(For Sarah)

"For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand."

-William Butler Yeats, The Stolen Child

Irises

His mother once told him: "Whenever the bad things in the world take something precious from you, the world always gets around to giving you something else. It's not the same thing, but it's just as precious."

Years later, when his mother was nothing more than a bloodstained memory that could never wash away, the Man in Black he now called Father warned him of the pain they shared. "Grief is the enemy. There's no time for grief. There's no room for grief. Grief turns into acceptance. Forgiveness. Grief forgives what can never be forgiven. Never."

Explaining he would be out of town for two days, Robin left Cyborg in charge and disappeared without another explanation. Pure trust in him kept the Titans from a panicked search of the city…that, and the fact Robin dropped off of everyone's radar like this every year.

And every year around this same time, a boy with no name appears on the East Coast near Gotham City, eyes always hiding behind a pair of wraparound sunglasses than a mask. His dark hair was always messy and unkempt- unlike the Titan's Teen Wonder. A black trenchcoat whipping the air like a shudder in the wind-chill, this dark boy ghosted Gotham's graveyards during the winter season, leaving behind only pair of bright yellow Iris flowers to mark the shared grave of two nobody circus performers who've long been dead for almost a decade.

Subtle Love Songs

He was bored and had the living room all to himself. In Titan's Tower, leaving Beast Boy alone to own devices was the usual recipe for trouble.

Fortunately, Beast Boy didn't feel like trouble that morning. The team had run around the city almost the entire night before chasing down Johnny Rancid as he took a joyride in his new monster truck. 'Monster' being the word, as Johnny decided to bolt his giant mechanical dog to the frame of a truck.

And since no one even bothered remembering it took energy to flap his arms to fly, Beast Boy had exhausted himself to the point of collapsing onto the couch and sleeping through the entire morning still in uniform.

So when the changeling woke up sometime during the afternoon found a sticky-note posted to the Television explaining the team had gone to the mall shopping, he had only one thought on his mind…

"Aw yeah! BB's in the HOWWSSE! Let's RAWK!"

The couch cushions were quite comfy. And bouncy; good for jumping on.

But bad for dancing.

Thunk

"Ow…"

Fishing a CD from his collection on the shelf, Beast Boy fed the music to the Titan's multi-disk tray, turned up the volume to 'make my ears red' and pressed PLAY. Strumming the strings of a guitar only he could see, the green teen swayed to the rhythm as sang the lyrics with enough talent that….left much to be desired.

"And I'd give up forever to touch you, 'cause I know that you feel me somehow/you're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be; and I don't want to go home right now…"

A small little detail Beast Boy failed to realize before starting his little 'solo', however, was that even though his teammates had left a note saying they had gone to the mall, it didn't mean everyone had gone to the mall.

Especially since Raven wasn't exactly a mall rat in her own right...

"And all I can taste is this moment, and all I can breathe is your life… 'cause sooner or later it's over…I just don't want to miss you tonight…"

And when Raven stalked into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, Beast Boy didn't notice her until the second verse. To his credit, when the changeling finally noticed he had an audience, his singing or air-guitaring didn't skip a beat. Instead, he slid across to floor towards her, pronouncing the notes on his invisible guitar as he sang with a grinfull of fangs.

"And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming, Or the moment of truth in your lies…When everything seems like the movies, yeah you bleed just to know you're aliiiivvveee….

"You really are a terrible singer, so you know," Raven commented monotonously.

And he sang on, even louder. "And I don't want the world to see me, 'cause I don't think that they'd understand! When everything's made to be broken; I just want you to know who I AAAAMMMMMMMMMM-"

Sending a tremor of her power into the CD player, Beast Boy's song cut rudely out of the speakers. The music player still glowing the a black aura, its tray shuffled inside itself and blasted a new track from another disc.

"I love you, I hate you, I can't get around you…"

"There," the sorceress declared with a rouge smirk. "Much better."

Smiling widely, Beast Boy thrummed wildly on his guitar of air, howling with Raven's new song. "I breathe you, I taste you, I can't live without you!"

Raven shook her as BB nudged her shoulder, urging her to join in. "I just can't take anymore, this life of solitude…I guess that I'm out the door, And now I'm done with you!"

Finally relenting with a sigh, Raven whispered with him and the music.

(Done with you, done with you, done with you, done with you, done with you)

Another flicker of black shut the music off. The air between them seemed empty without it.

"You're still a lousy singer."

"Yeah, I know."

Past Lives

It was an unspoken taboo; their lives before the Titans.

