She was wearing a bright banana yellow bikini & was currently rubbing sun lotion into her skin.

"Cyborg!" Nightwing yelled.

Cyborg shook his head. Apparently he'd blacked out for a few minutes. "Huh?"

"I said what do you have?"

"Oh. It's a package." He walked closer & handed it over.

Nightwing opened it. "It's files on the kids! & a letter!"

"What's it say?" Changeling wanted to know.

Nightwing speed-read it. "It's the update we were waiting for. Apparently the kids were abandoned by a Wendy Marshall. She had six kids in her care when she took off."

"Six kids?! Where are the other three?!"

"In the home. Room opened up just as they were admitted into the system. They're sixteen, fourteen & twelve. The twelve year old told the school that her foster mother hadn't been home in a while & CPS was called."

"How horrible!" Starfire gasped.

Nightwing continued to paraphrase as he read the letter. "This Marshall woman only took in kids for the checks & didn't really care for them, according to the kids. She made them do everything around the house & was abusive but the worst thing was she let her boyfriend abuse them. Apparently he was a real sadistic bas- ahem, jerk.

Chief Egan included the files on the kids." Nightwing handed Cyborg Calvin's file & Changeling Charlotte's. "He says that there's an APB out on Marshall & her boyfriend."

Changeling's eyes widened. "Hey! It says that's Charlie's not even two yet!"

"She's not?" Raven took the file from him. "Her birthday is this Saturday."

"May we have the party for her day of birth, please?!" Starfire pleaded.

"Yeah! That'll be kickass!" Changeling agreed immediately.

"Don't curse in front of her." Raven frowned as she continued reading the file. "If she repeats it, I blame you."

"She won't repeat it."

"Kickass." Charlotte said.

Raven threw Changeling a dark look.

He shifted into a ram & bleated.

Charlotte shifted into a lamb.

"Let me guess, you feelin sheepish?" Cyborg laughed.

Changeling morphed back with a sheepish grin. "Little bit."

Charlotte changed back.

Christopher pulled at Changeling's hand. "Let's go in the water!"

"Can you even swim?"

"No."

Changeling laughed. "Alright. Come on. Wanna come, Charlie?"

Charlotte looked at the rushing water then back at him & shook her head.

"Alright. We'll miss you." He stood up & walked with Christopher to the breaking surf.

Christopher touched the water with a foot & shrieked.

"Is it cold?" Changeling asked the giggling boy.

Christopher nodded with a big smile.

"Let me see!" Changeling put his foot in the water. It was a bit cold but he didn't mind. He stepped in & continued until the water was to his knees. "Come stand here."

"Be careful, Chris!" Nightwing kept an eye on him as he read over the file on the little boy.

Christopher waved before going over to Changeling. The water was high on him so Changeling made sure he went no farther.

"I'm going to go make a sand castle. Want to help me, Charlie?" Cyborg asked.

Charlotte stood up & went over to him.

He picked her up & went to the surf then set her down. "You sit here while I get the buckets & trowels. Be right back."

Nightwing set aside the file as he came back. "Do you want to read this, Star? I need to go for a quick swim." i.e. he needed to cool off.

Starfire took the file from him as he left. She opened it & began reading.

Cyborg poked Calvin's cheek before sauntering off back to Charlotte.

"Listen to this, guys." Bumble Bee had him securely in the circle of her legs as she read his file. "His mother was afraid of his powers so she gave him up. It's in the report the hospital had. She was actually afraid of him because of his powers!"

"That is very unfortunate." Starfire frowned. "I do not understand how someone could throw away their own flesh & blood as if they were refuse."

"Me either. This sickens me." She rubbed at her forehead to stop frowning. "What does it say about Chris?"

"He was given up two years ago. It says he was left on the stoop of the Jump City Department of Fire. His mother was contacted but refused to take him back. It is heartbreaking to hear." Starfire wiped away a tear. "He has gone from the home of foster to the home of foster until he landed with this Wendy Marshall."

"Coming here was a break for him then." Bumble Bee was angry on his behalf. She didn't understand how he could be such an upbeat kid.

"What does it say for Charlotte, Friend Raven?" Starfire asked.

"Her mother died during childbirth. No one was there with her. She was just sixteen years old." That really got to Raven. If the woman had lived, they'd be the same age. "Charlotte was premature & apparently no one wants to adopt a premature baby. She went from foster home to foster home when she was finally able to leave the hospital."

