Rachel stifled back a sob. "Sister! I need your help!"

Raven's eyes widened in concern as she sat up in the bed. "What's wrong? Is it Slade?"

Rachel was on the verge of breaking down, with tears streaming down her face. "No … it's … it's Garth." She sobbed.

"What happened to him?"

"Nothing … it's me … Tula … she knows … and now he knows."

Raven frowned impatiently at the screen. "Hang on; I need to put something on." She placed the communicator on her nightstand while she fumbled for her oversized T-shirt in the dark. After finding it she pulled it over her head, picked up the communicator and stepped into the bathroom, turning on the light and closing the door behind her. She sat down in front of the vanity and upon seeing her disheveled appearance she got up and searched for another place to sit. She lowered the lid on the toilet and sat on the throne. She looked into the communicator. Rachel looked a bit more composed but still appeared unsettled.

"OK, starting at the beginning, what happened?" Raven asked with a hint of impatience in her voice.

Rachel gulped before speaking.

"We were at some kind of royal banquet or something. Aquaman, he's the king, explained to me about Slade being Deathstroke and that I could stay in Atlantis."

Rachel sighed. "I met some of Garth's friends. They gave me the cold shoulder. Also, his ex and her new boyfriend, a guy named Kaldur were there. So, out of the blue, Tula, that's his ex's name, she grabs Garth's arm and says she needs to borrow him."

Raven nodded. "I see. She was having a case of dumper's remorse."

"That's what I thought, so I followed them, staying hidden all the time … but it wasn't that … it was worse."

"Worse? What could possibly be worse that competing with your boyfriend's ex?"

"She doesn't want him back, Raven."

"Then what's the problem?"

Rachel began to break down again. "I'm … I'm unclean, I'm tainted!"

"Unclean? What are you talking about … oh … oh sweet Azar. You aren't serious? How did they find out?"

"They have some kind soothsayer, a woman name Xola. She used her psychic powers to learn all about me."

Raven shook her head in disbelief. "But why? Why did she pry into your life?"

Rachel wiped her tears away with her sleeve.

"The Atlanteans are a bunch of bigoted xenophobes. Tula couldn't stand the thought that her ex was dating a surface dweller, so she had Xola dig up whatever dirt she could on me … she found out that I'm not a virgin."

Raven scratched her scalp. "OK, while that's nothing to brag about, is it really a show stopper? … Rachel … just how many partners have you had? You don't have an STD, do you?"

Rachel's face became screwed in anger. "I'm not a slut! I've only been with …" her voice trailed off.

Raven closed her eyes and pursed her lips.

"You've only been intimate with my husband." Raven completed her sentence.

Rachel stared away from the screen. "I'm sorry, Raven, if I could undo that, believe me, I … wait … did you say 'husband'?"

"Uh huh."

"Really, but how? And when?"

"The rite of consummation, and it was last night."

"Also known as Azarathian Eloping … so did you really propose to him?"

"I did, I even dropped down onto my right knee."

Rachel gave her a weak smile. "I guess I should congratulate you."

"You can do that later. So let me guess, the Atlanteans are also a bunch of puritanical prudes."

Rachel nodded. "When Tula told Garth, he became livid and denied it … Raven … I can tell that this is important to him, really important."

"I see why you're troubled."

"There's more … Tula challenged him to confront me and gave him some kind of talisman that will let him know if I'm lying."

"A veracity stone?" Raven asked.

"I think so. I recognized the runes ... I think … I didn't get a good look at it."

"There is a counter spell that can block it."

"I know, and I was thinking of trying it. But this is Atlantean magic; the counter spell might not work."

Raven leaned back and sighed. "Rachel … you need to tell him the truth."

"I was afraid that you would say that."

"I know that this isn't going to be easy. You could lie to him. If the counter spell fails he will know that you're lying and it will be over, there will be no salvaging that relationship, I guarantee it. But even if the spell works, you'll be harboring a secret from him for the rest of your life, always worried about being you really want to live like that?"

"But what if he rejects me?"

"Then he's the wrong man for you. But maybe he won't. He has been with Titans East for years. Bumblebee has been very open about having had multiple lovers over the past few years and Speedy isn't exactly celibate. If it really bothered him that much, he would have left the team."

