A/N: Blah. Before I begin this chapter, I must truly apologize for the quality of it. I was reading back on my earlier work and cursing at myself because it was much better back then. Yes, it needed a bit of spell checking and proofreading, but the elements were still really much better. I've gotten caught up with work in school and I recently lost my best friend due to a really stupid fight, so I've been under a lot of stress. I know, excuses, excuses, but that's why I hate this chapter so much, no matter how many times I may write it.
Alright, here it goes:
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Robin and the rest of the team stepped out of the building, looks of determination upon their faces. Starfire's hands were lit up their ghostly green as she stood beside Robin and Slade. Cyborg's arm was already a cannon, aimed high into the heavens. Beast Boy was in the form of a gorilla, ready to throw and crush anything that came into his path. The little girl, Rumur was hiding behind Robin, staring up at Trigon as he moved through the city towards them.
Slade glanced towards Robin and held out a hand. "Give me that sword of yours."
Rob raised a masked eyebrow. "What? What for?"
"Just do it!" Slade commanded, growing all too weary of Robin's questioning attitude.
As soon as Slade gripped the sword in his hands, Robin gave a triumphant yell of 'Titans Go!'. They all charged forward, yelling out battle cries as they inflicted their attacks on Trigon.
Cyborg was the first to attack from the ground, aiming at Trigon's head with his sonic cannon. He was quick to avoid any swipes the giant gave by riding on Beast Boy in the form of a horse. Robin scaled the remaining rubble, using it to gain height and throw freeze disks into Trigon's eyes. The giant gave a deafening yell as he clawed at the ice that blurred his vision.
Rumur below stood gaping, "Whoa…They're actually….hurting him…" She whispered. She looked at her own hands and remembered Slade telling her she was the key to saving this world…
Starfire flew around Trigon in a circle, throwing an endless assault of starbolts at him. But the most surprising attack of the team had to have been Slade's. He seemed to appear out of nowhere, Robin's blade perched precariously in his hands. With a spin in the air, he cut off one side of Trigon's massive crown. He would have implanted the blade in Trigon's head, but was swiped away quickly by the giant's flailing hands.
"Enough!" Trigon roared and swept his hands in a powerful blow, swatting the team away like a few useless flies. They had managed to get in a few attacks, but it proved to be a fruitless attempt. Rumur watched with horror as the team landed all around her. She gave a slight yelp and ran to Robin's side, shaking him.
"No! No…Get up! Please!" She begged as she heard Trigon's looming footsteps advancing on her.
"So this is who they depend on to defeat me? A little girl?" Trigon asked mockingly, standing ominously above her.
She swallowed hard, the only thing she had to rely on to even have a slim chance of living were her powers. She heard her hands crackle with the glowing ice that began appear. But how would she even begin to do this? No one had explained any of this to her, all she knew is that the only people who could actually harm him were laying limp on the ground behind her. Something inside her told her not to give up, a power began to sweep through her, like dark lightening in the sky.
"The spell…." She heard a voice say slowly.
Rumur turned around sharply to see the older of the masked men, her supposed father, pushing himself up slowly. Somehow, he was awake. She stared at him and then looked back at Trigon who was growling at Slade.
"W-What?" She whispered harshly.
He stood up with a groan, glaring up at Trigon who was awaiting their next move. The red giant was so damn confident they couldn't hurt him. Oh how wrong he would be.
"Your mother…she has a spell…you can stop him." Slade managed out, he sounded like he was in immense pain. His hands curled into fists, and Rumur noticed briefly that he was wearing a golden ring on his right hand.
She had no idea what he was talking about but didn't have a choice to ask any more questions. Trigon began to shoot a disastrous red beam in their direction. Rumur screamed and put her hands in front of her to block the light. She was certain of death, but somehow, she was blocking the relentless attack. Her hands were encased in ice and some sort of…darkness.
Slade looked at her hands. "That's it! Your mother's power! Unleash it!" He commanded.
A voice inside her began to come alive, whispering three words to her over and over again. Her eyes seemed to go blank for a moment as the focused in on the voice.
