Beast Boy walked down the hallway in the Tower. It was December, and Raven had locked herself in her room again. She did this every year. As soon as Thanksgiving was over, she'd lock herself in her room and wouldn't come out until new years, except for quick meals and missions. He was tired of this. It wasn't enough this year to just go through the usual cajoling, begging, and pleading, only to have her retreat and lock the door. This year, he was going to find out why.
Raising his hand to knock, he paused when his sensitive nose detected a brief flare of sulfur. She had just lit a match. He waited, not wanting to startle her into dropping it. He heard her light a candle and extinguish the match. About to knock again, he heard her begin to chant. It wasn't her usual chant, and it wasn't in any language she usually used for spells. However, he recognized enough of the cadence to know the language.
He ehaded for the computer and looked up the calendar. Then he hit wikipedia.
Her comments about a celebration she didn't belong to began to make sense. A plan began to form in his mind. But if it was going to work, he only had seven days to prepare.
The next day, Beast Boy approached Cyborg. "Hey, Cyborg!"
"What's up, BB?"
"I just got a call from Jinx up at Titans North."
"You mean with Argent, Hot Spot, Wildebeast and Herald?"
Beast Boy nodded. "Yeah, their com tower's taken heavy damage, and they need you over there to fix it up. The signal was lost once I got the message, and I can't get through anymore."
"Huh. Well, I'd better get over there in a hurry." Cyborg headed for the garage.
Once he was gone, Beast Boy grabbed his communicator. "Beast Boy to Jinx, come in."
"Jinx here. What's up, grass stain."
"Cyborg's on his way over to you guys. He thinks your com tower is damaged."
"Where would he get that idea?"
"Cause I told him you told me it was."
"...BB, what are you planning?"
"Jinx, once it's finished, I'll be glad to tell you all the details, but in the meantime, do you think you could contrive enough mechanical failures to keep Cy there for the rest of the week?"
Jinx smiled on the communicator. "I think I can contrive something to keep the tin man here, BB. But you owe me."
"Thanks Jinx. I owe you big."
"You bet you do."
The next day, Beast Boy approached Starfire. "Hey Star."
"Hello Friend Beast Boy."
"Have you seen Robin?"
"When last I saw him, he was in the main computer. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I found these on his desk under a picture of you, and I was wondering what it was about."
Star took the papers and glanced at them, then squealed. SHe flew off to the main computer room, Beast Boy trailing discretely behind her.
Robin was surprised as Starfire cannoned into him, hugging him tight. "Oh, Robin, I would live to spend the wonderful evening this Saturday with you doing the opera and the dancing and the fancy dinner. I am sorry I did not wait for you to ask me, but when Beast Boy showed me the papers for it he found on your desk under my picture I could not contain my joy!" She kissed him passionately, then pulled back. "Oh! I must go with Raven to the Mall of Shopping to find something to wear!" SHe flew off, squealing.
Robin blinked for a bit, then glanced from the papers to a smirking Beast Boy. "I take it you just set me up on a date with Starfire?"
"Yep. Got kinda tired of how you two beat around the bush with dating. I mean, after Tokyo, your feelings for each other aren't exactly a secret, you know."
Robin nodded, and glanced at the papers more closely. "Beast Boy, these tickets...this reservation...how'd you get these?"
"Made some calls, knew the right people, called in some favors."
"Beast Boy...I owe you big for this."
"I did it for Star, not you. So pay me back by making sure she enjoys every minute from sun up to sun up."
"I don't think we're ready for-"
"I didn't mean like that! Just make it a day for her to remember forever, okay? Make sure she gets my money's worth...and yours."
Robin nodded. "Thanks."
That Saturday, Beast Boy was in the kitchen preparing. He'd gotten everything he needed discretely, and Robin and Star had just left. He had all day to prepare. Then Raven walked in.
"Beast Boy, what are you doing?"
"Just preparing a special evening for someone special," he said without thinking.
"Oh," Raven said coldly. "Well, don't let me stop you."
"Raven, do you think you could do me a favor? We're all out of sour cream, and I can't risk burning anything. COuld you run out and get me some?"
She glowered at him for a while, then spun around. "Sure," she grated out. "WHy not? It's not like I have anything better to do." She stormed out.
Beast Boy sighed. He hoped she'd forgive him his small deceit. He got to work on the larger preperations.
Raven stalked angrily towards the store. The nerve of that brat! Did he think she hadn't caught on to his machinations? She knew he'd gotten the other Titans out of the Tower today. She was aware of the little tricks he'd played. Well, if he thought he could get rid of HER so easily - tonight of all nights - so he could have a wining and dining with some...FLOOZY, then he had another thing coming. Given the size of the cooking project he was working on, he wouldn't be done in time for a lunch. SHe'd just break up the party right around sundown. That would teach him to treat her like this! She thought...she thought...
Never mind what she thought. Obviously, she was wrong.
