AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it

Beast Boy's Concerns and a Surprise for Friends

Beast Boy wasn't sure what was going on with Raven lately. It was almost like she was a completely person. She only wore her uniform on missions, and the rest of the time she wore real clothes. This inspired Starfire to start wearing real clothing as well, like she had wanted to do for years. Robin was beginning to worry that they were getting unprofessional.

Beast Boy also noticed that Raven was a little more happy than usual. She would walk around with a large smile on her face and after she hung up her phone she would hum to herself as she walked around. He knew that something was definitely going on and he was sure her grandparents had something to do with it. This wasn't his Raven. He had liked when she had changed a little, but this was too much.

He walked into the common room and saw her sitting on the couch, and she appeared to be reading. He walked over to her and was about to say something when he saw that she didn't have a book. Instead, she was reading a large stack of loose leaf paper.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Huh?" asked Raven startled.

"Whatcha reading?" he asked, taking a seat next to her.

"Oh, this," said Raven, referring to the papers. "It's a rough draft of my friend's book."

"You're friend?" asked Beast Boy. "Who?"

"Oh, you wouldn't know him," said Raven, shaking her head and looking back at the papers.

"Him?" asked Beast Boy, his eyes going wide.

"Yes, him," said Raven, trying to be nonchalant. "He's from Gotham."

"And just how long have you known this him?" asked Beast Boy, crossing his arms, starting to grow upset.

"A couple weeks," said Raven, sensing that Beast Boy's emotions. "And his name is Paul."

"Paul?" said Beast Boy. "Paul what? Have you done any background information on him? What kind of a friend is he? Do you guys hang out together? Alone?"

"That's none of your business," said Raven, with a smirk.

"Uh, yeah it is!" he said getting angry. "He may be some weird psychotic villain or something."

"I can assure you, he's just a normal guy," said Raven. "He's not a villain."

"Yeah, that's what you said about Malchior," said Beast Boy, immediately wanting to take the words back. Raven stared at Beast Boy for a second with wide eyes. Then she stood up with the thick pile of papers and headed out of the common room. "Raven, wait! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that!" He quickly jumped up and ran after her.

"Leave me alone, Beast Boy," she said and continued walking.

He didn't catch up to her until they were far out of the common room and in the hall. He finally got in front of her and stopped her. "Look, I'm sorry," he said, out of breath. "I'm sure this Paul guy is… nice."

"He's very nice," said Raven, smiling to her self for a moment. Then she turned serious again and looked at him. "But whether he is or not is not you concern."

"Yes it is, Raven," said Beast Boy. "I care about you and I don't want anything to happen to you. I just want you to make sure that this guy is trustable, that's all. I don't want you to get hurt again."

"He's just a friend," said Raven. "And he goes to my grandparent's prayer group. I can assure you he's trustable."

"Well, until I meet him, I can't be sure," said Beast Boy. "Guess next time you go to Gotham I'll have to go with you."

"Sorry, I'm going for Thanksgiving," said Raven. "And, no, you can't come."

"Why not?" asked Beast Boy.

"Because you don't eat Turkey, you don't get along with my grandparents, and this is my first holiday with my real blood related family," said Raven. Beast Boy looked down, sad. Raven could tell he was hurt since she was treating him like he wasn't family. "Look, just let me have this one holiday alone, okay? After this you can come with me if you want."

"Like for Christmas?" he asked, hopeful.

"We'll see," said Raven, smirking.

Beast Boy smiled and felt a little better. He then realized that Raven with in a long skirt and a white shirt. "You're wearing a skirt!" he said, shocked.

"Oh, yeah, this," said Raven, blushing slightly. "My grandmother picked it out. Do… do you like it?"

"Well, uh, yeah, I guess," said Beast Boy. "I've just never seen you in a skirt before."

"I know," said Raven, chuckling. "But, actually, they're quite comfortable."

"Wow, you're comfortable in a skirt?" he said. "You really are changing."

"Changing?" said Raven. "I thought I had changed. I wasn't aware that I was still in a changing process."

"Oh, yeah, you're definitely still changing," said Beast Boy, who wasn't exactly giving her the vibe that he liked it. "I mean, you're wearing real clothes now and you're on the phone a lot and where do you go on Sunday mornings?"

"Church," said Raven. "I took my grandparents' advice and began to go."

"Whoa," said Beast Boy, really taken back. Then he grew slightly upset and he crossed his arms. "So are you just gonna do everything they tell you to do?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Raven.

"Come on, Raven, so far everything they've 'suggested' to you you've done!" said Beast Boy. "They're taking over your life."

"Just because I've done a few things they've suggested that doesn't mean they're taking over my life," said Raven, believing he was overreacting. "And I happen to choose what I do in my life. I choose to wear what I wear, I choose to talk to who I want, and I choose to go to church."

"Then how come you didn't choose to do any of this until your grandparents told you to?" asked Beast Boy.

"They didn't tell me to do anything!" said Raven, who was growing upset now as well. "Yes, they gave me the ideas, but they didn't force me to do any of this. And I'm happy they did give me the ideas, because I like wearing normal clothes when I'm not on a mission, I like talking to Paul on the phone, and I like going to church. Is there a problem with that?"

