Disclaimer TEEN TITANS and all other related characters and material are the property of DC comics and Cartoon Network, I claim no ownership.

Chapter 22: A Part of Me

By: Ansa

Raven sat in the passenger's seat of the small Toyota Camry Derek had let them borrow. Beast Boy doing his best at using the clutch, having learned on an automatic and only recently taught on stick to help move the cars in the garage. It was quiet in the car, awkwardly so and having been as such since they had left. Whereas Beast Boy felt foolish for not bringing her sooner, Raven could only feel a cold chill down her back even if she didn't show it. She was nervous, she didn't think she would be, but she was. It was only now that she realized how little she knew of her fiancé's past, and he knowing so much of hers already.

So this was the first bit of past she was about to experience, and probably the most important bit at that. She had never really thought about them before, but why? The man sitting next to her was about to become her husband, his family would now be hers as well, so why did the thought of his parents never come across her mind? Did she really not care? No, she refused to think that. There was no way that she couldn't care about him, or any part of his life. There must be another reason…at least, she hoped so. Even though she couldn't put her finger on it, there was something nagging her, something in her head that was trying to tell her why she didn't bother to ask or even think of his parents, something important.

"You ok?" Beast Boy finally broke the silence, picking up on uneasy vibes that seemed to be pounding against him as he drove.

"Hmmm? What?"

"Are you ok? You seem more quiet than usual."

"Oh…yeah, just…thinking."

"Thinking about what?" Beast Boy instantly became quite uneasy himself, hoping that she wouldn't ask why he had only decided to bring her now, not even a week before the wedding and almost nine months after proposing. Raven seemed to be taken by surprise by this question, even though she probably should have expected it, it seems to be a reflex action now-a-days to ask someone what they're thinking of.

"N-nothing…" Raven turned away, staring out the window and watching the last of the city slowly sink into the distance. Beast Boy decided not to press the matter, besides, she was more normal acting like this than actually saying what's on her mind. Although, that didn't mean he didn't care worry.

"You know…it's ok if you're nervous."

Raven gave him a dark glare that made him wish he had said anything but that, a cold, blackish gaze that despite her utter disgust with the question, only appeared to shadow the truth from both he and herself.

"I'm not nervous."

"I-I know, I'm just saying, it would be ok if you were."

"Well I'm not." Raven crossed her arms and continued her gaze out the window, hoping that her front she was putting on wasn't too easy to see through. If it was, he didn't have time to mention it. With a wide right turn, the car pulled into a small strip mall almost hidden beside the sudden appearance of lush trees and fields of the country that she didn't even know existed outside the city limits.

Outskirts Plaza read a small white sign planted in the small strip of grass just in front of the parking lot, the paint chipping, the wood cracked and faded. It seemed that each shop was no larger than the lobby of their apartment building, although some being deeper or slightly wider to accommodate kitchen equipment from the pizzeria in the center of the plaza. To its left sat a Suds and Stuff Laundromat and a convenient store whose every inch of window space were taken up by either cigarette or alcohol adds. To its right sat a small insurance company that didn't seem important enough to have their own name outside of Gotham Insurance, and finally, a flower shop.

Raven was puzzled; this place didn't seem to anywhere where anyone might be found, little own Beast Boy's parents. The parking lot was empty and alone, their car being the only one occupying the several spaces provided on the aging blacktop. Small patches of tall grass grew out of large cracks in the old pavement, giving people all the more reason not to stop here. So why were they here lunch, laundry, picking up some kind of life insurance policy? She knew quite well that laundry was done only a few days ago, it was too late for lunch, and they could barely afford rent, so taking out any kind of insurance policy would be quite impossible right now. So why here? Raven's puzzlement only continued to grow as she watched her fiancé led them across the lot and to the front door of Brian's Flowers.

"Flowers?"

"Just a quick stop, it's not too far from here."

Raven nodded, although still quite unsure as to why exactly they were here, but nonetheless stepped in to the small shop. Inside it was clear just how small the plaza was, the opposing walls not even ten feet from each other, and made even smaller by the number of bouquets of sweet smelling flowers that seemed to surround her. In the center of the shop, just barely taking up enough space for someone to squeeze into, was an island where sat a rather old looking register and an equally old looking man slumped behind it whom she could only assume to be Brian. Almost instantly the old man sprouted a bright smile and straightened out, curiously checking his watch that only seemed to amuse him.

