A.N. I'd like to start by saying a huge thank you to everyone who gave me feedback on the last chapter. I received over twenty terrific reviews, and I'm very appreciative of them all.
And regarding the story, from this point until the wedding, there will be a little countdown to let you all know how much time remains. The countdown begins on the same day Raven and Beast Boy informed their team that they have to marry, and will end on Saturday, May 26, the wedding day.
Chapter five of "Like It Or Not," entitled "Wedding Rings"
Sunday, May 20; six days remaining
The sun was setting over the bay, and still the Titans had not convened again since they left the meeting that radically shook up their world. The dinner hour had come and passed, but no one had suggested that they go out for supper or had offered to make something at the Tower. Because of this, each of the Titans had eaten by their lonesome, save Robin.
Robin had been moping about the Tower, thinking in excess about what had to be done and all the precautions that needed to be taken to ensure that this secret did not get out. Then there was the issue that he obviously had never officiated a wedding before, and would need to figure out what that entailed. It couldn't be a small feat to fulfill the legal requirements without anyone suspecting a marriage among the Titans. In fact, he worried that it was nearly impossible.
Robin was currently in the training room once again, finding that he had a lot of steam to burn off and couldn't stand just sitting around the Tower. Starfire had entered the room a while ago, and was currently sitting on a bench against the far wall, watching Robin continue to take out his frustration on a punching bag in grave silence. Normally he felt a little bit self-conscious about having an audience while he trained, but he was preoccupied and she didn't seem to be looking at him much anyway. Maybe she just wanted some company or someone to commiserate with.
"Please, Robin," she eventually spoke up, breaking the quiet, "You have been training for a very long time. Perhaps you should take a break."
The boy shook his head, but stopped running through his various kicks and punches, allowing the training device to slowly swing to a stop as he panted beside it. Robin wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, still breathing deeply.
"I can't, Star," he admitted. "This is so… bizarre. One minute everything was normal, and then Raven announced that she's getting married to Beast Boy, and suddenly everything's out of my control. Don't they know what could happen to the team because of this?"
"It is not their fault," Starfire replied, "And friends Beast Boy and Raven do not need our criticism, but our support during this challenging time."
"They're not ready," Robin said strongly. "We're all just kids."
"Perhaps so," Starfire agreed, "But who are we to question the culture of Azarath? Do not forget that if Raven does not marry friend Beast Boy, she will die from the curse placed upon her at birth."
"I know," Robin admitted with a reluctant sigh. "And that's why I agreed to help them at all." He paused for a second before continuing. "You know, I'm worried about Raven more than anyone else. She doesn't even like being around us half the time. Imagine how much she'll hate being married."
"I understand your concern. And yet, friend Raven is very lucky," Starfire said carefully.
"How's that?"
"Arranged marriages seldom occur between friends," she explained. "Even though Beast Boy and Raven are not very close, they know each other well and that is most fortunate. Beast Boy is one of the better males to whom Raven could be betrothed. Also, unlike when I was to marry, Raven will remain here on Earth, with us."
Robin smiled thinly, remembering Starfire's brief engagement to that ooze monster Glrdsklechhh. True, Raven and Beast Boy's sudden marriage was not the first the Titans had faced, but he seriously doubted that this situation would work out as well as Starfire's near marriage had.
"Maybe there is a way out for them, like there was a way out for you," Robin began.
"Please, Robin," Starfire stopped him sadly, standing and moving to lay a hand on his shoulder. "Do not fight this, for it is not your battle. What the law of Azarath commands must be carried out, and all we are called to do is help friend Raven do what she must."
Robin exhaled slowly, looking down. "I know you're right," he admitted. He straightened again and managed a grim smile. "Thanks, Star."
"I am most delighted to help," she beamed.
The Boy Wonder nodded and changed the subject. "You're in charge of putting the wedding together, huh?" Robin asked.
"Oh yes, and there is much to be attended to! Would you like to help me?"
Robin quickly shook his head. "No thanks. I'm already the minister, and that's enough responsibility for me."
Starfire accepted this excuse with a nod. "Then I suppose I will need to fully rely on friend Raven's council. I am not certain of how a traditional Earth wedding differs from one on Tamaran, but I suppose that the variance is immense."
