Chapter 2
[Mountain monastery]
Edward emerged from the teleport and as soon as Raven got down, he resumed his human form.
"After you, pretty lady," Edward said. Raven smirked, "Don't you forget it!"
She went up and knocked at the door.
A moment later, a voice called out, "Who goes there?"
"Raven and Edward," she called back.
The door opened and the monks looked surprised. The one who had used the Titan communicator said, "How did you get here so fast?"
"Edward can teleport," Raven said, "May we come in?"
"Of course!" he said, "Welcome to our humble abode!"
Edward bowed in respect, "Thank you for your welcome."
"Any friend of Raven's is welcome here," the man said.
"RAVEN!" Melvin yelled, running at the empath. Raven bent low and accepted the hug. Edward raised an eyebrow. Raven never hugged anyone unless there was a reason.
"Melvin," Raven said, "I missed you."
Rae MISSING someone? This is a surprise! he thought.
[I heard that!] she said with a laugh.
[Dear, I had to get used to you, remember? This is totally out of character for you…but I love it,] Edward replied.
"Melvin," Raven said, "This is Edward. He's a very special friend to me. Edward, this is Melvin. She's a special kid in her own right."
Melvin held out a hand and Edward took it oh so gently. Then, Edward said, "It's very nice to meet you, Melvin."
"Bobby says that you're weird," Melvin said a second later.
"Melvin!" Raven scolded, "Tell Bobby to be nice. Edward's not weird."
"Who is Bobby?" Edward asked.
"He's my friend. He helps protect us here from the monkey man," Melvin answered.
A couple of smaller children came up to Melvin.
"Who this guy?" the older boy asked.
"Timmy, be nice to Edward," Melvin said, "He's Raven's special friend."
The littlest one looked like he was about 2 years old, maybe 2 and a half, just held up his arms to be held.
"Rae?" Edward asked.
"Go ahead," she said, "I think Teether wants you."
Edward reached down and picked up the kid, which started Timmy to screaming, "Pick me up too!"
Edward rolled his eyes, but, picked up the kid before his tantrum could continue.
[Sorry, dear,] Raven apologized.
[It's OK,] Edward said.
"Sorry, Mr. Edward," Melvin said, "We've been trying to get Timmy to stop this without much luck."
"It's all right, Melvin," Edward said with a smile, "I've helped to raise kids before."
"Not like these," Raven said, "But, they do grow on you."
Edward looked at the blanket and saw a line of staples.
"Your work, dear?" Edward sassed.
"Yuk it up," Raven said, "It was either that or listen to his crying all night."
"Well, Timmy," Edward said, "If you want Rae and I to visit, you have to stay calm and be nice to her. Can we do that?"
Timmy looked into Edward's eyes and saw the instant compassion and caring there. He nodded, "Can try."
The monks said, "You may take the children outside if you'd like."
"That'd be wonderful," Raven said.
They went outside and the two kids that Edward was holding wanted down, so, he placed them on the ground.
"Bobby says he's like to meet you," Melvin said.
Edward looked up and his jaw hit the ground, "Oh my! 3,000 years old and never saw a huge living teddy bear!"
He was staring up at a 15 foot tall stuffed bear that was obviously alive.
"He's gentle with the children," the oldest monk said, "And very protective as well."
"I bet," Edward said.
"He is," Melvin said, "He's my bestest friend! Aren't you, Bobby?"
The bear nodded and smiled.
The group started walking around.
"Monkey Man!" Timmy called out.
Raven snarled, "Not again! Mallah is here!"
"Get the kids to safety, Rae," Edward said, tensing for battle. Bobby looked around and loped off into the woods, an angry look on his face.
Raven got the kids back into the building and took to the air, looking for the giant ape.
Edward formed an eagle and took to the air. It didn't take long to find it, though.
[Found Mallah! Look for a lightning bolt!] he said through the link.
He landed and formed his mini-dragon form.
"Hey, banana brain," he said, "Why do you want to bother those kids?"
Mallah turned and saw Edward.
"Because the Brain wants them for the Brotherhood," Mallah said in a thick French accent.
"Not happening," Edward said and fired off a lightning bolt into the air.
