Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.
Richard and Kori walked down the long wood paneled hallway that connected the east wing with the manor. Bruce had left them a message that he and Richard had an 11 o'clock appointment with Hugo Strange which had allowed the Grayson's to sleep in a bit as they adjusted to the time zone change.
The hallway led into the grand vestibule with its huge staircase. Richard hadn't lived in the manor for over 4 years now, yet it felt as familiar as ever. He knew that he could probably still find his way around the Wayne family home with his eyes blindfolded.
They held hands as they entered the informal dining room. Victor had already arrived, wearing his holoring, and was enjoying the sumptuous breakfast that Alfred had prepared. Richard felt his entire body tense up as he saw that Bruce and Barbara were already seated at the table as well. He led his wife to a place at the table and in a gentlemanly gesture he pulled out the chair and helped Kori to her seat.
"You never pulled a chair for me Dick." Barbara teased him.
"I was never engaged to you Babs." He replied with a grin as he took his seat, between Victor and Kori.
"Good morning Kori. Did you sleep well?" Bruce asked her.
"Yes I did, thank you for asking Mr. Wayne." She replied.
Bruce smiled. "Just call me Bruce. It wouldn't do to have my future daughter-in-law call me Mr. Wayne, especially since you are royalty."
"Yes, Bruce." She replied with a slight blush.
"Good morning Dick." Bruce said in a monotone worthy of Raven.
Crap! He knows.
"Morning Bruce." He replied with a slight edge in his voice.
Bruce took a sip of his coffee before addressing Richard again.
"Richard, would you mind telling me why Alfred was so agitated when I got home last night? He refuses to tell me anything."
The dining room became as silent as a tomb.
"Is there something I should know Dick?"
Richard turned to Kori and she nodded in affirmation.
"OK, but promise me you won't get angry."
Wayne snorted. "No deal. What have you done Dick? You're in trouble, aren't you? Let me guess, you did something to Raven and now she's angry with you?"
Richard sighed. "No Bruce, it's nothing like that."
"Then what is it Dick? Come on! Speak up!"
Richard glanced at Barbara, who was enjoying every moment of the exchange.
I dumped you Babs, so I still have the last laugh.
"Kori is my common law wife." He finally blurted out.
"That's it?" Bruce said between sips of coffee.
"Well, no." Richard mumbled.
"What else is there?" Barbara interrupted. "It's juicy, isn't it?" She beamed.
Richard jumped to his feet. "Ok, if you must know, I've been sleeping with Kori and I got her pregnant outside of wedlock! There! Are you happy?"
"Dick!" Barb taunted him with a mocking voice, pretending to be shocked. "I didn't know you had it in you!"
Bruce looked relaxed and unperturbed.
"So that means I'm going to be a grandfather." He said in calm but pleased voice.
"Yes Bruce!" Starfire bubbled with glee. "Is it not glorious news?"
Bruce nodded. "It certainly is. I'll have Alfred prepare a celebration for us tonight."
Richard looked astonished.
"You aren't angry?"
"I am disappointed that you couldn't keep your hormones in check until the wedding, but I'm thrilled about becoming a grandfather."
Barbara snorted. "Well I'm not happy."
Kori looked shocked. "Why are you displeased, friend Barbara?"
"Richard never, and I mean never tried to get me into the sack. What am I? Chopped liver?"
Richard sat down and relaxed as Barbara began to snicker.
"Very funny Babs. Maybe you can teach Beast Boy how to tell jokes?"
Bruce rose from his chair and addressed the 4 young super heroes.
"Meet me in the Batcave at 10. I have an announcement to make." He said firmly. "And don't be late."
The sound of chains clanging echoed throughout the long gray hallways. They belonged to a man dressed in a bright orange Arkham Asylum inmate's uniform. He was a tall, thin man and judging by the look on his face he actually belonged in Arkham as his expression was both maniacal and menacing. He had not bathed in days and had several days' worth of stubble on his face. He was escorted by 4 armed guards who led him into a small room.
The room was divided in the middle by a shatterproof glass partition, not unlike those found in a prison's visitation room, complete with chairs, tables and a telephone handset on each side of the partition.
The guards led him to his seat and forced him to sit on it, after which they shackled him to the chair. Once he was secured they all exited the room, leaving him alone.
After what felt like an eternity to him Hugo Strange entered the room on the other side of the partition and sat down in front of him. Dr. Strange picked up the red telephone handset in front of him and gestured to its counterpart on the other side of the partition. The thin man responded and picked up the handset, lifting it to his ear.
"Good morning Mr. Spivak. How are you today?"