"I'm sure it is," Robin replied. He was pretty sure that Raven wouldn't be too stoked about helping Starfire, but maybe it would be good for the dark girl. He had a feeling that if someone didn't stop her, Raven would be spending the next six days in her bedroom. Besides, maybe she would find the preparations enjoyable. Girls liked throwing parties and stuff, right? Granted, Raven wasn't exactly a normal teenage girl, but it would be good for her to spend some extra time around Starfire's infectious excitement.
"Well, I won't keep you," Robin stated, grabbing up his nearby water bottle from the floor. He bid Starfire a goodnight as he left.
TT
Raven yawned. She hadn't felt this tired in a long time. Who knew proposing and informing your team of your sudden betrothal took so much out of a person?
She was quite relieved that everything was going well. The whole team had graciously accepted her dilemma and she could finally relax, knowing that her life was safe. Now if only she could regain her powers that would make her life so much easier, but really, she wasn't complaining. She could live without her telekinesis for six days. Besides, it would be much easier to survive this stressful time if she didn't have to worry about her powers acting up. Even so, Raven felt guilty about not being able to do her part as a member the team for almost a week.
It was late. The clock by her bedside read eleven P.M., and Raven felt like she could sleep for years. Taking off her cloak and tossing it on a chair beside her bed, she sank down into the softness of her warm mattress and burrowed under the covers. She sighed.
Even though everything was going according to plan, Raven couldn't shake the feeling that this marriage couldn't possibly be as painless and straightforward as she was hoping. After all, was anything in her life ever as simple as it appeared?
Raven closed her eyes. All she could do was pray that the team would be able to work past this sudden marriage quickly, so that a sense of normalcy could return to the life of the Titans once again. Even after she was married to Beast Boy, maybe they would all be able to live like nothing had changed. This seemed like a juvenile way to deal with their problems, but it would be best for everyone to acknowledge the marriage as little as possible.
Raven noted sadly how much she had taken for granted her good life as a Titan. She hadn't realized how much belonging to the team meant to her until this situation came up and threatened to end her contenting life as a hero. 'You never know what you had until it's taken away,' she thought bitterly. While this thought still lingered in her mind, the exhausted girl soon fell into a light, troubled sleep.
Across the Tower, Beast Boy was still wide-awake, staring up at the ceiling of his room from his bed. He had a feeling that sleep would not come easily while his wedding loomed over his head, and beyond that, who knew? He had no idea what to expect after the wedding, and having his life so up in the air worried him profusely. Gosh, getting married was supposed to be one of the happiest times of his life, but all it had brought him so far was anxiousness and sadness at the fact that Raven was so incredibly opposed to entering a relationship with him. Beast Boy wasn't dumb, and he knew that Raven was a very reclusive person by nature, but he couldn't shake the feeling of dejection that filled him when he thought about how much she was fighting and would fight this marriage every step of the way, constantly downplaying its importance and trying to control the situation so that she didn't have to sacrifice a thing. He was ready to give the marriage an honest try (it seemed like the most logical thing to do), but unfortunately, Raven didn't share that willingness in the least.
But maybe the best thing to do right now would be to get his mind off of the whole situation. Even so, he just couldn't stop worrying that Raven saw him as the enemy now that he was part of her problem. True, their personalities clashed and they did not have much in common, but miracles happen, right? Maybe the marriage would grow on Raven. He could try being a little more supportive and a little less childish. It didn't take a genius to know that his jokes wouldn't help the situation, so maybe it was time to grow up and act a little more mature, if only to prove to Raven that he recognized that they were in this together. He could make her see that he was more than a shrimpy green boy. He was more than a prankster who couldn't stay serious for ten minutes. But still, he didn't want to change who he was just for Raven's benefit, and he refused to trick her into believing he was something he was not. God, why did this have to be so confusing? Beast Boy felt utterly alone. No one on his team would understand what he was dealing with.
Great, so much for getting his mind off his problems. All he wanted to do right now was get some much-needed rest. Beast Boy got up and turned off the lights, then sat back down on the bottom bunk of his bed. He pulled off his shoes and dropped them somewhere on the floor, flopping back on the bed with a yawn.
