Ten Years Later Ch. 5

Chapter Five
"Many Reunions"

Just Outside Garfield Logan’s Mansion, Hollywood California

Judging from the way Cyborg had reacted to seeing the five men approaching, Raven assumed they were in danger. She balled her pale fists and black light began to shimmer around them. As soon as Cyborg noticed this, he quickly shook his head.

“Whoa, settle down Raven. They’re not a threat . . . just annoying.”

Raven’s eyes reverted to normal and the aura around her hands disappeared. She was growing more curious with each passing second as to whom these shadily dressed men might be, and what their connection was to Beast Boy. When the group arrived at the other side of the gate, Cyborg opened the driver’s door of the T-Car and stepped out. He walked up to the gate and stood face to face with the man in the white suit.

The man in white was taller than the men in black. He had a small goatee and mustache that was black like the rest of his hair. The hair on his head was greasy and slicked back with too much gel. His pencil-thin mustache and dark sunglasses added to the picture and he looked like some mobster from a B-rate movie. Raven didn’t like him from the get go.

“Vicky baby, you’re late.” The man in white said. His voice had a greasy quality to it that made Raven shudder; and the fact that he’d called Cyborg ‘Vicky baby’ only added to her instant distrust and dislike of the unknown man.

“Hello Delaney.” Cyborg responded with an ice-cold voice. “I realize I’m late, can you open the gate now?”

“Why are you late, Vic?” Delaney asked in his oily voice. The sunglasses masked his eyes, but Raven knew they were focused right past Cyborg and on her. She shuddered, feeling his glare and disliking it enormously.

“I ran into an old friend and we went out for coffee.” Cyborg growled, becoming annoyed easily. “Look Delaney, open the freaking gate.”

“Now, now,” Delaney replied, waving his hands in front of him. “Remember; I’m Chief of Security for Mr. Logan, nobody gets into his property without my say-so.”

“And I’ve been Gar’s best friend since he was fourteen.” Cyborg snapped back. “And we both know if I called him up, he’d let me in.”

“Vicky baby, nobody doubts your right to be here.” Delaney said with a matter-of-factly tone. “But I can’t have you bringing strange chicks onto the property.”

“I’m a friend of Garfield’s.” Raven said before Cyborg or Delaney could get a word out. “And if you ever call me a ‘chick’ again, you’ll be sorry.” She added in a cold tone. It was no longer a matter of disliking this man; she flat out could not stand him.

“Excuse me; I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Chuck Delaney, Chief of Security for Mr. Logan and his house. And you are?” Delaney said, his oily voice dripping.

“My name is Raven,” Raven replied coldly. “Now open the gate.”

“Listen here, little lady, I’m Chief of Security.” Delaney stated proudly. “No one gets on this property unless I clear them first, got it?”

Raven narrowed her eyes. “Why don’t you call Garfield and ask him what he thinks?”

“Because I don’t need too, it matters what I think; I’m Chief of Security.” Delaney rebutted rather rudely. Raven was becoming fed up with all of this and she turned her gaze to Cyborg.

“Can we go now?” She asked annoyance evident in her voice.

“That’s not up to Vicky, that’s up to me.” Delaney cut off Cyborg before he could even speak. “So why don’t you direct the conversation my way, little chicky.”

That did it. Raven’s day, so far, had consisted of a very long airplane ride, a very long line at a sci-fi convention, and a very long car ride with Cyborg while he recalled a very sad story about the Titan’s breakup. She was on her last nerve and her annoyance level had become dangerously high. Raven narrowed her eyes; which were now red and glowing and she spoke in a deep, dangerous voice.

“Listen to me very carefully grease-ball.” Raven snapped. “I stole from a innocent waitress and spent an entire day surrounded by the world’s nerd population at a sci-fi convention so I could see Garfield; now open the gate.”

Chuck Delaney, however, did not budge. He stood and refused to open the gate.

