January 1, 2013

"I feel most worried. Raven seems, off, in some way, yes?"

"I know what you mean, Star."

"I am afraid there is something is the wrong."

"It definitely is Star. She's been so weak."

"I just hope she will turn out okay."

"One can only hope."

The sunlight streamed through the curtains, landing directly on Beast Boy's eyes. The boy's face contorted into one of confusion and slight pain, his ears twitching and his eyebrows furrowed. A few moments later, his eyes fluttered open. He shot up, his body reacting to the pain of his now opened eyes exposed to the setting sun. He looked at the digital clock on top of the med bay's door. It was a quarter 'til six. He had had a good night's sleep, but he was never one to have enough sleep. He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and smoothed out his uniform.

The enchantress's supine form floated above the snowy cot, her eyes still shut tight. Her expression was serene, something that unnerved the emerald-eyed observer. She was normally composed, but there was always that pain in her expression that, while saddening, assured her normalcy. That hurt was absent, an occurrence Beast Boy had never seen. He shuddered.

Raven's body lowering itself onto the bed brought the changeling out of his stupor. He got as close as he could to the girl and stared, waiting for her to rouse. Her left hand went to her forehead as she blinked, opening her eyes slowly. Once fully awake, she sat up abruptly.

"Hold on Rave, I'll call the team. They'll wanna know." Beast Boy flipped out the communicator and began to initiate a call, but Raven's shout stopped him in his tracks.

"No! I'm-I'm fine. I'll be going now." Before the shape shifter could protest, Raven had disappeared in a swirl of obsidian energy.

"Raven!" His shout fell on deaf ears.

Raven floated in lotus position, her eyes closed and her mouth muttering her mantra over and over again. Her desperate attempt to meditate was failing; her inner turmoil was rampaging through Nevermore. She was flooded with emotions so strong that she couldn't make heads or tails of them. However, to the untrained eye, she seemed the same as always. She must've been that way for no more than 5 minutes before the gentle swish of the door indicated a visitor. The girl decided to make nothing of it, pretending there was no one there and continuing to sort out her feelings. She hadn't even bothered to do an aura check to see who it was.

"Friend?"

"Did the team put you up to this?" The sorceress's monotone carried just enough for her teammate to hear.

"Of course not. Beast Boy called me and asked me to see what was the wrong with you. He knew you would dislike it if he told the whole team, so he just told me. I am one of the closest to you, and I really do care about you, Raven. Would you please do the telling of what is the matter?" The alien's incorrect syntax made Raven inwardly smile. She knew she couldn't refuse to explain to her of all people. She damned Beast Boy as she landed on her feet. She pivoted and faced Starfire. "Please, go on."

"Let's do this somewhere else. In private." Raven's deadpan never faltered.

"Will my chambers be adequate?"

"Of course." In a whirl of energy, they were gone.

An obsidian bird appeared in a pink room with a round bed of the same color as its centerpiece. Out of the avian came two heroines who took on the grace of a domestic feline as they landed. The red head sat on her bed and patted the spot next to her, inviting Raven to sit. The girl took the place and stared awkwardly at the floor, fidgeting in her seat. Starfire placed a gentle yet strong hand on her shoulder and turned to her.

"Now, as you Earthlings would say, do the spilling of the beans."

"There aren't many ways this can be said, Star. It's nonetheless difficult to find the right words."

"Try, friend." The alien gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"It's just; it's a silly idea, really. I can't even say I truly believe it. It's just a suspicion, but..." Raven trailed off.

"But what? If there is anyone's intuition I trust, it is yours. You are a very wise person, Raven. If you told me blue was yellow, I would believe you. However, that is not the question. The question is, do you believe yourself?" Starfire pushed on.

"I-I don't know."

"First, you must tell me what you are unsure about. If you do not, I cannot help you."

Raven hung her head and shut her amethyst orbs. She let out a sigh and muttered a string of incoherencies.

"Sorry, I did not catch that. Come again, friend?"

"I think I might be…pregnant." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but Starfire caught it.

