A/N It's all fun and games till someone loses an eye – then it's a sport. Dibs on the sneaker deal, you can have the electrolyte beverage contract.
Disclaimer – Let us suppose that ownership of the Teen Titans is x and that all answers that are "true" are ones in which x is equal to 1. Warner Brothers owns the Teen Titans, and they're number one for that. And even if I could own the Teen Titans, it would be imaginary. (i in math is called the imaginary number and is equal to the square root of -1.) Yeah, I'm kind of on a math kick lately. I will absolutely explain my ridiculous logic for this disclaimer for anybody who wants it.
A Year In The Life – June – It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father. (Pope John XXIII)
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"Come on, Raven. Open the door."
"No." came the muffled reply.
"But Robin and Star are gonna be leaving soon and Star wants to say bye."
The muffled replies continued. "You already know I never come out during this weekend. Cyborg will be gone in the morning but he'll be back on Monday; you'll be on your own for a day and a half. You can handle that."
"So what? I can also handle being thrown into a brick wall, but I'm not lining up for that ride any time soon. Besides, it's not about what I can handle. It's about you not doing this anymore. I thought you were done with hiding in your room."
"I'm not hiding, I'm mourning."
"Of course it's morning, the sun came up an hour ago."
Raven's door opened a crack. "IN mourning, not THE morning."
"I know." Said Beast Boy as he pushed his way inside her room; turning to face her after he'd gone a few paces past. "I was getting tired of talking to a wall."
"Get out, Beast Boy." Raven said trying to pull him towards the door.
"It's not like I'm making you go outside or anything, I'm just not letting you sulk in here alone all weekend."
"Beast Boy, it's been like this every Father's Day since we've met. Why would I change now?"
"Cause you don't need to punish yourself because your father sucks."
"I'm not punishing my…just…look. I'm perfectly fine with Robin going off to see Batman, and taking Starfire is a big deal for them. And I completely understand that Cyborg hasn't talked to his father in a really long time, so that's important for him too. And I get that it looks like I'm locking myself away because my father is the worst example of one in the world. But I'm staying in here, alone, because I don't want to feel like crap and look like it while my friends are doing things that matter so much."
"Huh?"
Raven closed her eyes half to collect her thoughts and half to keep her emotions in check. "I don't want to bring everybody else down. I can't help it though. Father's Day is just a reminder that I don't have one."
"Dude, is that all?" Beast Boy said smiling. "I'll share mine!"
Raven's expression was quizzical. She shook her head experimentally and found that she really had heard what she'd thought she'd heard. "I'm not sure it works that way. Doesn't Mento have a say in…"
"Not him." Beast Boy said with a little chuckle. "I mean my real dad."
It was difficult to be delicate with that kind of preamble. "Isn't he…"
"Tomorrow after Cy leaves I'll come get you before I head out." Beast Boy said as he walked out of her room.
"But I didn't say…"
"Probably around ten." Beast Boy said as he shut the door. "And you still need to go say goodbye to Rob and Star." Came the muffled addendum.
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Ten o'clock the next day quietly rolled around and Raven found herself lightly pacing. She knew that Beast Boy wasn't going to accept no for an answer, but all the day did was bring up past hurt. Her father had done horrible things just to have a child he could use in a disposable fashion. To him, she was an object, a means to an end and nothing more.
Maybe he could be talked out of this.
"Raven, time to go!" said a chipper voice accompanied by a knock. "I've already got some breakfast for you if you haven't eaten and lunch is covered too."
Maybe not.
She sighed in self-commiseration, squared up her small frame, and opened the door. "So…"
"Yeah?"
"Any chance you'll leave me alone?"
"Nope."
"Where are we going?"
"Just a few places I go to remember my dad. Come on."
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Walking alongside Beast Boy as he strolled down the street, a backpack she had rarely seen slung over one of his shoulders, Raven looked over her own shoulder at the tower in the distance. She could still make out which window was hers.
"So, first up is the cemetery."
Raven snapped her attention back to Beast Boy. "What? I thought your parents died in Africa."
The light that always seemed to be shining from the boy's eyes dimmed a little. "They did, but this is where they were from. Mom was a professor at JCU when dad got invited to talk about his big discovery in Egypt. He was brought in on some pyramid dig and found a new kind of beetle and there was a lot of talk about it because it only lives inside the pyramid it was found in. Kind of made him a big shot. Well, for biologists. But they hit it off and got married pretty quick after that."
"That's why you came to Jump after you left the Doom Patrol."
"Yeah." Beast Boy's eyes regained their brightness. "I didn't really live here. From what I could find we moved to Africa before I even turned one. It took me a while, but I found out what places they used to go to; you know, for dates and stuff. And I go to some of those places on days like this to remember them."
