Author's Notes: There are numerous reasons why it has taken so long for this chapter to come out. Not least of which was some twat breaking my Mouse (have you ever tried using a computer without a mouse?) Life has a habit of getting in the way of things you really want to do. Don't worry though, I have no intention of abandoning this fic (not until everyone starts saying it's crap and I've lost my talent… though I hope that doesn't happen).
This chapter is quite a talker, I had a lot to get out before I could move on to the stuff everyone is waiting for.
I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Leader who seems to be my biggest fan. Thanks for being borderline obsessed and sticking with me through all these months.
Teen Titans: Blood, Earth and Shade
Author: The Omakeer
Disclaimer: Teen Titans belong to Warner Brothers and DC Comics
Beta'd By: Daybreak25 (the source of all my power)
Chapter Eleven: Things to Do in Jump City When You're Dead
Robin was so bored he felt like screaming.
He had been sitting in the Titans Tower Med-Lab for the past three days waiting for the Justice League's specialists to finish diagnosing him. He had been forbidden to leave the room by just about everyone in the tower, and several people outside of it, until he was given the all clear, much to his irritation. Batman had come down with the specialists, telling Robin that he had convinced the other main League members who wanted to talk to him about Supergirl and the recent newspaper story to stay behind. Robin was thankful for that at least.
Whatever it was that was affecting him had also completely taken away his need for sleep, so the three days seemed infinitely longer. The other Titans had come to his rescue, bringing him books and magazines. Normally he would have just accepted them but then left them on the bedside table, but when the boredom hit after the first day he read them just for something to do. Raven's horror books, Terra's romance novels, Starfire's gossip magazines, Cyborg's car magazines, even Beast Boy's comics and copies of MAD magazine.
Robin was just finishing a section on 'Snappy Answers To Stupid Questions' when Dr Mid-Nite, the Justice League's medical expert and one of the best doctors in the world, along with Raven and Cyborg entered the room and gave him a clean bill of health. All the medical tests showed that Robin was in the best shape he had ever been in, despite having recovered from a bullet to the head.
Dr Fate, the League's mystical specialist and the earth's greatest sorcerer, didn't have such good news.
"So what can you tell me doctor?" Robin asked. His face was devoid of any emotion, but on the inside he was worried.
"This is unlike anything I have encountered before Robin," Dr Fate said, taking off his golden helmet to look his patient in the eyes. Robin didn't take this as a good sign. Dr Fate sat in a chair facing the hospital bed Robin was still sitting on, "as far as I can tell two similar, but significantly different curses have bonded together in your body to form something completely original."
Robin took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He knew enough about magic to know that curses were rarely good things. He knew the only way he would be able to deal with this was to let his leadership side take over and start asking questions.
"What can you tell me about these curses doctor?"
Dr Fate took out a Justice League PDA. This little device had information on almost every superhero and villain the world had ever seen. Robin knew because he had one himself.
"The Shade was immortal," Dr Fate said as he pulled up the file, "he was born sometime in the early eighteen hundreds and got his "powers" in his late twenties. His real power was in the summoning of shadow matter from the Shadow Lands. The Shadow Lands are a realm of nightmares; if a normal person was sent there they would be met by their worst fears. Shadow matter could be used to create matter of all kinds, shapes, and sizes, including living beings, all under his control.
"Multi-Man was an archaeologist. While on a dig in Egypt he found an idol that promised him great power, which, of course, he used. He would never age but he could be killed. However, every time he died he would come back to life with a new superpower. He never became a real threat though as it still hurt him to be killed and he was something of a coward. He got most of his powers from the people he worked for repeatedly killing him until he had a power they could use. I think his last death count was around eighty-five. Neither of the curses hurt either of these men in any way, apart from Multi-Man's but that was mostly voluntary, so there's no need to think this mixed one will harm you at all."
"So wait a minute," Cyborg interrupted with a confused frown, "since Robin got shot in the head does that mean he got a new superpower?"
Everyone looked at Robin expectantly. He was looking down at his hands as he held them a couple of inches apart. A park of electricity jumped between both hands, Robin looked up at everyone, surprised that it even worked.
"Dude that is so cool," Cyborg said with a laugh, "you're like a one man super team. You could become unbeatable."
Robin turned to Dr Fate who looked very concerned, "why do I get the feeling you don't think this is a good thing?"
"Far from it Robin," Dr Fate said solemnly, "from what you told me of the transfer of these powers, no normal person would survive the transfer of this new mixed curse."
"But someone supernatural could," Robin guessed.
"Exactly. If some dark creature found out about your new abilities they would move heaven and earth to posses them. I'm afraid these powers have added to your troubles instead of reducing them. Thankfully they aren't detectible unless one of them was to get up close and personal with you."
"So what do you think I should do?"
"Try not to show off these abilities in public, at least not until you have some control over them. And try not to get killed too often; it will still hurt. Although you know the rule as well as I do."
Robin nodded. The rule was something of a superhero joke involving powers and the need the universe supposedly had for them to be used. If you were bullet-proof, you would get shot at a lot. If you healed fast you would get injured often. And if you could come back from the dead, you would most likely be killed.
"I had better go and tell Batman what I've discovered," Dr Fate said as he stood up and held his helmet under his arm, "good luck with all of this Robin, you're going to need it. Raven will you walk me out?"
Raven followed Dr Fate out of the Med-Lab and down the corridor. Raven had always liked Dr Fate; unlike other magical members of the League he never judged her because of her father, choosing instead to focus on her efforts to help others. He had also supplied her with many of her magical books when she first started with the Titans. Something she was very thankful for.
"I have to tell you Raven…" Dr Fate said with a sigh once they were far enough away from the Med-Lab, "I'm worried."
"Why?" Raven asked, though she suspected she already knew.
"Despite what Robin, and even Batman might think, they know almost nothing about the supernatural world. They usually leave magic to those who know more about it. And on the few occasions when the dynamic duo have had to deal with supernatural menaces they were usually accompanied by someone knowledgeable… or else scraped through by the skin of their teeth. But Robin is going to need more than that to survive this change in his life; he's going to have to learn more about our world. Because it won't just be Demons after him, it'll be Vampires, Witch-Breed and… others."
