Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.
a/n: Thanks for your reviews! I'm starting to feel kind of down again, and even though I write for my work, this story is one of the few things keeping me sane right now. The fact that you guys are supporting it makes it so much more worth it.
Reviews, sharing, etc. as always, are greatly appreciated.
"I was a child and she was a child, In this kingdom by the sea;"
- Edgar Allen Poe, "Annabel Lee"
Raven: And this guy...Slade...came after me...
- Hide and Seek
Chapter Eleven: The When
"What - "
"You really ought to update your system's firewalls," Slade cut Raven off, sliding into the seat opposite her. "Cyborg's programing is growing lax."
Anger flushed Raven's cheeks red. "You shouldn't be here."
"Your manners are astounding." Slade folded his big, gloveless hands on the table between them. "How about a polite 'hello'?"
Raven had half a mind to break the window beside her and hop out of the moving train. At least she'd die, rather than be subject to the very source of her nightmares.
Passion, however, had a very different take on the matter at hand.
Slade, baby! She squealed gleefully. I'm so sorry about this frigid hoe. I promise, she'll never be stupid enough to leave you again!
Raven's fingernails dug into her palms, breaking skin.
"No," she spat. "You had no right to follow me."
Slade lifted a snowy eyebrow.
"Dear girl, when I enter an agreement, I never do so lightly. So when the other half of an agreement very rudely tells me that she will no longer hold her end of the bargain, without good cause, I will not be dissuaded so easily."
"I told you if we met again, it could be under friendly terms!"
"Because this is the friendliest reunion I've ever had."
Raven stopped herself. Slade sat back, all traces of smugness erased from his features.
"Mind you, Raven, it is very rare I consider someone worthy of being my equal. Given our, ah, history together, I figured you'd at least earned the opportunity to prove yourself to me. Never had I expected you to go far beyond the expectations I'd set for the girl who ran away from her destiny."
The quiet hum of the train, once so relaxing to Raven's ears, was now warped and eerie.
"So, Raven, don't look so surprised at my being here. You were all too quick to disrespect me. Why shouldn't I return the favor?"
Rage hissed a curse in his direction.
"Fine," Raven grit her teeth. "Sorry."
His bearded mouth tugged at the corners as he chuckled. It was a low, familiar sound.
"My dear, do you really think I'd be satisfied with that poor excuse of an apology?"
"On second thought, I'm not sorry."
And you're a jerk.
Slade laughed, far too amused for Raven's tastes. God, it was strange to see his face again. Raven desperately wished he put his mask back on; she hated being reminded that Slade was, indeed, just a man.
Just a man? Passion scoffed. Please. If you took off his pants, I bet he would be quite the man. In fact, I'd be willing to bet all of Happy's stupid garden that Slade is the ultimate man -
"Your father said many things about you, Raven. Time and time again, I wonder why he never mentioned your delightful sense of humor."
Butterflies burst from their cocoons and swarmed Raven's stomach. Stiffly, she readjusted her legs so that they were crossed, rather than expose a certain area while she'd been in a meditative pose. "Trigon didn't know me. He never did."
Slade smirked once more, crinkling the skin around his good eye. "That makes two of us."
Raven didn't know if he was referring to himself and Trigon, or to himself and her. Either way, it was not good.
Quite the man, Passion reiterated smugly. Why else do you think he's so damn cocky? Pun not intended.
Yeah, right. Intelligence glowered at her sister. Passion shrugged innocently, but there was a mischievous glint in her gaze.
Raven prayed to any deity willing to listen that, if they were out there, to strike her dead right then and there. That would definitely silence the emotions forever.
No longer furious, but still incredibly annoyed, Raven took the time to survey Slade's normal appearance. He had a black long-sleeve on, which stretched perilously over his broad shoulders, and equally dark jeans. Frankly, it wasn't much of a stretch from his regular uniform.
