Raven Roth and Damian Wayne: The Walk of Life (Book 1 Of 2)

Chapter Nineteen

A/N: I'm really sorry for this taking so long, been a bit ill recently and haven't felt up to ding much of anything. In other news though I've come up with a schedule. I WILL release a new chapter EVERY Sunday before 9pm GMT (England time). With that, enjoy.

Damian sat lazily by the pool bursting clouds with his mind. Things had slowed since he arrived back home just over a week ago. Raven had spent a lot of time either reading or going out with Kori, Helena or Selina. Tim had come back with girlfriend Stephanie in toe. Damian had always been in two minds about her, she was his predecessor, held the robin mantle before he had come to Gotham. It didn't sit right with him that he was picking up after a girl but he also knew she was talented and his initial thoughts were what the League of Assassins had trained into him. Scanning the garden, he spotted Dick and Jason chatting as they made their way throw the area and back to the house. They clearly noticed him noticing them but made little effort to acknowledge that he was there, no quip or sly remark, no smirk or scowl, not even a nod. Unusual. Damian sluggishly rolled off of the lounger he had been crashed out on and got to his feet. As soon as he'd taken his first step he felt someone approaching behind him. "Hey, this is where you've been." Said Raven cheerfully. Damian didn't really care about chasing after Dick and Jason anymore. During their time at the manor Damian had spent a lot of time with Raven, taking her to see Gotham Central Library due to her love for book. They'd gone ice skating with Bruce and Selina. Went out for a dinner meeting up with Tim and Stephanie before their arrival at home. "Hey, what ya up to?" Asked Stephanie as she approached Damian from the manor. Damian had been so absent minded that he didn't even notice Stephanie coming, He'd scold himself for that later. "Nothing of import. Why?" He replied in a tone far less dry than usually associated with him. "Chill nothing big." She laughed back. "Just wanted a little chat is all." She finished as she took a seat next to him. "Hmph, What about?" Said Damian as he returned his gaze to the clouds. "Raven actually. Want to get to know her, if you'd be willing to indulge me?" She asked as much as stated. Damian's alarm bells rang out in his head, Stephanie was up to something. "Very well, what would you like to know about her?" He responded not turning to look at her, mind working on what the real objective here was. "Who is she? From your view point, who is Raven?" Stephanie asked, leaning in trying to get his full attention. "She is herself." Damian replied a slight hint of sharpness to his response. "Oh don't give me that, come on, who is Raven Roth to Damian Wayne?" Stephanie pried placing a hand on his shoulder. Damian closed his eyes and let out a sigh before turning to his, sister? Sister-in-law? He'd figure it out later, just another bat family love story that didn't really interest him but he should work out the correct relations to himself at least. "Raven is a gifted person. She is compassionate and yet not what you'd describe as social. She has a troubled past, troubled upbringing and troublesome parentage. She wants to use want she inherited for good, helping others who aren't in a position to help themselves. She reads, a lot actually, especially after father gave her the manors library. He says it's hers now apparently and not the Wayne Manors, go figure. She dislikes spicy foods, enjoys pizza on occasion as long as there is not pineapple on it. She watches the sun rise every morning from the roof of whatever building she is in. She's has enjoyed her time here, spending a fair amount talking with Alfred and giving a helping hand in the kitchen to his equal delight and disapproval of a guest 'working' with him. Anything else?" Damian stated, barely blinking as he gave his speech and tried reading the reactions. "Did you read that from a printed resume? Who. Is. She. To. You. Knucklehead." Stephanie teased. Damian sat for a moment and thought on the words before raising his gaze to meet hers. "Raven is easily the most interesting person I've met. She, I don't know, makes ordinary things that would otherwise be trivial more interesting. Sometimes I find myself wanting to be a bit more like her, more open. She is by no means AN open person, but she is more than I am. We're in a relationship with one another, an idea I'd always found ridiculous and to some extent repulsive but around Raven it felt different, feels different. I enjoy the idea of being with her and the time we spend together. Who is she to me? Raven is my girlfriend." Damian said unaware of the small smile that had slowly generated itself upon his