Chapter XII: Lunch

Raven stood staring out the Tower windows at the city she once knew so well. It had changed immensely since she joined Morpheus in the underworld. How she longed to return to her home. The world of mortals and hero business in general had soured very quickly on her.

"Mother, are you all right?" Daniel's soft voice echoed in Raven's mind. He clutched his mother's broken hand between his soft warm palms.

"Yes Daniel," she calmly replied to him.

Her hand was ruined, it would never fully heal. Raven looked down at the scarred and crooked appendage. She was thankful that Daniel was with her. His silent stature and warm touch were a welcome relief.

Raven smiled recalling all of the times she and her eldest son would just sit together quietly holding conversations in their minds. Hours and sometimes days would pass between the pair. Daniel had picked up telepathy before he truly learned to talk. It was only after a frustratingly long period of time that Darien mastered this form of communication though he rarely engaged in it. His spirit was far too restless for this discipline.

"Mother, may I be excused please," Darien's voice interrupted her pleasant thoughts.

"Yes you may," Raven answered. "But remember both of you must return home when the others are done."

She watched Darien's reflection in the glass make its way towards the others who were gathered around the main table eating last night's leftovers. Haley sat curled up on the couch. Darien would eventually work his way over to her. Raven smiled lightly to herself when she realized just how easily a mother could divine her offspring's intentions.

"Mother, are you still angry with us?" Daniel gently asked her.

Raven looked back out over the city and sighed. "No Daniel," she softly replied. How could she hold that harsh emotion under her son's gentle touch? She had lectured both her sons after their confrontation in the warehouse about staying together. This was one lesson they needed to understand. Nothing bad would ever befall them if they stayed together. Raven took comfort in this thought. As twins they would always have each other, even after she was gone.

Darien slowly walked up behind the others at the table who were helping themselves to the remains of last night's meal. Starfire was spooning out hordes of food onto Samuel's plate. She was convinced her son was wasting away to nothing in his bachelor pad. Robin watched in mild amusement as his wife refilled whatever portion of his plate Samuel managed to clear.

"Easy Mom," Samuel pleaded, "I can't possibly eat all of this."

"Nonsense," Starfire replied. "You are part Tamaranian. All Tamaranian's are capable of eating their own body weight on feast days."

"Hey, what about me?" Robin asked. "Don't I get anything?"

"You're watching your weight, remember?" Starfire lightly scolded her husband.

"Here you go Robin," Terra broke in as she passed one of the pasta bowls to him.

The rest of the Logan's had managed to help themselves to an ample helping of leftovers except for Beast Boy.

"I can't believe everything has meat in it," he said in disappointment. "Cyborg knows I'm a vegetarian."

"Oh pipe down and eat your PB&J will you," Terra replied as she sat back down and continued eating. "There's nothing like cold leftovers huh Aimee?" she continued.

"Yup, especially when they're Cyborg's," Aimee replied with a smile. Both girls looked at Beast Boy who returned an aggravated scowl as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"What about me?" Cyborg called out as he entered the kitchen area holding a quart of freshly made ice cream.

"All of your leftovers have meat in them," Beast Boy replied in disgust.

"Of course they do," Cyborg said half laughing. "That's what makes them taste so good."

"Well what am I supposed to eat?" Beast Boy complained.

"PB&J," Cyborg suggested. He watched as Beast Boy held up his sandwich before he took another disappointed bite.

"Hey Cyborg, when will we be able to look at Gato's stuff?" Samuel asked.

"Maybe in another hour or so, the Professor tried to wipe the consul clean before he fled. It's going to take a while for our computer to piece it back together. What's your hurry?" Cyborg asked curiously.

Samuel sighed as his mother added more food to his plate. "I don't think my stomach can take another hour of eating that's all."

"Darien, here's your first installment on our little bet; one gallon of home-made jalapeño ice cream." Cyborg placed the offering on the table.

"Great, anybody want some?" Everyone at the table shook their heads not wanting to try anything Darien thought was palatable.

"Cyborg where are the spoons and bowls?" Darien asked.

"Over there in the cabinet, help yourself," Cyborg replied as he sat down and looked over the lunch selection.

Darien claimed his prize then took it over to the counter and fished out two bowls and spoons. He dished himself out a couple of scoops of ice cream then filled the other bowl with a similar amount before closing the container and returning it to the freezer. Darien took a deep breath then picked up his two bowls of ice cream and walked over to Haley.

Haley sat reclined on the couch stuck in a moody silence. Her long legs dangled over the side of the couch while the rest of her body sank deeply into its over-sized cushions. She watched the others eating at the main table not really wanting to join them. Haley felt lost in that awkward existence between teenage angst and grown up responsibilities. Being the group leader and eldest member of the Titans she often found herself alone with her anxieties. Aimee seemed to glide easily between kids her own age and adults. It must be all that time hanging out in the university that allowed her to bridge those gaps so effortlessly. It also helped that she liked hanging out with Samuel. Haley knew her work with the Titan's was nearing an end but she was uncertain how she was going to deal with the "real world" that loomed ever closer to her.

"Ice cream?" Darien's voice roused her from her thoughts. "It's fresh, Cyborg just made it."

Haley glanced over at the young boy who stood in front of her holding two small bowls of ice cream. She reached out and took one. "What is it?" she asked as she worked the spoon through it.

"Jalapeño," Darien said before plunging his spoon into his mouth. "It's pretty good, try it."

Haley hesitated for a moment then pulled the spoon out of Darien's offering and cautiously licked it. A strange dual sensation of the jalapeño's intense heat and soothing coolness of the ice cream filled her mouth. It was surprisingly good. Darien smiled as Haley dug out a full spoonful and placed it in her mouth. The combined burning and cooling sensation was even more intense.

"Well?" Darien asked.

"Different," Haley replied. "It's actually not bad."

"Good," he replied with a seductive smile. "I hoped you'd like it since I kind of won it on your account anyway."

"How's your mother?" Haley asked her young companion.

"Not good," Darien said in a strained voice. "Her hand is ruined."

"Is she still mad at you and your brother?" Haley inquired.

"No, not right now," Darien replied as he spooned more of his favorite ice cream into his mouth. "It's hard for her or anyone to be mad for long with Daniel around. She was really upset with us for not staying together and with me for charging into a melee."

"What's wrong with fighting?" Haley asked as she savored another bite of Darien's ice cream.

"Nothing as far as I'm concerned," Darien quickly replied. "My brother doesn't like conflict at all and my Mom says I need to concentrate on my spells. She's not into fighter types." Darien paused for a moment reflecting on this point. "It's so frustrating sometimes, having to wait and think things out."

Haley watched Darien's face curl up in a scowl. His eyes were filled with fire. In him she could feel the unbridled energy of chaos slowly becoming focused into an all powerful tempest. She shuddered when she thought of how powerful this being would eventually become.