Hello everyone - where the heck have I been? Well, this year has been chaos in my real life because of the global pandemic. In addition, any free time that I've had has been dedicated to something rather special. I've been working on a very secret project with my good friend MelissaVampGrrl - we might be able to give out more details in the New Year. If you've not read her stories, I highly recommend it - she is brilliant.

I wanted to post this chapter up at the end of what has been a pretty horrendous year. Wherever you are in the world, I hope you are keeping safe and well and that the end of this story brings you a little joy during these dark days. Thank you for your enduring support and patience - we finally made it to the end of the story. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or any of the characters from the DC Universe.

Chapter Eleven

Rachel was reading her book when she heard the familiar click of the key in the door. Her eyes lit up, and she sat upright before lowering the tome gently. Gar rounded the corner, a wide smile on his face.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself," smiled Rachel, tentatively. She played with the edge of her book, wrinkling the corner of the page. Gar laughed, throwing his keys down onto the side and taking his coat off slowly. He raised his eyebrow as he motioned towards her.

"Still a bit confused about all this, huh?"

"Maybe a little bit," admitted the young woman, her eyes faltering as she tucked her hair behind her ear. She smoothed the page and closed the book gently, a smile still gracing her face. Standing to her feet she placed the book down on the coffee table and turned her eyes towards his. "I'm willing to learn though."

"Well that's a wonderful coincidence," laughed Gar, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Because I am an excellent teacher."

Rachel quirked an eyebrow, as she rested her hands on his arms gently. "Why do I have trouble believing that?"

"Because you're cynical by nature?"

The young woman smacked him lightly on the shoulder, but she was laughing. "You're an idiot."

"It's been said."

Rachel rested her head on his shoulder, falling into his embrace easily. It was warm and comforting. When she stopped to think about it, it wasn't really that hard. He was still the same old Gar. She just needed to get used to the different boundaries in their relationship. Her throat constricted, reminding her of her fear. She tried to pull her senses away from the feeling, instead choosing to focus on Gar. She could hear his heartbeat reverberating into her ear, and the sound of it calmed her slightly.

Rachel let out a long breath, lifting her head before she spoke again. "Sorry I'm so useless, Gar."

"I don't think anyone could ever describe you as useless, Rae," countered the blond man, raising her chin so she was looking up at him. His eyes were filled with genuine understanding and care. "This is all just new and strange for you."

"Isn't it for you?"

"A little," admitted Gar, his green eyes betraying his nerves for a millisecond. The panic was replaced by delight in an instant. "But aren't excitement and anxiety kind of the same thing when you think about it?"

Rachel considered his words for a moment. She smiled despite herself, butterflies invading her stomach again at the sight of his bright expression. "I guess so."

Gar gave her a toothy smile, his canine jutting out at its familiar yet strange angle. He paused for a moment, hesitant and unsure himself. It appeared the nerves were resurfacing despite his upbeat demeanour. He bit his lip anxiously before moving forward to press their lips together. It was gentle, but it made her fingertips tingle. As they parted, Gar let out a breath. His eyes opened; a dazed look on his face.

"Huh. I could get used to that."

Rachel reached up to gently ruffle his hair by way of a response. Just like that the atmosphere broke somehow. After all, they were just Rachel and Gar - the same as ever. Perhaps they were making it more complicated than it needed to be.

The brunette pushed her thoughts away and cleared her throat, trying to cling to some normality for a few moments. "So, I spoke to Jenny."

"And?"

"She's on board."

"Amazing news!" laughed Gar, suddenly lifting and spinning the young woman around. Rachel shrieked in fear, kicking her feet out.

"Put me down Logan, you lunatic!"

Garfield was cackling as her feet touched the floor. Rachel glared at him threateningly, but a small smile lit her features. She took a moment to compose herself before speaking again. "I may have also quit my job. Spectacularly."

Gar's gaze was unfaltering, an impish grin on his face. "Tell me."

As Rachel recounted the events, his face went from amusement to surprise. Finally, he erupted into fits of laughter as he heard her parting comments to the officious Rose Wilson.

