Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.
a/n: I know this chapter is short, but I feel like it wraps things up perfectly. Plus, I want it to be separate from the epilogue, so IMO this works out just fine.
I also wrote an alternate ending where Raven does tell the Titans _ . You'll know once you've read the chapter. I just didn't think it fit as well as this one, so I decided not to go with it.
If you guys want the alternate ending, post your vote in the reviews and if I get five 'yes' votes, I'll post it after the epilogue as an extra chapter.
It's almost the end. This has been my first FF, and this community has been the best. Please, I urge you to share/talk/etc. about this story - the whole reason why I wrote it is because I just couldn't find enough FF's of this pairing. There might be others out there who feel the same.
Reviews, sharing, etc. are always appreciated.
"And the rest is rust and stardust."
- Vladamir Nabokov, Lolita
Slade: Give me the girl.
Robin: No way.
Slade: You don't really have a choice in the matter. I'm taking her.
- The End, Part I
Chapter Seventeen: The Forever
"It's time."
He'd said those words once, not too long ago. Amazing what context did for the two of them.
Raven knew. Deep down, hadn't she always known? Leaving the Titans had been her last option, one she never wanted to entertain. But Raven and Slade did not exist in a world with the Titans. Hell, they'd destroyed the world together while she was a Titan.
Now, it was time for something else.
What now?
Raven knew she owed her team. She owed them everything. And should they ever seek to collect on their debt, Raven would offer her services gladly. They'd been fighting for justice and the last slice of pizza for years; it was the least she could do.
Titans, go!
But Raven herself had known all along that this part of her fate had been completed. The End truly had been that: the end. The end of her as a Titan - she simply hadn't known it at the time.
What now?
The End had been both the literal and figurative end for Slade as well. He'd emerged with new power, new hate, new goals.
But in the end, flesh and blood and justice were his destiny. For Raven, triumph and freedom and life was hers.
Wasn't it poetic that the two characters who'd burned the Earth, were the two that brought it back? Had not been for Slade, Robin would have never found her. Had it not been for Raven, Slade would not have had a reason to fight for the world.
Their chapter of pain and fear and hurt was over. Sadly enough, it meant the Titans were enclosed in that chapter, their passages written and finished. They had been a good chapter, a long one, but Raven was ready to move on in her story.
This is your story, Raven. And I'm not sure what happens next.
Pity it wasn't the clean-cut ending she was hoping for, one that involved both her family and her future.
But I believe when the time is right, you will know what to do.
Raven had never been one for happy endings. They weren't realistic. She supposed her story with the team would end on a similar note.
What now?
"Aqualad."
The Atlantian looked up from a plate of wet, leafy greens. "Hey, Raven, you're back! Who was that guy?"
"I'm sorry, but I have to go."
Aqualad blinked. Concern overtook his expression, and he stood up from their table. "Are you all right? What's the matter?"
Raven shook her head. "It's nothing you did, or the party. I just have to...go."
Still, the boy's face was perplexed. "Ah, Raven, don't go. They'll play another slow song pretty soon, and I thought maybe we could -"
"No, Aqualad." She felt sorry for leading him on, but it was better to nip his interests before it spiraled out of proportion.
"You're a great friend, really. But I'm in love with someone else."
Aqualad's gaze flicked to Slade, who was standing behind her. Raven could almost see the gears whirling.
"Oh, um, okay. I - I'm glad you're happy."
Again, his gaze roved to the much older man behind her, but it held none of the judgement she'd feared. Perhaps he thought Slade merely an acquaintance, and that Raven was talking about someone else.
Or: Aqualad was truly the kindest soul in the sea.
"Thank you," she murmured, and put her hand on his shoulder - a gesture she'd learned from Robin. Raven wondered if it was as comforting to Aqualad as it had been for her.
Aqualad smiled, took her hand off and kissed it gently. "Goodbye, Raven."
It would be the last time they saw one another.
.
Raven walked in on the usual Titan evening routine - Starfire feeding Silkie, Robin doing some detective work on the main computer, and Cyborg and Beast Boy cheering on the contestants of a televised wrestling match. Normally, Raven would be at the edge of the sofa with a good book, ordering the boys to turn down the volume.
