Honeythief
Chapter
Fourteen
)O(
Raven woke up to bright lights overhead and a steady, low beeping next to her right ear. She lay with her eyes closed, trying to make sense of her surroundings. The sheets under her felt crisp and itchy, and the pillow supporting her head was as flat and hard as a board. She tried to move, but her body felt heavy and unusual, as if her limbs were filled with molasses. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times before her vision focused. Pristine, white walls enclosed her like an ethereal coffin, void of any windows of art work. There was a clean, empty bed and IV unit next to her. She was in Bruce's medical ward.
"You're awake."
Raven's body jumped out of surprise, but her joints creaked and groaned in response. Everything inside her felt foreign, as if it belonged to someone, or something else. She slowly turned her head and stared at the man in the corner. Bruce's dark hair fell over his eyes as he stared at a few sheets of paper attached to a clipboard. He glanced up at her, and then returned to the papers in front of him. "I'm glad to see you're awake. We were worried for a while."
We? Raven swallowed hard, as the memories came rushing back to her in a flood of sounds and brutal images. Foul words and blood. The fight. She had a massive fight with Jinx, yelling and screaming in complete bloodlust. Her shoulder was sore where she had shoved her weight into Jinx's chest. Raven had broken Jinx's sternum, but Jinx had nearly killed her.
Raven remembered Jinx's powerful spell, ripping across her stomach as if Jinx had her claws in Raven's side and was pulling out every organ. The pain had made her collapse into a heap of nothingness. Raven overestimated the strength of her powers, and she nearly died from the mistake. Taking a slow, steady breath, she pulled the blanket down and pushed up the medical gown. A huge scar webbed across her left hip and most of her stomach. Raw and red pointed arms reached out across her alabaster skin, looking like a strange, macabre sun. She traced the pattern gingerly, feeling a few pins of pain shoot through her. Raven looked over at Bruce, whose lips were turned down in a frown. "What happened?"
He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "You got into a brutal fight with an angry, possessive vampire."
Raven tried to sigh, but it came out as a strange wheezing noise and her bones creaked again from the movement. She watched as he moved around the room to check her vitals. There was another moment of silence before Raven managed to ask him again. "I mean, what happened after I was left for dead. Did we catch Gizmo and Jinx? Did we make… a scene?"
"I did nothing, the Titans caught both Jinx and Gizmo quickly and very discreetly. The guests were completely unaware of any disturbance and the party went on as planed… save for the absence of a whole table of young adults." Pause. "Was that what you're concerned with?" Bruce looked down at her as she managed a small nod. He tapped the IV tube going into her arm, and made sure everything was well with her. "You, however, did a fine number on Jinx, so catching her was not exactly a challenge for the others." He glanced down at her again, and she continued to watch him. "She's currently being held in Arkham under strict and close observation."
"Is there the chance for her to escape?"
Bruce smiled, but it was strained and didn't quite reach his eyes. "Raven, you know as well as I do that there is always that chance. She escaped an alternate dimension you put her in, I doubt the walls of Arkham will keep her for much longer than the time it takes for her wounds to heal. But it's worth a shot."
Raven frowned. She had nearly given her life for a pink-headed brat to still escape? What kind of sick, twisted karma was that? She glanced up at Bruce again. "And Gizmo?"
"At Jump Penitentiary. Plus we've managed to recover almost everything he stole, which was a lot more than I expected. We were missing a few microchips here and there, but everything else was returned to its rightful place." Bruce scribbled something down on the papers he was holding. He looked down at Raven and smiled again, this time it managed to reach his eyes. "You did good work, Raven."
"Mm… Thank you…" Raven didn't feel like she had done anything good. She had nearly killed herself, and almost exposed all of her friends for what they really were, and all because she had a jealous streak inside her. She got lucky, that was all. Bruce started to shuffle around the room again, and Raven stared down at the scar on her stomach, tracing its pattern again through the thin cotton of the gown. "What happened to me? I… should have died. I shouldn't be here right now."