Edward said, "I'll give you a chance to turn your monkey butt around before Raven, Bobby and I hand it to you."
"You are just a lizard," he said, "You cannot hope to beat me. I'll defeat you, beat you senseless before taking the kids."
"You just said the wrong thing," Raven said from the air, "No one threatens my kids…or my boyfriend! Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
Her black energy lashed out and slammed Mallah to the ground, hard. He grunted and tried to rise, only to get a face full of Edward's tail.
Mallah flew through the air and bounced off Bobby, who grabbed Mallah and slammed him into the ground.
Mallah rose and saw an angry Raven, a mildly ticked Edward and an equally angry looking Bobby.
"Still want the kiddies?" Edward asked.
Mallah charged Edward and tried to swing, only to miss. Edward formed his own large gorilla and snarled.
Mallah wasn't fazed, "So, you're a shapeshifter like that green brat, huh? Bet you're as intelligent as him."
Mallah charged again, intending to take Edward's head off with the first punch, only to find his punch blocked and being knocked backward by Edward's uppercut, right to where Bobby was waiting his shot. Mallah stumbled and Bobby caught him and body slammed Mallah into the grass.
He stood up and charged Edward again, to be met by a gorilla sized kick to the gut. Mallah was winded from the kick and Edward used a two fisted blow to his back to knock the intelligent gorilla to the ground again.
[Go for it, Rae!] Edward called through the link.
Raven used her powers to rip several trees out of the ground and stacked them on Mallah. The pile of trees shook for a moment as Mallah tried to get loose.
Edward returned to human form and said, "Don't even try to escape. I haven't broken out my breath weapons yet. Escape and you will end up wishing you hadn't. I'll only tell you this once: Leave Raven's kids alone. Tell your boss that they are OFF LIMITS. They are under the protection of the Teen Titans."
"Never!" Mallah said, "They are the Brotherhood's and you can't stop me!"
"Leave them alone!" Raven said, her voice as cold as liquid nitrogen.
"Take the logs off, dear," Edward said, "Mallah's in for the shock of his life."
Edward transformed to Dragon and allowed his spine ridges to light up a nice white glow.
Soon as Raven moved enough logs, Mallah stood up and saw the glow of Edward's spine.
"What are you going to do?" he said, just before Edward opened fire, hitting Mallah with a burst of lightning.
Mallah screamed and spasmed violently. Edward didn't want to kill Mallah or even torture him. His goal was to send a message that spoke louder than words, though.
He stopped the lightning after about 10 seconds, though. Mallah fell over, out cold. He'd be out for several hours.
"Where can I take him?" Edward mused. He wanted Mallah as far away as possible.
"South Pole?" Raven said.
"Put him on ice, huh?" he sassed.
Raven shook her head, "You've been around Beast Boy too much."
Edward walked over to Mallah and saw something on his back.
"What's this?" he asked.
"A personal helicopter," Raven said, "You may want to disable it or remove it."
Edward looked and saw it was attached with some metal bands. Edward snapped those off and removed the device.
"Levitate him onto my back, please?" he asked.
Raven chanted once more and Mallah was encased in the black aura and placed on Edward's back.
"Back in a minute," he said and after getting a few feet in the air, teleported.
Edward emerged from the teleport near the South Pole and dumped the gorilla off his back. Edward made sure that he had no way of communications before teleporting back to Raven and Bobby.
"Well, that monkey's off my back," he quipped.
Raven had a hard time keeping from smiling, "OK, I'll give you that one…but, it's not better than Beast Boy's lame jokes."
"Thanks for the help, Bobby," Edward called up. The teddy bear smiled broadly and lifted Edward up for a hug.
Then, Bobby gently set Edward down.
"Gentler than Starfire's hugs," Edward said, "Most impressive. Let's go back."
Raven started floating that way and Edward formed his mini-dragon form and caught up with Raven.
"Good fight," he complimented.
"Yeah, it was," she said, "Thanks for not doing all the work yourself."
"I try to save the team some of the action," he protested.
"Not always, dearest," Raven said sadly, "The guys don't mind you handling the bigger threats like Malchior, but, you sometimes want to handle the smaller ones as well, leaving the team with little to do."