"Oh man, I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that. I'm clearly rubbing off on you too much."

"Maybe," said Rachel, a twinkle in her blue eyes. She paused, wrinkling her nose. "So, you're not mad that I just walked out?"

"Mad?" asked Gar, incredulously. "Are you kidding? I'm proud of you, Rach. This is the start of something really special for you, I just know it."

Rachel nodded, and wandered back to the couch to sit down. She fiddled with her hands, feeling a sudden awkwardness seeping over her again. There was unfinished business. It was now or never. "Gar, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

The blond looked at her quizzically, following suit and sitting down next to her. He'd clearly noticed her change in demeanour and looked unsettled. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing big," shrugged Rachel, pushing her dark hair away from her eyes. She bit her lip lightly before looking back up towards him. "In truth...it's about Garth."

Garfield blinked twice and then tilted his head to one side. "Okay. What about him?"

"Well, I wanted to clear the air about what happened," began the young woman, feeling a strange emotion inside her. It took her a moment to place it, but she recognised it in moments. Shame. "I wanted to talk to you about why I've been so evasive these past few months about him."

"You don't need to—"

Rachel put finger on his lips to silence the young man before fixing him with a hard look. "Don't tell me I don't need to. This isn't about need, Gar. It's about want."

Gar nodded, acquiescing to her demand. Rachel paused, lowering her hand and sighing deeply before she spoke. "Garth has been a really good friend to me since he moved in. He's never put a foot wrong. He's always been the perfect gentleman, actually. When he moved here he had no friends and...well, we hit it off. I liked him, Gar. I'm not going to lie to you, I was attracted to him. For a while I thought that maybe things might progress, but when all this..."

Rachel gestured between the two of them, her cheeks colouring slightly.

"...started to happen between us I realised that it was just attraction and nothing more. When we fell out at the cabin, I went to speak to Garth about it. He was kind, and gentle. He listened to me cry and soothed me. I guess a part of me wanted to fall back into my old ways, but he was the right person to seek out. He was kind. Understanding. Garth never took advantage of the situation, not even for a second."

Rachel paused to take a breath before continuing. "We talked about the fact that nothing would happen between us – he clearly knew how I felt about you. So, I just felt that for his sake I wanted to explain. Garth is such a nice guy; I wouldn't want our argument to impact on your view of him."

Rachel's commentary ground to a halt, and Gar wrapped his arm around her affectionately. Her head dropped onto his shoulder, as he let out a deep sigh that rumbled around her ears. "Rae, I know."

The young woman felt surprise hit her, as she lifted her head to look at him perplexedly. Rachel's blue eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How? How could you possibly know all of that?"

"Because I went to see him."

"You...you did?"

Gar nodded, running his hand up and down her arm gently. "I did."

"When?"

"When you were staying at Kori and Richard's."

Rachel opened and closed her mouth like a fish, before pressing her lips together. She didn't know whether to feel relieved or annoyed. She flumped her head back down onto his shoulder again disdainfully. "Oh."

"Are you upset with me?"

"Well," began the brunette, playing with the bottom of her long hair absently. "It kind of sounds like you were checking up on me."

"Ah," laughed Gar, clearly taking her words lightly. "Well that's where you're wrong, smarty pants. When you stormed out, I sat here for about two minutes before I realised what an asshole I'd been, and I came out to find you. Only you'd already gone. I checked by the lift, went up and down the stairs, straight out the front of the building and down the block. But no sign of you."

Rachel nodded, as the realisation of his words seeped in. He had cared after all. How stupid of her to think he hadn't, after all this time. It was almost as though she'd forgotten the strength of their friendship. "Yeah, I'd jumped in a taxi."

"I wasn't sure where you'd gone, Rae. I didn't know what to do, but I thought maybe you might have gone back to Garth's. So, I went down to his place and he let me in. You weren't there, of course. That's when I realised, you must have gone to Richard and Kori's."

"I could have gone anywhere. How did you work that out so quickly?"