"Right on time Gar, I'll tell you, you are one punctual guy."

"Hey Brian, how are you?" Beast Boy smiled, not completely though, instead, more of a polite smile as not to make the other person feel awkward. Nevertheless, Brian either didn't notice or had gotten quite used to it.

"Can't complain, I've had some good Azaleas this year." Before the conversation could continue Raven could feel Brian's smiling at her, looking her over curiously. "Well, who might this pretty little thing be?"

Raven forced a smile, not quite sure what to think of the old man behind the counter. He seemed kind enough, but she just wasn't sure. She wasn't used to being looked over in such away, and she definitely not used to being called a "pretty little thing." Beast Boy it seemed, wasn't phased by the comment, and thus it couldn't be anything more than an innocent one.

"This is my fiancé, Soma."

"You're fiancé? Well, well, congratulations to the both of you. Although I must say," Brain adjusted his glasses, looking the both of them over again before taking his lenses and whipping them with the edge of his t-shirt. "You two are awful young to be getting married if you ask me."

It took all her willpower for Raven to not blurt out what was on her mind. What happened to be on her mind at that moment was the thought that neither of them in fact asked him his opinion. Nevertheless, she wasn't about to be rude to the old man, no matter how much she hated people telling them that "they're too young."

"But, I suppose, as long as you too love each other there's no reason for an old man like me to give you a hard time right?" Beast Boy just smiled, Raven not at all feeling up to answering him either. "So, the usual I suppose? Two long-stem roses?"

Beast Boy started to nod; then turned to Raven for a quick moment before returning his attention to Brian.

"Actually, maybe three today?"

Brian smiled at him, then at Raven before moving out behind the counter and disappearing in the back for a moment. When he returned he held three long-stem roses, all of which were breathtaking, but only two had tied a black ribbon half way up the stem. The old man didn't even bother to squeeze back into his little island counter, instead he walked right up to them and handed them out personally. The two with the black ribbons he gave to Beast Boy, and the third he handed to Raven.

"Here you are young lady, now be carefully, those thorns are sharp." A sweat drop secretly formed on the top of Raven's head as she nodded. She couldn't help but wonder just how young he thought she was, talking to her in such a manner. "I made sure these ones weren't cut until the last possible moment, they'll last longer out of water." By this point he had already turned his attention back to Beast Boy, who was fishing in his pocket for his rather thin looking wallet.

"Thanks Brain, you're the best. How much do I owe you?"

"I'm only charging for the two, same as it always is."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, If I wasn't I wouldn't have done it. Now go on, it's getting late now."

Raven smiled, this time it was genuine, her mind made up that the old man was in fact kind and any comments he had made that upset her were not intentional. She held the rose gently in her hands being quite careful of the thorns while Beast Boy handed over the money and made their way out the door.

Raven could feel her heart jump up into her throat when the car came to a stop after roughly a ten-minute drive. For they weren't parked in a driveway of an apartment building, nor one next to a small house with a white picket fence, but rather they were parked on a small dirt patch on the side of a road…a cemetery leering at them to the right. Only then did it finally hit her, the reason she never thought about his parents, the reason she never thought about meeting them or even who they were. Although she can't remember when exactly, she could now recall a faint memory of one of the Titans telling her that Beast Boy's parents were in fact, dead.

She didn't really know when this was told to her, or what the exact circumstances were, but she could only guess it was the time before they were together due to the fact that she could also distinctly remember saying nothing on the topic to him at all. Of course now she regretted such a thing, thinking it too cold and emotionless, even for her at the time. Now was different, she was here, with him, and she would be there for him should he need her.

Stepping out of the car she could feel wind blow against them, the black ribbon tied to the roses fluttering as he held them down at his side, staring off blankly into the garden of headstones that stood before him. Slowly Raven walked up to his side and took his arm, looking up into his eyes, making sure he was alright before urging him forward, and past the gate.

"I'm…sorry I didn't tell you about this earlier. I just-…"

"No, it's ok."

"It's not…I should have told you, I should have brought you here with me."

"…This place is for grieving and mourning, if you didn't want me here it's understandable. Sometimes these things are best done on our own."

