The Birth of Nightwing

Prologue


Raven stretched out on her bed, a dog-eared copy of Wicked balanced on her swollen stomach. Her pregnant belly stretched the navy material of her cotton maternity gown to the point where she couldn’t even see her own feet. Her long violet hair, streaked through with black, fell in soft waves around her delicate, pale face and shoulders. It was getting on midnight and her husband was still cleaning up dishes in the kitchen, or so she thought.

She listened hard and heard the clatter of fingers on a keyboard, combined with the muffled static of… was that a police scanner? Raven folded over the corner of the page to mark her place and set down her book. With no small effort, she heaved herself out of bed and waddled into the kitchen.

“Dick?” she called. “Richard? Are you ok in there?”

“I’m fine, Rae, honey,” her husband of four years said.

To the world, they were Richard and Rachael Grayson, but for years they had been Robin and Raven, two of the five members of the super-hero team, Teen Titans. Raven and Robin had gotten married after they graduated college and were currently expecting their first child.

“Richard,” Raven said, letting out a short puff of air as the baby aimed a sharp kick for her kidneys. “What are you doing? You aren’t listening to the police scanner again, are you?”

Richard sighed, pushing his long black hair out of his eyes. He couldn’t lie to his wife. It would hurt her too much when she eventually found out; “I’m just making sure, you know? It’s not like I’m off chasing a robber or anything like that.”

“Dick, you know I miss the glory days too,” Raven said, waddling over to her husband and pushing his hair back affectionately. “I would love to throw on the old costume and hit the streets, taking out the scum that haunts our dear city. But I don’t think this monstrosity that used to be my belly will fit into the old leotard.”

“Rae, you look beautiful,” Richard said, leaning his head against his wife’s tummy.

“Yeah yeah, everyone says that,” Raven said with a smile. “Oh, you’re glowing, you look so lovely, you can’t even tell you’re pregnant. Yeah, whatever. My ankles are swollen up, I need to pee 22 hours out of the day, my naval is gone, my shoes don’t match, and I swear if this thing gets any bigger, I’ll never bounce back!”

Richard laughed and took his wife into his arms, rubbing her belly gently; “I know it’s hard honey, but just six more weeks. You can do this. Come on. Let’s go to bed.”

On the outside, Richard was the very portrait of calm. On the inside, he was fighting with several aspects of himself. He was barely in his late twenties and he felt like he was having a midlife crisis. Rae had been so patient, letting him get another motorcycle, grow his hair long, and everything. But he knew the only way to recapture his youth was to revisit his youth.

He lay in bed that night, unable to sleep; feeling like something was going to happen. He had given up superhero work for about 5 or so years now. Why would he suddenly want to recapture this elusive thing everyone called youth. Honestly, Richard didn’t really know what that was… youth. He didn’t even think it existed.

It was probably hours, but what felt like minutes later, he snapped awake, something wet on his leg. Raven was sitting up, hissing in pain and grasping for her stomach.

“Richard… it’s time…”