"That is wonderful! I am so happy for you! Oh, there is so much we must-"Raven cut off her joyous celebration with the raise of her hand. Starfire had been bouncing around and was about to hug the enchantress.

"Starfire, there's a problem."

Starfire tilted her head to one side, confused. "But what could possibly be the problem? A bumgorf is on the way!"

"There's no physically possible way I could be pregnant."

"You mean…?"

"Yes, Star. I'm a virgin. As in, I've never had any intercourse what-so-ever."

"But you say this in such a negative way. There is nothing wrong with never having mated with anyone. You should always wait for the right one, because you are bonded with your 'first' for life."

Raven shook her head a bit, a small smile gracing her features. "Sorry for prying, but, have you ever, you know, done it with the boy blunder?"

"You are the forgiven. And yes, yes I have. Many times, in fact. It is quite magnificent." The princess giggled. "You see, we-"

"Oooookay, I think I've heard enough. Sorry for asking. My point is, Star, that there's no way this is true, but there's no other explanation for the nausea and vomiting, the fatigue, me being late, any of it."

"What do you mean by 'late'? Did you not arrive on time somewhere? Is that an Earthly sign of pregnancy?"

"No, Star. It's not. It means that I didn't get my period when I was supposed to. I actually haven't gotten it at all, which in itself isn't such a bad thing." Raven chuckled.

"Right, excuse my lack of knowledge on American slang." A small blush tainted Starfire's cheeks.

"It's fine." Raven was obviously amused. A weight had been lifted by sharing her troubles with someone else, especially someone as dear to her as Starfire.

"So, what do you wish to do? Do the killing of your suspicions?"

"I think that would be best, Star."

"But how?"

"I could always go buy a pregnancy test. We wouldn't have to tell anyone else that way."

"That would be good. But, I should go."

"Are you sure, Star? I don't want you going through the trouble…"

"It would not be a problem. I can disguise myself more easily. Also, if I were to be caught, I would probably be made to take the test, which would be a sure negative. We would avoid what celebrities have come to hate, a press scandal."

"That's quite smart, Star, but how can you be sure it'll be negative? I mean, you're…active." The violet haired girl found it difficult to come to term with the newly-known fact about her two friends' relationship.

"We, we are not compatible. Cyborg informed us long ago that it would be quite nearly impossible to get pregnant. Back when we first got together. Rich-Robin wanted to know." Starfire's voice was forlorn, but her face was like stone.

Raven felt a pull in her heart. She never had a clue about it. She was quite surprised that Starfire had never sought emotional support. Then again, the girl was quite resilient, and much stronger than she seemed. How she never sensed neither Starfire's nor, more importantly, Robin's hurt eluded her. Robin and she shared a bond in which one could always sense each other, but since she hadn't felt Robin's and Starfire's relations either, she supposed Robin just learned to put a barrier up from time to time. Emotional overloads just were not transmittable. It was likely that was why he wasn't alerted about her earlier distraught either. It was too strong.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Star." Raven pulled the alien into an embrace, something very out of character but fitting for the moment. Starfire returned the hug weakly, but didn't break down.

"I am okay, friend. Right now it is your moment, okay?" Raven nodded. "Now, I shall conduct my endeavor in the night, as our friends will be asleep. There will also be less people at the store. I have civilian clothing I can wear, and you could teleport me both in and out of the Tower, yes? We cannot set off the alarm."

"That's perfect."

"Now, how about we have a sleepover here in my room? We can stay up until it is time to buy the test doing the bonding and other things girls do at sleepovers. It shall be fun!" Starfire's twinkling eyes could convince anyone to murder. Raven caved.

"Okay, Star. Just, no pink nail polish, okay? And it'll just be us two."

"I understand your boundaries. And, Raven?"

"Yeah, Star?"

"Terra's the best friend I've ever had, and I love her very dearly." The sorceresses face fell. "However, you are my sister, forever and always." Starfire hugged her, one of her bone-crushing hugs. Raven smiled a genuine ear-to-ear grin.