Yet she couldn't get over how good he looked. Raven had been only vaguely aware of Slade's attractive features the last time she'd seen his bare face; now, she was dazzled by how handsome he was. Sure, he was much older than she, but it didn't stop the man from looking like a freaking eyepatch advertisement. In fact, Raven (grudgingly) thought that if it wasn't for the missing eye, Slade could have a decent career as a male model.
Amen to that, sister, Passion made finger guns and pretended to shoot them in agreement. Why he chose a life of evil is beyond me. Evil doesn't have photo shoots or opportunities to get naked. And of course he had to pick a costume where we couldn't see his damn face.
"So," Raven folded her arms. "What do you want from me?"
Your V-card, suggested Passion.
To her surprise, Slade simply shrugged. "I'm keeping my options open. Until then, I'll be around to collect."
She couldn't believe her ears. "You're going to follow me until you figure out what you want?!"
"More or less. At least, until your trip with the children is over."
Heat rose to Raven's cheeks. Of course he knew about them. What else was new? "Don't you dare hurt my kids."
"I wouldn't dream of it." Slade was enjoying this. Smugness radiated from every pore in his broad-shouldered body.
Inwardly, Raven groaned. Outwardly, she rolled her eyes.
Slade raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"It's just...you're Slade. We've been fighting for years. Back then, I used to be afraid of you. It's...different to hear you say you're not going to hurt someone."
Slade blinked, looking slightly taken aback. But he recomposed himself quickly, expression smoothing over within seconds.
"Well, my dear, that was then. This is now."
What now?
Raven allotted herself one tiny smile. It was the closest answer she'd gotten to that damn question so far.
.
There were a lot of things Raven could imagine Slade doing. Plotting, definitely. Scheming, check. Working out, yes. Trying to take over Jump City, been there, done that. Even something like sleeping, although a stretch, was a possibility.
Never, never ever, could Raven imagine Slade doing anything with children. Hell, half the time, Raven couldn't imagine herself doing anything with children. Between the two of them, Raven feared for the fate of anyone under the age of thirteen.
Panicked, Raven checked the overhead clock. Only ten minutes until they pulled into station, where the foster woman was supposed to hand the children off to Raven for a few days.
"How much do you know about my kids?"
Slade twisted the cap off of a water bottle from the train's food service. The plastic crinkled and dented under his grip, reminding Raven of broken bones.
"Not much. I know they were an assignment for you a few months ago, and that you've gone back regularly to check in on them." He smirked, putting the bottle's spout to his lips. "That seems to be a pastime of yours, doesn't it?"
Embarrassed, Raven blushed, then wished for the darkness of her hood. "I like to make sure things stay in place."
Slade's Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed. Passion watched it move with a morbid fascination.
Take me, she whispered huskily, forgetting she was only a disembodied figment of Raven's personality.
The train was beginning to slow. Remembering her previous fear - i.e., Slade being himself and scaring her kids senseless - Raven leaned across the table.
"Slade, please tell me you have experience with kids. One of them's just a baby, and the another - "
"I have children." Slade cut her off calmly, placing the cap back on his beverage. A faint ringing sound was crawling through Raven's ears.
"You have children?"
This opened a whole new can of worms! Forget the fact he was Slade, the Big Bad Wolf who'd blackmailed Robin into employment, tried to control Terra's body, and worked for her demon father just so he could save his own skin (pun intended). But somewhere, maybe not too far away, there were Slade juniors running around?! Slade said he had children, plural - how many? How old were they? Did they know about their father's criminal life?
Is he married? Passion gasped. Who's the mother? Is it that brunette? I bet it's that brunette! Sweet mother of Jesus Christ, did you see that woman's hair?! Raven, for the millionth time, grow your damn hair out! I think Slade likes it!
Recalling her long hair after the birthday incident, this thought bothered Raven more than she would have liked it to. But Passion brought up some good points.
"Slade," she said carefully. "Who is the mother - "
A pleasant ding! rang out just before the doors opened. Raven only heard a delighted shriek before being thrown back onto the ground.
