Chapter twenty three
Two lilac eyes flickered open, with a tinge of excitement written in the dark flecks.
Today was the day. The day that he was coming home…
Raven pushed herself out of bed, apprehension and anticipation gnawing at her insides as she pulled some fresh clothes on and her trusty cloak. She hurried into the bathroom, brushing her teeth and pulling at her hair rather haphazardly, before giving up and levitating her way downstairs.
As she entered the main room, the sweet smell of good home cooking hit her nostrils. She turned to the kitchen area, inquisitive and pensive. Breakfast didn't usually smell this good…
As she turned, her eyes were met with a flurry of colours and textures. The table was laden with all sorts of different foods: jellys, cakes, biscuits, savoury delights and more sweet things. Raven's lilac orbs widened with surpise.
She glanced upwards, seeing the cybernetic man dashing around with a chefs hat on and various frying pans sizzling away. Raven shrugged and sat down on one of the stools, her mouth watering slightly due to all the pleasant aromas.
"Good morning, Cyborg," she stated, dully. Cyborg turned around, his brow still furrowed in concentration. However, his face lit up with a rather childish smile as he saw Raven.
"Mornin', little lady!" he cooed, before turning back to take something off the cooker. Raven glanced over the dishes once more before she spoke.
"So…did you make all of this?"
"Yeah! Fresh, succulent and deeeelicious!"
Cyborg did a little leap of joy and the goth felt a small chuckle rise in her throat. She raised her eyebrow at him, as he turned back, tipping the next dish onto a warm plate.
"Did you make this…for Beast boy?" persisted the Azarathian.
"I did indeed! My best buddy has been through a lot…I wanted to make him feel good…so I cooked some of that tofu rubbish…"
There was a pause as Cy visibly shuddered with utter disgust.
"…so I hope that he likes it. I've been up since the crack of dawn, Raven."
"He'll love it so much," confirmed Raven, her head moving up and down as she smiled appreciatively. "Though he may not show it…he values your friendship so very much. Trust me – I'm an empath."
Cyborg blushed slightly and pushed the gothic teen playfully. "Yeah…well, he's pretty cool too."
Raven gave a smaller smile as she tucked her knees up. "Yeah…pretty cool."
Cyborg shifted some of the plates around and put the frying pan into the sink, before proceeding to clear some bits and pieces away. Raven kept the silence, but watched him absently as he darted around.
When he had stopped, and flopped onto the stool with a gasp of relief and a yawn, Raven pushed herself up.
"What do you want for breakfast?" she asked, in her normal monotonous voice. "Pancakes, waffles…bacon and eggs?"
"…Rae…you don't cook," Cyborg stated, slightly uneasy. Raven shrugged, as if it was something trivial.
"So what? I am cooking today. What do you want?" continued the half demon, a slightly harsh tone to her voice. The android laughed, openly.
"Alright, alright. Some waffles would be great…thanks Rae!"
Robin and Starfire wandered into the kitchen together. They were not even looking at the other two, nor did they acknowledge them. They were gazing at each other and blushing.
Raven and Cy looked at each other and raised their eyebrows simultaneously.
As the two 'lovebirds' sat down, the spell was seemingly broken, as Robin looked up at the other two titans. He leant back with his arm around Starfire, who also looked up.
"Hey guys. Sleep well?" asked the leader, smiling
"As well as can be expected," replied Raven, rather quietly. She looked down as she fumbled with the kettle, filling it with water.
"Yeah, I slept okay. But I was up at dawn to sort out the stuff for B's party."
"Ooh, yes," chirped Starfire, unexpectedly, poking at some jelly. "These nutrients look most delightful, and brightly coloured. And this is so…springy!"
"Star, don't push the jelly!" complained Cyborg, tapping her hand away. "I'm glad you like it though…it took a while to get it ready. Now all we got to do is sort out the tower."
"You okay, Raven? You're a little…quieter…than usual…" asked Robin, as Cyborg finished his spiel. The three titans all looked at her imploringly. Raven shrugged.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"You tell me," countered Robin. "I have no idea."
"Me neither," replied Rae, sardonically. "When I discover the reason I'll be sure to send you a notification."
"Why are you so spiky with Robin?" questioned the Tamaranian, her green eyes wider than usual. "He was only asking after your health, friend!"
