Victor Stone prided himself on his skill as a driver. He even bragged about it to Raven, long ago when he was chasing Gizmo, who had absconded the T-Car. His words were prophetic, as the bald midget bailed out of the T-Car just before he wrecked it.
Right now, however, he wasn't feeling so skilled. With his wife sitting next to him in the front seat and with Nightwing and the Changeling sitting in the rear, he cursed under his breath.
"We should have taken an earlier flight." The Tin Man grumbled.
Garfield looked up from his portable GameStation. "It's been snowing all day. It wouldn't have made any difference."
"The road is a freaking mess. It's gonna take forever to get there."
I-25 was indeed a mess. They had been on the road for over an hour and were only one quarter of the way there. An exasperated moan escaped his lips when he saw flashing lights up ahead through the near blizzard like conditions.
"Great, an accident. At this rate we're never gonna make it there. Ok grass stain, why did you schedule this team reunion in the North Pole again?"
"Hey, this isn't normal weather. You saw the news; this is a once in one hundred year's storm."
Cyborg grunted. "Yeah, I heard."
Bumblebee patted him on the shoulder. "Oh don't pout, Sparky. How hard can this drive be? I mean, you lead the team to Brother Blood's underwater lair."
"Yeah, but I had the T-Ship then. I sure couldn't have done it in this stupid minivan, and speaking of that, Salad Head, why didn't you reserve us an SUV, like you did for Raven."
"Cuz they were all out, chrome dome. At least I got us this, it could have been worse, we could have got stuck with a hatchback. Just chill, I've been on the phone with Raven and she's gonna have dinner ready when we get there."
Cyborg rolled his eyes. "Yum … Raven's cooking, I can't wait … actually I can. There's a Wendy's up ahead and I think it's open."
"Hey, Raven's cooking isn't bad. She's worked really hard at it. She's even taken classes. She's really good at it now." The Changeling protested.
Cyborg guffawed. "Raven a good cook? Now I now she's got you whipped. Karen … have I ever told you about those pancakes she made once?"
Bumblebee sighed. "Only like a million times."
"Dude! That was over 20 years ago!"
"No offense, B; but your lady could burn water, she's that bad."
A wicked smile appeared on the changeling's face. "So you think she's still a bad cook?"
"I don't think it, I know it."
"So I'm a bad cook, huh?" Raven's tinny voice spilled out of her husband's mobile phone, which he had just switched to speakerphone mode.
Cyborg shrieked and in the process nearly swerved off the road.
"What the hell!? You didn't tell me she was still on the phone!"
"Because I told him not to tell you. I'm hurt, Victor, I thought those pancakes were in the past. Do you really think that I've been married for eighteen years, raised five children and I still don't know how to cook a decent meal?"
"I didn't mean it … I was just giving the grass stain some crap. Of course you can cook."
Bumblebee stifled a snicker while Nightwing cracked a huge grin.
"So you really think I can cook?"
"Of course you can!"
"And you'll eat whatever I set before you?"
"I sure will … say what are you making tonight?"
"I'm making meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, gravy and sautéed green beans. And I'm baking a chocolate cake for dessert."
Cyborg immediately brightened. "That sounds pretty good! Say, what are you making for the grass stain, I mean, he won't eat meat loaf."
"I'm making him Tofu Surprise,"
Cyborg shuddered. "I'm glad I'm having meat loaf."
"Actually, you're having what I decide you'll have."
"Say what!?" He shrieked a second time. "You can't be serious; you know I hate that stuff!"
Raven's voice deepened and suddenly sounded dangerous. "You will eat it and you will like it."
By this point the three passengers were in stitches.
"Oh come on, I said I was sorry."
"This is not up for discussion. Gar, could we talk in private?"
The changeling switched off the speakerphone mode and after moving to the rear seat in the van he resumed talking in private with his wife, snickering occasionally. Cyborg frowned as he continued to drive. A few minutes later the minivan crawled past the accident scene, where a tow truck was busy at work. The off ramp, with a gleaming and brightly lit Wendy's at the bottom, was up ahead, inviting him to stop.
"I'm getting me some burgers. Like a dozen of them. You guys want anything?"
"Bad idea, Sparky."
"She's right." Nightwing finally spoke up. "Raven will be able to tell. You'd better show up with a hearty appetite if you know what's good for you."
Cyborg grumbled as he drove past the off ramp.
"Stupid vegetarian food, I'll bet she's gonna make me eat tofu." He grumbled under his breath. "Who eats that kind of crap, anyway?"
-( - )-
"Honey! We're hoooome!" The changeling's voice boomed from the garage.
"You're just in time; we were all just sitting down to dinner."