"A-Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos!" She yelled out, her lips being controlled by some unknown force as she opened her palms to the sky, swirls of light and ice flowing out of them.
The rest of the team began to awaken slowly to sight before them. Rumur was surrounded by a glowing light as she stood up, pushing further against Trigon's power. Everyone shielded their eyes for a second as a flash of light went through the area. When they could see again, they had to blink a couple of times to believe what was before their eyes.
Raven stood beside Rumur, her teeth barred slightly as she shot a powerful stream of magic in Trigon's direction. He gave a loud scream that echoed through the skies above, Raven's white cape fluttered through the air as Trigon fell to his knees, admitting defeat in a roar.
A bright light swept through the Earth, giving it a second chance at life. Flesh was returned from it's stony grave and people took in a gasp of air, wondering what had just happened. Raven took in a deep breath herself and opened her eyes back up.
"R…Raven…" Robin whispered, standing up slowly with the remainder of the team.
Slade held Rumur in his arms as she had fallen back unconscious a few seconds earlier. They all stood for a second, taking in the grand sight of life. It was a miracle, really, that they were even here. Robin and Raven instantly embraced in a hug, the sun shining triumphantly down on them like a silent victory cheer from the rest of the solar system.
"That…That was amazing…" Cyborg said, gaping at Raven.
"Yeah, it really was…but it wasn't just me…" Raven was smiling slightly. She looked over at Slade and Rumur, gratitude lining her eyes.
Slade knew what she was going to say. He held his arms out, offering Rumur to Raven silently. She took her with great pride, planting a small kiss on her forehead.
"Thank you…" Raven she said silently in Slade's direction.
Starfire was standing beside Slade already, her hand rested on his upper arm, gripping it slightly. Robin noted this with a very faint scowl but put his arm around Raven. They all traveled home, needing a good rest.
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Cyborg was in the kitchen with Beast Boy. They were both donning chef hats and cheering triumphantly as they cooked a celebratory breakfast. Robin, Raven and Rumur were in the living room, sitting on the couch. Robin's arm was firm around Raven's shoulders as Rumur was still asleep in Raven's lap.
"I hope she's gonna be okay…" Raven said worriedly, stroking her long blonde hair.
Robin smiled. "Ah, she'll be fine. She is your daughter after all. Besides, she helped save the world, I'd be needing a good nap if I were her too."
Raven gave a true smile, kissing Robin gently on the cheek. "I'm glad all of this is over…Though I still can't help but wonder why Slade gave her up so easily…"
Rob sighed. "Well, perhaps he just had had a change of heart…"
"Slade and a change of heart?" Raven snorted in contempt. "What could make that happen?"
"Well…You never know…Slade can surprise the hell out of people…" He muttered.
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Starfire stood on the roof of the tower, Slade by her side. The Titans didn't know she had brought him here, they had just assumed she went off to rest after the battle. They had been just standing here for quite some time now, watching the waves crash against the rocks below as the sun took a gentle retreat behind the clouds.
"Shouldn't you be downstairs with your friends…celebrating with waffles or something?" Slade asked, breaking the silence.
She smiled faintly, looking over at him. "This is much more enjoyable than any Earthly foods…I am sure…" She paused for a second, "But…I must admit I am nervous…"
He peered at her. "About what?"
Slowly, her hand rested on the orange side of his mask, her fingers smoothing the metal slowly. "I am nervous because…once this mask is off of your face…I am not certain I will be able to control myself…"
Slade chuckled. "Now is that really such a bad thing?" He rested a hand on her hip, pulling her forward slightly.
She closed her eyes and pulled the mask off with ease, throwing it to the ground with a small 'clank'. Slade let out a long sigh, feeling the crisp morning air sweep across his skin. It had been far too long since he had been outside without his mask on.
Starfire opened her eyes very slowly, gazing up at him. Her lips parted very slightly in a gasp as she took in his appearance. His hair, it was a blazing white, a color so very uncommon on her planet. It was messily spiked, falling over his left eye in a mysterious shadow. Her fingers danced along the fine curve of his jaw. How she had longed to see him, and she certainly was not disappointed.
