Hey! I know I'm late…very late. No excuse, and I won't ramble. I hope this chapter makes up for my absence. Please read and review! Love you!
XOXO,
Meg
This chapter is dedicated to C DeMikols for being so encouraging,PamelaRoxMySox for helping out and SxStrngSamurai13 for ALWAYS helping!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Teen Titans, DC does.
Chapter 11: The Gradual Fall
So fall asleep love, loved by me…for I know love, I am loved by thee.
-Robert Browning
Children's laughter and the sounds of hushed whispers danced around the dark classroom. It was naptime. Raven walked around the room, avoiding wriggling children on their tiny blue mats, to turn on the "soothing" music that was requested by the PTA and close the blinds. Raven paused at the window. Clouds were forming and the young woman prayed for rain. Beast Boy was starting his position as soccer coach that day, and she was certainly not anticipating his arrival. Work had been a pleasant break from staying away from her husband, the past few days were filled with awkward silences and impromptu departures.
A quiet knock on the door roused the young woman from her thoughts. She saw Olivia's poised face staring at her through the foggy glass. Carefully, she walked across the classroom and over to the door. "Hello Olivia," Raven whispered letting herself out into the hallway.
"Hi Raven, I'm glad to see you're looking well."
"Thank you."
"I came by to see if you needed any help with the students, I made cookies." Olivia held up a plate of fresh cookies wrapped in pink cellophane and tied with a perfect bow.
"Oh," Raven said surprised the woman handed her the plate enthusiastically. "They're napping right now."
"Well, afterwards. Oh yes, and there are a variety of cookies along with a list of which children are allergic to what. Just follow the list and hopefully none of them will swell up," she said earnestly.
"Um thanks." She smiled thoughtfully.
"Gar starts as coach today," Olivia said abruptly, her eyebrow raised. "Are you ready?"
"Ready?"
"Your husband is going to get a lot of attention."
"What do you mean?" Raven had a feeling that it had something to do with the perky blonde woman that approached her the other day. Olivia looked at her with wide eyes and shook her head.
"Well, Diane will be there no doubt. After all, she was quite coquettish at the meeting. She has been saying that your marriage is on the rocks."
"What?"
"She's up to something Raven," Olivia warned. Raven felt ill, she had never been in a situation such as this before.
"Up to something?"
"Raven, I would have to tally her total of homes ruined to about six or seven," Olivia whispered heatedly. "Don't let her have the opportunity to worm her way in. I know your husband would never cheat, but that isn't assurance enough when someone like Diane is involved! You have to do something!"
"What Olivia, do you suggest that I do?' Raven asked trying to keep the panic from her voice. She was treading foreign waters and needed advice from what she assumed was a seasoned vet.
"Women are constantly playing games, there are rules! Remember when you were in high school, how awful and conniving those girls were?"
"Um…I was home schooled," she lied.
"Oh, well...just be more of a wife, make your presence known," Olivia saw the confusion on Raven's face and elaborated, "You can't just sit in the background. Go to the practices, smile, and don't be afraid to show affection. Otherwise, she'll persist in making Gar her plaything."
"Terrific," Raven muttered sarcastically. Olivia put a hand on the young woman's shoulder and smiled warmly.
"It'll be fine, Gar loves you. It's Diane that will be the problem." Raven feigned a smile to appease Olivia's reassuring words. She was certain that Beast Boy did not love her, at least not in the way her friend believed. Olivia let Raven return to her thoughts, however she had more to ruminate and her hopes for a rained out practice mounted.
The sun shone down brightly on Beast Boy as he stepped out onto the pitch. It was a fairly large soccer field with two metal goals standing at opposing ends. He stood near the bleachers surrounded by a stack bright orange cones and a large mesh bag filled with perfectly round soccer balls. He checked his watch just as the bell rang out its glory indicating the end of the school day. Tiny boys and girls rushed from the school doors and out onto the playground. They came tumbling towards the field with unbridled exuberance. Beast Boy's heartbeat quickened and his palms grew sweaty. It was not the children that frightened him, but their mothers.
Beast Boy blew on the silver whistle the school had given him and gathered all the children around him. Some looked all too excited to be there and ready to play, others seemed to be there only to appease their parents. "Hello…kids, I'm…well I guess I'm Coach Logan."
