Whitewashed Years
By Wicked Azar
Disclaimer - I no own, you no sue.
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Chapter Three – Sleepless Dreams
3.1
When she was most homesick, Raven "Rachel" Roth would often think that being back home, at the Tower, and sleeping in her dark room would make it all better. Long sleepless nights had been spent imagining she was laying in this very spot, her friends asleep just down the hall from her.
Well, this wasn't exactly like her sleepless dreams, but it was close. Except, she still couldn't sleep.
Cyborg was so happy to be back in the Tower that he'd spent most of the afternoon upgrading the systems. Changling and Terra, once the blonde had begun to move around, had prepared a feast worthy of their friends' returns, and though most of it had been tofu oriented, Raven couldn't complain too much.
It felt almost like the old days. If only there had been Pudding of Happiness or blaring rock music, compliments of Starfire and Robin, it would have been perfect.
She rolled over restlessly. She wasn't going to get anymore pudding, or hear any blaring music. Starfire was dead, and Robin?
No one knew where he was. He'd dropped off the face of the Earth.
Huffily, she sat up. They didn't need him! He was just-
Just…
Just their leader, and the one that had the only chance of making this team work again. Raven sighed and conceded that she and Cyborg would leave tomorrow for Steel City. Her superhero days were over. She was Rachel now. She had a normal life, like she'd always longed for.
But was it really what she wanted?
She sighed and laid back down, to toss and turn the rest of the night away.
3.2
The next morning, Raven woke to the overwhelming smell of bacon and waffles. She emerged into the kitchen and a plate of the above, plus eggs and a glass of orange juices, was thrust at her. She took it meekly, though she'd never been a heavy eater, and sat down at the table.
To her surprise, the tower was much unchanged. When Changeling and Terra joined them for breakfast, to the tunes of an argument over meat products, the four sat down and ate together.
"If you don't mind me asking, Changeling…" Cyborg began. "Why didn't you ever replace us?"
The young green man looked uncomfortable.
"That would have been like giving up. We always thought you guys would come back." Embarrassed, he stood and took his plate to the sink. Cyborg shifted in his seat, but didn't look amused.
"Well, actually… I think I want to come back."
Terra jumped up and grinned, hugging the mechanical man as Changeling whooped.
"Alright, man, awesome!"
"Glad to have you back, Cyborg!"
Raven stood and walked to the sink, ready to do the dishes. She was ignoring the three at the table when Changeling approached behind her and touched her shoulder.
"Can we convince you to come back, Raven?" he asked, softly. She was a little startled. The old Beast Boy never did anything softly. She looked at him, and he looked so hopeful.
"No. I have a normal life now. It's all I could ask for."
He looked hurt. All of them did. She dusted that thought out of her mind and left the kitchen.
3.3
He hadn't been Robin for almost four years, but when he woke up, that name pounding in his ears, Richard Grayson was panting and sweating.
He could still hear the woman's voice, calling his name in desperation. He'd been having these type of dreams since the death of his dear friend, Starfire.
Usually, she was falling, injured, and he couldn't catch her. Though she hadn't died that way, falling was an old issue for him.
This time, though… who had that been? The woman screaming his name, in her greatest fear… that hadn't been Koriand'r.
But who?
Running a hand through his long, dark hair, the man who was both Richard and Nightwing, slipped from the bed and stood in the cool bedchamber. His skin shimmered with sweat from his nightmare as his mind puzzled over the contents of the dream.
He finally cast it away, unsolved, as he dressed to join his mentor for breakfast.