Ok, here are standard disclaimers. I do not own, nor claim to own any rights to the Teen Titans, or any other borrowed characters. I also make no claims towards any original characters I invent for this story.
Raven stiffened as she followed Beast Boy through the automatic doors while he pushed a shopping cart. The other shoppers pretended to not stare at the Chromatically Challenged Couple™, but Raven could sense their unusually morbid curiosity and Beast Boy was able to hear them whisper with his sensitive ears. He noticed that Raven was feeling extremely uncomfortable even though she kept her blank expression intact. The giveaway was that she was gently fondling the emerald pendant he had given her two weeks before, the day after they became "official". She had chastised him for giving her such an extravagant gift, but had kept it regardless and wore it every day.
She followed Beast Boy as she did not know her way around the giant supermarket, which happened to be the biggest one in town and had the best prices, which was suddenly very important to the team. Since going on a shoestring budget the Titans were forced to economize, and that meant doing their own shopping instead of relying on a delivery service. Raven had never set foot in a supermarket before and while she was hiding it well she was completely overwhelmed by all the choices.
The changeling wheeled the cart down one of the refrigerated aisles and stopped in front of the tofu display. With a big grin in his face he lifted a 10 lb box of soy bean curd and dropped it into the cart.
"Do you really eat that much tofu?" Raven asked Beast Boy as he started to push the shopping cart again. They quickly made their way up and down the store aisles, filling the shopping cart with the items on the list. What she found odd was the gawking and whispered murmurs from the other shoppers. It was true that she was the only violet haired, grey skinned girl in town, and she had never seen another green skinned male but after 5 years she figured that the locals would be used to seeing them.
Raven looked down at the list and saw that one item was remaining: coffee. She informed her beau and he propelled the cart towards their final aisle. As the rounded the corner her jaw almost hit the ground.
"You have got to be kidding me." She moaned. "Which one do we get? I didn't know there were so many brands."
Beast Boy just grinned and grabbed a can of the brand they always got. Raven crumpled the list up and handed it to her boyfriend.
"Let's pay for this and go home. I can't stand being here one moment longer." She complained as they made their way to the checkout lane. The cashier, a middle aged blond woman, did a double take as they began to unload the contents of their cart onto the conveyor belt. Recovering instantly she immediately reverted into standard cashier mode.
"Did you folks find everything you were looking for?"
Beast Boy answered her and began to chat idly with the woman as he continued to unload the cart. As the checkout scanner began its symphony of beeps and other sounds Raven noticed the selection of tabloids and gossip magazines on display next to the checkout lane racks of candy, bubblegum, batteries and lip balm. Much to her dismay most of them were full of sensationalized storied about the Titans. The grabbed one and began to peruse through it.
Once Beast Boy had finished unloading the cart he turned towards Raven. She was in deep concentration, as she usually was when she read anything.
"What'cha reading Rae?"
The sorceress showed him the headline on the tabloid: "Love nest in Tower: Rumors of wild parties and orgies abound."
"I think we could sue them for libel." Raven commented dryly. "At least now I know why we're getting all these dirty looks. Next time we go out, we're wearing regular clothes."
"Don't bother honey." The cashier interjected. "They never lose, plus if you leave them alone they'll find someone else to pick on by next week."
In a surprise move Raven tossed the tabloid onto the conveyor belt.
"How often do they publish lies about us?" She asked the woman.
"Once every few months. Believe me, you aren't even close to being their most popular target. Just be glad you aren't Lindsey Lohan or Britney Spears."
The woman paused, with an unsure look on her face. After hesitating she asked.
"Is it true that you two are a couple now?"
"Yes, it's true." Raven replied in her monotone.
The cashier smiled.
"Well, if you ask me, I think that you make a very nice couple. And I think you both look very smart in your super hero costumes."
They thanked the cashier and Raven paid for the groceries.
"Do you need any help with your cart?" The box boy asked.
They declined his offer and they made their way out of the store. Once they walked out the automatic doors the box boy blew a long whistle.
"What a creepy couple!" He jeered at the now absent Titans.
The cashier gave him a dirty look.