Rachel heaved a heavy sigh. "So you're saying that I need to take a chance?"

"If he accepts you, you'll be home free. No troubling secrets, no worries."

"And if he rejects me?"

Raven smirked. "You know the saying … there are other fish in the sea. And if you need a place to stay … you can stay with us."

Rachel snorted. "Very funny, sister … and thanks."

Raven smiled. "You're welcome … sister."

There was a brief silence.

"Raven, I really do appreciate that you've forgiven me."

Raven sighed. "Oh well, I guess it was better you than someone else."

"It could've been Terra." Rachel interjected.

Raven glared at her clone. "Don't even joke about that!"

"Sorry. I should know better … if it helps … I also hate her guts … even though I never met her."

"Count yourself as lucky that you never did."

Another silence ensued, and it was broken by Aqualad's voice, calling from a distance: "Rachel, where are you?"

The clone gulped. "Show time."

"Whatever the outcome, remember, you will be fine. If the worst happens you can come home."

Rachel saw Garth appear at the far end of the hallway. "I gotta go."

"Good luck."

"Thanks … I feel better … I'll call later and let you know how it went."

Rachel snapped her communicator shut.

-( scene break )-

Alfred quietly cleared the breakfast dishes from the Batcave's dining table. Bats, Barb, Dick and Starfire were going over some fresh intelligence gathered from the field. Deathstroke was rumored to have set up shop in 9 different cities, which didn't help much. But there was another tidbit that came up over the night. Bats and Nightwing went on patrol in neighboring Bludhaven. There, a shady informant who owed Batman a huge favor turned over a flash drive to them.

Bruce plugged the drive into a console. A picture of an athletic looking woman wearing what appeared to be a Nomex suit reinforced with what looked like scales appeared on a overhead screen. She wore a half blue, half yellow cowl and had a sword in each hand. Her vitals appeared next to her: she was 5 feet and nine inches tall, weighed 120 lbs and her name was Rose Wilson.

"Rose Wilson … so … she's Slade's daughter?" Dick asked.

Starfire shivered. "The thought that Slade would have offspring is most unpleasant."

Batman nodded. "I agree, yet one of your friends, Jericho, is her half brother."

"I still can't get over that. Jericho never told us … I guess I don't blame him." Dick remarked. "Bruce, we need to tell the others."

"Agreed. I'll set up a video conference."

Bruce pressed a few buttons on his console. The overhead monitor went into split screen mode. After a few seconds Cyborg's smiling mug appeared. He was having an early breakfast with a few of the lesser known Justice Leaguers. He beamed happily on the screen.

"Whoa, you must be Bats and you're … Batgirl. And it's my favorite newlyweds! So what's up?"

"Stand by; I'm trying to get Raven and Beast Boy on the line."

Almost 20 seconds elapsed before the other half of the screen came to life, showing a disheveled, bed headed Raven who was wearing her oversized T-shirt backwards. This did not escape the notice of anyone in the Batcave, and they all surmised that she slipped it on before answering the call.

"What?" She growled from the screen. "You do know that it's still 6 AM here, don't you? We didn't get to sleep until rather late."

"I apologize for the time, but you're a superhero, Miss Roth. You should be able to handle getting up at odd hours and with minimal sleep."

"I can handle it … I just don't like getting up early unless there is a good reason … and just so you know … my name isn't Roth anymore, it's Logan."

Nightwing did a double take at the screen. "Say what?"

"Let me guess." Batman retorted. "Last night you proposed marriage to him and he accepted. You put your T-shirt on before answering the call and in your haste you put it on backwards. You were wearing nothing as you slept so I surmise that you and your fiancé consummated last night. Under Azarathian law, you are now legally married. Congratulations."

Starfire and Nightwing turned to Batman, then focused on Raven. "What?" They asked in chorus.

Raven rubbed her head. "He's right, we are now married."

"Wait a minute! Nightwing asked. "You mean that was all Star and I had to do."

"No, neither of you is an Azarathian citizen, so your had to use the long form for it to be legal."

"Where is the changeling?" Batman asked. "He needs to attend this meeting."

