Chapter 5

'Tomorrow' came much, much earlier than Raven would have liked. Her clock read 6:15 am when she heard a loud, urgent knock on her door. Assuming something must be wrong for someone to need her at this hour, Raven jumped out of bed, fastened her clock, and threw open the door.

What she found was a very smug, mischievous looking Beast Boy.

"What?" Raven asked hotly, glaring at Beast Boy's grinning countenance as she realized this was not, in fact, an emergency.

"I told you yesterday that we have a busy day ahead of us," he said, almost giddy with the enjoyment he was getting from this.

"What could we possibly have to do at six in the morning," Raven asked scornfully.

"According to my watch, it's six twenty," he corrected. "And we have a meeting with a bakery about desserts."

Watching his ridiculous expression, it all clicked into place in Raven's mind. He got me up at the crack of dawn on purpose to irritate me. And because of the blackmail, he knows I can't do anything about it.

"Beast Boy," she asked with feigned pleasantry, "is there any particular reason we're up at 6:00 for a meeting?"

"Well the meeting's at seven," he said, like it was obvious. "You know those bakers, up early to, well... bake things. For the day." He backed up from the doorway, body language signaling he was about to go. "This was the best time for them, on such short notice. We wouldn't want to inconvenience them."

With that he turned and strolled down the hallway towards the elevator, clearly expecting her to follow. She stayed put for a moment, scowling at his back. Attempting to quell her resentment, she sighed and began to float after him.

For his twentieth birthday, Cyborg had given Beast Boy the gift of his dreams; he had finally built the long-imagined B-ped. It was sleek, fast, and well-equipped, just like the other Titan vehicles. For a good month, Beast Boy had driven everywhere on it, even alongside the T-car when the group traveled together. Now, it was lucky to be used once a month.

After the newness had faded (and after a large quantity of harassment and teasing), Beast Boy went back to flying mostly everywhere, or catching a ride with Cy.

Today, though, was supposed to have a lot of high-altitude winds that Beast Boy was too lazy to attempt to fly through. Besides, it always dried out his skin. A celebrity's always gotta keep up his good looks, he justified to himself.

He walked into the garage and hopped on the moped, jamming the key into the ignition. The vehicle grumbled quietly to life. He turned and looked back at the door, where Raven stood, arms crossed and frowning. He patted the seat behind him, grinning at her displeased expression. "Hop on."

Raven stared at him. "There's no way in hell I'm riding on that thing," she said flatly.

"Fine, suit yourself." Beast Boy shrugged. "Have fun flying there in fifty mile per hour winds, or teleporting to a completely unknown location." He glanced smugly at her out of the corner of his eye as he pretended to mess with the moped. He knew he was only doing this to push her buttons, but he was having too much fun to stop.

Beast Boy had been looking for a way to get closer to Raven. With this blackmail, he had found one. Did he really think that Raven should help with her party? Mostly. But more importantly, they would get friendlier over the next two weeks when they had to spend much more time than usual together. Or they would kill each other. He hoped it was the former.

Beast Boy wasn't a psychologist, but he felt like what Raven needed was a little lighter world. She was so serious and so down all of the time. He wanted to pull her up and help her be happy more often, but he knew he would have to shove her in that direction; she wouldn't go willingly. Based on experience, the best way to inspire change in Raven was to take her out of her comfort zone. Thus, operation 'Get-the-stick-out-of-Raven's-ass' has begun, he thought with excitement.

As he waited for her reaction, Beast Boy grew nervous. Maybe I'll have to amp up the blackmail threat, Beast Boy thought, watching her stare crossly at him. He was relieved when she broke her glare and started to move.

Finally relenting, Raven marched across the garage floor and plopped down on the back of the moped, clearly irritated. She still had her arms crossed.

"Uh, Rae?" He smirked. "You might want to hang on."

"What, afraid I'll fall off at the blazing twenty miles per hour this thing moves at?" she retorted.

Beast Boy chuckled as he opened the garage door. Oh, she's just asking for it, he thought. As soon as the door was open enough for them to fit under it, he jammed his foot down on the accelerator. The speedometer on the moped reached about 120 miles per hour, so figured eighty was fairly safe. The bike lurched forward and Beast Boy felt Raven's frantic hands grasping at his shirt, pulling herself close and clinging to him for dear life.

As he rocketed out of the tunnel that lead from the garage to the rocky shore of the island, he engaged the hover jets that he had insisted Cyborg include. At the end of the tunnel, there was a thirty foot drop off from the rocky wall that contained the hidden entrance to the swirling sea below. Beast Boy let them drop about twenty of them before he fully activated the jets. Soon they were racing over the bay water towards Jump City, wind whipping around their heads.

Beast Boy heard Raven yell something at him, but he couldn't make out a word of what she was saying.

"What?" he called back to her, and again heard the sound of her voice, no clearer than before.

"I can't hear you!" he called back obnoxiously. He felt one of the arms wrapped around his chest leave, then yelped as Raven smacked him upside the head.

"Yep," he called back, "got that one!"