"Richard," confirmed Gar, now also picking up some strands of her dark hair and twiddling them between his thumb and forefinger. "I phoned him, and he told me you'd been in touch and were coming to stay."

Rachel's eyes narrowed and she let out a little snarl. "That sneaky son of a—"

"Easy there, rage demon," laughed Gar, giving her a tight squeeze with his other arm. "I didn't tell him anything. I just wanted to know you were going somewhere safe. As soon as I knew that, I relaxed. Well, as much as I could relax. I figured I should give you some space. Garth heard the whole thing, and he could see how worked up I'd been about it. He offered me a coffee and we had a chat."

Rachel sat up again, a small smirk on her lips. Her anger visibly diminished, she quirked her eyebrow conspiratorially. "How good is that coffee machine? Now you see why I kept going down for a caffeine fix."

"I know, right?!" exclaimed Gar, eyes shining suddenly. "Goddamn, we need to invest in one of those."

"Ha. You can definitely afford it now."

"That's true," laughed Gar, as he removed his arm from her shoulders and took her hand gently. His eyes lost their twinkle as he became more serious. "Look, Rae. I wasn't checking up on you, but Garth did clear some things up for me. You're right; he is a really nice guy. We didn't argue at all, I promise. I don't blame him for what happened, and I don't blame you. I blame myself. I was so mad that day, I wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry we left it like that and that I dragged Garth into it. I'm such a jackass."

"You are," confirmed Rachel firmly, earning a glare from her companion. She crumbled her façade in an instant, another smile on her lips. Rachel noticed she'd been smiling a lot today. "But you're my jackass."

Gar returned her smile, before leaning over and gently kissing her again. When they parted, he didn't move too far away; their foreheads still touching as he ran his thumb across her jawline. Rachel felt those now all too familiar chills running down her spine at his touch. Everything about this felt so right, so peaceful. They sat in silence for a few moments, eyes closed, enjoying each other's company.

"This is nice," said Gar eventually, eyes flickering open. He nudged her nose with his own. "I've missed you Rae-Rae."

"I missed you too. It feels good to be home," conceded the young woman, noticing a warmth that she hadn't felt in some time. "So, where do we go from here?"

Gar grinned, desire flashing in his eyes for a moment. "Hmm. I've got a few thoughts."

Rachel raised her eyebrow, a wry smile on her face. "I bet you have. But you know full well that wasn't what I meant, Logan."

"Ever the serious one, huh Rach?" the young man laughed, moving his head back from hers and stretching his arms over his head. "You know what's next. I sign the papers with Steve. Then we get you and Jenny set up with the business, and I want to help."

"Like buying us a business isn't help enough?"

"Not that kind of help," shrugged Gar, standing to his feet. He gave her a firm look. "I'm leaving my job too."

Rachel shot upwards as though she'd been hit by electricity. She raised from the couch; her eyes wide. "But...but you love your job."

"I do," nodded the blond, turning to face her again. "But seeing what you do with those kids today...it made me realise that I want to do more than that. I want to show them how much fun the outdoors can be, maybe they don't get a chance with their own families. Be a good male role-model. Hell, if anything, my conversations with Steve have reminded me how important that is."

"But, Gar..."

"It's not just about us, Rach. I've been wanting to do more for a while," explained Garfield, running his hands through his hair. It stood up for only a moment, the blond curls falling messily as they always did. He sighed deeply, looking at her slightly sheepishly. "I just didn't know how to, until now."

Rachel leapt towards him suddenly, throwing her arms around his neck. Gar caught her at the last moment, holding her in place as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She peppered him with kisses, causing him to laugh uncontrollably.

"I take it you're happy?" Garfield asked, pulling her backwards slightly so he could speak. Rachel leaned back, grinning from ear to ear. It was a rare sight from the young woman, and she knew it.

"Whatever gave you that impression?"

"Just a hunch," chuckled Gar, as she resumed her assault on his face and neck. "Could be wrong."

