Minding the Nest Chapter 4

4. What Happens Now?

Speedy had managed to take care of the children at his tower a bit better, with Cheshire's help.  However, this had led to a total abandonment of his hero work, his duties as a Titan.  This was causing some problems.  He didn't care, though.  He had more important responsibilities just now.

Then the alert came in.  Several meta-human villains were robbing a bank, and it had become a hostage situation.  Speedy cursed.  He had to do something, but...

"Go," Cheshire said to him as he watched the TV.  "I'll watch the kids.  You've got work to do, don't you?"

He smiled at her.  "Thanks, Jade."  He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.  "I owe you big."  Grabbing his bow and arrows, he headed out.

Cheshire went and sat down by where the kids were.  "He is far too trusting," she said to Bumblebee.  "What if I were under orders to eliminate you all?"  She pulled out a bottle of poison and set it in front of Bumblebee.  "He's given me the perfect opportunity.  I can think of 37 different ways all of you could die while he's gone, and there would be no proof it was me.  I could even make it look like I had tried to protect you and failed, making me a fallen hero almost in his eyes.  And I have more than enough time to do so.  And yet...he knows this about me, and left you all in my care."  She rolled onto her back on the table, staring at Bumblebee.  "What do you make of that, Karen?  What do I do with a guy like that?  What do I do with all of this?"

Bumblebee was working the stopper out of the bottle.  Then she moved to drink it.  Jade snatched it out of her hands.

"Karen!  That's too dangerous!"  She stared at the baby.  Most kids of that age, when something is snatched from them, will pout, scream, cry, and otherwise throw a fit.  Bumblebee, however, was smiling at Jade.

"You..." Jade shook her head.  "You've been playing us.  You know who you are, and who's around you.  You may have a baby's mind and body...but the thoughts processed in that mind are still those of the hero Bumblebee, aren't they?"

Bumblebee giggled.

"Then you knew...you were..."  Jade shook her head.  "I guess that teaches me.  Were you trying to show me where I draw the line?  Well, you're wrong.  If I were under orders, you would all be dead."

Cheshire turned and walked over to watch the TV.  Speedy had made it onto the scene, and was fighting the villains, doing a good job.  "Roy...I told you I'd watch the kids...in a way, I gave you my word.  I hope no orders I ever receive violate a promise I've made you...if it did, I do not know which I would obey.  Hmph...I guess that old saw was right.  The only way to choose between love and duty...is to avoid the situation where you must choose."

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At Titans North, villainy was at an all time low, but with three heroes still active they'd been taking it in shifts.  Wildebeast and one of the others would go to fight crime, and the last would stay and watch the kids.

Wildebeast was actually on night watch for the kids.  He was actually pretty good at it.  He knew if he needed something from Cyborg and Jinx, he was to wake them.  However, he didn't need them much.  He could manage feedings and burpings.  However, his hands weren't too dextrous, so he would wake them if diapers needed changing.

Glancing in to check on them, he snorted.  Cyborg and Jinx slept, curled up to each other.  He wondered how they could enjoy that; from Jinx perspective, she was curled up to cold metal; from Cyborg's, he couldn't feel what he was curled up to beyond a sensation of increased temperature.

There was a cry in the night.  Wildebeast sniffed the air, then walked over and nudged Jinx.  She opened her eyes.  "Argent?" she asked sleepily.  Wildebeast nodded.  Sighing, she got up, making sure not to jostle Cyborg's power cord.  She headed out sleepily to change Argent.

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A high pitched cry split the air of the Tower.  "Starfire," Beast Boy mumbled without waking up.

"Got it," Raven mumbled.  Getting up, she walked over, fed Star, changed her, and burped her.  Once Star was fast asleep, she stumbled back to her bed and curled up to BEast boy again.

Another cry split the air.  "Robin," Raven mumbled.

"On it," Beast Boy said.  Getting up, he went and handled the Boy Blubber, as he reffered to the frequently crying infant.  Once that was done, he went back and curled up to Raven.

They had changed the arrangements earlier that day.  They had determined that, after dealing with the babies all day, neither of them had the energy to crawl to another room before conking out.  Rather than leaving Star's room smelling like the two of them, they had shifted the babies to Raven's room, since her bed was big enough Beast Boy didn't have to shapeshift for them both to be comfortable.  Since Raven handled Star exclusively and Beast Boy Robin, they had tried shifting them into their own rooms, but Star and Robin cried incessantly if they weren't in the same room at night.

Somehow, they wound up sleeping cuddled up to each other.  Raven had said it was because there wasn't room in the bed for the both of them AND the chicken, and she needed to be cuddled up to something.  Beast boy wisely hadn't pointed out the logical fallacy that the bed was technically big enough for three to sleep comfortably, so there was more than enough room for the chicken if he took the foot of the bed.  The glare she'd given him when she'd made her point made it clear he was to shut up and say 'Yes dear', or something along those lines.  He had settled for nodding.  Besides, at the time he was too tired to argue, and he liked the idea of being cuddled up to Raven.

As two cries split the air, they both groaned.  "The joys of parenthood," Beast Boy mumbled as they got up to tend to the kids.

"If we make it out of this in one piece, I am taking melvin, Timmy, and Teether to every bloody event they ask for.  They were never this much trouble," Raven muttered under her breath.

Beast Boy chuckled.  "Careful, for all you know, they're listening."

"And how could they manage that?"  Raven paused, since Star had stopped crying, but she was nowhere near the cradle.

"Need some help, Raven?" Melvin asked, holding baby Star in her arms.

Raven groaned.  Beast Boy chuckled, lifting Robin out of his cradle.  "We could both use some help," he said, rocking the squalling infant.

Raven glanced at Melvin.  "Are you gonna hold me to what I just said?" she asked.

"No.  New mother's are always desperate for help.  Besides, if you meant it, I won't need to, and if you didn't I wouldn't want to."

Raven winced.  "You got me there.  Where are the boys?"

"Tucked in in Beast Boy's bunk beds.  I thought I'd help with the babies before I hit the hay.  Why are Robin and Starfire babies?"

"Good question."  Raven took Star from Melvin's arms.  "Why don't you go kip down in Star's room.  There's enough room there for Bobby, and Silkie would like the company."

"Okay.  Good night, Raven."  Melvin turned and yawned.  Bobby picked her up and carried her off to bed.

Beast Boy groaned.  "Now we've got five to look after."

"Make that six.  At least two of them will be helpful."

They curled back up on the bed.  "Please, Azar, let them sleep through the rest of the night," Raven mumbled as they dozed off.