Spivak spat a huge loogie in Strange's direction, splattering it over the partition. Strange didn't even flinch.
"Now, now Mr. Spivak. What did you hope to accomplish with that?"
"Go frak yourself, shrink."
Hugo Strange grinned at the infuriated man. Spivak responded by baring his teeth.
"Mr. Spivak, I have something you want. Something that you … misplaced."
"What are you talking about Strange?"
Hugo Strange adjusted the small dark glasses he always wore and then leaned his portly figure back in the chair.
"Before I tell you … I have a proposal to offer you."
Spivak laughed cynically, but said nothing.
"I want you to help me commit a crime."
This time Spivak laughed even louder.
"Fat chance egghead. Why would I want to help you?"
Strange never lost his equanimity and replied with a small smile.
"As I said before, I have acquired something that you lost, and I am certain that you want it back."
"You have nothing I want." Spivak replied in a cynical voice. "I don't care about money."
Strange picked up a remote control and aimed it at a plasma TV behind him.
"I know that money is of no importance to you. But I think this is." He said as he clicked the TV on. Within a few seconds a picture appeared, it was the mess hall as breakfast was wrapping up
"You think letting me out of solitary will win me over? You should change your name to Huge-O Stupid." Spivak laughed.
"Mr. Spivak, they say that the Devil is in the details. I suggest that you look more closely." Strange said as he pressed another button. The image zoomed in on a certain table.
Spivak stopped sneering at the psychiatrist, while a look of shock and amazement flooded his face.
"Terra?" He said breathlessly as he looked back and forth between the monitor and Hugo Strange. "But how?"
"That is not important Mr. Spivak. Are you interested, or would you prefer to be escorted back to solitary?"
Spivak leaned back in his chair, sporting a huge grin.
"Ok brainiac, I'm listening."
Beast Boy stretched and yawned as he woke up. He looked around the quiet room and saw Raven's violet head tucked between two pillows and he could hear her snoring softly. Every time he told her that she snored she would deny it vehemently and since he never had any proof she always claimed victory. Thinking quickly he reached over to grab her communicator off the nightstand. All of the Titans' communicators had a built in recorder and this time he was going to have proof!
In your face Rae!
The first thing he noticed as he grabbed the communicator was that it was already on. His first impulse was to ignore this fact and begin recording the precious evidence, the only problem was that there was no reason it should have been on. He had personally shut it off when they spoke with Cyborg and as far as he knew there had been no further calls back to the Tower.
He pressed the call log button and saw that a call had been made to Robin just a few hours before. He then recalled the premonitions they had the night before and debated whether or not to wake his wife and ask her how the call went.
He slipped his free hand under the covers and ran it along her side to see if she would wake up. He started at her shoulder and delicately traced along her bare skin with his fingertips until he reached her hip. She moaned softly but did not awake. Beast Boy rested on his back facing the ceiling, staring at the communicator in his left hand while he continued to caress Raven's curvy figure. She rolled over towards him, still asleep, and draped her arm over his chest. He gave her a tender kiss and she finally opened her eyes.
"Morning…" she purred, her voice sounded soft and content. He responded with another kiss. As she slowly finished waking up she saw the communicator in his hand.
"What's with the communicator?" She asked as she sat up.
He grinned sheepishly.
"I was going to make a recording of you snoring."
She gave him a cross look.
"Oh Gar, don't tell me you did."
He shook his head.
"Nah, I didn't. Did you know that left your communicator on last night?"
She knew she had been busted.
"And the log shows that you called home at 3 AM."
Raven fessed up. "I had a second premonition and I woke up at I called Robin."
Beast Boy chuckled. "You woke Robin at 3 AM?"
"It was 6 AM where he was."
Upon hearing this Garfield sat up.
"He's on the east coast? Is he visiting Titans East?"
Raven shook her head as she reached for her nightgown, slipping it back on once again.
"All three of them are in Gotham at Wayne manor."
Beast Boy grinned. "So the Bat found out and summoned bird boy to chew him out? Sweet!"
Again Raven shook her head.
"It's about Terra."
Beast Boy's grin vanished instantly.
"Don't tell me she's in trouble."
"She is Gar, but it's not what you think."
"What do you mean Rae? I don't get it."
Raven sighed, knowing that he was not going to take the news well.
"She's been committed to Arkham Asylum Gar."
"WHAT!? No freaking way! Terra might be a two timing bitch, but she's not a criminal."
Raven got up from the bed and began to pace around the room.
"From what Robin told me she was still on a villain database from her days with Slade. They used that as an excuse to imprison her."
"What do you mean by 'an excuse'?"
"I don't know Gar, but Dr. Strange must have an ulterior motive for keeping her there."