"He's still asleep. I don't mean to be rude, but we need a few minutes to finish waking up and make ourselves presentable."

"You have ten minutes." Batman announced before severing the connection.

Cyborg, who was still on the other screen, burst out laughing.

"Oh, that was sweet! We totally caught her with her hand in the cookie jar!"

-( scene break )-

Exactly ten minutes later the video console in their room began to beep. Raven hastily snapped shut the clasp on her cloak and ran her brush through her hair one last time. Meanwhile, Garfield was pulling his shirt over his head.

"Hurry up, Gar. And where's Freddy? He needs to be here too."

"I'm coming!" He shouted as his head popped through the top of his Doom Patrol shirt.

The green and gray couple took their place in front of the console, making last second adjustments to their attire while the console shared its impatience by beeping louder and louder. Freddy rushed into the room after Raven called for him

"It's as good as we're gonna get, given the circumstances." She remarked unhappily as she reached to press the answer button.

The split screen returned. Cyborg was wagging his single human eyebrow at them, while in the other frame Starfire looked as if she was about to burst from the excitement she was repressing.

"You're late." The Dark Knight reprimanded them.

Raven frowned. "What was so important that it couldn't wait until a decent hour?"

"We have new information about Deathstroke."

"You mean Slade." The changeling corrected him.

"No, I said Deathstroke. The news is we have identified his partner and I'm transmitting the information to you right now."

A second screen came to life, displaying the single picture of Rose that was on the flash drive.

"Who is that? Slade's new girlfriend?" The changeling asked.

"She's his daughter." Nightwing announced.

"No way! She's …" The changeling censored himself.

"She's a bucket of hotness!" Cyborg exclaimed. "What a babe!"

"She's a highly trained and effective assassin." Batman interrupted. "Her name is Rose Wilson, but she goes by the name Ravager."

"Ravager?" Beast Boy asked. "I've never heard of her."

"And you'll soon wish that you never had." Batman replied.

-( scene break )-

"Rachel! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

The sorceress felt every muscle in her body tense up.

"Sorry, I got lost … the palace is huge."

"Yeah, it is." He smiled at her. "You OK? You look nervous."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Hey, come with me, I want to show you something."

He took her hand and led her through the maze of passages inside the palace. The walls had a strange look, as if made of organic materials. Soon they reached a single elevator. The doors opened and he gestured for her to enter first. The inside of the elevator was smooth, like the interior of a shell. Garth pressed a button and the lift began to ascend quickly.

"You're suddenly quiet … are you sure everything's OK?"

"Just a little overwhelmed with …" She made a sweeping gesture with her arm. "… all this."

He grinned. "You haven't seen anything yet."

The elevator stopped and they stepped out onto a huge balcony. They were alone and had the view all to themselves. The tower was at least 1000 feet tall and loomed over all of Atlantis. She looked up and could see the dome's inner surface, just 100 feet above them. The city below twinkled like a jewel box, and it was in constant motion.

"It's beautiful." She remarked, her voice expressing the wonder she was experiencing.

"Not as beautiful as you are." He beamed at her. "I never told anyone this, but I had a crush for the longest time on Raven, that is until I got to know her better."

"So, she's creepy, huh?"

He laughed. "Yeah, but Beast Boy seems to like her."

Rachel stepped up to the railing and looked down. She didn't suffer from vertigo. Superheroes who could fly never did.

"They were married last night." She abruptly announced.

"Really? That was sudden."

"I guess they were meant for each other." She replied.

Garth took her hands and held them between his.

"I think we're meant for each other too, Rachel."

"I won't argue with that." She replied. "I … well … Raven had an early crush on you. I remember when she first met you."

Garth chuckled. "Yeah, she got all girly and blushed."

They leaned against the railing and stood in silence for a long time. A pod of dolphins swam past the dome, drawing their attention. Once they swam away Garth cleared his throat.

Here it comes … be brave, Rachel.

"Rach, there's something I have to ask you, and … I'm really uncomfortable about this."

"What is it?" She asked with a poker face that would have made Raven proud.