lips while he spoke of Raven. Stephanie sat still looking at Damian with a smile on her face and an eyebrow raise. "So why are you sat out here bored and on your own like part of the furniture and not with her?" She asked finally. "Because she's sleeping. She started to feel tired earlier so went to have a sleep. I think she's been reading too much, and we've been out and about a fair amount recently so I thought I'd just let her sleep." Damian responded matter of factly to start with but easing off into a more casual tone. "She doze a lot?" Stephanie asked curiously. "Not usually. It's just recently that she's been taking naps. I suggested that we sever the telepathic link between us so that she had a bit more energy a couple days ago and though it helped she still gets tired pretty quickly." Damian replied and then began to ponder on the subject a little more. It was very unlike Raven to want to sleep so much, even more unusual to get so tired so quickly. "Seems to be suddenly bugging you." Stephanie questioned. "It suddenly is. Raven has assured me she's just tired, but thinking on it, I'm not so sure. I trust her and what she's saying but back at the tower she only got like this after training or a fight. Something seems off." He pondered. "Well Gotham is far more, smoggy, than Jump City. Could that have anything to do with it? Or sunlight, like Supers?" Stephanie theorised causing Damian to shake his head. "No, her powers are magic based so sunlight doesn't count for much outside vitamin D. Pollution doesn't seem logical enough but I guess we can't really rule it out given that it's Gotham pollution and anything could be in it." Damian and Stephanie continued to brainstorm for a couple of minutes until they were shaken from their seats by a huge tremor that shook the whole estate. "What was that?" Stephanie asked rubbing the base of her spine that had taken the brunt of her fall. "DAMIAN! Need you inside dude!" Came a shout from Tim half way out a door at the far end of the garden. Both Damian and Stephanie jumped to their feet and raced off to follow Tim through the door and up the main stairs of the manor. "What's going on?!" Damian called close behind Tim. "Well Helena popped in to check on Raven and long story short Raven is all red, yellow eyed, four of them by the way, and then screamed and everything became an earthquake. Honestly, you tell me cause you know her best." Tim explained as they got to the top of the stairs. A sudden realisation took over Damian. "Trigon!" He exclaimed and then shot off faster than Tim or Stephanie could react. As Damian rounded the corner the manor shook again and he could see Selina and Helena at Ravens door, more than that he heard Ravens screams. They were long, deep and closer to demonic than he'd ever like or expected. As he reached them he began to enter the room but Selina and Helena grabbed him before he got more than one foot in the door. "Slow up." Selina said as calmly as she could, which, given the situation, wasn't very calm at all. Damian could see his father inside holding Raven down with everything he had but also as gently and carefully as he could. "Damian. Quick version." Bruce called out glancing up to the door only momentarily. "Her father is trying to break out. He was able to stand up to superman, wonderwoman and the flash battling him at the same time while you were unconscious." Damian hastily said. Bruce thought quickly for a moment as he noticed it was becoming increasingly difficult to hold Raven. "Selina. Phone now, speed dial 5, speaker." He called. "Damian, stay out of it. I know how you feel and we feel she's family too but this is beyond you and in all probability, me." Bruce continued noticeably beginning to struggle. "Phone, 5, speaker, ringing." Selina said as she re-entered the room. "Hiya Bruc..." The man on the phone began before Bruce cut him off. "Manor. Help. Right now. Both of you if available." He spat. There was no answer from the phone. Within less than a minute, that crawled by, everyone felt the wind slam past them and they stumbled on their feet. Bruce looked up to see Clark stood there. "Cave, isolation chamber. Diana?" Bruce said. "Cheetah. I'll hold, you lead and instruct." Clark replied. The two Justice Leaguers got straight to work like a well-oiled machine, immediately entering 'work mode'. Bruce marched forward, Clark held the writhing Raven as he followed Bruce's lead. Down in the cave Bruce had built a chamber that Isolated the occupant from all other forces, toxins, entities or anything else, whether that be external or, as in this case, internal. "You'll have to keep hold of her inside the chamber while it powers up. Once she's stabilized enough I'll open it to let you out and leave her in there." Bruce said as he danced