After her brief visit into Robin's mind, Raven kept the memories of soaring ropes, circus tents, fire, blood, and grief to herself. Cyborg noticed when his green buddy grew quiet during heavy rainstorms; Beast Boy's mile-long stare searching for something he had lost in the violent, surging waves.

Tinkering in the garage with Robin, Cyborg once mentioned a rocky relationship with his father and a girlfriend who dumped him after his prosthetics were installed, but never once mentioned his mother.

Starfire's older sister Blackfire was and occasional criminal the team had to tackle, and they had all visited Tamaran and met Star's k'norfka; but none of the Titans could recall her saying anything her parents in the princess' endless stream of dialogue about her homeworld.

Raven's mother was just another whisper among the ghosts of Azarath, and her father…

Well, Trigon the Terrible needed no explanation.

It started out as just a joke Cyborg and Beast Boy cooked up, and Starfire was delighted to participate with them on a certain 'Day of Fathers'. Raven outright refused, attending the surprise party only because it happened to be thrown in the common room while she was reading.

Cy and BB still thought Robin's reaction was hilarious.

"For the last time Beast Boy! I'm not your daddy!"

Ever since that first prank party, Father's Day at Titans Tower was unofficially called 'Robin Day'.

Star Child

"Now…let us see if I have understood this correctly," Starfire said with careful thought. "This Holy Carpenter person was nailed with much irony to a plus-shaped piece of wood for committing a crime he did not in actuality commit?"

Skilled at multitasking, Raven levitated in the lotus position as she turned the page of her book and said with a taxed sigh, "Yes, Star. That's just about how it happened."

"This Earth-lore is quite gruesome," mused Starfire. "On Tamaran, we believe our people were born from the ashes of burning stars, just as our planet, solar system, and galaxy was. It is said our gifts of flight and strength, star bolts, and even our fair skin were gifts from the very guardian star we orbit, as we are all its children."

"How poetic. Just to remind you though, I'm not from this dimension; Earth's lore is just as weird for me as it is for you."

It was mercifully quiet as Starfire hovered alongside Raven, tapping her finger to her lip thoughtfully. Finally, she decided aloud "I believe I enjoy Friend Beast Boy's description of this 'Chris-legend' better."

Raven's hooded head lifted from her book. "How's that?"

"According to him, the after the Christ-man dies, he somehow moves the large rock covering his tomb, walks out, and dooms the Earth to six more weeks of winter if he sees his shadow."

Out of the frying pan…

"Raven! Save me!"

She was just passing through the hall when Beast Boy rounded and corner and ran towards her like a frantic rabbit fleeing from a fox. Before she could even react, a fuzzy green squirrel darted under her cloak and clutched the sorceress leg.

Cyborg approached her not a moment later, human and mechanical eyes searching as the sonic cannon whined, alive and hungry. "Where is he? Where'd that no good snot colored fuzz ball run off to!"

The squirrel trembling madly against her leg, Raven silently pointed downwards to her feet.

For a guy with a computer for a brain, Cyborg wasn't that bright. "AH-HA! Went downstairs did he? Thanks Rae, that little grass stain can't run from me! I know everything that goes on in this tower!"

When Cyborg's mad ramblings fell quiet enough in the halls, Beast Boy's human head peeked from under Raven's cloak. "Is it safe to come out?"

"What did you do?"

"Well, I'll tell you what I didn't do: wrap the T-Car in three layers of plastic wrap."

Rolling her eyes, Raven waited a moment before asking dryly. "Beast Boy? You mind…uh…getting out from under my legs?"

Still eyeing the hallway warily for Cyborg, the changeling was dense to the concept. "Huh? Why?"

"It's…not…appropriate." She said slowly.

Beast Boy stared up at her with a puzzled look…until it suddenly dawned on him where exactly his head was in relation to Raven's legs. Seeing the green boy blush was always interesting to watch. "Hehehehe….oh right, you're a girl, aren't you? S'easy to forget sometimes."

So much like a deer in the headlights, Beast Boys froze when Raven's eyes flashed blood red.

"Robin! Save me!"

NEVER tell a girl it's easy to forget she is one. It makes the situation that much worse when you're accidentally…touching something you shouldn't. I learned that from Saiyoko the hard way. Anywhoo's, not only do I not own Teen Titans, I don't own Goo Goo Dolls 'Iris' or Saliva's 'Always'. Sorry if that seemed to songfic-y (yes, that's a real world, wanna fight about it?), but I couldn't resist. As usual, reviews, constructive criticisms and the like are always appreciated. I plan to have a new chapter released on Christmas day, after that is anybody's guess.

See you next time and thanks for reading,

-Cy