"Someone I know, someone very close to me, said something unflattering about you. I … I denied it of course, it's preposterous. But she claims that it's true, that a soothsayer confirmed it. The thing is Rachel, she keeps badgering me about it … anyway … I want to shut her up once and for all. So I told her that I would ask you myself."

He showed her the talisman. "She said that if you lied, that this stone would become hot."

"I understand … go ahead, ask me the question. I promise that I will answer it truthfully."

He nodded. "I'm sorry Rach, you see, most Atlanteans don't like or trust surface people. I'm sure that's where this unfounded accusation came from."

"It's OK, Garth."

He paused, nervously shuffling his feet. Rachel stared at him with a blank face, even though she was dying inside.

"Rach, please forgive me … are you a virgin?"

She lowered her head before answering.

"Garth …"

"No! Don't answer! You shouldn't have to respond to such an insult! What was I thinking to even doubt you!"

Aqualad flung the stone with all his might and it sailed away into the void.

"You can go to hell, Tula!" He screamed into the void.

Rachel gestured and trapped it in her dark energy, quickly retrieving it. She turned around and placed the stone in his palm.

"I do need to answer that question."

"No, you don't."

She shook her head. "Actually I do, because this is important to you."

"You don't have to answer."

"You know what they say, Garth … the truth will set you free … Garth … I'm so sorry to tell you this, but Tula is right … I'm not a virgin."

Aqualad looked as if he had been struck by lightning. His body tensed up and he balled his fists, which began to shake.

"With who?" He hissed. "Was it Beast Boy?"

Yes, it was with Garfield, when we were a couple … I'm so sorry, Garth. If you want to break up with me, I understand. I know that on the surface your people's standards might seem archaic, but to paraphrase Raven … I'm no one to judge your culture. I'll go away quietly; Raven told me that I could come live with her if I ever needed to do so, so I'll be fine."

She turned away from him so he wouldn't see her cry. The hot tears dripped down her face and she felt destroyed, shattered. She began to sob and fell to her knees as all pretense of controlling her emotions was gone and she wept for what felt like an eternity.

She jerked involuntarily when she felt his large, muscular hand on her shoulder. He gently pulled at her as if to turn her around. She resisted at first but finally gave in as he helped her stand up. Her tear drenched indigo eyes met his.

"I'm sorry, Garth … I couldn't lie to you, or even withhold the truth."

"I don't care." He stammered. "I don't care about what happened, I'm not going to lose you."

"Garth?"

He wrapped his arms around her and embraced her. "You're brave and honest. What more could I ask for? We all make mistakes … it doesn't matter … not to me."

He flung the stone into the void a second time. This time Rachel did not retrieve it.

"But … Garth … you'll be ridiculed. People will say behind your back that your woman is a whore."

"You're not a whore, I know you too well to even consider believing that. Did you make a mistake with BB? Sure, but you were in love with him. You aren't a tramp."

She hugged him back. "They'll never accept me."

"Who cares? Once this business with Deathstroke is settled we'll move back to the surface, and I won't look back."

She couldn't hide her astonishment. "But they're your people. Are you ready to forsake them?"

"I'm not going to lose the woman I love, the only woman who I can trust to be truthful, just to appease them. I don't care even if the King and Queen disapprove."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and their lips met. After what felt like a blissful eternity the separated.

"Garth, what are you going to tell Tula?"

He smiled. "What else? That I'm going to marry you … that is, if you'll have a prudish tadpole like me."

Rachel beamed and leaped into the air. He caught her and held her bridal style. They resumed their smooch fest. Many years later Rachel recalled that day as being one of the best in her life.

-( scene break )-

Did you think that Aqualad was going to dump Rachel?

And now, it's mailbag time!

Hairul The Nightrage Beast

Damn Rachel is in a tight spot but yeah, I never liked Atlanteans esp when they treated Aquaman and Garth because they were scared of those 2 because of superstition. And it'd be cooler if Garth changes his name, to Tempest.

Not a bad idea, we'll see what Aquaman has to say.

titanfan45

Surely Aqualad is a better man than that, guess we'll see. I would think that Raven would help Rachael since blood is thicker than water. The news commentator is an all too familiar sight and sound these days. The newscaster that just simply reports the facts without putting their own spin on things is a very rare person these days.

