Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed that light-hearted romp last chapter. This one will deal with much heavier subject matter. This story could be triggering for some people and I want to prepare everyone-this is a serious subject that is relevant to today. I hope I do this important subject justice and that hope you enjoy this chapter. I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 16: Perfect-(16)

"Here you go, Officer. Please be careful. Thank you for all that you do." Karen dipped her head at the policemen and women as she handed over the villain of the week. The villain-some guy named Steamroller (who came up with this stuff?)-yelled at the former Titans East leader as she walked past.

"You'll regret this, Butterfly! I'll crush you like the bug you are! No jail can keep Steamroller forever! I will come back and-" Whatever he had to say was instantly closed off by the door of the armored truck slamming shut. Karen rolled her eyes but shook the officer's hands, ignoring the flashing cameras from the clamoring reporters asking her questions.

She cocked her head at her three teammates and all followed suit. Jumping into the T-Car, it was a quick drive back home. Silence permeated the vehicle as everyone was exhausted. With Raven and Garfield gone on their honeymoon, they were two Titans down, making the ranks thin for missions. And if Karen were honest with herself-she really missed them both terribly. But supposedly they would be back soon. She smiled to herself at this thought and ignored Dick's questioning look.

As everyone filed into the Common Room, Victor threw his arm around her and called out, "Alright-I'm too tired to cook. What do y'all think about ordering some Indian food or pizza?"

"Why not Indian-pizza fusion? I know a place downtown."

Whirling around, everyone cried out to see Garfield and Raven sitting on the couch, the green man's face in a huge grin. Kori squealed, zipping to hug the newlyweds until they could hardly breath. "Oh! It is most wonderful to have you safe and returned from your honeymoon! I know it has only been two weeks but you must tell us everything about the places you saw and the things you did-though not all the things because that is private between man and wife and I know it was your first time since you did not consummate your relationship before your wedding night and-"

Before Kori could bury Raven in deeper embarrassment, Karen quickly wrapped a hand around his mouth. Both Raven and Gar looked mortified but keeping to character, the changeling chuckled and cleared his throat. "So…" His voice was two octaves too high and he cleared his throat again. "Anyway-what did we miss while we were in Zimbabwe?"

All the Titans started talking at once, causing Karen to smile. She missed this. Being one big happy family. Even a couple weeks was too long for her taste to be apart. It was perfect. As Dick began to order the Indian-pizza fusion with Victor and Garfield prompting him, Karen gently pulled Raven to the side. "Girl, did I miss you. Things have been WEIRD again. I need some normal."

"Seriously?" Raven asked and Karen knew she didn't have to explain. Being around Dick and Kori was the 'will-they-won't-they' of the century. It was like Rachel and Ross but with superheroes. Karen merely frowned and Raven sighed. "Great. Well-nothing we can do now." She glanced at Kori, who turned on the television. The news blared on the screen.

"And for our last story of the night, our local heroes, the Titans, have successfully thwarted another villain and Steamroller is successfully behind bars." The reporter shuffled the papers in front of himself, turning an angle to look into another camera-which took too long to switch onto him. "Usually the Titans are capable but today they seemed distracted and untrained. First, Raven and Changeling were absent from the battle. Many have speculated that they were on another mission-more on that when we have more information. Patty?"

Karen rolled her eyes-the public had no idea that the pair were even together so of course they wouldn't guess they were married and on a honeymoon! Turning back to the screen, she listened with gritted teeth. How else would they rake the Titans over the coals?

"Thanks, Jim. As for the rest of the Titans, today wasn't their time to shine. Nightwing threw some explosive devices to subdue Steamroller, which ended up destroying four civilian vehicles. Luckily no one was hurt."

"WHAT? Steamroller rolled over those cars. Since they were already destroyed, I used the explosives to set a trap." Dick huffed, walking up to the television in frustration.

"Cyborg and Starfire also created tens of thousands of dollars in damage near historic Jump City, one statue completely destroyed." Everyone shouted at the tv. It was probably not the healthiest habit-but it was a tradition the Titans maintained since their creation. "However, Bumblebee managed to apprehend Steamroller and take him into the authorities. Our field reporter, Anisa Otieno, captured a moment of Bumblebee thanked the armed forces for assisting them in battle. She really is perfect, isn't she?"