Beast Boy nodded, if anyone on this entire planet knew about being alone it would be her. Still, he felt guilty about it, and wished he had brought her here sooner. Not that he needed her for support, but rather that it would have been immeasurably easier with her with him.

"So you come here every year?"

"Yes…ever since I was in reasonable distance."

Raven hung her head for a moment, her eyes going cold.

"I haven't been to my mother's grave since she died…too scared I suppose. Seeing you're devotion to come out here ever year, just makes me feel like a coward."

"It's ok." He slipped his arm away from hers and wrapped it over her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. "This kind of thing is never easy. I'm surprised I've been doing it as long as I have."

Raven nodded, holding onto some loose folds of his t-shirt as they walked deeper and deeper into the cemetery. Each stone was cold, grey, and resonating with an immeasurable silence that seemed to consume the entire area. Even though it was summer, the breeze that blew through the tress and her hair sent chills down her spine, causing her to scootch closer into his arms. Despite what she would have others believe, a cemetery was not exactly her favorite place to be. Even with her fiancé close, she would be quite happy being anywhere else.

Then, they stopped. Raven could feel Beast Boy's heart pounding like a jackhammer as she stared directly ahead, at a pair of rather plain looking headstones in the deepest corner of the graveyard. Raven glanced ahead at them, then back to her future husband, taking his hand into hers, squeezing it just hard enough for him to know she was there. Beast Boy couldn't move, no matter how many times he had done this before, he always had the same trouble with the last ten feet. For as long as he could remember, his feet planted themselves into place at this very same point without fail, directly between an old willow tree, and a tall obelisk for some man named "Connor."

With another squeeze from Raven he took a deep breath, turning his head and nodded at her, letting her that he was ready before taking the first step closer towards the matching graves of his parents. One…two…three steps passed before he stopped counting, it didn't necessarily help him he decided. Then once again, they stopped, not even three feet away from the headstones, "Logan" clearly chiseled into the stone. Finally his heart slowed down, almost stopping altogether as he leaned down and placed one of the black-ribbon roses on each grave.

"Hey Mom…Dad. It's me again."

Raven stood quietly and listened. Personally, she could not understand people's inclination to talk to people or even pets that have passed on, but this was his moment with his parents, and she would say anything to ruin such a thing.

"Hope these roses last longer than last years…not that I know how long they lasted in the first place but…well…yeah." Beast Boy paused and scratched the back of his neck. Even though he had done this for countless years before, having someone else there with him while he spoke to them made him feel sort of silly. "Anyways…I've brought someone with me this time, someone you probably should have met a while ago." He turned slightly, holding an arm out to put around Raven as she stepped up quietly, holding her hands out in front of her, still holding the Rose carefully.

"Mom, Dad, this is Raven…and she's agreed to marry me."

The night air was cold and dry, a typical early summer night in Gotham, the kind Nightwing lived for. Normally, tonight would be spent on the usual rounds, making sure trouble wasn't brewing in the usual places. Not this time, tonight there was business to attend to, business with an old mentor. He had to make sure however, that he would be where he wanted him to be, just in case he lost his temper. When it came to facing the Bat, it was best to stake out your surroundings, for if you weren't careful, you wouldn't last long. You probably wouldn't last long anyways, but at least you put up some kind of a fight.

"So I see Jack Daniels decided to move out, is Dick back home?"

"Hello Barbra…" He already knew she was there, but still he sat, peering through his binoculars letting her only think she had finally snuck up on him.

"Glad to see you back on your feet must've been some girl to send you in that sort of binge."

"Drop it, I've got more important things going on right now, the last thing I need is you trying to drag me down again."

"Excuse me?" Bat Girl stormed up and snatched the binoculars out of his hands, walking away slowly with them in hand. "I'm just trying to figure out what happened to you is all, not that I care or anything. It's not like you drank yourself stupid when we broke up."

"Well to be honest you weren't that hard to get over." Nightwing stood and quickly grabbed them back, glaring into her eyes as he spoke to only drive in his point harder. It was harsh, that he knew, but right now he didn't have the rational thought for emotions…except for hatred, and paranoia. The obsession with Bruce and the "gift" of the honeymoon trip had consumed him since speaking with Alfred, even more so than anything else in his life. He couldn't sleep, whenever he closed his eyes more questions kept popping into his head, more questions, and too few answers.