"These kids have been through so much." Bumble Bee had always loved kids so this was breaking her heart. "I think we should have that birthday party for Charlie."

Raven still didn't like celebrating her birthday but she felt like if anyone needed a celebration of birth, it was Charlotte. "Do you think they'll be here long enough? Those other kids were found spots at the home rather quickly."

"I hope so." Starfire admitted quietly.

"How can you say that, Starfire? Chris doesn't belong to you."

"He could. I believe I could make an adequate mother."

Raven fought to keep her mouth shut. It was in serious danger of falling open. "Nightwing will never allow us to keep them."

"I think we should put it to a vote." Bumble Bee said.

"You don't even live here. What is Cal going to do when you leave?"

"I'm not going anywhere until he no longer needs me."

"You're just going to put your life on pause? What about your team, your duties, your life?"

"Some things are more important."

"You met him yesterday!"

Bumble Bee was quiet as she wrestled with what she wanted to say. She knew what it was but wasn't sure if she should. She took a leap of faith. "Have you ever met someone & it's like déjà vû? You've met this person before & it's instantaneous. You & this person go way back."

"Yes." Starfire said after thinking about it seriously.

"No." Raven refused to entertain such a fallacy.

"This person that you just met; you feel like you know everything about them & yet you're discovering everything for the first time. You're scared but it's alright because you're safe. Like your very first time flying. You were scared you were going to fall so you hovered close to the ground.

But you were still flying & things were exhilarating. It was like I was asleep & meeting him awakened me. Like I was in the dark & he turned on the light. Like I'm hearing music for the first time. Like everything had been wrong until this point in time where everything is right."

"Yes." Starfire said immediately.

"No." Raven hoped her voice didn't sound as shaky to them as it did to her. Some of that sounded like her feelings for a certain verdant video gamer but a little bit (just a small, little bit) might sound like her feelings about Charlotte. To be frank with herself, the little girl made her happy.

"You know, my mother used to say that the reason people had children was to raise them to be the person they wished they were. I can def. put that to use if we get to keep these kids for any length of time." Bumble Bee was making kissy faces at Calvin, who smiled gummily.

"I wish to teach Christopher about my home planet. I wish to teach him things that I have learned in my years here on Earth." Starfire sat back on her hands. "What do you wish to teach Charlotte, friend Raven?"

"How to use a toilet…"

L~O~V~E•Y~O~U

"It's going to be hell getting this sand out of my joints." Cyborg groaned as he & the group went inside for dinner.

"Cursing is most inappropriate, my friend." Starfire gave Christopher a piggyback ride.

"Fine. Heck! It's still going to suck."

"How do you get it out anyway?" Changeling asked.

This led to an in-depth lecture on grainy sand & electrical circuits not mixing & the proper care of hardware.

By the time he wound down, they were in the kitchen.

"Who's cooking tonight?" Nightwing asked.

"I am the tired. I simply want to eat & retire." Starfire yawned.

"Me too, bro." Changeling held an almost sleeping Charlotte in his arms. "Why don't we just order in & skip all this?"

"Well what do you want?" Nightwing pulled open a drawer filled with takeout menus.

"I say Chinese." Bumble Bee put in her vote.

"Golden Gates' honey chicken wouldn't be amiss." Raven couldn't come right out & say that was what she wanted.

"Golden Gates? Is it good?"

"They have the best BBQ boneless spare ribs in Jump." Cyborg boasted.

"Everyone okay with GG?" Nightwing asked. There was a chorus of yes. "What does everyone want?"

"The specialty of home lo mien." Starfire said immediately. "With the spicy mustard please."

"Anything else?"

"The dropped egg soup."

"Oh! That's what I want!" Changeling perked up. "Egg Drop Soup & Orange Chicken." During the last year, he'd started eating chicken & fish occasionally, which is what bulked him up (mostly).

"Honey Chicken & House Special Fried Rice." Raven said.

"General Tso's Chicken & Shrimp Fried Rice." Bumble Bee looked over Cyborg's shoulder as he read over the menu.

"I'll take the spare ribs & Moo Shu Pork." Cyborg decided.

Nightwing nodded. "Crab Rangoon, sweet biscuits & extra white rice for the group?"

"Yes!" They chorused.

"What are the kids going to eat?"