Edward sighed, "I'm sorry about that, Rae."
"I know," she said, "They asked me to talk to you about it, that's all. Promise me that you'll take it easy and let the team work together. I know you're used to handling everything yourself, but, you have the other Titans and I watching your back as well."
Edward nodded his head, "You're right. I give you my word. I'll take it easy in the fights unless I see the team's overwhelmed."
Rae floated to Edward and gave him a quick kiss on the snout.
By then, though, they were in sight of the building and set down. Edward returned to his human form as the kids raced back outside.
"Monkey Man gone?" Timmy asked.
"Yes, Monkey Man's gone," Raven said, "My friend took him far, far away."
The kids looked happy to hear that. But, Edward was puzzled as to why Mallah would have tried again to kidnap the children. From what he'd been told, the Brotherhood was dismantled and out of business. Somehow, they had started to recover and wanted the children to corrupt.
No wonder Raven was in a foul mood. She had started to see the kids as hers. It was a mothering instinct in the empath kicking in. Why else would she have hugged them. She didn't do hugs.
Edward set that aside as he was worried about other attempts on the children's safety.
"Rae? What would Robin think if we brought the kids back to the Tower for a while?" Edward asked.
She had to think about that one for a moment, "Not sure how he'd react to a day care center. It would take someone off missions to watch them, for one."
"True," Edward said, "Each one of us has unique things to bring to the table. Bobby is too big to really fit in the Tower easily, but, considering that we don't see much rain, he could feasibly stay outside for the most part."
"He could," Raven said, "And, he'd keep the kids out of harm's way as much as he can.
"But, they could still get into things that the team couldn't afford to see damaged, especially stuff that Robin needs for his belt."
Edward pondered the problem while they were reassuring the kids that the threat was gone for a long time.
The group ended up staying outside for a long time, playing and just having fun. Edward realized something about his beloved Raven…The kiddies were actually helping her to forget what had happened a few weeks before. The children were helping her to heal more.
Raven hadn't been herself after Malchior was ultimately defeated. She allowed only Edward to approach her with meals and they would spend a few minutes together, but, the damage was so extensive that she was barely in control at times.
But, now, she was actively allowing "her kids" in and they were able to see what Raven was really like. They brought out a different emotion in her. Edward couldn't place it, but, he enjoyed seeing Raven letting herself relax.
He didn't even need the link to see the positive effect the kids were having.
"You know what I'd like to ride, Raven?" Melvin asked.
"What's that?" Raven replied.
"A chocolate pony!" Melvin said.
"Well," Raven replied, "You know why Edward's a special friend?"
"Why is that?" the little girl replied.
"Because you're going to get your desire," Edward said.
"How? No ponies here," Melvin said.
"Can I show you something without you getting scared?" Edward asked.
"Yeah, I guess so," Melvin said.
"Watch," Edward said and moved a few feet away.
Melvin's jaw hit the dirt as she saw Edward dropping to all fours and transform himself into a chocolate brown pony.
"Edward?" Melvin asked. He bobbed his head.
[Tell Melvin I can't talk in this form, please,] Edward requested.
"Melvin," Raven said, "That's Edward, but, he can't talk in this form."
"Can he talk at all?" she asked.
[Mind if I tell her about the link?] Raven asked.
[Melvin's too little to understand telepathy, Rae,] he said, [But, we can try, I guess.]
"Melvin," Raven said, "Edward and I share a bond. Like you and Bobby do. You hear Bobby in your head, right?"
Melvin nodded, "That's how he talks to me."
"Well," Raven said, "I can hear Edward in my head and he hears me in his head. That way we can talk to each other whenever we want to."
"Neat!" Melvin said, "Can I ride him?"
"Of course you can!" Raven said with a giggle. She picked Melvin up and put her on his back.
"I wanna ride too!" Timmy said loudly. Raven rolled her eyes and put him in front of Melvin.
[Good to go?] Edward asked.
"Yeah, Teether gets an upset stomach," Raven said aloud.
Edward started at a slow trot before picking up the pace. Melvin and Timmy loved it as Edward continued to trot around the area, Raven floating along besides them.
