Time for Reflection

by Concolor44

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A light breeze pushed a few small clouds through an otherwise perfect sky, casting shifting dabs of shade onto the green land below. Dignified rows of pear and plum trees lined the long, curving drive that led from a secondary road up a series of small, meadow-covered hills and into a manicured estate, their branches liberally draped with white and pink fluff. Not many weeks earlier, this lane had been a wasteland of slush dotted with patches of treacherous ice, but as is the case in much of New England, when Spring decides to show up, it comes with bells on. The many choruses of birds singing in the fruit trees attested to that.

None of it surprised or shocked the woman in the taxi's back seat. She'd seen it all many times, and it didn't really register with her now. Instead, she chewed at her lower lip as they made their way up to the compact parking area that fronted a huge stone edifice. It was the only outward sign of the worry and melancholy that she felt. Once more she mulled over the cryptic message she had received the day before: "It's come back." That could only mean one thing in this context.

The vehicle stopped abruptly and the driver turned slightly, giving her a one-quarter profile. " 'at'll be toity-eight."

She produced two twenties, passed them through the small opening, and exited the cab. Straightening her severely proper gray pinstripe business suit, she marched up to the main entrance and rang the bell. A slow count of fifteen went by. She rang again.

The … person who finally answered the door was one she'd already met a few times. His long, slick hair and ridiculously high ruffed collar placed him squarely in the seventeenth century, but stood in stark contrast to his purple canvas trainers. In between, he wore a rumpled, gray one-piece jumpsuit that at one time had fit him snugly. Now it seemed about two sizes too large. Small goggles hid his eyes, as always. In a rumbling basso profundo, he intoned, "Good afternoon, Miss Raven."

"Hello, Ethbert. How have you been?"

He gave her his standard answer, but this time it touched her more keenly. "Truthfully, I have felt better." He stood aside, and as he moved she noticed his outline become momentarily hazy. "Would you come in?"

"Thank you." Stepping inside, she waited until he closed the door, following him as they moved deeper into the old mansion. Several times before they reached her destination, his form faded, becoming translucent then snapping back to full function. Neither of them said anything about it.

He stopped in front of a set of ornate double doors, opened one, and said, "She'll be waiting for you I expect."

"I'm sure you're right, Ethbert." She went on into the room. Ethbert closed the door behind her and then vanished.

A tired, thready voice called out, "Raven? Is that you?"

The empath walked briskly over to the bed and extended her hands to the withered figure bundled up there. "Hello, Mel. I came as soon as I could."

"I know, I know. Stupid travel restrictions. As if your teleporting would hurt anyone."

Raven almost smiled at the querulous tone. Without releasing the old woman's hands, she turned slightly and sat next to her on the bed. "It isn't just me, you know."

That elicited a wheezy sigh. "Yeah. That 'Dr. Moreau' character. What an ass."

"The DHS took the steps they had to. His creations were wreaking havoc all over …"

"YES, Raven. I know. I'm blind, not senile."

"Sort of blind."

"Right." A lopsided grin crept onto her face. "After a fashion."

Raven sobered. "Did your note mean what I think it means?"

"Afraid so. The cancer didn't respond to the drugs. And I don't qualify for a new pancreas."

"That's so stupid."

"Nah. It ain't. I'll be ninety-six if I make it to June, which I likely won't. Lots o' youngers that need 'em. People who can contribute more than …"

"That's bullshit! You helped save the world! Twice!"

"And now I'm old an' worn out and it's time for me to go." She patted Raven's hand. "You're in kind of a special category, so that don't so much apply to you."

"Humph."

"It's true."

She drew a couple of breaths. "So … how are you feeling? All things considered?"

"Not too bad. They gave me some good meds for the pain."

"Is that what made you think …"

"Yeah. That, an' bein' tired all the time."

Raven's response had an apprehensive overtone. "Tired?"

"No point in not tellin' you. It's metastasized. Showed up in my lungs, colon, kidney an' liver."

"… Damn."

The old woman just patted her hand.

Nothing was said for a bit. Raven sniffled a few times. "Mel … you're the last."

"Last what?"

"The last … person … who's … who was … has been … important to me."

"… Wait. I thought Gar …"

"Oh, hell, that's right! You don't know." She sat up and composed herself, or tried to. "I got a … notification eleven days ago that he'd …" She had to pause and take a deep breath. "… he died. At his preserve in the DRC. It didn't say when. But they sent me some of his ashes."

"Oh, Rae! Oh, honey!" She reached for the girl, and Raven leaned over into her thin embrace, her tears finally pushing past her control.

"Melvin, you're all I … all I have left now."

"Don't think I'd go quite that far."

"You're the last person who's still … only one that … all the Titans …"

"There are new Titans now. And a whole lot of 'em are alive because o' you."

"All the original Titans are gone. The ones who … became my family." Her grip on the former heroine tightened. "… Hate losing them … so much."

"I know, Rae, but that's just the way things work. Mostly."

"Yeah, well, things can freakin' bite me."

Melvin had to chuckle at that. "You can treat it like a curse. Or you can realize that you have a real gift, and use it that way."

"… Gift?"

" 's what I said."

"Doesn't much feel like it. Have to sit to the side and watch while everyone I lo… everyone I … care about … grows old and … dies."

"Your life is what you make of it. I'd say you've made a hell of a lot better stab at gettin' it right than most. An' if you do screw up, you've got time to fix it. That's the 'gift' part."

Wiping at her eyes, Raven sat back up. "Speaking of gifts and curses. You know who looked me up the other day?"

If Melvin was surprised by the change in topic, she hid it well. "An' I'd know that … how?"

"Sorry. Stupid question." She heaved a deep sigh. "Vandal Savage."

