After two airport stops, and twelve hours of jet lag, Raven finally arrived at the hotel.
As Robin had stated, her reservation was accepted, and she was given the key to her room. Dropping her bags to the floor, she could only marvel at her lovely hotel suite. Completely impressed by how fancy it really was. It even had a kitchen and a mini bar packed with wrapped complimentary cookies and chocolates! Shaking her head, Raven thought of Beastboy, knowing he would've had a field day with all these sweets!
But what caught her eye the most was the balcony overlook.
Quickly she unlocked the glass doors and stepped outside to find herself marveling at the crystal blue waters, and sandy white beaches of the Cancun coastline. With this type of breathtaking view, Raven knew it must've costed her friends a tiny fortune to accommodate her in such a way. And it touched her even more to know just how much they really cared. Walking back inside, one of the first things she attempted to do was unpack her suitcase.
She could remember herself not getting very far, when she pulled out a bottle of bubble bath. . .Strange that she did not put it in there. Starfire must've snuck it in while helping her pack. Unscrewing the cap, Raven took in the smell of Jasmine, and smiled. Pleased that her best friend knew her so well, she decided that for the moment, there would be a slight change in plans!
Sinking deep into a tub of thick bubbles, Raven was completely lost in the unusual amount of pampering she was allowing herself to have. Blowing the suds off her hand, she lie back and closed her eyes. . .completely enrapt over the quiet and solitude that surrounded her.
That is, until uninvited thoughts began to emerge from out of nowhere, in what seemed like a pattern of endless flashbacks, causing her to briefly sit up a bit. One by one, they began to flood into her head, causing her eyes to tightly shut. Now against her will, Raven found herself plagued by all she had endured, suppressed, and put up with over the past six months.
From the first confrontation with Slade, and the revelation of her prophecy. To the inner torment she'd gone through, in having to deal with it. This included the constant nightmares and visits from her so called demon-father. . .to briefly seeing her mother, Arella. And if that weren't enough, the shock of seeing her world completely destroyed certainly was. Now for the first time since it all began, Raven could feel her heart beginning to ache. But that wasn't all. Suddenly the muscles of her body began to throb, and her head began to pulsate from the deep stress that now consumed her.
By the time she emerged out of the bathroom, it felt like she were being crushed from the inside out, as every nerve in her body began to tremble. Through all the pain that was beginning to surface, it occurred to Raven that everything she'd withstood, all the grief she suppressed, the anger, and most of all the guilt and shame had finally come to an end. Now for the first time it hit her, that was finally over with and done, and the waves of her deep inner grief were finally released.
This caused the wall over her emotions to crumble, until she could bear it no longer. Covering a hand over her mouth, she broke down and began to sob uncontrollably.
Weakly falling on the edge of the bed, Raven grabbed a pillow and buried her face into it. Frightened over her own behavior, she fearfully waited in for something to blow up or explode over this emotional outburst. But when nothing happened, she realized it was because she had nothing left! Her fierce battle with Trigon had taken just about every bit of energy she she didn't know it until now. Especially when waves of exhaustion also began to overtake her. So much so that she curled up into a fetal position. Still tightly holding onto her pillow, Raven tucked her knees to her chin, and fainted off into a deep sleep.
For the rest of the night this is how she remained, and throughout most of the entire day. Although her mind wanted her to get up, her body was just too worn out, demanding her to rest. And just this once Raven was more than willing to comply.
When she finally did wake up, it was late that evening. Startled over the time, she managed to crawl out of the bed. Grabbing some tea she packed in her bag, Raven went into the kitchen an fixed her a small pot. Once it was done, she took her hot cup onto the balcony. Taking a few sips, she watched as the moon slowly began to rise over the shimmering water.
Normally Raven would've found this sight beautiful. But her eyes were burning so badly, that she could barely keep them open. This was followed by a heavy yawn, and the crushing weight of fatigue that overtook her once again. Setting her cup down on the ledge, Raven slowly walked back inside until she'd crawled back into bed. Staring out at the opened doors, she concentrated, wanting to shut them with her powers. Although her dark energy did surround them, it felt like it took everything she had just to make them close.
Letting out a hopeless sigh, she began to wonder if this effect would be permanent. But for the moment, she really didn't care. Within minutes of her head touching the pillow, Raven had once again drifted off into another deep sleep.
It wasn't until late the next morning that she finally did woke up feeling fresh, rejuvenated, and very hungry! While waiting for room service, Raven got dressed, deciding to put on her dark blue bathing suit, and a pair of black sandals that she rarely wore. She was in the process of throwing her cloak over her shoulders when the doorbell rung. "Room service. . ." A voice hollered from the other side.
Raven didn't move. But instead peered at the knob on the door. Eyes brightly glowing, the knob instantly blackened, clicked, and turned without any problem. Blowing out a sigh of relief, Raven knew that her powers, as well as her state of mind were completely back to normal. Inside she truly hoped that she would never have an experience like this again!