"Having fun, dear?" Raven asked.
[Actually, I am!] Edward replied, [I enjoy kids and, well, seeing how these tykes have touched you emotionally and in a good way, makes this more special. I'll talk to Robin and see if we can bring the kids over for a week or two. I think they can help you without knowing how or why.]
Raven shook her head, "I'm fine, Edward. I think they'd like to see the Tower and I have a hunch that Starfire will adore them."
[A hunch, Rae? You're talking about the girl who considers Silkie to be her baby, right?] Edward said.
Raven said, "You got me there."
Meanwhile, Melvin and Timmy were still enjoying themselves and not even paying attention to the conversation, but, Edward needed to call back to the Tower and started heading back to the main building and the waiting monks.
As they arrived, the head monk said, "It's time for the late afternoon meal. You're welcome to join us."
"We should be heading home," Raven said, "But, we might be back in a day. We need to talk to our team leader and see if we can bring the kids home with us for a few days."
Melvin said, "Can we go with Raven and Edward, pretty please?"
The monk looked around for Edward and as he was still in pony form, they totally missed him. He was holding Teether as he was too little for the pony ride.
"Where is your friend, Melvin?" the monk asked.
"We're riding him!" Timmy blurted out.
"How are you riding him?" the monk asked, scratching his head.
"Edward's a shape-shifter," Raven explained, "He's the pony you are seeing.
"Interesting," the monk said.
Raven took Melvin and Timmy off Edward's back and the monk almost fainted seeing Edward return to human form.
"Wow!" was all the monk said.
"Would you excuse me for a few minutes?" Edward asked.
"Sure," Raven said.
Edward walked around the side of the building and pulled out his communicator.
"Edward to Robin," he said after activating it.
Robin's face came on screen, "Hi, Edward! How's the visit going?"
"Well, we had a little excitement here. Mallah tried to take the kids. He didn't get near them, though. Raven, a friend and I taught that ugly ape a lesson," Edward said.
"Where's Mallah now?" Robin asked, concerned.
"Chilling out at the South Pole," Edward quipped.
"Good one!" Beast Boy said in the background, earning a glare from Robin.
"Should we pick him up?" Robin said.
"Nah, have Interpol pick him up. By the time they arrive, he'll be begging to be taken to a nice warm brig and prison cell," Edward advised, "I want him to learn that no matter what the Brain says, there's a nice ice flow waiting for him and that it doesn't pay to kidnap kids."
"All right," Robin said, "Outside of that, how are things?"
"Raven's relaxing," Edward said with a smile, "First time in weeks I've seen her relaxed enough to smile. She even hugged the kids. I think she's emotionally adopted them."
"That's what we figured as well," Robin said, "She really needed this, I suppose."
Edward nodded, "I'd like to bring them to the Tower for a few days if that's all right?"
Robin didn't hesitate, "If it helps Raven, they can stay as long as they'd like. But, they're your responsibility, Edward. The team will help, but, during missions while they're here…you and/or Raven will be staying back to babysit."
"Understood," Edward said, "They can stay with me in my room. I'll need a juvenile bed and two toddler beds. But, don't commit the beds to my room yet. I need to ask Rae if she'd want to share her room as well."
[Rae? Robin's got no problem with the kids staying at the Tower. Would you like to have the team put a small bed next to your door?] Edward asked.
[That'd be…nice,] she replied, [Can you handle Timmy and Teether?]
[I should be able to,] Edward replied.
"Rae says that she's cool with the bigger bed," Edward said to Robin, "Please put it outside her door. She'll probably want to put it in there herself."
"No problem," Robin said, "Titans out." The picture went off.
Edward went to see Raven and she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a quick kiss.
"Thank you," she said, "You're the best friend I've ever had." Little did Edward know, those were supposed to be Terra's last words.
"Just doing what I do best, Rae," he said softly, "These kids are really important to you, I see."
"More than you know," she replied, totally deadpan.
"I'll bet," Edward said, "I haven't seen you this at ease in weeks, honey. I love it."
"Quit it," she said with a soft smile, "And if you tell anyone at the Tower, I'll phase you out the window."
"And I can teleport right back in, dear," Edward quipped, "Might work with BB, not as well with me."
