Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ A New Hope ❯ The Invitation ( Chapter 16 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: Kivalle

AN: I just hope this one doesn't suck.

*~*~*~*~*

Craven looked at the sorry shape his newfound son was in. An IV was hooked into his arm, the heart monitor was blinking in a steady beat, and his chest was wrapped almost identically as his was when he was shot.

He closed his eyes and looked away, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small dagger. His voice was barely above a whisper.

“I'm sorry, son.”

Nathan's eyes stayed the same as he nodded his understanding. Craven lifted the dagger, eyes still shut. In his ears, the sound of the heart monitor was almost driving him insane. The beeps never sped up, but stayed the constant rhythm.

He opened his eyes and prepared to strike.

*~*~*~*~*

Marie's eyes flitted open at the sound of voices in Nathan's room. She stood quickly and went to the kitchen to get a tray of food that the two of them could share.

Making her way back to his room, she knocked on the door, opening it as she spoke.

“Daddy, is Nathan awa-what? Nathan, Daddy, what's going on?”

Craven's back was to Marie, and he held a dagger above his head, ready to strike Nathan, who had a shocked look upon his face that he quickly put a calm mask over.

“Marie, please come in. We need to talk.”

Shutting the door and locking it behind her, Marie slowly entered the room and sat down, setting the tray on the nightstand. Nathan reached out his hand and she took it in her own, scooting her chair closer to the bed. Craven sat on his other side, the dagger now put back in his pockets.

The three sat in silence for a few moments before Craven broke it.

“Where to begin…”

*~*~*~*~*

Once the tale was told, Marie sat in stunned silence. Her life as she had known it had just come crashing down all around her, starting with the fact that Craven wasn't her real father. When they explained how Nathan was his only real child, she almost fainted.

“But…if I'm not yours, how do I have your powers? And if Nathan is yours, do you have the powers also?”

Craven explained how he had a part of her creation to his name. They both turned to Nathan for his explanation.

He just sighed and brought up his hand. He shut his eyes and concentrated, causing a black orb to enclose around his hand. His bandages around his chest started turning a reddish color as he began to bleed from his gunshot wound again. Marie noticed.

“Stop Nathan, please, you're hurting yourself.” Her eyes, as well as her voice, pleaded with him.

He put his hand down as she asked. “I guess the strain is still a bit too much for me.”

Craven sighed and stood up, stretching. “Well, I'll leave you two alone for now.” He turned and left the room.

Once the door was shut, Marie looked at Nathan, then into his eyes.

“How do you feel?”

“Aside from what I just did leaving me a little breathless, as good as to be expected. How do you feel?”

“Numb, slightly cold on the inside, lied to for the past nineteen or so years, found out my boyfriend is really the son of the man I believed to be my father. Aside from that, fine. Glad you're alive.”

“If you hadn't come in, I'm not so sure about that.”

*~*~*~*~*

2 1/2 Months Later

Nathan and Marie were out walking along a path through the park again, huddled close to each other as the cool September wind blew by. They laughed, still close to one another.

The couple sat on a park bench, staring off into the mid autumn sky, leaning on one another.

Suddenly, a sharp hawk's cry cut through the chilled air as a carrier hawk landed on the park bench to their side. Tied to the hawk's leg was a note of some kind.

“Well I'll be, it's a note from one of my old friends.”

Nathan picked the note from the hawk's leg, opened the note and scanned it. When he was done, he spoke to the bird.

“Tell Endymion we'll be there.”

With another cry, the hawk took off. Marie watched it fly away into the sky before turning back to Nathan.

”What was that about?”

“Hm? Oh, we've been invited by my old friend to a masquerade ball in his old castle. The note said to bring a loved one. So pack your bags, we're going to a ball!”