"She truly is, Patty."

CLICK. The screen went blank, Karen feeling her heartrate escalating. Whoa. That was a lot. "Wow! Way to go, Karen! At least the media likes one of us!" Karen winced at Garfield's words but forced a smile on her face. Sure. At least they liked her-right?

Later that evening, she helped her husband clean the dishes as everyone else went to bed. "Vic." She paused, lowering the soapy sponge and plate into the warm water. He just hummed at her to show he was listening. "Do you think…do you ever feel…You know I'm not perfect right?"

Victor exploded with laughter, dropping the plate he was drying on the counter and causing it to crack. "Perfect? You? Hahaha! Oh-you're serious-of course I know you're not perfect. You snore when you sleep. You tend to gossip. You called noodles 'limp wheat snakes'. You can be a bit of a one-upper. And you-oh, you get it. Hehe…" He coughed into his hand, then picked up the cracked plate and continued to dry it off. "Where is this coming from?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. But do you ever feel pressure to be perfect as a hero? Or just that you have to fit a certain mold?"

"Uhh…"

"Are you listening to me, Sparky?"

"What-of course I am! It's just…I've never thought about it. Usually I just try to save people, kiss ass, take names, and look hot doing it." Victor primly put down the plate and picked up the next one to continue drying. Karen forced herself to laugh but dipped a bowl into the hot water. That didn't make her feel any better.

The next day, Karen groaned as the team pulled up to a red-carpet. Cameras flashed, instantly giving her a headache. "Do we have to do this?" Raven groaned, rubbing her eyes.

"We agreed to make an appearance to encourage involvement in local elections and government." Dick shook his head, obviously annoyed but trying to save face. "Shall we?"

As they stepped out of the car, the whole team was bombarded with a tidal wave of questions. "Changeling-where were you and Raven? Raven-were you two on a secret mission? Nightwing-do you still work with Batman on any cases? Cyborg-have you created any new inventions? Bumblebee-are you planning on rejoining Titans East as their leader? Starfire-have you had any intergalactic relations come to visit?"

Karen rubbed her temples but took a step forward down the red carpet after Kori'andr. She noticed one reporter waving her down so she took a deep breath and plastered on a fake smile. "Bumblebee!" The reporter took a step forward, pointing a recording phone toward her as cameras flashed around them. "What do you feel about general public participation in local elections?" Karen resisted rolling her eyes-that was the reason they were there!

"It's great." She murmured, keeping the grin on her face. "Go vote, people."

"Bumblebee! Bumblebee!" Another reporter thrust himself toward her. "There are rumors you and Cyborg are in a romantic relationship. Can you confirm or will you deny?"

Seriously? It wasn't exactly a rumor. "Yeah, we're married. Have been for a couple years."

"Bumblebee!" The new reporter, a young, petite brunette, stepped forward. Karen raised an eyebrow, she had never seen this woman before. Dipping her head to her, Karen indicated she continue. "We all know that the Titans are always out there saving the city and sometimes the world." Karen perked up-this was new. "So what do you do when you're not stomping bad guys."

Well-not exactly ground breaking but it set her more at ease. Time to show the world the real Karen-not the perfect image they made of her in the world. "Oh-well, we all like different things but I love to draw, crotch, listening to music, swimming, and I recently got into hockey-thanks to my loving husband." She chuckled, thinking about all the games she and Victor watched on the big screen while the rest of the friends complained it was too loud. "Probably picking fruit with Kor-uhh, Starfire. Oh, and shopping. I love shopping."

She smiled at the reporters, who were busy clamoring for her attention or the other Titans. The reporter who asked the question blinked, a strange look coming over her face. "Wow. Interesting. Not what I was expecting."

Karen frowned, her nose twitching. "What do you mean by that?"

The reporter obviously wasn't used to people asking her questions back. "Well, I mean, that's just kinda white, ya know?" Everyone went silent-or at least Karen's hearing did. She blinked, cocking her head. Did she hear that right? Evidently the other reporters were just as shocked as her and began yelling at the reporter but also yelling at Karen for her reaction. Karen just smiled and she was vaguely aware she told reporters no more questions before turning away. On autopilot, she moved toward Nightwing. Tapping him on the shoulder, he turned to her with a raised eyebrow, holding a finger up to a reporter to pause.

