Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the story idea.
….
Nate sighed as he stood at the kitchen sink, washing the dishes from that night's supper. Ginny walked in behind him and wrapped him in a comforting hug. "Worried about Raven?" She asked soothingly, rubbing a small circle between his shoulder blades.
"Of course I am." He whispered, staring at the sudsy water. "Just last week she almost burnt the house down because she forgot about the biscuits in the oven." Behind them, hanging on the wall, the telephone began to ring.
"I'll get it!" Their 9-year-old daughter Pele sang out. She skipped into the room and picked the phone up, listening for a moment. Her face clouded in confusion as she nodded. "It's for you, Daddy." She said, handing him the cordless phone. Nate held the receiver up to his ear and let the caller know he was listening. After a few short moments, tears welled up in his eyes.
"We'll be right there." He promised. He hung up and turned to his wife and daughter. "Pele, sweetie, go get your coat. We're going to Grandma's house." The navy-haired child squealed excitedly and raced off to the coat-closet. "That was one of Mom's neighbors. They found her lost at the end of Cherry Grove Ave." He told Argent solemnly, and her molten-gold eyes widened in shock.
"Isn't that her road?" His wife asked unsurely. Nate nodded.
"She didn't even know where she was or how to get back home." He said brokenly. Ginny pulled her best friend into a loving embrace. "She's been slipping away ever since Dad passed away." He admitted, wiping away any stray tears. Pele bounded back into the room; her coat fit snuggly around her figure.
"Let's go!" She cheered excitedly. Nate smiled, remembering a time when he was as exuberant as his little one. Taking his beloved's hand, he followed her out.
…..
When they reached his mother's house, Nate saw his older sister, Aurora, waiting for him. With her were Riley and their 12-year-old, Leah. "Did you get the call, too?" He asked his sister. She nodded and hugged her brother closely.
Pele and Leah excitedly ran into the house, racing each other to their Grandfather's favorite chair, where they knew their Grandma awaited. "Grandma! Grandma!" Pele giggled happily. Tell us a story about Pa-paw!" She begged. Raven smiled and nodded sagely, her violet eyes lighting up at the mention of her dear husband.
"Which story would you like to hear?"
"The one 'bout how he asked you out." Leah swooned. "It's so romantic." She added. Raven laughed lightly, and began weaving the tale.
…
Beast Boy smiled grandly as he swung the door to his good ole' blue Desoto open wide for Raven. He'd finally worked up the guts to ask her out on a date, and she had agreed, after watching flounder around for the proper words for nearly a whole minute. He offered his arm as they walked into a classic juke-box bar. Leading her over to a double-seated table, he pulled out a chair and gestured for her to sit down. After she sat, he gently pushed the seat in for her. Raven blushed and hid her face behind a menu. No boy had ever done anything like that for her before. "What would you like?" Beast Boy asked, shyly avoiding her eyes.
"I'm not hungry, but I would like something to drink." She told him, playing nervously with her hair.
Beast Boy grinned and ordered an extra-large cola with two straws, shooting an impish smile at his date. "We can share." He pointed out.
…
"Ohhh, Grandma. Tell us the story of how Pa-Paw asked for your hand." Pele cooed, scooting closer to the ex-heroine's feet. Leah mimicked her movements and they stared up at Raven with wide, glittering eyes.
…
Raven buried her head in Beast Boy's neck, barely holding back her sobs. "I don't want you to go." She cried, hugging him for all she was worth. He had just been deployed for a mission with the Doom Patrol. They needed his abilities to accomplish their duties. The hero was dressed from head to toe in army green, to give him the advantage in the jungle the mission was to take place in. He smiled softly and stroked her hair gently.
"I promise I'll come back." He said, kissing her forehead.
"How can you be so sure?" She demanded, staring up into his eyes.
"I'd never leave you." He said. Taking a deep breath, he dropped unto one knee and fished around in his pocket, finally finding a small velvet box. As he cracked it open, Raven covered her mouth to stifle her gasp. Standing out like a star in the sky was a diamond ring resting against a velvet cushion. "Raven, I Love You. We've been dating for the past two years, and I've recently realized that I cannot possibly imagine living without you. I want to live each moment with you by my side, I want to start a family with you, grow old with you." He whispered in a shaky voice, one lone tear rolling down his face "Will You Marry Me, Raven?"
"Yes," She cried, this time of happiness. She fell to her knees before him, and pulled him into a kiss.
…
"Mom, what's this?" Nate asked, holding up a small metal tin. It made a light tingling sound as he carefully shook it. Raven gasped happily.