"They were buried here?"
"Nah. They never found them. But my family's got a plot and there's a couple headstones with their names on them."
Beast Boy's nonchalance couldn't hide his emotions and Raven found herself uncomfortable with where she had led the conversation. "I'm sorry I'm asking about all this. We can stop, if you want to."
"Why would I want to?" Beast Boy asked with a lop-sided smile. "My folks were awesome. How many kids get to go to Africa instead of school? Mom still taught me stuff, usually at night since she was my dad's main assistant, totally nepotism, but I learned about stuff from the tribes we'd hang out with too. And dad would tell me all kinds of stories. Stories about the animals and African legends and stuff."
Raven lightly lifted her cheeks in a smile. "That does sound pretty cool. How old were you?"
"Eight, I think." Beast Boy's smile grew as he looked over Raven's head. "Hey, we're here."
Beast Boy opened the gate for Raven and the pair of them picked their way across the cemetery to the back section Beast Boy had said contained his family's plot.
The mausoleum at the center of the Logan family lot stood serenely gazing out at the rest of the tombs and headstones in front of it. Raven found it a bit austere and was quietly ignored by Beast Boy when she attempted to ask why his family's 'plot' was more of a private cemetery.
As they walked around the stately old center structure Beast Boy headed directly for what were obviously the newest headstones in the area. While most were graying from age and weather, these two still held a brightness in their granite-work.
"Okay, so the only rule about today is that you don't get to make fun of me for anything I do that I'm doing for Father's Day. If I, like, walk into a wall or something, go to town, but this stuff's off-limits. Fair?"
"I guess."
"Alrighty then. Raven, I'd like you to meet your dad for the day, Mark Logan. Dad, this is Raven and you're her dad today. I've told you about her before."
Raven arched an eyebrow but said a little uncertainly, "All good I hope." Seeing Beast Boy still looking expectantly at her she turned back towards the tombstone. "It's nice to meet you."
Beast Boy gave an approving nod. "So, anyway, here's what's been going on lately. Since the Brain and all those other guys are in jail, it's been kinda slow. We went on a vacation to Japan where we fought this police commissioner guy who was creating bad guys just so he could look good catching them. Robin and Starfire are FINALLY dating, it took them forever, but it looks like they're happy. Oh! And I found out that girls totally dig a green guy who does karaoke."
Raven rolled her eyes a little at Beast Boy's bravado. "Aren't you forgetting to brag about Saint Patrick's Day?"
"Huh? Nah. They were here for that. Okay, this next thing is kind of personal, so you have to go wait on the other side of the little building."
"It's called a mausoleum."
"Right, go wait near the front of it and I'll come get you when it's your turn."
"My turn for what?" asked Raven as he gently pushed her on her way.
"Tell you when I'm done."
Raven slumped her shoulders in a little pout but trudged back up to the crypt they'd passed on the way in all the same. She could still see Beast Boy from where she was and it looked like he was talking to the tombstone again, though he was definitely more engaged with it this time. She watched him talking and it was like watching him with Cyborg. He had gone into that way of carrying himself that told people he knew how weird he could be and was perfectly okay with being that way.
A touch of envy flitted through Raven's mind, but her admiration for how her friend had become so comfortable in his own skin chased it away. Before too long Beast Boy was waving her back over.
"Your turn." He called as she drew close. "It's easy too. Just tell him everything that's on your mind that you think talking to a dad would be helpful to do, or cool, or fun, or just because you want to tell somebody who'd care and be happy for you."
Raven eyed the headstone a little.
"Don't worry, he's a great listener. And he would want to hear everything you want to tell him. I used to go on and on about whatever stupid little thing I'd done during the day when I was a kid and he was always listening and paying good attention. He'd even ask questions about stuff, which I'm pretty sure he did just because I was excited about whatever I was talking about. Give it a try."
Raven looked up from the headstone and waited a little while. When Beast Boy still hadn't left she pointed back towards the mausoleum. "And go far enough that you can't hear me." She added as he started to walk away with a grin on his face. He waved to show he'd heard.
Raven was a little surprised to see him walk well past the crypt and almost to the gate of the cemetery before he turned around and waved again. Satisfied she turned back towards her loaner father. "Well…I have no idea what to say. Beast Boy said you were a good listener, but I think he was just trying to be funny again. He's getting better at that at least."
"I don't really know what to say because I've never had somebody to talk to like this before. He's got memories of you that sound pretty cool. He's a good person. Everybody already knows that because of all the superhero stuff we do, but even behind that it's there. He bugs me every chance he gets because he wants me to smile or laugh or just be a part of the group, and he never gives up; even when I wish he would."
