Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or Nike. . . not one bit.

"I Love You Forevermore"

Forever And a Day

THREE

"Are you alright?" She asked him.

"Yes, thanks to you." He replied and she wondered how much he really knew.

Not knowing what else to say or to even say anything at all because of the awkward silence, Raven excused herself in the only way she could think of. "Good. I guess I'll be going, then." Rachel turned around but could and would not go any further because of the two muscular arms that wrapped around her waist.

"No. You're not going anywhere." Rachel's eyes widened as he said, "Not again."

—

"How'd you know who I was? I look nothing like my old self." Rachel said in shock.

"Oh, dying your hair, not wearing your chakra, getting color contacts, and going to a tanning booth regularly won't stop me from recognizing the only woman I'll ever love." Rachel leaned into his embrace and he held her closer to him than before.

"When'd you figure it out?" She asked and Cyborg decided to keep his mouth shut (this time) and leave the two lovebirds alone.

"I first noticed it when you touched my face." He admitted.

"Because I stole some of your pain?" She asked in curiosity.

"No. It was because I would recognize your touch, anywhere." He turned her around in his arms and kissed her lips like he had done in his dreams for the past seven years. He started out very gentle and slow. Little by little he worked his right hand up her arm, her neck, her jaw, her face, and settled in her ebony hair.

Soon his kisses became playful and they sped up. Her left hand was pressing his back closer to her and her right was on the side of his face feeling the short stubble that had begun to grow an hour or so ago. His kisses began to stray away from her mouth. He planted butterfly kisses along her jawline. She moaned when he licked her elegant neck, then he suckled on a particular spot; occasionally nipping here and there. Rachel brought her left hand to the back of his neck and hung on as he pushed their torsos even closer together. They did not stay together for long, however, when Rachel hesitantly pulled away from him. "We need to stop this." She told him in all seriousness.

She could hear Nightwing's heavy breathing for a minute before he replied. "What's the matter? I thought you loved me. . ." His voice was even, but she knew she had hurt him, again.

"I don't think we should continue here in the medical wing of all places for the first reason," He smirked at that thought. Yes, the medical wing was one of the least romantic spots and one that everyone had access to, "and the second is. . . I've always had a girlish dream to wait until my wedding night. So I'm not going to start anything until that time."

Realization dawned on Nightwing and he knew that he would have to respect her wishes. Besides, he had waited seven years, what was a little more time? "No, you're right." He told her. "I don't want to do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable."

She nodded and offered a thanks as he walked over to the sink and turned the faucet on. He kept his fingers under the running water until it grew to a frigid temperature and he splashed his face with the water in his cupped hands in attempt to cool himself down.

"What do you suppose we do until then?" He asked her when he came back, drying his face with a white hand towel. She was sitting down on top of one of the medical cots, watching him.

"Well, you're definitely a guy!" She chuckled at his response.

"And what, my dear Raven, could you possibly mean by that?" He pretended to sound outraged and hurt, but she knew him better than that.

"Guys have a one-track mind. That's all I'm saying." She waved her hand in front of her and Nightwing rolled his eyes. "But as for your question, I suggest we get you into civvies. . ." Nightwing opened his mouth to object but Rachel kept going. ". . .and then hopping over to my apartment for some privacy. Sound good?"

"But what do you feel comfortable with, Rae?" Nightwing asked her in concern and walked over to her on the medical cot. He held out his hand to her to help her down but she waited a moment to answer before she accepted it. "I don't mind making out. You know, if you want to. . ." She said with a light blush and took his hand.

"I'm good with anything you're good with." He told her compassionately and Rachel nodded as they left hand-in-hand.

—

Changeling stared at the screen as he and his cybernetic friend battled each other on their old but reliable Gamestation. "Face it, Tin Can, you can't beat the master of all video game-age!" Changeling said as he passed Cyborg in their race.

"Think again, green bean!" He exclaimed as he bumped his way into the lead.

"No way!" The green ex-Titan exclaimed. "That can't be! This game must be defective." He concluded as Cyborg drove across the finish line 3.27 seconds before Changeling.

"Boo-ya!" Cyborg yelled as Kori began to clap. "Face it, grass stain." He said. "You cannot beat the winner of all video game-age." Cyborg started doing his victory dance when the door swished open to revieal Nightwing in civvies (but still wearing his mask) and the girl, Rachel, was right behind him.