"You're totally wrong," Rachel confirmed, nipping at his ears. "Couldn't be more wrong if you tried."

"Is that so? Then I expect you'll be telling me how it really is."

Rachel smiled, mimicking his earlier sentiments. "I've got a few thoughts..."

Rachel's blue eyes focused on the window in Gar's room; the sunset over the tall building opposite theirs was casting a long shadow across the wall. It was cosy in their apartment despite the cool air drawing over the city. She pulled the comforter up to her nose, relishing in the warmth. Gar's distinctive scent washed over her again, her body tingling in response. Sighing contentedly, Rachel twisted her head across to see the young man's napping form. His eyes were closed, lips parted slightly as he mumbled in his sleep. She turned herself around fully, curling closer to him to try and listen to his incoherent noises more carefully. She frowned, as those familiarly unfamiliar words from the cabin were repeated in her ears.

"Hapana. Tazama. Maporomoko ya maji."

Rachel gently brought her hand up and stroked the young man's cheek. He looked troubled, a frown lining his features; a bead of sweat running down his temple. She made some soothing noises, trying to calm his mind and bring him back into consciousness slowly. She ran her fingertips rhythmically down his forehead, across his cheek and around his neck in a repeated action. Slow and smooth. Eventually, his green eyes blinked back into focus, as he awakened naturally.

Gar rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and stretched his arm over his head lazily. Rachel nuzzled in closer to him, as he wrapped her up in a tight embrace. He kissed her forehead gently before offering any comment. "Sorry, Rae. I must have drifted off."

"That's okay, Gar. I'm sorry if I wore you out."

There was a snort of laughter above her, as she felt the amusement rumbling in his chest. It brought a smile to her face to hear the sound. He was running his own hand up and down her side repeatedly, mirroring her earlier soothing movements. Try as she might to savour this intimate moment, Rachel couldn't settle in her mind. She needed to know. She was sick and tired of the secrets and mysteries.

"Gar, what does hapana mean?"

The young man's form stiffened at the word, his soothing movements ceasing in an instant. In that moment Rachel knew in that she'd mentioned something painful. Something repressed. Her empathic sense told her she needed to tread gently. Moving her position so she could look up into his eyes, she gazed at him tenderly. "You were mumbling it in your sleep. At the cabin too."

"Was I?" replied Gar, his eyes wide with surprise and shining slightly. He closed them and sniffed. Rachel tapped his chest with her pale hand, and he reopened them reluctantly. She smiled reassuringly, trying to keep her tone light.

"If I'm not mistaken that's an African word?"

Gar's expression was unusual, distant and detached. "You're not mistaken."

Rachel bit her lip anxiously, noticing his change in mood. "I'm sorry, Gar. I didn't mean to upset you. It's just...it seemed like you were having a nightmare. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Gar sighed, offering her a small smile and attempting engage emotionally again. "I know you mean well, Rae. It's just..."

He trailed off, another deep sigh leaving him. "...it's just the past."

Rachel nodded, understanding his sentiments. "The past is painful. I know that better than most, Gar. But what I also know is that we can't stay stuck in it. Everything that's happened between us these past few months has taught me that."

Gar looked at her thoughtfully, digesting her words. His green eyes were unblinking, full of thoughts and memories. "Hapana means no. In Swahili."

"Swahili? I didn't realise you spoke Swahili."

"A little bit. I lived in Africa with my parents before they..."

As the young man trailed off, his grip around her tightened slightly. It almost felt protective somehow. Rachel felt sadness enveloping her chest as everything fell into place. She hugged him tightly, feeling his shaking form beneath her. The grief was so intense it was almost palpable. "Oh Gar, I'm sorry. I didn't realise."

Gar didn't respond for a few minutes, seemingly taking comfort in her embrace. Rachel waited patiently for him to elaborate, perhaps offer some context to his admission. Yet the question that came surprised her. "Did I say anything else?"

She raised her head from his chest, eyes wide. "Huh?"

"In the nightmare...did I say anything else?"