"What are you talking about Dexter?"
He laughed before replying.
"Oh come on! She's gotta be the creepiest girl in the whole town. She has no expression at all and she talks in that spooky monotone. Sure, she's got a hot body, but she's freakin' gray! I don't get it; he could do so much better than her, even if he is green."
The cashier sneered at him.
"You're one to talk! You don't even have a girlfriend."
"Stuff it Edna, I don't date cougars."
The woman crossed her arms.
"You should give a try. You might just like it."
Meanwhile in the parking lot Raven shook her head.
"Slade's rented the Tower and the tabloids accuse us of being a bunch of sexually depraved perverts. I don't know what to expect next Gar. Sometimes I just can't fathom North American culture."
As Beast Boy loaded the groceries into the T-Car's trunk he had an idea.
"Why don't we go away for a while, you know, like a vacation?"
Raven sighed.
"I love that idea Gar, but we don't have any money. We already agreed to not touch our savings."
He acknowledged the pact they had made last week to save their money by nodding.
"Then how about we go somewhere where we won't need any money."
Raven shook her head.
"You mean like camping? I'll pass. Any place that doesn't have hot showers is off my list …"
She paused as they got into the car.
"… but I do have an idea Gar."
Robin was standing on the Tower roof, surveying the city that was once his domain, his treasured prize to protect. He knew that as he looked on that all sorts of crimes were being committed, even if he couldn't actually see them he could feel them. It was as if the entire citizenry had lost their collective minds. The veneer that was called 'civilization' was indeed thin and it didn't take much rubbing to expose the ugly reality of human nature that was hidden underneath the façade.
As he continued to stare he heard the rooftop's access door open. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that it was Raven, and she quietly walked over to where he was standing.
"We gotta stop meeting like this." He joked.
"Well, I'm glad to see that you're in a good mood, because it's going to come in handy now." She replied as she handed him the tabloid she had purchased earlier at the supermarket.
Robin frowned as he read the libelous headline.
"That's low, even by their standards." He growled as he handed the tabloid back to the sorceress.
"They should be coming soon." Raven changed the subject.
Robin pointed out towards the bay.
"Over there. Do you see the ferry?"
Raven nodded.
"Let's go Raven; we all need to be at the dockside to receive them."
"Wait, before we go I have to tell you something."
Robin stopped in his tracks.
"Sure, what is it?"
"I want to take a vacation."
Robin shrugged.
"Sure, why not? It's not like we have any missions. And the fundraising has been a total bust. So far we've only received $34,000 in pledges. We're gonna have to come up with a plan B Raven."
"Gar suggested we ask the Doom Patrol for help."
Robin flinched as he heard the name of Beast Boy's old team.
"I don't think so Raven. The last thing I want is for Mento to have us over a barrel. You know how dominating he is."
He paused.
"So where are you going?"
Raven shuffled on her feet before answering.
"I'm taking Gar to meet my mother in Azarath. I think two weeks should be enough time."
Robin was unable to conceal his surprise.
"I didn't realize you guys were that serious. So you're taking your boy toy home to meet the family." He chuckled."I know it's none of my business, but you two have been spending a lot of evenings together …"
Raven interrupted him.
"You're right; it's none of your business Robin. I don't ask what you and Starfire do when you spend the night together. I expect the same courtesy from you."
Robin smiled sheepishly.
"I'm sorry Raven. I guess it's just the detective in me, I can't shut it off. Anyway, we'd better get going. That yacht's getting closer."
As the two Titans approached the access door Raven broke the silence.
"If it makes you feel any better Robin, there's nothing inappropriate happening in my room at night, in spite of what the local tabloid press says." She informed him in her monotone."Not even orgies."
Robin let out a small laugh.
"And I though Beast Boy was the funny one."
The bay was choppy that afternoon as Robin and Raven arrived at the dock that served as the Tower's lone berth for seagoing vessels. The sun shone in the late autumn day but it was unseasonable cold and a cold breeze blew off the water. Raven shivered as she wrapped her cape tightly around her figure while they approached Beast Boy and Starfire who were already waiting by the dock. The Tamaranian was unaffected by the cold and Beast Boy was wearing a hoodie with the Titans logo on it. As Raven looked around Robin asked the question that was forming in her mind.