He was trying so hard not to kiss her, it was nearly killing him. He cupped the side of her face with one of his massive hands like he had so long ago, back from their first few meetings. They didn't even notice the door on the roof opening up to reveal Robin.
"Starfire are…." Robin began but stopped in his tracks.
Star looked over at Robin, mouth slightly agape. "R-Robin…"
Rob clenched his teeth slightly, ignoring Slade's presence for his own sake. "Starfire…Could you and I have a moment alone…."
He didn't give her a chance to respond. He hastily grabbed her wrist and began to walk her away from Slade. She gasped and went along angrily, Slade watched with curiosity, his eyebrow perched slightly.
"Robin! What is the meaning of this!" Starfire demanded.
"Look, I knew he had a thing for you…but…Starfire…you can not tell me that you actually love him!" Robin pointed in Slade's direction.
Star crossed her arms. "And what if I do?"
"He's….He's Slade for crying out loud!" Robin hissed. "He's basically the devil in armor!"
"Well I see him differently. He has changed considerably Robin, I can promise you."
Rob ran a hand through his hair. "Look Star, I'm just…"
"Robin…I have moved on from my feelings for you…can you not be happy for me?" Her eyes showed pain for a second.
"I'm just worried, okay? I don't want you to end up getting hurt…"
"Your concern is most appreciated, but I will be fine. Slade and I are going to be very happy together as I am sure you and Raven will be." A soft smile graced her lips.
He still wasn't completely convinced, but that smile of hers did help to ease a bit of his anxiety. He had never seen her…glow like this, it was amazing.
"Fine…I can't control who you do and don't love…Just be careful, alright?" He returned the smile, although it was weary, and walked back into the tower, leaving the pair alone again.
Star took a deep breath and walked back over to Slade, she understood Robin's worries and also understood the only way for them to change. "You must promise me one thing…" She told Slade and stood firm before him.
"Hmm?" He turned around, their eyes locking again instantly.
She leaned forward, "You have to apologize to Raven and Robin…"
His eye widened slightly. "What?" Well, this was certainly the last thing he expected to her to say.
"Robin and Raven will be very reluctant to acknowledge our relationship if they still hold a grudge towards you. Perhaps if you apologize, they will have a slight change in heart." She peered at him, knowing he couldn't resist her request.
Slade knew it too, she was like a spoiled child. "Alright, Alright…but not until you give me my gift…"
She giggled and without words, floated upward, pressing her lips to his softly. He went rigid for a second, it had been so very long since he had kissed anyone, a shudder of pleasure washed through him instantly, surprising him. But it wasn't long before he wrapped both his arms around her, pulling her close in a jovial embrace.
After what seemed like an eternity, their lips parted slowly for air. Starfire gave a slight sigh, her breath cool on Slade's lips as they gazed at each other for the umpteenth time that day.
"Slade…" Starfire's lips danced dangerously with the small space between them. "I love you…"
At that moment, Slade felt his heart unfreeze completely. She had managed to tear open the cold tomb it had been asleep in for so very long. All of the pain and tragedy he had suffered, none of that was important now. She finally loved him as much as he loved her, and that, was all that truly mattered.
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Rumur opened her eyes slowly, a Raven's face coming into view. She blinked a couple of times, and sat up slowly.
"W-Where am I?" She asked.
She noticed Robin reclaiming his seat on the sofa as she took in her surroundings. It was a living room of sorts, she knew that and the sun…it had come out from behind the clouds, shining bright as ever through the large window that gave view to a shining sea.
"You're home." Raven answered gently, gripping Rumur's hand tightly.
From some distant memory, Rumur knew that voice. So serene and melancholy all at once. "You're…Raven…My…Mom?" She looked at Robin. "And you…you were with that other guy…"
Robin nodded. "Your dad…" He finished for her.
Raven pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay…" She paused for a second. "And thank goodness we got you past the diapers stage." She muttered.
"You know, we all owe you a big thanks." Robin gave a warm smile and Rumur looked at him curiously.
"I didn't do anything special…Did I?"
Both Raven and Robin chuckled lightly at what an understatement that was. Raven brushed some hair from her face. "Yeah, you did actually. You saved the world, with a couple people helping, but you played a big part. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be here right now."
