Its lookin' like we're getting there
Over here, comin' clear
Place that has no rhymes, or times, or crimes
Just good times
Just good times
Take me away
To a place where the good times, good times roll
Don't let me stay
In a place where this hate can steal my soul…
--Good Times by Tommy Lee
Raven entered the living room of Titans Tower almost expecting something to be different, but everything was as it should be at seven thirty in the morning.
Quiet.
No one in the Tower was usually up around this time, with the occasional exception of Robin. He'd be in the training room, though, and would not disturb the empath during her sunrise cup of herbal tea. She found herself subconsciously humming a tune under her breath as she collected the simple materials needed to brew a comforting cup of the warm liquid. The water fell into the teapot from the gallon dispenser on the counter like Niagara Falls, gushing out with full force then slowing to a dribble.
"Oh come on…" Raven growled, still holding the silver kettle in place and grabbing a considerably sharp knife from a nearby drawer. She punctured the top of the gallon dispenser with a stab and a twist, allowing ventilation and a steady flow. Soon her water was boiling on the stove and the empath poured a carefully measured amount into her cup and popped her favorite teabag into the liquid. Savoring the aroma as it rose with the steam, she perched herself on a stool and took a small sip.
Perfect.
The state her mind was in, however, was anything but perfect. She couldn't stop seeing those bodies…the look of terror and betrayal in the girl's eyes as she, Raven, had slowly killed her was devastating. And then there was Starfire, her 'partner in crime', holding down the struggling man as he fought for air -and his life.
"Raven!" In an instant, the silence was shattered, as were her thoughts. For the first time, the empath was grateful for the interruption.
"Good morning Beast Boy. You're up early…" Raven smiled softly at her boyfriend of one month as he gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
"Yeah, guess so." The Changeling grinned sheepishly, making his way to the refrigerator. "Want some tofu?" He held out the package as though advertising it.
"I…" Raven couldn't help but chuckle at his odd antics. "Sure. Why not?"
"Yeah!" Beast Boy sliced the tofu package open with the same knife that Raven had used to vent the water container, draining all liquids from the tiny plastic casing then dumping the mound of tofu that was left onto a small dish. He sliced the white block into eighths, finally dropping the knife into the sink and pouring soy sauce over the meal the two were about to share. "Toothpick?" Beast Boy eagerly offered the empath one from the tiny container near the edge of the counter. She gingerly took it from him, then sunk it into one of the eight tofu pieces and stuck the soft food into her mouth.
"…Mm…" Raven smiled appreciatively and went back for a second cube. "The soy sauce is what makes it good."
"I guess so." Beast Boy stuffed two cubes in his mouth at once, using duel toothpicks. "If only the rest of the team…"
"Give up on them Beast Boy, they'll never come around after you forced them to eat your artichoke and tofu dish." Raven smirked.
"…You have a point…"
"I know." Silence settled between the couple as they slowly ate the shared the block of tofu. It wasn't a bad silence; more the kind when two people are simply enjoying a quiet moment alone with one another. Raven usually rather enjoyed it, however this morning was anything but usual. She was eager to get her mind off of the dream any way she could. "So…are we still going to the bookstore later this afternoon?"
"I invited you didn't I?" Beast Boy swallowed the last piece of tofu practically whole, tossing his toothpick into the trash.
"Why a bookstore? You don't even like books." Raven was curious in spite of herself.
"…Because you like it there, Rae. I've seen you browsing through those mountains of novels." Beast Boy shrugged, taking the initiative to rinse the plate off and add it to the dish washer. "I'd take you out for some big fancy lunch if it'd make you happy, but I know that it wouldn't. You love that bookstore, Rae. It's what makes you happy, so I'll take you. You're at home there." The empath was touched by this gesture. On sudden impulse, she rose from her chair and caught Beast Boy in a passionate kiss.
"You're what makes me happy." Raven had broken the short embrace with a smile. "But thanks."
"No problem." Beast Boy smiled as well. "You're worth it."
"Am I?"
"Of course."
"Well…I…need to talk to Starfire. I'll see you around?"
"Well obviously." The Changeling laughed. "We live together."
"...I suppose we do, don't we? I never really thought about that. It's a nice feeling, knowing that we're all safe with one another, even in the darkest of nights." Raven was about leave, mug of tea in hand, when she turned around once again. "Beast Boy?"
"Yeah?"
"If…I did something…awful…unforgivable…would you still love me?"
"Why?" The Changeling looked at her oddly.
"Just…answer me…please?"