"I-I'll start to teach him everything I know right away," Raven said with a determined look on her face, "I had planned on inviting him to Nox's, the vampire club anyway. Now I can teach him some more about our world too."
"Oh really?" Dr Fate asked with a knowing smile.
Raven pulled up her hood to hide her blush and decided to change the subject, "that's not all you're worried about though is it?"
"No Raven it's not," Dr Fate said with a heavy sigh, "I'm worried that these powers may go to Robin's head. I'm worried they'll change him."
"Do you think he'll turn… evil?"
"Power sometimes corrupts Raven," Dr Fate said with a shrug, "I've had to take down my fare share of normal people who have gained extra-normal powers and used them for selfish reasons."
"But you can't think that will happen to Robin can you?" Raven asked with a frown.
"I admit that it does depend on the individual's personality before they get said powers. And Robin is a very good young man, one of the best. But we all have a dark side Raven, some of us are just better at hiding it."
Raven stood in silence; she didn't know how to respond to that. She looked up as Dr Fate put his hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sure that as long as you're helping him we have nothing to worry about," Dr Fate said with a genuine smile, "if anyone can help Robin fight the darkness, it's you."
With a final goodbye, Dr Fate continued down the hall to find Batman. Raven watched him go with a smile on her face. He always knew how to make her feel better. She decided then and there that she would ask Robin out to the club tonight. She needed to feed tonight anyway; it would be killing two birds with one stone.
Having made her decision Raven flew towards the bedrooms to find Terra. If she was going to ask Robin out she would need some emotional support.
Robin and Cyborg were left in silence once Raven and Dr Fate had left the room. Cyborg wasn't sure what he should say, while Robin just stared at his hands. Eventually Cyborg just had to break the silence.
"So…" he said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "how are you feeling?"
"I'm… not really sure," Robin said with a sigh, "I'm not sure it's completely sunk in yet. A part of me keeps expecting it all to be a dream. If it wasn't for the fact that I haven't dreamt in almost seven years I'd be pinching myself."
Cyborg filed that little bit of information away for later, deciding instead to focus on making his friend feel better, "still, it must be nice to have superpowers though. You'll certainly be able to kick a lot more butt."
"I never needed them to kick butt before. I always liked the fact that I'm a semi-normal guy that could just cripple super villains with my bare hands. Now I'm probably going to have to train twice as hard just so I don't end up killing someone."
"So… you've never wanted any kind of superpower? Super strength? Super speed? …X-ray vision?" Cyborg asked with a lecherous smile.
Robin was quiet for a second before he answered, "I always wanted to be able to fly."
"Flying?" Cyborg asked with a raised eyebrow, "that's it?"
"What's wrong with that?" Robin asked with a frown.
"Nothing. I just thought you'd want something a bit more physical, something you could beat people up with."
"I know that on its own flying doesn't have that many practical uses," Robin said with a small smile, "I'd just love to be able to take off and soar through the air whenever I liked."
Robin picked up the small hand-mirror from the cart next to his bed. He looked at his new red eyes and let out a sigh. He'd been doing this a lot over the past three days.
"I miss my old eyes," Robin said almost to himself.
"What colour were they?" Cyborg asked even though Terra had already told him. He tried to sound casual about it. Even though he knew he had never really asked Robin any personal questions before, he couldn't help but feel the Boy Wonder had been purposely keeping his personal life a secret from the team.
"Blue," Robin said, never taking his eyes off the mirror, "I knew a girl once who said they took her breath away every time she looked at them. They were one of the few things in my life that I was actually vain about. I wear my mask more to protect them than I do my secret identity… or at least I did."
"Um… I have to tell to tell you something Robin."
Robin looked up expectantly, placing the mirror back on the cart. Cyborg didn't say anything at first, choosing to take some time to figure out exactly what he wanted to say. Robin waited patiently, the slightly guilty look on Cyborg's face had peaked his curiosity.
"I've… well I've been kinda distant with you lately. I'm sure you've noticed," Cyborg said, looking everywhere but at Robin, "it's not anything you've done, well, not really but… we're friends right?"
"…of course we are," Robin said with a confused look, "why?"
"It's just that my other friends are a lot more open about themselves than you seem to be. Starfire always tells stories of her home planet; you can't get Beast Boy to shut up about his life. Even Raven who seems to have a reason to not talk about her past opens up to us occasionally. But you… you're always open and friendly and yet I know almost nothing about your past, your home, your family, I don't even know if you have any friends outside of the Titans."
Cyborg looked up at Robin before he continued, "I'll admit I was… angry when I thought about all this. But then I realised I was wrong. I know you are a secretive person, but I also know I never asked you any personal questions. Not unless it was about hooking up with girls. I should have realised you were just a classy guy and… I'm sorry."
Robin didn't say anything for several minutes, silently debating with himself. He knew that he should have opened up more with Cyborg a long time ago. The metal teen had been a good friend to him and he should have shown how much that meant to him. Robin knew how he could start to make it up to him, but he would have to be careful how he worded it.
"You know when I had these powers put on me I was having a pretty rough day," Robin said with a smile, Cyborg nodded sympathetically, "there was the newspaper article, I ran into Fang and… Kitten. The only high point was when I had sex before I was attacked."
Cyborg nodded, then looked up sharply when he realised what was said, "You had sex? With a girl?"
"No, with a potted plant," Robin said sarcastically, "of course with a girl."
"Dude, you are such a player," Cyborg said with a big smile, his demeanour changing instantly, "you got to give me details man. What's her name?"
Robin shook his head, "I can't tell you that, sorry."
"Well at least tell me what she looked like. Is she hot?"
"Tight little athletic body, gothic clothing, seductive eyes, pale skin and wild hair."
"Cute butt?" Cyborg asked with a lecherous smile.
"Nice and pert," Robin said with a fond smile.
"Nice breasts?"
"Good enough to eat off," Robin said absentmindedly.
"Did you?" Cyborg asked with raised eyebrows.
"…I think I might have said too much already," Robin said with a frown, "if I say anymore I'll disrespect her."
"And she wouldn't like that," Cyborg said as a matter of fact.
"Honestly? I don't think she'd care one way or the other," Robin said with a shrug, "but I would."
Cyborg nodded in understanding. He had more questions about this mystery girl, about a million more, but he had been working with Robin long enough to know when it was time to change the subject. He was about to when a signal activated on his forearm.