The trio didn't see Starfire walk in with Slade, his arm around her shoulders protectively. He had left his mask off after Star had convinced him using a few seductive looks. She couldn't stop the glowing smile on her lips, yet Slade somehow managed to keep his look very solemn.
"Sorry to break up the family moment…but I need to talk to the two of you in private for a moment." Slade said, he glanced around the tower cautiously, realizing he had never actually been in here.
Both Raven and Robin looked over at Slade, surprise and derision lining their expressions. Robin couldn't quite get over the fact he was without his mask, it was…creeping him out. He had spent countless hours, and perhaps even days in research trying to find who was under that mask. Now he just waltzed out into the open without it on. Raven was a bit surprised too, especially by the fact that his arm was around Starfire.
"What could you possibly have to say? Are you starting to regret giving up Rumur?" Raven asked, her udder contempt for him coming back to life.
He gave a very audible sigh. "You're not going to make this easy are you?"
Robin crossed his arms. "Just get on with it Slade, we don't need to go in private for anything."
Slade's mouth twitched into a slight scowl. "I wanted to say…." His voice was low, he really hated this word. "I'm…sorry." The last word came out bitterly. He sounded similar to a small child, apologizing for hitting someone on purpose.
Starfire kicked Slade's foot, chastising him for his demeanor. Robin and Raven's eyes were wide, mouths dropped open slightly. They gazed at one another, trying to see if they had heard correctly.
"You've got to be kidding me…" Raven said, blinking.
Slade peered at the both of them jadedly. "No…I really am sorry for what I have done to both of you…" His words were still coming out in a low grumble, but somewhere inside of him...he meant it. He still needed to wash his mouth out with soap right about now….
Robin let out a very lengthy sigh. "It's nice to hear that but…Do you really expect us to believe you turned over a new leaf so fast?"
Starfire stepped forward. "Robin…Please, trust me, Slade is a new man. He has certainly overturned a large, new leaf. He did help us save the world after all…"
Raven frowned slightly. She was worried for Starfire, but at the same time…she had never seen her look as happy as she did now. Perhaps if Starfire could see some good in Slade, everyone else could too…
"Hey! We finally finished breakfast!" Cyborg yelled, wiping waffle batter off of his face.
Beast Boy stood on one of the chairs. "Prepare yourselves for the best breakfast ever!"
Robin took Rumur over to the breakfast table after giving Slade a look of, 'we're not quite done yet'. Raven stood up and peered at Slade.
"Look…I'm not quite ready to accept the apology yet…I doubt I ever will be…but…You're free to have waffles. You did help save the world after all…" She looked towards Starfire who was smiling at her and went off to join Robin and the others.
Star looked up at Slade. "I am sorry they did not accept your apology."
He shrugged. "I didn't really expect them to…it's going to take some time, but hell, I did what you asked me to."
She giggled, blushing slightly. "And I shall keep my promise to you for doing so." She gazed at her finger, the ring of azar had been replaced by something else very special; a diamond.
They walked over to join everyone else in the breakfast feast. The waffles were slightly burnt and tasted weird…but no one really seemed to care.
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A/N: -actually crying- No…this is the last chapter….Oh my god…I can't believe it. I thought I could extend it a bit longer but, after much careful consideration, I decided against it. –sniffle- I'm going to miss you all so very dearly! But oh my god, never in a million years did I think I would reach OVER 500 reviews. This is amazing you guys and I can't thank you enough! I've laughed so many times and I'm REALLY going to miss this story.
But, good news, I'm staring another RobRae fic as I type this. No idea if it will be as wildly successful as this one, but it should be fun to write because RobRae just rocks my world! So, please, check out my new story once I have it up and tell me what you think!
Thanks again you guys a million times over. If you want, in your reviews, tell me what your favorite part of the story was. Mine has to be…either Robin and Raven's first kiss or when Starfire was seducing Robin. Just some good times right there. Heh.