After not sleeping a wink the night before, he really, really needed to get some shut-eye. Unfortunately, his mind was working overtime and didn't seem to want to calm down anytime soon. Try as he might, he couldn't stop dreading the change that was coming his way, whether he liked it or not. He couldn't stop thinking about poor Raven, who still thought that she was alone because her fiancée was too immature to understand what she was dealing with. It really was a shame that they had to face this change while the Titans were so content and successful, and he hated being helpless to stop it. But he had to be brave for the others. Beast Boy couldn't let them see how worried and anxious he was, because if he couldn't be the one in good spirits, no one else would be. And yet, he had to learn to be there for Raven, to show her that she wasn't isolated in her problems. They had to tackle this marriage together.
TT
Monday, May 21; five days remaining
Raven awoke to the sound of someone loudly knocking at her bedroom door. She groaned, sleepily opening her eyes to peer at her clock. It was already ten A.M., and by her standards, she had overslept by quite a few hours.
She threw on her cape and brushed her hair quickly before walking across her room and manually opening the door. Yes, it would be annoying to go without her powers for the next five days, but she would just have to learn to cope with the temporary disability.
Upon opening the door, Raven found that Starfire was standing in the hall, a gigantic stack of magazines and brochures balancing precariously on one hand as she had used the other to knock.
Starfire's face lit up when the door opened. "Good morning, friend Raven," she greeted the sleepy girl. "I have brought the items I collected earlier while searching the city for information concerning a traditional Earth wedding, and I request your assistance as I look through them."
'God, what did I do to deserve this?' Raven thought to herself as she yawned. She didn't feel like being roped into helping Star with the planning, but she also didn't want this wedding to turn out looking like some sort of bizarre Tamaranean festival. Starfire probably did need at least a little bit of guidance.
"Alright," Raven agreed hesitantly. "Come in."
Starfire eagerly stepped inside, not phased by the dreariness of the dark room and the unwillingness of her tired friend. The happy alien sat down on the floor, setting down the huge pile of materials she had brought with her.
Raven regarded the intimidating number of catalogs and brochures warily. "How long did it take you to find all this?" she asked.
"Oh, not long. Robin accompanied me first to the mall of shopping, and then to a number of other delightful little stores in our city which sell the various things needed for a wedding celebration," Starfire replied. "Robin insisted upon wearing the most ridiculous disguises so that we would not be recognized by civilians during our excursion."
Raven smiled. 'Typical Robin,' she thought knowingly, 'So hopelessly paranoid about secrecy.' She glanced at the giant booklet on the very top of the intimidating pile. It was a very thick catalog with pictures of wedding dresses, all of which looked incredibly elegant and very expensive. Beneath it were several magazines from various jewelry stores, and under those was a brochure for a florist.
Raven moved to take the florist brochure from the pile, triggering a small avalanche of Starfire's papers. There was an incredible amount of different wedding essentials represented in this now jumbled heap of advertisements, and Raven couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. It suddenly hit her how difficult it would be to pull this all off in five days if Star was really set on making it elaborate. 'And this is why we shouldn't be having a celebration in the first place,' she thought dismally.
She glanced at Starfire. "Maybe we should start by sorting this into groups."
Starfire agreed, and the two girls spent the next fifteen minutes working through the pile of material, dividing it all into different categories until they were left surrounded by many smaller stacks, each representing a detail that still needed to be attended to, from flowers to decorations to formal clothing.
"I don't know where to begin," Raven admitted.
"We will need to order food soon if we wish for it to arrive before Saturday," Starfire said, reaching for the stack of magazines that represented various catering companies and dining options.
Raven cocked an eyebrow. This was being catered?
"Look, Starfire," she said carefully, deciding to speak her mind before she got pulled in any deeper. "This wedding isn't worth going through so much trouble," she stated, motioning at all the advertisements and magazines lying about them. "Beast Boy and I don't want this to be a big celebration because our marriage is only temporary. It doesn't make sense to fuss over something we'd both rather forget."
Starfire's smile faded. "I am sorry," she apologized. "I simply wanted to make the day of your wedding wonderful."
Raven sighed. "I don't mind a little party or something, but--"
"You simply do not want to aid in the planning of the occasion," Starfire cut in.
"Well, no, I don't," Raven admitted at last.
"Very well," Starfire said, "I understand."
"Maybe Cyborg wants to help," Raven offered, feeling only a little bit bad about bailing on her friend. "He's the only one who isn't already involved."
Starfire's face brightened slightly. "Perhaps he would be glad to assist me," she agreed.
"He has probably been to more weddings than I have anyway," Raven said.
"Then he must share his experience and aid me with the preparations!" Starfire declared.
"I'm sure he'll be thrilled," Raven offered half-heartedly.