A pinched-faced redhead whimpered above her. "R-Raven?"
Here we go, groaned Lazy.
"Um, Timmy?"
Raven's vision was suddenly eclipsed by a piece of blue fabric.
"B-blanket! R-r-ruined! Wah!"
"Shh, Timmy," Raven plucked the frizzy-haired boy off her chest, getting off the floor. "We'll fix your, ah, blanket. Okay? But you need to stop crying."
Pacified, Timmy stuck a thumb in his mouth and cradled the blanket with the utmost care. Together, the three walked off the train and into the crowd of the station.
It didn't take long for them to be found.
"Are you Miss Raven?"
Raven turned to find a stumpy woman with Teether hanging off of one hand and Melvin hanging off the other. Bobby, unbeknownst to the occupants of the station, loomed behind the party of three.
"Yes?" Raven glanced at Melvin, who nodded in confirmation. This was their foster mother, although Raven could sense that she was anything but motherly.
The pudgy woman peeled Teether off her and handed the baby to Raven. "These kids are a handful, honey. I almost had to call the cops. Don't let the baby near the trash, he'll chew through it all. Took me forever to clean it up."
Annoyance burst through Raven, and she clutched Teether closer. "Didn't you think about taking him to the hospital?"
The woman blinked her small, watery eyes. "Well, no, hon. These kids here are super-kids, they've all got powers -"
"If I learned my infant son had been consuming garbage while in the care of an adult," Slade cut in darkly, stepping forward, "I would make sure to punish the caretaker to the fullest extent of my power."
What. The. Hell.
Raven's jaw dropped, something it didn't do often. Slade was being...paternal? Or Slade? Paternal Slade?
Whatever it is, it's turning me on. Passion licked her lips. I will have that man's babies. I'll make better babies than whoever made his old ones.
Now the woman was spluttering, clearly flustered. "Are you threatening me, sir? This isn't your business! I ought to call security!"
"Please do," Slade folded his arms, not seeming the least bit worried. "While they're down here, we can have a nice, long chat about your own admission to neglecting these children."
Pudgy shrunk under Slade's scrutiny. For a man with only one eye, he had one hell of a death look.
"Have a nice day, Miss," the woman mumbled, letting go of Melvin and bumbling away. Once she was out of sight, Melvin perked up and hugged Raven's thigh.
"Raven! You came to our rescue!"
Raven smiled, ruffling her blonde pigtails. Happy bounced up and down, doing her duty. "Hey, kiddo. I'm glad to see you too."
Teether unwound himself from Raven's neck to stare at Slade.
"Pirate," he declared wisely, much to Raven's horror.
"Er, no, Teether, not a pirate. This is, uh, Slade."
Not knowing what else to do, Raven turned the babe towards her former archenemy. She couldn't help but feel like she was feeding Teether to a lion.
But unmasked Slade was proving once more that he was different than the masked one. Without any pomp or menace or anything negative, Slade smiled gently at the baby.
"Teether?"
The toddler recognized his name, and giggled merrily in response.
Something was tugging on her cloak.
"Raven?" Timmy demanded, pointing to Slade. "Who's the big man over there?"
"Pointing's rude, Timmy. And his name is Slade."
Timmy glanced between the two oldest people in their party. "Is he your dad?"
"No."
"Is he your boyfriend?"
Yes, replied Passion.
"Timmy," Raven warned, ignoring the new colony of butterflies in her stomach. Realizing his error, Timmy stuck his thumb back in his mouth.
Melvin did not seem bothered by the tall, bearded man before her. "Nice to meet you, Mister Slade. I'm Melvin." She gestured to her enormous teddy-bear companion. "This is Bobby."
Slade nodded once in the girl's direction, than again in Bobby's. Raven's heart did a somersault. Could Slade see Bobby?
"Bobby's real," she offered wisely, grinning at Melvin.