"Where's Cyborg?"
"He's inside with the caterers." The changeling replied as he offered the use of his hoodie to Raven, which she promptly declined.
"Caterers? I didn't approve of that! How are we going to pay them?" Robin groaned.
"Do not do the fretting Robin, it was provided for by our guests." Starfire answered.
"I thought the city supposed to be broke. Having a catered event is going to send the wrong message to the public. And of all places why did he have to throw a party here?" Robin complained.
"I think they said that Slade paid for it all." Beast Boy added.
Robin snorted in disgust as the ferry pulled up to the dock. There were over a hundred people milling around on the ferry's main deck. As it pulled up a crew member threw a rope towards Robin who used it to secure the boat to the dock. Once it was secured a ramp was lowered and a gaggle of journalists were the first to disembark. They scurried to positions that would give them a good angle to snap photos.
The first two to disembark after the press corps were the Mayor and Slade, who were immediately followed by the entire city council and a few other dignitaries like the chief of police. Slade and the Mayor approached the 4 Titans and Slade extended his hand to Robin, who reluctantly extended his own to complete the handshake. The journalists' cameras began to flash in quick succession, momentarily blinding the Boy Wonder.
Slade then moved on to the other 3 Titans, who also reluctantly shook his hand. He shook Raven's hand last.
"What's the meaning of this media circus Slade? What do you want from us?" Raven muttered softly enough to hide her accusation from the press. Meanwhile the city councilors were beginning to mingle with the other Titans.
"What do I want? Patience girl, you will know soon enough. My associate will fill you in with the details after we are done with the pleasantries."
"Your associate?" Beast Boy asked. "Who' that?"
As if on cue a small figure walked down the ramp from the ferry. The 'associate' was a slender woman dressed in a male business suit carrying an attaché case. Her long blond hair blew in the breeze as she made her way down the ramp. She walked straight to Slade who was still standing next to Raven and Beast Boy. Cyborg had already emerged from the Tower, satisfied that the caterers weren't Slade's agents. The tin man and the boy wonder had also seen the mysterious blond woman who hid her face behind dark shades and began to move towards their friends. They all arrived at the same time. Raven stared at the woman with a scowl on her face.
The business woman removed her sunglasses and tucked them into her coat pocket. She then addressed the Titans' leader.
"Robin, it's good to see you again." She said in a very businesslike voice.
The boy wonder stared in disbelief before answering.
"Terra … this … this is a surprise." Robin stammered.
Terra ignored his remark and moved on to Cyborg.
"Cyborg." She said curtly before turning to the princess and greeting her tersely as well.
"Raven, it's good to see that you've fully recovered from your wounds."
The gray girl did not give Terra the courtesy of a reply.
Terra then turned towards Beast Boy and smiled.
"BB, it's been far too long!" She said as she leaned forward to peck him on the cheek. With no warning Raven intercepted her.
"Not so fast Terra, he's spoken for already."
The geomancer calmly stepped back.
"He is? May I ask who has staked her claim on him?"
She noticed the green emerald pendant that Raven was wearing.
"That's a nice bauble Raven, who gave it to you?" Terra asked as she reached out to touch the pendant. Raven pulled back, covering the pendant with her hand as the cameras began to flash.
"Gar gave it to me." She hissed.
Terra smirked.
"Really? Why would he do that?"
Raven took Beast Boy's hand into her own. The photographers saw their opportunity and snapped away at who would by tomorrow be Jump City's new celebrity couple.
"Because he's my boyfriend."
Terra smiled upon hearing Raven's confession. The press had heard it as well and cameras resumed their flashing.
"So the tabloids weren't lying about the two of you." Terra grinned. "So it's all true huh?"
Beast Boy couldn't restrain himself any longer and exploded at his former sweetheart.
"Of course not! The tabloids are full of crap!" He bellowed.
Terra smiled sweetly at the changeling.
"Of course BB, no believes the tabloids anyway."
