Teen Titans: Here's a Rose

One-shot Valentine's Day Fic Challenge

Disclaimer: Not mine. Let me cry in peace now please.

A/N: I wrote this fic for the Robin Raven Community on LiveJournal, but don't worry I am currently working on my other fics right after I'm done! Promise!

The alarm blared out into the darkness of the lonely room as a hand came down swiftly upon the 'Off' button, calmly silencing the rather annoying device. Robin groaned into the morning hours and sat up slowly, looking outside at the dreary rainy weather outside running down his windowpane. It was only seven o'clock in the morning but it didn't matter to the young leader since he had already been up, simply lying there in the comforting embrace of the early morning hours since about five a.m. Robin got out of bed and stretched, glancing at his calendar as he walked into his bathroom to take a quick shower.

He was out and dressed in mere minutes, hoping that the other Titans would sleep in late today, leaving him plenty of time to contemplate what he was about to do this morning. He grabbed the red and white bag next to his night stand and wrapped a thick blanket over it so it wouldn't get wet when he stepped outside. He didn't bother grabbing an umbrella for himself as he wasn't in his uniform today; he had decided on wearing a simple red polo shirt along with black cargo pants and black tennis shoes.

This is her favorite shirt, he mused to himself as he set out down the stairs and made his way to the front door. I hope she likes that I wore it today for her.

He opened the door and walked out into the light rain, carrying the blanket-covered bag under his arm as he made his way over to the still semi-frozen pond that had been created only a few years ago along with the waterfall the Titans loved to gather around on slow days. He glanced around at the melting snow that was still on the ground and he was glad that the winter season was almost over; it seemed to last much longer this year and he couldn't wait for the Spring when maybe he could easily get distracted by the warm weather and outdoor training.

He came over to a lovely garden of white roses and kneeled down on the wet grass, not caring if he got wet or dirty. He looked up into her face and smiled as he called into his mind the words he had been practicing to say all week long.

"Hi, Love," he said quietly, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I've missed you lately, quite a bit actually, but I just wanted to come down here and say 'Happy Valentine's Day.' I got you something, I mean, it's not anything big, but I felt like I had to do something. It took me forever to decided what I wanted to get you, and it was actually you who gave me the idea for the gift."

Robin paused and unwrapped the bag, taking the blanket off and laying it down on the upturned soil next to him.

"Do you remember when we first started going out and you wanted to get me something really special for our one-month anniversary? You gave me all those weird little scraps and told me something special about each one and why it meant so much to you. Well, I decided to play off of that and I got you your own little bag of precious mementos so you could know how much I love you."

He reached into the bag and pulled out a tiny piece of candle wax and rolled it around in the palm of his hand for a second. He took a deep breath and began to talk again.

"Here is the candle from our very first date," he said, smiling softly. "You were so nervous and excited that you melted every single candle that I tried to put on that dang table. Ha, you are so cute when you're nervous and I loved being able to see the real you for once."

He set the candle wax down on the blanket and reached in for the item he had carefully searched for.

"This," he said, taking out a small strip of pictures. "Was the first time you ever smiled for a picture. We took this in that stupid booth when we went to the amusement park for Beast Boy's birthday last year. No one else has ever seen this and I treasure it more than anything because whenever I miss you, I pull this out and I stare at your perfect smile and it makes me smile, even if it's just for that one moment."

He pushed his wet hair back from his view and went to grab the next item, a simple white tee-shirt with small blood red stains all over it.

"Do you remember this one?" he chuckled. "This was from our first Halloween party as an official couple. Halloween was always your favorite holiday and, this being a holiday, I decided it was rather fitting. That year we won first prize for the most creative costumes; you were so incredibly stunning as a vampiress and everyone said I went well as your latest love slave-slash-victim. I always loved this shirt because it was the first time we ever messed around; I loved seeing your little perfect lips kissing my torso all over, covered in that silly colored lipstick. I can still feel your feathery kisses all over my body."

Robin took another deep breath and sighed heavily. "That was one of the best nights of my life. That was the night we truly became one, and I loved being able to be a part of you in a whole new way... Now this next gift," he replied, setting the shirt next to the candle and the picture, and taking a two small purple bottles out.