"Damn," Cyborg said looking at the readout, "I've got some data I've got to go check. We'll have to continue this later… that is if you want to."
"Sure Cy, why not," Robin said. He called Cyborg back before he got to the door, "I'd appreciate it if you kept all this to yourself for the time being. The others have enough to think about with my new abilities and Supergirl's interview without this too."
"Sure dude, whatever you say, "Cyborg said with a smile before he turned around and left the Med-Lab.
Robin watched his friend leave with a slight frown. He wasn't sure if he had shared too much about his night with Jinx. He definitely knew that Cyborg wouldn't tell anyone what was said, at least not right away. Robin was just glad he didn't give out the ex-HIVE member's name. It was bad enough that the Titans knew about Supergirl. He'd hate to think what they would all say about Jinx.
Robin got off the bed and left the Med-Lab. He knew that he hadn't been told that he could leave yet, but he also hadn't been told to stay. Besides, he needed to get out of the Med-Lab pyjamas and into a hot shower.
As Robin reached his bedroom door he punched in the access code. He froze before entering the door, then let a small smile grace his face.
"Boo," Robin said before turning to the shadows behind him.
Batman stepped out of the shadows with a small smile on his face, "not bad. I barely got close enough to kill you. At least your senses are still razor sharp."
Robin and Batman shook hands. It was the most amount of affection they ever showed when meeting. Both of them entered the room. Robin sat on the bed and Batman pulled the desk chair into the middle of the room and sat down.
"I take it you've spoken with the doctors. So what do you think?" Robin asked, getting straight down to business. He and Batman never really used small talk; they always found it better to get to the point.
"I think you have a few challenges ahead of you," Batman said in a monotone voice that would have made Raven jealous, "but I have no doubt in my mind that you will over come them all. This could be a blessing in disguise."
Batman knew he didn't have to say all this to Robin, he was smart enough to have already answered all his own questions, he just felt his protégé needed a bit of reassurance.
"So what do you plan to do next," Batman asked, though he already knew.
"Learning how to use these new abilities is a priority. Thankfully they don't seem to react to my feelings like Raven's, and I don't feel them building up inside my trying to release. That said I don't want to lash out and accidentally kill someone. I'll speak to Raven; see if she can help me."
Batman had another small smile but it was short lived. He never had any doubt that Robin would handle this whole situation with the sense and intelligence most adults lacked, but he could tell something else was bothering the Boy Wonder.
"Is there something else you want to talk to me about Tim?"
Robin opened his mouth to say something, then closed it just as quickly. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Bruce about the girls and their feelings for him. He was the only person he ever told the names of the girls he had been intimate with. He trusted Bruce to keep a secret, plus he figured he'd find out if he wanted to anyway. It was just he wasn't sure how to say what he felt. He hadn't had much practice in that area. It took a minute before he actually spoke. "I'm… having girl troubles."
"…oh," Batman said. He thought it was going to be something about the boy's wayward parents or some life and death situation he needed help solving. This was much worse. "What kind of troubles exactly?"
"Raven and Terra…" Robin said with a sigh, "they are apparently in love with me."
"That seems simple enough. Just choose the one you like the most and…"
"They are both already in a relationship," Robin interrupted, "with each other. They want me to be apart of that relationship."
The shock was evident on Batman's face. Robin smiled, this was a rare event, he made sure to commit it to memory.
Batman got up and stated pacing back and forth across the room. He did this sometimes when he had trouble solving a problem.
"This is to do with Raven being a vampire?" He asked. Robin nodded; Batman often shot questions of at him. He knew the answers to most of them; he just wanted confirmation from someone who had the same thought process. Robin wasn't surprised that Bruce knew Raven was a vampire. His mentor had done extensive background checks on all of his friends. Some people would call him paranoid; Robin just thought he was cautious.
Batman stopped pacing and looked at Robin. He had come to a conclusion. Robin sat up expectantly.
"I think, if you have any similar feelings then you should give it a shot," Batman said, sitting back down. "But I think you should be upfront about your feelings and how distant you can be beforehand, make sure they have all the facts. You'll regret it if you don't at least try and see if this will work."
"Thank you Bruce," Robin said. Of all the people he had talked to, he could trust Batman to be objective no matter what his personal feelings were.
"You are aware that you will have to deal with vampires more thought?" Batman asked.
"Don't worry about that," Robin said with a knowing smile, "I got some of my gadgets upgraded by Jason Blood."
Batman nodded in understanding. Jason Blood was the occult expert they both went to when they needed help with the supernatural. Bruce always said when you need information; go to the guy with the most experience. Jason Blood had over a thousand years of experience. More than enough for the dynamic duo.
"Good for you Tim," Batman said with a weary smile, "then again, maybe I'm not the best person to ask about all this. I've hardly had the best record where relationships are concerned."
"You and me both," Robin said with a nod.
Both sat in silence for half a minute before Batman spoke, "have you slept with anyone else recently?"
"Just Jinx," Robin said honestly, "a former member of the HIVE."
"One night stand?"
"Twice actually. But more as a friendly thing to help me vent my feelings," Robin said solemnly, "how about yourself?"
"Me and Catwoman again about two weeks ago," Batman said with a sigh, "Talia last week. I think Wonder Woman would like to start something, but I've been trying to avoid it. Most likely for the same reasons as you have with Raven and Terra," Robin nodded in understanding, "any advice?"
Robin thought about it for a second, "Do you think she just wants sex? Or does she want a relationship as well?"
"Relationship as well," Batman answered.
"Then no," Robin said frankly, "if you took it slow and went out on a few actual dates with her, and I mean out of costume dates not patrolling, then maybe. But if it starts off as sex you'll most likely ruin your friendship and your teamwork."
"You're right, thank you Tim," Batman said, standing up. Robin stood up as well, "call me and let me what happens with Terra and Raven."
"Same goes for you and Wonder Woman," Robin said with a small smile.
They shook hands again and Batman left. Robin decided he was going to follow his mentor's advice.
Right after he had a shower that is.