Bruce blinked a few times, as if the question made him uncomfortable. He let silence be his answer as he started for the door. In the quiet, Raven found the answer she was looking for, but she didn't want to think about it. Her world had changed so quickly, she wasn't sure if she could take any more news. Bruce paused and looked back at her, eyes still sad. "I'm not the person you should ask, Raven." He stepped outside the room, and Raven could hear hushed whispers in the hall.
Robin.
His familiar tone soothed her nerves if only for a few minutes. He was asking how she was doing and if he could see her. Raven's heart fluttered against her ribs at the thought of seeing him. It suddenly felt as if everything had changed over night. Whatever had been between them before last night was the past, and there was no going back to what was before. Robin saved her. Color flooded her face as she thought about what he did to keep her alive and on earth. She told him that she wouldn't blame him, and she couldn't. If Robin had been dying in her lap, she would have given her soul to keep him alive.
The door swung open slowly, and Robin poked his head inside the room. They stared at each other for a moment before Raven flushed bright red and pulled the sheet up to her chin. She swallowed hard as he stepped inside the room and closed the door. He was a vampire. She could tell that not only by just looking at him, but also from the fantastic scent he exuded. He smelled like cinnamon and anise on a cold night. She felt her temperature rise another degree and Raven pulled the blanket over her nose to hide her blush. She could see why Robin had been so handsy when they met. It took all her effort not to jump out of her bed and rub her body up and down his, wallowing in his scent.
"How are you feeling?"
Raven watched as he slowly worked his way over to her bed. "Better."
Robin sat down next to her and Raven breathed in deep, knowing there was nothing more than a few thin pieces of cotton between the two of them. Her stomach churned slightly and her skin became hot, as if everything burned it. The sheets scratched against her sensitive skin, and she shifted uncomfortably looking down into her lap. Silence enfolded them again, and Raven listened to the steady beat of his heart. There was blood in his system, a lot of it. He had fed earlier that day… but by whom? A spitfire of jealousy roared to life in her chest and Raven fought to keep herself cool. What was wrong with her? She never acted this way before.
Robin looked up at her, his eyes sad and heavy. "I'm sorry, Raven… for what I did." He took a slow, shaky breath and ran his hands through his hair. Raven watched him, carefully examining his face. He was tired, exhausted actually. It looked as if he hadn't slept in a few days, and spent his nights worrying about her. "I didn't have any right to condemn you the way I did. I should have had more hope in saving you, Raven… I acted foolishly, and now you have to live with the penalties."
"Hope in saving me… Robin my entire left side was demolished. There was no hope in saving me, there was only death." Raven glanced up at him, before looking away. It almost hurt to look at his beautiful face. "Would you would have rather let me die?"
Robin frowned and glared at her. His anger rose and Raven could smell the spiciness in the air, and she got the strange urge to push his buttons some more just so she could keep enjoying his fragrance. "No, and you know that. But what you are now is…"
"Is not much different than what I was before." Raven pulled the sheet back down to her chin and regretted the action. It was easier to enjoy him with her nose covered, now all she wanted to do was nibble on his neck. She tried to look him in the eyes, but her gaze didn't quite make it. "A demon is just one step away from being a vampire."
"But it's a step you shouldn't have had to take."
"The other step was death, Robin."
Silence. Raven glanced up just as Robin turned away, hiding his sheepishness. "I'm trying not to think about nearly losing you, Raven. I'm trying not to think about what could have happened if I was one minute too late."
"But you weren't." Raven pulled the sheet down to her waist and reached out to grab his hand. Robin looked down at their intertwined fingers and then into her eyes, shock lining his expression. Raven didn't try to hide her blush this time. "You saved me. I'm here now because of you and what you did. I'm eternally grateful for everything you gave me."
Robin didn't know what to say, instead he leaned down, closing the distance between them. Raven let her eyes flutter closed as his breath touched her lips. A taste, that was all she wanted. Just a taste of cinnamon.