"You're Mrs. Logan's husband!" The small blond boy Beast Boy had come to know as Neal shouted from the bleachers where he was sitting impatiently with his mother and the other women. The children began to giggle and he felt his cheeks redden.
"Thanks Neal, well, I guess some of you might know me as that but you all look older."
"Duh! Soccer isonly for kids in grades fourth to sixth!" A tall boy with brown hair and eyes stated matter-of-factly. He had a splash of freckles across his nose and a tough, arrogant smile.
"And who are you?" Beast Boy asked with raised eyebrows.
"My name is Nick and I play centre forward!"
"Well, we have to let everyone have a chance," the young man smiled. Nick's expression sobered.
"But I'm the best."
"I'm sure you are but a team is only eleven kids and we have fourteen here," he countered. Before argument could arise Beast Boy blew his whistle once more and clapped his hands together, "Alright, sign your name and number on this sheet and then we need to do some warm-ups."
The boys and girls ran for the clipboard and pen and began scribbling their names and numbers onto the paper. Once they were finished Beast Boy blew the whistle once more and managed to arrange the players in some semblance of a circle. The children did haphazard jumping jacks and other exercises Beast Boy could think of, garnering laughter from the mothers.
"Okay, let's run three laps around the field." He blew the whistle and they all sprung into action whipping around the pitch like a wild pack of animals.
"Whoever gave you that whistle should be shot." The young man heard Raven's familiar monotone voice and turned to see her standing behind him arms crossed, smiling slightly. He grinned at her and blew the whistle. The children stopped running and stared at him.
"Sorry, keep going!"
"They're like an army."
"My army."
"Oh how do you stay so humble?" She asked sarcastically, her smirk growing.
"With great practice." Beast Boy winked playfully. Raven stared at him momentarily before turning on her heel and sitting down near Olivia and Neal. The young man was confused, his wife had not said much to him since their dinner with Jason. Beast Boy shrugged his shoulders; he would not question her change in mood if it were for the better.
"Yeah Kristy, leading the pack of course!" Out of the corner of his eye, Beast Boy saw Diane jumping up and down cheering her daughter on.
"For God's sake they're running laps Diane, not a marathon!" Another mother hollered from her seat on the bleacher. Diane glared at the woman with contempt and promptly walked over to where Beast Boy was standing.
"Oh Gar, you have really done such a wonderful thing for these children. You should beso proud of yourself."
"I guess," He muttered trying to put all his concentration on the clipboard in his hands. The children ran back towards him and stood as still as possible, waiting for their coach's next words. "Okay, good job. Uh, let's set up these cones and do some drills." Beast Boy made three lines of cones and dropped a soccer ball at each one, "Here's how we do this." The young man carefully zigzagged around the cones, trying his hardest to look as if he knew what he was doing.
"We know how to do this!" Nick complained taking the initiative to rush through the cones with an ease that only comes from pure talent. "See!" All the children nodded in agreement. Beast Boy refrained from rolling his eyes and plastered a smile on his face.
"Well, then if you know how to do this, let's have the defense up against the offense, we can work on some plays." The players ran to their positions on the field, Nick leading the offensive to the right side, the defense stood on the left.
"My, they really have taken a liking to you," Diane said putting a hand on his shoulder possessively.
"Well, you know…uh kids and stuff," Beast Boy stammered, shaking off her grip and walking out onto the pitch.
"They aren't the only ones," she laughed in a seductive tone unfamiliar to the young man. Beast Boy tripped over a soccer ball and landed on ungracefully on the hard ground.
"Careful there Gar, we need you in perfect condition." He gathered himself quickly and ran to the waiting children without further delay.
Raven sat on the bleachers with a book in hand, ignoring the women's remarks about her husband, especially Diane's. "I'm telling you, he's…unhappy." She overheard the zealous blonde whispering to a gaggle of her equally gossipy friends. "I'm concerned."
"Sure you are dear, but wouldn't you think it best to keep those concerns to yourself?" Olivia asked her words coated in sugar. Diane toyed with her blonde ponytail and smiled merrily.