Raven and Terra stood in front of Robin's door, trying to build up the courage to knock. They weren't afraid that Robin would yell at them for interrupting him. He had never done that in all the time they had known him. Even when Beast Boy had been the one to bang on his door, something Raven couldn't understand. No, they were afraid that he wouldn't want to come to the club with them. Unlike with the other Titans, Raven included, who would get nagged about doing something over and over again until they agreed, or until they screamed no, Robin would only get asked once. If he said no he wouldn't get asked again. There was something about his serious nature and no nonsense attitude that made his word law with all of the Titans.
It was finally Terra, the bolder of the two, who knocked. After half a minute Robin answered the door, dripping wet and wearing a towel again. He hadn't bothered with a mask this time.
"Do you two just wait until I'm wet and naked before you come to my room?" Robin asked with a small smirk.
Both girls chuckled half-heartedly while trying to hide their blushes. He let them in and they both sat on the edge of his bed. Robin grabbed a clean uniform and went back into his bathroom to change.
"What can I do for you two?" Robin asked from the bathroom.
"We--err… we wanted to see how you were doing," Terra said, leaning back to try and see into the bathroom. She sat back up after Raven elbowed her in the ribs.
"I'm doing okay actually," Robin said poking his head from behind the door, "I had a talk with Batman and he helped me put a lot of… things… in perspective."
"That's… that's good to hear Robin," Raven said, not entirely sure what the Boy Wonder was talking about.
Robin stepped out of the bathroom and let out a contented sigh. Now that he had his uniform back on he almost felt normal.
"Was there anything else you girls wanted?"
Terra answered, knowing full well that Raven wouldn't, "we err… we wanted to know if… and of course we understand if you don't… if you wanted to… go to a club with us?"
"What kind of club?" Robin asked.
"A erm… a vampire club," Raven said, pulling up her hood to hide her blush.
"Is this a date?" Robin asked. Both girls tried to stutter a response but didn't really give an answer, "sure. I'd like that."
"We understand Robin. You obviously have…" Terra said before stopping, Robin's words finally seeping in, "did you just say you'd come?"
"Sure," Robin said with a smile, "I think it's about time we did something together. So we can get to know each other better."
"Really?" Raven asked, with a slightly larger than normal smile. Robin just nodded, "this is great Robin, you don't know how…"
"Oh my god," Terra said, jumping to her feet, "we have to start getting ready."
Before anything else could be said Terra grabbed Raven's hand and pulled her to her feet and dragged her out of the room.
"We'll be leaving at nine," Raven managed to shout before the door closed behind her.
Robin let out a small chuckle as the door closed before moving to his closet to find something appropriate to wear to the club. He had an extensive collection of urban camouflage for most of the gangs and high school clicks, just nothing for the supernatural.
He just hoped he could cobble something together.
Robin had to make sure he knew where everyone was going to be before he could go out with the girls. It wouldn't be smart for everyone to be out in case there was an emergency. Beast Boy had insisted that the boys all go to Secret Weapons, apparently Robin's exploits in the paper had inspired him. Robin had been able to avoid an invite by stating he wasn't up for anything like that yet. Starfire would thankfully be staying in the tower. She had invited some of the friends she had made during the tournament to spend the night, staying up late watching chick flicks and eating junk food. Robin was just thankful there would be enough of a distraction that he could slip out with Raven and Terra.
Robin reached Terra's door at five to nine. He knew there was more chance of them both being in here as Terra would no doubt have had to bully Raven into wearing something other than her cloak before she could get ready herself. Robin wore black jeans and black shin-high boots with various buckles, a long sleeved shirt with the slogan "of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most" and long, black leather trench coat. The outfit was designed to make him fit in, but not make him memorable, something ideal for undercover work. He had foregone wearing a mask, instead wearing black contact lenses.
Robin knocked on the door. It was opened almost instantly. Raven stood in the doorway looking extremely nervous. She wore tight, figure hugging jeans and simple black boots; she wore a small leather jacket and a tight black shirt with the slogan "sarcasm is just one more service I offer". The shirt showed off her stomach and she kept trying to pull it down enough to hide her bellybutton, this however showed of more cleavage than she liked, meaning she had to pull it back up. It was annoying the hell out of her.
"Terra made me wear this," Raven said, looking up at Robin expectantly.
"I think you look great," Robin said with a small smile, "amazing even."
Raven turned away from Robin to hide her blush, "come in then."
Robin stepped into the room and looked around. It was exactly the same as when the Titans had first given Terra the room, except now there were piles of rejected clothes laying on the bed.
"She's being very secretive about what she's wearing," Raven said sitting on the bed, "she made me put on… these… then disappeared into her room. I came in here and she was still in the bathroom."
"Is that Robin?" Terra asked from the bathroom without actually peeking out, "Okay I'm ready now. Tell me what you guys think."
Unlike Robin and Raven, Terra had gone all out with her outfit. She wore a black and white, striped, long-sleeved shirt that cut off below her breasts, showing off her stomach and a small, sleeveless, black leather jacket. She wore a short black skirt, fishnet stockings and shin-high boots. She had on a number of silver rings and wore a silver necklace with a pentagram. Her nails were painted black as were her lips and mascara; she had even dyed her hair black.
"Well?" Terra asked, trying her best not to smile, "do I look the part?"
"More than I do," Raven said, surprise evident in her voice, "I mean… it's just… there are no words to describe this."
"You don't like it?" Terra asked, pouting her lip in mock disappointment.
"No I do, I do. It's just a… surprise. I mean… what do you think Robin?"
Robin looked from one girl to the other and smiled, "I think she looks hot."
Terra smiled from ear to ear. It didn't look right with her new look.
"So are we ready to go?" Terra asked, walking over and wrapping an arm around Raven's shoulders.
"We were waiting for you, Mouth," Raven said with a mock glare.
Terra gave Raven a kiss on the cheek and smiled, "then lets hit the road. I think you'll like this place Robin, it's amazing."
In a flash of mystical energy Raven teleported the trio into a small 12x12 foot room, completely grey with a single grey door.
"Wow," Robin said sarcastically as he looked around the room, "I may just faint in amazement."
Both girls ignored the comment and walked through the door. It led to a long corridor, decorated blood red, with twenty similar doors on both side and candelabras every couple of feet. One end of the corridor had stairs leading upwards; the other end had large, antique double doors.
"The whole place is underground," Raven explained to Robin as they moved towards the double doors, "vampires that don't have demon parents, or aren't sired by those with demonic heritage, still burn in sunlight, and since this place doesn't close till six am they need the protection. The rooms along this corridor are here so that the vampires can teleport in and out as and when they need to."