The late arrivals walked into the cavernous dining room, which contained a huge rustic table, which looked like a prop out of a Lord of the Rings movie. The seven youngsters were seated, and were joined by their newfound acquaintances, whom Raven invited to stay for dinner. Starfire rose and gave her husband a proper greeting with a hug and a kiss. Raven did the same for her mate, after which she and Starfire greeted the Stones. She gestured them to sit down and she took her place next to her husband. The table was bare and she gestured with her right hand. A parade of plates, encased in her obsidian light, came floating into the room. Sam and Jenny grinned, like a pair of children visiting Disneyland for the first time, at the super natural spectacle.
Cyborg watched the culinary procession with a glum face. The meatloaf smelled heavenly as did the gravy drenched mashed potatoes. Plate after plate glided past him and delicately landed in front of someone else. Pretty soon everyone had a plate, except for Gar and Raven, and of course Cyborg.
A plate piled high with Tofu Surprise landed in front of the changeling, who leaned over and inhaled its pungent aroma.
"Babe, you make the best Tofu Surprise."
Raven's plate, which had a less generous portion of the soy bean curdle dish, landed in front of her. Cyborg stifled a grimace. Shortly after Dylan was born, Raven quietly became a vegetarian herself. She didn't announce why, but years later the changeling told his metallic buddy that Raven was merely returning to her Azarathian roots. And Azarathians, in addition to being pacifists were also vegetarians. So without any fanfare she renounced the pleasure of consuming flesh.
"I don't mean to brag, but I can confidently say that my Tofu Surprise recipe is now better than yours." She replied with a small smile.
Gar sniffed his plate again. "Yeah, but my Tofu Fricassee still kicks butt."
Out of the corner of his eye, Cyborg saw the last plate float out of the kitchen. It was larger than the other plates and was covered with a shiny aluminum domed shaped cover. He glanced over at his wife's plate, gazing longingly at its meaty contents. Their eyes met.
"Sorry, Sparky, this one's mine. I'm not sharing." She whispered to him.
A small sigh escaped his lips as his plate landed in front of him. The black aura vanished and with great reluctance he removed the cover … and gasped.
The plate was piled high with slices of meat loaf and there were enough mashed potatoes to feed a small family. Cyborg repeatedly looked back and forth between Raven and the plate. The green bean looked ready to snicker, but did not.
"Is there a problem, Cyborg?" She asked in her signature deadpan.
"I … I wasn't expecting this." He stammered. The kids grinned and few guffaws were heard.
"If it isn't to your liking there is more Tofu Surprise on the stove."
"What? No! I mean … this is perfect."
"Are you sure? I know I have a bad reputation when it comes to the culinary arts. I understand that I have the uncanny ability to burn water. If you prefer, there is breakfast cereal, though all I have is soymilk."
"No, this is fine."
"I would like you to try it first, if you don't mind." She droned in her monotone.
All eyes were on Cyborg. He sweat dropped as he picked up his fork and used it to slice a piece of meatloaf. He poked it with his fork and popped it into his mouth. His human eye bulged and he quickly swallowed the morsel.
"That … is the best meatloaf in the history of meatloaf." He remarked between mouthfuls.
"Thank you." She smiled subtly.
-( - )-
Cyborg hummed happily as he scrubbed a pot. The dishwasher was already humming when Raven entered the kitchen with a raised eyebrow.
"Where are the kids? Cleaning up is their job." She asked.
"I sent them out with their new friends. I told Sam and Jenny to teach them how to make a proper snowman."
"In the dark?"
"The deck out back has a huge floodlight."
Raven crossed her arms and a small smile appeared. "It's nice that they made new friends. We weren't very good at that when we were their age."
"Yeah, we were too busy saving the world. Plus we were … you know … different."
"They're different too, and yet they can find regular friends. Looking back, it would have been nice to have had friends who weren't superheroes."
Cyborg dried a pot and stored away in a cupboard. "I guess you're right."
She looked up at her tall "big brother." Raven was still the tiny, five foot nothing shrimp she was when they first met. And even though she was now in her early forties, she still looked like a young woman, of which her husband was always quick to remind her.
"So why did you suddenly volunteer to clean up?"
He grabbed a frying pan and began to clean it. "Just my way of apologizing."
"So I can cook?" She asked in a smug voice.
"You sure can cook, little lady. You totally rock. You gotta tell me, who taught you how to cook?"
A small chuckle escaped from Raven's lips. "You did."
He did a quick double take. "When did I do that?"
"Remember when you tried to teach Starfire?"
Cyborg laughed. "Do I? That was a bust. I even made video tapes for her. But she just didn't get it. Even when she used Earth ingredients her food tasted … weird. I can't believe Dick eats the slop she cooks."
Raven took the frying pan from him and began to dry it with a dishtowel. "After giving up she gave the tapes to me. At first I was hesitant, but I had kids and they needed to be fed and it wasn't fair to dump that chore all on Gar, so I watched the tapes and practiced when he wasn't watching. Once I mastered the basic techniques everything else was a breeze. I started watching all those cooking shows on PBS and eventually enrolled at the Jump City Culinary Arts Institute, where I earned my Masters in Culinary Arts."
