"A Step Ahead of Fate"
Section VIII in the book "Life Has a Rhythm of its Own"
Summary: Children, changes and villains abound as the Titans discover that we are all blessed with two families: the family we are born with and the family we choose. New appearances include Arella, Trigon, Bumblebee, Mas y Menos, and more. Rated R for violence and ahem adult content.
Chapter 1: Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming
Raven stretched and took a deep breath before opening her eyes. She recalled events that she was certain happened the previous night, but for some reason, part of her doubted their reality. She decided quietly that she would count to ten slowly before rolling over to face the middle of the bed. Raven calmly, evenly counted and then rolled over in place. Her heart sank—the calm, peacefully sleeping expression of her husband met her eyes but nothing else. Raven inwardly chided herself for getting her hopes up. She should have known it was too good to be true.
"I was dreaming…" Raven muttered softly, tears blurring her vision. "I should have known it couldn't be true." Beast Boy opened his eyes, scooted a little closer and tenderly kissed her good morning. A tear squeezed out of the corner of Raven's eye and rolled down her face and Beast Boy noticed.
"What's wrong?" he whispered in concern.
"I had the most unbelievable dream," Raven mumbled. Beast Boy shook his head.
"It wasn't a dream, Raven," he replied.
"But, where are the kids? I remember taking them to bed with us!" Raven whimpered.
"A couple hours ago, Starfire and I took them back to their own room. I thought maybe you and I could use some time alone," Beast Boy said, running a hand through Raven's hair.
"But…Toby's bed…" Raven began. They had removed all of Toby's things from the room several weeks after his death.
"I don't think the rest of the team slept. They spent all night bringing his stuff back up out of the basement while we were asleep," Beast Boy replied.
"They did all that? Last night?" Raven murmured.
"And they all managed to get up this morning, yet," Beast Boy chuckled.
"I have to get up," Raven gasped. "The kids need baths, there are patrols to do, and oh, Azar, none of Toby's clothes will fit him anymore and…." Raven rambled. Beast Boy put a stop to this with another warm, inviting kiss.
"By the time you and I get up today, the others will have all that sorted out," Beast Boy explained.
"We can't just expect the rest of the team to take care of our kids all day!" Raven exclaimed.
"Honey, when was the last time we made love?" Beast Boy interjected, successfully changing the subject. Raven stopped. She couldn't remember. She looked back at Beast Boy with a look of shock in her dark blue eyes.
"Oh, Gar!" she cried, wrapping her arms around him. "I've thrown myself into everything but my own marriage! Honey, I'm so sorry!" Beast Boy hugged her tight and then grinned.
"I know of more than one way you could make it up to me," Beast Boy murmured suggestively. "All of the kids are out with the girls, and the guys are covering all the patrol routes. Honey, we're alone. The Tower is ours." Raven paused to consider this. When was the last time she and Beast Boy were truly alone?
Raven smiled softly and stroked her husband's face. "How can you still love me after everything I've put you through?" she asked in wonder. Beast Boy smiled and smoothed his hand over her hip and thigh as he replied, "Because you're my balance, Raven. You keep me from going overboard. You've tolerated my bad jokes, my vegetarian diet and my mood swings. You've given me children. You make my heart beat faster when you smile. You make me so happy, Raven. Don't you get it? Raven, you're the better part of me—you complete me."
Raven couldn't find words to express what she was feeling at this confession of enduring love, so she simply took his face in her hands and passionately kissed him. Beast Boy moaned softly as Raven pressed herself closer to him, making his spine tingle with anticipation. Beast Boy made a motion to roll her beneath him, but Raven had other ideas.
"Oh no you don't," Raven teased. "It's my turn."
"Toby, what's the last thing you remember before you woke up in that weird place with Uncle Mammoth?" Torque asked as she, Aidan, Terra, and the twins waited for Starfire and Jinx to meet them at the food court after their shopping was finished.
"I 'member Mamma tucking me in an' I felt all hot and stuff and my eyes were all blurry. I went to sleep and when I woke up, I wasn't home anymore," Toby replied, taking a long drink of his cherry soda. Using Robin's scanner back at the Tower, the team had ascertained that Toby had suffered few ill effects of the cryogenic preservation and subsequent reanimation process. Aside from headaches, the occasional nightmare and a voracious appetite, Toby appeared to be a perfectly healthy little boy.
