A few weeks later …
"Raven, you can't be serious about this."
"I've already signed the papers … it's done. I'm moving to the abbey."
Starfire had one of the crossest looks on her face that the sorceress had ever seen.
"Cyborg is the correct. You cannot leave."
"I can take care of myself. And I won't be alone. I already have a list of postulates, over thirty applicants for the monastery. I thought it would take years to find anyone interested."
"But you will be alone when your bumgorph is born."
"Star's right, you can't move in there by yourself."
"I'll be fine."
"What if you go into labor and you're all alone?"
"Then I'll give birth."
Cyborg moaned in exasperation. He turned to Nightwing, who was leaning against a wall in the common room. "Dick, she's nuts. Talk some sense into her."
Without moving, Grayson replied."While I don't agree with her, she has the right to make this decision. And let's face it, there's nothing we can do to change her mind."
The Princess ignored her husband's logic. "But Raven, we were going to raise our children together. Who will Mar'i play with if you leave? Do you not wish to be near your niece?"
"You are welcome to visit the monastery at any time. Since you can fly it's only about 10 minutes away for you."
Starfire's jaw trembled. "It will not be the same."
"I'm sorry Starfire; but I have to do this."
The Tamaranian stamped her right foot on the floor. The whole room shook.
"You have always been the stubborn. I can see that you will not reconsider. Fine. I will come and stay with you until Mark is born."
Starfire's accusation stung. Raven was painfully aware of just how rigid and inflexible she could be. For a brief moment, she pondered if she was making a mistake, but the doubt quickly vanished.
"Very well, you may come and stay until Mark is born. But after that you will have to leave, unless you join my order."
Raven could see in Starfire's eyes that she was not pleased with the arrangement.
"Raven, Cyborg has the proper equipment here in the Tower ..."
"Starfire, you may come and help me give birth. Women have been doing it without technology since time immemorial, and I want to keep technology in the monastery to a minimum. We will have electrical lights and a telephone ... nothing more." She glanced at Cyborg. "And that means no medical instruments of any kind."
"Whoa, little lady, this is news to me. You mean you're not gonna have any heating and are gonna cook on a wood stove? What about a fridge? How you gonna keep your food from spoiling?"
"There will be fireplaces, and yes, we will use wood burning stoves and ovens. And we won't need a fridge as we won't eat anything that is perishable."
"Oh, for Pete's sake! Even those benedictine nuns used electrical appliances."
"That was their choice. This is mine. Azar had no appliances or any creature comforts in her monastery, and neither will I in mine."
-(-)-
A large moving van pulled up in front of the abbey's main entrance. Cyborg hopped out from the driver's seat. And while Raven objected to any technology in her abbey, she had no objection to furniture, and the van was full of beds, chairs, tables, bureaus, filing cabinets, couched and other pieces that Cyborg purchased for the monastery. He had also procured a superb nursery set, as well as plenty of pillows, linens and thick goose down comforters. He was determined to make Raven's attempt at asceticism as comfortable as possible.
As he entered the abbey there was a large boulder next to the entrance, and it had "Azarathia" carved on it in large Gothic letters. He entered the large hallway, his metal footsteps echoing in the still empty room. She was nowhere to be found.
"Raven!" His voice boomed and echoed throughout the abbey.
There was no answer. He frowned and tapped a button on his left forearm. A consoled popped up. While she had for all practical purposes banned tech from her abbey, that didn't mean he couldn't use his own.
"There you are." He mumbled to himself, before taking off.
He had already memorized the monastery's layout and quickly made his way through it, walking past some furniture he delivered earlier. At the end of along hallway there was a spiral staircase that led into a deep under ground room. As his sensors had told him, she was there.
The room was a crypt, formerly used by the nuns. They disinterred the former occupants and transferred their remains to their new abbey. Cyborg's eyes widened at what he saw. In the middle of the room was a sarcophagus, which was shaped in Garfield likeness, it appeared to be in peaceful slumber as it lay on its back. Next to it was another sarcophagus, which clearly looked like Raven.
The flesh and blood Raven was carrying an urn in her hands. She turned to look at Cyborg.
"Hello, Victor. I was just about to re-inter Gar's remains. You can stay and watch if you wish."
He nodded and remained silent.
Raven knelt and said a prayer in a very soft and melodic language which Cyborg immediately recognized as Azarathian. His translator circuits kicked in and he could hear an English translation in his mind.
" … and I commend my beloved's remains to you, oh Earth, from which we come into life. From dust back into dust. I offer this prayer to you, the creator of all things, to guard my beloved's soul, and to allow us to be reunited again. May your will be done."
Raven gestured and the top of the sarcophagus floated up, engulfed in her obsidian light. She rose and walked to the tomb. She kissed the urn before placing it inside the stony grave with the greatest of reverence, after which the lid floated back down, landing on its base as softly as a feather.
Cyborg walked up to the two tombs, tracing his fingers over Raven's future grave.
"Do you find it morbid?" She asked.
"Well, yeah, it is, kinda … seeing that your grave already exists.."
"When my time comes I wish to be buried next to him. Is there anything wrong with that?"