"Well Olivia if you don't want to hear it try not to eavesdrop on other people's conversations." Raven's face burned brightly. Her patience was dissipating with every passing second. The young woman considered her options. She was fraught with equal desire to prove Diane wrong and to sit demurely on the bleachers silently churning with self-destructive anger. As unappealing as the latter seemed, she was more than willing to turn a blind eye to a situation she had no knowledge of how to appease.
"Raven is too serious for someone like Gar, he needs a woman who wants to have fun! Not some old schoolmarm," Diane laughed along with her band of overly tan mothers. She heard Beast Boy call the practice to a finish and swallowing her fears and second thoughts the young woman got up from her seat and marched over to her husband.
"Good practice, next time I'll have more drills. See you all Thursday," Beast Boy dismissed the team and sighed, exhausted. Soccer was far more challenging then he had anticipated and the children were not what he was expecting. He watched as the mother's gathered their kids and noticed Diane staring right at him. Beast Boy turned away sharply and made himself busy, picking up soccer balls.
"Gar." Raven appeared by the young man's side, fidgeting as a timid poodle.
"Um, hey…is there something wrong Rae?" He asked concerned. The young woman focused on the hole she was making in the ground with the heel of her shoe.
"No, you did well today," she said with a slight stammer. Beast Boy raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine." Raven's cerulean gaze met his. The young man noticed a flush of color warm her pale face and smiled gently.
The young woman saw her blonde haired nemesis over Beast Boy's shoulder, and grimaced. She moved nearer her husband, protectively. The blush on her cheeks deepened, as all her thoughts pointed to the only possible solution to her silent struggle with Diane. Raven lightly pressed her lips to his, a tender kiss filled with uncertainty. Her lips touched him delicately, as that of a butterfly's wing. It took the young man only a moment to process what was happening, he closed his emerald eyes and kissed her back with the same softness and timidity.
Beast Boy's fingers tentatively traveled up her arm and onto her cheek, cupping her face in his hands. He was nervous in his movements, but a small sigh escaped the young woman's lips encouraging him. The doubt that dominated was quickly washed away with Raven's consent and Beast Boy deepened their kiss, backing it with a passion he had not realized until that moment.
Before he lost complete control of himself, Beast Boy slowly pulled away. He noticed everyone was gone; they were the only two people remaining on the pitch. A bashful grin graced his lips and his hands dropped to his sides, finding comfort in his pockets.
Raven's eyes reverted to their position on the ground. "I forgot my book, uh, I'll see you at home."
"Raven, wait!"
"What?" asked Raven, continuing to walk, refusing to look back. Beast Boy caught up with her quick pace and wrapped his fingers around her wrist.
"Well, you already have your book."
"I brought two."
"No you didn't," the young man smirked refusing to relinquish his grip. "Why did you do that?"
"You did it first," Raven countered realizing, after hearing her words aloud, how childish she sounded. Both blushed hotly refusing to make eye contact. Beast Boy cleared his throat, filling the silence.
"You're right," he laughed awkwardly. The young man released his wife's wrist. "But that still doesn't get you off the hook."
"Well, I-I was keeping the façade. One of us has to at least try to make this sham of a marriage seem real." The young woman rolled her eyes, but try as she might her blush remained, staining her cheeks red.
Beast Boy raised a blond eyebrow at her explanation, having trouble believing her. "I guess you're right." He shrugged.
"Yes."
"Well, maybe we should…go out then. You know, on a date. To keep up the façade of course."
"Oh, a date?"
"We, well, we don't have to! It's just to make us convincing as a married couple."
"I see, I suppose it would help." Raven said in her indifferent monotone. Beast Boy grinned at his wife, who smiled in return, and finished packing up the soccer balls and cones. Raven didn't make a motion to move, waiting for him patiently. The young man escorted his wife to her car, every now and then stealing glances. He was filled with a curious joy, anticipating their date yet nervous as to what it may bring.
Raven said goodbye and sat in her car motionlessly. The young woman was dizzy with questions. Beast Boy's feelings for her went from friendly to ambiguous after he kissed her forehead and now she was certain that his intentions reached beyond the definition of platonic. Elation stirred within her, extending throughout her body.