"I'm amazed that Genesis was able to make his body and brain mature like that," Terra commented as she held Olivia in her lap. Olivia licked her lips after taking a drink of blue raspberry soda and smiled. "I'm just happy Toby's okay," she added. Terra and Torque laughed.
"What blows me away is that he managed to not only do that, but he added all that knowledge to Toby's little brain without overloading the neural structure. I mean, it just doesn't seem possible," Torque replied. "Whatever he did, no one will ever know now. The guys reported in and said that the laboratory was completely totaled. There's nothing left."
"All I know is that that I'll never forget the look on Beast Boy and Raven's faces," Terra continued, pausing to remember. Spontaneously, she and Torque looked at each other and smiled. Minutes later, Starfire and Jinx returned with Emily, Jason and Reese and the group left the mall, heading for home.
Back at Titans Tower, Beast Boy and Raven had gotten up, and even made it to the shower, but once the water was turned on, passion overwhelmed them again and the addition of hot water and soap to their activities made it a very interesting shower. By the time they finished in the bathroom, dressed and made their way up to the kitchen to start lunch, the guys were returning from patrols. Raven smiled as she heard their footsteps and voices on the stairs.
"Booyah!"
"Whoohoo! Way to go, Titans!"
"YO! BB! HOW WAS YOUR MORNING!?"
This last comment, courtesy of Speedy, was followed by peals of laughter echoing up the stairwell. Raven grinned and rolled her eyes as Beast Boy set the table. The others filtered into the room, filling in wherever help was needed in setting the table and preparing the meal.
"Ooh, Raven, I love your hair like that!" Speedy flirted, pecking Raven's cheek as he passed by with a handful of apples. Raven blushed.
"B, what'd you do? She's glowing!" Cyborg teased. The others laughed again.
"If you guys don't watch it, there will be no mercy in the practice arena today," Raven replied, still smiling like mad.
"Speedy better watch himself, if Torque finds out he's flirting with Raven, she'll have his butt…oops, I forgot—she already does," Beast Boy shot back, sliding around behind Raven and wrapping his arms around her waist. The guys laughed out loud once again as Beast Boy planted a few soft kisses along Raven's neck and shoulder. He stopped abruptly and lightly patted her tummy.
"Is this a bulge?" he murmured, a tone of excitement creeping into his voice. "Is this my fourth child beginning to show?" Raven smiled widely.
"Yes," she replied with a laugh, "that would be OUR fourth child beginning to show."
"Speaking of children, the girls and the rest of the kids should be back any minute now," Robin said, gesturing toward the door. Robin looked at his watch and held up his hand. He silently used his fingers to count down from five and then pointed at the door.
"We're back!" Torque cried from the front door. The Titans shared another hearty laugh. The next sound to travel into the room was the rapid thud of little feet and little voices ascending the stairs. The first one to appear in the large living space was Toby.
"Daddy! Daddy! Auntie Torque took me for a ride on her motorcycle!" Toby cried, running to his father and jumping up into his lap.
"It shows," chuckled Beast Boy, inspecting his son's dirty neck.
"Road construction. Well, you did say he needed a bath, right BB?" Torque replied, entering the room carrying two helmets. Speedy got up and took them from her so that she could unstrap the baby carrier secured firmly to her torso. Inside, was baby Aidan.
"Mommy!" cried Olivia, running into the room with Terra and Emily in tow. "Emmy said her first word!" Raven surrendered her position at the stove to Cyborg and went to hug the twins and then took Emily from Terra.
"What did she say?" Raven asked. Olivia and Toby giggled. Terra shook her head and rolled her eyes. Torque laughed.
"She was messing around and got her shoe stuck between the slats on one of the benches at the mall," Terra explained.
"We were trying to help the twins put their coats on and then we heard this whining noise," Torque added.
"Then I zipped up my coat and I heard someone yell, "STUCK!" Olivia explained.
"It was Emmy, Mamma! Emmy said stuck!" Toby giggled. Jinx emerged into the room with Reese a minute later.
"Sorry," she said. "When we got home he was so hungry, I decided I'd stop and nurse him before we all sat down to eat." Cyborg offered the spatula to Speedy, who took up the post so that Cyborg could go and greet his bride and infant son.
Over the conversation and chatter and continued recollection of adventures at the mall, Beast Boy and Raven caught each other's eyes and winked. There would be time for a relaxing nap with the kids between lunch and combat practice later that afternoon.