"Yes…I know…I'm fine, honestly," confirmed Raven. "Sorry to be a little…uhm…moody…but I'm fine."
"No problem," shrugged Robin, smiling. "I'm sure you'll feel better later."
"It's the time in between that I'm worried about," muttered Raven, not quite under her breath as she began to prepare the waffles.
Upon acknowledging the actions of the gothic teenager, Starfire nearly fell out of her seat.
"Tell me, friend," she began, evenly. "Why is it that you are…in the kitchen area…what are you doing?"
"Making breakfast," Raven replied, getting the waffle mixture ready. "Waffles alright for you two?"
"Yeah…sure…but you don't usually—"
"Well I am today, okay?"
"Okay," sighed Robin, defeated at last. He shrugged at Starfire and settled down as some steaming waffles were placed infront of him.
Raven also settled down on the far side of Cyborg with a cup of herbal tea. The other three began to wolf down some of the waffles.
"Raven," Cyborg began, through forkfuls of the dish. "This is a big improvement on the last time you cooked us waffles…"
"Yes, I had to cook for myself during my time in the mountains…so I suppose it comes with practice?"
"Yes, friend that was most delicious! Thank you for the kind gesture!" gushed Star, grasping Raven in a hug on the way around the table. Raven squirmed a little and hissed quietly as Starfire let her go.
"You're welcome, Star," she replied, as the red-head began to pour the others and herself some milk.
"So, did you guys get your outfits?" asked Cy, conversationally, handing his plate over to Star, who popped it in the sink.
"Yeah, finally," snarled Robin. Evidently, he and Star had had the same trouble as Raven and Cyborg. "You?"
"Same," replied Raven, confirming Robin's thought pattern. He nodded as Star flew round with the milk and perched beside him.
There was a deep, pensive silence, as the four titans sat together, amicably.
"I'm going to go and meditate. I probably won't get another chance today," stated the goth, suddenly. The other three turned to her. "You don't…need me to help with anything do you?"
"No, I think I got everythin' under control. Besides, you're only just up there. If I need you I'll just yell!"
"That's a very comforting thought," answered Raven, sarcasm dripping from her words. "But that's fine. I'm not much good at…party preperation."
"It's okay, Raven. Everything is all sorted. You go and meditate," confirmed Robin, patting her on the shoulder as she passed by. With tea in her hand, she nodded at the other three and made her way up the stairs.
As the door hissed shut behind her, Robin turned to Cyborg.
"I hope she's going to be okay later…"
"She'll be okay. As long as he is okay," replied the android, wisely.
As Raven reached her room, she had a sudden thought. She needed to sort out Beast boy's transportation. It would only take a moment, then she could start to meditate.
Placing her tea precariously on the side, she made her way out of her room and towards a spare room near the top of the tower which held an ordinary reciever telephone.
Picking it up, she dialed a number slowly…as if she could barely remember it. There was some buzzing then a click as the phone was picked up at the other end.
"Hello, Jump City Hospital. Joanie speaking…may I help you?"
"Hi…can I speak to Natasha, please?"
"Yes, who shall I say is calling please?"
"My name's Raven. She'll know who you mean."
"Okay. Hold one moment, please."
Raven sighed and rolled her eyes as she began to nervously fiddle with her fingernails. 'What if's' started to roll around her brain so annoyingly, she feared that she would leap up and scream at any moment.
This worry was making her have to concentrate even harder to try and control her powers. Controlling her powers had become such an easy feat, of late, that Raven was starting to get concerned that her grip was slipping.
Suddenly, there was movement at the end of the phone and a voice came on.
"Hi, Raven!"
"Hi," stated Raven, smiling with relief. A few of the 'what-ifs' vanished out of her brain.
"What's up, sweetie?"
"Nothing major," reassured Raven, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I need you to do me a favour…if you don't mind."
Natasha snorted with laughter. "As if I don't do enough for you already…but as it's you…of course!"
Raven raised her eyebrows at the cheery scorn but smiled all the same. "Good. I appreciate this. Could you possibly get Beast boy sent here…some how…for say, seven?"
"Beast…boy?"
Raven mentally slapped herself. "Sorry…I meant Garfield. Old nickname…old habit…"
"It's fine," laughed the brunette, her amusement apparent even through the phone. "I should have guessed that was who you were talking about. He's much better, you know."