"Oh?"
Robin pulled away abruptly and crimson washed across Raven's face. She blinked several times as she stared into several pairs of eyes all staring at her from the doorway. Beast Boy snickered and Raven had half a mind to throw her rock-hard pillow at him. She looked up at Robin, whose lips were mere inches from her own. He let out a long sigh and pulled away a little more, before turning around to face their friends. "She's doing well. Much better than yesterday."
Roy raised an eyebrow and cocked a hip to the side. "Well, we can see you were testing that."
"Shut up, Speed." Karen smacked him upside the head and rolled her eyes. "You're just jealous."
"Because Robin gets to make out with a smoking hot vampire?" Roy turned to Karen and rolled his eyes. "Duh!"
Raven's face flushed a deeper red and she glanced up at Robin. He looked down into her eyes and he nodded in response. "They know. They found me spilling blood into your body, there's not really a lie you can make up for that one. So, I had to tell them something, I figured the truth was the best option at this point."
Raven raised an incredulous eyebrow. "From the mouth of the boy who was doing everything in his power not to avoid telling the truth." She rolled her eyes and shook her head as he frowned at her. "So… we're… okay? To go on like we are? No sneaking around Jump and avoiding the tower?"
"For now." Robin flashed his teeth in a very wolfish grin, and Raven's stomach twisted at the implied thought.
Cyborg pushed the ginger aside and stepped next to the bed. Raven caught the scent of motor oil and axel grease, it wasn't unpleasant. It actually soothed her and brought her back to the times she helped Cyborg with his precious car. He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her. "I'm so glad to see you're better, Raven. You had me seriously worried for a while."
"All of us were." Starfire walked over to the empty space on her right-hand side, and Raven felt her calm and understanding wash over her. Raven stared up at her friend. "Your safety was our biggest concern. We have been 'pitching the tent' outside your door the whole time." Raven paled at the expression, but Roy snickered under his breath.
"You are terrible, Roy!" Karen smacked him again, harder this time. He cringed at took a step away from her.
"I thought you would be… mad at me, for lying to you, Star." Raven cringed as she nodded.
"I was. I was mad at both of you, for not telling the truth. You both avoided your biggest asset, your friends."
Everyone smiled down at her and she blushed in response, pulling the sheet over her nose again. She didn't deserve to have friends like this, she barely deserved to have friends at all. Yet, here they were outside her door as she struggled and fought for life, as she turned into the dark corners of legends. It was hard to keep her smile from peeling across her lips. Robin reached out and brushed hair away from her face.
Raven blushed again and glanced up at Cyborg, who took the hint and cleared his throat as he a step back from her bed. "Well, we just wanted to make sure you were doing better, Raven. We were all actually going to head back home and let you get your rest." He cast a side-long glance at Robin, whose face flared red instantly. "Robin has requested another week off duty before you two come home. That's fine with me as long as it's fine with you."
"Oh… alright, I guess." Raven couldn't imagine what Robin would need with another week off. Everyone knew that he was a vampire, as they all seemed willing to work with both him and her as they struggled with this new body. She didn't like being away from her home and her friends. She gave a short sigh and tried to look up at Robin, but he was avoiding her eyes. That was not a good sign. Raven's heart fell into her stomach and beat furiously. What did he have planned?
She forced a bright smile as everyone hugged her good by and wished her well. Starfire gave her an extra long hug and kissed her cheek. Raven glared, but she was unfazed. Cyborg exchanged a few hushed words with Robin, staying just out of Raven's earshot. A few minutes of good-byes and as soon as they had entered, they left again. The room felt enormous and empty as Raven watched the door close. She blinked a few times before turning to look at Robin. "It's good that they know…"
"Yeah, I guess…"He watched the door before sitting down next to Raven again. He pushed hair out of her eyes, and let his touch linger against her skin. Raven sighed and leaned into is touch, even his skin felt amazing. Robin kissed her forehead before continuing. "It was hard… telling them the truth. Especially since I fought so hard to keep the truth from them this whole time. I felt like I betrayed them."
