About 5 years later …
"His name's Justin?"
Starfire smiled and nodded.
"Yes, and he is into the dark poetry, like you are."
Raven was rinsing that night's dishes and loading them into the dishwasher. She shut off the faucet and dried her hands.
"Lots of people are into dark poetry, everyone at the cafe is into it. That doesn't make him special."
"He is a graduate student at Jump City University. He is studying ancient Sumerian and he works at the university library."
Raven started the dishwasher and began to wipe the counter top.
"And, you found the amazing catch, how?"
The princess tapped her fingers together. "Cyborg asked his girlfriend to keep the eye open for someone for you. She said that the cousin of a friend met Justin at the library and found out that he is the available."
"Since when does Sarah Simms play matchmaker?" Raven asked in her old school monotone.
Starfire took Raven's hands and held them between her own.
"Raven, I know we have been trying hard, maybe too hard, to find someone for you."
"And as I keep reminding you, I'm not looking for anyone."
"Yes … you have said so, many times … but Justin, he seems to be so compatible with you."
The gray woman heaved an exasperated sigh. "We don't know that, and does he know who I am?"
Starfire shook her head. "No, Sarah has not divulged your identity."
The two women stepped out of the kitchen and sat down on the circular couch. No one else was around.
"Starfire, we both know that civilians and superheroes don't make good couples."
The look on the princess's face was pleading.
"But you are so much alike. You are compatible."
She rolled her eyes. "I already said that we don't know that."
"There is only one way to find out."
Raven looked out the huge windows. In the distance she could see Gar's memorial, gleaming in the sunlight.
"Is there really any point?"
"There is always a point. Raven, you are not dishonoring his memory by seeing other men."
The sorceress turned to look at her friend. A small frown appeared on her face.
"You make it sound like he's gone forever, that I'll never see him again."
Starfire became crestfallen. "Raven, he is not coming back. You still have your life to live."
She pursed her lips. She had heard this before, countless times, from all her teammates. But this was the first time they had gone through so much trouble and actually were trying to set her up on a bona fide date.
"Please, Raven? You might find it to be very pleasant."
"I don't have anything to wear. And I'm not going shopping for civilian clothes. I hate the mall with a passion, and you know that."
"I know, and I have taken the liberty of buying you an outfit. I left it in your room."
"Thanks, but I'll still be me. I'll be recognized instantly, there's no way we could have a normal date, people will be staring, asking for autographs, taking pictures, etc."
Starfire reached into her pocket and placed a ring in Raven's palm.
"A holoring? I see the three of you won't take no for an answer."
"Raven … give it the try … we are not asking you to marry him."
"You aren't going to stop nagging me until I say yes, are you?"
"Please, Raven."
"Fine, I'll meet this Justin, but no promises, OK?"
"None are required. He will meet you at the gloomy cafe for a late lunch this Saturday and he has tickets for the Babylonian exhibit at the museum. He has been told that your name is Rachel."
"So now I have an alias, and I'll be disguised when I meet him."
"So that he will not be initially intimidated." Star interjected.
"OK, but I have a bad feeling about this."
-(-)-
Saturday afternoon …
Raven stared at the ensemble Starfire had laid out on her bed. The princess had a past reputation for having garish taste in clothing, though she did choose a nice dress the time she crashed Robin and Kitten's Prom cruise. That said, Raven thought that the clothes on her bed looked stylish, in a bookworm kind of way, which suited her fine. Raven quickly changed into the jeans and the top and ambled over to her mirror. She liked what she saw. The outfit highlighted her figure, while being tasteful.
Still, the gray face stared back at her. She reach for the holoring and was about to slip it on when she froze. On her left ring finger, shining in its golden glory, was her wedding band. Six years had passed and not a day went by when she did not wear it. She raised her hand in front of her face and stared, mesmerized at the golden ring.
She opened the top drawer in dresser and pulled out a small metal box. Its lid was hinged and she opened it. The box was full of photos of Garfield as well as his wedding band. There was a photo, snapped spontaneously by Starfire on their wedding day. They were standing together, she in her white gala costume and he in a handsome tuxedo. Many pictures were taken that day, but in none of them was her smile so dazzling. They both looked ecstatically happy in the photo.
Raven kissed his image and lay it back in the box. She removed the wedding band from her finger and placed it on top of the photo.
"Take care of it while I'm away." She whispered as she closed the box and placed it back in the drawer.
She picked up the holoring and slipped it on. The new ones were self activating and when she looked in the mirror she winced, as she saw a freckled blond looking back from the mirror.
"Really, guys … me … a blond?"
