A few years later …

The sound of the morning bells ringing echoed across the abbey, if yo could call them "morning" bells as it was still dark outside.

Mark grumbled as he slowly got up. There were three hours worth of chores to do before breakfast. It was his turn to clean Azar's chapel, which mean scrubbing and mopping the stone floor, oiling the pews and other prep work that would need to be completed before that morning's assembly, where they would pray and then meditate for a whole hour before they would get their meager breakfast.

His only consolation was that he would get to go to Titan's Tower that afternoon and spend the weekend there. After making his bed he laid out one of the few sets of civvies he had: a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with the Titans logo on it. He would also be wearing a pair of sneakers. Larry had the clothes especially made for Mark so that he could morph while wearing them,. He slipped on his monk's habit and a pair of work boots before heading out.

The reason for his leave of absence was that tomorrow was his sixteenth birthday. He had already packed his small suit case, which contained the rest of his "morphable" wardrobe, which included one of his father's old Doom Patrol uniforms.

There was going to be cake and best of all lots of dishes with meat in them. His mother explained to him, more than once, why his father didn't eat meat. He didn't care and she didn't push the issue when he visited the Tower, which was becoming a more frequent event.

Raven was concerned about her son. It was more than obvious that he didn't care for monastic life at all and it was virtually certain that when he turned 18 that he would be moving permanently to Titans Tower. She could choose to not let him visit, but she knew that could backfire on her in a terrible way. But she remained concerned over his visits. She knew that he was drawn to the superhero life. It had a certain glamour to it and it could even be quite pleasant between crime alert missions. Even she had to admit that she had much more free time to read and meditate as a Titan than she did now as as a nun, plus when she was married there was sex and a lot of it with her husband, which her demon half relished.

And that's what worried her about Mark. He and Mar'i were very close friends. She knew that when he visited the Tower that he and Mar'i would sneak away and indulge in steamy make out sessions. Cyborg told her that he was sure that it wasn't going any farther than that, but she often wondered if he was wrong.

She recalled having those sorts of desires when she was sixteen and when she began to date the changeling they would go off the scale. She was the one who proposed marriage to him shortly after they turned eighteen. He asked her if perhaps they should wait. Her reply was that if they tied the knot, he would get laid like tile. They married a few months later, and she was good on her tile laying promise.

Still she worried that Mark and Mar'i might do something stupid. And even if they didn't, she feared that he would become a Titan just to be with the half Tamaranian. Mar'i was gorgeous and she knew that her son no doubt had his mind on the girl. Plus, it was becoming painfully obvious that Mark wasn't cut out for the monastic life.

Raven wanted desperately for him to embrace the Rule of Azar, but she also knew that had to come from within and couldn't be forced on him. It was a huge disappointment for her, but she also accepted that her hope was unrealistic.

Raven had long pondered these issues, and decided that she should have a chat with her son before Cyborg and Mar'i came to collect him that afternoon.

-(-)-

It was also Mark's day to clean up the kitchen after breakfast. There was of course no dishwasher machine of any kind, and the huge sink was full of bowls with porridge residue in them. He didn't complain, he would rather do that than clean the stalls in the barn. His work partner that morning was going to be an elderly monk named Isidore, who wasn't in the kitchen. Mark began to scrub the bowls, placing them on a drying rack for Isidore to finish up.

He heard the kitchen door open and turned to greet the monk. Much to his surprise it was his mother, who picked up a cloth and began to dry the bowls.

"Where's Isidore?"

"I gave him the morning off." She deadpanned.

"Is he not feeling well? He looked OK in the dining hall."

"He's fine, I just wanted to talk with you."

He stopped scrubbing the bowl in his hands and looked at her. He was already taller than his mother, who could see why Mar'i was smitten with him. While there was no doubt he was his father's son, Raven could also see her features in him, and hers and Gar's genes had produced a very dashing young man.

"I can't go to Titans Tower this weekend, right?"

She shook her head. "You're still going. I want to talk about the informal training Nightwing has been giving you."

"You want me to stop? But why? You said I could do the informal training. I really like karate and ..."

"Mark, please let me finish. I called Nightwing last night, and I gave him the go ahead to formally train you as a superhero."

The soapy bowl slipped out of his hands and he barely caught it before it hit the stony floor.

"I can train, I mean really train, with the Titans? The obstacle course? The combat training with the titan-bots?"

She nodded. "You won't be able to go out on missions until you're 18. And yes, this means that you're moving to Titans Tower."

He became slack jawed. "But … you don't want me to be a superhero."

"I still don't; but I also know I can't stop you, so we'll do it my way. Is that OK with you? If not, you can stay here until you're 18."

He put the bowl down and lunged forward, hugging his mother.

"Thanks, mom, you're the best."

"You will remember to come visit me?"

"Of course, every weekend! I promise!" He gushed.

Raven released her son. He thought he saw a brief expression of sorrow on her face which she quickly hid. Her demeanor then changed and she suddenly looked very stern.

"Mark, I know that you and Mar'i are very fond of each other, and believe it or not, I used to be a young girl with hormones raging through me and unchaste thoughts on my mind, so don't misunderstand what I'm about to say."

"Uh … I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"What I mean is, do not engage in sexual relations with Mar'i. You can kiss and fondle each other; but, and let me be very clear about this: no sex. You will not have intercourse with her, not until you marry her."

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I won't."

"I'm going to hold you to that promise. If you break it, you'll return to the abbey and Dick will never take you back into the Tower. And others will be watching, so don't think you can be sneaky and get away with it. Dick has also expressed his concern to me about this. He knows that the two of you make out every time you visit, and he's been willing to tolerate that since he knows you actually love his daughter. I know you love her too, which is why you will not lay a finger on her, even if she asks for it, am I clear?"

He nodded. "Yes, mom, I understand."

Raven's expression softened. "I love you, and I want you to be happy, and … as hard as it has been to accept, I know you won't be happy here as a monk. So go and be the best hero you can be."

"Thanks mom, I won't forget this."

She smiled. "Good, and one more thing. When you do get married to Mar'i, I want grandchildren … have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal clear." He smiled back at her

-(-)-

See, Raven can be reasonable, though it must have been very hard to let Mark go. He'll probably burn all of his monk habits. Never again!