When the doors opened Robin had to pause for a second to take it all in. The room was large and pentagon shaped. The double doors opened on one corner, the walls on either side of the doors had bars along them, both very busy, the corners next to them had doors leading to male and female restrooms, the next walls had elevated seating areas along them. The far wall had a large stage with a band busily playing away; the corners next to it had doors leading to staff only areas. The middle of the room had a large, square dance floor with lots of people already on it. From their graceful, ethereal movements Robin could tell that the majority of them weren't human. Or at least weren't any more.
"So what do you think?" Raven asked as she guided Robin and Terra over to the bar with the fewest people.
"It's… surprising," Robin said as he looked up to the stage, "is that Johnny Rancid playing in a band?"
Both girls looked to the stage where Johnny was playing a guitar and singing. He was singing a gothic Rock song about his dog Wrex.
"Oh yeah he's been in here a few times," Raven said casually, "it think it's the only place that will give him a gig after that whole trying-to-remake-the-city-in-his-own-image thing. He's actually pretty good."
"What's his band called?" Robin asked.
"Reality's Bitch," Terra said with a laugh, "that might be another reason why he can only get gigs here."
The three of them stood and listened for a few seconds. Robin thought he was good, though he had no intention of telling Johnny that.
"Well I hate to do this but I have to go and meet someone," Raven said with a sigh, "I shouldn't be too long."
"Do you want us to come with you?" Terra asked with a frown.
"No that's alright," Raven said with a small smile, "just get me a drink and I'll be back in a minute."
Raven disappeared into the crowed leaving Robin and Terra alone.
"I'm quite surprised you decided to come out tonight," Terra said as she waited for a barmaid to come over, "it's a good surprise though."
"I meant what I said at the tower," Robin said with a smile, "I want us all to get to know each other better. And maybe become… closer."
Terra's eyebrows raised in surprise before settling into a big smile, "does that mean you're finally ready to start something with us?"
"Yeah I am," Robin said with a chuckle, "as long as we take things slow. It's been a while since I've been in a real relationship."
"Absolutely," Terra said before grabbing the back of Robin's head and pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss. It lasted almost five minutes before Terra came up for air, a dreamy expression plastered on her face, "I can totally take it slow."
"Glad to hear it," Robin said with a laugh, "well as much as I'd like to stay and continue this, the service at this bar is terrible. I'm going to go over and see if the other one is better. See you in a sec?"
Terra just nodded. Once Robin had walked out of eyesight she let out a very happy, girly giggle. Life in the tower was about to become a lot more interesting.
"Hey there beautiful."
Terra turned at the voice to see someone standing behind her. He was obviously a vampire. Long athletic limbs, ivory skin, black clothing. He wore black knee length boots, black leather pants and a black turtleneck jumper. He had a long ponytail that reached down to his backside, a cocky grin that spoke of boundless arrogance and a lecherous look in his purple eyes.
"You look good enough to eat," he said with a smirk, "what's your sign?"
"No entry," Terra said with a Raven-like glare, "now fuck off."
"Hey now no need to be hostile," he said with another smirk, "I was just hoping we could get acquainted."
"I'm already here with people," Terra said folding her arms.
"They can't be all that good if they've left you all on your lonesome."
Terra turned her back to him and leaned on the bar, "you're not even on the same level as their piss."
"Let's see how you feel about that in a second or two," the vampire said as he moved in behind Terra. His fangs extended as he moved his mouth towards her neck.
Terra looked in the mirror behind the bar and saw what he was doing, and froze. Her mind went blank; she couldn't think of what to do, she was going to get bitten. That is if someone hadn't intervened. The vampire was pulled back by his ponytail until he was bent over backwards, looking up into the angry face of Robin.
"Put them away, before I take them away."
Robin let go of the ponytail and the vampire dropped onto his back. Hard. He quickly got back to his feet and growled at the Boy Wonder.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" he hissed angrily.
"I think I'm the guy whose girl you were trying to bite," Robin said, ready to take the vampire down if he tried anything, "you try that again and I'll punch a hole in you big enough to spit through. That's a promise. "
The vampire looked like he was about to pounce when he stopped and looked over to the seating area. He frowned momentarily then looked back at Robin, "we'll finish this another time."
Robin watched him move through the crowd until he disappeared. He turned back to Terra and she had an eyebrow raised, "what?"
"I'm your girl now am I?" Terra asked with a smirk.
"Sorry about that," Robin smiled, "sometimes you have to speak the language of the jerk to make them understand. That said you have to remind me tomorrow to help you deal with sneak attacks."
Terra wrapped her arms around Robin's neck, "why when I have a knight in shining armour?"
"Oh?" Robin said with a smirk, "is he bigger than me?"
Terra laughed out loud before pulling Robin into another kiss.
Raven made her way over to the seating area on the right side of the stage. Despite the loud band and the screaming dancers, it was relatively quiet here. She made her way over to the corner and found the vampire she was looking for, sitting alone and drinking tea.
To anyone who wasn't a vampire she'd look just like a thirteen year old girl, but Raven knew she was older and wiser than anyone else in the room. She had the grace and agility one only gets from centuries of your body never changing. She wore a black, tight, sleeveless turtleneck with a collar large and wide enough to cover her mouth and nose. She had white bandages covering her stomach and black arm bands. She had a long black skirt that reached down to the floor with slits on the sides reaching up to the beginning of her thighs. She wore white bandages like shorts up to mid thigh under her skirt. She wore Japanese sandals with large wooden blocks giving her some much needed height. Her hair was silver, except for the two front locks which were jet black, all held in a high ponytail by an azure ribbon. Her eyes glowed crimson behind her bangs.
"Hello Arashi," Raven said as she approached, "it's good to see you again."
"Hello Raven," Arashi said with a smile, sounding very much like a thirteen year old girl, "come, sit, have some tea."
"I've no time right now," Raven said while sitting down, "I'm here with people."
Arashi looked shocked, "your partners?"
"One is. Hopefully the other one will be soon."
"Good for you Raven," Arashi said with a smile, "well then what can I do for you?"
"Have you had any luck figuring out my father's curse," Raven asked urgently.