Meanwhile, a lone figure on the ferry was watching the reunion through a scope. His index finger was curled around the trigger of the sniper rifle he was aiming at Raven's head. Fortunately for the sorceress there were many people milling around them, blocking the sniper from having a clear shot. He almost pulled the trigger once but stopped as Beast Boy stepped in front of Raven. He remembered well what had happened to Humberto, and decided to not risk suffering the boy's fate.
The lone gunman disassembled his rifle and packed it away. His time was up as the rest of the ferry crew would soon notice that he was missing. He packed the rifle away and hid it in a chest that was supposed to be full of life preservers. Then without further ado he rejoined the crew and resumed his deception as a crew member.
The common room was abuzz with activity as the reception continued. None of the Titans looked too pleased with the situation. Their two "guests of honor" had the entire city council eating out of their collective hands while the Titans were too uncomfortable with the situation to even consider mingling. They had not been expecting this level of scrutiny in the public eye. There were TV crews with cameras running around interviewing anyone they could, and when it came to the Titans there were only two people they were interested in: Beast Boy and Raven.
Robin could see that the couple was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the barrage of questioning by the reporters and he discreetly approached Terra.
"They've had their fun Terra; it's time to get rid of them."
"Why ask me? It's your house, you kick them out."
"You invited them." He hissed back.
The blond smiled. "Whatever you say Robin."
"Sure, it's time to get down the real business at hand anyway."
The blond raised her voice to address the crowd.
"I'd like to thank the local media for joining here tonight at Titan's Tower. At this time I need to ask you to leave as we will soon begin to discuss some confidential issues."
A collective moan was heard from the crowd.
"I know you're disappointed. As a consolation prize I promise you that there will be a press release in the morning. The ferry will take you back to the mainland. Once again, thank you for joining us."
The moans died down and the journalist slowly filed out of the Tower. Once they were gone, along with the caterers Slade cleared his throat.
"Well, it seems that now it's time to discuss the terms of the sponsorship Robin."
The five Titans glared at Slade, who chuckled.
"You are of course familiar with my associate Terra Markov. What you don't know is that Terra is my Executive Vice President. She has prepared the contract for you r sponsorship. I suggest you listen carefully to what she has to say."
Terra opened her attaché case and pulled out the contract.
"You'll want to read this carefully before signing it of course." She began. "In fact, you might want to have an attorney explain it to you. All I'll do tonight is give you the high level details …"
"I don't like the sound of this." Raven whispered to Beast Boy.
"First of all, you will be allowed to stay in the Tower."
She had their attention.
"Your main duty will be to supervise the transfer of components arriving from Japan to the factory. This are some very expensive and valuable parts and we can't take the risk of having them stolen. This will happen once a week as the ship will arrive Wednesday mornings. The transfer should take approximately 2 days to complete. Once you have completed the task the rest of the week is yours to use as you see fit."
The Titans were stunned. Slade expected them to be his errand boys.
"And what if we don't accept?" Raven asked in her monotone.
"Then we pull out and build the factory somewhere else." Terra answered.
A stunned silence hung over the room. Robin cold see from the Mayor's face that this was news to him.
"So you're holding the city hostage unless we accept." Cyborg commented in annoyed tone.
"But why Slade? If it's so dangerous here in Jump City, why even bother?" Raven asked.
The mayor glared at Raven. The city desperately needed those jobs. It was obvious to her that the Mayor would do anything to secure the robot factory's location in the city.
Slade grinned behind his mask.
"Let's just say that I have a sentimental attachment to this town."
"You're asking for a lot Slade." Beast Boy grumbled.
Slade and Terra began to leave.
"We know," Terra replied. "But think about it. You have a whole week to make up your minds."
Slade, Terra and their entourage prepared to head back to the dock. During the reception a second boat had arrived. A yacht with the "United Robotics" logo painted on its side waited for them. Meanwhile the Mayor approached the Titans. Robin saw that the man looked desperate.
"Robin, you have to accept his deal." He pleaded. "Long Beach is offering them the old McDonnell Douglas plant for free and all sorts of incentives. Without that factory Jump City is finished. We'll never survive the gang war."
