Chapter 37: Show Me Love [In This Wheel of Fortune]

Phoebe returned to Coop after they all got back from their journey to another world. Billie and Beast Boy both headed to the tower—and Raven took Kane back to the house she'd spent her night at the after the first day they'd met.

Artie was waiting there, impatient for their return. Neither was sure if Artie had been informed about the transformations they both had gone through, but they knew they'd have to discuss it with him regardless if he did or not.

"Long time, no see," Artie commented at their arrival. "I was starting to wonder if you both were ever going to return."

"You should know I wouldn't leave my friend hanging high and dry," Kane replied. "We had a few things to tend to first before we could return."

"Raven—is there something different about you?" Artie asked her curiously. "You oddly seem, I don't know—aglow." Artie suddenly grinned wickedly. "Did you two end up doing something together—"

"Artie—shut it," Kane warned him. "Sometimes I wonder if you have a dirty mind—or are just a too deeply invested romantic." His expression lightened. "There is something that has happened with the two of us that you should know."

"Oh?" Artie showed interested. "Like—?"

"Raven's now a whitelighter," Kane told him. "And—I'm just human."

"What made you come to this decision?" Artie exclaimed.

"When I asked the Elders for a favor—they asked for a compromise," Kane replied. "In order for them to agree to remove her father's influence from her life—I had to make the sacrifice of being a whitelighter for her. That dark past was a part of her, and she wouldn't be whole if she didn't have something to fill the gap with."

"You made the ultimate sacrifice—for your charge?" Artie looked clearly shocked. He then suddenly became excited. "I always knew that you loved her."

"Now—how did you—" Kane began to question him.

"I've always had a hunch," Artie interrupted him. "Since that day you told me you'd met that dream girl of yours, I just knew there was something more to it then it just happening by chance. Dani never told me a thing; I just—knew."

"Are you going to be okay with the fact that I'm no longer a whitelighter though?" Kane asked his oldest friend.

"I think I can adjust," Artie replied, grinning. "I can teach you about the whitelighter biz—if you need any instruction that is," Artie told Raven. "Whatever Kane can't help with—I can fill in for him."

"Thanks Artie—I think," Raven replied. "I think first I need to just take a break before I embrace my new calling. Like—take some time just to spend some alone with just Kane. We haven't really had the chance to have a moment alone while we were dealing with that threat."

"I'll gladly honor that request for you," Artie told the two. "If you need the place to yourselves for a while—I can find somewhere else to go for a few days."

"Artie—that won't be necessary," Raven told him. "I've been away from my original home for so long—I forgot what my room is even like. I think I want to spend a little more time there before I even consider moving on—or moving here."

"If that's what you want—"Artie said. "—I'm not going to pressure you to change your mind."

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Phoebe made an entry into her loft. The place was quiet and dark. She started to wonder if he was even home.

"Coop—I'm home!" she called out. "Are you here?"

"Phoebe," Coop materialized right in front of you. "How did things go? Are you okay?"

"Everything went well," Phoebe replied. "I'm fine."

"I'm glad," Coop embraced her. "When I talked to Leo earlier, he informed me that Piper said you had something to tell me." He separated from her. "What is it?"

"We're expecting," Phoebe said happily. "I'm pregnant."

"That great news Phoebe!" Coop congratulated her. "That would explain why you've been down with a bug lately."

"Yeah—it's just the morning sickness," Phoebe replied. "I hope you're prepared for the responsibility."

"We both will be—together," Coop replied. He then moved in to kiss her.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

"Raven—welcome back," Robin greeted his teammate. "It's been a while since you left."

"It seems like a different lifetime," Raven observed. "In a way—it almost is."

"What does your new status as a guardian angel mean for you in general?" Robin asked her. "Will you be taking on other responsibilities to go with it?"

"Right now—I don't know," Raven replied. "For now, I just need to adjust to it—and my life with Kane. I'll worry about those responsibilities later on."

"What does Kane intend to do with his future now that his former life as a guardian angel is no more?" Starfire asked.

"I intend to spend it with Rae," Kane told her. "I love her—it's what I intended—whether I remained a whitelighter or not."

"And I thought you said you didn't have time to make romantic connections," Cyborg said to Raven, grinning goofily.

"I didn't think I did at the time," Raven replied defensively.

"I guess I could've made the same comment about you BB,' Cyborg teased his changeling friend, nudging him in the shoulder. "Looks like you hooked up with that cute witchy blond—from what Raven's told us anyways."