They were across the bay now, approaching Jump City. Beast Boy pulled on the handlebars and soared upwards, landing expertly on the nearest expressway. He looked at the speedometer and realized he was speeding by twenty miles per hour. He slowed down to seventy five.

They had to ride the highway out until they reached the other side of town, so Beast Boy took a moment to enjoy the ride. That was when he became more conscious of the passenger straddling the seat behind him. She was pressed tightly against him, her arms wrapped firmly around his torso. Beast Boy blushed at the contact and remembered that the reason she held him so tightly. He slowed down another ten miles per hour, feeling slightly guilty.

Beast Boy took the appropriate exit and leaned into the curve of the ramp that deposited them onto the far east side of eighth street. They rode for about a minute until they reached traffic at a stand-still.

"Aww, really?" Beast Boy checked his communicator. "It's 6:45, what's the holdup? We're gonna be late!" Raven's hand left his chest and went up to her temple. He turned around to look at her, watching as she closed her eyes and concentrated.

"It's a combination of the beginning of rush hour and construction up ahead," she informed him, eyes never opening. Beast Boy turned back around huffed a sigh of irritation. Then he eyed the sidewalk next to him, and an idea popped into his head. A bad idea, but one too irresistible to pass up. He turned the moped to the right and eased it up over the curb.

"Beast Boy?" Raven said with a twinge of fear in her voice. Beast Boy jammed his foot on the accelerator again.

They were flying down the sidewalk, dodging startled pedestrians, bus stops, street vendors and other obstructions. Beast Boy weaved expertly around the obstacles, hoping Raven would be impressed with his driving. That proved unlikely, as, at these lower speeds, he could hear some of what she was yelling at him.

"Beast Boy you idiot! Get off the sidewalk! I can't believe..." Beast Boy decided to tune her out. He noticed people with cameras and smartphones snapping away as they flew by. Beast Boy waved and made hand gestures to them until he remembered he was supposed to be behaving himself.

They were quickly approaching was appeared to be the construction site. Whatever they were doing had the two rightmost lanes and the sidewalk torn up.

As they saw them approach, more and more people began recording the spectacle on various devices. Screw good behavior, he thought mischievously. They want a show? Let's give them one. He didn't slow down as they approached the site.

"Beast Boy?" Raven's voice filled his ears, an equal mix of anger and uncertainty.

Beast Boy didn't respond.

"Beast Boy?!" she shouted again, her arms forming a death grip around his chest as they reached the uneven pavement of the sidewalk. They flew between two of the bright orange cones surrounding the area and began their bumpy journey over the cracked pavement.

To Beast Boy, it was like motocross. He dodged and weaved and jumped over cracks, construction materials and machinery. He laughed and yelled and cheered as he felt the bike jerk and swerve.

"Ce-leste is go-nna k-kill us!" Raven screamed at Beast Boy, voice choppy as the bike shook violently. A part of his brain that must have been logic told him that this was indeed a very bad idea. But, as was consistent with his impulsive nature, Beast Boy ignored it.

Up ahead, Beast Boy saw that a slab of pavement was twisted up at about a fifty degree angle. Smile widening, he thrust down on the accelerator, fully intending to ramp it. As the bike flew up into the air, Raven let out her distinctive scream. Beast Boy thought he heard his name and a few obscenities, but he wasn't sure.

They soared over the rest of the construction zone and and landed harshly, bike swerving and leaning until they regained their balance. Beast Boy veered left to put them back on the now clear roadway. He sped along calmly, wide smile still in place.

They pulled into a parking space near the "Belle Boulangerie" a few minutes later. Beast Boy put down the kickstand and turned off the bike. He went to get up when he realized he still had something attached to his back.

"Raven?" He turned around to look at her. Her eyes were glowing black and her teeth were gritted. He fought off the intimidation. She can't hurt me, he assured himself, still a little nervous. I've got the power here. After finding his confidence, he smiled at her.

"Remember," he sing-songed, "If you want me to keep your little secret, you can't complain." Her expression remained lethal, but her eyes ceased to glow and she kept her mouth shut. She loosened her death drip on Beast Boy, allowing him to dismount the moped. He checked his communicator once more.

"Great!" he beamed. "Five minutes early!" He held out a hand to help Raven off of the vehicle, but she pointedly ignored it. It really was windy out—huge gusts blew down the street, whipping everything about. He glanced at Raven, whose cloak billowed around her and whose hair blew in the breeze.

They walked down to the bakery, which was clearly a city favorite judging by its size and overhead. Google, you've done well, Beast Boy thought, satisfied with his selection. As they approached, he made a show of opening the door for Raven, which she acknowledged only with an eye roll.

The bakery was just waking up, with a few customers purchasing muffins, bagels, and assorted pastries. They made their way to the counter, where a young girl stood, waiting to help them.

"Hi! We're here for a meeting with the catering coordinator," Beast Boy said.

"Alright, just a minute!" the girl said, far too perky for this hour. She went into the back and returned with an older woman with greying blonde hair and a friendly countenance.

"Hello!" she called to them. "I'm Wendy, it's a pleasure to meet you both! Come on back to my office!" They followed the woman back to a tiny square office with a desk, two chairs, and a collection of filing cabinets. She took a seat behind the desk and motioned for the two to sit.

