Alright, so things have settled down quite a bit from school now. I'm proud to say that I have most of my textbooks :). Of course I spent an arm and a leg, but hey, one day, when I'm looking at the degree that I didn't do anything with, sitting in the back of my stuff in the attic, I think it'll be worth it.

I tried my best to get back to everyone, and well… here's the next chapter! TA DA!

Disclaimer:
There is no reciprocity. Men love women, women love children, children love hamsters. -Alice Thomas Ellis
And I love the Teen Titans… but I still don't own them. And I don't really know if I love Chase Credit cards, but I don't one of those either.

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Chapter Five - The Wedding Part I

Beast Boy sat in Marilyn's apartment, staring at the envelope in his hands.

The envelope itself looked unassuming. It was ivory in color with equally spaced vertical lines running down its entirety. It wasn't the envelope that had so completely ensnared the young man, it was the clear and decorative black print on it. The word it revealed both captivated and panicked him. It read, very simply: Raven.

He had been sitting at the dinner table for the past three and a half minutes, staring at the single word. He hadn't realized until three and a half minutes ago just how completely he had missed her. Sure, he was able to sleep at night now, and regrets for the two of them and what could have been only flashed through his mind occasionally - but he had missed her.

He turned the invitation in his hands, letting out a shaky breath. In his hands, he held his last chance of seeing his haunting former girlfriend. It had been three and a half years since the illogical fight that had ended their three year relationship, and in his hands, he held her invitation to the rest of his life. He held her invitation to his wedding.

How's she going to react when she gets this in the mail? Beast Boy wondered silently. She'll probably tear it in half.

Three and a half years apart hadn't really changed much.

He still caught himself scanning the news for her exploits. She had moved to a city down south, somewhere in South America, where she was the sole provider of comfort for the citizens. After a couple of months there, she had successfully founded Titans South West. She used her spare time to train new teens for the newly developed tower. Cyborg had gone down to help her set up headquarters and Starfire had insisted on going with him, leaving Beast Boy and Robin to watch the new teens being educated at Titans Tower.

The two returned the following week, bursting to the seams with their stories and updates on the former Titans West member. Maybe he was being paranoid, but he felt as though they were tiptoeing around him. When he arrived in the living room, the lively conversations would abruptly stop, and the subject that had been so obviously engrossed to them was immediately dropped. Not once did he hear his teammates so much as utter the name "Raven." He would often wondered if she had requested things be that way.

He turned the envelope again, staring at the elaborate script. This would be his last chance to…

Last chance to what? He thought vaguely as he turned the invitation again before shaking his head. Last chance to nothing.

This is stupid. He thought as he readied himself to rip the envelope in half. He hesitated for a moment before sighing and simply taking it out of the pile marked, "To Be Sent." He stowed it carefully in the drawer of his nightstand, resolving never to send it to its intended recipient.

Two weeks later, he sent off the invitation.

-----

Beast Boy's first date with Marilyn hadn't been very remarkable. He had only agreed to meet with her for dinner to appease his increasingly worried teammates. He hadn't done much dating since Raven had…

He didn't like thinking about it much. Although it had been two and a half years since their split, he still felt the same about her. He didn't exactly mope, but his teammates noticed his lack of enthusiasm when an outing was suggested, and Cyborg started to worry about the tattered remains of Beast Boy's love life.

And then Starfire had caught on and started to worry as well.

And then Robin seemed to clue in and worry too.

And so, the three began their campaign to get Beast Boy out of the Tower, leading Beast Boy to offer Marilyn a first date.

It was nothing outstanding, just dinner out with the girl. They had met at the Titan's signature pizza parlor during stage number six of the break-up: grudgingly attempt (and fail) to move on. He had been stuck on that one for awhile…

His comrades had noticed him and Marilyn talking, and (despite the fact that Beast Boy looked somewhat strained) encouraged him to ask her to dinner. They had gone to a big, busy, impersonal Italian restaurant two nights later. Later in the week, he admitted to himself that he hadn't really given the date a fair shot, leading him to call Marilyn and ask for a second date.

He picked up a pair of jeans from his floor and sniffed at a shirt to make sure it still smelled somewhat fresh before pulling it on. Tonight, he was going to take her to a movie. Sure, it wasn't much more personal than the dinner, but what did they expect? Dinner for two in the Tower? Nope, it wasn't going to happen.

-----

On the big screen before them a man in a badly done disguise mumbled something before shouting. Beast Boy laughed and leaned forward more, accidentally displacing the popcorn he had bought for himself and his date and spilling it over said date. He turned, surprised, guilty and somewhat embarrassed. He had spent the night so engrossed in the movie that he had forgotten all about the girl he was supposed to be showing a good time.

"Sorry about that," he mumbled as he tried to watch the movie and clean his mess at the same time.

