Chapter 7: Back in Your Arms
When evening came, Beast Boy went to tuck Olivia into bed. Beast Boy smiled as Olivia yawned and began to recite her bedtime prayers. Beast Boy knelt beside the bed and listened with his eyes closed, repeating the prayer in his mind. When she finished, Beast Boy stroked her cheek and smiled again.
"Olivia, did I ever tell you about the night Mommy and I found out we were going to have you and your brother?" Beast Boy asked softly. Olivia shook her head.
"When Mommy told me she was going to have a baby, I fell down on my knees in front of her, put my ear against her tummy, and I listened. I listened for you that day, Olivia, but I wasn't listening today. I was afraid to listen—afraid to hope that you were right. Daddies aren't perfect, sweetie, and sometimes they're wrong. I'll try harder to listen to you from now on, Olivia. Can you forgive me?" Beast Boy said. Olivia sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I love you, Daddy," Olivia whispered, kissing his cheek. "I always forgive you." Beast Boy sniffled back a tear that threatened to spill over his eyes as he tucked her back beneath the covers. He kissed her forehead one more time and then shut off the light before leaving the room.
Beast Boy walked back into his room and was surprised to find Raven curled up in her place in their bed, just as if she had never gone. Beast Boy said not a word, but removed his shoes and his belt before slipping into bed. She was facing away from him, so he gently ran his hand over her upper arm and bent down to lightly kiss her ear. Raven took a deep breath and murmured, "Beast Boy, is that you?"
"It's me, Raven. Are you sure you're well enough to be out of the med bay?" Beast Boy whispered, entwining his fingers around Raven's.
"I wanted to sleep in my own bed…I wanted to be beside you again," Raven said, tears gathering in her eyes. "I missed you so much, Beast Boy." Raven rolled over to face him and Beast Boy slipped his arms around her to pull her closer. Simultaneously, the two sighed. It was as if a piece of them that had been missing was suddenly restored and for a full ten minutes, the two simply laid in their bed and held one another, content just to reacquaint themselves with the feeling of holding the other in their arms again. Raven then gently nudged Beast Boy's chin with her nose, gesturing for him to bring his face to hers. Nothing could have compared to the feeling of that first kiss! Raven felt a shiver down her spine and the lights in the room dimly flickered. Beast Boy smiled. Slowly, the kisses grew in intensity—both of them realized this wasn't going to end anytime soon. Beast Boy rained kissed over Raven's jaw line, neck and the hollow of her throat. From there, he worked his way down over her chest one button at a time, reveling in the soft moans Raven elicited the farther he went. By the time they had both collapsed back into one another's arms, breath ragged and hearts racing, muscles weak from exertion, it was nearly midnight. Raven turned her face to meet Beast Boy's and kissed him soundly, soothing his pounding heartbeat. Softly, she told him that she wanted a shower before they settled in for the rest of the night, and with a mischievous grin, Beast Boy joined her.
Nestling back into their bed, Beast Boy inhaled deeply of the scent of Raven's skin. He had forgotten how much he loved the smell of the soap she used. Before they could back to sleep, Beast Boy suddenly twitched his ears.
"What is it?" Raven asked.
"Emily. She's crying," Beast Boy murmured, slipping out of bed. Raven's eyes gathered with tears again. Beast Boy froze. Had he said something wrong?
"Honey, what's wrong?" Beast Boy asked, sitting down on the bed and stroking Raven's cheeks.
"The girls…I was watching…Brother Blood…he…"
It dawned on Beast Boy that all this time—ever since they had found Torque—Raven had been thinking that her children were dead. Beast Boy folded Raven into his arms and hugged her tight.
"Oh, Raven, I'm so sorry!" he murmured, kissing the top of her head. Quietly, he explained how they had found Torque in the mountain retreat and then how the children had found their way home. Raven sniffled and listened with rapt attention. She just couldn't believe it—Olivia had been resourceful enough to lead them home. Raven accompanied Beast Boy down the hall to Olivia's room. Beast Boy had moved Emily's crib and furniture there the day before, when Olivia said she wanted to share the room with someone again. Raven clutched Beast Boy's hand as they approached the door. Emily was still crying, but there was a second voice in the room, and both parents stopped and listened as Olivia tried to sing her baby sister back to sleep. Slowly, Beast Boy opened the door and Olivia looked up.
"Daddy, I tried to get Emmie to go back to sleep but she wants you," Olivia reported. Beast Boy smiled.
"Maybe it's Mommy she wants," Beast Boy said, standing to one side. Olivia's sleepy eyes were suddenly wide.
"Mommy!" Olivia cried, running over when Raven dropped to her knees. Raven cried as she held her older daughter close. Olivia wanted to tell her all about how she led Jason home and carried Emily. She wanted to tell Mommy about how she was playing in the snow and found her under the tree, but now it wouldn't come. She was simply too excited and exhausted at the same time for the words to come. Olivia stayed in her place while Raven went to the crib and lifted baby Emily into her arms. Beast Boy picked up Olivia and carried her with them back to Raven and Beast Boy's room. Once more, Beast Boy snuggled into bed, this time with Emily on his chest, Olivia on his right, and Raven on his left. Beast Boy had never been so happy in his life: all of the women in his life were finally home.
Though it was late, and a soft, chilly breeze ruffled his hair, Robin sat on the roof of Titans Tower and stared off into the clear, starry night. There was only one Titan missing now, and still no explanation as to where she was. He would have been content to continue thinking on this, if it were not for the hulking form that sat down beside him.
"I guess I wasn't as much help as I thought I would be," Mammoth said, taking a deep breath of the cool night air. "All it took was Olivia going to play in the garden to find Raven." Robin grinned.
"I guess we never can tell how things are going to work out. I appreciated your help while you were here, Mammoth," Robin replied.
"I wonder where Starfire is tonight," Mammoth remarked, staring out at the bay.
"Wherever she is, I hope she's safe," Robin said.
"I can't help feeling that I can do more. I have an idea, but I don't know if it will work," Mammoth replied. Robin raised an eyebrow. Mammoth's plan was to infiltrate Brother Blood by offering himself as an agent. If Brother Blood was still holding Starfire, he would be able to find out and possibly stage a rescue. Robin thought about this. Undercover missions had been successful in the past. It was just crazy enough to work.
"If you find her, Mammoth," Robin said, a deadly serious tone to his voice, "You have somewhere to come home to when you're finished." Mammoth swallowed hard. Was Robin offering to make him a Titan? It was something he had thought about but never expected. To have a home again was a luxury had had not counted on and it was too much to pass up.
"You've got a deal," Mammoth said. With this, he left immediately to prepare and Robin went to bed. He would need to be awake the next day to finalize the new plan with the rest of the team.
Meanwhile, across town, the technological genius known as Gizmo was making his way toward the newly discovered location of Brother Blood's headquarters. At the same time, on the other side of the city, Starfire was launching off from Brother Blood's fortress with an entourage of his robotic foot soldiers. Her first mission as Brother Blood's agent: take out Gizmo.