As of now. . .she would make the most of what she had left of this vacation. She owed it to herself, and to her friends.
Which now left her to this point, here, three days later. After doing her minimal amount of shopping, and walking on the beach. . .It occurred to Raven that there was just so much she could do, when she had nobody to share it with. So the question was. . where would she go from here?
Twelve hours later in the common room.
"Raven?" Robin replied, as he and Cyborg looked up from the chessboard.
"Yo, girl? What are you doing back so early?" He asked as she approached the two
of them. Thinking on it a second, she smiled and replied, "It's a long story."
Now before they knew what she was doing, Raven took out her small duffle bag, and flipped it upside down, dumping a ton of cookies and chocolates all over the place.
"What the?"
"Compliments of the hotel. . ." she mocked, as Robin began to chuckle.
"Well, alright!" Cyborg said, grabbing a handful of sweets. "Thanks. . ."
"No problem. . ." She replied watching as he began to stuff his face. Getting up from the table, Robin asked, "So how was it, really?"
"Absolutely beautiful. . ." She replied, as a pleased smile crossed over his face. "And the hotel was nice too."
"So you did have fun?" Not wanting to expose too many details, Raven looked him dead in the eyes and said, "Let's just say that the trip was one I'll never forget. And I really did need to get away. . ."
"Then why did you come back so early?" Giving him a timid shrug, she replied,
"Because there's a fine line between solitude, and loneliness, Robin. I mean. It got to the point that when I saw a hot pink bathing suit, I thought of Starfire. And when I saw a kid break something in a store, I thought of Beastboy. . ." she mocked, as he chuckled. "I guess. . .I just missed my friends. . ." Touched, Robin patted her on the back.
"Well, I'm glad your back."
"Yeah. Me too. . ."
She wasn't too far down the hall, when a familiar voice hollered out,
"Raven!" Closing her eyes, Raven waited for it. Seconds later gasping from Starfires bone-crushing hug. "I'm so glad to see you! You have arrived early!" she hollered, jumping up and down with excitement. "So where did you go? What did you see? What did you do?!"
"Star." Raven panted, desperately trying to pull away. "You're killing me."
Feeling rather awkward, Starfire rubbed a hand on the back of her neck and replied,
"Forgive me, friend. I've just missed you so much. . ." Feeling more than mutual, Raven suddenly remembered she'd forgotten about something. This caused her to reach into her bag, until she pulled out a huge bright pink purse, with sparkles all over it. Eyes widening with delight, Starfire gasped as Raven shyly handed it to her.
"Ohhh! It's absolutely adorable! And it's in my favorite color! But why. . ."
"For the bubble bath. . ." Raven implied, giving her a playful wink. Pleased that her friend appreciated her gesture that much, a proud smile crossed over her face.
"I see."
"Just give me a minute, and I'll tell you everything as soon as I unpack. . .If I can breath."
Moments later. . .
Approaching Beastboys room, Raven noticed that the door was cracked open just enough for her to get a whiff of stale pizza, and month old socks. Slowly shaking her head she muttered,
"I don't know how he could stand it. . ." Before she had a chance to knock, Beastboy looked up from his computer saw her standing there. "Well hey, girl! I'm surprised to see you're back already!"
"Well. . .something come up." She shrugged, stepping in a little more.
"Come in. . .Come in. . ." he said, tossing some junk to the side.
"Do I have to?" she mocked, scrunching her nose rather disgustedly. Letting out a chuckle, he began to grow rather embarrassed.
"Yeah. . .I know. My room ain't exactly up to par. . ."
"Well. . .fortunately for you, I didn't come to inspect it. But I . . .wanted to give you something. . ." Giving her a rather shocked gaze, he grinned and asked,
"Really? What?" Now she handed him a round metal tin. Looking through the plastic cover, his mouth fell open as an excited yelp escaped him.
"Ahhh, dude! Chocolate covered macadamias! Their my like my favorite! How did you know?" Giving him a devious peer, she replied,
"Not a hard guess. . .I saw the nuts and thought of you."
"Gee. . .thanks alot." he chuckled, as she cracked a smile. "But seriously, you really didn't have to do this.
"I know. . .but. . .consider it a peace offering. . ." Realizing what she meant, a touched expression crossed over his face.
"Ok. . .But only if you accept my apology. . ." Giving him a very serious gaze, Raven replied, "Likewise. . ." Smiling, Beastboy nodded,
"It's a deal." Now ripping the plastic off the container, he opened it up to reveal a pile of the yummy confections. Holding the tin out, he asked, "Have some?" Rather cautiously Raven muttered, "Umm. . .I'll think I pass. . ."
"Come on, girl. You know you want to get a little nutty with me. . ." Thrown off from his crack, Raven shook her head, as he began to chuckle loudly. Grinning, she rolled her eyes and replied, "Alright. . .just one. . ."
The end