Rachel paused, trying to remember the words exactly. She closed her eyes as she recited them, concentrating hard. "Hapana. Tazama. Maporomoko ya maji."

When she reopened them, the young woman saw tears pouring down Gar's cheeks. She blinked, her eyes softening but filled with concern. "Gar?"

"No see waterfall," replied Gar, snuffling. Rachel reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a tissue. He used it to wipe his face then fiddled with the corners absently. "They didn't see it, Rach. They didn't stand a chance."

"Your parents?"

"Yeah. They were scientists, in Africa. We lived there for my whole childhood. I used to love being outside with them, seeing the jungle and the wildlife that inhabited it. But then one day...they...they were in an accident. I'd stayed in the local village with the chief whilst they went to track down this rare monkey. They were sailing down the River Athi, looking for where the monkey was last spotted. They knew it might be dangerous, so they didn't take me with them and...they never came back."

He paused, taking a deep breath and trying to calm the waver in his voice. "What I said in the dream...that was what the chief told me that day as he explained what happened. Hapana tazama maporomoko ya maji. They didn't see the waterfall and their boat just..."

Gar petered off there and Rachel felt her own eyes pricking with tears. All these years she had no idea of the trauma that he had endured at such a young age. She thought of all the small children in the brat brigade going through such a difficult time and felt crippled by sadness. "Gar, I'm so sorry you went through that. I didn't know."

"I know you didn't, Rae. No one knows, except for Rita and Steve," smiled Gar attempting to be reassuring, but his eyes were full of sadness. "They were friends of my parents which is how they ended up adopting me, so I didn't even have to explain this story to them. I've never really been able to talk about it before...not even with people I trust. Most of the time I just block it out, but I guess all this with Steve and the trust fund...it's just brought it back full force."

"Thank you for telling me, Gar. I know from experience that losing one parent is rough enough...I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you to lose both of them at once like that."

Gar fixed Rachel with a stern look, crumbling his tissue in his hand. "Bullshit, Rae. We both know that when your Mom died you lost both your parents. We've both had it rough, but we're still here. That's all that matters, right?"

Rachel nodded, blankly. What Gar had said was true but over the years she had dissociated so much from the emotions that they were barely there. He had a good point though; they were still here. They were survivors, both of them. Perhaps that was the strongest bond of all. The young man reached up and gently stroked her cheek, distracting her thoughts. His eyes were kind, and full of love and empathy. "Thanks for listening, Rae."

"Anytime, Gar. I'm always here for you."

"I know," smiled Garfield, embracing her tightly again. "You have been all along."

One year later

"Gar, did you pack the cookies?"

"I thought Jen did it!"

Rachel looked up from one of the cardboard boxes with an irate expression. Every single residential weekend something went missing, and it was always for her group. Cursing under her breath, she strode across the hallway. Opening the double doors to the garden and bellowed loudly. "Jennifer!"

"Uh oh, I know that tone," grumbled Jenny to her group of teenagers, who burst out laughing. She put a sickeningly sweet grin on her face and turned towards the young woman who was approaching their group. "Yes, my raven-haired beauty?"

"Can it, piglet. Where did you put the cookies?" asked Rachel curtly, a vein bulging by her temple. She held up a fork and pointed it in Jen's direction threateningly. "If you didn't pack them for my group then I swear to G—"

"Put the weapon down, crazy lady," interrupted Jenny, disarming Rachel in one swift movement and causing the group to erupt into laughter again. She fixed them with a stern look and the titters dispersed. "Did you check the kitchen cupboards? I unpacked all the food into there when I arrived."

"I...did not," trailed off Rachel, feeling the colour rushing to her cheeks. Jenny gave her a little smile, waggling the fork in a friendly way.

"So maybe go check the cupboards?"

Rachel grimaced, folding her arms across herself and grumbling under her breath. Jen blew her fringe up and sighed deeply. "Or, maybe I could come with you and help you find them?"

Rachel nodded, seemingly preferring that answer. Jen nodded and turned to the group. "Right guys, get on with the exercise whilst I help my esteemed colleague find these rogue biscuits. No messing around, or you'll all have to endure another round of Jen's box of Hexes!"

