Disclaimer: I've said it before and I'll say it again. I do not own the Teen Titans. They are the property of the following corps. /comps. DC Comics, Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network of which I have no affiliation.

Author's Note: I can never thank my readers and reviewers enough so Thank You! And I'm sorry for the delay.

Teen Titans- Titan's No More!
Chapter 8

Surprise

When Beastboy woke up, he woke up with his arm draped over…over a pillow? Where was Rae? He thought dimly. Even though the room was now sunlit he had just woke up. Looking around the room as he began to wake up more fully he realized she must've already left for work. He stared glumly at the pillow wondering when she would get off. Then he had a brilliant idea, or what he thought was a brilliant idea. He would go see her at work!


It was just another day at Wayne Manor. Robin, Starfire and Bruce we're once again at the breakfast table enjoying Alfred's cooking. He had prepared one of young Master Robin's favorite dishes, Chocolate Chip pancakes and sausage. As he placed a small silver spindle of assorted syrups at the table he was surprised to see young Master Robin's female companion frown just a bit.

"Is there a problem, miss?" the butler inquired.

"Oh, no!" she rushed. "My breaking of the fast is simply perfect. It's just…well," she hesitated and Robin gave her an odd look. "I just was wondering about the mustard." The butler chuckled placidly. The girl had put mustard on his egg benedicts the other day and he thought it a little strange but mustard and pancakes? He thought Bluck, must be an American thing. Although he'd never heard of it before…He quickly composed himself as he told her. "If that is what you want then that is what you shall have." He said smiling at her pleasantly.

The girl brightened as he went to go fetch the mustard. "Thank you" she said smiling at him cheerily when he returned with it, and placed it beside the young miss's plate.

He returned her smile as he went back to kitchen to clean up a bit before enjoying his own breakfast.


Cyborg or more appropriately now, Victor, was in first period English finishing up his homework from the night before, for his second period Algebra class. He hadn't time before his shift, at his after school job at Al's Garage to finish all of his homework from the night before. He tried to work on the math and listen to his teacher, but he had so many things on his mind that he was having a hard time multi-tasking something he as a Cyborg had been very good at. He sighed and it didn't go unnoticed. "Hey, bud" James McGee, the captain and quarter back of his football team whispered.

"What's up? You having trouble with the math?" he asked glancing at what his big friend was working on.

Victor didn't answer. He was too lost in his own thoughts to hear the boy. James tried again to get the big guys attention. This time he cleared his throat and whispered a bit louder. "gehem, Spift," he tried. "Vic? You need some help there buddy?"

This time it worked. "Huh?" Was Vic's response coming out of his thoughts for the time being at least.

"Dude what's with the gridlock?" the jock asked.

"Uh, sorry" said Vic not sure what to say. He didn't get James's slang sometimes.

James rolled his eyes, getting right away that his teammate must've got lost in translation somehow. Vic was familiar with most slang but James had to admit some of his slang for example the classic "Boyaahh!" was dated.

"I mean what's with the congestion? What's on your mind?" the football player clarified.

"Oh," Vic said. He was quiet for a little while after that and James peered at him curiously.

After thinking about his friend's question, Vic finally spoke. "Nothing really, just…" he vacillated. "I don't really get this problem" he lied. His answer seemed to satisfy James for he nodded and went back to focusing on the teacher.


Beastboy walked into the tiny local eatery. He walked in, and took his pick of the booths, seeing as how it was the middle of the afternoon and the place was practically deserted. He smiled thinking to himself as he grabbed a menu and thought of how surprised Raven would be at seeing him there.

Raven bent down and stepped out from the back through an undersized swinging door. When she looked up and saw Beastboy sitting at one of the booths she was anything but happy, she had been so relieved and grateful that morning that she'd had to work today. It would give her the chance she needed to escape and later when she came home it would be that much easier to pretend as if last night had never happened. Why did he have to come here? She mentally solicited as she gradually made her way over to him. She thanked Azar for small favors, because at least he'd been so busy staring at the menu that he hadn't seen her come in.

"Can I help you?" her voice sounded stressed and she knew Beastboy would pick up on that with or without his supersonic animal hearing.

He looked up at her happily. She was back! He thought registering her irritation as a good thing because at least she was expressing something to him, which in his mind was an improvement.

"Heh, Surprise!" he voiced nervously. Though he was happy that she was 'expressing' some form of the emotions that had been eating at her lately he was still worried because he had, alright maybe it was a bit foolish but he had hoped, she would 'express' a happier emotion than this at his surprise visit.

"Beastboy," she whispered his team name so that the other customers couldn't hear. "You know I hate surprises" she reminded him.

"Yea, but Rae…" he began.

"No, buts and my name is Ra-ven" she started but was put off by the small grin that was now spreading crossed the former changelings face. He wasn't supposed to be smiling she thought furiously, but she could feel herself returning it, in spite of herself.

She was back! This was Raven! Beastboy's heart was screaming. He was happy. No he was overjoyed. He hadn't failed her and last night wouldn't be for nothing. He was beaming now and could see that it was infectious, because Raven was actually starting to smile back at him, she was fighting it, but that was what made it all the more Raven. The Raven he secretly loved. He had realized it last night that he loved her. He loved her in spite of her stubbornness or maybe, more like because of her stubbornness. The two now were frozen, him grinning in the little red booth and her sharing in his grin standing at the booth with her waitress's pad in hand looking ready to take his order.

But then Beastboy just had to ruin the moment. He was so glad to have Rae back that he felt more like his old self again and broke the silence by doing what he would usually do. He cracked his token smile and asked her.

"Why did the aardvark cross the road?"

Raven rolled her eyes and chose to ignore the comment. She was still smiling though as she asked him. "What do you want to eat?"

He grinned and told her. "I liked that salad and the Tofu rice mixture that you brought me before."

She nodded and turned away the grin suddenly beginning to deteriorate as she walked to the back to give Jerry the order. Now what's the matter with me? She thought weakly. For a minute she thought for just that minute she had felt like herself again and now… it was back, the hollow fear of the emotions that she was coming to feel the sadness, the worry and a new feeling that she was to tentative and cowardly to even attempt to examine right now.

When she came back with Beastboy's order she was no longer smiling and Beastboy felt his heart slump just a little as she sat the food in front of him, gave him a half hearted weak sort of smile and started to walk away towards the counter.

"Hey wait" he wavered but continued tentatively "couldn't you take a break and eat with me?" he finished.

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry." She lied to him.

"Okay then, how about just sitting with me then?" he tried not wanting to give up on her.

"I really…shouldn't." she answered quietly too quietly. Beastboy didn't like the sound of it. He kept his eyes on her for a little bit. She felt wobbly on her feet and she could feel her knees wanting to give way, but she would not let them. She gave him another fake weak smile as she forced herself to walk straight.

Once she made it behind the counter she allowed herself to lean on it. Trying hard to keep her eyes and head up she watched him eat and noticed him eyeing her worriedly between bites.

She tried to keep up appearances by making herself look more busy but when she went to crouch down behind the counter to get the salt, that she had been planning on refilling the salt shakers with, she felt herself lose control of the amount of bending her knees needed to be doing and the last thing she was vaguely aware of before everything went black, was that, she somehow knew she would not be getting back up.