"That is your father's old tin. He kept all the medals he received upon the completion of that mission in that tin." She said, reaching out for it. Nate handed it to her, and she almost eagerly pried the top off. A bundle of papers also fluttered to the ground. "His Love Letters," She whispered to herself. She unfolded the first one and an old faded picture sat in the crease of the page. She smiled calmly as Pele and Leah climbed into her lap to view the photograph. "Your Pa-Paw took this picture the first day of the mission." She told her granddaughters. They smiled widely and gently scooped up more pictures, begging Raven for more stories. They came across one that Raven had almost entirely forgotten about. She and Beast Boy were sitting at the table of the Titans sharing a sundae. That must've been taken before they got married and moved out of the tower, she remembered that day fondly.
…
Raven and Beast Boy sat at the counter, exchanging stories of all that had happened in the green Titan's absence. Raven was drinking tea and Beast Boy had a glass of soy milk sitting at his place. Standing up, Beast Boy walked over to the fridge for a refill of milk and noticed a carton of ice-cream innocently sitting there. He grinned and grabbed the carton, scooping at least four scoops into a giant bowl. Next, he added chocolate syrup, peanuts, whipped cream and two cherries to top it all off. Then, he cleaned up his mini-mess and grabbed two spoons. Sitting back down at the counter, he placed the mammoth sundae between them and launched into an explanation of just how much he had missed her while he was gone.
…
Leah swooned happily at how romantic her grandparents could be, when something in the corner of the room caught her eye. Skipping over to it, she gently snatched it off the hook and giggled. "Grandma, you still have Pa-Paw's old varsity coat from his first undercover mission?" She quizzed, slipping it on. The large coat weighted down her shoulders and completely engulfed her arms. She wandered back to the gathering at Raven's feet and grinned widely. "Tell us the story of this coat." She begged, hugging herself, and thusly the coat closer. Despite how long it had been since her Pa-Paw's passing, she could still pick up faint traces of the cologne he liked to wear. She shook it off, handing it reverently to her grandmother. "It still smells like him." She whispered solemnly. Tears shining in her eyes, Raven spread the old coat across her lap and began another story.
…...
Beast Boy practically skipped down the street in pure elatedness. His first solo-undercover mission had been a success. Well, almost-solo; he had Raven for back up. He had been sent to a local high school to unveil a small drug-trading-ring within the halls. Being the youngest meant he could blend in easier than the others; he was, after all, only seventeen.
Raven rolled her eyes at her friend's exuberance. He hadn't calmed down since he called in to report that the mission was complete. "I did it, I did it!" He sang childishly. He stopped skipping for a moment to glance over his shoulder at Raven "Of course, I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks for always having my back, Rae." He chirped.
"Raven," She corrected half-heartedly. Immediately after, she shivered as a cool breeze brushed past her. Beast Boy eyed her curiously, and then slipped off his "varsity coat". It had been a part of his oh-so-clever disguise. Grinning proudly, he wrapped it around his friend's shoulders.
"There, now you won't feel so chilled." He whispered softly. The weight of what he'd just done became known, and the pair of heroes blushed darkly, traveling the rest of the way in silence. The silence was only broken by the sound of leaves crunched beneath their footfalls.
Finally, they reached the tower. But, instead of going inside right away, Beast Boy implored Raven to sit out on the rocks with him and watch the night fall and the stars appear. Raven, albeit hesitantly, agreed and sat next to him. They sat there until it got past-visibility-dark out, just talking about whatever came up. Sometime that night, Beast Boy's arm found itself wound around Raven's coat-clad shoulder. Instead of shrugging him off, as expected, she leaned into his warmth and yawned.
Like the gentleman he was, Beast Boy strong-armed Raven to let him walk her back to her own room. Meaning, he threatened to tell the entire team that her favorite color was pink. Once reaching her bedroom door, they stood there for what felt like 3 hours, when in reality it was only three minutes. "Goodnight," Beast Boy finally managed to say. He wrapped his good friend in a tight embrace and just held her there for three seconds longer. Once again, it felt like hours to Raven.
Subconsciously, she snuggled into his warmth. "Goodnight," She whispered back. Beast Boy smiled and broke away, walking down the hallway to his own room. "Beast Boy, wait," She called after him, quietly. "You forgot your jacket." She told him shyly.
"Keep it," He winked, disappearing around the corner. Raven blushed and hid her face in the collar of the coat. Inhaling deeply, she recognized the scent on the coat. It smelled like him. Giggling girlishly, something she would vehemently deny in the coming years, Raven tumbled back unto her bed and stared, starry-eyed at the ceiling. Her first crush had just, unknowingly, walked her "Home".
….
Nate watched his mother recall story upon story of her ever-faithful husband. Her eyes lit up and she didn't look lost or forgetful. Even if she would sometimes forget the cookies in the oven, or get lost just at the end of her road, she would never forget her for-life-love. For the first time in a few months, Nate let himself relax. His mother wasn't completely gone. Ginny rested her head on his shoulder and grabbed his hand as they listened to Raven's accounts from her golden years.
…
A/N: This one-shot was inspired by Rascal Flatts' "Ellsworth". It doesn't follow the timeline of the lyrics exactly, but I like the way this turned out. ^^ Leave a review! ;)