"Why you stuck up-…"

"So where's your master tonight Barb? Doesn't he usually keep you guys on a short leash?"

"What?"

"Bruce, where is he?" Putting away the small pair of binoculars into his belt he put full attention on the costume clad girl in front of him, his eyes staring straight through her, making her feel quite uncomfortable.

"I don't know, you know him."

"That's right I do, and he's always stops at this rooftop at least twice before calling it a night. I've been here since sundown, and he's yet to show up."

"So? Maybe he's just running late or something?" Even she didn't believe what she just said. Unless there was trouble, the Bat was never late, especially to this particular roof. Its position and height gave the perfect view of Arkham Asylum. "Ok, ok, so it's a little weird I admit, but what's the big deal? Why do you want to see him so badly?"

"We've got business…"

"Business? What kind of business?"

Nightwing paused for a second, turning to once again check the nearby rooftops for any sign of a black cape and cowl.

"He's letting two of my friends use his cottage in Ireland for their Honeymoon, he's even paying for the flight tickets."

"...Ok, so he's a generous guy, so what?"

"He doesn't have a cottage in Ireland." Nightwing leaned in, moving his eyes so close Batgirl could feel his eyelashes against hers. His eyes were dark, and angry. They scared her so much she couldn't help but push him away.

"What? How do you know that?"

"Yes…how indeed." A familiar voice sounded from behind them. Even though Batgirl couldn't sneak up on him, the Batman always could, and probably always will. Nightwing didn't even need to look to see who it was, he knew from the voice, and from that rushing wave of hatred that swirled in his stomach. Before anyone could say anything else, he found himself bounding across the roof and jacking his old mentor up against a large Air Conditioning system. He had to admit it was too easy to do this, most likely the Bat let him do so, otherwise he wouldn't have budged him an inch.

"BASTARD! There you are!"

"Dick!" Barbra was taken quite by surprise, rushing up to his side to try and pry his shaking fists from the grey Kevlar costume of the Batman.

"STAY OUT OF THIS BARBRA!"

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Shut up old man, I'm asking the questions. Now what's so important about Ireland? What's going on there?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me; you're sending two of my friends to Ireland for their honeymoon to use your cottage. But I checked with Alfred, and you don't have a cottage in Ireland!" Barbra could only stand back and watch, hoping that neither lost their temper and started a fight. Each had their own strengths and advantages, but she knew what the outcome would be, and she didn't want Dick to be too roughed up.

"Alfred wouldn't know about it."

"Why not?"

"It's a recent purchase; I haven't even finished the paperwork on it yet."

Nightwing was skeptical, no, not skeptical, he flat out didn't buy a single word of it. Perhaps his paranoia was clouding his judgment, or perhaps this hatred made it impossible for him to believe anything this man said. Either way, he wasn't about to let him go that easily.

"Bull! I know there's something going on here, and I'm going to find out one way or another. But it would be so much easier if you would just tell me."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Dick had had enough, finally he did let go, but his fist quickly tightened and swung itself round and square against Bruce's Jaw. It hurt, it hurt a lot, his hand throbbed slightly afterwards but he did his best not to bring attention to it.

"Dick stop!" Barbra would have been put in a state of shock if only she wasn't so worried. She knew of his hatred of their teacher, but she never thought he would ever go that far.

"I'm going to be looking into this, believe me Bruce. And if it turns out that this is anything but a generous gift, I'll be back, and I won't be happy."

"Is that a threat?"

Dick went quite for a moment, but his eyes never left that of the mantle of the Bat. He had no idea just what he was threatening Bruce with. Although many possible scenarios ran through his head, he couldn't pick a single one he liked better than the other. All he did know, was that whatever he did, he would be indescribably satisfied with it.

"You're damn right it is."

Hey Yall, I'm back again. College is going a little bit better for me, thank god. And I actually banged most of this out fairly easily due to my work study job. Basically, I sit on the computer the whole time and do whatever; just making sure no one steals anything. Sweet huh? Well, we're winding down, getting closer to the wedding, in fact sometime in the next few chapters will be the Bachelor/Bachelorette parties. YAY can't wait. Later Days!

ANSA