There was a collective groan from the group, as the two women turned and began to walk back to the house. Jenny handed the fork back to Rachel and wrapped her arm around the brunette's slumped shoulders. "You okay?"

"Just...not feeling it today," replied Rachel, blue eyes looking fixedly at the floor. Jenny gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"I can tell," she laughed, releasing the woman from her grasp. "Why were you holding that fork anyway?"

"I couldn't find a knife to open the boxes, so I got a fork, but it wasn't the best implement...so it took me about ten minutes to open one box and they weren't there and I just—"

"Woah, woah! Take it easy," laughed Jenny, shaking her pink hair. "I'm sure I put two packs of cookies in the cupboard. That'll satiate your brat brigade won't it?"

Rachel nodded, the expression on her face still grim. Jen looked over and, seeing the unchanging countenance of her friend, attempted another question. "Is everything okay?"

"No. It's the wedding this weekend and Kori is driving me nuts."

"Oh, I—"

"Fifteen dress fittings in a hideous pink number to boot, two rehearsal dinners and three bachelorette parties," grumbled Rachel, running her hand through her hair. "She has so many members of her family. I didn't even know that a second cousin twice removed was a real thing. And of course they all want to be involved but they can't come on the same day, and some of them are coming from the back of beyond so they all had to come on different days and so we had to arrange different events and then—"

"RACH!" exclaimed Jenny, stopping and shaking the young woman by the shoulder firmly. "Take a breath before you pass out, for God's sake!"

Rachel tried to calm her mind and not hyperventilate. She felt as though her head might explode with all the thoughts whizzing around in it. Jenny gave her a compassionate smile. "Look, it's going to be fine. It'll be a great day, and Kori will love it. You're a good friend for putting up with her shit, you know? She'll realise that once it's all over."

Rachel let out a deep exhale and her expression changed to one of gratitude. "Thanks Jen."

They continued to walk towards the kitchen in the cabin. Every residential for their youth centre was now held at the now all too familiar cabin in the mountains. Gar felt it was only right, given the fact that it was where their journey first began. Where he found out that he would be a business owner. They all spent so much time here these days, it had started to feel like a second home.

"Look, the business is going great. The kids are all so happy here with us, and in the centre back in Jump. We're doing some excellent things for the community there too," listed Jenny, clambering up onto the countertop and hunting through cupboards. She threw the two packets of cookies down to her companion and clambered down, still speaking. "This is what's permanent, not the wedding. That'll all be over next week and then you can get back to normality at last."

"That's true," acknowledged Rachel, nodding as she poured the cookies into a Tupperware container and clicked the lid shut. Jen folded her arms, an impish smile on her face.

"Besides, when you and Gar finally tie the knot you can exact some revenge on her for being a Bridezilla!"

Rachel glanced at the pink-haired woman over her shoulder, a small scowl on her face. "Don't you have a group to be getting back to, Jennifer?"

"You're not my supervisor, Rachey-baby. Gar is, remember?" laughed Jen, seemingly happy to have got under her friend's skin. She blew a kiss and walked toward the door. "But of course you get preferential treatment round here – you're the one boinking the boss!"

Rachel opened her mouth to retort, but Jenny had already scuttled out and closed the doors behind her. The brunette glared daggers at the glass, muttering expletives under her breath.

"It's not even nine and you're already cursing Jen?" came a voice from the doorway. Rachel turned to see Gar looking at her with an amused expression on his face. She rolled her eyes and walked towards him.

"I'm struggling," she admitted, reaching her arms out for a hug. Gar wrapped her up tightly, as though she was the most precious thing in the world. She smiled, feeling his warmth rushing over her. He kissed the top of her head, pulling back so he could look her in the eye.

"It's going to be okay, Rae. I promise."

"But if this is how I am feeling this early on, then imagine how I'll be once we tell everyone," protested Rachel, frowning. "My hormones are all over the place."