"I know," smiled Raven, her heart beginning to thud with utter delight. She hesitated slightly before speaking the next phrase. "…I'm glad."
"So am I…it was a role reversal from when he brought you all beat up on that night…"
"Yes, I suppose it was. Anyway, that's alright then?"
"Sure! I'll have some one bring him over to that massive T shaped tower of yours for seven, tonight!"
"Thanks, Natasha."
"Like I said, no problem. And well done for taking my advice…you haven't made the wrong decision. See ya!"
Before Raven could think of a witty retort, the line had gone dead. She glared disdainfully at the receiver before replacing it and sighing.
Natasha was right. She had made the correct decision. The problem was making herself accept and believe that it was real.
Hopefully, this party would be the key.
The day almost flew by – all of the titans noticed it. Before any of them realised it, the clock had struck six. Dusk was setting it's faint glow across the bay, and the moon began to sparkle in the half light.
Raven glanced out of her window, taking in the pleasant view, and trying to ignore her inner hopes and fears.
Softly, she walked over to the dress which hung gracefully off the hanger. Raven ran a hand over the silky material and let out a long sigh.
A beautiful dress. If only she could feel that good on the inside. There was much for her to work out in her head…but for the meantime, there was the party to think about.
Letting out a slow exhalation, the gothic teen pulled the dress off it's hanger, and placed it on her bed.
As she eased herself through the folds and fumbled once more to get the darned thing on, she felt a small part of her laughing at her escapade.
'Probably that damned Happy,' she thought, contemptously. 'It's not funny!'
Eventually, after much fighting and tugging, she got back into the silken outfit, and let out a sigh of relief. Now that she was composed, once more, she could concentrate on trying to smarten herself up a bit.
This was the task she dreaded the most.
Make up…it spelt disaster from the word go.
Once she had adjusted the dress successfully, she could relax into the shape of it, and get a feel for it. But she was only prolonging the inevitable.
'Time for make up!' cooed the Happiness inside of her. She growled within at the pink emotion, which was running riot – enjoying the whole display.
Yanking out a draw, which had not been opened for some time, the gothic teen was able to retrieve some long forgotten cosmetics which she had bought a long time ago – mostly through Starfire's incessant nagging.
After about half an hour, she had managed the dubious task and was reasonably pleased with the results – considering how little she used the stuff.
She had gone for the natural yet chic look – dark eyeliner, but a simple, light shade of eyeshadow and some pale lipstick were all that adorned her face.
Raven had worked so meticulously on the whole thing, however. She wanted it to be great…almost perfect…
Though she knew she was far from perfect…
Giving one last sigh, she attacked her hair with a hairbrush, but it only made it angrier. Resorting to flattening it down with her hands, she shook it out and ruffled it.
It soon settled itself back down into it's long straight style.
The moment of truth was upon her. She swung out a full length mirror from the wardrobe and took a few steps back before looking up.
The face which looked back at her almost made her yelp with shock. It made her look so…elegant…so mature…
Swallowing, Raven twirled around slowly, making sure that she looked her best, whilst simultaneously trying to figure out why she cared so much.
Hugging her arms around herself, she wandered back over to the window. The sky was tinted with pink as the sun began to fully set over the back of the city.
Raven looked up at the silvery moon, which had finally started to become more prominent. Ironically, that was how she felt.
Stepping backwards, the Azarathian sneaked a glimpse at her clock. Six fourty five.
Opening her door, the lilac haired young woman made her way down to the main room, where the party was going to be held…
It was like she was in an alternate universe. She looked around the room, awe stricken.
Cyborg truly was the party king. There was a large banner which read:
'WELCOME HOME B!'
The party food was laid out elegantly on the side, ready to eat. The aroma was still filling the room – yet it was fresher, due to the scent wearing out during the course of the day.
She took a few paces in. There was some soft music playing in the background, which immediately made one want to sway and dance.
Raven realised that she was covered with different sparkled textures. She glanced up and raised her eyebrow. It looked like Robin had finally allowed Cyborg to install that disco ball he'd wanted for ages – and what better time to use it than a party?
Everything was decorated with silvers and golds, making it seem quite a mature party for five teenage friends. Raven had flashbacks and recollections to their recent shopping escapade.