"Don't worry about it, sugar." She replied, leaning closer to him as she picked up the various pieces of popcorn.

The date had, again, been unremarkable, and Beast Boy seriously doubted that he would ever ask Marilyn on a third date. There just wasn't any chemistry between them. Not like with…

She seemed to have a good time, but he found most of her conversation boring and hated the little pet names she would use. She barely knew him! How could he be her "sugar" already?

It was as the two were gathering the impossibly numerous kernels of popcorn that his animal-sharp senses picked it up.

Wafting up from his horribly uninteresting date was an uncomfortably familiar scent. It was so recognizable… the owner's name was on the tip of his tongue but… he froze.

She almost smelt like Raven.

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Beast Boy and Raven stood in the empath's room, cleaning up the mess made after a battle with the Hive 5. They had snuck into the Tower and managed to get into Raven's room before being detected. Unfortunately for Raven, that meant that the battlegrounds had consisted solely of her temple…

"Y'know Rae, I never expected you to have a thing for peaches. They seem a bit too… sunny for you." Beast Boy teased gently as he held up a small bottle of peach body spray. She blushed brightly as she wrinkled her face into a glower. She hoped it was formidable enough for him to drop the conversation and swiped the item from his hands fiercely.

"I love peaches." She admitted, moving the bottle to a spot by her bed.

"Aww, c'mon, I'm just teasing you." He said as he pulled her into a tight hug and took in her scent with an exaggerated deep breath. "I love how you smell. It's not just the peaches… there's something else there. I can't tell what it is… but I can smell it."

"What exactly is it you've been sniffing?" Raven asked suspiciously as she eyed her underwear drawer. He frowned at her, almost pouting.

"No! You leave a scent everywhere, you just can't smell it. It's… nice."

She smiled wryly, "oh, please, stop spoiling me with your abundance of compliments."

He laughed in response and nuzzled into her neck.

-----

It was sweltering hot today, as it had been for the past three weeks. It was like this nearly every day of the calendar year, but she had long since gotten used to it. As an offering to the Powers That Be, she had left her cloak behind and instead opted for a long, thin bit of fabric that worked as a skirt of sorts. It wasn't as shielding as she preferred, but the small addition made her feel that much less exposed.

Her white leotard clung to her like a second skin as she left the cool, air conditioned interior of the Tower to greet the mailman. He handed her a couple of bags full of letters, the bulk of which was undoubtedly sent by fans. She took them with a "thank you," and made her way back to the chilly indoors of the Titans South West headquarters. She sighed as she reached the mail room, staring again at the piles in front of her.

At first she had thought it would be a good experience, teaching the younger generation the best way to battle so that they would be successful when Raven and her fellow Titans got around to retiring. She had gone down south to get away from everything, and just sort of… fell in love with the area. It was a new start for her, and the area was rife with distractions in the form of villains, big and small. She didn't have to think about Gar -

No, she silently corrected herself, I didn't have to think about Beast Boy.

Shaking her head of thoughts best left alone, she stared at the mail again.

Yeah, she had thought it would be fun, until she had seen the more practical part of the whole "running a training center for young superheroes," deal. Among other things, she realized with increasing horror, she would have to make up a chore list. Robin had always been in charge of that kind of thing at Titans Tower and she hadn't once thought to ask him how he did it. She considered calling him and begging him to make the list up for her (along with a grocery list… and a list of needed cleaning supplies… and a filing cabinet… and a filing system for that cabinet…).

Looking back, she started to really appreciate all the work that he had done for the team. He hadn't been much older than any of the other members, but he had taken it as his task to organize every little detail, something he would later claim to have gotten from his dad. He had a way of getting the rebellious teens to just shut up and do what they had too, and it hit Raven that he had always led by example. Deciding that this was the root of his success, she decided to do the same. When she made up her list of chores and who was to do them, she dejectedly added herself to the cleaning crew.

"Electro Boy… Tubig… Breezy… Electro Boy… Me… Tubig… No, I do not want a Chase credit card… Robin? Wrong Tower… Me… Breezy… Me…" Raven stopped as she eyed the fancy envelope addressed, in elaborate script, to her. Her brows furrowed unconsciously as she stared at her name before flipping it over. "You're Invited!" it said simply on its sealed flap. Confused, she opened it. Out flopped a small, ornate card. She lifted it, opening it in the process than ceased all movement for the space of a second. When it passed, she let the card fall from her hands. She stared at it, her palms still up as though the simple contact with the ivory of the invitation had burned her skin.

"You are invited to the celebration of the union between Mr. Garfield Logan and Ms. Marilyn Jackson," The opening words read. She continued to stare at it, feeling an empty pit open up in her stomach.

Oh God… what… how can… he's…. She continued to stare at the thing, putting space between her and it as though it would bite her should she get too close. Her eyes were staring to sting. Her chest was becoming unbearably tight. Her breath came in short, quick gasps.

