Author's Note:

This began growing on me as I finished The Pampered Patient. You could say it comes as a direct consequence of some of the stuff I proposed there.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

Eternity is a Moment

Raven straightened up, a small wince passing over her face while her hand massaged the small of her back where the pain flared. She rolled her shoulders to work out the cramping, then relaxed and leaned on the hoe, observing what she had accomplished so far.

The weeds were gone and the furrow for the carrots was waiting for the seeds. The potatoes, beets and radishes were doing nicely, the onions reaching upwards with their feather-like leaves and the tomatoes just blushing from green to red, bending the slender stalks that supported the heavy fruit.

I'm not in the mood for more work in the garden today, she thought while a frown creased her brow. Her eyes glowed white. The soil shifted and two more furrows appeared as it quickly parted, seemingly by itself.

She sent the hoe floating into the tool shed and stretched, still stiff from the hard physical labor she had learned to enjoy. For a moment she thought about going into the cottage and taking a shower, but decided against it. She walked to the porch and picked up a wicker basket, whispered her mantra and transformed into a black, ghostly bird to fly over towards the nearby forest.

It took about an hour to fill the basket with mushrooms. She did it many times before; by now she had a very good idea of which ones were safe to eat, but in any case Garfield would be the final filter. No poisonous mushroom could sneak by his nose.

She looked up, trying to gauge the position of the sun. She hated wristwatches, and the only other wearable time-keeping device that she possessed was the Titans' communicator, gathering dust in a locked chest in the attic of the cottage, together with Garfield's. And with their uniforms.

And with the memories of a time long past. As bitter as they were sweet, as sad as they were hopeful.

It was past noon, but not too much, she concluded. No need for flying or teleporting. She'd walk. The forest held no danger; it was populated only by green shadows pockmarked with bright splotches of sunlight and the earthy scent of beeches and wild chestnuts and decaying vegetation hanging rich in the air. She took it in with a deep, satisfied breath and began her stroll home.

She sensed him soon enough, even though he was soundless as a cat. She forced herself to carry on walking as usual, the only sign of her awareness a small smile on her face. She also sensed… playfulness? Suddenly realizing what he was up to, she gasped and started whispering her mantra to phase away, but before she could begin on zinthos his paws were already landing on her shoulders, the rest of the green wolf's body slamming into her back and carrying them both to the ground, the basket with mushrooms flying from her hands and her face burying itself deep into the carpet of fallen leaves.

She turned on her back, glaring at him as he transformed, the panting wolf snout turning into his familiar wide, boyish grin. His head bent and he planted a gentle kiss on her lips, his scent mingling with the smell of wet earth and leaves and grass. Her glare softened; he knew it was fake anyway. Her arms went around him and she kissed him back.

A mixture between a purr and a snarl came from deep in his throat as his kiss became harder, more intense, more insistent, more urgent. His desire flooded her in a delicious tide; her fingers curled in his hair and her arms tightened around him as she pulled him close, her own passion awakening and responding to his urge.

The need for air made their lips part for a moment. She gazed into his eyes, noticing that they were darker than usual. Her chest heaved with deep breaths, but she managed to half-whisper a question.

"Here?"

"Why not?" he growled back as his lips traveled over her cheek and to her neck.

"Mmmm. We do have a cottage. With rooms. And beds –"

Her argument was cut short by a gasp produced by him kissing her throat.

"Too far."

"It's only… a couple… hundred yards!"

"Still too far."

Somehow she found the strength of will to push him away. His eyes shone with iridescent flecks of mischievous gold dancing inside. It took all of her reserves of self-control to ignore what her body was screaming at her.

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one that has to lie on the cold, damp earth."

"If that's all it takes…"

He squirmed to the side and twisted onto his back, his hands gripping her and pulling her on top of him. "There," he smirked, his hand gently brushing off the wet leaves stuck to her hair.

"Not funny, Gar!"

"It wasn't meant to be," he replied and closed her mouth with a kiss.

"Brought you a rabbit," he hummed at her, nuzzling her ear.

"You always do that," she replied, lifting her head to look at him. Again it struck him to see the love glowing deep in her violet eyes, even though her scent and the pattern of her breathing were already telling him the same story.

"Would you prefer jewelry?" he teased.

"Would you like to see me wear it?" she countered.

He stole a quick kiss from her. "Hmmm. That's a trick question."

"How so?" she asked, smiling at him, already knowing his answer.