Everyone looked to the tuckered out tykes. Changeling jostled Charlotte. "Have you ever had Chinese food before?"

She shook her head. "What's that?"

"Get her the chicken tenders & chicken fried rice."

"Chris can have the same." Nightwing decided.

"What are you going to get?" Cyborg asked.

Nightwing took the paper. "Sweet & sour chicken & beef lo mien."

"I like the sweet & sour sauce." Starfire giggled. She liked to drink it like mustard.

"Make sure to get plenty of duck & soy sauce." Changeling reminded Nightwing.

"I will. You guys go get changed." Nightwing picked up the phone.

The others went down to the floor with the rooms & scattered. The girls gave the kids baths to get the "natural" waters off them before dressing them in pajamas. Then they took their own showers before meeting up with a clean Cyborg & Changeling.

They rode up to the common room, where Nightwing had beaten them back. They sat around the common room (which boasted more sitting areas) while Bumble Bee fixed Calvin a bottle.

"How long until the food gets here or do we have to go get it?" Cyborg asked.

"I said delivery." Nightwing shrugged as he flipped through the channels. "They said 30-40 minutes. That was 30 minutes ago though."

"Yes!" Changeling made Charlotte (who was on his lap) dance. "We's about to eat, yo!"

She giggled.

"Aren't you hungry?" He tickled her.

She wiggled, trying to get away from him. "Yes!"

"You better stop before she pees on you." Raven said, trying to ruthlessly kill any warm feelings the two gave her.

He stopped instantly. "Do you have to potty, Charlie?"

Charlotte thought about it & nodded.

Changeling looked at Raven expectantly.

"What?" Raven looked back. "You surely don't expect me-"

"I can't show her how. I don't have the same stuff."

"This is ridiculous." She crossed her arms.

"Either you take her or she pees on you." He put Charlotte on her lap.

She glared at him & Charlotte before getting up & leaving. She went to the small half bathroom off the gym & pulled Charlotte's nightdress up. She put her on the toilet. "Go."

Charlotte took care of business. "I done."

Raven showed her how to wipe herself (something she never thought she'd ever have to do) & showed her how to wash her hands. "If you have to go to the bathroom during the night, just go to Changeling's room."

"Daddy?" Charlotte slipped her hand in Raven's as they walked back to the common room.

Raven almost dropped it out of spite but even she wasn't so cruel (to a child). "You do realize he's not your father."

"He's a good daddy."

Raven couldn't refute that. "Yes. Daddy."

They made it back to the common room & saw the food had been delivered in their absence.

Nightwing was passing out the food. Changeling was in the kitchen making tea.

Raven sat down with Charlotte right beside her. She accepted their food & a pair of chopsticks. Since Tokyo, she'd gotten really good. She also accepted a spoon (of the plastic variety) for Charlotte.

Changeling came back with two cups of tea, which he sat in front of Raven & Starfire. He went back for juice for Nightwing & Bumble Bee then back again for juice for the kids. Then he finished with tea for himself & soda for Cyborg.

He sat next to Charlotte. "Let's watch a Christmas movie."

"Why a Christmas movie?" Bumble Bee set Calvin in his playpen that was by the windows. He was asleep.

"Christmas in July." Changeling shrugged.

She cocked her head to the side. "It's August."

"Close enough."

Cyborg threw him the remote. "As long as it's not It's a Wonderful Life, I don't care."

Changeling wrinkled his nose. "No way. I was thinking we go to the Hallmark channel."

"I love the channel of Hallmark!" Starfire gushed.

"Me too. The stories might be a bit predictable but that's fine." Bumble Bee threw her two cents in.

"What's this?" Christopher patted Starfire's hand.

"That is the fried rice, my bumgorf. It is the delicious." She told him.

He scooped some up in his spoon & tried it. "Yummy!"

"The sauce of the duck makes it better." She opened a packet & poured it on a small section of rice for him to try. "Try it."

He shoveled a large spoonful into his mouth & grinned.

Starfire giggled.

Nightwing found himself smiling & immediately stopped that.

"Okay! I found a movie! Baby's First Christmas." Changeling set the remote aside & picked up his chopsticks.

"What's Christmas?" Christopher asked.

The adults all turned to him in dismayed shock.

"You don't know what Christmas is?" Cyborg nearly whispered.

"No." He bit into a chicken tender.