Despite all her efforts… he was getting married. She had tried to call him. She had tried to write him. She had tried to get in contact with him so many times…

But there was the proof that things were never going to be resolved between them. There it was, sitting, deceptively innocent, on top of the table in front of the mailboxes marked for the various Titans.

He was getting married.

Her breath was coming in more labored. A lump formed, hard and unwavering in her throat. God, it had been so long since she had allowed herself to cry over him. She couldn't do it now. After all this time, she couldn't let herself cry.

"Hey, Raven," Electro Boy said as he walked into the mailroom. She pushed past him into the hallway and quickly made her way to her bedroom.

"Uhh… what'd I say?"

-----

She lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. It had been painted a deep, dark violet-blue with various lighter dots throughout it. It reminded her of the night-sky as she used to see it at the Titans West Tower when she couldn't sleep and meditating wouldn't provide any solace. It had always had a strangely soothing affect on her. Out of all the different people on all the different planets floating around up there, she couldn't be the only one to feel so unbearably alone.

After four years, she should be happy that he had managed to move on. He deserved that. He deserved to be with someone who would make him happy enough to get… married. She should be happy that he had found someone to fill the space she had once taken with him. God knows I haven't. She thought scornfully.

Their relationship had ended so badly… she just wanted things to be… alright again.

Maybe… maybe it's better this way. She thought, turning onto her side and closing her eyes tightly. It just didn't work for us. I'm… happy… that he can find someone it works with…

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, before standing and letting her legs float into the lotus position. Softly, she started.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

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Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Raven thought, taking another, deep, subtle breath.

Today had to be the worst day she had ever been forced to experience. Under even the most devastating circumstances, she had always had her thick wall of fear to keep her calm. She had always had the image of her demonic father floating around in the back of her head, to keep her in check. She had always had her emotions locked away from both herself, and others, in a mirror that she treated with the reverence of a monk.

But she had given that all up years ago in favor of the simple pleasure of… well, feeling. And now, when she least wanted to, she was forced to experience every bit of the emotional rollercoaster she had forced herself onto.

An elderly man walked down the aisle, followed by an equally aged woman. Both had younger escorts show them to their seats near the front of the cozy little church. A younger looking man and woman followed, both accompanied by younger family members. When the woman took her seat, the ceremony began.

She shouldn't have come. She had wanted to see him so badly… but she should have known better then to try and reunite with him on the day that he gave himself to another woman. She swallowed a hard, persistent lump in her throat, then closed her eyes and let in another steadying breath.

The priest walked into the church, followed by Beast Boy. Raven's heart clenched as she stared at him. He looked just like she remembered - green skin, green hair, slight fangs, medium build. She looked away quickly. A figure took his place next to her and she turned to see Negative Man.

Of course I'd get stuck with Negative Man. Raven thought, grimacing inwardly at the irony. The pair didn't speak a word as he led her down the aisle. At the altar she gathered her courage and let her eyes meet those of Beast Boy. He was staring at her. God, why was he staring at her? With a Herculean effort, she offered him a smile.

It was like slow torture.

Azar, this would be so much easier if I could just go into that damn mirror and tell my emotions to leave me the hell alone. Raven thought absently as she watched the proceedings.

Two girls no older than seven walked down the aisle next, tossing flowers through the air and onto the ground around them. Behind the pair, a ring bearer struggled to keep the flowers from marring the prize he brought down. He scowled at the girls constantly as he held the soft, red and black pillow high over his head.

Raven fought to keep her eyes open despite the way they burned. If she gave in and relieved them, there was the possibility that someone would notice, or that she would start crying again and ruin the whole damn wedding.

The opening notes of "Here Comes the Bride," announced themselves through the church. Raven's breath caught slightly at the jovial chords and stared at the flowers in her hands. If she didn't look, maybe she would be able to survive and accept what was happening.

God I'm pathetic. She thought, inhaling deeply. I'm happy for him. I'm really happy for him. Really, really I am. I mean, he was my friend. He was my… friend. A really good one. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't support him today? It's a big day for him…

With a much more shaky breath, Raven willed herself to look up once more. A crowd of happy relatives and well-wishers met her eyes. A second later she felt a strange, shaky feeling begin in her chest. She furrowed her brows slightly as she tried to place it. Something was wrong. To her left there was a frantic cry, then Robin's authoritative voice cut through the sudden din.

"Titans, go!"

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Part cinco is finished :). Let me know what you guys think. I'm getting a bit more into the action part of this story… but I've never been good at writing fight scenes… so I really can't promise anything, except that I'll do my best to make sure it isn't total and complete crap.

The first one to spot the Tagalog reference in this chapter is my new hero. Seriously.

Comments, questions, suggestions, criticisms and reviews are always appreciated.