-(-)-
The cafe was not busy mid afternoon, and a young man with an athletic build and dark hair sat by himself at a table. He looked a bit nervous and kept checking the time on his phone. It wasn't time yet and he arrived fifteen minutes early, so he had ample time to worry and fret over the blind date.
He heard the cafe door open and looked up. It was a young blond woman, but she already had a male companion. They found a table and sat down.
He began playing a crossword puzzle on his phone and a few minutes later he heard the door creak open again. Another blond entered, but this time she was alone. She looked a little nervous as she quickly glanced around the cafe. He hesitantly raised his hand and waved at her. She saw him and waved back, slowly walking to the table. He stood up and they shook hands.
"I'm Justin."
"Rachel" She replied.
"Please, have a seat." He gestured as he pulled the chair out for her. "So, you're a friend of Sarah?"
"A friend of a friend, actually. Though I have met Sarah."
"Can you believe that she's dating Cyborg, of the Titans?"
"Actually, I can."
A smile appeared on his face. "Don't tell me that you've met him."
"I have."
"Damn, I'm jealous. You actually know a Titan … do you know any of the others?"
"I have also met them."
"No way, you're pulling my leg, right?"
"No, I'm not."
"That's amazing .. but getting back to you … what do you do? Sarah didn't mention your job. Does it have anything to do with archaeology?"
"Not really, though I wouldn't mind having such a job, though I am kind of a freelancer in that area."
"Sarah mentioned that you're into that. That's what my PhD will be."
"Interesting, what do you plan on doing after you finish your degree?"
He shrugged. "I'd love to work on site on digs, but I'll probably end up teaching undergrads. It'll be a living, I guess. So what's your day job?"
"I suppose that I don't really have one."
"Wow, no job, how do you pay the bills?" He laughed.
"I have other income … it's complicated, I'd rather not talk about it."
They ordered their meals and continued with the small talk. When they were done he offered to pay her tab, but she said it wasn't necessary and paid for her meal herself.
They went to the museum. He tried to impress her with his knowledge of the exhibits and Babylonian archaeology in general but soon realized that her knowledge greatly eclipsed his own.
"You should write a book, and I'm not kidding. You're knowledge is amazing. Are you sure you don't have a PhD?" He asked her.
"I've never attended college, but I have written a book, though it's published under a pseudonym."
"Really, which one?"
"Babylon and Trigonic Worship."
"I've heard of that one, can't say I've read it. Maybe I should. Under whose name is it?"
"Arella Roth." She replied. "She was my mother."
"Was? I'm sorry, I guess that means she's passed away."
"She has, but there is no need to apologize. Life happens … so does death."
They continued touring the museum for a few hours and left when it closed for the day.
"My apartment isn't far from here. If you'd like I can show you my books, though I'm guessing you've already read all of them."
Raven hesitated for a moment. On the surface she had nothing to fear, she had superpowers after all, but there was the remote possibility that he knew who she really was and could be leading her into a trap.
"It's still early, I'll go with you."
Justin grinned happily.
In his apartment ...
"You have an impressive book collection. I've read most of them, but you have a few that are on my to read list."
"Would you like some coffee?"
"I'd rather have herbal tea."
"Is chamomile OK?"
"That would be fine."
They sipped on their hot drinks while they looked at his books. Soon, it was time for her to leave.
"I'd like to see you again." He said.
Raven paused before replying.
"I had a very pleasant outing with you, but … I need to be honest … I'm not ready to date. I only accepted because my friends nagged me to go out with you."
He was unable to conceal his disappointment. "Are you, you know, getting over an ex? If you are, I can wait … I can tell that you're worth waiting for."
Her expression changed and she looked sad.
"Not an ex. Actually, I'm a widow and I'm still in mourning. I'm sorry if I wasted your time. As for being worth waiting for, I wouldn't be so sure."
Raven removed her holoring and Justin gasped when he saw who his date really was.
"Trust me, Justin, you don't want to be involved with someone like me. Not only is it dangerous to be in a relationship with me, but my baggage has baggage. But I am truthful in saying that I enjoyed our time together."
"I don't believe it." He muttered. "You're the Raven of the Titans. I actually dated a superhero."
Raven smiled. "Other than my beloved you're the only other man I've ever dated … good bye, Justin."
She raised her arms and her signature black hemisphere swallowed her up.
-(-)-
Back at the Tower. ...
Raven materialized in her room. She rushed to her bureau and retrieved the metal box, which she quickly opened. She grabbed her wedding band and hastily slipped it back on, heaving as sigh of relief once it was back in place. After that she retrieved the earlier photo and his wedding band, which she slipped on her right hand after which she carefully pressed the photo against her chest.
"Forgive me, Gar, I don't know what I was thinking … I'm lonely and I miss you so much … please wait for me. I'm coming, I promise."