Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. This is a work of fanfiction, and I am not making any money off of this.

A/N: This list of prompts might be a hindrance. So, many to pick from! I started so many ideas and finished so few! Oh, but the fun… Not sure why this swirled in my head at the prompt, but it did!

Thank you for all the love. It warms my heart!

Hope you likey this one!

Prompt: #40 – Knowing How

"You promised." Her words were cold and simple.

Garfield sat at the kitchen table, elbows resting on his knees and head in his hands. "What was I supposed to say, Rae?" He sighed. "How am I supposed to ignore the fact that I could save hundreds of lives?"

"You didn't have a problem looking the other way for the last 6 years." Rachel snapped. Her back was stiff as she scrubbed the dishes from dinner. "That is what we both agreed to do, as selfish and as horrible as it sounds, we both promised."

"We promised that both of us would we around for our kids." He spoke reciting the vow they took when they had found out she was pregnant for the first time five years ago. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm just-"

"Putting your life in danger because you want to prove how much a big shot you still are. Right?" Rachel spat bitterly as she threw the dishrag in the sink. She leaned against the edge of the counter, taking a few deep breaths in and out.

He hung his head. He refused to take the bait and start an argument. "Can we please have this conversation without you attacking me?" He knew that if he lost his temper as well, the issue wouldn't have a chance of being resolved.

The former Titan turned to face him, arms folded over her chest.

"You know that's not what it's about." Garfield's voice was hoarse but firm. "I'm sure that is why Nightwing is still out there, but that was never why I was out there. You know that."

"I don't understand," Rachel paused, closing her eyes and trying to force her strong emotions down. "Why you are even considering this? Why now? We haven't been Titans, superheroes, in what? All most seven years?"

He was silent.

"And now, Nightwing calls you, not to say, "Hi, how are you? How are your kids?", he calls because he needs you for mission. He doesn't call any other time except when it fits his agenda." She ranted, her control was starting to fray. "And what do you tell him?"

"Rachel…" He pleaded, not wanting her to become more upset.

"You told him you would think about." She shouted. "You have a job. You, we, have children. We have a life."

"Rachel, I just…"

"We're finally normal." Rachel yelled. "Do you know how hard we worked for that? We don't battle with bad guys or live in a very noticeable tower that is constantly under attack, not anymore."

Garfield closed his eyes, face pointing up the ceiling.

"We're normal. We volunteer at the PTA bake sale, attend that monotonous company picnic at your job and make macaroni salad for the neighborhood block party. " Rachel listed. "Why are you trying so hard to give that up?"

"I just told him I would think about it." He told her.

"What could you possibly have to think about?"

His head turned to her, his green eyes burning bright into her violet ones. "I don't know. How about, how many other people that could die without my help? How's that for something to think about?" He challenged as her eyes stared back. He watched as her hands rested under her chin.

Her lips pressed tightly together for a second. "You might also want to think about me having to telling Ava and Mark about how their father died trying to be a hero when he could have stayed and still been with us." She added, as her eyes seemed to glow with emotions. "So, yea, you do have a lot to think about." Her voice was tight.

"Nothing is going to happen."

Her reply was swift and confident. "You don't know that."

"I am, probably, going to morph into a spider, or something extraordinarily small and collect intel." He explained, his voice starting to get louder as well. "I won't be fighting. I won't be chasing anyone. I am going to be gathering information. Nothing is going to happen to me."

"You don't know that!"

"Rae, I could drop dead right now." He seemed to roar. "All I can do is promise you that I will do everything I can to stay safe, but in the end that might not even be enough."

"That's not fair." She told him. "That's not fair. I, more than anyone, know that sometimes things happen beyond our control."

The prophecy.

"But you are willingly, putting yourself into a dangerous situation." She huffed. "You don't even work in law enforcement." She scoffed.

"I used to work in law enforcement. We both did."

"Used to, past tense that means we no longer do it." She sounded off. "You are not Changeling, and I am not Raven anymore. We don't fight crime. You work in a lab, and I am a stay at home mom. We aren't superheroes!"