Arashi let out a heavy sigh, "I was afraid you'd ask about that."
"There's no way to break it is there?" Raven asked, already knowing the answer.
"I'm sorry no," Arashi said, Raven slumped down in her chair, "I did find out a few things though. It's not a controlling spell or one that will make you evil if you complete it. It seems Ddrez wants you to kill so you can see how fun it is, or something like that. If you do fulfil the curse, it will be lifted."
"But that means someone will have to die," Raven said solemnly.
"You need to think of the bigger picture Raven," Arashi said, placing a hand on Raven's, "think of all the good you could do if you were at full power, all the lives you could save. Surely one death is worth all that?"
"Maybe so," Raven said with a frown, "but I will not give him the satisfaction of making me do that."
"As always the choice is with you Raven," Arashi said with a sigh, "I just hope you find a way to beat him."
"Me too," Raven said quietly before getting up and walking away.
"Good luck child," Arashi said with a frown.
Raven moved back through the crowd listlessly. She knew that sooner rather than later her father would make a move against the world. And it would be down to her to attempt to stop him. She didn't have a chance. Not if she couldn't have a decent meal and Trigon had made sure of that. Raven decided that if push-came-to-shove she would just have to drain one of the Titan's enemies. Maybe Slade, or even Kitten. Yes she could definitely drain Kitten.
When she looked towards the Bar, Raven stopped in her tracks. Terra and Robin were kissing. Actually it looked more like Terra was trying to merge her face with Robin's. All of Raven's problems moved to the back of her mind as Happiness was finally let out into the open. She was about to go over and find out exactly what happened when someone stepped in front of her.
"Hello Goth," Raven said with a sigh.
Goth was a thin teenager about a head taller than Raven. He wore black sneakers, ripped denim jeans and a black t-shirt with a skull on the front. He had pale skin, blue eyes and shoulder length black hair cut in a way to cover half his face.
Raven had first met him at a club she had attended with the other Titans, shortly before they were attacked by aliens, and since then he had been turning up whenever she went to a club, which wasn't all that often. He had even joined Johnny Rancid's band as the drummer, meaning she saw him even more. He seemed nice enough, and was certainly charming; there was just something about him that didn't feel right to her.
"Can I buy you a drink?" Goth asked with a charming smile.
"Thank you but no," Raven said with an apologetic smile, "I'm here with people."
"Really? Who?" Goth asked with a confused look. Raven pointed to the bar where Robin and Terra were kissing, "looks like they're more with each other to me."
"That's okay," Raven said with a smile, "they're my partners."
"WHAT?" Goth said, a shocked expression on his face.
"Yeah, at least I hope they both are," Raven said as she moved away towards the bar, "I'll see you around Goth."
Raven didn't get very far. She felt a stabbing pain in her chest, like someone had her heart in their hand and was squeezing it to pulp. She turned back to Goth at the sound of growling. If she wasn't in so much pain she would have screamed.
Goth had changed dramatically. His skin was red and scaly, his eyes were yellow, his hair was purple, and he had almost doubled in size, stretching his clothes to their limits.
Raven suddenly became ridged and fell to the floor. As she did her attention was drawn to the glass orb in his left hand. It was pulsing with crimson energy, about the size of a tennis ball, and quickly growing. As it did more and more vampires in the room started clutching their chests before they became as stiff as Raven and collapsed. When the last vampire fell the ball was the size of a beach ball and floated up above Goth's head.
When the few humans in the club noticed the vampires fall they looked about in confusion. When they saw the eight foot demon standing in the room they panicked, screamed and started running for the exits.
"We're supposed to be together Raven," Goth said, his voice taking on a deeper, more gravely tone, "it's our destiny. Maybe you'll understand that when your partners are nothing but ash."
Raven could only watch helplessly as Goth generated a fireball in his hand and launched it at Robin and Terra.
Terra was thoroughly enjoying kissing Robin.
It was perfect as far as she could tell. The right amount of everything. Tongue, moistness, gentleness, forcefulness, caressing. The part of her brain that was still thinking about these kinds of things reasoned that he must have had a lot of practice. The image of Jinx momentarily came into her head but she pushed it back out, she was enjoying herself too much.
The moment was ruined however by the sudden screaming. As she stopped kissing Terra noticed the dozens of people lying on the floor, stiff as boards.
"What the…?" Terra did get to finish her question as Robin grabbed her and pulled her over the bar with him.
As they landed on the floor she saw the fireball slamming into the wall above them, smashing the mirror and bottles and setting fire to the alcohol, causing it all to rain down upon them. Terra didn't even get to scream as the shadows pulled up from the floor forming a cocoon over her and Robin. After a second it parted, snuffing out the flames and shifting the glass to either side of the Titans.
Terra looked about in shock, "Robin… did you… did you just do that?"
"I don't know," Robin said as he got into a crouching position, "I think so. It felt like it was me."
Terra shook her head, deciding to deal with that later and focus on the situation at hand, "what the hell is going on?"
"I'm not sure exactly," Robin said, using a piece of mirrored glass to look over the bar, "there's a big red guy, demon I think, standing in the middle of the room with a glowing red beach ball floating around him."
Terra was about to say something, then stopped and closed her eyes, "I've got a psychic link open with Raven. She says his name is Goth. Apparently he's pissed because he thinks he and Raven are supposed to be together. She says we need to get our hands on that floating orb and it'll free all the vampires."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Robin said with a smile, "you get all the vampires out of the way and get hold of Raven. I'll get the orb and deal with Goth."
"Robin this isn't some punk with an Uzi," Terra said urgently, "this is a demon. You don't have the kind of weapons to deal with him."
"Don't worry Terra," Robin said as he leapt over the bar, "I'm like a boy scout. Always prepared."
Goth stood above Raven with a large smile, large gleaming fangs on display.
"Relax Raven," he said in a calming voice, "I'm not going to rape you, that is forbidden. But I am going to take you to Dis; it's my own private dimension. There you'll be treated like a queen by my indentured servants. We're meant to be together Raven. I'm sure once we're there you'll see my point of view."
Anything else that Goth would have wanted to say was immediately ended by a silver birderang stabbing into his exposed eye. Goth screamed in agony as the silver burned him, steam escaping from the wound. As he tried to pull the birderang out it just burned his hands.
