When it comes to acquiring information and seeking truths, Robin will have your back no matter how absurd the situation may be. As a former mentee of the Batman and having done countless crime-fighting jobs over the years, detective work is just a piece of cake for him, and this includes his innate skill to observe and notice the movements and gestures of those around him. Whenever needed information and there is a target who can provide that, he will use one of his detective skills he has learned: interrogation. This time, however, he won't use it against his enemies or crooked criminals; instead, he'll use it on someone else.
That happens to be Beastboy and Raven, who were suddenly acting out of character. Even Robin could tell that something was wrong with the two. Sitting on the middle stool of the island between Starfire and Cyborg, he carefully observed the two of them, squinting his eyes as Beastboy became restless about what the Boy Wonder wanted to say or ask. It was only interrupted when Raven barged in, carrying five glasses of orange juice and giving those to each of them using her magic.
"Calm down, darling. I'm sure he won't be mad at you. Here, have some juice to calm your nerves down." Raven said in a most comforting and soothing tone she had ever used.
"Thanks, hon." He replied back, giving a warm smile in return to her, who sat beside him and held his hand.
He found a lot of things odd in this moment alone. First, Raven never served any food or drinks to all of them. The best she could do was get her own serving and that's it. Second, Raven was never this close to Beast Boy. It was normal for them to have a simple bickering up to escalated arguments, but it was never this close. Not Raven acting like a clingy doting girlfriend and Beast Boy feeling shy at her initiative. Third, their use of "Darling" and "Hon". Both of them blurted those out as if it is normal for them to use it, as if they are an old married couple. Sure, there were times that Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg described their relationship as that, but this one was beyond his imagination. There were other things he wanted to question but at this point, it would never end if he pondered further on those things. So, he had to make things simple.
He interrupts the two lovebirds in question's flirting, who immediately stare at him in surprise. "Beastboy, care to explain what's going on?" He asks curiously, his eyes squinting hard.
"Oh, right." Beast Boy fixed his seat, still holding Raven's hand. "Well, this might be weird and all, but... we are able to remember our past lives now." He started, taking a deep breath. "Also, Raven's actually my wife from our past lives." He declared, showing his resolve on his face, which made Raven blush deeply and smile at him.
The revelations only added even more questions to Robin's mind, making him even more confused; meanwhile, Starfire squealed on her seat and Cyborg gaped at the revelation, as some of the circuits in his brain were glitching. Then, Robin asked them again, "Like… How? How did you manage to remember them? And how are you sure about Raven being your… wife from the past?"
"I think we got our memories back from Mad Mod's machine. Dude, if I was still alive last time, I would be bewildered by how much has changed since then. Anyway, I'm definitely sure about her being my wife. I will never forget anything about her, not even if she were in the middle of a crowded and noisy market!" he proudly boast.
"Aww! That's so sweet." Raven replied as she gave him a tight hug and kissed him on the cheek, which made Beastboy's cheeks blush. Starfire fainted from too much happiness, while Cyborg froze; his system could not process the current event he was witnessing. Robin, on the other hand, may have appeared unfazed and calm on the outside, but internally, he was having a disastrous crisis, not even sure how to process this or even if he could comprehend it at all, which was very unnatural for him. After a few moments of silence, Cyborg finally went back online and asked them.
"Since when did you start acting lovey-dovey!? Who are you two exactly, and what's the deal with these "Hannah" and "John" thing!? Are you two even joking right now!? Are there even things you forgot to tell us!? Because I am confused as hell!" Cyborg blasted all of his concerns in one go, ending up panting heavily and receiving stares from the others. The couple looked at each other first before looking back at him. Beast Boy then started speaking.
"One, we're just being 'lovey-dovey' on this day, knowing that we met once again after so many years. Two, I am Jonathan Matthew Smith, U.S. Army soldier or so as i remember, and she is Hannah Marie Curtis-Smith, my lovely spouse. We were married in 1934, a few years before the Second World War occurred. Fortunately, we had a son and a daughter from what I can remember before I was called upon duty. Unfortunately, I was killed on the line of duty during the war against the Vietnamese. Two stray bullets hit me right in the head and to my heart." He then point to my head and heart, showing where they hit me. "Meanwhile, my wife over here is a housewife who could do many things, even before we met for the first time. She has a strong will and determination to succeed in life. Third, no. We're not joking or pulling a fast one on you. Lastly, there are things we haven't told you yet, but we aren't ready right now. We just got our past memories back and we don't want to strain our minds any further."
Cyborg remained silent after Beastboy answered his questions. For once, Beastboy acted serious and mature right then. The last time he did that was when the four of them and the other Titans were frozen by B.R.A.I.N., and Beastboy and the others managed to save their lives. At this point, Cyborg is concerned whether he's still the same green bean he used to know. He could also say the same to Raven. This is the first time seeing his little sister acting giddy and clingy to someone, not to mention that someone was Beastboy. Eventually, he realized that things would be awkward not only for him but for all of them, and he's sure that Robin also thinks the same.
