A/N: For those of you who have been reading this for a while, I'd suggest re-reading the first three chapters; as of the posting of this forth they have been updated. Nothing major, but it might be nice to look back on them just in case.
Sorry for the lengthy wait; please enjoy chapter four! This is the one where things get interesting! -Arayllin
Fifty-five levels and four hours later, Beast Boy looked up from his game. Robin and the others had gotten up hours ago, but the changeling had yet to notice them whatsoever. At the moment, they were all busy elsewhere, so he was still unaware of them as he paused his game, racing to the fridge for some tofu waffles.
Grabbing a pack, he threw them into the toaster and leaned against the counter as he waited. Unwittingly his mind began to wander to Margo, and how he had grown to love the baby over the last few weeks… he still found it weird how Raven too had connected with the infant, but he was glad for it. This way Margo was still with them, and they were like a big, happy family.
But still, he thought, glaring at the clock with a puzzled expression, Why are they taking so long…?
The little girl giggled as she rolled in the soft grass, her temporary guardian standing over her with a smile on her face. It was a beautiful day in Jump City – the sun was shining and it wasn't nearly as hot as it had been the week before. The girls had been out for hours, and Raven had to admit to herself that she was having fun. She'd changed into jeans and a hoodie before leaving so as not to make people suspicious, and had gotten Margo into a cute little sundress Beast Boy had bought for her days earlier. It was almost humorous how well he played the doting parent…
But why am I thinking about him? I'm here with Margo. Raven rolled her eyes at herself, sitting gently in the grass beside the child she had already come to think of as hers. "Are you having fun Margo?" The dark-haired child replied with a shout, and Raven smiled. "That's good." She hadn't been sure what Margo would think of the park – it was often noisy and filled with strange people and sounds – but she seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. They had already played on the baby swings, and Raven had even guided her down the kiddie slide, but now they were just sitting in the grass enjoying one another's company. Or, Raven was sitting. Margo seemed to be getting the hang of walking since her stay at Titan's Tower had began – Raven suspected Beast Boy had something to do with this, but watching her toddle around in the grass, Raven realized that she didn't really mind.
It was almost as if Margo had put a spell on her – Raven had never fallen in love with something so quickly before; she couldn't even remember the last time she'd felt so happy, and she smiled warmly as she planted a kiss on the baby's head. Margo laughed out loud in response, and Raven grinned despite herself. This was turning out to be one of the best days she'd had in a very long time…
"Okay, B – spill." Returning from his waffle run, Beast Boy was startled to find Cyborg, Robin and Starfrire sitting on the couch, staring at him. Cyborg had his arms crossed, and Beast Boy's game controller in one hand, so the changeling knew at once he wasn't going anywhere.
"Oh, uhh, hey guys." He said nervously, tugging at his collar with a forced grin. "How's it going?"
"We'd like some answers," Robin said, ever the serious one, "about you and Raven. We know something's going on Beast Boy."
"Raven?" Beast Boy did his best to act surprised, leaning up against the couch's arm casually. "I have no idea what you're–"
"Beast Boy, you never leave her room!" Starfire burst out suddenly. "And you do not speak to anyone except for each other! You are acting like we are not even friends anymore."
Beast Boy raised an eyebrow. "Is that what this is all about? Of course we're still friends!" He straightened up. "Really. But I'm glad we got that all sorted out; I'm going to go to my room now and–"
"Beast Boy." Robin frowned at him, also rising from his place on the couch. "We're not finished here."
"We're… not?"
"Sit down, B," Cyborg patted the place next to him, "I have a feeling we're going to be a while."
"I bet you're getting hungry, aren't you Margo?" Raven stretched her arms wide, glancing over her shoulder at the park's clock. 11 o'clock sharp. They had been out for four hours now, and neither had had a very big breakfast. It's no wonder I'm thinking about food!
"Ababadaaaa!" Margo sang at her feet, and Raven stood quickly.
"Right back atcha, hun." Raven smiled, bending to scoop the child into her arms. Margo tried to pull away, but subsided after a moment and pressed her face into her caretaker's shoulder. "Let's go and get something to eat, okay?"
Tugging her hood with her free hand, Raven assured herself that her hair was well covered before walking out of the park with the baby on her hip. Making her way down the street, she avoided the odd looks people gave her – she was used to these by now – and walked into the first food-serving building she could find. The pizza place.
Beast Boy would be proud. Ordering two slices, Raven grabbed a fork from the counter and chopped tiny pieces for her companion, sitting her on her lap as they ate together. Of course, more food ended up on the floor or on Raven than in the baby's stomach, but neither seemed to mind too much, and so they left feeling full and – were it possible – happier than ever.
So happy, in fact, that both Titan and child were entirely unaware of the shadow behind them, stalking after them as the sky grew ever darker.
"So that's the whole story." Beast Boy finished, letting out a sigh as he finally looked up from the ground. Robin, Cyborg and Starfire didn't say a thing, and Beast Boy continued quickly. "See, we weren't trying to make any trouble! We just wanted to make sure she was taken care of while we–"
'You did the right thing, Beast Boy." Robin said seriously, startling the changeling into silence.
"I think so too," Cyborg added in, "You just did it in the wrong way. You shoulda told us, man!"
"I agree." Robin nodded. "We could have taken care of it better together. We're supposed to be a team, remember?"
Beast Boy's mouth opened in a wide grin. "You mean it? So we can keep–"
"No." Robin said firmly, shaking his head. "But we can look out for her and help you in your search."
The younger Titan hadn't seemed to have heard his first answer, and he jumped to his feet. "You guys are the best!"
"We know." Cyborg grinned, but Robin shook his head again.
"We're not keeping her here, Beast Boy."
Beast Boy, however, was no longer listening, but had raced away from his friends and was busy contacting Raven via his communicator.
"Hey, Raven, guess what?" He giggled like a school girl, feeling nothing but ecstasy at the way Robin and the others had acted towards his confession. He continued to grin as he waited for her to respond, but the screen had gone black and fuzzy. "…Raven?" He squinted at the screen, tapping the device. "Man! It would be broken!"
"Broken?" Cyborg came over to stand beside Beast Boy, taking a closer look at the communicator. "It doesn't look…"
"Beast Boy?" Raven's voice finally came through, and Beast Boy's grin re-appeared as he prepared to tell her his good news. However, his excitement was abruptly cut short at the empath's next, whispered words: "I'm so sorry."