"Can we go? Please?" She didn't want to make a scene-even though she knew she should. Nightwing's face scrunched, concern for her well-being painted on his face.

Nodding to the reporters, he went over to the mayor and shook her hand. "Sorry, Madame Mayor, something came up. I regret having to go. Have a wonderful event." Without further explanation, he nudged Garfield in the arm and motioned to the rest of the team to follow him. Karen had never felt more affection for the vigilante than that moment.

Since the car had already left, Raven merely directed her friends toward an alleyway and created a portal. The moment the Common Room materialized in front of Karen, the flood of emotions slammed her like a cement truck. Her eyes welled. Her breath came in gasps. Before she could help herself, she gasped out a sob and crumpled onto the couch. She wasn't even embarrassed-all the pressure and anger released itself into her tears. She felt a soothing arm around her shoulder but jerked it off.

Springing up, she hastily wiped her tears away with the back of her hand-though more fell to replace them. "I'm sorry." She quickly began to take a step back, seeing the concerned faces of all her friends-her family. "Sorry-I'm just overwhelmed and…annoyed." Her stomach lurched-she wanted to tell them everything but she couldn't put that on them. If she were being honest with herself, she didn't want to appear weak. "I…I'm gonna take a break. Have some alone time. Thanks, you guys." Turning on her heel, she shut out their concerned faces. But as the door shut behind her, she couldn't block out Garfield's wobbly voice. 'Is she okay? I've never seen her cry before…'

Of course he hadn't-perfect Karen never cried. Never caused a scene. Never did anything wrong, no matter what happened. She knew something deeper was going on-it wasn't just about being perfect-but she couldn't even put it into words. The words of the reporter cut her deeper than she let on. Glancing at her watch, she felt the tears slowing.

What she wanted was a little retail therapy.

Pushing down all her negative emotions-anger, hurt, confusion, and anxiety-she slipped into civilian clothes and grabbed her purse before flitting off toward the outlet malls in the suburbs. Less people to know who might recognize her without a halo-ring.

The moment she landed behind an outlet boutique, she folded her wings and tucked them inside her jacket before walking through the door. As she entered, she sighed contently. While spending money probably wasn't the best coping mechanism, it she did calm her down. Smiling to herself, she began to browse the store. Picking out a couple of floral blouses (one for herself and one for Kori-she knew Raven wouldn't be caught dead wearing floral anything), she sashayed toward the dressing rooms. Noticing a pair of jean leggings that would go perfectly with the shirt, she grabbed her size before walking toward the rooms.

Movement to her left caught her eye. Turning, she noticed one of the workers quickly turn away and fix the mannequin's dress. She must have recognized her from the news. Rolling her eyes, Karen went into the dressing room, glad to be away from prying eyes. After trying on the clothes, (and thankful for having the body of a superhero-it looked good!) she went out. The worker from earlier squealed and jumped back-did she want her autograph or something?

"Excuse me." Karen muttered, giving a small smile toward the girl. She continued to the counter to check out-she probably didn't want to embarrass herself in front of a superhero. As she placed her purchases on the counter, the clerk stepped forward. The smile on her face caused Karen's skin to crawl-something was off.

"Hey girl! What's crackin'?" What's crackin'? Who said that? Karen gave her a hesitant smile and dipped her head as she rummaged for her wallet. In her peripheral vision, she noticed the clerk and worker catch each other's eye and the younger girl give a small shake of her head. "Those are super cute pants." The clerk continued, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "But are you sure you want to buy that?"

Okay-what was up with these women?! "Yeah, I think I do."

The clerk blinked, the smile on her face becoming more strained. "Just wanting to make sure. It's pretty expensive. If you'd like, you can check out our clearance section in the back." And Karen's slightly elevated mood crashed down. That girl didn't want her autograph-she didn't shake her head to the clerk for some silent joke between them-she hadn't followed her around because she was a superhero. She had been tailing her to make sure she didn't steal anything!

Karen felt sick, her stomach bubbling with anger. She had NEVER been this blatantly profiled in her life-and twice in one day! Biting her lip while breathing a calming breath like Raven had taught her, she narrowed her eyes at the woman. "Actually, forget it." What did these people want from her? While shoving the clothes into the arms of the clerk, she snapped, finally reaching her limit. "I don't want to buy anything from racists."