“Don’t worry Rae, I’ll call BB and –”

“Azarath, Metreon, Zinthos.” Raven muttered, waving one of her hands. The lock on the end of the gate turned black and clicked open, and a second later, the large iron bars that separated Beast Boy’s estate from the rest of Hollywood swung open. Chuck Delaney’s eyes widened and the four men with him all sweatdropped and did double takes.

“What the hell was that?” Delaney demanded, reaching a hand inside his jacket. Cyborg quickly intervened.

“Chuck, don’t mess with her. She’s a former superhero and could whip your ass. Trust me. Just get out the way, and stop being such a prick.” Cyborg advised him. Delaney glared at the half-man, but apparently, he was too freaked out by Raven’s display of powers to say or do anything further. He turned around went back up the gravel path that led towards the actual mansion, muttering to the other four men the entire way.

“Well, he was a bright little ray of sunshine.” Raven’s sarcasm flowed like wine. Cyborg laughed.

“No kidding. Chuck’s a jerk. BB hired him a couple years ago after one of his fans went nut-so on him.”

“Define ‘nut-so’?” A curious Raven asked.

“Eh, she came here and declared that BB was the greatest actor alive, and that he was a genius writer too, then she asked if he wouldn’t mind posing for a picture with her. Well, you know BB. You take a pretty woman; add a massive amount of compliments and he’s putty in a person’s hands. Well, long story short, she kidnapped him using chloroform, drove him down to Mexico and tried to force some Spanish priest to marry them. BB woke up, did the changeling thing, and high-tailed it back here. Ever since then, he’s had bodyguards.”

Raven shook her head, trying to imagine what kind of psychopath would kidnap Beast Boy and try to marry him illegally in Mexico. Either ‘Space Trek’ was a bigger hit than she realized, or Beast Boy finally had become irresistible to women, like he always claimed he was back in the days at the tower. She had a feeling it was the first choice.

“Well, c’mon Rae, let’s go up and see him.” Cyborg said. He closed the doors of the T-Car, made sure his baby was locked tightly, and then started up the hill that led towards the mansion in the distance. Raven could see it. A huge, two-story house was painted red and white, with actual gold rims on the building. She could see a swimming pool off to their right. It was shaped strangely.

“What’s up with his pool?” Raven asked as they walked past.

“If you see it from above it looks just like BB’s head.” Cyborg explained.

“I’d say that money and fame changed him, but I think he probably had that idea in his head when he was poor.” Raven remarked in her usual sarcastic fashion.

“Naw, don’t worry about BB being changed.” Cyborg said as they continued up the path towards the large white door of the mansion. “He’s still the same guy he always was. He spends all day eating tofu, playing Mega Monkeys 12, and working on his Sci-Fi show.”

Raven felt a smile twitch at the corner of her mouth, but she forced it away. “Great. So fame didn’t go to his head at all?”

“Oh it went to his head, alright.” Cyborg laughed. “He’s convinced that he’s the greatest thing since sparkplugs; but he hasn’t really changed. His head’s the size of the moon, but just as empty as it was ten years ago.”

Both of the former titans shared a quick laugh at this, and Raven allowed the smile to break free this time. She had not laughed like that in a long, long time. In truth, she had been worried about coming up here to see Beast Boy, but now all worry had vanished from her mind. Somehow, this just felt right. Her restless mind was finally at peace here. All the fears, doubts and worries that had been plaguing her since she had woken up were lessened and diminished to an extent that she felt like her old self again.

Raven stopped. Here they were, standing at the front door. She could feel those unfamiliar feelings of worry and doubt welling up inside her stomach. She couldn’t understand why she was so nervous to see him after all of these years. Well, yes she could. She was nervous because it had been ten years, and the grass stain who had once just been an annoying friend was now rich, powerful, arrogant and still, according to his book, in love with her. This would be an interesting reunion without a doubt.

Cyborg opened the door and let himself in, Raven followed behind him quietly without saying a word. She cast her eyes around Beast Boy’s living room as they walked inside. The walls were filled with bookshelves full of video tapes and DVDs. There were Space Trek posters on the wall, and each of them featured Gar’s big green face smiling down on her. She had to admit, she was amused with the fact that he’d decorated his house with posters of himself. It was cute, in a big-headed sort of way.