He paused before replying. "Not really … though the sarcophagi are a bit creepy looking, but I get it … Raven … do you still consider B to be your husband … I mean, you know, 'until death do us part' and all that."
"Of course I do." She said as she gently caressed her very pregnant belly. "I know it's hard to explain ..."
"You don't have to explain anything … anyway, I need you to show me were you want me put the latest truck load … so when do your first … monks ... nuns … whatever they are … arrive?"
"The first ones will arrive in about a month. They will be monks and nuns eventually, but for now they will be Novices … I know I haven't talked about it much, but I'm restoring Azar's Order. I would have done it on Azarath, but it was destroyed by my father."
"So that's why you're calling it Azarathia, I saw the sign."
"Yes, it will be a small bit of Azarath here on Earth. I just hope that I'm worthy of this task."
He chuckled. "Raven, if anyone is worthy of doing this, it's you."
-(-)-
Several years later …
An electric motorcycle silently cruised down the highway. Its rider, a tall, dark and muscular man, appeared to be in a zen like state as he piloted the very high tech two wheeler as it silinely glided through the forest. He slowed before turning off onto a dirt road, leaving a dust cloud in his wake on the sunny day. The only sound made was that of dirt and gravel crunching under its wheels.
He came around the last corner and slowed down. A lone man, attired in a brown habit and who was sweeping the abbey's entrance with a broom, looked up as Victor Stone pulled into the small parking lot and parked next to an old nondescript Japanese brand compact pickup truck, which was the abbey's single mode of artificial transportation. As he dismounted a young boy, who looked about 10 years of age, with green skin and violet hair, and who wore a brown habit as well, ran towards the rider.
"Uncle Vic, Uncle Vic!"
Cyborg was wearing one of his holorings, which he deactivated as the child reached.
"Hey Mark, how are you?"
"I'm OK … your motorcycle is so quiet, I don't anyone heard it, except me … so, did you bring any?"
Cyborg reached into a saddle bag and pulled out a plastic supermarket bag, which he handed to the boy, who looked into it and saw that it contained five bars of Swiss chocolate.
"Thanks, Uncle Vic, you're the best!"
"Don't let your mom see them. She'll know I gave them to you and I'll get into trouble. Speaking of which, where is she?"
"She's in the barn." He pointed in the barn's general direction.
"I'll see you later, champ." Vic told him as headed off towards the barn, which was behind the abbey. Unlike the abbey, it was made of corrugated steel and it was rather large. He entered and smiled at the sight before him. There were about two dozen stalls. Most had plow horses, though a few had cows. Sitting on a stool, next to one of the cows, was Raven, who was busy milking it by hand. Cyborg burst out laughing. Raven looked up.
"What's so funny?"
"Funny? Nothing. I mean, when you were a Teen Titan I often imagined you milking a cow … said no one ever."
Raven finished milking the cow. "Very funny, now walk with me, I need to take this milk into the kitchen so Oriana can make cheese with it."
The old friends walked back to the abbey. Cyborg noticed that Raven had her first few gray hairs.
"So, did you bring him chocolates again?"
He did a double take. "What? You mean you know?"
"Of course, I do, I'm his mother. Every time you bring him chocolates he gorges on them and doesn't eat his dinner."
"Sorry about, little lady."
She smiled one of her tiny Raven smiles. "It's OK. He's a child, and just because Azar never let me have treats, doesn't mean he can't have any."
He grinned at her. "I remember the first time I made you a waffle, shortly after we moved into the Tower. If I recall correctly, it gave you a food orgasm."
Raven burst out laughing. "It sure did." They entered the kitchen and she handed the milk pail to Oriana, before heading out to the garden. "Will you help me pick some vegetables for tonight's dinner? You stay for dinner tonight if you'd like."
"I'll help you pick them. This is gonna be a vegetarian dinner, right? If so, I have some burgers waiting for me back at the Tower."
"I understand … Starfire and Mar'i were here yesterday. I let Mark use his powers and go flying with her while Starfire and I chatted."
"Pretty cool that he has both yours and B's powers. How's he coming along with them?"
"Remarkably well, he can talk while in his animal forms and he's proud that he can … does he ever ask you about his father?"
"All the time. It a shame he never knew him … Raven … I have a proposal."
"A proposal?"
"Yeah, I'd like to take him back to the Tower and show him stuff. Videos of you guys, your old room, stuff like that."
She rubbed her chin. "I suppose that a field trip to the Tower wouldn't hurt. You aren't going to play GameStation with him, are you?"
"I know better than that. But there's something else I'd like to do."
"And what would that be?"
Well … Star and Dick are gonna take Mar'i to Disneyland for a few days … so … how about you let Mark come with us?"
By this point they reached the garden. Raven handed him a large wicker basket and she grabbed one as well.
"You can fill that with potatoes, I'll pick some cabbages, carrots and beets."
Cyborg was debating whether to push the question or not. He began to dig potatoes out of the rich soil while Raven quietly worked on her own harvest. As they worked she cleared her throat.
"He can go with you to Disneyland. If I don't let him go, Gar will give me grief for all eternity." She finally answered as a small smile formed on her lips.