"Aw that ain't right."

"Christmas is the best holiday ever!" Changeling added. "You get presents!"

"What's that?" Charlotte asked.

"Oh we gotta throw her a birthday party!"

"If they're still here, we should." Nightwing didn't want anyone getting attached but a child not having a birthday party was just criminal!

"Do you like princesses?" Starfire was excited & it showed.

"What's that?" Charlotte asked.

"A princess is someone of noble birth. Like me. I am the princess of Tamaran."

Charlotte was confused. "Okay…"

"Forget a Christmas movie; we need a Disney movie!" Changeling threw up his hands.

"Try ABCFamily or Disney channel." Cyborg suggested.

Changeling flipped the channels until he found the Little Mermaid on ABCFamily. "See, Charlie? She's a princess. & a mermaid."

"Mermaid." Charlotte breathed.

"I think she likes it." He told the others as he watched her riveted attention on the screen. It was the part where Ariel was singing in her treasure trove about being part of the human world.

Raven saw how focused she was on the singing mermaid. She felt a little jealous. She was cool. Why didn't Charlotte look at her like that? She could do magic! Magic was way cooler than having a tail & singing about humans.

"I think the party theme should be the Little Mermaid." Changeling grinned.

Nightwing smirked. "She really likes it."

"We should go shopping tomorrow for stuff for the party." Bumble Bee suggested. "We need to get pull-ups for the kids anyway & we can just get everything all at once."

"What a most joyous idea!" Starfire approved. "I can already think of how to decorate the tower & we may call upon Titans East to attend!"

"I can see the twins loving the idea of them."

"They're fifteen." Cyborg frowned slightly in confusion. "What fifteen year old boy likes the idea of kids?"

"Because they won't be the youngest anymore." She pointed out.

"Ah! Makes sense."

"I'd love to plan this party." Changeling said. "I have to redeem myself for Nightwing's last birthday."

"The stripping club was most inappropriate." Starfire frowned.

"I heard about that." Bumble Bee tapped her chin. "You guys got booted from the club for being so wild."

"I'm just glad we went undercover so at least no one knows that world renowned superheroes went to & got kicked out of a strip club." Nightwing sighed.

Raven shook her head. "You are not planning this party."

"I can do it!" Changeling swore. "It won't be a disaster!"

"I will plan this party." Raven didn't even know why she volunteered but she knew she didn't want the Little Mermaid anywhere near it.

"Aw come on, Mama! I can do it!"

"No."

He pouted. "I never get to do things!"

"Starfire can decorate. Cyborg can cook. Bumble Bee can do games. Nightwing can take care of invitations. You can handle the entertainment. No clowns."

He grinned. "Clowns are creepy."

"I'll make sure everything goes according to schedule & is up to par." She went on.

"Fine. I can pick entertainment. I'll be the best entertainer-"

"No magicians!"

"Darn it!"

"Find something else."

"Okay, okay! I got it! This is going to be awesome!"

L~O~V~E•Y~O~U

Every day after dinner, the Titans split up to handle different duties. Two of them cleaned the kitchen while two to three (usually three) of them went out on patrol.

Raven, Nightwing & Cyborg went out on patrol while Starfire, Bumble Bee & Changeling stayed behind with the kids.

Bumble Bee sat in her room, cuddling Calvin & singing to him while Starfire watched TV with Christopher. Changeling showed Charlotte how to jump on the bed after plugging in her fairy nightlight.

When the others returned, Raven went to write the report (stating nothing happened) as Nightwing & Cyborg went to check on the kids.

Cyborg found Calvin asleep in his new crib. Bumble Bee was watching over him. "Hey? What are you doing?"

"He's so innocent while sleeping." Bumble Bee didn't take her eyes off the baby.

"You're thinking about his file." He guessed.

"He's exactly six weeks old & he's been through so much already. No wonder he cries so much."

"He is a crybaby."

"Sparky." She smirked.

He grinned. "Hopefully he'll get a better shake once this is all over. You never know. The next people to get him could be the best people in the world."

"I just wish those people could be us."

He looked at her in surprise. "What?!"

"Shhh!" She shushed him. "Don't wake him up."

"Let's go back to you wanting to keep him." He touched her elbow.

"It's not that I want to keep him. It's just that I don't want to give him up. I like him." She stuck her bottom lip out.