As they made their way through the hallways, Raven began to wonder just how big this house was. The carpets were nice, and the walls clean. She saw several portraits on the walls as they walked. Some of them were pictures of Beast Boy, some others were pictures of his late parents, Mr. & Mrs. Logan, and some were pictures of the Space Trek cast. She noticed there were no pictures of the Titans hanging up.

“I sort of expected some more glamor shots of the old team.” Raven noted.

“Not out here. BB has an old picture of the team in his room.” Cyborg informed her, then he grinned obnoxiously. “And guess whose picture he has right next to his bed?”

Raven just groaned in response. Cyborg laughed his head off. They turned down a hallway, and suddenly Raven was struck by a powerful smell. She recognized it in a heartbeat, although she hadn’t had that scent on her nose in ten years.

“Grilled-Tofu-and-cheese-sandwiches.” Raven said, a smile crossing her mind at the memories that brought back.

“BB’s favorite.” Cyborg replied. “You know, he makes his own cheese for those things. Makes his own milk, too.”

“Beast Boy has a cow?” Raven asked.

“No.” Cyborg replied, and when Raven realized what he meant she groaned once again. Cyborg laughed amused and Raven knew it had only been a joke, but she was still compelled to let out an annoyed sigh.

They reached a white door and Cyborg opened it. On the other side was a kitchen. It was a fabulous kitchen, too. The floors were white tile, there was a large silver refrigerator on the wall, and cabinets full of dishes, cooking utensils and spices. Cabinets filled the walls on both sides, and in the middle of the room was a long table with an oven, stovetop grill, and sink all built in, as well as a counter space for preparing food.

She saw him then. Short, skinny and green; there was Beast Boy. Garfield was standing in the middle of one of the aisles between the cabinets and the sink/stove/oven counter. He was just loading a sandwich with tofu and covering it in melted cheese when he heard the door open and turned around. Raven took a tentative step back behind Cyborg’s bulky body so that he could see no more of her than her arm.

“Dude, howdy Cy.” Beast Boy greeted his best friend in the same way he had for years. Apparently, he had not noticed Raven.

Cyborg grinned cheekily. “Hey BB. You left early, what’s the deal?”

Beast Boy shrugged. “Eh, one of the fans asked me how I was going to end this season.” Beast Boy went back to working on his sandwich and while his head was turned away Raven risked a peak from behind Cyborg’s steely frame. She felt her throat close up on her and her mouth become very dry, and she could not figure out why. Why was seeing him affecting her this way? She hadn’t been like this around Cyborg.

Yeah, well Cyborg hasn’t been harboring a crush on you for ten years either. Raven pointed out to herself mentally. What am I doing? Who cares if he has a crush on me?

It’s more than a crush if its lasted for ten years. A little voice inside her head said.

It doesn’t matter. Even if it is. It’s not like I . . . Raven trailed off. She was losing the argument with her emotions.

It’s not like you what? Not like, you have feelings for him. My, how quickly we forget Raven. Ten years is a long time, but I seem to recall --

Enough! Raven was not going to debate her emotions today. She had enough on her plate as it was.

“Sounds fascinating BB.” Cyborg said in a voice that clearly showed his last statement was untrue. Raven snapped back into reality and away from her emotions. She realized that Beast Boy had been going on about Space Trek this entire time. “Listen, BB, I got a surprise for you dude.”

Beast Boy blinked and looked up from his sandwich. “Oh yeah? What is it?”

“This.” Before she could stop him, Cyborg took a huge step to the left and unblocked Beast Boy’s view of Raven. “Have fun kids.” With that, Cyborg turned around and quickly ran out of the room with a devious grin on his face. He shut the door behind him and left Raven standing there facing Beast Boy. She rubbed her right arm with her left one and bit her lip, looking down at her shoes.

“. . . So who are you?” Beast Boy asked, finally breaking the silence. Raven felt a little hurt by this statement, but she quickly realized that she was ten years older than she had been when he last saw her, her face was down so he couldn’t see it, and she was wearing tight jeans and a T-shirt; a clothing combination Raven wouldn’t normally be caught dead in.