Beast Boy glared at her for a second, then sighed. He put his arms down and looked back at her. "Listen, I'm really glad that you're happy," he said. "And I'm glad you're doing all of the thing's you're doing. So I'm not gonna tell you to stop. But, I just wanna make sure this is really what you want."

"It is," said Raven.

"Okay," said Beast Boy. "As long as this it's all your choice then have fun wearing clothes and going to church and… talking to this Paul guy."

Raven gave him a smile and said, "Thank you."

He smiled as well, but behind the smile was still the shadow of concern. "So, you wanna do something?" he asked.

"Oh, well, I'm kind of in the middle of reading," said Raven, holding the large stack of papers up again.

"Oh yeah, right, sorry," he said with an awkward smile, but she could see his ears droop. He then walked passed her and headed back to the common room.

"Wait," said Raven, quickly spinning around. Beast Boy stopped in his tracks and turned around as well. "Um… I can take a break for a little while. Let my eyes rest."

Beast Boy's ears rose back up and he smiled widely. "Cool, what d'you wanna do?" he asked.

Raven thought for a moment. She took note of the time and then smiled. "You wouldn't want to help me make a surprise for the others would you?" she asked.

"A surprise?" asked Beast Boy. "What kind of a surprise?"

"I was planning on cooking dinner for everyone," said Raven.

Beast Boy was quiet for a second. "Uh… you cook dinner?" he asked.

"Yes, me," Raven chuckled. "I've had a little practice and I think I can make a decent meal. But I'll need your help, if you're willing. And if you trust me."

Beast Boy thought for a second, then smiled. "I totally trust you," he said. "Show me what you can do."

"Great," said Raven, smiling.

The other three Titans were out, leaving Raven and Beast Boy all alone to prepare the meal. Cyborg was at an auto shop ordering some new parts for another vehicle he was planning on building. Robin and Starfire were out at the mall and then were going to catch a movie. So the two had all the time in the world.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" asked Beast Boy nervously as he watched Raven take out various pots and pans.

"I thought you said that you trusted me," said Raven.

"I do," said Beast Boy. "I just don't trust the chef in you."

"Beast Boy," said Raven, turning to him as she tied her apron on. "If you're going to trust me, you're going to have to trust all of me." She walked over to him and asked, "Now, tell me truthfully, do you trust me?"

Beast Boy could see the seriousness and vulnerability in her eyes. Her beautiful, violet eyes that were light purple with a ring of dark blue around the edge. "I trust you," he said.

"Good," said Raven smiling softly and turning back to the kitchen. "Now, just do what I say, don't ask any questions, and pray to God that I do this all right."

"Dear God, please let Raven do all of this right," said Beast Boy clasping his hands together and raising them towards the Heavens dramatically.

Raven threw a towel at Beast Boy and said, "Shut up and wash your hands."

Hours later the common room doors swished open and revealed the three missing Titans, chatting as they entered.

"I'm just saying that it couldn't hurt for each of us to have a T-car," said Cyborg.

"Cyborg, we don't need five cars," said Robin. "If you want to build cars, go ahead, but donate them to charity or someth…"

All three stopped and sniffed the air. It smelt… different… and different in a good way! They looked at the table and saw a whole spread, with Beast Boy and Raven standing behind it. Beast Boy looked impressed and Raven looked slightly nervous, yet slightly proud.

"Friends, you have done the taking out of food?" asked Starfire.

"Nope," said Beast Boy.

"Then where'd this food come from?" asked Cyborg.

"I sort of… made it," said Raven with a small smile.

"You made it?" asked Robin.

"But it smells… good," said Cyborg, confused.

"Yes, it does smell quite delicious," said Starfire.

"Well, sit down and taste it," said Beast Boy, running over to them and herding them towards the table. He sat them each down and began to serve for them. Raven felt her heart race as she watched Beast Boy serve each item onto their plates. It was basically the same meal her grandmother had shown her how to cook her first night there. She had learned how to cook two other meals, but she felt this was safest. The only difference was she had an extra, vegetarian dish for Beast Boy.

Each Titan looked at their plate of food and each was slightly nervous. Even though Beast Boy had been there for everything, he was still unsure if it would taste any good. Cyborg was a man who loved his food and he hoped Raven hadn't ruined dinner so badly he would fear it from then on. Robin counted on a good meal to give him energy, so this could make or break him. Starfire had an odd sense of taste, and just incase she had a large bottle of mustard.

Beast Boy decided to get the ball rolling. He took a big breath in, possibly his last, and took a bite. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to take in all of the flavors. Suddenly his eyes flew open, wish surprise. This surprised the other four Titans as well. He looked to Raven, shocked.

"This… is… awesome!" he said, smiling widely. He immediately began to eat more, enthusiastically. This prompted the others to try their food as well. They each took a forkful, placed it in their mouths, and waited.

Raven had always heard the expression, "They cleaned their plates," but she never really understood it. Until now. She looked in shock at the table that had once held her meal. Every plate had been licked clean, every bowl emptied of its contents and not a crumb had been spared. She believed that now she could actually say she could cook. And so could her friends.