"It's not a big deal," she muttered to the steering wheel. With the skill she learned from years of meditation, Raven suppressed the feeling in order to remain level headed.
"Ah, Garfield! Long time no see, and who is this lovely young lady?" Don greeted Beast Boy with a large hug and smiled at Raven with thoughtfully.
"This is my wife, Raven. Rae, this is Don. He owns the restaurant," the young man introduced the two. Don enveloped Raven in a genteel embrace, released her, and grinned at the couple.
"Nice to meet you," she said.
"The pleasure is all mine, here I will sit you at the very best table!" Don glided through the maze of tables and chairs with ease and sat the pair near the large window in the back, close to the bar but still secluded. He lit the candle that sat on the table and placed a clean porcelain bowl of sweet smelling water filled with rose petals next to it. "Enjoy your meal!"
"Thank you," both Beast Boy and Raven said in unison. Don clapped his hands together and with one last smile disappeared to giving them privacy.
Beast Boy blushed and dutifully pulled out Raven's chair for her. The young woman smiled and nodded in shocked gratitude.
"I thought you never wanted to come in here," Raven asked conversationally.
"I didn't, but I was wrong. Don's a vegetarian, it was his cousin's idea," he explained. Beast Boy added, with a sheepish smile, "I guess it's all about not judging a book by its cover."
"You're right," Raven brushed her black hair behind her ears and toyed with the pages of her menu.
"Have you found out anymore about that voodoo lady?" Beast Boy had wanted to ask her this question for quite some time.
"I haven't been able to. I've tried, but everything comes up blank. She's put some sort of block on information."
"Why?"
"Remember, she doesn't want us knowing things about her I guess. It's all part of her sick game," Raven stared down at her wedding band, "she doesn't want us to find a way out that isn't her own."
"What's her way out?" asked Beast Boy, eyebrows raised.
"I'm not sure. I know it's about us getting along and fate. Other then that, I don't know how we get out of this."
"Well, she'll turn up again…oh my God!" Beast Boy's emerald eyes widened in surprise, Raven's brow furrowed in confusion and slowly she turned and was immediately hit with the same shock as her husband. Don was hugging Cyborg.
Beast Boy yearned to get up and greet his friend, but just as he was about to do so, he was overcome with the grief of realization. Cyborg didn't know who he was. "We should go say hi."
"We can't," Raven sighed. Beast Boy shook his head in feigned resignation. The young woman's eyes sparkled with remorse, "I'm sorry."
"It isn't your fault," Beast Boy smiled and took Raven's hand in his, gently stroking his thumb across her soft skin. "You're right." Beast Boy desired to talk to his friend, but he would have to be discreet. The young man smiled coltishly at Raven causing her to roll her cerulean eyes.
"You're so charming."
"I like to think so," he winked. Raven surprised her husband with a laugh and his smile widened. "You should laugh more."
"I forget that I can now," she commented. Even though she had been without her powers for some time now, the precautions she took to keep them in control were still second nature. With the confidence in knowing that they would not be returning to her without warning, Raven was slowly warming up to the idea of a life that could be lived fully.
After dinner, Beast Boy and Raven made their way up to the apartment and retreated to bed in awkward silence. Both lay motionlessly, neither one able to fall asleep. Beast Boy sighed and turned toward the pillow wall and ran his fingers along the seam of one of the cotton pillowcases.
"Are you awake?" He questioned. The young man heard Raven sigh and turn so that she was facing the pillow wall as well.
"Yes," Raven responded sighing. Beast Boy removed one of the pillows so that he could see her face and smiled thoughtfully.
"So am I."
"I gathered that," she said in a tone that wasn't cold, just exhausted.
"Rae?" Beast Boy looked into Raven's eyes.
"Hm?"
"What happens next?" He suddenly asked. The young man had been thinking over this question ever since she kissed him, it was something he knew was better left unanswered but his curiosity got the better of him.
Raven stared back at him blankly. Her thoughts just as muddled, "I don't know."
Well, I hope this was good…I was so nervous about posting this chapter! I seriously am afraid, I hope it was good. The next chapter will be up soon, I think. I apologize (as usual) for being so late with updates it really isn't cool…high school and college applications have really been a burden. I love you all and please review!
XOXO,
Meg