Disclaimer: I do not nor have I ever owned Teen Titans.

The Talk

Raven and Roy returned to their hotel room after lunch. She curled up on the couch and started rubbing her temples. She was still digesting Roy's marriage proposal. The initial shock was wearing off but now the confusion was settling in.

Roy expected this and he was prepared. He removed his blazer, placed it at the end of the couch and undid the top button of his shirt and his jeweled cufflinks. Then, he took out his phone, set the timer to two hours before placing it on the sofa table in front of them and sat down next to Raven, his arm resting on the back of the couch behind her.

He turned to Raven and said, "Rae, for the next two hours you can ask me anything you want and I will answer them all honestly. No holds barred - anything goes. I hope that this would eliminate any questions or doubts you may have about the depth of my feelings and the sincerity of my marriage proposal." He brought his hand up to Raven's face and stared deeply into her eyes before continuing, "And, subsequently to convince you to accept my marriage proposal."

Raven smiled and brushed her lips against his hand before taking his hand into both of hers and placed it on her lap, still holding onto it with both her hands.

"It isn't fair if only you have to answer the questions. You may ask me any questions as well. Anything goes", replied Raven.

"Are you sure?" asked Roy. "If at any time you feel uncomfortable or would rather not answer, I would understand."

"No, I will honestly answer anything you ask me Roy. I don't want to start a relationship with anything but the truth. And that is one thing I have always appreciated about you. You have always been honest with me," Raven stated.

"Thanks, Rae," said Roy as he bent over and sweetly kissed her lips. "Go ahead, Rae, ask away."

"hmmm...,"started Raven pensively, "How about you tell me when you fell in love with me and why."

"Well, I noticed you pretty much right away when we met. I was a normal teenage boy and when I saw you, I thought to myself, Man, she's hot in that leotard and those mile long legs. But it was later, after a couple of Titans get together, that I started to make a conscious effort to get to know you. You were so aloof and shot down all my attempts to flirt with you, which made me even more determined to get you to notice me. I think I annoyed you to no end with all my talking, the numerous questions, the touching and the constant flirting. I never left you alone whenever we were in the same city."

"Yes, I remember," smiled Raven. "I thought you were nuts and had a death wish. A couple of times I volunteered to go on patrol just to get away from you. You really tested my patience."

"Ah, Rae, but I elicited a response from you!" exclaimed Roy.

"So does poison ivy, but that doesn't mean I want it around," said Raven deadpanned.

Roy laughed and clutched his heart exclaiming, "You wound me, my love!"

Raven playfully slapped Roy with a couch pillow.

"Seriously, I really wanted your attention, even it meant the possibility of sustaining grave injuries from you." He paused before continuing, "I did know that you would react more favorably to me if I showed a side of me that was not so superficial. I had previously acted in a carefree sometimes reckless manner to counteract any negative experiences. But since rehab, I have learnt one can't hide from the past, and I don't anymore. I have turned my life around and have left my partying playboy days behind."

Raven leaned over and nuzzled Roy's cheek and whispered, "I am happy for you."

Roy kissed Raven's forehead and continued, "So to answer your question, I first knew I was falling for you after we fought each other when Brother Evil controlled my mind. And I knew I was completely and utterly in love with you when you saved me after I overdosed."

Roy pulled Raven into his arms. He spoke softly, "As to why I love you, well there are several reasons. You are a contradiction. You have extraordinary powers but look so frail and vulnerable. You are distant but you are so loyal to your friends that you put their happiness above yours. You are half demon but you strive to do only good and you are my angel that gave me a reason for living. You are like a god but your personality is so down to earth it puts others to shame. You are more of a good person than any human I know. And of course, you are smart, beautiful and incredibly sexy without trying."

Raven was stunned. She knew Roy's feelings were deep. She was an empath after all. She was surprised however, at the expanse of time during which these feelings had evolved. With this insight and Roy's heart-searching reasons for his affection, any remaining doubt Raven may have had regarding his sincerity, evaporated.

Raven turned to look at Roy. "Now, you get to ask me a question," she said.

"Do you love me?" asked Roy, his eyes fixated on hers.

Raven laughed. "Like your arrows, you always aim for the heart of the matter Roy." She hesitated before continuing, "I have always appreciated your friendship, your honestly and your support. Contrary to your carefree image, you are more involved in your relationships with others then you let on. You have taught me to stretch my boundaries of emotions and to not be afraid to experience fun and embrace life. You brought out a side of me that I never thought possible. I really don't think anyone could have done that. Your persistence forced me to overcome my fear. And for that I am indeed thankful. Now, to answer your question. Recently, my appreciation and admiration for you have evolved into something deeper. I find myself thinking about you often. I like being with you and I miss you when you are not around. So yes Roy, I have fallen in love with you - very much indeed."

Roy was relieved and ecstatic. "You have no idea how long I have waited to hear you say those words," said Roy with fervor. "There were times, I didn't think you would ever consider me as anything more than a teammate so I prepared myself to live a life without you."

"You were prepared to walk away?" asked Raven.

"I would have left as soon as I saw you with someone else. I couldn't watch you go on with your life, loving another. My heart would never recover," replied Roy quietly.