"Because the less you're wearing, the better I like you."

She slapped his nose playfully. "You're a sexist pig."

"Oink!"

Raven was still a hopeless cook, even after all those years. About the only thing she could boil properly was water for her tea. He grinned at the thought as he quickly and expertly skinned and cleaned the rabbit, quartering it and dumping the pieces into an already simmering pot. He washed his hands carefully, detesting the smell and the feeling of rabbit blood on his hands. Raven was the only person in the world for whom he would go through such an unpleasant ordeal. He turned to the vegetables, cleaning and slicing with practiced speed onions, garlic, potatoes and carrots, tossing everything into the pot, adding salt and peppercorns and a couple of dried laurel leaves. The mushrooms were already sautéed; they would divide them evenly between the two.

"I'll grill some soy burgers for myself," he told her over his shoulder while his hands were busy preparing the salad. "D'you want me to put a couple extra for you? Maybe a few tofu dogs?"

She lifted her eyes from the book she was reading and raised an eyebrow.

"You never give up, do you? You'll have more luck convincing Victor to eat them than you'll have with me."

He turned his head to grin at her. "Hey, a guy's gotta try!"

She shook her head in mock exasperation and returned her eyes to the book.

He took a sniff of the stew to see how it was going. He winced at the meat component, but the rest of the aromas blended in nicely. He stirred it unnecessarily and glanced at her.

"How's the garden doing?"

She closed the book, keeping her index finger between the pages to mark where she left off and looked up.

"It's doing well. I've weeded it and made furrows for carrots and radishes, and another one that I have not decided yet what for. I'll probably make a mix of beans, peas and green beans."

"That's a lot of work!"

She gave him a small but affectionate smile. "Nothing's hard when I do it for you."

It was his turn to lift an eyebrow. He took a deep breath, his nostrils dilating as her scent flowed into him, revealing the tiniest whiff of untruth in her words. Knowing what he was doing, her pale cheeks colored slightly.

"You cheated!" he grinned at her.

"I did not!" she cried, stamping her small foot emphatically. The pink spots on her face deepened and spread.

"Rae…"

"Oh, have it your way. Just because I made one small furrow with my power –"

"One small furrow?" his grin became toothy, his fang glistening.

"Humph! After all these years, I still cannot hold a serious conversation with you!" she replied angrily, picked up her book and pretended to reabsorb herself into its contents. He continued to grin at her. She groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Two small furrows, all right? Are you happy now?" she asked testily, staring angrily at the innocent pages.

He sauntered over to her, still grinning. Crouching, he buried his face into her hair, took a deep breath and moved his lips over her ear, whispering.

"Yes, love. I am happy."

He traced his lips caressingly over her cheek and to the corner of her mouth, planted a tiny kiss there and stopped, waiting for her. She still pretended to be focusing on the book. He remained motionless and patient.

"You're insufferable!" she grumbled, turned her head and kissed him deeply.

After a long while they broke apart, gazing into each other's eyes. Her hand moved up and touched his cheek.

"Gar…" she whispered hoarsely.

He bent his head to trap her hand between his cheek and shoulder. "Hmmm?"

"I need you to do something for me, Gar." Her voice was throaty, lustful.

"Anything, my love," he growled, his eyes closing.

"Make sure the stew doesn't burn."

He snapped his eyes open, then sniffed carefully. The stew was still fine, but it did require his attention. He scowled at her.

"You're an evil woman, Raven."

Her hand went to her mouth as she giggled in response.

As evening gave way to dusk they went back into the cottage and sat on the couch. Raven curled up in her favorite position, snuggled close and enveloped by his arms. "TV night tonight?" she inquired.

He grumbled. "I hate this new-fangled TV system. It's all on-demand. You can't flip channels."

She snickered quietly, careful to hide it from him. "You sound like a grumpy old fart!"

"I am a grumpy old fart, love" he said seriously, making her lift her gaze to look at him in surprise. He avoided her eyes.

"News!" he snapped sharply to the holoscreen. It obediently lit up, a disembodied head relating the headlines of the day.

"…rrorist attack on Ganymede colony –"

"Pause," Raven interrupted. The holoscreen froze. "Do you really want to foul your mood this evening?" she asked, a dash of concern coloring her voice.

"Resume!" he barked, still not returning her gaze.

"– was thwarted by Titans Jupiter today, as –"

"Stop. Off!" Raven's voice commanded. The holoscreen winked out. She straightened up and placed a hand on his cheek, forcing him to meet her eyes.