"Yeah-yeah—let's not make a big deal about that," Beast Boy replied irritably. "I already promised Rae I'd keep shut about her little fling."

"Let's all just be grateful we've managed to pull through this mess in one piece." Robin reminded his team. "We can get on each other's cases about things later."

"You already had the love of your life before this all started—so we didn't need to rag on you for it," Cyborg replied. He grinned wickedly. "But—that doesn't mean we can't do that to ya now."

"Don't even think about it—Cy," Robin warned his friend, and then he too grinned.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

"It's been so long since I've been up here." Raven opened the door to her room. She switched the light on as she entered. Kane followed her in, and she closed the door behind him.

"This is where it all started," Kane noted. "Where I first told you I was a whitelighter, the first time you met Artie—and where we first discussed that prophecy that brought us together in the first place."

"We had a lot of firsts here—didn't we?" Raven asked him.

"Yeah—I guess we did."

"Kane—come here," she told him. She stood in front of her dresser—in front of the mirror that was mounted above it. He complied, making his way over towards her. "Do you see my reflection?" She indicated herself in the mirror.

He leaned in to look.

"Yeah—I do." He looked closer at it—at her in it. She had a halo of blue-white orbs surrounding her. His eyes widened in shock.

"Are you—doing that?" he stammered.

"I learned how to manipulate the orbs in a way I see fit," she replied. "What do you think?"

"It's stunning," He replied. She turned from the mirror and stood right in front of him.

"Is it different for you to be kissing an angel instead of being the angel that does the kissing?" she asked him. She rested her palm on the side of his head.

"Only slightly," he told her. "Mentally—I'm still adjusting to being a man whose in love with an angel." He looked into her eyes. "You?"

"I'm getting used to being able to be more free with my emotions," She told him. "It's new to me; I spent a lifetime not being able to."

"Let me help you get used to that," he told her. He brought her close, his lips coming into contact with hers. She pulled him towards her bed in the middle of the room, laying her back against its surface. He separated from her for a moment to look down at her, hovering just above her.

"Is it okay to even go beyond kissing at this point?" he asked her.

"I'm not really sure," she replied. "I'm not sure when it moves on from that to making love. I've never even gotten that far before."

"I know eventually that we do," he said. "Everyone seems to keep telling us that we do. Even your dreams tell you we do."

"I wonder if Phoebe got around to telling Coop about the baby?" she wondered aloud to him.

"I'm sure she did." He sat down next to where she lay. "In one of those dreams you had, you said we had a daughter of our own," he said to her. "Is that something you're looking forward to—or is it something you're dreading?"

"I'm eventually looking forward to it," she replied, sitting up. "I don't want to rush it like she did though."

"Did you want to start our life here—or did you eventually have plans to go elsewhere?" he asked her.

"I just—wanted to spend a little time here—since I've been away from it for so long." She glanced around her room, at the décor she hadn't seen in a few months. It oddly felt unfamiliar to her—even though it had been her room for several years. "Stay a little while for my friends' sake—and then move on."

"Getting nostalgic?" he asked.

"Yeah—oddly enough for me," she admitted.

"Now that I'm human—I'm going to have a lot of time open," he stated. "I think I might fill some of it with writing a novel or some poetry or something."

"You mentioned once that you write—in particular poetry," she said. "I still have yet to read any of your works."

"I'll have to show them to you," he told her. "I've kept a log of them over the centuries—they're stashed over at the house."

"When we go back—you'll have to pull them out and show them to me," she told him. "Maybe you can even get them published."

"I promise I will," he replied, smiling. He fished for something in his pocket—pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. "In my spare time—I wrote one for you. I want you to read it—and tell me what you think."

"Okay—hand it over to me," she replied. "And I'll read it."

He handed her the piece of paper, and she took it from him.

Cometh by dream

Enchanted Maiden,

Thy dream spanning many ages—

Unbeknownst to one for so many of them,

Centuries spent long in seclusion

Passages of time gone without connections

—Unaware of thy maiden's existence.

One day's passage,

Thine's heart envisioned thee

By form of dream finally—

Thy maiden was fabric of fantasy

My maiden's vision,

Occupied mind it conjured,

Until a quest comes to pass

Where genuinely she was met.

Meant to guide,

The purpose of Thee for Thy maiden,

Her angel to watch—

To her—thy devotion to protect.

But soon—

The angel became the protected,

The protected—thy maiden—

Became the angel.