Later that afternoon in the common room, there were no signs of people present other than Beast Boy and Raven, who were both sitting on the U-shaped couch. The others were out; Starfire had dragged Robin along on her shopping spree for clothes/a date, while Cyborg was in the garage, fine-tuning his T-Car.
Beast Boy couldn't help but feel fidgety and uneasy. After all, this was the first time they were finally talking intimately after many years of absence in his past life. On the other hand, Raven felt the same way too; not only because this was their first conversation with him after years, but also because of the way she had behaved towards him before she got her memories back, and she felt guilty about it. Seeing her worried face, he immediately caressed her hand and looked at her sincerely.
"I'm sorry." he said, guilt suddenly resonating in his facial features.
"For what?" She asked back, concerned.
"For not fulfilling my promise to return back home that time. You waited for me no matter how long it took before you found out I had died. What's worse, I even left you alone with our children and I can't even see them grow up as adults. We can't even spend our time together like we used to. Now that I think about it, I didn't even say goodbye to you or to the kids. I'm a failure as a husband and a father."
She sat closer to him, wiping his tears away and giving him a warm, genuine smile. "It's okay, John dear. You did everything you could for us, for the kids. As a matter of fact, I should be the one to apologize."
"Why is that?"
"For being a weak-willed mother. After you died, everything felt dark and heavy. It was too much for me to handle. I couldn't even imagine living without you in my life. But then, I looked at our children, our precious little angels from heaven. Whenever I see them, it reminds me that no one would take care of them once I leave this world, and I felt like you wouldn't want to see me suffer. So, I steeled my resolve and raised them with everything I could. They ended up becoming fine adults. I saw them finding great partners and having great kids, and I wish you could see them."
Beast Boy smiled wholeheartedly at her story.
"When I finally died, I thought I could meet you once again, and here we are, close together, hand in hand." She finished, smiling still on her face.
"What are you talking about, sweetie? You're not weak; you're definitely one of the strongest people I know."
"Well, yes I know. But that time was definitely my lowest and I'm just glad I decided not give up at that point. Speaking of which, I apologize for being such a mean queen to you before we regained our memories, especially when I threw you to different places."
"Don't be. It's all good. I have no grudges. I definitely deserved it anyway." He said sheepishly, rubbing his neck. She then giggled in return.
After that, the common room was filled with silence, although it wasn't uncomfortable or excruciating for either of them. They simply contemplated everything they missed with one another. Who would have thought that the two of them would be able to see each other again, let alone as beloved superheroes? Regardless, they were grateful to that machine for giving them this opportunity, even though it was an enemy's idea to do so.
"John?"
"Yes?"
"May I ask you something?"
"Of course! Anything for you."
She gulped before speaking. "What should we call ourselves now?" she asked. "It's obvious that we're not the same John and Hannah Smith anymore; we're Beast Boy and Raven now."
Beast Boy thought she was right. Obviously, they were reincarnated and using the same names from their past lives would cause confusion for others. He thought about it deeply before replying.
"We'll use our hero codenames whenever we are in public or the others are around. We'll use our past names and our current names when there's only two of us."
"Is that so? Then... Is it okay if I call you 'Little John' from now on?" She teased him, implying his short height to his dismay.
"Hey! Don't attack my insecurities!" He barked back. Funny enough, he actually enjoyed this kind of bickering with his wife. "Don't make me tell you again what happened at our prom in high school!" He teased back at her.
It was her turn to blush in shame. "Hey! Don't make me remember that! I still can't get over it!" she whined back, shivering at the thought.
"Why? I'm sure you enjoyed it back then." He wiggled his eyebrows, smiling wickedly.
"John, stop! That's not funny!" she said as she lightly slapped his shoulder, causing him to chuckle in spite of her obvious embarrassment. They stayed like that for a few minutes, laughing and reliving their humorous moments together, until their laughter eventually died down and they both took a moment to catch their breath.
She said, "I wish this moment would last forever."
"Me too, Hannah." He replied, caressing her soft hand. For a brief moment, Raven suggested something.
"You know what? Want to visit our graves?"
"Wait, you were able to get my body back?"
"Yes. Your friends from your regiment were grateful for your service as a soldier and as a friend. So, it was the only thing they could do."
Beast Boy thought about it for a moment. He was beyond relieved that, even in his last moments, his friends were still there to bring him home. It made him shed a tear. "Okay," he said. "Lead the way."
With a small smile, Raven then used her powers to open a portal. She and Shadow stood up and passed through, still holding each other's hands.
It is a beautiful day at a cemetery near Massachusetts. Alongside the tall trees and well-groomed grasses, it is also filled with graveyards whose names are written in marble on their respective tombstones. There were no signs of life out there until a black portal emerged and its passengers stepped out of it.