Robin felt a surge of anger sweep through him. The mayor had known about this all along, probably even as he dismissed the Titans just a few weeks before. It was a set up.
"Get out of here." Robin grumbled at the Mayor.
Terra turned around and smiled at Robin.
"Don't allow your personal feelings to cloud your judgment Robin." She gently taunted him before locking eyes with Beast Boy and winking at him.
Robin kept his cool until everyone had left. The first thing he did then was address Beast Boy and Raven.
"You guys are leaving for Azarath tomorrow. Terra's up to something and it involves you Beast Boy. If you're gone whatever she's planning on won't happen."
Raven and Beast Boy were once again snuggled up in her bed as the movie began to play on the TV in her room. They were both tired and frustrated with the day's events and just wanted to forget about them.
Both were wearing pajama bottoms and a T-shirt. Beast Boy didn't wear his gloves on movie nights, which were now pretty much every night. He hadn't slept in his room for over a week and was surprised that Raven never kicked him out, even if he was awake when the movie was over.
As the flick began Raven snuggled up with her boyfriend and as she jostled around getting comfortable her T-shirt shifted, exposing her midsection. Beast Boy was able to see the many scars that the lifesaving surgery had left on her belly and without thinking about he began to trace them delicately with his index finger. Raven lay still while he explored her scars one by one. Eventually she broke the silence.
"I'm gonna have those for the rest of my life."
Beast Boy continued caressing her wounds.
"I know."
Raven sighed.
"I hate them. They make me feel ugly, flawed, like I'm damaged goods."
"You aren't ugly Rae. In fact you're beautiful."
She leaned over and kissed him.
"But those scars are ugly." She protested. "Could you ever see me in a bikini with these scars?"
"Since when do you wear a bikini?" He teased her as he continued to caress her scars.
"It's a rhetorical question."
Beast Boy gave her a deep kiss before answering.
"Of course I could see you in a bikini, even if it's never been your style."
Raven self consciously pulled her T-shirt down, covering her scars while with her other hand she pulled Beast Boy's hand to her lips and she kissed it. The green lad blushed at her tender gesture and gently drew her into a prolonged and fiery kiss which she melted into. Ignoring the movie which had already started they remained in their loving embrace for several minutes. Finally he broke the silence.
"I'm not really in the mood for a movie tonight."
"Neither am I. I can't stop thinking about what happened this afternoon." She replied.
The changeling furrowed his brow.
"What a way for Terra to come back. I thought I'd never see her again after that day at her school."
"So, were you glad to see her?"
He shook his head.
"Not if she's working for Slade again. That whole business person thing, it seems so fake, I can't believe the Mayor's buying their story about opening a factory."
"He's desperate Gar. The city's about to implode and Slade shows up as a savior. I think that at this point the mayor would accept help from Trigon if he offered it."
The changeling snorted his disapproval.
"Rob's called a meeting tomorrow with the extended Titan family to talk about the offer. Rob can't be considering it, could he Rae?"
Raven sighed.
"I'm afraid that our fearless leader is almost as desperate as the mayor."
Beat Boy shook his head.
"We'll have to talk some sense into him. I'd rather move in with the Bat than work for Slade."
"And Terra." Raven added. "It was strange Gar. Terra's always been hard to sense emotionally, but she's got me beat. Her emotions were completely shrouded, hidden. I couldn't sense them at all."
"Slade's gotta be behind that. So is this gonna put our trip on hold?"
"No. We have to be firm about this Gar. We need to tell Robin that we're leaving tomorrow."
The changeling grinned.
"This is gonna be fun. Does your mom know we're coming?"
"No, she doesn't. We aren't exactly on speaking terms. When I left Azarath some harsh words were exchanged…"
"So you wanna patch things up with your mom?"
She nodded.
"It'll be easier if you're there with me Gar."
He gave her a warm and supporting smile.
"You know you can count in me Rae."
He picked up the clicker and turned the TV off.
"So what do we do now?" He asked.
She smiled slyly at him and he grinned like the Cheshire cat.