Instead of answering his question, Raven lifted her face so he could see it. Beast Boy’s eyes widened as soon as she did. He saw her pale skin tones, the dark eyes that had invaded his dreams since he was just a teenager, and that red stone on her forehead that he’d always found strangely foreign and erotic. Beast Boy’s jaw dropped.

“R-R-Ra-Ra-Ra-eeee?” He choked out at last.

An Old Cavern Beneath Wayne Manor, Gotham City

Deep beneath the earth, in an underground cavern, Dick Grayson sat alone in the dark. His only company down here was the occasional rat, spider or bat. High-tech computer systems and glass cases full of advanced weaponry aligned the walls around the room. The lair he sat in was infamous, perhaps one of the world’s foremost crime fighting bases. Dick had grown up over the years. His hair was long and fell over his shoulders, and his eyes were dark beneath the thin mask he wore over his face.

“I don’t get it.” He whispered. His eyes were focused on the computer monitor in front of him, reading an online article.

“Don’t get what, Master Dick?”

Nightwing, as he was now known, sweatdropped and quickly hit a button on the computer keyboard that wiped the screen blank of the article he had been reading. He swiveled his chair around to find an aged man with a thin mustache standing behind him. The man wore an expensive suit and was carrying a small trey that contained a sandwich and some tear.

“Oh, it’s nothing Alfred.” Nightwing hastily replied.

“Are you certain?” Alfred asked as he walked beside the computer and set the trey of sandwiches and tea down on the table next to Nightwing. “I could have sworn you were reading an article about Miss. Anders.”

Nightwing’s eyes darkened, but his cheeks reddened a bit. “I was just going over some of Bruce’s old crime reports, that’s all.”

“Hmm.” A not-convinced butler mumbled to himself. “Very well, I’ll leave you to work Master Dick.”

Alfred turned and went back up the steps that led to Wayne Manor. The superhero formerly known as Robin sighed and turned the computer screen back on. The screen contained an online article that was, as Alfred had suspected, about a fashion model named Kori Anders. Nightwing didn’t know why he even bothered reading about her, it had been years since they had last spoken, and the last time they had talked it had been an argument. Still, he couldn’t help himself. When he’d stumbled across the article online he’d been compelled to read it. It reminded him of Jump City, and of the happiest days of his life.

He did not want to remember Starfire. He tried to block her – and all the other Titans – from his mind. He tried to forget about those days, and forget what a huge mistake he had made ten years ago. He tried to wish away his depression and heartache.

It never worked.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

A red light was flashing through the Batcave, and an alarm was blazing. He quickly tapped a few keys on the keyboard and the article about Kori Anders was replaced with live video feed from the First National Bank of Gotham, where a robbery was in progress. Apparently two suspects had entered and began tearing up the place, and police were helpless to stop them.

Nightwing bolted from his chair and hurried towards his motorcycle. Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake, who normally took care of Gotham’s crime problems, were on assignment for the Justice League. Nightwing had been happy to fill in during their absence. His sleek blue motorcycle fired the impressive jet engines and soared down the street towards Gotham as it exploded out of the end of the Batcave’s hidden entrance.

He made quick timing on reaching the city. He was pulling up just outside the bank, which was already surrounded by police cars. Nightwing jumped off of his bike and approached the barricade that had been set up in front of the bank. Several officers were behind the wooden barricade with their guns drawn, but none of them were going inside.

“What’s the hold-up?” Nightwing asked one of the officers nearest the large glass doors of the bank.

“We’ve been waiting on you, actually.” The cop replied. “Those creeps inside are more your territory. Apparently they’re both supervillians.”

Nightwing looked towards the glass doors. Someone had pulled the curtains down to block the view of the inside of the bank, so he could not see the suspects. Nightwing continued his questioning. “Are there any hostages?”

“Yeah.” The cop said grimly. “Three bank tellers, a security guard and two customers who were inside. Last we heard the robbers had stuffed them all inside the vault.”