Beast Boy took a moment to look around, burning the images of the surroundings into his mind.
"This place..." he said, taking a deep breath as he savored the clean and fresh air around him. Raising his arms, he continued, "It still feels the same as it did the last time I was here."
"I know, right?" Raven responds, standing close to him. "Come on. We still need to walk over there." She instructed, taking the lead as she starts walking. Beastboy followed afterwards.
After a few minutes of slow walking, mesmerized by the view, and looking at the other graveyards, they reached their destination. It is a grassy field with a huge tree towering over it. The tree provides a shade; there lie two black marble tombstones side by side. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that one had his past name and the other was for her. On his tombstone, there was a caption underneath the date of his death.
A good man, a great soldier, the best husband, and the best father.
Tears streamed down his face as he appreciated the sentiment and realized that someone had validated his efforts, even if it ended up being short-lived. Raven patted his shoulder softly, gently looking at him while he wiped away his own tears.
"Do you like it?" she asked, gentleness evident in her voice.
"Yeah. Thank you." He replied back, still wiping his tears. "Not only did you give me words to live by, you managed to bury me in this place." Beastboy remarked as he looked up at the tree.
Raven mused. "Of course. I had a close friend who knew someone from this cemetery, and they helped me get this spot. After all, this is our hiding place and-"
"The place where we met for the first time, I know," he says, giving her a small smile. "We were kids at that time. I remember it so well. Your dad died, and my mom passed away too. They were both buried on the same day, and then we met. We played, we sat under a tree, talking about our deceased parents and other things kids do, and we eventually got tired and fell asleep. Ever since then, we've always met up here every year until we became close friends and even closer partners." He says, reminiscing on those moments with a longing look in his eyes. "Thank you... for bringing me here."
"You're welcome." She smiled back in return. "I just want you to be happy, even at your last breath. Of course, I know you'll do the same for me." She finished, and silence took over once again.
Just then, an old woman happened to pass by, using a hemi walker as her support, and saw the two teens at the tree. She decided to talk to them. "Aren't you two new here?"
Both of them turned around to see who it was. Beastboy just blinked at her sudden appearance, while Raven tried to remember who this person was; she seemed familiar to her.
"Uhm, well… You can say that." Beastboy said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Do you know them?"
"I only knew the wife." the old woman said. "My eldest sister happened to be friends with her. She even asked her to reserve that spot for the two of them because it held a special meaning in her heart. That's when I realized that she really loved him a lot." The old woman paused and then continued. "By the way, are you two related to them somehow?"
"Well... Yeah. We're somewhat related." He answered back, hesitating.
"By the way, how is she? Your sister?" Raven interjected into the conversation.
"Oh, she finally passed away a few years ago. I actually just visited her grave site earlier." The old woman responds.
"I see." Raven said as he thought about it deeply. Maybe she should pay her a visit with Beastboy some other time.
"Well then, it's time for me to go. I have other stuff to do. Take care, kids!" she said, waving goodbye to them as she began walking slowly away. Beast Boy and Raven did the same to her.
"I assume you know her." said Beastboy.
"Yes. I knew her and her family well."
"Looks like I owe them a thing or two for this one. Maybe a visit?"
"I don't think they mind. They're a good bunch of people."
After a while, they returned back to their graveyard, giving it one last look.
"I wonder if our wedding rings were still in there."
"Why? Do you want me to take them out?"
"Can you?"
Raven, using her magic, tried to steal their wedding rings from beneath them. It took her a while to manage it.
"Do you think this counts as grave robbing?" asked Beast Boy, filled with concern.
Raven inspected the rings. "I think they're fine," she said. "These are ours to begin with. Anyways, these rings are old and rusty. I don't think it will fit us either."
"Perhaps I can ask Cy about that." Beastboy suggested as he took the rings from her. "Maybe he can do something about it."
"I like that." agreed Raven.
"I just noticed. You've been smiling ever since our past memories returned. Don't you think your emotions could affect your powers?" Beastboy is concerned and conscious of her well-being.
"I'm fine. Ever since we defeated my father, it took me less time to get my powers under control, so I can express a few emotions. Nonetheless, it will be fine even if an outburst or two occur. I'm sure of it." she said confidently.
"That's true." Beast Boy says, seemingly content with her answer. "Well, I guess we should head home then."
"Sure." she answered, holding his hand. Both of them then started walking as she opened a portal back to their new home.
Meanwhile, the garage, which was considered Cyborg's fortress and oasis, was thrashed and wrecked all over the place, only leaving Cyborg standing stiff in the middle of the mess. He couldn't believe his beloved room had been wrecked for just seconds and he knew exactly who was responsible. Dropping his wrench, it looked like he needed a piece of his mind from the resident empath later on.
Author's Note: And that's it for Chapter 2. I hope you like it and thank you for reading this story of mine. If you like, you can leave any comments and suggestions right here. That's all, folks. Peace!