"But I still must consult you for at least a few of the crucial matters of the wedding."
"Deal," Raven agreed.
"Perhaps you would like to pick out wedding bands with friend Beast Boy today?"
Raven groaned. "Not really."
"And we will have to go dress shopping very soon," Starfire added happily.
Raven couldn't help but smile despite herself. She could tell that Starfire was really enjoying her role as official wedding planner, even if no one else was nearly as enthusiastic about the occasion. 'At least she's trying to make the best of the situation,' Raven thought.
"That can wait until later in the week, right?" she asked.
"I suppose we could delay the excursion by a few days, yes," Starfire replied.
Raven stood. "I guess I'll be going, then," she stated. Starfire took the hint and carefully gathered up everything she had brought, and the two girls left Raven's room.
TT
Beast Boy sat in the common room, a video game controller in his hands but a blank expression on his face. He had been playing Mega Monkeys 5 with Cyborg a little while ago, but hadn't been able to concentrate to save his life, allowing Cyborg to win with even more ease than usual. Even after Cyborg left, Beast Boy remained sitting on the couch, vacuously staring forward at nothing in particular.
"Gotta snap out of it, Beast Boy," he said tiredly to himself in a vain attempt to feel more awake. He yawned, tossing down the controller and closing his eyes. He leaned back against the couch.
The night before, he hadn't had much luck sleeping again. The last time he remembered glancing at his bedside clock it had been one-thirty A.M., and after that he had slept fitfully until he finally rolled out of bed around eight.
"I need caffeine," he grumbled, hauling himself up and shaking his head. He really wasn't in the mood for flat cherry cola, which was the only soda that had been in the Tower for the past few weeks. Then there was Robin's coffee, but similar to Raven's tea, everyone understood that it was off limits. Wait a minute, when Raven had first tried to tell him about the curse, she had offered him tea. Maybe she wouldn't mind sharing again. Well, at least he didn't have anything to lose by asking for some.
He hadn't seen Raven so far this morning, which probably meant that she hadn't left her room yet. Raven never slept in, so she was most likely just reading or meditating. Beast Boy stepped off in the direction of her bedroom.
As he walked, he passed Starfire in a hallway near the common room. She was carrying a huge stack of papers or something, but he didn't stop to find out what it was. Trying not to stumble as he shuffled tiredly took enough of his concentration.
He continued on and finally spotted Raven walking towards him in the hall by her room. She usually had her nose buried in a book, but today he noted that she was studying a magazine instead as she slowly strolled along. Her apathetic stare told him that she wasn't particularly enjoying her reading material.
"Whatcha got there, Rae?" he asked conversationally when they were a few feet apart.
Raven glanced up with a start when he spoke, stopping dead in her tracks. "Just some wedding prep nonsense," she replied, sounding slightly troubled.
"Is something wrong?" Beast Boy inquired.
Raven exhaled lightly. "It's just difficult getting used to not having my powers," she admitted. "I've apparently learned to rely on feeling people's approaching auras instead of watching where I'm going."
The changeling nodded his understanding. "Well, only five days longer, right?"
"I hope so."
Beast Boy blinked. "Wait, you hope so? I thought it was a definite thing that you'd get your powers back after we're married."
Raven shrugged. "I'm only assuming since I have nothing to go by."
"Oh," the boy replied, distressed at the prospect of Raven having to go even longer without the powers she relied on so much.
The two had stopped in the hall as they talked, but Raven resumed her walking in the direction of the common room when their conversation lulled. Beast Boy turned around and walked quickly to catch up.
"Was there something you wanted?" she asked, just slightly annoyed that Beast Boy had decided to tag along.
"Actually, I kinda wanted to ask if I could have some of your tea," he said. "I really need the caffeine."
Raven nodded slowly. "Haven't been sleeping well?" she asked, her tone betraying a hint of sympathy.
"Not really."
"You're not alone."
"Everything's just happening so fast, I can't stop thinking about it."
Raven was silent as they arrived in front of the elevator. When it came, the two Titans entered the machine and the door slid shut behind them. Raven carefully scanned the panel of buttons in front of her for a moment before tapping the button to take them to the floor on which the kitchen was located.
"I don't use this much," Raven mused.
"Well yeah, usually you just teleport into rooms."
Raven frowned. She would definitely miss doing that this week.