"Friend Nightwing." Kori said in confusion. "Why are you not dressed properly for the Day of Commemoration of our dear Friend Raven? I have even made the pudding of remembrance in preparation for this ev—"

"Don't worry about it, Kori." The girl, Rachel, said casually.

"You do not know the ways of—" Kori levitated in the air a good four feet above Rachel's head with starbolts ready when Nightwing stopped her with his voice. "Let her finish what she was saying, Kori. It's okay."

"Don't worry, you don't have to remember her anymore." Changeling smiled and Cyborg nodded at what Rachel had said. Kori, however, looked angrier that this stranger whom she had called 'Friend' had suggested that they forget about her best friend and ditch the ceremony they were about to commence with that day for the eighth time in the seven years Raven had been gone! "Star. . . I'm right here." Kori narrowed her eyes and didn't understand the underlying meaning this person was saying to her. So Rachel showed her. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" A dark wave of energy engulfed Rachel and Kori gasped as she finally realized what she had been trying to say. I'm right here and I'm here to stay.

When the dark energy had dissipated from Rachel, they saw the Raven they remembered. She was still in her civilian clothes she had been wearing all day, but the long violet hair, the grayish skin that had lightened into a soft shade of cream, the chakra, and she took out her color contacts to reveal amethyst eyes to prove that this was Raven. And she was back.

—

(Twenty-some minutes earlier)

The twosome walked out of the medical wing holding each other's hand. They walked down the hallways so familiar to them until they reached the elevator and took it down two floors to the floor with all their rooms on it. They walked down a separate hallway leading to Nightwing's room from when he was Robin. When the door opened Raven was surprised how much of it was exactly as she remembered. The desk with his computer and lamp, his queen bed with the (now faded) red bedspread, the billboard with all the newspaper clippings and leads of Slade along with other notorious villains. Everything was the same. She opened his closet and found his collection of Robin uniforms on the left side and on the right were civvies that looked like they were up-to-date and would fit him perfectly.

"Let's see here. . ." Rachel started searching through the hung up clothes one by one and taking out a pair of pants here, a shirt there, jackets, and other articles of clothing.

"What are you doing?" Nightwing asked Rachel when he saw her rummaging through his closet.

"I'm picking out your clothes." She said in answer to his question like it was no big deal.

"Don't I get some say in this?" He asked her, clearly offended.

She stopped with a pile of clothes draped over her left arm and looked at him. She scanned him from head to toe and back again before shaking her head. "No." She said simply.

"No?" He asked. "What do you mean 'no'? These are my clothes!" Nightwing nearly shouted. What does she think she's doing?

"Nightwing." She said to grab his attention from his anger to what she was saying. "You dressed like a walking traffic light for the five years the Titans were together. Before that, when you were with Batman, you wore superhero underwear and pixie boots. If you honestly think I'm going to let you dress yourself before we go out in the public then you got another thing coming!"

As much as Nightwing wanted to contradict her and provide an argument, he could not find a complex and sophisticated way to say 'but I'm better now'. He crossed his arms against his broad chest and he had an expression on his face that reminded her of a little boy who had been told he couldn't play with his favorite toy. She was expecting a 'hmph' on top of that, but he never made a sound. "Don't worry," Rachel said. "you'll get the final say." He nodded his head stubbornly, but held the look that made Rachel want to burst out in fits of laughter. She retained it though, but only because of years of controlling her emotions strictly.

Rachel finished looking through his closet and put the clothes on his bed. After sorting out the clothes into three different complete outfits she let Nightwing pick which one he would put on. Naturally, he picked the outfit consisting of a black tee that had the words "Stop Reading My Shirt" in white and loose, black and red shorts that went down to his knees. The outfit also had black socks with a white Nike mark on them and black sneakers with blood-red laces the same color as his shirt

Rachel started putting the other clothes away as Nightwing began to undress. He unhooked his belt, dropped it on the bed, and sat down to take off his steel-toed boots. They clunked heavy on the floor as he dropped them. He pulled the top of his costume off, careful not to make the hole where he got shot any bigger. He examined the scab on his left breast. It was so close to his heart. . . If she hadn't been there, he definitely would have died.

"What's the matter?" Rachel asked when she saw him just standing there, topless and staring at his wound from earlier today. She strode over to the bed until she was standing before him. "Does it hurt?"

"No, the wound isn't what is hurting me." Rachel put her hands on her hips and gave him a look that said she demanded an explanation from him. Nightwing sighed. "I just feel weak. I would not have survived if you would have been any other person. . ."