Nightwing nodded. “Alright, I’m going in.” With that Nightwing withdrew a rappelling hook gun out of his belt and fired the sturdy wire. It connected with the roof and he used it to pull himself up to the roof of the bank. The police watched with baited breath as the superhero climbed his way across the roof until he reached the large glass skylight on top. He looked down and could see the main room of the bank. The vault door was open, and inside he could see several hostages. There were also two people standing in the middle of the room; they appeared to be waiting on something.

Nightwing carefully removed a glass-cutting utensil from his utility belt and cut a small circle in the glass skylight. He was careful not to let it fall after he cut it. He set the removed circle on the roof, and then reached a gloved hand inside and unlocked the skylight. Nightwing then opened the skylight and prepared to get the drop on the robbers. That’s when he was able to get a batter look at the pair; and he gasped.

The first was a man. He was short and completely bald, except for an overgrown brown mustache. He wore goggles over his eyes and on his back he had a steel backpack. His clothes were entirely black, and Nightwing was amazed that his wardrobe was pretty much the same after all these years. The second was a taller woman with pale skin and long purple hair down her back. She wore too much eyeliner and too much blush in her cheeks, and wore a black dress. There was no mistaking either one of them, even after ten years.

“I see you finally grew some hair, Gizmo. Too bad it wasn’t on your head.” Nightwing laughed as he jumped down from the roof and landed behind the pair. The short man – Gizmo – squeaked and jumped back, while the woman – Jinx – sidestepped away from Nightwing and smiled at him.

“I wondered when someone would show up.” Jinx smirked, then she waved her arms and purple waves of energy shot across the room. Nightwing did a back flip to avoid them – however the waves crashed against the counter behind him and caused it to break in half.

“And what brings a couple of washed-up wannabe crooks like you two all the way out here?” Nightwing asked as he flipped a bird-a-rang off his belt and tossed it at Jinx. She used her natural acrobatic skills to dodge the bird-a-rang with a fancy cartwheel.

“Wouldn’t YOU like to know!” Gizmo taunted childishly. He pressed a button on his belt and his steel backpack opened. Two large silver wings shot from the side and a engine appeared on the bottom. It had become a jet pack. Gizmo lifted off into the air and then pressed another button. Two small revolver-like machineguns lifted out of the top of the backpack and landed on Gizmo’s shoulders. The mounted gauss guns opened fire at Nightwing, who jumped behind the counter to avoid the bullets. Jinx wasted no time; she fired her spells at the roof and several pieces fell off towards the other side of the counter.

Nightwing, however, was too good to fall for that. He jumped up off the ground and did a back flip in mid-air. His feet collided in mid-air with one of the chunks of roof and kicked it towards Gizmo. It smashed into the short man’s face and sent him spiraling out of control. Gizmo slammed into a wall and sunk down to the ground. Jinx gasped, then turned towards Nightwing for an attack but the former boy wonder was too quick. He delivered a kick to Jinx’s jawbone before she could wave her hands and she was sent flying into the marble floor.

Nightwing quickly turned around, but he was not fast enough. Gizmo was back up and had already activated another gadget on his steel backpack. The wings and jet engine were gone; instead, his classic spider-legs had shot out and lifted him up into the air. A pair of rocket launchers on either side of the steel pack had emerged and had been aimed at Nightwing.

“Adios jerkwad!” Gizmo yelled. He hit a button on his wristwatch and the missiles fired right towards Nightwing. Nightwing did not budge an inch. He whipped a small disc off his belt and threw it. As the disc flew in-between the missiles it exploded and caused them to detonate in mid-air, away from Nightwing.

Nightwing ran forward and grabbed Gizmo by the collar of his shirt. “Now, start talking baldy; what brings you to Gotham?”

“Not telling you a thing.” Gizmo replied rudely. Nightwing slammed the smaller man into the wall behind him roughly, banging Gizmo’s head against the concrete.

“TALK!” Nightwing demanded.

“It was just a job. Some guy offered Jinx and me big cash if we caused trouble in Gotham.” Gizmo admitted, not wanting to be beaten any further.