"I might like him, you know, as more than friends, but I don't really know how to deal with that either. The first guy who ever showed any interest never called and the other one turned out to be an evil dragon. We have pretty strange lives."
"I think I would have liked to have known Beast Boy when you were around. He makes having a dad sound like everything it's supposed to be. I guess you did a really good job. I've got a mother, a real mom, but it would have been nice to have that other person looking out for you. Watching over you."
"Since this is all just some strange Father's Day ritual Beast Boy thought up, I don't think I'm going to be having any kind of major break through here, but it's nice to know he cares."
"Don't tell him what I've said."
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Raven and Beast Boy were walking in a companionable silence. Beast Boy was smiling at everything and seemed to be trying to soak up the sun like a flower. Raven was still introspective about her 'chat' with Beast Boy's father. It seemed like such a silly idea, talking to an empty grave, but she really was feeling better than she was this morning. Maybe the boy had some real smarts after all. "Where to next?"
"College."
That might be more smarts than she had been figuring. "Excuse me?"
"The college. My mom used to teach there and dad was brought on as a visiting professor after his Egypt bug thing. We're going to his old office."
"Oh." Raven thought quietly to herself for a bit. "Isn't it somebody else's office now?"
"Not really. When we all went to Africa he and mom were still teachers there, they were just on sabbatical. They were supposed to come back after their research was done. The guy I talked to said colleges do stuff like that because it's a kind of advertising. 'Look at all the big important stuff our teachers are doing.' That kind of thing."
"But why does he still have an office?"
"The bugs. He was already pretty well known for the Egypt one, but while we were in Africa he kept finding new species. That's why we stayed out there so long. He'd be studying the birds or the lions or rhinos or whatever and would stumble on some new bug. One of them was a mite that he found on a bunch of different birds. Another was a new kind of dung beetle." Seeing Raven's nose scrunch up he grinned. "Hey, it might be kinda gross now, but when I was a kid it made him a rock star. And since it was a lot of good press for the school, they turned his office into a kind of mini-museum to show off what he and my mom were finding."
Beast Boy's smile faded, but his happiness in talking about his father was starting to grow on Raven. "So they just left it up after he died?"
"Yeah. His office is right next to the library, so now it's just another exhibit. JCU's supposed to be a pretty good school for biology and entomology, and my mom and dad helped make it that way."
The pair turned a corner and the Jump City University campus sprawled out in front of them. Beast Boy pointed off to a building that looked as though it had been well cared for despite its age. There was a campus security guard waiting for them at the door and after a brief greeting and polite introduction between Raven and the guard, whose name was Stan, in they went.
Inside was a tall, wide room with a view up to a skylight. Bookshelves stretched in almost every direction with floor after floor ringing its way around the central hub of the library. Feeling like a kid in a candy store, Raven caught herself after only a few strides towards one of the many rows of treasure.
Beast Boy chuckled a little with a promise he would bring her back to just look at books on another day. He led the way up a set of stairs, down several rows of books, and finally to a hallway tucked near the back of the building that looked as though it connected to the building behind it.
The office they were looking for was easy to spot as the wall separating it from the library proper had been knocked out. Probably so groups could visit the display without all of them having to cram into the tiny space. There were maps with colored pins showing discovery locations and travel paths. There were displays with insects pinned in neat little rows all meticulously labeled. And there were souvenirs that gave an idea what kind of people had been met in the remote locations the maps showed.
But the centerpiece was a photograph blown up to poster size that bore the label 'Mark & Marie Logan Memorial Exhibit'. Raven took a few steps forward before catching herself and looking back to Beast Boy who just gestured her back towards the picture.
The Logans had the look of real explorers. Mark was bearded with rough looking skin and an easy, and familiar, smile. Marie was definitely where Beast Boy got his face though. She was an inquisitive looking woman with gentle eyes. They were both heavily tanned. "When was this taken?"
"About a year before they died."
"You smile like your dad."
Beast Boy smiled to show just how true that was. "I know. Mom said he was a bit of a prankster." Beast Boy laughed. "She used to say he tricked her into a first date. See, it was her classroom where he gave his first lecture here, cause she had one of the biggest, and he's thanking her for it afterwards and she's talking about what a good lecture it was. And he just asks her out. She said no because they'd just met and he says,
'I'll make you a bet. I'll bet I can identify any ten different species of insect in the area by sound alone. If I pull it off, we'll go on a date, and if not, I'll leave you alone.'