"This, this was something I always loved about you. This was the first perfume I ever bought you and I can still smell it on my sheets and in your room. It's a permanent smell and I think it might be stuck forever in my memory. And this other bottle is your shampoo. I stole this from under your cabinet because I simply adore your beautiful lavender hair. I love to run my hands through it and I loved hugging you and just breathing in the scent of your shampoo. It was so much like your perfume that whenever I see this in the stores, I can't help but smile and grab a bottle."

Robin wiped away a drop that was falling down his cheek and he grabbed the last gift in the bag.

"Now, I know you always loathed this holiday," he said shakily. "But never because of the frilly colors or the disgustingly sweet adoration or the Hallmark-y cheapness of such a loving day. You told me that you hated this holiday because it was unnecessary. You said that you didn't need some special pointless holiday to tell me how much you loved me and cherished me. You said that if that was the point of the holiday then, for us, everyday was like Valentine's Day. Then you turned around and gave me your stuffed raven and you said that you would love me until the day our bird lost all of its feathers and died."

Robin fingered the fake purple rose in his hand and sighed heavily. "So today here's a rose as a token of my everlasting love. I promise you, Raven, that I will love you up until the last petal falls from this flower."

He laid the rose atop the other gifts and brushed away the torrent of tears that fell from his covered eyes. He looked up and lost all of his previous composition as he stared into the rainy sky.

"Oh Gosh Rae," he wept. "I miss you so much... I can't believe that you've been gone for four months already, it feels like forever and I don't know if I'll ever get over losing you. I wish that you could be here with me today, that I could be sitting up on your bed, holding you and kissing you and just being there with you. I miss your smells, I miss your voice, I miss your kisses and your perfect body... I miss ...you..."

Robin sat there for a few more moments on his knees, crying, before he found the strength to stand back up and look down at the ground, at her grave. Starfire had been there the day before to give Raven her Valentine's Day gift: a group picture of the Titans just a short while before she had died and Robin nearly lost it all over again as he saw her smiling, happy face as his arms were wrapped around her waist and his face buried into her neck.

"I'm glad it's raining," he whispered sullenly as he tore his eyes away from Raven's grave and began to trudge back up to the tower. "I'd hate to have you see me cry on, of all days, Valentine's Day. Besides, you always did like the rain and the comfort it brought."

Robin continued his sad trek back inside as the rain began to suddenly lighten up and the clouds gave one last sorrowful rumble as they parted ways and the sun came out, shining down warmly on the young man and his surroundings. He looked up at the glowing sun and smiled sadly as he continued his walk back up to his home.

"I love you my Raven," he whispered to himself. "I just wish you were by my side so you could hear me tell you just one more time."

High up above the clouds a pair of bright, exotic, and painstakingly familiar violet eyes looked down upon the young man lovingly.

"I am always with you my darling," the wind seemed to whisper. "Whether you can see me or not. I love you and I will always love you, my Robin. Happy Valentine's Day, my Love."

A/N: Alright, how was it? Now, I know that this has nothing to do with this story or this challenge or anything, but I write to you now to ask for your help. I was wondering if anyone knew how to report abuse or anything. I have never done it and I would greatly appreciate any info on that. To make my point a little more clear, I ask any of you, if you truly admire my work or any other great authors and would like to protect them from this same horror, to go and flame or whatever to one author by the name of Little Skittle...

They have taken a great masterpiece by the name of Apocalypse written by an incredible author, Bloody Incubus and they have tried to pass it off as their own. They changed a few words here and there and added a character, but they copy and pasted the original story and then made up some wacko story about how Bloody Incubus was their roomate and they gave them permission... At first I accepted this... that was until that same author ripped someone off that I actually knew: ME!

While I was reading one of their latest chapters, I read a paragraph that sounded really familiar and so I went and checked the original story to see if it was in there. It wasn't and it was then that I realized where I had seen that paragraph... it was in one of MY chapters of one of MY stories... I was pissed! And this wasn't just 'let's borrow one line or a phrase' or something. This was a full fledged paragraph, word for word, like 10 sentences or something. I made a comment but nothing has been done about it and I consider it an insult on not only my part by also on Bloody Incubus' story.

So, if you get the chance, please spread the word about this plaigarist, Little Skittle and their story, House of Flying Daggers, and find some way to punishthem for ripping off other people's stories... Well, now that I'm done bitching, please hit that little review button at the bottom and let me know what y'all think! Love y'all always. L8R Daze...