"… Shit."

"Melvin!"

"Sorry. What'd he want?"

"He, ah … made me an offer."

Melvin didn't say anything.

"I turned him down."

"Okay. Good. Anything he's connected with can't be legal."

"Funny you should put it that way."

"Why?"

"He asked me to marry him."

"… I'm sorry, my hearing must be goin'."

"He had what he considered good reasons for doing so."

"Why did he think for a second that you'd agree to that?"

"He knows I'm … well, effectively immortal. So is he. He's been married eighteen times, to regular, mortal women. He's loved … okay, he said he loved them. Most of them."

"Don't really believe a monster like that could be capable of love."

"That thought ran around my head, too."

"You are, though."

Raven glanced away from the wrinkled face, stared out the window for a moment before saying, "Damn straight." Then she felt Mel's papery-dry skin brush her hand, seek a hold, and squeeze.

"That's why you left him."

Shaking her head, the empath lightly returned the grip. "Do we have to talk about Roy right now?"

"I s'pose not. Shame about that, though."

"Hmm." They sat in a not-quite-tense silence for a bit. "Savage recommended a film to me. After I told him I would not marry him."

"… That … seems a little out of character for him."

"Eh. I poked around some into his doings over the past few years. He's got controlling interest in several multinational corporations, but he doesn't … seem like … well, like someone who's all that interested in controlling governments."

Melvin gave her a disbelieving sort of snort.

"Yeah, I know. He's the world's most accomplished schemer. Doesn't mean he hasn't gotten tired of the game."

"You aren't seriously intimating that you're having second thoughts about his offer?"

"No. Not in the least. It's just … he said some things that made me think." She shifted herself, pulled her legs up under her on the bed. "Like that movie."

"What mov… oh. What was it?"

"Highlander."

"Huh. Gosh, it's been a long time since I saw that."

"I'd never seen it. I wasn't really much into film …"

"Hoo, yeah, don't I know! Like pullin' teeth to get you to take us to a movie."

"Books are better."

"Matter of opinion." Her voice got softer. "Except for The Velveteen Rabbit. There'll never be a movie that can do what that book did, as well as it did it."

"Heh! You cried for three hours."

"An' I know what it took out o' you to read it to me without cryin'."

"Touché."

"… So, what about the movie? You watch it?"

"I did. The struggles that Connor Macleod went through … held a particular meaning for me … once I understood what Savage was getting at."

"Huh. Guess so. He lost his wife. You lost Roy."

Raven bowed her head, silent. Mel continued to lightly stroke the back of her hand.

"I've been …toying with the idea of leaving."

"… Leaving? Leaving what?"

"Earth."

"… Huh. Didn't see that one comin'."

"Mel … when you're gone … the very last thing that gave me any kind of anchor here will leave with you."

"An' you think it'll be better zippin' around all over this arm o' the galaxy?"

"I don't really know. But if it isn't, I can always come back, can't I?"

"… I guess. What's out there that ain't right here? Besides a whole lot o' empty."

Raven turned back to the window. "I think it might be the 'empty' that's calling to me."

"You ain't gonna do that 'stare into the void until it stares back' thing, are you?"

She only shrugged. "Time will tell. I can't know right now. But …" And again, she searched out that deeply-lined face. "… but all I know is that I don't feel like I fit here. Anymore. If I ever did."

"Oh, sweetie, I don't know where I'd be if it hadn't been for you! Dead, most likely."

"I think the three of you would have made out just fine without me. It's more like the other way around. Having you there … taking … care of you …" The tears came again. She could speak no more.

Melvin pulled her down to her chest and just held her. "It's hard. I know it. Oh, lord, how I know it. When Timmy's plane blew up … I thought I was gonna die, too."

Raven only cried harder.

"You just let it all out, Rae. Let it all go." She stroked the fine, purple hair and neither said anything for a while. When Raven's sobs began to devolve into hiccups, Melvin said, "It'll be all right. Maybe you never get over it. But you learn how to carry it."

The empath sat up suddenly, eyes very wide. "Wha – hic – what?"

Melvin, concerned at the reaction, repeated herself.

After scrubbing ineffectively at her face for a moment, Raven took the tea towel that Melvin offered, and dried her tears. "That … that's what … Savage said."

"You're kidding."

"No! Word for word! What, do the two of you take the same philosophy magazines?"

"I wouldn't know about that. But you've lived longer than I have. You've read a whole lot more than I have. I'd think you would've come across that sentiment somewhere."

Raven thought for a minute, thought hard. "I … don't know. Maybe? I could put that together from some of what I've read. I guess."

"Well there you go."

After taking several deep breaths, Raven scooted around and lay down next to her only real friend left in the world. "I'll learn how to carry it?"

"You will."

"What makes you think I could pick that up now, if I haven't before?"

"Have you tried? Have you thought about it that way?"

"… . . . … um …"

Melvin grinned. "Like I said, there you go."

Raven stared at her friend's profile for several long moments. "Mel?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you mind … if I stayed here? With you? Until, you know …"

"That would be perfect."

"Okay. Good."

"Do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Hah! Okay."

"… What?"

"Remember, you said 'anything'."

Raven gave her a suspicious look. Several seconds later, the door opened and Ethbert walked in. He came over to the bed and gave something to the empath before fading out again. She looked at it, her eyes widening in surprise. "The Velveteen Rabbit? This … this is my old copy!"

"Mm-hmm."

"But …"

"Would you read it to me?"

Raven fought down the huge lump in her throat, blinked the tears from her eyes, and answered, "I'll sure as hell try."

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A/N: This one sneaked up on me the other day and insisted it be written. Let me know if you think it was worth it.