"So, of course she agrees since she wants to see if he can really do it. And he has her meet him a little after dark and tells her to take him wherever she wants to so he can prove it. Well, after getting through about four or five bugs, she tells him that it's getting late and that they'll continue the next day. And he thanks her for the lovely walk in the moonlight and says,
'I hope our next date is as good as this one.'
"And then he smiles and walks off." Beast Boy beamed. "Totally awesome prank."
Raven had to agree.
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Lunch, as it turns out, was part of the Father's Day trip as well. Though the story behind it was hardly as introspective as the cemetery nor as steeped in personal history as the old office. "It's the closest place off campus, so mom and dad ate here sometimes." And that was it. No endearing stories, no personal marks left on the place, nothing. It had even been bought and sold a few times, changing significantly with each new owner.
Currently it was called The Burrito Factory; a name Raven felt did little to encourage someone to enter. The burritos were awfully good though.
They passed the time comparing other fathers. Beast Boy had apparently had a string of horrible guardians until he ended up being adopted by Mento and Elastigirl. And although they were scores better than the other replacements had been, it was pretty obvious to Raven that Mento and Beast Boy weren't on the greatest of terms. She could tell they loved each other, but it felt like there were things getting in the way of either of them being able to fully admit that.
After lunch they struck out again, this time heading for a nearby park. Beast Boy explained that it was a special dating spot his dad had. He'd also explained that he wasn't trying to trick her on a date or anything, just going where he always went. A small part of Raven, well hidden of course, was disappointed.
The park in question, it turned out, was the same one they always went to when the team felt a need to be in a bit of nature but not too far from home. The big, green, grassy field where they normally set out their picnic was left behind as Beast Boy led the way to a small pond that rested on one of the borders of the grounds.
There was a gnarled looking oak tree that provided a little shade, but Beast Boy made his way to the exact opposite side of the pond.
"Okay, see the oak tree over there?"
Raven nodded. It would have been impossible to miss especially since it was where she had thought they were headed.
"Well, watch the water where its roots are showing."
Raven did as she was told. There were bees or flies buzzing around the mossy limbs, but the pond seemed calm. The tranquility of it was seeping in when there was a sudden flash of scales, a snap of a small mouth, and a plop as the fish plunged back into the water. Beast Boy's laughter made Raven's head turn towards him.
"There's koi in the pond, and there's some kind of fly that lives in the oak tree, so the fish have learned that jumping at the flies can get them a tasty little meal."
"Cool. Is this where your dad proposed, or something?"
"Nah, this was just his favorite date spot. He proposed at my mom's favorite, wanted the odds in his favor. Besides, I save that place for Mother's Day. Mom loved her wedding."
Raven watched as another fish sprang from the water for a quick bite. "Hey, Beast Boy?"
"Yeah, Rae?" he said, his eyes still following the koi in the pond.
"Thank you for today. My father has always been a sore point…"
"Nope. That's your old dad. You've got mine now, when you need him, so the old one doesn't matter any more. Anyway, I always thought that failing as a dad was the worst thing you could do. So it's his loss, he doesn't get any of the credit for how awesome you are."
Raven smiled then pulled Beast Boy into a fierce hug. Tears had never seemed possible for her, but Raven was great at shows of gratitude when she wanted to be.
Beast Boy was great at things that didn't involve his friends suddenly hugging him and awkwardly patted her on the shoulder until she let go.
"Thank you, Beast Boy."
"He-ey, don't mention it." Beast Boy turned towards the tower that they both knew was there even if they couldn't see it. "So, no more moping in Ravenland on Father's Day, right?"
"Right."
"I'm totally giving my dad all the credit for any awesome you pull off from here on out though."
Raven gave half a chuckle and the ghost of a smile. "Fair enough."
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So, there ya go. Another chapter in this highly (intentionally) disjointed that I'm finally back to writing. And all it's taking to keep me going like I want to is the firm refusal to go to bed before I've written at least something. I've also been playing little creativity games in my head a lot lately and I hope to start using the stuff that's been floating around eventually. But I want to finish this story first.
I've always hated it when a fic I was reading and enjoying ended and when I looked at the last update, saw it was years old. It's really bothered me that I'd been neglecting this for so long, but it feels good to be getting back to it.
But don't expect me to keep getting a chapter up every few days. I work a graveyard shift with ten-hour days, so the heavy lifting for writing time is done on the weekend. Expecting a chapter a week seems reasonable though. Feel free to berate me if I fall short of that.
And as a minor thing, everything about Beast Boy's parents was made up by me. In the comics they're working on genes and DNA and stuff, but biologists in the field tend more towards studying biology than doing genetic research, so I changed it though how Garfield gets his powers would likely remain the same. I'd just come at it form a different angle given this setup.