As Goth struggled about, hundreds of stone hands broke through the ground, grabbing each vampire and quickly moving them through the nearest door. Goth finally got the birderang out of his eye in time to see a stone hand moving Raven towards the bar. He moved to go after her when two more birberangs stabbed into his shoulders. He pulled them out and roared at the one responsible.
Robin stood a few feet away holding a silver staff against his shoulder, "hi, Goth right? I'm Robin. I'm here to beat the concept of "no means no" into your scaly ass. And then cripple you. Please feel free to scream in agony."
Goth's response was to simply growl. He was about to pounce when a cymbal slammed into the back of his head. He turned to the stage to see Johnny Rancid standing there with a cymbal in one hand and a guitar in the other.
"Dude," he said with an angry glare, "you're out of the band."
Johnny threw the cymbal at Goth, who deftly caught it, only to have Robin's foot slammed into the back of his head. Rancid jumped from the stage and joined the Boy Wonder in the beating, him with the guitar, Robin with boot and staff.
Both boys could tell it wasn't going as well as they hoped. Any damage they inflicted was healing almost as quickly. Only the hits from Robin's staff were causing any lasting damage, but even they weren't permanent. Deciding it was best to stick to the plan, Robin used his staff to break both of Goth's knees, jumped up and grabbed the orb and ran back to Raven and Terra, closely followed by Johnny.
"What the hell is going on?" Johnny asked once they got there.
"No time to explain," Robin said holding the orb in front of Terra, "what do I do with this?"
"Just a second," Terra said, who was sat on the floor, cradling Raven in her arms, "she says it's an Orb of the Undead. You need to break it to break the spell."
"That's my kind of magic," Robin said as he lifted the orb above his head.
"WAIT," Terra yelled, causing Robin to catch it at the last second, "Raven says when it breaks it will create a foot wide ball of energy that will vaporise everything inside it. Not to mention energy bolts shooting out to about five feet."
"Okay then. Time for plan B," Robin said as he stood up and launched the orb across the room.
Goth got to his feet just in time to see the orb flying towards him. His arm snaked out, catching it with one hand and holding it at arms length.
"Ha, is that the best you pathetic mortals can do?" Goth laughed, sounding more like a roar, "I've bested better and smarter teens than you for over a thousand years and…"
Whatever Goth's point was it died in the air as a birderang smashed through the orb. The ball of energy spread out, vaporising half of Goth's arm and energy bolts sliced into his chest, knocking him off his feet. He hit the ground like a ton of bricks.
The effect was instantaneous as Raven sat bolt upright, taking a deep breath with a smile on her face.
"Dude," Johnny said with a laugh, "I think I love plan B."
Almost immediately vampires began pouring out the various doors around the room with murderous looks in their eyes, fangs and nails extending. Goth decided it was best not to stick around and be torn to shreds, disappearing in a flash of crimson energy.
Robin turned to Terra with a playful frown, "is this going to happen every time we go out?"
Raven was hungry.
It was four o'clock when it was finally becoming too much to bare. She had meant to get some blood at the club, but after the chaos that Goth created it was impossible. Raven contemplated going to Terra's room and waking her, but her responsible side told her Terra would need all her blood if an emergency came up.
Raven made her way into the Ops-Room, she'd have to fly to the city and try and find a stray clubber. She didn't like doing this as she usually ended up drunk to. She dreaded what would happen if any of the Titans found her like that. But she had no choice. When she entered the room she stopped, someone was sat on the sofa, staring at a blank screen.
"Robin," Raven said as she realised who it was, "what are you doing up."
"I don't need rest anymore," Robin said solemnly, still wearing his club clothes, never taking his eyes of the screen, "I've got a lot of free time now and I don't know what to do with it."
Raven walked over and stood next to him, "maybe you could try relaxing?"
"I doubt it," Robin said with a mirthless laugh, "I'll probably need the time to figure out how to use these new powers."
Raven didn't say anything, deciding it was best to change the subject, "so… I saw you kissing Terra tonight. What was that all about?"
"Heh, yeah I… I finally decided I was ready for more with you two," Robin said with a smile, "and then Terra went against character and made the first move."
"Ha ha, that sounds like Terra. So… is she the only one you're kissing or can…" Raven stopped, suddenly grabbing her stomach in pain.
"Raven what's wrong?" asked Robin, standing up and grabbing her to stop her falling.
"I… I have to go," Raven said, trying to leave. Robin stopped her.
"You're going to feed aren't you?"
"…yes I am," Raven said, not looking at Robin, "I can't leave it any longer."
"There has to be something we can do," Robin said racking his brain, "some way we can break the curse."
"There isn't," Raven said, trying to fight the tears in her eyes, "the only way I can break the curse is to drain the blood from someone. I'd have to kill someone."
"Then drain me," Robin said.
Raven's eyes snapped up to Robin's, "you can't be serious."
"I'm deadly serious," Robin said in perfect monotone.
"No Robin I can't…" Raven said, trying to turn away.
"You can't kill me Raven," Robin said, taking hold of Raven's head and looking her in the eyes, "you can drain me dry and I'll be walking about again in no time. It's the only way."
"I… I still don't think…" Raven's words stopped as Robin kissed her. She melted into it and all her doubts evaporated.
"I want you to do this Raven," Robin said when he finally stopped; "I want to help you."
Raven simply nodded, moving in close to Robin. As she moved her head towards his neck her fangs extended. Any hesitations disappeared as she felt Robin's pulse through her lips.
Raven bit down and warm blood flooded into her mouth, it tasted just as sweet as the last time she had sampled the Boy Wonder's blood. She sipped it slowly as she had been doing for most of her life, old habits die hard. She quickly reached the point where she would usually stop, and, almost as if he sensed this, Robin put his hand on the back of her head and held her in place. So Raven drank on.
Robin was shocked as Raven suddenly wrapped her arms around him, her nails digging into his back as she bit down harder. Raven started gulping down mouthful after mouthful. Soon Robin began to feel dizzy from the excessive blood loss. It wasn't long until he blacked out, then with a final shudder, he died. Raven kept on drinking.
Raven was completely lost in the sensation. She had forgotten how good it felt to be full. Power she didn't know she had was waking up and pulsing throughout her body. It was intoxicating. Once she had finally had enough she pulled her mouth away, slowly licking her lips to get the final tastes. Robin was rigid in her arms, but after a sudden jerk he started moving again.