Beast Boy remained silent for minute, absorbing and processing everything he had just heard.
"So what's the plan?"
Raven let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't demanding that she teleport them straight to Gotham.
"Robin said that he and Batman will handle things until we get home. After that we might join them in Gotham."
"Cool! We'll get to see the Batcave." He beamed. "Robin and Batman will get Terra out of Arkham by the time we get there."
"Robin didn't sound too optimistic about that." She replied.
"Oh." He muttered. "So now what?"
"We stay on the ship and finish our honeymoon." Raven paused, thinking about what to say next. "Let's do something different today to take our minds off of this."
Beast Boy nodded. "I have an idea! Let's go to the pool on the Sol deck!"
Raven's eyes popped open wide with shock.
"Gar! That's the clothing optional pool!"
"You got that right babe!" He said with a seductive grin as he wagged his eyebrows.
Raven was indignant. "Garfield Mark Logan! How dare you even think of having your bride parade around buck naked in public?"
Beast Boy began to snicker.
"You're way too easy Rae! You fell for that like a brick!" He was now roaring with laughter.
"You should have seen your face … ooof!"
Beast Boy raised his hands in a vain attempt to block the barrage of obsidian encased pillows that were now pummeling him. It was a hopeless cause and he was soon buried.
"That wasn't funny Gar."
Beast Boy slowly unburied himself and hopped out of bed, slipping his shorts on.
"How about we go play tennis?" He said sheepishly.
"That's more like it, green bean. Now I'm going to take a shower. By myself."
Beast Boy's ears fell.
"Gotcha!" She laughed at him, and then shrieked as he chased her into the bathroom.
Richard led Kori and Victor to the grandfather clock in the manor library. He opened the glass door and pulled on the third clock weight and closed the door again. The clock slid aside, revealing a dark, narrow staircase the led downward. He entered first, followed by Kori and then Victor. The clock slid shut behind them and they carefully walked down the dimly lit staircase. The staircase was steep and long and soon enough they were in the Batcave.
Kori and Victor removed their holorings and were once again Starfire and Cyborg. They followed Richard into the heart of the cave. He walked over towards the glass display case where Alfred always kept a fresh costume for him, ready to wear, except this time it was empty.
Barbara, dressed up as her alter-ego, approached them out of the shadows.
"Alfred said he would be down here soon with a clean costume for you."
"Where's Batman?" He asked.
"Over here." Bruce replied as he stepped from behind the giant penny he kept in the trophy section of the cave. He was followed by a young teen, no older than thirteen, who was dressed in a familiar traffic light colored costume.
"Robin?" Starfire said with dismay as she stared at Batman's sidekick.
Richard grinned and approached the young lad.
"Jason Todd, I presume?" He said as he extended his hand to the new boy wonder.
"But, but … he can't be Robin." Starfire stuttered. "You're Robin."
"Not anymore, your Highness." Alfred corrected her as he emerged from the stairway. He was carrying an outfit that was draped from a hanger. It was wrapped in opaque plastic, shrouding it from curious eyes. The majordomo handed it to Richard, who removed the covering, revealing the dark costume with blue wings printed on the chest.
"Richard!" Starfire squealed with delight. "It's the costume you wore when I met you in the future!"
"That's right Star, from now on, I'm Nightwing."
"Not bad Dick. It's about time you lost the traffic light." Batgirl teased him.
"You might as well put it on Dick; we have an appointment with Hugo Strange." The Dark Knight reminded him as he and Jason headed to the Batmobile.
Ok, this chapter was short, but I promise another one by Sunday!
Some replies:
Titanfan45 – "You know Richard is really in for it when Alfred of all people, glares at him."
Sometimes I think Alfred is scarier than Bruce.
ChicoMagnifico – "VERY impressive spanish!"
Thanks! I did live 12 years in Mexico City. I am proud to say that I can pass myself off as a Chilango.
BeastBoyfangirl – "I love Beastboy's and Raven's vacation scenes soo much."
Yeah, it's too bad it has to end.
DarkRapture – "I kinda do feel bad for Terra. KINDA! … Why can't she just go with Aqua*** or something?"
She probably can't stand the smell of fish.
Novus Ordo Seclorum – "The Wild Man's presence in Terra's mind only adds to the awesomeness. What a cool little twist that was...reminiscent of M. Night Shymalan of I do say so myself"
Stop it! You're making me blush.
The Mighty One – "I hope you pass a thousand reviews, can it happen? Who knows?"
Well, maybe if I wrote 100 chapters. :-D
Thanks for reading and reviewing. We're just a whisker's short of 200 reviews and 11,000 hits!