"I'm pretty sure I'll still love you, no matter what you do…" Beast Boy chose his words carefully. "But…I can't really say until the time comes now can I?"
"…I see." Raven bit her lip.
"What, planning a murder? Maybe two?" His words were playful, but Raven couldn't stop herself from flinching.
"I…no I…I need to speak with Starfire." The empath left without another word.
The Tamaranian princess in question had barely finished pulling her lengthy red hair into a high ponytail when she heard three successive knocks on her door.
"Come in!" Her voice was light and airy despite the weight on her mind. That dream was too real for her liking. The image of the two bodies had not left, but lingered to torment her. It was haunting that her head could even conjure such situations.
"You have plans for today?" Raven strode into the room without a word of greeting.
"Good morning to you as well, friend. Indeed, I will be training with Robin this afternoon." Starfire, well acquainted with the empath's often blunt manner, merely examined herself in the mirror with a critical eye while waiting for Raven to speak.
"Sorry, good morning." Raven shook her head, which was swimming with dark alleys, dead bodies, and dimly lit convenience stores. "I need to ask you something, and you have to give me a serious answer."
"Of course." The alien girl could sense the urgency in her friend's voice and turned from her reflection. "Ask whatever you wish."
"Did…did you have a strange dream last night?" Starfire tilted her head, as though deciding whether or not so say what was on her mind.
"…Yes, but why do you inquire such a thing? I have come to understand that dreams are as common to Earth people as they are to Tamaranians."
"They are, but this is different. Can you tell me what you dreamed?"
"I would rather not talk about it." Starfire adverted her gaze, now staring intently at her plush carpet.
"Starfire, I need to know this."
"But…it could possibly be offensive to you…as…it concerned you…"
"Was I killing someone? Was I crushing a girl's lungs?" Starfire's head snapped upwards.
"How did you-?"
"I had the same dream."
"The girl worked at a convenience store in your dreams?"
"…Yeah. There were two bodies in yours? A man and a girl?"
"Correct. I held the girl down…" Starfire started, her eyes downcast once again.
"And I murdered her." Raven finished for her friend.
There was an awkward silence as the two contemplated the new information. "Starfire?"
"Yes?"
"…I'm worried about this. That dream was too real to just be some fabrication of our minds…and too similar for coincidence." Raven sighed, rubbing her temples slowly. "I can't get those dead bodies out of my head."
"Nor can I."
"Starfire, do me a favor today?"
"Of course. What is it that you wish me to do?"
"Stay on your guard. Something doesn't feel right." And, without warning, Raven rose and hugged Starfire tightly, an extraordinarily unusual occurrence. "Be safe."
"And you as well friend." Starfire returned the hug, wrinkling her brow. What on earth could have disturbed the emapth so much that she had given the alien girl a hug? While admittedly, the dream was downright petrifying to both of the youths' minds, it couldn't really mean anything.
…Right?
Raven idly wandered the numerous bookshelves that were scattered tightly in her favorite bookstore café around mid-afternoon. Her eyes traveled along the spines of the books, finally settling on one that caught her interest and plucking it out of line. The empath read the back of the book and nearly snorted. The blurb sounded so corny that she doubted the book would be worth reading. Replacing the chunky paperback, she bit her lip and moved on, trying to stay away from titles would most likely involve dead people.
"Enjoying yourself?" Beast Boy stepped up to her shoulder, grinning.
"Yeah…I am. Where were you for the last ten minutes?"
"Just checking on things."
"…Okay…" Raven eyed her boyfriend oddly then smiled. "You want to get something from the café?"
"Would I!" The Changeling was already walking. "I'm starving!" By the time the couple had found a table, he had already eaten half of his vegetarian sandwich and drunk about a fourth of his soda.
"So." Raven carefully set down her second steaming cup of tea for the day and slid into her seat. "What exactly were you checking on?"
"You'll see." Beast Boy had a mischievous glint in his eyes until they fell on Raven's tea. "Do you ever eat solid food?"
"I ate some this morning didn't I?"
"Well…technically tofu isn't solid."
"What is it then?"
"…Wobbly."
"Sure. The five states of matter: solid, liquid, gaseous, plasma, and wobbly." Raven chuckled as Beast Boy rolled his eyes.
"Have I ever told you that you're too smart for your own good?"
"Nearly every day."
"Just making sure."
Robin smashed into the wall a whole lot harder than Starfire had intended for him to.
"Friend! I am so very sorry for what I have done! Are you injured?"
"Nah…" Robin winced as he rose, taking the hand that the alien girl offered. "I think I'm good."
"Do you wish to continue in this condition?"