"WHAT?!" The clerk paled, dropping the clothes on the floor in a heap. The worker suddenly took a step forward, obviously hurt someone would call her a racist. "I'm not racist! I have two black friends!" Karen snorted but threw open the door as the clerk continued to yell after her. "I was just trying to help you save money but you people always take that the wrong way! If you don't have anything to hide, why would you get upset-" But the door slammed shut behind Karen. The glass cracked, shattering from Karen's anger. She ignored the yelling of those girls telling her she would pay for that as she whipped out her wings in public. Forget who know who she was-she had to get out of there.

The whole flight back was a blur. Karen was in shock-she had never felt such hurt before. It hit her like waves against a shore-relentless and unceasing. The moment her feet hit the rocky shore of her home, she realized that there was only one person she wanted to see. Shifting into her small form, she flitted toward the garage to see Victor pounding away at his baby's engine.

A shift in the room caused him to pause-usually he wasn't that aware of his surroundings. Straightening up, he didn't even get a moment to process Karen tackling him in her normal form. Clinging to him, she sobbed against his metal chest. She curled her fingers into his shoulders, desperately seeking comfort.

She didn't know how long she cried. All she knew was she was in the arms of the man who loved her and could understand what she was going through. Finally, her sobs began to quiet into shutters and gulps for air. Slowly, she pushed herself off his chest, too embarrassed to meet his eyes. His knuckles gently pulled her eyes to meet his. Raising an eyebrow, he motioned toward the car with his head. "Let's go for a ride."

At first, the ride was silent. Karen just steadied her breathing, closing her eyes and letting the motion of the car sooth her. A soft clearing of Victor's throat brought her back to reality. Opening her eyes, she saw the taunt look on her husband's face. "Okay-you're freaked out. I'm sorry." She muttered, feeling guilty.

"Well, yeah I'm freaked out!" He exclaimed, keeping one hand on the wheel while taking hers in the other. "I'm freaked out that you feel you can't express yourself!" Huh-not what she was expecting. But since when had he ever been predictable?

As Victor drove aimlessly around the outskirts of Jump City, Karen told her story. "I feel this pressure…" She began. "To be perfect. All the time. And I guess, if I'm honest with myself, it is because I'm one of the only handful of black superheroes out there-not to mention female black superheroes!" She noticed Vic nod once, his eyes trained on the road. His knuckled tightened around the wheel. This probably wasn't the conversation he was expecting to have either.

Turning to face forward, Karen watched the road ahead of them, not seeing anything. "I honestly have lived without overt racism in my life. There are those microaggressions and off-handed comments people think are innocent but usually I can brush them off. But today…Today I never have felt more belittled." If his knuckles still had skin, they would have been ripping from his grip on the wheel. "Just…today at that event-gosh, I don't even remember what it was for-some interview said I was 'so white' because of things I like to do."

Victor jerked the wheel, almost careening off the cliff onto the beach far below. Karen gulped, realizing that his emotions were just as high as hers. They weren't in the city anymore. It was as if Karen could let her guard down-she didn't have to be 'Bumblebee' right now. She could be Karen Beecher. She could be honest.

"Can you drive without killing us, Sparky?"

"Sorry." He murmured. Karen realized she should just finish-he was so angry he couldn't speak. Nodding her head, she continued. She almost felt lighter.

"Well, that's why I wanted to come home so quickly. I didn't want to create a scene. And then I went to shop at those Outlets over by Kramer and 111th? The women there profiled me. They followed me around and then told me to shop for clearance. I don't know if they thought I couldn't afford it or they didn't want me to shop there or what but I've never experienced anything like that before." Karen paused, realizing something she never had before. "That pressure…to be perfect…I think it comes from a feeling that I have to be perfect for everyone. To be the perfect role model people aspire to-but evidently I'm either too white or too black for everyone. People don't see me-they see Bumblebee. A black female superhero."

Blinking, she realized Victor has parked the car. Looking up, she saw the sun setting on the ocean, the car parked on a secluded beach. A few people were milling around, picking up sea shells or watching the sunset. She felt a tug at her hand as Victor motioned toward the sandy beach. "Want to sit down for a spell? Watch the sunset?"