“Who?”

“I don’t know, we never met in person.” Gizmo claimed. Nightwing growled and pushed Gizmo against the wall again. Gizmo cried out in pain and then began to sputter, “It’s the truth!” repeatedly. Nightwing finally sighed and dropped the short crook. He removed the man’s backpack and tossed it aside. Gizmo looked like he was going to try to run and reach it again, but Nightwing tossed a small detonator from his belt at the backpack and it blew up. The explosion caused the backpack to detonate and the resulting blast turned out to be bigger than Nightwing had expected.

Jinx used the smoke created by the blast as an opportunity. She waved her arms at the vault and her bad luck spells crashed into the walls. Nightwing heard screaming from inside and realized that the building was collapsing around the hostages.

“Our boss wanted us to pass on a message to you!” Jinx shouted as she ran to Gizmo’s side and grabbed her partner by the shirt collar. She took a small disc out of her pocket and threw it onto the ground. Then she and Gizmo ran towards the front door.

“Freeze!” The police yelled in unison. Jinx scoffed and waved her arms; the police cars and the barricade walls toppled over, causing the police to have to run to avoid being crushed. She and Gizmo used this as the opportune time to disappear into the night.

Nightwing grabbed the small disc off the ground and pocketed it, then he ran into the vault to see the walls tumbling down. He quickly threw some explosives at one wall, blowing a hole in it, and then he grabbed the hostages by their ropes and threw them outside. The hostages received some minor cuts and scrapes from being throw out of the building, but their lives had been saved.

Nightwing himself jumped out just as the structure gave way and the vault room collapsed. The long haired hero panted a bit, then he took the disc out of his belt again and examined it. He wasn’t sure what significance it had, if any at all, but he suspected it was the next clue in this puzzle.

Seeing that Jinx and Gizmo were already gone, and the police were tending to the hostages, Nightwing hurried back onto his motorcycle and headed back towards the Batcave without a word to anyone. On the way he popped the small disc into his onboard computer on the bike and watched the small computer monitor between the handle bars.

What he saw shocked him.

“Hello Nightwing . . . Nightwing. Hah. You’ll always be little Robin to me.” The disc was a recorded message: from Slade. Nightwing didn’t even know Slade was still alive after all these years, but there was no mistaking the masked man on the screen in front of him.

“You’re probably curious as to why I’ve chosen to contact you after ten years, and equally curious why I hired those simpletons, Jinx and Gizmo, to deliver this message rather than doing it personally. Well, you’ll have your answers Robin, in due time, my boy.”

Nightwing could feel a hatred welling up inside him that he hadn’t felt in years. Here he was, being taunted by Slade once again as if no time had passed.

“The first thing you should know is that Raven is awake.” Slade explained, and the moment he said those words Nightwing gasped and slammed on the breaks of his bike. He was not far from the Batcave entrance now, and outside of the city. His eyes widened and he felt his throat tighten.

“I’ll give you a minute to realize what I just said. I’m sure you’re having a typical overdramatic reaction.” Slade’s recording hissed. Nightwing glared. “The second thing you need to know is that soon, very soon, Trigon the Terrible will be coming for her. Yes Robin, you remember him too, don’t you?”

Nightwing’s throat was increasingly dry.

“I won’t bore you with all the details or explanations now, but I will tell you this. The Teen Titans, even if you aren’t a team anymore, are still Trigon’s target. He hates you all for accepting his daughter. He hates the Titans and will never forgive you for treating her like a human, like a equal – like a friend. When Trigon returns, he will kill all five of you first thing. If you and your friends want to stand even a ghost of a chance against him, then its time for a little reunion. Raven is already Los Angeles, undoubtedly going to find Beast Boy and Cyborg. I suggest you find Starfire and meet them there as soon as possible. I’ll be keeping an eye on them for now, but don’t expect me to protect them from what happens next. That is something only you can do.”

Nightwing hated those words. What happens next? It was a question that would ring in his ears until he had an answer.