"Love you too, sister. Now, let me go get my pajamas." Raven headed out the door.

"I shall be preparing the tools for the beautification process!"

"This is going to be a long night." Raven muttered under her breath as she floated down the hall.

Bottles of hair product littered the floor, accompanying discarded bottles of nail polish. A bag of make-up lay forgotten near the bedside, half-opened. Two older teenage girls lay on a rotund bed, their bellies against the custom-built mattress, their feet up in the air. They faced the same way, their heads on their hands as they chatter about nonsense. The red head checks the wall clock and leaps up, dashing for the closet where she sifts through her civvies.

"Calm down, Star. The stores aren't going to close any time soon." The purple- eyed girl floated toward her friend.

"I know, but it is of great importance that we know our answer, and quickly. "

"Geez, it almost seems like you're the one who thinks she's pregnant."

"I shall make no comment."

Starfire quickly undressed, causing Raven to just as quickly lift her hand to her eyes.

"Star, could you at least try to be decent?"

"I am sorry. I always seem to forget that you Earthlings do not embrace nudity as much as Tamaraneans."

"It's fine. Just hurry up."

"You are free to look."

"C'mon, let's get this show on the road."

"Huh?"

"Just forget it, Star." Raven once again encompassed both girls in her obsidian bird, teleporting them both to the bay.

"I'll be waiting here, Star. And, please, hurry up. It's freezing and even with my cloak and pajamas I'm not too warm." Raven had herself tightly wrapped in her indigo cloak, shivering slightly.

"I will make with the haste." Starfire flew off, going through the steps Raven outlined in her head about landing in an alley, shopping fast, and not meeting anyone's eye.

The girls headed to the sole bathroom in the Tower, test in tow. Starfire had thankfully encountered no problems while getting the test, and in less than twenty minutes the girls were back in the Tower, safe and sound. Raven walked in and locked the door while Starfire stood guard outside. Once Raven took the test, the girls planned to go back to Starfire's room to await the results.

"Are you almost done, Raven?"

"Almost. Give me a sec, okay? I just have to wash up."

"Take the time you need."

The door opened and Raven stepped out, her cloak covering her whole body. That way, nobody would be able to see the test were they to be up.

The two girls flew speedily to the room, eager to be in the safe confines of Starfire's quarters. Once there, they didn't bother to lock the door. Starfire changed back into her pajamas as the sorceress undid the clasp of her cloak. They both discarded the clothing and plopped onto the bed, staring at the test. They stared and stared, not seeing any change in the result screen.

"Maybe what they say is true. If you watch a pot it won't boil."

"Nonsense. Let us just wait longer."

A little while later, they both observed a slow but continuous change, and a sign formed.

"Look, Raven!"

"Yes, I know."

How's that for a cliffhanger? Sorry for the shortness, but I kind of had to rush it. It's a last minute thing that I hadn't had an earlier opportunity to write. I'll probably improve it later. But for now, enjoy the raw version! So, is she pregnant? What do you guys think? I'd like to know! And now, for the IStillDon'tHaveANameForThis segment of the author's note:

Nkcandygirl: Yay! Great job!

As always, thank you loyal reader and reviewer. I hope you enjoy this installment.

Cool Bubblegum: Hi there! First off, I just wanted to say that I am really enjoying the story. I read it during one of the first few days it was posted and instantly fell in love. It has an interesting plot and I think that the Titan tidbits are really interesting. Can't wait for your next review!

P.S.I went back to the previous chapter (chapter 2) to re-read it and saw that it was the completely identical to the chapter you just posted. I'm not trying to be rude or anything, I'm just curious-did you do that on purpose? (I really liked the other one)

I am very, very happy to hear that you are enjoying this story and hope you continue to love it. And here you have it, the next 'review'! I'm sure you meant update. And, as I informed you, the issue has been corrected. Many thanks for informing me of this mistake.

I hope you all enjoyed it, and I hope to hear more from you all. Your opinion matters! However, it is ultimately your decision and I will nonetheless write, but a review would sure be great. Until next time! Toodles! ~EBWHW43