"So you're mad that I saved you?" She wasn't enraged at his answer, but she wasn't pleased, either.

"No, not exactly." He shook his head and tried to think of how to word his emotions. It never had been his strong point. . .

"No, your pride is damaged because you had to be saved. Am I correct?" Rachel placed her hand on his bare shoulder, trying to comfort him. She was surprised when he did not shrug it off, but instead looked her in the eyes. "You know, when you saved me — and the universe — from Trigon, I didn't feel weak." She shook her head a little and continued after a brief pause. "Instead, I felt grateful to you and strong because I knew I had you by my side. Forever and a day." She smiled and turned around, letting her hand glide from his shoulder down part of his arm. "Finish up, will you? You're acting like a teenage girl, now."

Nightwing chuckled at that last comment and when her hand had left his body completely, he noticed that the wound had healed to the point where the scab was barely noticeable. She can really work wonders, that girl. He smiled and finished getting dressed.

When he was finally finished, he placed his hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek so she would turn around and face him. "Ready?" He asked her.

"I am, but you're not." She told him and crossed her arms against her chest to emphasize she wasn't moving until he did something else.

"What is it, Rae?" He asked, still annoyed that she had picked out his outfit.

"Well, for task one, we need to get rid of that mask," Nightwing opened his mouth and uttered a 'but' before Rachel finished her sentence. "after we leave the Tower's property. Don't worry, your secret identity is safe. I already know who you are, anyway, Dick Grayson, and that you have the most gorgeous blue eyes I've ever seen." She turned it around with a compliment, so it would seem rude for him not to show her his blue eyes.

"What's hopefully the last thing?" He asked her with an expression between a smile and a frown.

"We need to tell the others I'm here." She told him. "Well, more like Kori." He agreed with a nod and she gestured for the door with a nod of her hand. He took a hold of her gestured hand and interlocked their fingers before entering the living room where the other three ex-Titans presumably were.

—

Once Raven had told the other three who she was and transformed into her old self she told them that she couldn't stay that way. Not for now, anyway. "You don't understand. I am a very distinguishable character. Raven can't just magically appear again after seven years! Especially if she's going to hit the town. If the press found out, and then I wasn't there, again. . . I dunno. I just don't want to be put on display, yet. It's okay in the Tower but not in the outside world. I hope you guys understand. . ." Rachel sighed. "When outside of the Tower I am Rachel Roth. I have a job as an RN at the big hospital on Chestnut Street. I have neighbors and I know most people in my community. They helped me afford to get into college and supported me all the way through."

"It's okay, Rae. If you're not up to fighting crime and being Raven for now, it's alright. Just as long as you will come back to us." Cyborg told her and gave her a hug like that of an older brother seeing his baby sister off before she gets married.

She hugged Cyborg back and locked eyes with Changeling. "I already have." Thank you for all your help. She told him in his mind. He nodded in response and Rachel turned to Kori. "I'll be back later, Star. Take care of the others for me, alright?" Kori nodded with enthusiasm and gave Rachel a hug with her deadly grip that nearly suffocated her. "Thank you all." She said before she and Nightwing went through the front door and onto his old R-Cycle.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it, Rachel?" He asked her as he pushed a button so the motorcycle would turn black and the "R" would disappear, making it look like a regular, but expensive, bike.

"Yeah, a lot of them." She turned his face away from the front as he turned the key in the ignition. "But, now it's time to make memories with Dick Grayson, and not Nightwing."

He nodded in understanding and stripped off the mask. "Happy now?" He asked as he folded it and placed it in one of the many pockets on his shorts.

"Just peachy."

"So whereabouts do you live?" He asked her as they started going down the bridge that connected the Tower with the mainland.

"You know those apartments on fifth?" She nearly screamed in his ear when they got on the highway so he would hear her.

"Yeah, I think they're called the Ocean Apartment Complex. You live near it?" He screamed back.

"No, I live in them." She deadpanned. "Really?" He asked her. "Even with a nurse's full-time pay, I didn't think you could afford them. They're pretty expensive."

"Well, I got a pretty good deal. I got the top floor, which nobody wants since there are six flights of stairs to climb, but they are spacier and have a cool breeze in the summer and are warm in the winter. I have two bedrooms each with walk-in closets, one bath that connects them, a kitchen, a living room, and a pantry. Turn left here." She told him at a red light and he got in the turning lane.