Just at sundown, Raven came back to the Tower with the sour cream. Stepping inside, she extended her mind. That was odd. There wasn't anyone here with Beast Boy. Had...SHE...been and gone? Raven got in the elevator.
Getting off at the upper floors, she took a sniff as a distinctive aroma reached her nostrils. Roast chicken. Beast Boy had actually made a real roast chicken.
Whoever this girl was, she must be really important to Beast Boy if he'd go so far as to cook real meat for her. Whoever it was had better appreciate what he was doing for her.
Raven felt guilty now about her earlier spitefulness. If Beast Boy was going to go this far for the girl, whoever she was...then far be it from Raven to break it up. It's not like Beast Boy knew why today meant something to Raven.
Sighing she entered the common room. "I got your sour cream-" she stopped, nearly dropping the bag.
The table was set for two. On one side, where Beast Boy had set his usual seat, was a plate of tofu, green beans, and...latkes! She'd recognize those anywhere, despite never having gotten a chance to try any. Across the table from Beast Boy's place was another plate with roast chicken, green beans, and more latkes, and a hot cup of her herbal tea. In the center of the table were another plate of latkes, a large bowl of applesauce, a bowl for the sour cream...and her menorah, with all the candles placed.
Beast Boy turned to her. "Happy Chanukah, Raven." He handed her a box of matches. "Would you do the honors?"
She nearly dropped the sour cream. Getting rid of the others, the cooking, all these preperations, even getting her out of the tower while he worked...had all been to give her this. Not trusting her voice, she nodded.
Setting the sour cream down on the table, she lit the match and ignited the Shamesh, the lead candle, and began the blessings.
"Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinuh Melech Haolam, Asher Kidshanu B'mitz'vo Tav, Vitzivanu, L'hadlich Nair Shel Chanukah..."
She lit the eight candles, and they sat down to eat. It was delicious.
After dinner, Beast Boy had another surprise for Raven. He pulled out a small box and opened it up. "I know you prefer dark chocolate, so..." Inside the box was a dreidel and a large amount of the dark chocolate coins called gelt.
She stared at it. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't. "I...I actually don't know how to play..." she admitted shamefacedly.
Beast Boy smiled at her. "That's okay, I looked it up. See, we each put a piece of gelt into the pot in the middle. Then whoever's turn it is spins the dreidel." He showed her the four faces of the dreidel. "If it comes up on Nun, nothing happens, and we both put another coin in. If it lands on Shin, the spinner puts an extra coin into the pot. If it lands on Hey, the spinner takes half the coins in the pot. And if it lands on Gimel, you take it all." Dividing the gelt between them, he handed her the dreidel. "Let's play."
After a while of playing, Raven shook her head. "This is a lot of fun...but it feels so childish."
"What's wrong with that?"
Raven looked at him.
"Raven, can you honestly tell me your childhood was normal?"
She shook her head. "I can't honestly say I even HAD a childhood."
"Then no one - least of all yourself - should find anything wrong with taking a little time here and there to be a little childish. Everyone needs childhood memories to keep them going, something happy to look back on. If you didn't have any when you were younger, then there's nothing wrong with making them now."
She stared at him for a time. "Beast Boy...when did you get so smart?"
He smiled. "I've been spending a lot of time with you. Something had to rub off, one way or another." He grinned. "Obviously, it wasn't my sense of humor."
Raven couldn't help it. She laughed. Then she stopped herself, staring at him in shock.
He smiled softly at her. "What did I just say, Raven?"
Slowly, as though unsure how to do it right, she smiled.
Smiling, he reached behind the sofa. "I had meant to give this to you for Christmas...but I think it will mean more to you today." He pulled out a small wrapped box.
Curiously, she unwrapped it and opened it...and gasped. Inside was an obsidian raven pendant with amethyst eyes, wings spread, clutching in its claws a jade heart.
"Happy Chanukah, Raven. And many more to come."
Slowly, almost as though she were scared it would vanish, Raven placed the pendant's chain around her neck. It hung down perfectly, coming to rest just above the start of her bust line. Looking up at Beast Boy, she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you," she whispered.
Beast Boy melted. She giggled.
Several weeks later, late Christmas Day, Beast Boy and Cyborg were on the sofa playing the new video game Cyborg had gotten BB. Robin and Starfire were in the kitchen.
Raven came in, dressed in a loose purple T-shirt and matching slacks. She had the pendant on under her shirt. She quietly walked over to lean on the sofa watching the boys play. Just as they were approaching the finish, with Beast Boy barely in the lead and Cyborg about to pull one of his trick moves, she said, "I call winner."
Cyborg spun. "Say WHA?" He crashed his vehicle. "Aw, man!"
Beast Boy laughed. "YOu heard the lady, Cyborg. Move over, and let her play."
As everyone else stared, Raven sat down and picked up the controller. As the game was resetting, BEast Boy and Raven looked at each other.
And they both smiled.