“I’m sure you’re questioning my motives on all of this. You’re wondering if you can believe me, or if this is all a trap; furthermore you realize that even if what I say is true, it is me saying it, and you cannot trust me. Am I right? Of course I am, Robin. So let’s cut to the chase – Yes, I have my own motivations for doing what I’m doing. No, you wouldn’t like them if you knew what they are. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Trigon will come for you one way or the other; I am merely offering a head’s up so that you might have a chance to win. I’ll be watching . . . Nightwing.”

With that the message ended. Nightwing sat in silence on the side of the road. His eyes continued to stare at the screen where Slade’s masked face had been only moments ago. Without another word, he turned his bike around and started speeding out of town. He hit a button on the dashboard and the mini-computer monitor he had been the disc on transferred over to a live feed to the Batcave, where Alfred answered.

“Yes, Master Dick?”

“I’m going to New York.” Nightwing informed him. “Have to take care of some things. Tell Bruce when he gets back.”

“Indeed, sir.”

Garfield Logan’s Mansion, Hollywood California

“You, but how, you were, and I, and coma, and guy, and dude, and the doctor said, but I told him, but he said –” Beast Boy was rambling now. He was standing in front of Raven with his mouth wide open, his eyes agape, and his mind blown away. Raven shook her head, partially amused.

“Beast Boy. Calm down.” She commanded in her usual monotone tone. For the first time since she woke up she really felt normal again. It was just like her telling him to calm down at the Tower, back in the days of normalcy.

“Raven, is it really you?” He asked, choking a bit on the words.

“Yes, it is.” She replied. She bit her lip and began to realize how hard this must be on him. He had lived the last ten years in the beliefs, that she would never wake up and that they would never see one another again. She knew that he still cared for her. It was apparent, both from his confession in his book and from the plot of his hit television show. Mostly, though, she knew from the look in his eyes. She had never really notice the way he looked at her ten years ago. There were moments – like after the Malchior incident, or that time he had first become ‘The Beast’ – when she saw a glimmer in his eyes. During those moments, the two of them connected on a level beyond friendship. She saw that same glimmer in his eyes now. His feelings for her had not changed.

And, when she really thought about it, her feelings for him were the same too. She never would have allowed herself to admit it in those days, but she did care about him. She wouldn’t use the word ‘love’. It was a strong word, and she doubted that anyone in her life had even earned that word, but she could honestly say it was more than just friendship. Perhaps if she had not been so quiet, and if he had not been quite so obnoxious and annoying, something could have happened between them ten years ago.

. . . What the hell are you thinking? Don’t think about this. Not here. Not now. Raven’s emotions were screaming in another argument. Reason wanted her to return her focus on the important issues, but one of her emotions wanted her to focus on Beast Boy and his feelings for her. That emotion was one she rarely ever obeyed, and she wouldn’t start now.

“When did you . . .” Beast Boy trailed off.

“Not long ago. I’ve had one hellova a time too. I’ll tell you all about it.” Raven promised, then she decided to do something that surprised her even more than it surprised Beast Boy. “Over lunch.”

Beast Boy blinked at her. “You want some tofu-and-cheese sandwiches?” He offered, his ears perking up like a dog’s to show he was excited.

“Why not.” Raven replied. She had already had one of the strangest days of her life, she may as well not break the pattern. Besides, while she’d never acknowledge it, seeing Beast Boy again had put her in a good enough mood that she’d eat a tofu-and-cheese-sandwich with him.

Beast Boy smiled at her, and then he ran forward and threw his arms around her in a tight hug. Raven was a little annoyed, but decided to keep it to herself. When Beast Boy broke away, however, he caused Raven to drop what she’d been holding. She had been holding his book. It fell to the kitchen floor with a clang, and when Beast Boy saw it his eyes widened in silent horror.

“You . . . read my book?” Beast Boy asked, looking away from Raven and his face filling up with blood.

“Yeah.” Raven replied quietly.

It was one of those awkward moments that can feel like hell.

Unfortunately for both of them, something was soon going to happen that would feel even more hellish. . .