Raven had been stalling for the past hour. She had gotten the boys, and herself, fed and cleaned up. The water wasn't hot, but it worked, and Raven had learned enough times to be thankful that there was even water in the first place. She double and triple checked the ingredients used in the ritual and went over every word of the spell. There hadn't been anything else to do…until her communicator had gone off. She'd left the boys in the kitchen and her comm unit on the counter. When it began to go ring, she'd sprinted over there so fast she knocked over of the chairs.
She pressed the accept button so hard she thought her thumb might go through the screen. As the picture came into focus, all she could think about was seeing her friends. The boys were trying to see as well, but Raven held up a finger to let them know to stay out of the frame until it was ok. She didn't know if this was a scheme or not, but her instructions had been not to answer unless they called her first. She didn't know what to expect, but either way, she'd be talking to someone.
Finally, the screen cleared and Cyborg's face filled the surface. Raven couldn't help but sag in relief. Cyborg looked just as relieved as she felt; soon the faces of Starfire, and then Aqualad and Speedy came on.
"Oh, thank god, you're alright." Cyborg sounded like he'd been through hell. She wanted to ask, but there were other pressing matters. "I know you probably wanted to call, but I'm glad you didn't, Raven. Things have been nuts." Raven let a smile go, she could imagine. These past two days had felt like she'd forgotten the rest of the world.
"We're ok, see?" Raven walked over and got the boys onto the screen. She let the others do their own checks, and then got right into what she found. "I have a way to fix this. I was going to do the spell here, but if you all are back at the tower-"
"No! Stay where you are, we'll come to you." Starfire cut her off. Her friend's voice was urgent. "We don't know if these people will come back to the tower."
"She's right. I've got your coordinates, we can come to you and finally finish this." Cyborg smiled down at the two boys who were curled up against Raven. "About time we get these guys back to normal."
Raven ended the call after Cyborg assured her that he did have the coordinated to get here and then allowed herself a moment to hug both of the smaller kids. By the end of the day, hopefully, she'd have both of her friends back. This little magical situation had gone on long enough in her opinion. She wouldn't be surprised if they all got some sort of magical protocol after this. Eventually, she let them go free from her hold.
"Are we going home now?" Robin asked. Both boys, who were half-asleep earlier, now were wide awake and ready to go. Raven helped them down from the counter and then went to check all the supplies. She had everything, but now she was wondering if she should wait until the others got here or do it now. Deciding it might be best to wait, Raven left the living room and headed back into the kitchen. Robin was trying to jump up onto the counter so he could peek out of the very tiny window near the ceiling; Beast Boy had somehow found a way back up and was watching the other boy's antics with a smile.
"What are you doing?" Raven sat down on the chair. Robin stopped his jumping and put his hands on his hips.
"I want to see out the window." Robin tried to climb up using the cabinets, but Raven stopped him before he could seriously hurt himself.
"Then ask, I'll help you." Raven put him next to Beast Boy. "How'd you get up here?"
"I climbed up." Her friend was unaware of the shocked look on Robin's face and Raven couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, but from now on, why don't we ask for help. The last thing any of us need are injuries before the others finally get here."
The boys stay there, alternating between asking her questions and trying to see out of the window. Raven wanted to call Cyborg again, but she knew he probably had his hands full. Plus, she didn't want to use up what was left of her battery. She hadn't been able to find a charger in the supplies left here. After what felt like hours, Raven heard the comforting hum, of the T-Jet. Her body leapt, sprinting for the door, and then she was picked up by the solid weight of Cyborg's frame. Starfire curled around her, then quickly scooped up the boys. For the next few minutes, they were all hugging each other, checking for injuries, and generally feeling great for the first time in days. When the excitement of being back together died down, they all made themselves comfy on the floor; the couches didn't have enough room for all of them. Speedy was telling them what happened at the tower, clearly leaving things out. He gave her a look that she took to mean that he wouldn't say a word with the kids in the room. Before long, Raven was telling them about the spell that could fix this.
"So, you've had the solution in your head the whole time?" Aqualad looked disgruntled, and she didn't blame him. If she had just gone to Nevermore from the start, this whole mess could have been dealt with at the tower. "Well, alright then. Let's get this show started."
"Will it work?" Cyborg asked. He had Beast Boy in his arms; his best friend was exploring the paneling, and it didn't look like Cyborg was going to stop him. Raven nodded her head.
"Yes, it should. We have all the materials, and the wards are already up here. I can do the spell and then we can go home." Robin perked up.