"He really likes you, too." He could admit that. "He's always looking at you & he loves when you kiss him." Not that I notice every time you do.

"I love kissing him. He's so soft & cuddly."

"You're in love with this baby."

"I am not." She snapped with her hands on her hips.

"Yes, you are. You're not going to give him up."

"Yes, I am. I'm going to do the right thing."

"The right thing for you or the right thing for him?"

"Is there a difference?"

L~O~V~E•Y~O~U

"What does that mean?" Christopher asked.

"It means be careful what you wish for." Nightwing just finished telling Christopher another story.

"Oh. Okay." Christopher rubbed his eyes & yawned.

"Alright, buddy. It's time to go to sleep."

"Can Mommy sing me to sleep?"

"You want that?" Nightwing paled.

"Please, Mommy?" Christopher looked to Starfire, who smiled.

"Of course, my little bumgorf." She said. "What would you like to hear?"

"What you sang me at naptime."

Starfire didn't really sing; just hummed a song from her native land. She hummed another song. This one was a war song but she hummed it a little differently so it sounded like a lullaby.

Nightwing could listen to her hum all day. It was melodic & even, quite unlike her warbling when she was singing. Then again, he'd never heard her sing anything in English. Maybe she was only bad at Tamaranean songs?

While he was thinking about how cosy this all was, Christopher closed his eyes & fell asleep. Starfire stroked his hair through the scarf & continued to hum.

Five minutes later, Starfire stopped humming & transferred Christopher onto his pillows. She kissed his forehead & her & Nightwing exited the room.

L~O~V~E•Y~O~U

Raven went to Charlotte's room after filling out the report & found the almost two year old jumping on the bed with Changeling as bunnies. "Changeling!"

He shifted back quickly. "Uh oh! Mommy's here!"

Charlotte shifted back & giggled.

"You haven't remade her bed?" Raven didn't know why she was surprised.

"I was but we got distracted playin other games." He laid back on the bed.

"Get off." She was cross & she knew it. She was trying to figure out why she was jealous of a red haired fish when Charlotte wasn't even her kid.

"Uh oh. Mommy's in a mood." Changeling whispered to Charlotte, who clapped her hands over her mouth amidst giggles.

Raven glared at him. "I'm not in a mood. I just don't understand why you can't be an adult for once in your life."

"I'm seventeen."

She rubbed her forehead to try to rid herself of her growing headache before going to the bedclothes. "Get off. I'm going to make her bed."

"Can't you do that with magic?" He moved.

If she used magic, she might strangle him with the sheets… She silently made the bed. "Get in."

Charlotte climbed in the bed. "Sing me a song, Daddy."

"Alright." Changeling laid out next to her. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world, so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are"

"Sing me another song. With your funny words." She sat there patiently.

He kissed her cheek. "Let me get my guitar."

Raven sat at the bottom of the bed, rubbing her temples. Her headache was getting worse. It was as if every adorable thing Changeling & Charlotte did together made it worse. As if suppressing her feelings on the matter made everything worse instead of better. Talk about irony…

Changeling came back with his guitar & started playing it. He sang an upbeat song that had Charlotte clapping along. He finished with a flourish & bowed. "& to top it off, I got a surprise for you."

"Yay." Charlotte said so dryly, Raven lifted a brow.

He frowned. "It's good! I swear."

"Daddy, I don't like surprises."

"I'm telling you; it's good!"

She looked unconvinced.

He sighed. "You sound like Mommy."

Raven glared at him.

He grinned sheepishly. "Let me just go get it." He went to the closet & picked something up. He turned around & hid it behind his back in one swift movement. He walked back to the bed. "Tada!"

Charlotte's (& Raven's) eyes widened when he whipped a giant white chicken from behind his back. She reached for it & when he gave it up, she squeezed it to death. "Thank you, Daddy!"

"You're welcome." He blew on his nails.

"Is that-? did you-? where did that come from?" Raven demanded.

He shrugged. "I figured you didn't really want it. It was at the back of your closet."

"That's mine?!" Her eyes started glowing.

"Not anymore." He wasn't looking at her but could tell something was different by her voice alone.

"How dare you?!"

Yup. Something was different. He turned to look at her & saw her other two eyes opening. "Why do you care? You didn't even want it anyway."

"You went in my room! You went through my things! You took something that belonged to me!"