"You did." Raven watched at he glared at her. "But it wasn't without grounds. You were scared of what they would have thought of you, and you were worried they wouldn't accept you. They understood those fears, that's what's important." Robin muttered a response and Raven let her head fall back onto her pillow. There were a few minutes of silence. "Am I getting out of this thing soon?"
"Yes." There was a pause as he nodded. "You're going to be hungry in a few hours." He looked away quickly, trying to hide his guilt.
Raven's face burned bright red again. "Oh." She glanced up at him and frowned as the reminder of her jealousy came back in full force. "I can tell you fed. By whom?"
Robin laughed, but Raven was having trouble finding the humor over her jealousy. He smiled down at her, and Raven had to remind herself that he was in trouble if he drank from another woman. His good looks wouldn't save him from everything. "Do you want the truth or a lie?"
Raven glared. "What do you think?"
"Truth, I imagine." Pause. "You fed me, actually… Bruce offered to help, but Cyborg reminded me of the few pints we brought over from the tower… and your taste was the only thing I wanted." Robin leaned close to her neck and ran his tongue over her pulse. Raven could hear the moan escape her lips before she had a chance to stop it. He scraped his teeth against her skin gently and the beeping over her right ear increased as Raven's heart picked up speed. "It was actually quite delicious, if you're wondering."
"You're… not helping." Raven was ashamed her hear herself panting.
"I know." Robin pulled away and looked down at her, grinning. She reached out to hit him, but he stepped out of the way, laughing. He snatched her arm and his fingers down her skin to shackle her wrist. "I enjoy making you squirm underneath my touch." Raven continued to glare up at him as he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingertips. He nibbled on her thumb, watching her. The heart monitor picked up speed again. "I can see you enjoy it too."
"You, shut up and let me go before I hurt you." Raven tried to snatch her hand away, but Robin refused to let her go. He leaned in and pressed an innocent kiss to the corner of her mouth, before biting down on her lower lip and tugging. Raven pulled away and frowned up at him. Robin just laughed, which only irritated her more.
"Don't give me that look, Raven… we're vacationing together for the next week, you might as well get used to the idea that I'm probably going to be doing this the whole time we're together." Robin returned her hand to her, obviously smiling at her shocked expression. So that was why he asked for another week off? A vacation? Hadn't they already taken enough time off? Raven blinked a few times before she managed a response.
"We? Where are we going?"
"Well…" Robin paused as he gave the question some thought. "Originally I had planned to stay at Bruce's cabin in the mountains, I thought you might enjoy the quiet peacefulness, but I guess we can go wherever you want… Paris? New York? Fiji? Do you want to go to Tokyo again? I thought you liked it last time."
"We were fighting a giant Ink Monster… I'll pass on Tokyo, lest I have to relive that ordeal again." She looked at him, suspicious. He never took a vacation, ever. He frowned at the thought whenever anyone brought it up. Heroes, didn't get vacations, they got moments of rest. Raven cocked her head to the side, watching him. "So what's the vacation for?"
The air turned thick as emotions changed, and Robin didn't even try to hide the guilt on his face. His joking smile vanished and he watched her for a few, silent moments. His onyx eyes bore into her until Raven felt he was staring right down into her soul. She knew what he was going to say and she was powerless to stop it, even though she knew how it would effect their relationship, herself, and even the team. And yet, there was a part of her that just didn't care. A part of her that delighted in the thought.
"I'm going to claim you."
Raven nodded and took a slow breath, trying to calm her nerves. "Do I have any say in the matter?"
"Not really."
)O(
So, there's chapter fourteen. Not exactly the most exciting chapter, but I had to put it in there so… there it is. I will probably up the rating for Chapter 15, just to give you a heads up. Let me know your thoughts, comments, and reactions. I love to hear from everyone!
