Part 4 for my series: Hopes for a Bastard!

Part 1 for Hopes for a Bastard: Give Me Back My Mind!

Part 2 for Hopes for a Bastard: Rock Meet Bottom

Part 3 for Hopes for a Bastard: Holiday Express Shipping

.

I Do Not Own DC Comics, Movies/TV, or Animation

.

In the Ashes and Ruins of Old…

She stood there trembling in the rain and ruins of her once great home. The bodies of her tribe were litering the desert ground and their home ablaze as the rain fell from the angry sky.

She screamed then as she felt her rage pulse outwards to crumble in her hands as she drove her fingers into her hair and collapsed to her knees with the tears falling from her eyes. What had she done!? Oh what had she done!?

A terrible though struck her as lightning cracked overhead and she ran for the temple, she shoved the doors open, not caring about the ruins. Skidding to a halt she stared in horror at the sight before her. Her eyes widened as she stared at the people before her.

Her lover's golden armor, and the blood on her white linen stained with the blood of their sisters as she stood there. Her friend's dark eyes flicked up to her, and she summoned Mistress to her hand as she stared at her lover and friend.

"So one of you lived," the green cloaked woman chuckled, which had her eyes flicking to the other two people in the temple of Ra.

The first was a woman, her amethyst hair curled in a magnificent mane around her, as her ruby eyes bright with hatred. The second figure was smaller than the woman, a girl with strawberry blonde hair green eyes.

"Release Bow, Akila," she spoke to her lover then.

"That is no way to speak to the Shim'Tar," the purple woman spoke cruelly. "Kill her."

"Akila, no, don't make me do this," she pleaded as she stared at her lover. Akila's head cam up slowly, her round soft features were hard then. Those dark eyes were cold, and cruel as they stared at one another, and all of Akila's dark braids fell around her face, the beads clattering and jangling. Once those eyes had looked at her with love, and now… it chilled her heart seeing that hatred there.

Her lover raised the bow still, and she hefted the axe into her hands. For a long time she felt like she just stared at her lover, but then that arrow was let loose, she ran. She charged her lover and the attackers

"Pain," the little girl whispered and she howled as she fell to the ground writhing in agony as it felt like there was now something tearing her brain apart. The excruciating pain had her screaming as she clutched her head.

"I believe Black Mask will be pleased with the newest addition to his shipment," the purplette spoke. "May Queen Hippolyta be pleased as well."

She screamed in agony as smoke wrapped around her lover and the girl from purplette then there was nothing. Collapsing on the alabaster stones of the temple as she gasped for breath. The tears fell then as she gasped in sobs at the pain of a lose she could not identify other than everything was gone.

Her home was gone.

It was September as Raven pulled her hair back and fixed her earrings; a habit she had kind of slid back into after the Christmas Party last year.

"Rae, are ya sure ya wanna do this!?" Harley asked.

"No, but, better to go anyway," Raven admitted.

A lot had happened in the last nine months since the New Year.

Victor had gone to the Justice League, he was making leaps and bounds of improvements there. Apparently the JL had not been expecting Victor to come barging in with a lot of changes.

Dick and Kori had had a daughter in March, her name was Mar'i Garyson. She was adorable with smaling black hair and glowing green eyes, with the same orange skin of her mother when she wasn't wearing an image inducer.

Tim was a leader of the Titans his team was officially composed of Conner Kent, Chris Kent (a different Kryptonian who had fallen out of the Phantom Zone when Raven's own powers had apparently gone wonky at her bleeding out; opening different portals and shutting them), Cassandra Sandsmark, M'gann Morrz, Bart Allen, Jaime Reyes, and Connor Hawke. He was rather pleased with his team, and they were making good headway in the hero community.

Garfield hadn't gone into hiding after his fall out with Tara but wherever the hell Tara was, was an entire unknown since she had vanished. Gar was actually working on making a big difference in teaching the other kids that the Titans had.

Damian griped about his team that was composed thus far of Jon Kent, Irey West (long, long, LONG story about that one's arrival, but another time traveling speedster), and William Clayton (who had recently picked up being Speedy on Team Arrow for his aunt's memory), and Melvin (Melvin wanted to punch Damian every time he opened his mouth, so Raven felt those two were even).

Damian also bitched about Rose Wilson's tentative ties to hanging around the Titans because of her brother; Joseph Wilson, a.k.a. Jericho, joining the Titan main HQ to help Garfield out with the Titans. Garth and Donna had also joined the HQ Titans to help with training as Raven was slowly backing off of the Titans. Vic was with the JL, Dick and Kori had slowed down greatly to be with their daughter; even lived in Gotham at Wayne Manor for the time being because of Mar'i's powers.

Jason and Roy had started a renovation business, and were doing fairly good with revamping warehouses into apartment complexes. They were doing good; and they both had no idea what they were doing with Lian, but Raven found it good for the two of them to have Ace and Lian to keep them on their toes.

Now, Raven…

Well, she had decided that maybe she should try civilian life. In August she had moved to Gotham, to live with Harley and Ivy for the time being, and to sign up for college. She had enrolled at Gotham Community College at the insistence of Stephanie Brown; who had also ditched the Titans and moved back to Gotham. So Raven was starting college classes with Stephanie Brown. They weren't friends, but Stephanie had decided that that was what they were doing, so Raven was getting used to having the new eighteen year old around and pushing her with bossy demands.