"But how did you pull it off?" He asked as they turned.

"I know the landlord. She's a nice lady. Well, to the people she likes anyway. I sat next to her daughter or by her in most classes in college. We had to do several projects together, and became nice friends. We work at the same hospital, now, and do lunch about once a week. Anyway, when her mother found out I was living practically in a garbage dump, she offered me an apartment that had been vacant for a few years. You'll make a right here. She told me that I didn't have to pay her the regular pay until I got established and then we would work something out. So now I pay about three quarters of what most people do and file some paperwork for her every Saturday afternoon." The speed had been decreased to twenty-five miles per hour because of a school nearby so he could hear her pretty well.

They drove in a comfortable silence for a few more minutes before they arrived at the apartment complex. "Here we are." Dick said as he turned into the parking lot and parked where she indicated. "So where is your door?" He asked and followed her as she walked to a door not too far from where they had parked.

Rachel punched in the security code to unlock the door before opening it for the two of them. As soon as they got the staircase, Dick bolted up the stairs while yelling, "I'll race you to the top!" quite like a little kid.

"Hey, that's not fair! Get back here!" She yelled after him and tried to keep up, but she had neither long legs nor manly stamina. By the fourth story she was panting from trying to run as fast as him. And by the sixth story, where her apartment was located, she was almost wheezing.

"What number?" He asked when she arrived at the top of the stairs. "631." She said in defeat.

"Hey, Rachel, are you okay?" He asked her as she leaned against her door for support.

"Take keys." She handed him the key to her apartment and he unlocked the door after he picked her up bridal style. Opening the door, he walked in sideways so he wouldn't hit Rachel on either side of the doorpost. He walked into the apartment and smelled a french vanilla candle burning. "Which way?" He asked after closing and locking the front door.

"Left. Ugh. . ." She muttered and he found a doorway that obviously led to her room. The walls were painted lavender with a border of purple flowers along the top and grape-red colored carpet. She had a queen-sized bed with a bedspread the same color as her walls and matching sheets. The bed frame and her bureau, bedside table, and vanity were all made of matching dark wood. It was relatively plain, but Rachel has never been one for extravagance. As long as it matched, was not pink, and looked good together, it was fine.

Dick closed the door as soon as they entered her "domain" and gently laid her down on the bed. She looked like she was about to pass out from exhaustion, the poor girl. He should have never raced her up six long flights of stairs. He should have known that she had never had the physical endurance he had and that this would be the result.

Rachel curled up into a ball and closed her eyes. Dick smiled at how the great Raven could look so helpless and (dare-he-say-it?) cute. He unlaced her sneakers and slid them off as well as her socks. He quietly placed them by the foot of the bed. He debated whether or not he should let her sleep in the clothes she had worn all day or not. So, instead of snooping through the drawers and changing her, he decided that her blouse was long and baggy enough for him to take her jeans off. He unbuttoned and unzipped her pants before slipping them off, revealing beautiful legs. He took his shoes, socks, and shirt off before climbing onto the bed and curled up against her back. He laid his arm over her mid-section in a protective fashion before closing his eyes and slipping off to dreamland.

—

Rachel woke up a few hours later because her legs were cold. She brought her knees up to her waist and rubbed them subconsciously. Why are my legs bare? She opened her eyes. Whose naked arm is that? She grew alarmed. She didn't remember getting in bed last night. Did she pick someone up last night?! Was there a stranger in her bed? She looked down and saw she was wearing a shirt and was relieved partially. She didn't want to wake up the person in her bed for fear it was someone dangerous, so she gently picked up the man's muscular arm a few inches above her waist so she could roll over to face him, and slowly enough so he wouldn't feel the bed move much.

"Oh, thank goodness. . ." She breathed as she saw it was only Dick and that he was wearing fully zipped pants. His eyelids fluttered a few times before he opened his eyes fully.

"'Morning, Rachel." He whispered to her before pecking her on the lips.

She smiled back at him before rolling over to see what time it was. "It's not even morning, yet. It's only 11:30. No wonder it's so dark." She said before facing him, again. "What time do you think we should get back?"

"We'll be back when we're back." He told her. "I doubt Cyborg's waiting up for us. We're big kids, now." He gave her a cheesy grin that made her want to slap him silly. Instead, though, she kissed him once more before they fell asleep again.

—Fin—

A/N: I hope that was okay. I know it kinda dragged here and there. . . Review!

Signed,

Her Sappiness