The elevator finally reached its destination and the doors opened. Raven and Beast Boy walked into the kitchen, and Raven went about preparing two cups of her strongest tea. Once the beverages were ready, she carried them carefully over to the kitchen table where Beast Boy sat. He was staring with glazed eyes out the windows, but his head turned back to the table as Raven set down his teacup in front of him.
"Thanks," he said, picking up the drink eagerly. Forgetting how hot tea straight from the kettle could be, he took a big sip, pleasantly surprised when it didn't scald his mouth.
"I know you don't like very hot beverages," Raven remarked absently.
Beast Boy cracked a smile, feeling a little bit touched that she cared to remember something like that.
The teens sat in comfortable silence as they drank their warm tea. Raven was in pretty good spirits. So far Beast Boy hadn't told a single joke that day. Either he was really, really tired or he was making a conscious effort not to.
"So," Beast Boy started, nodding at the cover of the magazine Raven had set down on the table. "Wedding dresses."
Raven grimaced. "I'm going dress shopping with Starfire later this week. She thinks I need to contemplate my options beforehand to make the best possible selection."
Beast Boy snickered, but tried to hide it when he received a glare from Raven. "Sorry," he offered, "I just can't picture you shopping for wedding dresses."
The girl continued to scowl. "Which reminds me," she said, "We're picking out our wedding rings today."
Beast Boy looked surprised. "Why so soon?"
"So soon?" Raven repeated him, raising an eyebrow. "Normal couples have details like that picked out months in advance."
"Months?" Beast Boy said in disbelief. "Now that's overkill."
Raven looked at him skeptically. "You don't know how hard it is to plan a wedding, do you?"
Beast Boy stared at her. "How hard can it be?" he wondered.
The empath looked at him darkly. "Trust me, it's difficult."
Beast Boy shrugged. It really wasn't worth arguing about, and he was happy as long as he wasn't expected to help much. "Fine, I believe you," he said.
"Good," Raven replied, and they finished their tea in silence.
Beast Boy could almost feel the energy from the tea coursing through his veins and he already felt a bit more alert.
Raven stood to leave, taking up both teacups and depositing them in the sink. "We can leave whenever you're ready," Raven stated.
"To go where?"
"Ring shopping," Raven reminded him, slightly piqued that he had already forgotten.
"Oh yeah," Beast Boy said sheepishly.
"Robin wants us to go incognito," Raven stated. "You'll need to ask Cyborg for that hologram ring if you don't want to be recognized in public."
"No problem," Beast Boy agreed.
"I'll go change and tell Robin we're leaving," Raven said. Beast Boy nodded and she left the room.
TT
A half hour later, Beast Boy was waiting for Raven to show up in the Tower foyer. He was no longer in uniform, but was dressed casually in jeans and a green jacket. Cyborg had given him hologram ring, which cloaked his green hair and skin as well as his fangs and pointed ears. He currently had blonde hair and blue eyes. In fact, he probably looked quite a bit like he would have if he hadn't been turned green in the first place.
The door to the foyer opened quietly and Beast Boy turned. Raven entered the room, stopping in her tracks upon seeing the changeling.
"You look quite different," she observed. In fact, he looked like a completely different person. If not for his height and posture remaining the same, she might have had trouble recognizing him at all.
"Yep," Beast Boy grinned, beckoning for her to follow him towards the door.
Raven had left her uniform in favor of wearing a pair of dark pants and a blue t-shirt. Robin had insisted that she wear colored contact lenses, so her eyes were currently a deep blue. She refused to wear a hat or wig to hide her hair, but there were plenty of teen girls in Jump City who had dyed their hair purple to look like her anyway. Raven reasoned that people would suspect she was just another fangirl.
"Ready to go?" Raven asked awkwardly, uncomfortable at having people (even her fiancée) look at her when she wasn't wearing her cloak and cowl.
Beast Boy nodded. "Cy'll kill me later, but let's take the T-Car."
The drive to the nearest jewelry store was uneventful. Beast Boy had insisted upon driving, and as he wasn't the most cautious driver in the world, Raven was pleasantly surprised that they arrived at their destination with the car still in one piece.
They parked the T-Car on a side street that was a few blocks away from the Timeless Jewelry Company. The couple walked the rest of the way to the store on foot.