Karen nodded, slowly getting out of the car and following him to the beach. Neither of them wore halo-rings. Though a few people looked at Victor funny, they didn't really pay much attention to the couple. "Oh, this is good." He plopped down, pulling her down with him. The sand was hard on her bum, so she shifted to get more comfortable. Sighing, Karen took in the sunset in front of them. The sky was a fiery orange, beginning to shift to a lighter pink and purple. She felt like crying again-but she had no more tears. She never really cried and her chest felt hollow. She was spent.

"I'm sorry." Victor started, not looking away from the sunset. Karen looked forward too. She didn't know how to respond to him. "I'm sorry that happened to you." He continued, frowning as if annoyed by the beautiful painting of nature in front of him. "It's not fair. It hurts like hell. I've been there." Karen looked at him, his profile unreadable. "I have experienced it all my life, honestly. First my parents being scientists, treated as if they weren't smart enough or that they were lucky to get where they were. As if they were the 'exception.' I remember mom telling me never let anyone think you are an exception. She was so smart…" He laughed humorlessly. "Then in high school, when I played sports. I was told to look a certain way-act a certain way-and to never seem threatening to people because it could cause us trouble. I had to fit in a box society made for me. I needed to fit in so I could go farther in the world."

Karen had heard him talk about these things before-but never from this perspective. She nodded for him to continue. "But I guess I don't really fit into anything anymore because I'm a cyborg now." He chuckled, pain evident in his voice. Her heart contracted. She leaned onto his arm, her heart aching with a new emotion she couldn't quite identify. "But people now just see the robot and not the man." He lowered his head into his knees. Karen heard him sniff.

"It's hard." She agreed-she hadn't realized her voice was so hoarse. "People expect you to fit into their norms and assimilate and conform…Maybe that's what I've been doing."

Suddenly, Victor's head flung up. He stared at her with an incredulous expression. "WHAT? No. If you conformed to societal norms, do you think Brother Blood would have had so much trouble trying to brainwash you when we were kids?" He laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "Hell-you think I would have married you if that were the case?"

Heat flared across her face as her heart fluttered. Flinging her arms around his shoulders, Karen kissed him hard on the mouth. She felt him smile against her lips. Slowly pulling away, she smiled at him. "You smooth-talker, you." Despite that small encouragement, she lowered her eyes and loosened her grip on his shoulders. "I'm not sure I feel any better though…"

Victor cocked his head to the left, ignoring the sun as it sunk behind the horizon. "So talking about it didn't help?"

"No." She stated, looking back out at the ocean as Venus and a few bright stars began to shine through the fading twilight. "It did help. It was good to just talk about it. But I'm not exactly sure what to do about it."

Victor shrugged, looking back out too at the waning light. "The world is getting there, Karen." His face was serious, almost disheartened. "It's taking a long-ass time, but it's getting there. My parents had it rough-especially my old man. I know I don't talk about him much and he's a pain but I did learn a lot from him. But he got through it by educating others, himself, and just being himself. I guess that could be a place we can start." He turned back around and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You don't have to fit into anyone's box-no matter how hard they try!"

He paused-Karen knew that look. That was the look he gave her when he thought he was an old sage since he was the oldest of the team. "The world isn't perfect, so you don't have to be perfect. You just gotta be you, the woman I love."

Karen smiled, trying not to laugh-but hey, she wasn't perfect. She giggled, shoving him with her elbow. "Now you're just laying it on thick. You must want something."

Both laughed at this statement, Victor standing up and brushing off sand from his gears. Karen followed suit, glancing one last time at the beautiful night sky. "You're right." He joked, taking her hand in his and guiding them back to the car. "I want some dinner. How about we talk some more about this over a pizza?"

Smiling at him, Karen nodded. "That sounds perfect."

Definitely a heavier topic today. Many people face prejudice and hate every day and no one says a word to them. It is something that we have to realize is prevalent in our world today. We can't ignore it or pretend it doesn't exist-we even need to recognize that we may have some of our own biases we have never addressed. And then address them! It is important for us to realize that the world won't change until we realize it needs to change-and actively work to make those changes. Anyway, off my soapbox now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that it didn't trigger too many people. Please let me know what you thought about the chapter. Thank you for favoriting, following, commenting, and most of all reading my story. Until next time (and Happy Holidays to everyone!)