"It's not our business any more, Gar."

He grasped her hand gently with both of his, removing it from his cheek and placing it in his lap, looking away.

"I know."

Raven sighed and embraced him. She had no answers for him. He curled his arms around her and held her tight. She felt the anger and shame rise in him.

"Yet another new generation of kids. Yet another new group of Titans. How many have gone by already? A dozen? A hundred?"

"Why is that important?" she asked, even though she could feel the answer churning darkly in his soul.

"Why did it have to be this way?"

It was useless, she knew. But she had to try. "Gar, you know that your cellular structure regenerates and your chromosomes don't make errors while replicating. That's why you're immune to disease, aging and natural death. And my demon heritage also…"

His anguish tore a desperate shout from his throat. "I didn't ask for it! You didn't ask for it! I don't want it any more!"

"Gar…"

"They're all gone, Rae," he said hoarsely. "Richard, gone. Kori, gone! Karen, Garth, Leo! All gone! All..." he choked, his voice trailing to a whisper.

"Victor's still with us," she said, then bit her lip, realizing she just blundered badly.

"Is he?" he asked savagely, speaking more to himself than to her, tightening his grip on her. "He uploaded himself into… whatever that thing is called these days. When I speak to him… God help me, Raven, I don't know if I'm talking to Victor Stone or just a computer simulation!"

She remained quiet, knowing that the only thing that could help him now is her silent, reassuring presence. He clung to her desperately; she was his pillar, his support, the fulcrum on which his whole life was centered.

"Is this what's left for us, Rae? Hunting rabbits and partridges? Tending a garden? Is that what it all boils down to? Is that what we earned with our blood and our sacrifices?"

Raven tried to say something, but the sorrow he was radiating clamped around her throat tightly, barely allowing her to breathe. She placed her head on his chest and hugged him, trying to smother his feeling of inadequacy.

"We're forgotten, Rae," he continued, not allowing her to soothe him. "Our time has passed. Nobody remembers us. Nobody needs us!"

She pulled out of his embrace and straightened up. The intensity of her gaze could not be denied. Irresistibly, his eyes were pulled towards hers. She held him thus, the deep violet invading his sight until moisture blurred it.

"I need you."

His voice broke.

"I… I'm sorry. I just…" He braced his elbows on his knees and cradled his head in his hands. "I've hurt you," he sighed.

She didn't reply. Her pale fingers touched his shoulder and traced down his arm to grasp his hand.

"The world may not care for you, Gar," she told him softly. "But I do."

He wrapped his arms around her and clung on to her like wisteria to a tree. "I don't deserve you," he said ashamedly.

"Maybe not," she smirked, pulling his head to her chest and ruffling his hair. "But you cook a mean rabbit stew."

He snorted, then gave in to laughter. She watched him, enjoying the sound, happy that she was able to get him to snap out of it. His laughter dissipated slowly. He grinned at her and scooped her up in his arms.

"Garfield! What in the Nine Hells – "

"Hush. I want to make it up to you," he said and carried her to the bedroom.

"Are you sleeping?" he whispered, almost inaudibly.

"As if you didn't know," came her quiet reply.

He chuckled. "Y'know, I always wanted to ask, but I always feared to do it…"

"How long will this go on?"

"Yep."

She sighed. "If we don't suffer any fatal wounds, as long as we wish. Another hundred years. Another thousand. Theoretically forever, practically until the Sun burns out, I guess."

"That's a long time," he said, awed. "I never really considered…"

She propped herself on an elbow, her face just a hint in the gloom, a pale oval framed by the cascade of her hair, her eyes and her smile glowing.

"The Universe will probably come to an end before you start doing it."

He frowned outwardly at the barb, knowing she could feel how happy it made him. His arms reached for her and she allowed him to pull her head back onto his chest.

"What if we tire of each other?" he asked as his hand caressed her idly.

She rubbed her forehead against his shoulder, then snuggled better against him. "I don't think that will ever happen."

He shifted, uneasy. His feelings washed over her. She pressed her face into him, seeking comfort, muffling her voice.

"There is no future, Gar. There is no past. When you're practically immortal, there is no horizon left, whether you look ahead or behind." A slight trace of bitterness crept into her voice. "All of Eternity boils down to this moment. The only thing we have is the present. The Now."

He remained silent for a few seconds, his doubts slowly fading. "Let's make the best of it, then," he whispered and kissed her.