After exchanging a nervous glance as they stood at the door of the store, Raven took a deep breath and bravely led the way in. She pushed the heavy glass door open and the two Titans were greeted with a wall of air conditioning as they stepped over the threshold and into the posh shop. There were several employees and a handful of rich looking patrons in the building, and elevator music played faintly from speakers in the ceiling. Raven and Beast Boy had only been in the store for a few seconds and were still taking in their surroundings when a sales woman pounced on them.
A short, middle-aged woman in very high stilettos quickly stepped up to the couple, a fake, toothy grin plastered on her heavily made up face. "Good afternoon," she said warmly. "I'm Judy. Can I help you find something?"
"We wanted to look at your wedding rings," Beast Boy replied, obviously uncomfortable about being there.
The woman's smile faltered almost imperceptibly. "Aren't you two a little young to be shopping for wedding rings?" she said with a slightly condescending tone, eying the teens in a none too friendly manner.
"Just show us the damn rings," Raven hissed in exasperation.
Both Judy and Beast Boy turned to look at her in shock, but Raven's expression remained impassive.
"Very well," Judy replied primly, "Right this way." She motioned for them to follow her over to a display case against the far wall.
"Um, Rae," Beast Boy whispered, "Would it kill you to look happy about getting married, just for a couple of minutes?"
Raven glanced at him in aggravation. "Let's get this over with," she sighed, fighting the urge to walk out of the store and go hide in her bedroom.
Beast Boy and Raven followed the sales woman until they were standing in front of a large display of ring sets. "Do you have an engagement ring to match?" Judy inquired, obviously still irked at Raven's less than ladylike behavior.
Raven shook her head.
"Is there anything you would like to see more closely?" Judy asked, resting her hands on top of the display case.
"No. Could you give us a minute?" Raven requested.
"Of course. Just call when you need me," Judy replied, looking all too happy to step away.
Beast Boy was staring with wide eyes at the shelves of rings that sat gleaming on silk cloth under the glass. More specifically, he was staring at the price tags that were placed near every piece of jewelry. "This stuff is insanely expensive," he said in shock.
"What were you expecting?" Raven deadpanned. "This is just one of the useless places where the rich and famous of Jump City go to blow their money."
"Who's paying for this?" Beast Boy asked, still amazed that two little scraps of metal could fetch such an exorbitant price.
"Don't worry about that," Raven said, "Just pick out ones you like so we can go."
Beast Boy looked at Raven oddly. "What's got you all mad?" he wondered.
Raven did not reply, even though she had a good idea of why she was feeling less than sociable. This was their first major step towards the wedding, and Raven was having a major 'there's no turning back now' moment.
"Nothing," she lied. "Can we please get back to the task at hand?" she inquired.
Beast Boy shrugged. "What kind did you want?" he asked, referring to the different materials that the rings were made of and all the different colors and styles
"I'm a little bit opposed to the traditional gold," Raven replied.
"Yeah, it would kinda clash with my skin tone," the changeling agreed. "Then what, silver? Platinum?"
"It doesn't matter," Raven said.
"Come on, you have to have an opinion," Beast Boy prodded.
"No, actually, I could care less," she bit back.
Beast Boy blinked, looking a bit stunned by the harshness in her voice.
Raven silently took a calming breath. "What about you?" she asked, trying to keep her tone a bit more civil.
"I dunno," Beast Boy admitted.
"Fantastic. Well, because neither of us have an opinion on the matter, why don't you just close your eyes and pick one?"
"Are you serious?"
"No, but you're supposed to be the decisive one in this relationship."
"That's news to me! You're the one who wants to take charge and make sure that this marriage is as unsuccessful as possible!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"You know exactly what it means."
"Well, humor me."
"Have you made a selection yet?" Judy asked in irritation as she quickly walked towards them to break up their squabble.
Beast Boy and Raven looked up, both blushing slightly as they realized that they had drawn the attention of the entire store during their disagreement.
"Uh, yeah," Beast Boy replied, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. He turned back to the display case, eyes quickly scanning over the various pieces. "We wanted to see… those," he said, waving his finger about before pointing to a pair of simple silver bands.
Judy fished a keyring out of her pocket and unlocked the case, carefully extracting the requested jewelry and placing the rings on a white cloth in front of them.
Raven tentatively reached out and took the smaller ring, turning it gently in her hand and watching it gleam under the bright lights in the shop.
"What do you think?" Beast Boy asked softly.