Harley and Ivy had gleefully started helping her start school, and at twenty now Raven felt a bit old to just be starting college, but she was doing it.

She also found she was sucked into much of the batfamily drama. Including babysitting Terry, Helena, Lian and Mar'i; which was fine with raven. She didn't mind kids; she still talked to Melvin, Timmy, and Teether weekly and had even helped set up a fostering program with the JL for Waller's victims. Though, Big Barda and Scott Free had had a bigger part of setting that up, after all, they had taken in Melvin, Timmy, and Teether.

But that brought her to this day, late September after starting classes and getting her life on track she was stepping out of her comfort zone.

Raven had been avoiding the persistent hounding of one Alice Williams, a woman whom Raven had no interests in meeting. Bruce had even relayed that message to Alice for her. But Alice's accusations were now getting front page news and Raven didn't like it. She did not like it at all, which was what had her reluctantly agreeing to meet with Alice Williams today.

"You don't have to go," Ivy said walking into her room. Raven stood and fixed her blouse a bit. Rachel Roth did not look like a half done girl, she wore clothes and actually looked decent. Rachel was often times in the news because she hung around the Waynes; something for which Raven cursed Jason for. But the rest of the family wasn't so bad either, it just annoyed Raven to see her face splashed on the front page with wild accusations or stories.

"I know I don't, but… I need her to leave me alone!" Raven sighed.

"Kay, we'll be here when it's over," Harley said.

"Thanks," Raven nodded as she grabbed her birthday gift from Jason and walked out of Siren's headquarters. She pulled on the leather jacket against the Gotham crisp air and damp mist.

She didn't hail a cab, though she did take the railway system to the diner she had agreed to meet Alice at. Raven often wondered how in the span of a year her life had gotten to be so drastically different, but she guessed it was a hazard of being tied up with Bats. She didn't mind, she had actually come to adore Harley and Ivy, and she and Victor were always good. Melvin, Timmy and Teether were also fantastic. Overall, Raven felt good about her family, and felt no need to hear out this Alice's demands.

It took her thirty minutes to get to the diner, and she walked in to the restaurant and spotted Alice almost immediately.

The woman was not small, an athletic woman though, shapely, a bit plump, her face was proud, and sharp, but also sad. Her black hair was in an array of wild curls, her brown eyes were light, and her copper skin stood out against the white of her blouse. Raven took a steadying breath as she walked to the table; knowing that that woman was Alice and sat across from her.

"Rachel!" Alice smiled.

"What do you want?" Raven asked flatly.

"I…"

"My mother never said she had a sister, and if this is a roose for the Wayne Fortune, I'm not a member fo the Wayne family, nor am I dating Jason Todd, so what is it!?" she demanded sharply.

The waitress came over and Raven asked for tea as she waited.

"I don't care about the money," Alice sputtered indignantly which had Raven believing her a bit. The emotions she felt off of Alice were too genuine to fake.

"Then what is it?"

"I… this was Angela," she said as she opened up her purse and pulled out a photo. Raven tensed slightly but looked at the photo then back at the woman. The woman was a woman Raven would know anywhere, which had her slowly reaching over to trace the face.

"Mom?" she whispered. That was her mom, Arella, sitting on a horse, with the younger woman, Alice, beside her on another horse. "Where did you get this?" Raven asked icily.

"That's my sister Angela and I in Farmington, New Mexico, on our old ranch," Alice said. "Our father, your grandfather, was a Holocaust survivor, he survived Dachau, your grandmother, my mom, her name was Oolijee, she was a member of the Navajo Tribe."

"What are you playing at?" Raven asked again as she gently pushed the photo to the side. Her mother was of earth, human, Raven had always known that because it was hung over her head during her time in Hell.

"Can't I want to know my niece?"

"My mother never said she had a sister," Raven answered tartly. "And I do not appreciate having my name, and the name of my friend's father being dragged through the mud. Now I've come here to tell you to leave me alone."

"Wait!" Alice grabbed her wrist when she moved to stand.

"Mrs. Williams, I have two moms, and a big brother, I don't need more family."

"Angela disappeared twenty-one years ago, where is she?"

"Dead," Raven answered honestly and she turned to look at the woman. "My mother is dead because I opened the door for my father and he killed her."

Alice looked like she had been stabbed as all the color drained from her face. "And you saw it?"

"Yes."

"Oh Rachel, if I had known you were out there…" Alice came around to hug her and Raven moved out of the seat to stand.

"Now you know what happened to your sister, please leave me be," Raven asked.

"Wait, here, this is for you, and if… if you should ever feel like talking, my numbers are on the back," Alice said handing Raven the picture of her mom on the horse. Raven looked at Alice for a long moment before she took the photo and walked into the rain.

Some things were best left in the past, and why ever her mother had severed ties with her family, Raven was sure it was for a good reason and she wanted to keep her distance too. Her phone rang, she pulled it out.

"Hello?"

"Hey little bird," a familiar voice greeted her.

"Can I come over?" she blurted out, cutting off whatever Jason was about to say.

"What happened?"

"Can I just come over?"

"Of course," he said.

"Thanks," she hung up, turned into an alley, walked through a portal into his home as she walked right up to her best friend and her head fell onto his chest as she stood there.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I met Alice today."

"Oh."

Coming Soon!