Thy be now but a man,

And thy maiden be mine angel—

Yet mine heart union yearns—

To become one, in souls united

Perchance it be possible

Thy maiden hears thy plea

In words written from the depths

—Of the heart of mine to thee?

"Do you tend to have a flair for archaic style in all of your poems?" she asked after she'd read what was written on the crumpled sheet of paper.

"Not all of them—no," he told her. "Did you read the last couple of verses carefully?"

"I think I did," she said. "Why—is there something about them?"

"Apparently you didn't—if you have to ask why," he told her. "Read them over again—but this time more carefully."

She reread the verses just like he told her to, reading each line—and taking in each word by word. She reread it a third time, even more carefully. Her eyes grew wide.

"Kane—am I interpreting these lines correctly?" she exclaimed. "Are they suggesting what I think they might be??"

"Rae—what do you interpret them to mean?" he asked her.

"That you're—" she paused momentarily. "—Proposing."

"Well—?"

"Are you?" she asked him.

"Yes," he told her.

"Um—"

"And your answer?" he asked her. He was watching her intently, taking her hands in his and squeezing them tenderly. She was speechless for several long moments; he was patient—he waited for her to recover her nerves.

"Kane—" her eyes were fully focused on his. "My answer is—yes."

"If I had the ring to give to you Rae—I'd have it offered to you in a heartbeat," he told her, sheepishly grinning. "I left it back at the house though—so it's going to have to wait."

"You—already have a ring?" she exclaimed.

"It's an heirloom a dear old friend gave to my mother," he told her. "Someone she was once close to—and told me she lost a long time ago."

"I wonder if Danielle would talk about that friend if I asked her about it," she said to him.

"She might," he replied. "She never really told me that much about him—although I never really bothered to ask either."

"I never bothered to ask before, but—" he momentarily paused, looking around before he again focused on her. "How much privacy do you get up here? Do your friends respect that this is your personal space—or do they tend to barge in whenever they feel the need?"

"It depends on which one of them you're talking about," she replied. "Some are better about it than others are."

"I hope they won't bother to invade your privacy this afternoon," he told her.

"Why?" she asked him.

"We haven't really had a moment of privacy since we met that was really all that worthwhile," he told her. "Whether it was missions, interruptions made by your friends—or just Piper barging in—we were always either occupied with other things or were unintentionally intruded on during moments we thought we did have."

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

"Now that it's all over with—will we ever see you again Prue?" Piper asked her sister. The two were overlooking the Book of Shadows once more—just for nostalgia's sake.

Prue looked up from the family inherited tome to her younger sister, noticing she was standing around, anxiously pacing.

"Piper—I don't have any reasons to avoid you guys anymore," Prue told her. "The Elders have given me the green light on interacting with my family—from now on. They figured after all that they put us through—all four of us, plus Leo and your kids included—they owed us big—and this was one of the rewards they're able to offer. I'm here for good—whether you'll enjoy it or not."

"Thank god for once," Piper said, releasing a dramatic sigh. "After all those times they swindled us—it's about time we got something out of them."

Prue closed the Book of Shadows and let it rest on its stand. She'd read over her sisters' entries in it; now she knew she'd have to add one of her own.

"Besides all of your high duties as a whitelighter all these years—what did you do with the spare time you had?" Piper asked Prue. "I can't imagine you just spending all those hours alone and bored."

"I spent them with Andy," Prue replied, turning to the attic window, watching the activity outside on the street below.

"Andy??" Piper exclaimed. "As in—the Andy? How—? I thought he was—dead."

"Apparently…the Elders thought his sacrifice for us was a good enough reason to make him a whitelighter," Prue, stated. "Which is something I can't argue with. Our afterlives have been more rewarding for us together than they ever were when we were both still living normal lives. He doesn't bother with the house with the white picket fence crap anymore. I guess not being normal anymore has opened his eyes to other options."

"I'm glad you had somebody you knew to comfort you all the years we couldn't communicate with each other," Piper said. She had a thought. "Hey—you'll have to have him stop by. It's been a while since I've seen him—and it might be nice for Paige to see she's not the only Halliwell who's had a boyfriend sacrifice himself and end up as a whitelighter."

"So—who did Paige lose to the Elders?" Prue asked Piper, turning away from the window and towards her sister.