Raven did not respond. She was struggling to wrap her mind around the fact that she was actually holding her wedding ring. She had never even dreamed a day would come that she would marry, and yet here she was, with Beast Boy no less. She suddenly felt overcome by a strange emotion, and she fought to keep her face neutral. "It's fine," she finally whispered.
"A lovely selection," Judy commented, carefully plucking the ring from Raven's fingers. As soon as the ring was taken from her hand, Raven snapped back into reality, immediately feeling foolish for letting herself drift off. "Would you like to have anything inscribed on these?"
Raven glanced at Beast Boy, who shrugged. "No thank you," Raven replied. She couldn't think of anything she wanted to have written on the rings, but decided that if they changed their minds, Cyborg would probably be able to do the inscriptions anyway.
Judy quickly took down their ring sizes and selected the proper sized rings from a storage case.
Beast Boy grinned at Raven when Judy was turned away. "See? That wasn't too painful," he said.
Raven looked at him expressionlessly. "Whatever," she replied in monotone.
"You really like them?" Beast Boy asked, motioning to the rings, which Judy was carefully cleaning on top of the display case.
Raven shrugged. "I'm not a jewelry person," she offered. "But I suppose you made a decent choice, albeit a boring one."
Beast Boy scowled. "Hey, would you rather have some chunky, diamondy thing or the one I picked?"
"Relax, Beast Boy. I was kidding."
"Sure you were."
Raven rolled her eyes and said nothing. They waited while Judy finished polishing their rings then proceeded to pack them in cloth and placed them in an elegant, little while box. The box disappeared into a small bag, and Judy set it on the cashier counter as she furiously typed numbers into the register.
"Your total," Judy said with a nonchalant motion towards a figure on a paper in her hand.
Raven pulled out a wallet that contained the money Robin had given to her, and careful removed a number of large bills.
Beast Boy continued to stare in awestruck silence at the ridiculous amount of cash, which Raven found to be slightly humorous.
She handed the money over to Judy, who meticulously recounted the bills.
Beast Boy started to say something, but was cut off by the sound of a muffled female scream coming from somewhere outside the store. The scream was followed by the distinct sound of shattering glass. The two Titans looked at each other then to the counter, where Judy was taking her sweet time to process the transaction.
Beast Boy began to fidget. "How much longer is this going to take?" he whined.
Judy raised an eyebrow. "Not very patient, are we?" she chided, not looking up.
Beast Boy looked towards the door again, obviously dying to check out the situation. He glanced at Raven, who was just as curious.
"We don't really need the receipt," Raven said, reaching for the bag that contained the wedding rings.
"Then no refunds or exchanges will be permitted," Judy warned.
"Fine, thanks for your help," Beast Boy said hurriedly, taking Raven by the hand and no less than pulling her from the store.
Their sales lady shook her head but didn't say a word as the Titans left the building.
Once outside, it was immediately apparent what the cause of the commotion was. Four disheveled young men were crowding about a parked car not seventy feet away from Raven and Beast Boy, brandishing guns and hurling insults at whoever was occupying the vehicle. The windshield of the car and at least one other window had been smashed in, and broken glass littered the area around the battered car.
"Petty criminals," Beast Boy muttered, twitching in anticipation of a quick fight.
Raven huffed. "Of all the places to attack a car, it had to be right here," she said under her breath, cursing her luck. If she had her powers, she would have been putting a stop to the crime already, but she stood and stared on, feeling as helpless as a normal civilian and wondering how civilians could stand being so powerless all the time.
"Raven, go to the car," Beast Boy said seriously.
Raven hesitated, uneasy at sending off a teammate alone towards armed criminals.
"Go to the car," he repeated more strongly, tearing his eyes from the crooks for an instant to look at Raven. He pulled off his hologram ring and immediately he became the green superhero again. More glass could be heard shattering in the direction of the assaulted vehicle. Beast Boy handed Raven his rings and motioned in the direction of the T-Car. "I'll meet you there in a minute," he assured her, and even as the words were leaving his mouth he was running to take down the criminals.
She watched Beast Boy near the four armed men. As soon as they saw one of the Teen Titans coming at them, the crooks scattered, fleeing down the street towards a nearby alleyway, hurling obscenities all the while. Raven stared after Beast Boy a moment longer before angrily turning the other way and walking quickly towards the T-Car, despising the curse for making her so damn incapable.