The tin man was slack jawed. "Are you telling me that you're a trained professional chef?"
"I sure am."
A huge grin appeared on the Tin Man's face. "Little lady … I'm officially impressed."
-( - )-
It was still snowing outside. The seven visitors watched as Sam and Jenny assembled as snowman. It didn't look anything like the ones on the TV shows. It was a bit saggy and leaned heavily to the right. Jenny suck a carrot in the snowman's face after which she spread her arms, showcasing their less than perfect creation.
"And that's how it's done." Sam announced proudly.
Mark turned to Mar'i, who was actually already a young adult but still liked hanging out with her "cousins".
"You've never made a snowman before? Doesn't it snow in Gotham?" He asked.
"Dad's never taught us, not that we have the time anyway. He's always drilling us. If it isn't academics or technology its martial arts. He never lets us do anything fun."
"You guys sure do train a lot, but your parents won't let you be Titans until you're adults?" Jenny asked.
"That does kind of suck. Why won't they let you be heroes now?" Sam interjected.
Coraline buried her hands into her coat's pockets and kicked a pile of snow.
"It's because of Melvin" She grumbled.
"Who's Melvin?" Jenny asked.
The five Logan kids fell silent. John Bruce cleared his throat.
"Back when Aunt Raven was a teen she was tasked with taking care of three kids with powers."
"She didn't want to do it." Dylan interrupted. "Because mom was so 'oh I'm so serious and I'm not good with kids' back then."
"But mom discovered that she had a nurturing side while she was with them." Marie added.
"And she became very close with Melvin. She was an orphan and became Aunt Raven's surrogate daughter." Mar'i remarked.
"Mar'i and I are the only ones who are old enough to remember her." Mark added.
"Remember her? Do you mean that she's …" Jenny began to ask before her voice trailed off.
"You've heard of Slade, haven't you?" Dylan asked.
"Who hasn't?" Sam replied.
Coraline pursed her lips. "When I was still a baby, Melvin became a Titan and was a member of Titans East. A few months later she was killed in an ambush Slade set up." The grey girl sighed. "Mom still blames herself for that, to this day, which is dumb, it wasn't her fault."
Sam nodded. "So now she overcompensates and won't let you be Titans."
"Exactly! It's totally unfair!" Arella griped. "Mom became a superhero when she was 14, Marie and I are 13. We could be heroes; we have all of mom's powers."
Sam sighed. "I know how you feel. I know it's not the same, but my mom won't let me play football because my friend Patrick broke his leg in a game."
"Why won't they trust us!?" Mark griped. "We're way more mature and better trained that they were when they started the Teen Titans. It's not fair!" Mark summoned his dark energy and scooped up a huge pile of snow before slamming it into the ground.
"Yeah, parents … they suck … say, could you use your powers to make a giant snowman?" Sam asked.
Coraline stepped forward. "Let me show what we can do with our powers." She raised her arms and whispered her mantra. The snowman sprouted legs and stood up. With great grace it began to walk.
"Am I supposed to be impressed, Cor?" Dylan asked in a bored voice
Coraline lowered her arms and the snowman became still. "Let's see you try."
"I wouldn't waste my powers on something as dumb as a snowman."
"Because you can't do it." Arella teased him.
"He doesn't have a mantra to control his powers." Marie remarked. "He couldn't throw a snowball with his powers."
Dylan snorted as he walked up to the snowman. "I can just use mom's. mantra"
"That's not a good idea." Mark warned him.
"Says you. Now watch how it's done."
Dylan spread his arms and closed his eyes.
"Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" He shouted as he aimed his arms at the snowman, which became encased in dark energy.
Everyone present held their breaths as old Frosty began to shake.
"It's not doing anything." Dylan groaned.
The grey lad could not have been more wrong, because as soon as he spoke the snowman exploded. The carrot that served as its nose turned into puree and splattered over Dylan's face and he received the full blast of the flying snow. His four siblings and the Grayson kids began to laugh.
"Shut up!" He barked at them. But they continued to laugh. He was about to run back into the house when he noticed that Sam and Jenny had an awestruck look on their faces. He glared at them and hissed "What?" at them.
"Dude! That was so cool!" Sam enthused. "You totally blew up that snowman."
"I didn't do it on purpose." Dylan seethed.
"It was still cool." Jenny smiled.
Mar'i pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the pulverized carrot from his face. "How about we go inside and have some hot chocolate?"
The misfire already forgotten, the nine kids went back into the house.
-( - )-
More fluff and silliness! I hope you liked it, more to come! And don't think I've forgotten about the Chromatically Challenged Couple™. Even though they are middle aged, they aren't too old for some fun and romance.