"So, I am supposed to just let all those people die?"

Rachel lowered her eyes to the tile on their kitchen floor.

"So, I'm supposed to turn my back and just let who knows how many families and children become innocent victims?" Garfield bellowed, standing up from his chair.

She finally knew why this hit so close to home for him. Maybe if someone had been there for him, been a hero to him, his own parents would still be with him.

"You're telling me, I am supposed to just let them die, even though I can do something to help." His voice boomed off the walls of their kitchen, the sound assaulting her senses. "That I-"

"Mommy?"

Garfield's mouth closed as fast as he had opened it. His hand raised curling around his mouth, as he looked into the large archway that led into the kitchen.

His son, Mark, was a few feet away from the archway. Sandy brown hair messy with sleep and gray eyes wide, the five year old stood in his Superman pajamas looking at his parents.

Ava, his daughter, was halfway hiding behind the wall of the kitchen entrance. Little fingers gripped the side of the wall, as she peeked out at her parents in her sky blue princess nightgown. The three-year-old blonde watched the scene intensely.

"Why is Daddy yelling? Are you fighting? Did we do something wrong?" Mark asked, seemingly frozen. He'd never heard his daddy be so loud before.

"No, no, no." Rachel said forcing a smile on her face, walking over to him. "No, of course not. Daddy and I were just talking, but we were both a little loud."

"It sound like he was mad." Ava's little voice carried into the kitchen. She refused to move from her spot at the entrance, green eyes wide and disbelieving.

"No, sometimes when adults talk we get a little loud." Rachel explained, placing a gentle hand on Mark's head. She soothingly stroked his scalp, playing with his hair. "Especially if we disagree, but everything is fine. I promise."

"Are you sure you guys weren't fighting, Mommy?" Mark asked looking up at his mother, forehead wrinkled in worry. His eyes shifted to the side to glance to his father.

"Yea, you sure?" Ava chimed in from her spot.

"I'm sure." Rachel told the two. "Now, tell Daddy good night, and get back into bed."

Mark looked at his father, his face still held a frown. "Night Daddy."

Garfield released the breath he had been holding, tightly smiling at his son. "Sweet dreams, kiddo."

Mark turned, and slowly started to walk toward his sister. He gently took her hand, then turned back to face his parents.

"I'll be up in a bit to tuck you both back in." Rachel told them warmly. "Go back bed."

The little boy nodded. "Tell Daddy good night, Ava."

The little blonde nodded running into the kitchen, her stuffed monkey, Momo she had affectionately named it, dragging behind her. She ran until she collided with her father's legs, smiling brightly up at him. "G'night Daddy. Love you."

Gar felt his heart warm at her words and the adoration in her eyes. "Love you more. Sweet dreams, baby doll." He told her softly, smiling as he gently touched her cheek.

She giggled, before letting go and running back to her brother.

Mark took her hand and led his sister back upstairs.

Garfield sighed, taking a seat back at the kitchen table. His hands folded in front of him, he hesitantly looked up at his wife. "Rae, I'm-"

Rachel held up her hand as she walked toward the archway. With her back to him, she turned her head to speak. "I know you feel like you need save everyone to make up for not being able to save your parents that day, but you can't Gar."

He hung his head looking down at his tan hands. Sometimes he wondered if the holoring was right, would he have naturally been this complexion if it hadn't been for the accident?

"You can't save everyone, Gar." Her voice was soft, tired and sad. "You don't have to. You need to know how to forgive yourself because it wasn't your fault."

Garfield looked at her.

"If you," She paused closing her eyes, carefully picking her words. "Choose to go, it can't be because you feel guilty. There has to be another reason."

"It's how most of us got into the superhero gig." He laughed bitterly. "We were trying to do some form of penance, but how do you atone for being the reason your parents are dead?"

Rachel's lips curved in a gentle knowing smile. "You do everything you can to save your own children from feeling the pain you do."

That was all he needed to hear.

And that is what he was going to do.