G. Gordon Godfrey is a tabloid journalist on Young Justice and his TV show is dedicated to defaming the Justice League. There clips with him on youtube, just search for "G. Gordon Godfrey"

Radmila Raznatov

Do I really have to explain anymore? Ha, AWESOME CHAPTER! And OMG! WHY!? Why the cliffie! Well, that's what makes us not forget right? Smart... Happy Valentine's Day! Sounds like BB and Rae had a great Valentine's day (if the chapter took place the day you posted it, today...) hehehe...

They had a GREAT Valentine's day ... hmmmm... that would be an odd day to have anniversary.

krostovikraven1

mmm, i sense a jealous ex-girlfriend trying to make her move. why did she go thru all that trouble to find out information about Rachel just to "save him from grief". she's planning something... and BB is such a sweet gentleman. and Rachel has some nerve to call her "sister" for advice. if Aqualad dumps her will serve her right for being such a slut. ... i'm definatley obsessed with this story. and for some reason i like Deathstroke's character. he's a villain like no other. i look forward to the next chapter. i want to know what will Raven do.

Raven might be right, perhaps Tula is having "dumper's remorse", but it's too late to turn back now.

GivingyouTeenTitansfics

I think Raven should help Rachel. The girl thinks of her as a sister for crying out loud! I think it'd be a beautiful way for them to finally settle their differences and become friends. Great story can't wait for the next chapter! :)

Raven is starting to think of Rachel as a sister too.

The Cretin

G. Gordon Godfrey?...reminds me of J. Jonah Jameson XD Was he the inspiration? They both seem to have a stick up their a** about superheroes. XD

I think he was inspired by Jameson. Though in the show he sounds British.

Jason9000

Okay now that I have a picture of the JLU I can understand this better, thanks.

The JLU was a good show.

Red X

Wow, I thought only Batman was a voyeur, now some atlantean is spying the Titans private lives. There is no privacy anymore?

Nope, there is none.

carlybitme

"another great cliff hanger!"

*twitch*

*growl*

Write faster.

I will try!

bluedog197

that was so cute but poor rachel now aqualad is gonna be mad at her i know this goes way beyond me but raven should help rachel even thought what happened between her and beast boy she should help her. by the way i did not know slade had a daughter mind blowing anyway cant wait to see what happens keep it up. P.S. nice example with raven calling beastboy her green stallion so fluffy like a kitten. bluedog out

Well, the help isn't what Rachel was hoping for, but it was sound advice.

Avandra the Mary Sue Slayer

Nice! I have a doubt though: is Cyborg from Metropolis in the comics? Because I think that in the show they made him from Jump City. I'm not sure of this though. I really hope Raven helps Rachel. If Aqualad dumped her just for not being a virgin, he'd be a royal ass.

Yeah, in the comics he was from Metropolis, but leaved for New York, which is where the Titans were based in the comics. His father actually builds the Tower for the Titans. And while it was a shock for Aqualad, he stood up to convention and followed his heart.

gyhy

Great chapter. I was beginning to think no one was going to up date on the 13th and that I would spend my birthday without being able to read anything new. I can't wait to see the rest of the titan's reactions when they hear that BB got hitched to Raven. I wonder if Aqualad will dump Rachel when he finds out she's not a virgin. Also I wonder why his ex is so interested in Rachel, given the fact that it seems that she went out of her way to research Rachel's past. I wonder how the subject of her virginity popped up.

Xola used her psychic power to research Rachel's secrets. She just happened to discover that one first.

sonicboy678

Interesting way to get hitched...

Like I said, in many cultures you aren't married until you consummate. Non consummation after a wedding is grounds for annulment (a decree that a marriage was never valid) in the Catholic Church.

DeeThom

This is the only story I'm able to faithfully follow on here, because of the frequency of updates that is. It seems like the tension is building up and I know that Bats has a plan. I wonder what it is?

Hey, check out The Crime of Passion by Sir Alwick. It's very good.

Dragonkyng

Wow... hope aqualad stays with Rachel, and Raven should help. As long as Rachel stays civil.

I think that the "sisters" will finally reconcile once and for all.