"Federal Agent Kyle Brody," Piper replied, smiling wryly. "Who was killed while he was trying to save the world."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"I have heard from Phoebe that you were the one to strike down the demon of fear," Starfire stood in the doorway of the boy wonder's room. He was looking over some old newspaper clippings and criminal paraphernalia for old times' sake. He looked up from his examinations to notice her standing there.

"Yeah—she handed me the vial, and I gave him what was coming to him for what he did to you back in the woods." Robin got up from his studies. "Any particular reason you ask?"

"I felt I needed to verify it for myself by inquiring directly with you about it," Starfire replied. "What I must ask is this—was there a particular reason Phoebe gave you the rights to strike him out of existence? Why did she not feel the need to do so herself, I have been wondering to myself."

"After what Barbas did to you in the woods, and after I found out Barbas really was responsible for that episode I had from my culminated fear of Slade's return way back—I figured I had every right to strike at him," Robin told her. "And when Phoebe presented me with the opportunity, I figured it was suitable payback."

"The demon of fear truly was the one responsible for that?" Starfire exclaimed.

"Yeah—he told me straight out that he was—that he had deliberately been behind it all," Robin told her. "I guess we can put the theory to rest on what triggered that dust from outside the tower. We finally got the answer—from a demon's lips."

"I am thankful you finally got closure on that, Robin," Starfire approached him. "I remember how it plagued you so—so many tireless nights pondering the reasoning—investigating theory after theory with no fruit to bear for results. So many days you overworked yourself over an adversary you personally felt you were battling with—even in his apparent demise."

"Well, Star—I don't think I'll have to waste any more time overworking myself over Slade anymore," Robin replied. "He's really—finally…gone."

"And I am grateful for that fact," Starfire smiled.

"Instead—I'll have more time to devote to you," Robin told her, all smiles.

"I am grateful for that fact as well," Starfire replied. They both stared at each other—fixated for a moment. And then they kissed.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Billie was doing catch-up work on her college studies—something she'd let slide while she'd been busy helping the sisters out. She had a lot to catch up on; she hadn't concentrated on her studies like she should have been in months.

She had one textbook cracked open, a binder filled with notepaper sprawled open right beside it. She had a pencil in one hand, taking notes in the binder as she read over the passages in the text. Exams were coming up, and she knew she'd have to cram to be prepared enough for them.

"Catching up on homework?" a voice inquired that Billie wasn't expecting. Jumping and reacting in utter shock, she tried to gather her nerves as she realized her unexpected intruder was Paige.

"Don't scare me like that!!" Billie exclaimed.

"A little edgy—are we?" Paige asked her.

"No—you just shocked the hell out of me—showing up unannounced—while I'm trying hard to study," Billie replied, managing to gather her nerves enough to look at her uninvited guest irritably.

"I'm kind of surprised you're studying," Paige noted. "I was kind of expecting you'd be camped in with that changeling beau of yours or something instead."

"Exams are coming up—I have to study," Billie insisted. Staring at Paige peculiarly, she noted, "How did you know about me and Gar??"

"Jinx caught you two making out or something in the underworld," Paige replied. "Take into account the amount of times you've recently hung out with him, going on what appeared to me to be dates—it's pretty obvious."

"You're not going to rag on me about it—are you?" Billie questioned Paige.

"Nah—I'm not your mother, and I don't plan on pretending to be," Paige stated. "Besides—I just came to check in with you, ask you if anything new has been going on with that changeling or the rest of them lately."

"They're mostly just getting settled back into their usual routines after all the excitement they went through with us," Billie told her. "Oh yeah—I was supposed to mention to you that Raven's been asking for you to come round. Something about adjusting to the new responsibilities or something—and she could use some help from you."

"It still seems different that that girl ended up being a whitelighter while that whitelighter of hers was made human," Paige noted. "If you see them before I do—tell her I'll stop in sometime and give her a few pointers. Has she been assigned to anyone yet—or is she still taking a break?"

"So far as I know…not yet," Billie replied. She looked at Paige particularly. "Uh, do you mind…leaving? I really need to catch up with my studies. I'm already far enough behind as it is."

"I need to go see Henry anyway, so I'll head," Paige said.

"Good—go, orb on out to Henry. I need to study—now," Billie told her impatiently. Paige didn't protest, instead orbing out without further comment.

"Thank god," Billie breathed a sigh of relief after Paige had finally left her in peace. She got back to work taking notes—until she had a knock at her dorm room door. She got up from her studies to answer it. On the other side stood the changeling, waiting to be let in.

"You're right on time," Billie said, smiling. "I've been waiting for you to show up."