"But I thought you were in love before. Wasn't that the reason you turned to drugs?" asked Raven, confused.

"I can honestly say I have never been in love with anyone before you. I never loved Cheshire. How could I love someone who I didn't know? She was pretending to be someone else when I first met her. I was attracted to that part but I when I found out who she really was, a killer and a crime boss, that attraction died. I turned to drugs because I was disappointed in myself. I thought myself a failure, someone who was manipulated and used," explained Roy.

"Everybody makes mistakes. Goodness knows I made a few myself," said Raven.

"So, did you love Red X, or Jason as you know him?" asked Roy, cautiously.

"Jason was my first boyfriend. I was eighteen and we had recently defeated my father. I think a part of me was relieved after the whole Trigon thing so I let my guard down. I was flattered with all the attention he showed me. I was not a hero around him, but a human who was experiencing unknown emotions for the first time. I honestly don't know if I ever loved him. But yeah it hurt when I found out he was Red X. I ended it right after. And the fact that I am an empath made it even worse. I should have figured out who he was earlier. That's probably why I have been reluctant to get into another relationship. And I guess that is one more thing we have in common. We have both been deceived by someone we were in a relationship with," said Raven with a sigh.

"At least that is not an issue with us," stated Roy. "We have been friends for years. We know each other's past and we have seen each other when we were at our best and at our worse. You are safe with me, Rae. I don't have any secrets from you."

"Thanks, Roy. I trust you and I hope you trust me too," replied Raven.

"I do," said Roy and he nuzzled her neck.

"So Roy, we still have half an hour. What else would you like to know about me?" asked Raven.

"hmmm. What do I have to do to convince you to marry me?" asked Roy, grinning.

"Good question," smiled Raven. "Before we started this discussion, I was concerned that maybe your affection for me was not long term. But with everything you have said, I think that is no longer a concern. I guess the only thing from stopping me from accepting your marriage proposal is me. It is still new to me, I mean seriously we haven't really dated! So I have to get my mind around this marriage possibility."

"OK, I think I can convince you to marry me by tonight," replied Roy.

"My, aren't we the cocky one?" said Raven, as she raised an eyebrow.

"Have you ever known me to be anything but persistent?" asked Roy.

"You have a point there," Raven conceded. "Why the rush into marriage? Shouldn't we date first?" asked Raven.

"Dating, for me anyway, is a phase where people get to know each other – to see if they are compatible. We already know each other – probably better than we know ourselves. We know the good and bad. And we definitely know that we are compatible. I have been in love with you for years. I don't want to wait another minute because I know you are what I want and what I need," stated Roy with finality.

"Augh...Roy…I don't know…I just don't know if I am ready for this," cried Raven in exasperation.

"What are you afraid of?" asked Roy.

Raven thought it over before answering, "Making a mistake and someone gets hurt."

"But you already said you loved me. And we know each other so there are no hidden skeletons to contend with. So unless, there is someone else you are thinking of, why shouldn't we get married?" asked Roy.

"No, I am not thinking of anyone else," replied Raven.

"Not even Richard?" asked Roy, suddenly serious.

"Richard? Oh gosh, no!" Raven laughed and explained, "Yes, Richard and I are close, the bond is a major part of course. When I first came here alone, as a young teenager to this planet I depended heavily on the team, especially Richard. He was and still is the "leader" but I am no longer that scared girl anymore. I am more independent so I don't need to rely on him as much and I do have other friends now. Besides, he is more like Batman than he admits. Which means he is dedicated to crime fighting and a relationship for him seems more of an amusing distraction. But I hope he changes, for Kori's sake."

"Good to hear. Anyone else I should be concerned about? Garfield, Wally, Garth?" asked Roy.

"Why are you asking me this now? Yes, they have expressed interest in me at one point or another and I might have went on a couple of dates with one of them but not recently," replied Raven.

"So who did you date," asked Roy with a scowl.

"Are you jealous? Really? It was just a few dinners and a couple of outings. Nothing serious," replied Raven, smiling.

"I repeat, who did you date?" asked Roy, not finding any humor in this information.

"Garth…," Raven finally admitted.

"That bastard! Wait till I see him again. He knew I was interested in you and yet he goes behind my back and asks you out!" shouted Roy, clearly agitated now.

"Roy, it was before you overdosed. We went out to dinner maybe three or four times and then a carnival and bowling. It stopped as soon as you entered the hospital and we are just good friends. Nothing more. We were never together," explained Raven.

"Why did you go out with him?" asked Roy.

"Why? Who wouldn't want to date him? Garth is sweet, intelligent, a perfect gentleman and of course, tall, dark, handsome with a great body. Add the fact that he is a prince and you have quite a package," replied Raven.

"Geez, Rae, can you at least try not to be so enthusiastic when describing him? I have feelings you know!" scowled Roy.

"Garth may sound like the perfect man but he is not what I need. I need someone who can pull me out of my shell and challenge me to make me feel and do new things. And at the same time I need him to stand by my side to support me in case I fall. I need someone who loves me completely without reservations. I need you Roy," said Raven.

"Does that mean…?" asked Roy, hoping beyond hope.

"Yes, Roy Harper, I will marry you," whispered Raven sweetly and her lips locked on to his.