Suddenly, Raven remembered something.
The cake. Oh God…she had forgotten about it completely.
Cursing herself, she materialised out of the tower and reformed in the cake shop. It was quiet, and there was one man clearing up solemnly. He looked up and shook his head.
"We're closed, ma'am."
"I'm sorry," replied Raven, her dull tones echoing in the quiet shop. "But do you have a cake I ordered the other day?"
"Yeah, we probably do…but…you're quite late you know…"
"I know, I'm so sorry," emphasised the Azarathian, shaking her head vehemently. "I completely forgot."
Suddenly, Raven felt as if she was falling to bits – her carefully constructed composed persona shattering into a billion pieces. She leant on the side with trembling hands.
"It's under the name Raven," she added, standing on her tiptoes. The man leant the broom up on the wall and bent down behind the desk, hunting through cakes.
"Raven…Raven…AHA!" he exclaimed, standing upright triumphantly. "Here you go. Check the cake first…I'd hate for you to have the wrong one. Especially since you made a special trip."
Raven obediently opened the box, and looked at the cake. It was white, covered with green writing which read: "Welcome home, BB." It had a small green turtle in the corner.
Raven smiled to herself more than anyone. The man broke into her thoughts.
"Now, it was a non dairy version, right?"
"Yes," replied the half demon, realising that it may not taste as good as it looked. The shopkeeper nodded, with a grin.
"I hope that he likes it!"
"Oh, he will. Thanks for your help…"
"No problem," replied the man, turning around to get the broom again. "Now, be careful how you carry that, cause it might break if you—"
He stopped as he turned back, noticing that the teen had vanished. He walked over to the door slowly, looking at the bell above it. He prodded it slightly, and it dinged dutifully.
Shrugging he tugged on the door handle, only to find to his immense horror, that the door was infact locked.
Raven reappeared in the main room at Titans Tower feeling slightly flustered. She looked over at the clock and read the time to be ten minutes to seven. Sighing she placed the cake next to the other snacks.
Not too bad for remembering fifteen minutes before the darned party started. Rolling her eyes she turned around, smoothing her dress down again.
"Raven!"
Raven looked up to see Cyborg trotting down the steps.
"I meant to ask you…did you remember the—"
"—cake…yes. About five minutes ago. There it is."
Cyborg sneaked a look at the confectionary. "Mmm…looks delicious."
Raven wrinkled her nose, but decided it'd be more fun not to tell Cyborg about the non-dairy nature of the cake. "Yeah…"
"Right, well everything is all in place! You like the room?"
"It's…exactly what I wanted. Thanks, Cy."
"Aw, no problem! By the way, you are lookin' great!"
Raven shook her lilac hair out of the way. She'd forgotten about her clothing during the last minute 'cake panic'.
"Oh…thanks. And you do."
"Yeah?" Cy questioned, doing a little spin. The new shoes were shined to perfection. Raven smiled at the 'modesty'.
"Yes," she confirmed, resolutely. "Now, where are the other two?"
"I haven't seen—"
"Friends! OH…it is most splendorous with the lights and patterns and colours and…FOOD! Oh, wondrous…may I see the cake? May I prod the jello? May I touch the pretty turning globe?"
"Sorry I asked," muttered Raven, rolling her darkly outlined eyes. Starfire burst over to Raven, enveloping her in a bone crushing hug, then holding her at arms length to examine her. Raven raised her eyebrows, but there wasn't much she could do in the strangle hold of the Tameranian.
"You look very beautiful, friend," commented Starfire, glancing at the dress. "And your dress is most magnificent."
"Ehm, thanks…"
Starfire placed Raven down, and she dusted herself off, before looking at the outfit belonging red-head.
Starfire was wearing a long jade dress which matched her eyes. It was almost a corset like top, which was swept down by a long strip of satin which curled around her long slender legs.
She looked more beautiful than ever. Raven felt her insides turning the same colour as the exquisite dress. She soon shook it off.
"Wow…Starfire…that's a nice dress," she managed, looking sidelong at Cyborg, who had his mouth gaped open. Without another word, the Azarathian walked over to him and knocked the jaw upwards.
"OH!" exclaimed the android, under Raven's withering glance. "Uh…you look pretty Star!"