"It's just a stuffed toy! What's the big deal?!" He didn't get her. When he first won it for her, she'd been wholly underwhelmed & now she was acting like he stole her cloak (which he'd done before so he knew how much of a grievance that caused her)!

"I don't care! It was mine! It is mine!"

"You're going to take a toy from a two year old? Just to prove a point? Real mature, Raven."

"I should drop you in a dimension that eats idiots!" She snarled.

Charlotte whimpered lowly.

Raven didn't hear it but Changeling did. He went to soothe her. "Hey, hey, hey. It's okay. Everything's okay."

Raven saw how scared the little girl was & instantly calmed down. "We're just disagreeing."

"No fighting?" Her voice was low as she clutched the chicken.

"We're not fighting." Changeling promised.

"The scary lady yelled a lot." This was the first time Charlotte had mentioned Wendy Marshall.

Raven (also averse to conflict) smoothed out the sheets around the toddler. "We apologize. This is not about you & isn't your fault. We won't yell anymore."

Changeling looked at her. "I'm sorry for raising my voice."

"I'm sorry you're an idiot." Raven kept her monotone.

He frowned & felt his blood boil but Charlotte was watching him. He counted to ten in his mind before reaching for his guitar. "How about I keep singing until you're asleep?"

"Okay." Charlotte flexed her fingers but didn't relax her death-grip on the poor poultry's neck.

Changeling started playing & singing in a low soothing voice. It took four songs before Charlotte fell asleep. He kissed her forehead before he & Raven left.

Raven crooked her finger at him to get him to follow her. She led him to her room then turned around & crossed her arms across her chest. "You might as well come in. You already invaded my privacy."

He frowned & came inside. He leaned his guitar against the wall as the door shut behind him. "What is your problem? I don't get why you're so mad!"

"If I had gone into your room & stolen something from you, you'd be understandable upset!"

"I didn't steal it! I won it for you & I just gave it to somebody who actually wanted it!"

"You don't know anything! It was mine & I could have used it for target practice for all it matters! It belonged to me & I had the right. You didn't have the right to touch it!"

"For what?! It's not like it's one of your precious cloaks! It's just a silly old chicken that you don't even appreciate!"

"You don't know what I appreciate! You don't know anything!"

His frown deepened. "Are you mad I gave it away or that I'm calling you on not wanting it in the first place?"

"I always wanted it!" She couldn't believe she just said that.

He gaped at her. "You did?"

"I'm mad at you for both things!" She decided.

He stood there puzzling through things until a smile alit upon his face. "You do love me!"

Her reaction was one for the books. She paled, her eyes widened, her mouth fell open & three books fell on the floor as her candle on her nightstand exploded in a cloud of lavender wax. "What did you say?"

"You love me." He was smug in his confidence. "You're mad that I gave away something that reminded you of me. Because I gave it to you."

He was right but she'd be damned if she admitted to it. "You have quite a high opinion of your wiles on me. I do not care that you gave me that ratty old chicken."

Her low, precise speech didn't fool him. He just grinned. "Ha! Ha! I figured you out! You love me! You love me!"

"I do not!" All four of her eyes were as red as her cheeks.

"Why can't you just admit it?!" He frowned as he grew angry. "You could just admit it & we can be happy together but no! You have to just be Raven about it & it's doing nothing but making us both miserable!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" She spat. "You're a fool! The comic relief! The idiot! The-"

"The one you love!" He snarked. "It doesn't matter how much you push me away, I'm still here & you still love me! That won't ever change!"

She flew over to him & leaned into his face. "Get this through your immensely thick head; I do not love you! I have never loved you! I will never love you! You are unlovable!"

She almost took it back as hurt flared in his green eyes. She didn't mean it but his words were all true & she couldn't handle it.

The hurt faded away as anger took over. He grabbed the back of her head & held her still as he kissed her. & not just a regular kiss but one that had enough passion & lust to burn their clothing off but had enough love in it to make them both feel as if they were falling off a cliff.

When the need for air became evident, they broke apart, breathing harshly & staring into each other's eyes.

Neither knew how long they stood there, heaving & looking but both knew who made the next move.

Raven dragged him back to her & he took the initiative to back her to her bed. They fell over as he tried to swallow her whole & she raked her nails down her back & through his hair. They fell into the abyss…

Head & Shoulders; D-A-F-F-Y; Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star