The empath sat on the driver's side of the T-Car, drumming her fingers nervously against the steering wheel. It had been ten long minutes since Beast Boy had sent her to wait here, and Raven had just about had enough of this torture. A few minutes after she got to the car, Raven could have sworn that she heard gunshots sound from somewhere in the distance. She heard wailing police sirens moments later, and was just about positive that something horrible had happened to Beast Boy. She briefly let her mind wander to just what would happen to herself if Beast Boy was killed before they could be married, but Raven mentally slapped herself out of the pointlessly morbid train of thought when it only served to intensify her anxiety tenfold.
At long last, Beast Boy appeared at the passenger side door, startling Raven when he tapped on the window for Raven to let him in. Greatly relieved to see him, Raven unlocked the car and Beast Boy quickly slid into the seat to her right.
After glancing at the changeling and doing a double take to make sure her eyes weren't playing a trick on her, Raven's face colored red as her gaze snapped back to the steering wheel in front of her. "Beast Boy, where are your clothes?" she asked, trying hard to keep her voice level.
Sure enough, Beast Boy was sitting next to her in nothing more than a pair of Batman boxers, and he was blushing far more fiercely than Raven. "Civvies can't shift with me like my uniform can," he explained awkwardly. "I completely forgot I was wearing them until I shifted back into a human and one of those thugs just about died laughing."
Raven bit back a grin. "You apprehended all of the criminals?" she inquired, finding it a bit difficult to be all business.
"Yeah, those elusive little bastards put up a big fight, but I took 'em all down."
Raven finally had worked up the courage to glance at her teammate again. She was about to reply when her gaze focused on Beast Boy's arm and her eyes widened. An inch or so under his shoulder blade, Beast Boy's upper left arm sported a painful looking gash, which was still trickling blood. "Beast Boy, you're bleeding," she said, instinctively reaching out before remembering that her healing powers were out of commission.
He winced as her fingers brushed against the wound. Raven squinted at it carefully, attempting to assess the severity of the cut through the blood.
"Oh yeah," Beast Boy said lamely, apparently just remembering that he was wounded. "I kind of got shot at."
Raven looked at him in alarm, immediately angry with herself for letting him fight alone, even though there was nothing else she could have done.
"It barely nicked my arm," he said bravely, shrugging his shoulders then drawing in a deep breath between clenched teeth when the action agitated the open wound.
Raven raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Nick or not, that looks like a pretty deep laceration. You probably need stitches."
Beast Boy shook his head in frustration. "Are you sure you can't heal it?" he asked hopefully.
"You know that my powers aren't working," she reminded him. "Unless…" she trailed off. It was a long shot, but she knew that the curse was immobilizing her powers because she hadn't complied to marry early enough. But Knowledge had said that other Azarathians had been able to escape physical punishment by submitting, and this was the person she was supposed to marry, so perhaps healing him could be seen as an act of obedience. Sure, she had ulterior motives, but healing Beast Boy would be complying with the law by helping her fiancée, right?
Raven gingerly took Beast Boy's hand, lifting his arm slightly so she could lay her other hand on the wound. She closed her eyes and concentrated on healing, chanting her mantra under her breath. She could hardly suppress her elation when a familiar sensation shot through her arm, and her hand glowed black. The cut on Beast Boy's arm slowly shrank as the skin stitched itself back together, until only a trickle of drying blood was left from the gunshot wound.
Beast Boy grinned broadly. "I thought your powers weren't working."
"I'm just as surprised as you are," Raven assured him.
"Thanks," the changeling said quietly.
"No problem," she replied.
Raven glanced down. She was still holding Beast Boy's hand, and she froze. Raven's eyes locked with Beast Boy's for a moment, but she recovered quickly and let his hand drop. "We should get back to the Tower," she said, blushing again.
"Yeah. You have the wedding rings?"
"They're in the back seat," Raven replied. "And do you have extra clothes somewhere?" She could only imagine the reactions he would get coming home all but naked. "You look ridiculous."
Beast Boy smiled. "You know you like it, Rae," he taunted her.
Raven just rolled her eyes as she started the car.
--
This chapter was a little bit longer than usual, but I'm happy with how it turned out. As always, I would be most appreciative of any feedback. Reviews make me feel all fuzzy inside, so if you've got a minute, why not send me a quick note?
To all of my American readers, have a great Independence Day. To everyone else, eh, happy Wednesday.
Thank you for reading.