"As do you, friend!" exclaimed Starfire, who span around in excitement. "Oh, I am so very, very HAPPY!"
"Am I too late to join the party?" interrupted a voice, as Robin ran down the steps. He was kitted out in a simple tuxedo of black, with a cummerbund of bright crimson. The mask was, as ever, covering his eyes. His look was simple yet effective. He looked at Cyborg and Raven, and nodded approvingly – even giving a little thumbs up to Raven.
But he only had eyes for Starfire
"Star, you look…amazing…" he complimented, turning slightly red. Cyborg turned to Raven and made gagging noises. Raven slapped him playfully and made 'shush' signs.
"Thank you, Robin…as do you," smiled Starfire, her face filled with ardour and happiness. They continued to gaze at each other…as if their love was new.
Raven sighed at the happy couple and sat on the stools hand in hand. Cyborg rested his arm on the side.
"Everything cool?"
"Everything is fine…right now," observed Raven, looking down at her hands. Cyborg raised his eyebrow, but placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.
"It's going to be alright. Promise!"
It was all the Azarathian could do to look up and smile hopefully.
"Dude I'm telling you…there's no NEED for you to guide me in here…I'm fine! Okay? Bye!"
The voice made all of the titans look up with sudden horror. Raven used her powers to turn off the music and dim the lights slowly.
"Man…where is everyone? DUDES? …I'm home!"
"SURPRISE!" shouted the four, as Raven used her powers to up the lights.
Cyborg snapped a photo, as quick as he could. Beast boy lowered his hands slowly, from the protective position around his face, and his eyes lit up.
"You…what…WOW!"
"Yeah, welcome home, green man!" Cyborg cheered, running over and supporting the shapeshifter, who was nearly collapsing with confusion.
"We are so glad to have you back with us, so we decided to make the PARTY!" exclaimed Starfire, grasping Beast boy in a hug. Robin put his hand on Beast boy's shoulder.
"It was Raven's idea…"
"Raven?" spoke the green man, softly, as if it were a sacred word. "Where is she?"
"I'm here," spoke the dull voice, from the darkest part of the room. She took a few paces into the light, her heart cold with fear and expectation. She almost wanted to run away…but couldn't bring herself to.
The changeling's face lit up immediately at seeing her. "You organised this?"
"Well…sort of…mostly Cyborg…but…"
"But Raven helped," interrupted Cyborg, guiding Beast boy towards the food table as the others crowded round – even Raven.
Cyborg pushed the cake towards the shape shifter and handed him a knife slowly and carefully. "Happy homecoming, B!"
I'm soooo tempted to just LEAVE YOU ALL HERE! But I couldn't do that to you lovely and wonderful people…there is to be one more chapter of this story left…do you hear me! ONE MORE FREAKIN' CHAPTER! Lol..sorry, I'm just running out of ideas with this story. But I've come to a good conclusion, thus this is the penultimate chapter.
Promise you one thing thou: I'd never leave you without some serious fluffiness!
Entonces, replies:
Quillmaster14: Damn straight…no party this chapter either xD…but hey. Love writing Cy and Rae…it's awesomely fun! BBxR goodness is coming promise! probly within next 48 hours too! Buzz! Hide the stash of TT DVD's!
RonLuver2005: Thanks, I'm glad you like it!
Raven Sugara the Tenken:pats you on the head: Hehe! Me loves the dress…it's a real dress you see…my Best Friend wore it for our leavers ball! It was diviiiine!
cRiTiC123: Hehe, bless ya. Glad you like it!
Moo: Where are all the smilies! I expected more of you! Glad you liked the chapter though (:
Snea: Dwee? Man, that word rocks! Also, thank you! (:
Dark Shadows: I admire your open mindedness. Glad you like it!
Porcratus: Porymon, right? Whats up, dude? Thanks for the kind words….truly it makes me feel honoured. (:
FirefliesWish: Cute name! (: Hey, Dancing Banana, what's up? You read all twenty two chapters in a row:feels honoured: Wow! You'll have to wait for next chappie to see how BB reacts! (;
MoonChild10: Yay, you reviewed! (: Everything cool? Party is smokin'!...oh wait…you haven't read it yet, hehe! Never mind, I'm going to update within next 48 hours, so not too long to wait.
Okay, that's all for now!
Love you all,
xChibix