Now, she could see how well they fit together, even without her.
"Hey, guys."
All eyes turned towards her.
"Raven?" Cyborg said confusedly. "I thought your prom thing didn't end 'till later."
Robin swiveled around in the computer chair. "Is everything okay?"
Ah, Robin. Always concerned about the happiness of his teammates. It was touching, really.
"I'm fine. But there's something I have to tell you guys."
The TV shut off, with just a short "Hey!" of protest from Beast Boy.
Starfire floated over from the kitchen. "Is the Trigon coming back?"
"No. But I'm not."
Alarm splayed across each Titan's face.
"What?!"
"Raven!"
"No!"
Tears burned the rims of her eyes, but Raven forced them to recede. "It's nothing you guys did wrong. It's something I have to do for myself."
Robin was already up and walking. "Raven, what's going on? Why do you have to go?"
But Raven kept shaking her head. "I've been asking myself the same question for months, Robin. I've finally found my answer. I've decided how my story's going to end."
It's the end of the world. Did you think it would be easy?
"I love you all. And I'm sorry. If you ever need me...I'll find a way to help. Goodbye. And...be safe."
Goodbye. Be safe.
"Raven - "
But she was gone, in a crack of black energy. Had the Titans bothered to look at their monitor, instead of racing out the front door in search of their friend, they would have seen a man with an eyepatch on the roof of their home, waiting. They would have seen a black raven emerge from the ground up, embracing the man once she'd materialized. They would have seen tears. They would have seen a kiss.
.
What now?
Even when she was done crying, Slade kept her to his chest, afraid to let her go. Raven would never know that, in the few moments she'd spent saying goodbye, Slade had feared Raven would cave and go back to her friends. To see her here, miserable, was terrible, but it was also a relief. Slade never claimed to be anything other than a villain, even if he truly wasn't. Old habits die hard, and he was a particularly selfish man.
Still, he loved the girl in his arms, in a way like nothing he'd felt before. One might say their courtship was sudden, but hadn't they known each other for years? Besides, destroying the world had been a bonding experience - neither of them had simply known it at the time.
"I'll miss them," Raven whispered against his chest, rubbing away stray moisture. She could only tolerate her own weakness for so long.
His arms tightened around her. "I know."
"But I love you."
"I share your sentiments."
"Say it, Slade."
"I love you, Raven."
Even in their most intimate moments, she was still Raven and he was still Slade. After all, they could only change so much.
What now?
Raven's fists tightened against his shirt, stretching the fabric.
First, Azarath. Raven would take Slade there, introduce him to Arella and tell her of their relationship. No doubt her mother would disapprove, but Raven knew she wouldn't put up much of a fuss. The pacifism of their people had done much for her mother's former impulsiveness.
Second, get her kids. Melvin, Timmy, Teether and Bobby needed a stable environment - one that didn't involve foster homes and disgruntled adults, struggling to understand the children's powers. No, Raven had always known the kids were hers. Now, they would be Slade's too.
Crap, squeaked Passion. Is a domestic life really in our future? You know I won't survive there, Raven. Passion dies out in the suburbs.
Raven smiled. This was the first time Passion expressed fear; quite frankly, she'd grown to care for the little emotion, and didn't want her to suffer.
"You won't die, Passion. What I feel for him is...something else. Thank you for making me see that. I won't ever let you go."
The purple-cloaked personality blinked. Well, then, Rae-Rae, get ready for some role-play in your near future. Picket-fence life gets so boring, you're gonna need some BDSM to spice things up. I was thinking of a 'pizza delivery girl and sexy hungry man who forgot his wallet, oh, however will he pay?' kind of thing. What do you think?
Raven had a brief vision of herself in a Domino's uniform, tying Slade down to a bed and saying "This is for the extra toppings."
"Sounds fine to me."
Passion grabbed Happy's hands, and together the two danced in the pink flower field of the Nevermore.
"What now?"
Raven looked up, startled. Slade was looking out at the glassy black sea, expression pensive. Had he been just as torn over that question as she had been? Did this really mean what she thought it did?
Putting her hands at the side of his cut jaw, Raven reached up and kissed him, deeply.
Ironic how the answer had been there all along.