Alright, the two people I'm going to miss the most, here are your responses:
Pat: Hiiiii! Let me start off by saying, No, I am totally NOT mad about you with the whole text messaging thing. I very much understand your angle with not wanting people to get hurt; It's cool
Anyways, let me start by saying that my mom fell in love with one of those guys that refills vending machines. He was a lot younger than her….(mah mom has problems) but she thought he was so hot and it was kinda creepy. Which also brings me to the important point that the vending machines rip me off atleast 4 times a month. THEY TAKE MY MONEY. But they make up for it when I buy a 75 cent drink and it gives me 85 cents back.
But man, you really put me in my place with the whole RobRae and RobStar thing. Damn, you served me very well, didn't cha? But I totally agree we need a group name. Hows about……Los EmosChicos The Emo children! The ending changes based on who ye are talkin' about. Do you take Spanish? I do, 'cause I'm part Puerto Rican and I can pronounce the words all fancily. And when I say burrito the r's always make that funny car sound….grrrrr! Even when I don't want them to.
You know what, you are wrong. Not EVERY villan wears tight clothing. What about Cinderblock? Or Trigon? Well…I guess you could put them under the 'little to no' clothing category, but still…XD
I'm going to miss you Pat, so I hope you'll head over to my new story, which I think will be named 'Night Life'. Perhaps by the time you read this, my lazy ass will have posted it.
Gonna go review your new chapter now! YEY ROBSLADE! XDD
Rose: Tcha is a fun word. My language arts teacher uses it a lot. Then again, she uses the word 'shit' a lot too….yeah.
Can I be a mistress of some sort? Like….OH! I wanna be the mistress of darkness! YEAH! I could be all like….LIGHT IS NOT COOL BITCHES! BE LIKE ME AND LOVE DAAAAARRRRKKK
Yep, been tappin' the Vodka again. My parents are away in Bore'sburgh….Oops, I mean Pittsburgh. -.- That place is….GAH. Every damn thing is from Wal Mart. My uncle or something…bought me this lotion set and I was like 'cool it's not wal mart branded' and then I was reading the bottle last week and it said 'Produced by Wal Mart Industries' I was like, DAAAAMMMNN. It's 'cause there's litereally not a mall within…50 miles of where my Dad's side of the family lives.
Okay, for Rumur's powers…I had some SERIOUS thinking to do. I was like, okay, well, where people get their super powers from are a BIT complicated. Because we have the following options:
A) You're born with them (Starfire for example)
B) Lab accident (Beast Boy and Cyborg)
Or you could just be like Robin and be all NINJA/SAMURAI! Like, tcha. XD
Anyways, on my coupling preference it gets REALLY complicated. I mean, I started out, when I first watched the show, I was a DIEHARD RobStar fan gal and I refused to accept Robin with anyone else. XD Then, a friend of mine, god bless her heart, got me really into RobRae and this little fan fiction came out of it. I still am a RobStar fan girl, and I'm pretty sure besides BBTerra (god help anyone who loves that couple….-stabs ex-best friend-) they're the only romance we're gonna get on T.T.
LYKE OMG TR33Z R T3H AW50M3Z! I love, love, love Slade's daughter, Rose. 'scuse me whilst I go Nerd for a second but…-puts on dorky glasses- In the Nightwing Comics, They have Deathstroke (The dood Slade basically is, they just didn't name him Deathstroke 'cause they can't say death on TV…makes a lot of sense I know) and it has Richard Grayson, all growed up and ready to kick ass and it has Rose! All bad ass gal, workin' for her dad and being uber sexy with Richard. They'd make one hot couple if you ask me….Okay, I'll stop now. But that's a good series, I think you'd like it with sexy, violent Slade in there.
So let us party, party well. Party and go down to Mexico where I don't think they frown upon incest as much as they do here….XDDD! We all speak broken Spanish and be the Los EmosChicos. I'm going to miss ye Rose, but you're reviewing my new story…Thankie! Oh, and speaking of parties, I'm throwing one on Saturday because my mom was stupid enough to trust me alone in our house for 3 days while my parents go to Pittsburgh…Boooooringest place on Earth, I assure you. Our deal was that I have to rake leaves and she would let me stay by myself. Yeah, leaves can kiss my ass. Well, gotta go now!
Love you all and hope to see you next story,
Emmery