Raven playfully smacked Edward in response. They both laughed.
"I love you, Raven," he said.
"I love you too, Edward," she replied.
"Let's get the kiddies and head back to the Tower," Edward said.
"Let them eat first," she reminded him. He did a facepalm move, "Ooops!"
They went inside and found the dining area. Sure enough, the kids were eating and there was even two spots for them.
They sat down and silently thanked their deities for the food and the friendship before digging in.
Edward raised an eyebrow at the taste and said, "This is quite good!"
Raven nodded as her mouth was full.
[I love this!] Raven said, but, it didn't sound like her…it was more cheerful.
[Happy?] Edward pondered.
[How did you know?] Happy asked. It was the first time Raven's emotions used the link.
[Happy! Don't steal the link!] Raven snapped.
[Dear, please. This is a great sign to me. Everything's going to be truly OK. It's the first time one of the emotions has piped up. At least for me, I would want to hear from these different sides to you. But, I'd respect your choice in the end,] Edward said.
[I'll have to think about it, then,] Raven said, [But, for now, let's finish eating. I need to get back and meditate on this development.]
Edward blushed, [Sorry.]
[For what?] she asked.
[I don't want to cause you undue trouble,] he said.
[Edward, you're here, nothing I can do about it. I don't want to lose this gift,] she replied, [You have something that the others don't have, even Starfire. She's only talked to me once telepathically.]
[So, that meditation session was the only time,] Edward wondered. He was thinking about when Raven was finally able to resume meditation after Malchior's shredding of her mind. Starfire knew that Raven was in extreme distress…then, the entire team knew. But, there was a different bond between the two girls and Edward recognized it and the reason why. They had shared each other's bodies and had to learn to use each other's powers.
They finished eating in peace and Raven finally said, "We need to head back home. Robin, our team leader, already said we could bring the kids back for a few days."
"Wonderful news," the monk said, "The children need a change of scene for a while."
[Translated, 'We need some peace and quiet'] Edward quipped through the link.
Raven's soft laugh was the reply.
"Melvin," Raven said, "Can you help the other two get some clothing and other baby things for a few days?"
"Sure, Raven!" Melvin said, "What about Bobby? Can he come, too?"
Edward said, "I'll have to make a 2nd trip for him, but, sure. The weather in Jump City is nice this time of year, so, he should stay dry. He has to stay invisible, though. Most folks would be really scared of a 15 foot tall teddy bear that's actually alive."
Melvin beamed with happiness as she went off with the monks to get what they needed.
It didn't take long for them to return.
"How will you get the children to where you live?" the head monk asked.
"I'm a Dragon," Edward explained, "Remember that Raven said I can teleport? Well, I'd teleport Raven and the kids to the Titan Tower, and then get Bobby."
"Bobby would want to come with us," Melvin said, "He doesn't like being left behind."
"I'd have to use a larger form," Edward mused, "But, if it solves certain problems, I guess it's all right."
"Bobby's pretty heavy," Raven said, "Can you fly with him on your back?"
"As long as I can flap the wing, yes," Edward said, "If not, I can teleport from the ground."
Raven nodded, "Might be a good idea anyway."
"Why?" Edward asked.
"Teether might puke on you," Raven said, totally monotone.
"Great," Edward groaned, "I'd have to hope that the water near the Tower's warm, then."
"I can use my cloak to keep the kids warm," Raven offered.
"Good idea," Edward said. His teleportation was different than Raven's soul self, but, there was one common side effect…Passengers ended up chilled.
The kids were escorted out and Edward shapeshifted to a larger dragon and Raven held Teether and Timmy as she formed a disc with her powers. She covered Teether's eyes once everyone was situated on his back.
Edward felt Bobby getting on and the first thing Edward thought was Holy crap!
Edward said, "Well, we're teleporting from the ground, but, let me try to get into the air."
Edward waited till Raven said, "I have Teether and Timmy taken care of. Bobby's holding Melvin."
Edward said, "Hang on! We're going airborne."
With that he leapt into the air and after taking a downstroke was airborne!
"Teleporting in 3…2…1…" Edward said and teleported back to the Tower.