"I'm so glad I was able to be here to meet with you all." She smiled, "I know you all must have crazy schedules, but I was surprised when you requested to meet so early in the morning."

Beast Boy felt the color rise to his cheeks, but he kept his gaze solidly on the woman in front of him. In his peripheral vision, he could see Raven turned all the way over in her chair to glare at him. Oops, he thought. Busted.

"Yes well, you know, people to see, criminals to fight," he laughed hesitantly. "So, uh, anyway, we're having this 'gala' thing for Raven's birthday," he said, jabbing a finger at the simmering girl next to him, "and we'd like for you guys to do the desserts."

"Excellent! Now, what do you think you'll be needing?"

"Oh, well, probably a cake, because it is her birthday and all, and, um..." he trailed off, brow furrowed in hesitation. "Actually, other than the cake I have no idea. We don't really do very many galas."

"Alright, well we'll typically serve individual desserts along with the cake. How many will you be expecting?"

"I'd say about 200," Beast Boy replied. Raven visibly paled.

"200?" she stuttered.

"Yep! I talked with Celeste last night," Beast Boy said, proud of his foresight.

"Okay, you're going to need a really big cake!" Wendy said. "So I have cake and desserts for 200."

"That sounds good," Beast Boy said, standing to leave. "Thanks!"

"Whoa, wait a minute there!" Wendy exclaimed. "You still have to pick out the cake, decide what individual desserts you want, and how you want the set-up to look! I'll be right back with some menus," she said as she rose, returning back out to the bakery.

Beast Boy and Raven looked at each other.

"Well, this ought to be fun," Raven said sarcastically. Beast Boy burst out laughing, which he tried to smother with his hand. They were both thinking the same thing: they were so not qualified to be doing this.

"At least I'm not alone," Beast Boy said, grinning at Raven. And on this rare occasion, Raven returned the smile.

An hour later, after going through countless books and menus, filling out several forms, and convincing Beast Boy that they did not need two chocolate fountains, an overwhelmed Raven and her teammate emerged from the bakery, eagerly checking the first item off their party to-do list. Beast Boy sat on his moped and turned the engine on, watching as Raven maintained her distance on the sidewalk.

"Nope," she said firmly. "No way." She was still recovering from the trip here. That was the first and last time she was letting Beast Boy drive her anywhere.

"Suit yourself, I'm riding this bad boy home!"

Raven narrowed her eyes at him, then turned to the brick wall of the building next to them. With a chant of her mantra, she opened a swirling black portal back to the garage of Titan's Tower. She raised a glowing hand and encased his moped in her black energy, pulling the bike and its rider towards the portal.

"Hey!" Beast Boy exclaimed in protest, but the rest of his complaint was cut off as he disappeared inside the portal. Raven, shaking her head, followed behind him. The portal vanished as she stepped through to the tower.

Neither Titan had noticed the man standing across the street, watching their every move.

He was tall and lean with an unassuming air about him. He was standing on the corner, smoking a cigarette. He was young, no more than twenty five, and had fine, dirty blonde hair. He had been following Raven for days.

He had talked to her yesterday, outside of Jump City Bank. He had helped her keep her cover, though he didn't expect he would ever get a "thank you" for it.

Now, he kicked his foot against the sidewalk, dropping his cigarette into an ashtray as he stared at the spot on the wall the two had just disappeared into.

Annette's probably going to want an update, he thought, turning towards the nearest train station.

It was a long thirty minutes to City Hall during rush hour, where he was bumped and pushed against the abundance of other passengers on the subway. Already, he was craving another cigarette.

Once he arrived, he slipped up two flights of stairs to the back entrance to the Mayor's office. From the outside, it was a locked door marked 'Custodial,' but James had the key. Slipping into the dark hallway, he sauntered down the short corridor to the entrance. From this side it looked like a wall-length panel with a lock. It was actually one of the bookcases that lined four of the walls of Annette's office.

He pushed it open and slipped quietly inside. Annette looked up from her papers.

"There you are, James," she said quietly. "It's been a while. I was wondering when you would show up." She was always curt with him. "What have you got?"

"No signs of anything abnormal yet," he replied. "Though yesterday she dressed up like a civilian, with a wig and everything, to go to the bank. Today she went with Beast Boy to a bakery. But no, there's nothing like what you're looking for."

The mayor pursed her lips. "That's odd. According to the Church of Blood, he's coming soon." She sighed, "We've worked so hard to get here, to the Mayor's office, to this position of power, so that we could stop him. So we could protect this city and this planet. I just hope we'll be able to stop it in time."

James' eyes softened at her worry. "We'll do what has to be done," he reassured her.

Annette, whose gaze had wandered to the window, turned her eyes back on him. Her voice was soft. "You know that when the time comes, you'll have to do it." She watched him with calculating eyes, assessing his reaction. "You will have to kill Raven."

His face hardened in determination and resolve. "I know," he said, just as quietly, though intensity played in his voice. "Trigon cannot be allowed to rise again."