"We're going home now!" Starfire laughed and pressed a kiss to his head.
"They've been asking about you guys since we got here." Raven admitted. She had a feeling there was going to be a lot of explaining when the boys were at the right age again. Cyborg grabbed her hand.
"You did well, Raven. Now," Cyborg stood up and looked at her. "Let's finish this."
Raven left the boys with the others in the kitchen while she double and triple checked the spell. When she felt that everything was set, she pulled the boys aside.
"It won't hurt, alright?" Raven had made sure that they wouldn't feel anything, but she was more focused on soothing their concerns right now. "It'll probably be over faster than you think." Raven didn't want the others in the same room when the spell was going on, so they elected to wait down by the storage closets. She had the two boys stand in the middle of the circle, taking care not to knock over any candles.
"Just remember to stay in the circle, alright?" When she was ready to start, she sent an encouraging smile to them, and raised her hands. Magic was something hard to explain. It flowed easily through her, but had a mind of its own. The room seemed to come alive, and the marking on the floor glowed. The candles, all lit, glowed brighter with each word she spoke. In an instant, and a bright flash of light, it was all over. The force of the spell had her knocked down on her butt. She looked at the boys, and instantly covered her eyes.
"Raven?" Beast Boy's voice sounded normal.
"Yes, Beast Boy?" God, Raven wished she had thought this part through more. She could only hope that the others didn't burst in right now. The two guys might actually die from embarrassment.
"Would you like to tell us why we're in the middle of a magic circle thing?" So, they didn't remember anything, which answered that question. Robin cleared his voice.
"And why we're missing our clothes." Raven fumbled for an answer.
"Look, we can talk specifics later, but all you need to know is that there was magic involved, not mine, and you guys were kids for a few days. Just, stay here and I'll find some clothes for you."
"Raven, there are two pillows behind you, please throw them over here." Raven did so, without looking. "I'm kind of scare to ask how we got here in the first place."
"Please tell me you're back to normal? No missing limbs, actually at the right age?"
"We're fine, but, um, before we ask for details, can we figure out the clothing issue?" Raven had never moved so fast in her life. She eagerly told the others that it worked, but stopped them from going in.
"We have a clothing issue."
"What do you mean-"Cyborg started to ask, then burst out laughing. Starfire looked confused, but clearly the titan east boys had gotten it.
"Cyborg we can hear you!" Robin didn't sound angry, but Raven didn't want to chance it.
"Calm down, gel head. We'll find you a cape or something." Cyborg laughed some more, then walked away, saying he was going to check the jet. Raven and Starfire started looking through boxes, while Speedy and Aqualad watched. Cyborg came back in a bag of clothes, probably stashed away for overnight trips, and Raven had never been more grateful for Robin's neurotic planning.
"Stuffs in there. Hurry up, boys, we've got a lot to talk about." They waited eagerly in the hall, trying hard to laugh at the confused mutterings from behind the door. When the door finally opened, Starfire flew through and they all winced when they heard the sound of impact. Star had never grasped the concept of hugging anyone gently. Both of them looked utterly confused, mostly concerned, and tried to calm down the girl who was now crying.
It takes them some time to sort everything out. Cyborg can't stop making jokes, but he insists on checking them over for injuries before anything serious can be discussed. The last thing either boy can remember is that day with Mumbo, so it's a lot to take in. Starfire alternates between curling into Robin and clutching Beast Boy to her side. Speedy and Aqualad are just relieved that all this is over with, and within the hour all of them are crammed into the jet. Robin pesters them with questions, all of which have varying answers, and Beast Boy is mostly concerned with the fact that all of them were targeted by parties unknown.
That loose end also grates their nerves. They don't know who, or why, the two boys were targeted, and it looks like it'll be a few long nights dedicated looking at the motives behind it. The questions die down once Jump comes back into view, and by then everyone is too tired to spend any more time talking about the whole deaging mess. But no one goes to their rooms. Raven hunts down blankets, Cyborg blows up some air mattresses, and they all pile in together.
The matter isn't resolved, not in the slightest, but for tonight all they can focus on is getting their friends back to normal. Several times during the night one of them would wake up, check on everyone, check the security level, and then settle back in. When the morning came, they'd all help out with breakfast, enjoying the simplicity of it, and ignoring the fact that two of their friends had been kids the last time they were there.
But for now, as they're all distracted by pancakes and coffee, no one could find it in them to care.
Author's Note: And this story is done! Hope you guys enjoyed :)