"We agreed that once the wedding is over and done with, we will tell everyone. So until then, just relax," emphasised Gar, his green eyes kind and gentle. "You're doing an awesome job with the children at the centre. Having our own will be a piece of cake by comparison."

Rachel laughed at his statement, baffled that he was so blasé about it all. "If you say so. I'll remind you of that when we're getting up at four in the morning to a screaming baby."

"It'll be our baby so it'll be worth it."

Rachel felt a glow on her cheeks. Their baby. To think that a year ago they were just best friends sharing an apartment in the city and now they were going to be a family. A proper family. It didn't feel real somehow, especially seeing as no one knew. She was only gone eight weeks, so it was easy to hide it from Kori. What was hard for Rachel was being dishonest with her friends, but she and Gar had made a pact. The wedding planning for the Grayson ceremony had gotten so out of hand that it was consuming their lives. But truth be told – beyond the complaining she had just been doing to Jenny – she was excited for Kori and Richard. She wanted to be part of the day, pink dress and all.

"Come on, Rach. Time to get to work and do what you do best. I can hear an engine, that means your bus of brats has arrived."

Rachel laughed and lightly smacked him on the shoulder. "They're not the brat brigade anymore, Logan. They're my little protégés."

"Ah yes, new recruits," joked Gar, saluting her then turning to wander away. Rachel chuckled at his idiocy and shook her head. He paused in the doorway, flashing her a final look and a goofy smile before vanishing. She smiled for a moment longer, running her hands across her abdomen, taking a deep breath and pausing. Then, cookies tucked firmly under her arm, she made for the front of the cabin.

The children were filing out from the bus in pairs, but they all became bunched up and chaotic as they raced to grab hold of her and say hello. Rachel laughed, holding the cookies aloft and ushering them all into the safety of the cabin.

"Miss Rachel!" came a shout from the back of the crowd of youngsters. The taller frame of an older girl with blonde hair came into view. "Miss Rachel, over here!"

"Hi Melvin," said Rachel, waving the girl over and stepping back away from the group so that she had space to get through. "Thank you so much for agreeing to help out."

"Oh, it's no problem, honest!" panted Melvin, clearly breathless from pressing her way past the excited smaller children. "I like to be with my brothers and you, Miss Rachel. The cabin is my happy space."

Rachel felt her heart swell slightly upon hearing those words. Following their departure from Rose Wilson's youth centre, Rachel had decided to hunt down the former members of the 'brat brigade' and recruit them to her new project. She'd even given her special project an apt name; Young Justice.

The Johnson family had been only too happy to oblige, much to Rachel's relief. Melvin, Timmy and Teether were now with her a few times a week at the centre and always part of the residential weekends at the cabin. As Melvin had become more comfortable, Rachel had offered for her to assist with the group. It not only got the young girl away from her difficult home life but allowed her to engage with other children on a more regular basis. It wasn't school but it was a start. Her personality had become brighter, and her imagination with the children in creating exercises was second to none. To Rachel, Melvin was invaluable as part of their team. She knew that Melvin had a bright future, whatever she decided to do with it.

Pushing her thoughts aside, Rachel smiled and ruffled the young girl's hair fondly. "If you're here Melvin, it's my happy place too."

The young girl grinned, taking the cookies from Rachel and shaking the box. "Come on guys, let's go outside and make some mess!"

Rachel laughed helplessly as the group charged after Melvin into the garden, where the creative materials were ready and waiting. She meandered after them, her thoughts feeling more at peace than they had been for a while. She lingered in the doorway; blue eyes contemplative. As she watched the children play and heard their laughter lighting up the atmosphere, her heart felt full. She ran her hands across her stomach again softly.

"Maybe change isn't such a bad thing after all."

-The End –

That's it - we're done! I want to thank you all for your kind reviews and continued support. I have a new fanfic lined up which I will be starting in the New Year. It's about Gar and it's set in the future - of course, plenty of BBRae fluff will be there for your viewing pleasure.

Sending you all the best for a better 2021, stay safe.

-Chibi