As Robin opened his eyes he had to fight the urge to vomit. He still felt incredibly dizzy and weak, he was just thankful Raven was still holding him. He looked down at her with a goofy smile, but then saw something in her eyes he had never seen before. Lust.
Raven pressed her lips against Robin's. He could taste his own blood as she forced her tongue into his mouth, her nails digging deeper into his back. In his weakened condition he couldn't do anything but except everything she did.
Raven pushed him down onto the coffee table, straddling his waist and pinning his arms down. Robin could see that she was lost in the untapped desire that was practically pouring out of her eyes, yet all his brain could focus on at the moment was the remote-control digging into his back.
In a flash of mystic energy Robin found himself on Raven's bed, still being pinned by her. With more mystic energy both his and her clothes were torn from their bodies. Raven wasted no time in pressing another kiss on him, before slowly kissing and biting her way down his neck and across his chest. Robin wanted to get involved, but what little blood he had managed to regenerate had already moved to his genitals.
Seeing this reaction, Raven moved back up to straddle his waist. She took his member in hand, guided it inside herself and slammed down hard. She started pumping up and down, faster and faster until she built up a steady rhythm. Sweat started dripping from her body as she grabbed Robin's shoulders, her thumbs digging into the flesh. Raven dragged her hands down his chest, her nails scratching and drawing blood as they went.
It was almost thirty minutes before Robin came, Raven following soon after. Her body shuddered with orgasms, before her sweat covered body collapsed onto Robin's. Her breathing evened out as she fell into a deep sleep. Robin could only lie there as the feeling started to come back to his extremities.
Things would certainly be interesting in the morning.
Goth materialised into his private dimension of Dis in complete agony.
He appeared in his bedroom. The walls, floor and high ceiling were made of marble and had an almost ethereal quality to them. He had a large, antique, four-poster bed with blood red drapes set against the back wall. On the right side of the room was a walk in wardrobe, on the left was an on suite bathroom. The remaining wall had large oak double doors that opened onto a long hallway and two large mirrors hung on either side of them.
Goth moved over to one of the teenagers he had charmed into being an indentured servant long ago, who was busy making his bed. He grabbed her by the neck with his remaining hand. The energy drained from her body, regenerating his lost limb and leaving her a lifeless husk. He moved over to one of the mirrors to check his handy work. A large smile spread across his face.
It didn't last.
A hand formed of the mirrored glass punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground and dislodging several teeth. Goth could only watch as another hand formed from the glass, they both grabbed the frame and stated pulling a glass body out. Soon a six foot humanoid body with no discernable features and made from mirrored glass stepped onto the floor. The mirror behind it rippling like a disturbed swimming pool.
"I'm very disappointed in you Goth," the mirror man said, despite having no mouth.
"Master?" Goth said, before crawling on his knees over to the mirrored man, "Master please I…"
"I gave you one simple task Goth," the mirror man said in a calm passive tone, "you were to charm Raven and get her to see the benefits of conquering the earth."
"Please Master," Goth pleaded, trying to clutch the mirrored man's smooth legs, "I tried Master, I did. But she rarely left her tower."
"I mean you've been charming teenagers into servitude for millennia," the mirror man continued as if he hadn't heard Goth, "and yet one lonely girl, albeit an extraordinary and unique girl, and you fail. Very disappointing Goth."
"Please Master," Goth continued in an almost whining tone, "please just let me have her. I…"
The mirror man punched Goth in the face again and again until his knuckles cracked and pieces of glass were embedded into the demon's cheeks. With his other hand he grabbed Goth by the throat, squeezing until the finger tips broke and stabbed into the flesh.
"Who do you think you are to ask me that?" the mirror man asked in the same eerie calm tone, "perhaps if you had succeeded in your task I would have blessed a marriage. But if that thought ever crosses your mind again you will learn that there are worse things than death."
"Please Master," Goth choked out, "I can still get her, I can…"
"No," the mirror man said, pushing Goth away, "it is too late for that. She has already gotten her two partners, she has even broken the curse on her though I have yet to find out how. No it is time to try a different approach with little Raven. Thankfully I have another agent in place on earth to get this plan underway."
"M-M-Master," Goth stuttered, fear in his eyes, "what… what about me."
The mirror man looked down on Goth. Cracks spread across his blank face to form a crude smile, "thank your lucky stars that I might still have a need for you. It is the only thing that is keeping you alive."
The mirror man suddenly exploded, sending shattered glass flying throughout the room.
"But remember Goth," the mirror man's voice said inside Goth's head, "I'll be watching you."
"I will Master," Goth said, ignoring all the glass stabbing into his skin, "I will."
To Be Continued…
Author's Notes: The average adult male has little more than nine pints of blood. Irreversible shock occurs when 40 or more of that is lost. That's more than three and a half pints. Meaning there's less than five and a half pints left. Just encase any of you have anything to say about Raven still drinking after Robin was dead.
If you don't know who Talia is then stop reading this fic and go pick up a Batman comic book or any DC comic book for that matter. I plan on mentioning or even involving a few characters from DC's line-up in the future and you're bound to be lost sooner or later.
I'm not making Johnny Rancid a good guy before anyone says anything. In issue 19 of the Teen Titans Go comic Johnny has his own band and is performing at clubs. Admittedly he was being used to raise the dead but it still seemed like a good idea. And I'd just like to point out this is a kids comic, so they weren't called Reality's Bitch.
I did not make up Multi-Man or his powers. He was even in a comic with Joker. The clown killed him about sixty times to give him a power to help them escape from prison.
Though I don't plan on killing Robin in every chapter (or even every other chapter) there are going to be times when it happens. Especially when more vampires show up and Slade's kids make their move. That said I need some help. I don't want to give Robin any of the mainstream powers like flight, heat vision, telepathy or anything like that, at least not to begin with. So I'm looking for suggestions. I looking for powers that you wouldn't necessarily ask for, but could still be useful in certain situations. I have a few in mind, but anything any of you can suggest will be greatly appreciated.
Next Chapter: It's the morning after and our three lovebirds have to deal with Raven's… actions from the previous night. Plus some filler I've yet to think up yet.