A small smile pulled at Slade's lips, but Raven wasn't sure whether or not it was an act. "Yes, I can see that."
Bobby squinted at the man, then beamed. Still, Slade made no indication of noticing Melvin's friend.
By now, Raven couldn't imagine Slade lying about having kids. It took special, God-given skill to tolerate the darling presence of pre-adolescents. Slade was behaving like...like a parent. Like a good parent, at that. It was almost too much for the eyes.
Something very maternal within Raven crooned in delight. Looking back, she supposed it wasn't surprising - Arella was persistent in her attempts to form a relationship with her, in spite of the advice of the Azarath monks. Raven was not a warm, fuzzy, motherly type, yet right then and there, she was overwhelmed by the desire to make pancakes and read bedtime stories to the four of them.
Unless you want them dead, I recommend ditching the pancake idea, Intelligence advised, ever so helpful. Also, wasn't the last story you told them about your birthday?
Raven started. That was right. She'd actually told the kids about Slade during their first night together. Had he been that important, that significant to her, even back then? It had been the first memory that had came to Raven; this seemed important, somehow, and the slightest bit of unease yawned in her stomach.
And while she highly doubted Teether and Timmy remembered 'this ugly guy Slade with a skeleton for a face', Raven was growing suspicious of how often Bobby was whispering into Melvin's ear, and how Melvin would stare at Slade before stifling giggles.
Ugly! Passion cried dramatically. Oh, Raven. So naive.
Behind them, a clock chimed. Raven took note of the deep orange sun outside the windows of the station.
"Let's get moving. I have reservations at a hotel close by. We need to check in before six."
.
Two children under the age of nine, a teething toddler, a purple-haired teenager, and a full-grown man with only one eye would be bound to get some looks if they were separate entities on their own.
But all together in a single party, checking into a remote hotel at the end of the day? Forget it.
Eventually, Raven had to levitate a potted plant and show her communicator to prove that yes, she was an enforcer of the law, and yes, these were special circumstances, and no, this one-eyed man was not holding them against her will, and no, she would not blink twice if they needed to call the police. Even then, the hotel concierge wrote his personal number on Raven's room key, giving her instructions on how to get to the nearest police station out of the corner of his mouth. No doubt, Slade must of noticed the concierge's obvious relief when he booked a room adjacent to the other four, rather than bunking with them. A passing maid made very deliberate comments about how often she came by to check the rooms, and that should Slade not be in the room when she came by, she would keep coming back to make sure he was receiving the best possible service.
It almost made that run-down, dank house they'd slept in while on the run from the Brotherhood of Evil a pleasant memory.
"They think Mister Slade is a mean man?" Melvin peered curiously up at Raven when the piled into the elevator.
"They don't understand." Raven explained, gaze flicking to Slade's briefly. Much to her disappointment, his expression betrayed nothing.
"Understand?"
Raven hoisted Teether higher up against her shoulder. "That Slade is a friend."
God, it was exhilarating and disturbing all at once to say those words.
From the corner of her eye, Raven could have sworn Slade's mouth pulled into a smirk.
Timmy pulled his thumb out of his mouth and sniggered, "Boyfriend!"
"No, Timmy," she corrected testily. "Stop saying that."
Bobby, who was squished in the corner of the elevator, hunched over to mutter into Melvin's ear.
"Bobby says Mister Slade should be your boyfriend."
Bobby is wise beyond his years, said Passion, nodding seriously.
Slade chose that moment to let out a single, amused chuckle. For the second time that day, Raven contemplated suicide.
"Melvin, tell Bobby - "
"Bobby also says you need to stop lying."
This comment threw Raven for a loop. Dumbfounded, she blurted, "To who?"
The elevator chimed. It's doors slid open to reveal their floor.
Melvin smiled brightly, unaware of how on point she was. "You."
Then she took Bobby's gigantic paw and Timmy's free thumb, towing them out of the lift and not realizing the impact of her insight was having on both the teen and adult she left behind.