his fingers frantically over controls and buttons. "Ready." Was Clarks only reply. "We're just going to leave her in there?!" Questioned Damian fighting the impulse to take Raven from Clark and try dealing with the situation himself. "Only for a short time Damian. Until she's alright and back in control." Selina consoled him, to Damians surprise he was actually comforted by her saying it. "Alright. In." Ordered Bruce and Clark step inside holding Raven tight. From nowhere Raven let out a blood curdling growl that caused the cave to tremble and sent a number of fractures up the rock walls making debris fall from the ceiling. "YOUR WORLD WILL BE MINE. SHE WILL BREAK AND I SHALL WALK YOUR LANDS COATING THEM IN BLOOD AS I TEAR THE FLESH FROM YOU BONES. SHE CAN NOT STOP ME. YOU CAN NOT STOP ME. TRIGON WILL RETURN!" Screamed from Ravens lips but the voice was certainly not her own. While the others had taken a step back in both shock and slight fear, Bruce and Clark continued to work standing steadfast, knowing what was at stake. "Starting." Bruce called and Clark acknowledged with a nod but even he had begun to feel strained to hold Raven in place. With a flash of white light at the top of the chamber the cave began to quietly hum and the screaming from Raven began to become less feral. "She's easing off." Clark told Bruce who nodded while still checking levels and statuses. A short while after Raven stop screaming all together but still breathed heavily. "Alright Clark, you should be able to just set her down on the bed." Bruce told him walking around from the console and to the doors. Clark carried Raven the couple of feet to a small and basic bed and placed her gently on top and walked to the glass door and waited for the all clear from Bruce. Within a few minutes, Raven had returned to her usual grey pigment and her extra pair of eyes had vanished. "You can come on out now, I'll get the door." Bruce told his friend. Clark stepped out and the door closed behind him. "Thank you for being careful with her." Damian said stepping forward. "That's quite alright. Do we know what happened? What set her off?" Clark asked the room. Bruce walked up and placed a hand on Damians shoulder. "You know her best Damian, any ideas, we know who or rather what but not the why." Bruce said in a calm and caring manner that Clark hadn't really seen in him before, it was a little touching. "Trigon spends every day, night, hour minute, every moment trying to break free and Raven is constantly fighting against him. Some part of her mind is always in that battle between them. She never 100% here in the moment because she can't be. Yes he's trapped in that crystal on her forehead but it take a lot of up keep. She has to meditate daily to keep up her strength. And being as busy as we've been I think she started to get a little tired and he felt that and struck. It took a little while but he began to gain ground and this is where it got us." Damian explained. Bruce straightened up and looked at Clark. "I know I asked you here but you know me and what I'm about to say, don't you." Bruce said to him. "Family matter?" Clark replied with a smile. "Yes. That is what I would say. Just not this time." Bruce answered turning to the small group in the cave. "Raven IS family. We have always dealt with family matters or situations in house but Damian I'm sorry, it's bigger than that. We'll need everyone for this. Bat Family. Justice League. Titans. Teen Titans. Dark League is a must as well. Everyone comes in, no matter who they are, what they're doing. Call them." Clark stood a little straighter and took a step forward. "You really are a good motivational speaker. I'll contact everyone in the League. I'll also call in a favour from Kara. I don't like to say it but if things get ugly, at least one extra Kryptonian would be good to have, and if we're lucky, I might be able to get two extra Kryptonians." With that Clark zipped off. "Harley and Ivy could be a big help but I know it's still a little early for you to call them true allies, should I call them?" Asked Selina as she stepped forward to Bruce and put a reassuring hand on Damians back. "We'll need all the help we can get so give them a call and see if they'll lend a hand." Said Bruce. "We'll save her from Trigon, we'll find a way to truly free her from that struggle." He said to Damian. Damian scoffed "'Truly free her?' That sounds a lot more final than you usually put it. What happened to no killing?" He joked trying to lighten his, and everyone else's mood. "Details for later. For now, we plan and rest up. I'll move a bed down here, I know you're not going to leave so no point trying to make you." With that Bruce ushered everyone out and back to the manor so that Damian could have a moment to himself.