"Yep." The Teen Wonder looked almost reckless, beckoning Starfire to come at him with a flick of his hand. They began again, trading punches and kicks and blocking each other's hits with such fierce intensity that it looked as though the two were performing some kind of exotic dance. There was only one rule in this match- no weapons or powers. Aside from that, they were to go at one another with full force. Holding back was not an option.
Starfire grunted as she took a hit to the gut, but redeemed herself when she tripped her friend and opponent and nearly made him fall. Her training with the Okaara Warlords hadn't been completely forgotten. The Tamaranian princess enjoyed the spars with her friend, as it was often when she felt closest to him. They were both battle-worthy, highly trained in more forms of martial arts then they could count on all their fingers combined. It was an adrenaline rush to fight the ward of Batman, and even with all her warrior's training, he never failed to surprise her with something new. It was these very thoughts which distracted Starfire long enough for Robin to trip her without opportunity to regain ground. The princess fell to the floor, chastising herself all the way down. The Warlords would've had her head for being so easily distracted had they been on Okaara.
"Come on Star. You can do better than that." The Teen Wonder grinned down at her, offering a hand up.
"Do not think you have beaten me just yet." Starfire remained on the floor regardless of Robin's extended hand of help.
"What do you mean? Now powers, so you can't fly up, remember?"
"When did I mention flying?" It was such and innocent question that it caught Robin off guard, and with one swift swing of her leg, he joined Starfire on the floor.
"Nice."
"Thank you. I believed it to be so as well."
"Okay, you ready to be astounded?"
"Um…that depends on your definition of astounded." Raven and Beast Boy stood outside an old antique shop in Jump City's northern district, a good three blocks from the bookstore. The building looked as though it would collapse from corrosion at any second.
"Come on, it's really cool." The Changeling dragged Raven in by the arm, pushing open the glass doors confidently.
"Beast Boy!" A man at the counter greeted warmly.
"We're here to see the…" Beast Boy tilted his head towards a door near the back of the store.
"Of course." The man lead the way, followed by the Changeling and finally Raven. He pulled out a set of heavy brass keys, handing them over to the pair. "Make sure you don't loose them." With a small wink, the man left them.
"Beast Boy, what are we doing here?" Raven felt completely bewildered.
"You tell me." Beast Boy smirked and handed over the brass keys. Confusion clouded the eyes of the young empath, but she took the metal objects and inserted them into the door, twisting the lock and pulling open the entryway. Her eyes fell on the objects inside the room and her mouth dropped open.
"Beast Boy…do you have any idea of what these are?" She strode inside, gingerly picking up one of the several rolled parchments in the room.
"A lot of rare and ancient books." The Changeling shrugged. "I'd done a lot of internet research, and found out about this place and it's rare books room. I thought you'd like it."
"Beast Boy…I…these…these aren't just books though! These are scrolls from hundreds of years ago…I've never even heard of half of these…" Raven's eyes went from confused to astounded. Her eyes scanned the text on one of the scrolls. "These are…absolutely amazing…" She suddenly placed the scroll back into its pile in the corner amongst all the other objects and grabbed Beast Boy in a tight hug. "Thank you…so much…these are…undoubtedly the rarest…some of these I've only read about in books and…it's simply incredible…" Raven finally let go and smiled softly. "Thank you for showing me these."
"Showing you?" Beast Boy grinned and gestured to the keys that were still in the empath's tapered fingers. "Those are your keys. You can't take any of this stuff out of this place, but you can come in here whenever you want."
"Are you…I…" Raven's eyes flew from the keys in her hand to Beast Boy and back again. "I don't deserve you."
"Sure you do." The Changeling put an arm around her shoulder. "You gave me a chance when I asked you out, didn't you?"
"I…thank you." The empath placed her free hand on Beast Boy's cheek lightly and kissed him. Her fingers felt like sparks of fire on his skin.
God, he loved her.
And she loved him.
Getting torn apart by fate was not part of the plan.
"Pancakes or waffles?" Robin stood at the counter, fiddling with the pan and the waffle iron.
"The waffles sound enjoyable." Starfire smiled and watched with careful eyes as the Teen Wonder put down the pan and began pouring the already made batter into the pattered grid.
"Good workout today." Robin returned to the counter, smiling at the Tamaranian princess.
"Indeed. I believe that we are both improving."
"…You're a good sparring partner. Wanna do this again…I don't know, same time next week?"
"That would be most wonderful!" Starfire glowed at the prospect of spending more time with her best friend, never expecting that she'd be torn from everything she knew to be true and real before the next week came.
Love,
SushiChica
