He placed a hand on her shoulder, and the rest took care of itself. Robin felt her power leave him, and he was surprised to see the energy jumping from his arm to her was white rather than black. "They are my family, this is my home, and you are not welcome here!" Robin watched, enraptured by the sight of Raven rising – a beacon of white light in a sea of red and black – to finally settle the score with her father.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
A white light, blinding in its intensity, erupted from her, taking the shape of a bird as it encased Trigon, wiping him from the face of the earth. Once that was done, it extended out, cleansing the world where Trigon had destroyed. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the other Titans shielding their eyes from the light.
But Robin couldn't look away, because for a moment – if only a fleeting moment – he thought he had seen Raven within that light, hair flying and eyes glowing. The sight had taken his breath away, and he now found himself unable to tear his eyes away, even as the light threatened to overwhelm his vision.
But just as soon as it had come, it was gone, leaving only a white-cloaked Raven floating down to the ground as evidence of what had just happened.
Starfire was the first to speak.
"Raven, that was…"
"Unbelievable," Cyborg finished.
Robin moved forward just as Raven – looking straight at him – said, "No. It wasn't."
To say the hug pleasantly surprised him would be an understatement. "Somebody believed."
For a moment, he could only stand there in shock. Then, he smiled. The odds, impossible as they were, had been beaten. It was over; she had done it.
At that point, he could have told her a million different things. He hoped she heard them all as he wrapped an arm around her and said: "Welcome back."
...And that's all she wrote! Seriously. The end. xD
For those of you observant people that noticed I had two chapters set in the present in a row (breaking the pattern), here's an explanation: the memory that was supposed to go there just wasn't working. I tried two different moments, but I couldn't get either of them to work the way I wanted. I didn't want to post something I wasn't proud of, so I didn't post it. And today, I almost posted this one first just to keep the pattern, and because the last line of chapter ten was also, I felt, a good way to end it. But then I decided the mood whiplash between the end of this chapter and the beginning of chapter ten just wouldn't work if I ordered it like that. So, there you go...
But yeah. I really enjoyed writing this. Some parts were icky (chapter eight gave me some trouble...), but other parts were just so easy to write. This chapter, along with six, is probably my favorite.
And... that's all I have to say. Reviews are loved, as always. Concritters will be glomped in appreciation.