Chapter 2

He knew he had been staring with his mouth open for too long. If Cyborg had been around to see it, he would have made a snide comment about flies getting in. Heck, in any other situation, Beast Boy would have made the comment himself.

But he couldn't think of the joke. All he could think of was the woman in front of him.

A million thoughts, a million different possibilities ran through his head so quickly that he started to feel unsteady on his already tired feet. How did she get here? When did she get here? Why did she come here? What did she want? Is she stuck here? Can she get back? And the one question that he couldn't let go of as much as he knew he should, who was the father of her unborn baby?

For the woman patiently standing in front of him was none other than the dark empath herself; Raven. Clearly older and also clearly pregnant.

The awkward silence was stretching into the minutes and he knew he had to say something- anything but he continued to gape at the violet-eyed enchantress.

"Ummmmmm….." he finally uttered. It sounded completely ridiculous to his ears and he could feel his cheeks getting warmer.

A small, crooked smile came to her lips as she must have felt his embarrassment. "You have questions for me." She paused as if choosing her words carefully, "I will do my best to answer as many as I can. But please understand Beast Boy, I have to be careful with what I say and I can't…" she trailed off, eyes looking around the room as if trying to find some insight within the four walls. She finally settled back onto his emerald eyes and gave a yearning sigh, "I can't tell you everything you wish to know."

She stopped and tilted her head to the side as if assessing her companion. "You need to sit."

With one flick of her wrist, her dark magic covered Beast Boy in its cold grip, making him shiver slightly as it snaked around his body. It left as quickly as it came, leaving him completely cleared of the goo from the battle with Plasmus.

"Wait- what? Why didn't you do this after the battle?" Beast Boy exclaimed, forgetting for a moment that he had been covered in slime. He grinned sheepishly after realizing what he had just said.

Raven rolled her eyes, crossed her arms over her chest, and tilted her hip to the side. "That wasn't me, genius. Your Raven doesn't know how to do that kind of magic yet."

Another awkward silence was threatening as Beast Boy examined the empath yet again. If any doubts were left in his mind about this Raven, they were gone the instant her eyes moved towards the ceiling. The Raven that had stood before him a few moments ago was everything Raven was not; timid, meek, and a little bit scared. But the Raven that mocked him, that pointed out the obvious, was more like the brave, sarcastic Raven he knew.

"Soooo…. are you, like, from the future or another dimension…" he trailed off and waited for her to answer.

She nodded her head. "Future. And let me see, judging by your height," she said, wrinkling her nose. "The complete mess of your room... the fact that Cyborg hasn't installed personal bathrooms yet, I'd say you've been back from Tokyo for what, eight months?" She asked with a smirk. The changeling could tell that her confidence was rising with each passing sentence.

"Ten, actually." It was closer to nine than ten but Beast Boy was not going to let her arrogance get the better of him. This was his time and his room and… wait… it WAS his room.

"Wait- what are you doing in my room?" He voiced his thoughts out loud.

The grin left her face immediately.

"Well," she hesitated. "Actually, in the future, this is my room."

"Your room," Beast Boy parroted back at her. "Your room," he repeated. He started to pace, hands tied behind his back and long strides making dents in his carpet. "Your room," he said a third time. "Why would we switch rooms?"

Not waiting for an answer, he stopped abruptly and turned to her, face panicked and questioning. "Holy Crap! Has something happened? Am I not a Titan anymore? Did I get transferred to another team? Did I quit the hero business? Am I- Am I- DEAD?"

For the second time in only a few minutes, Raven dramatically rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, Azar! No! You are not dead! We just swapped things around a few years ago. Calm down, Beast Boy."

"Calm down? My teammate from the future is standing in my room and I'm supposed to calm down? I've seen some weird stuff but this is like, easily in the top five." He glowered at her and plopped himself on the bottom bunk of his bed.

"Sorry." She apologized with a small shrug of her shoulder. She carefully sat down next to him. Beast Boy was grateful that the sheets on his bed were spread out somewhat neatly.

"I think this is about ten years off my own time. It's been a long time, Beast Boy. Things change a lot in ten years."

"Uhh, Duh! Dude, things have definitely changed!" He whipped his head around and gestured to her pregnant stomach with his gloved hands. It was time to acknowledge the elephant in the room.

Raven took a deep breath in as if steeling herself for this moment. "Yes. I'm… I'm pregnant." She rested her hands protectively around her bump, "Seven months tomorrow. Not too long left now."

The last words were only softly whispered and Beast Boy knew they weren't for him.

He watched her and noted that there was something gentle and serene in the way her hands caressed her belly. Her face, which Beast Boy had been staring at for an embarrassingly long time now, also became slightly softer and a tiny smile graced the edge of her mouth. Her inner happiness shone right through her and Beast Boy felt himself smiling at her tenderness.

It was a beautiful moment.

So of course, Beast Boy had to ruin it.

"Okay…. And the father is…." He prompted, breaking Raven out of her peaceful trance.

Lilac eyes glared back at him. "My husband," she said with a hint of malice.

"Who is…" Beast Boy prompted again. Did she really think he was going to let it go that easily?

"Who is … going to be missing me right now." Raven slumped into herself as she said this. It was as if she had only realized how incredibly far she now was from the life she knew.

"I meant like a name but-"

"Beast Boy!" She scolded.

"Okay! Okay! Sorry!" He flinched, anticipating one of her signature slaps but when none came he quickly regained his composure.

"Right. Well, let's get you back to him. Do you have like, a magic time turner you can use? Or maybe some crazy future clock techy thing? Wait is there like, a worm-hole? Do we need a flux capacitor? A Tardis? Hang on a second, did you get into a fight with Warp?" At this point, Beast Boy had jumped from the bed and had started moving again. Talking rapidly, finger on his chin, legs shuffling around the room; he always felt like he was able to think better when his body moved.

Raven gave him one of her smart-aleck looks. "Let's see, first, time turners are from Harry Potter and are thus not real. Second, there was no wormhole in the Tower. Third, I do not own a technical futuristic clock- I don't even think that exists in my time. And no, no DeLorean's or Tardises are needed." Raven said counting out with her fingers.

"And as for your last question…" she paused and closed her eyes as if holding back unwanted tears. "Coming here was an accident."

Beast Boy stopped moving and nodded his head. He can only imagine what Raven was going through right now. Coming to this time was probably traumatizing and Beast Boy was in no mood to poke the pregnant half-demon into spilling all the details. However, if Raven, one of the strongest in the team, was caught in the crossfire of some powerful time-bending villain then he needed to prepare himself for one hell of a battle.

"There is a spell," Raven murmured, breaking him out of his reverie. "It's not an easy one. It takes a lot of ingredients, time and so much energy." She sent her eyes back onto the changeling. "I'm so drained from coming here. I don't know if I even have it in me to perform it."

A frown formed on Beast Boy's face. One minute Raven was so desperately trying to get back to her husband, the next she was saying how incredibly tired she was. Were all pregnant women this contrary?

With a flash of inspiration, Beast Boy snapped his fingers. "Hey! Why don't we just wait till Raven gets here? Like the regular Raven- not you Raven! She can totally whip up your spe-"

"NO!" shouted his older teammate. Her interruption was accompanied by all of the light bulbs in the ceiling bursting with a distinctive, synchronized Pop!

Now shrouded in darkness, the smell of a burning match quickly emanated to Beast Boy's sensitive nose. Ironically, it was a smell that he associated with the very person to whom her older version was anxious about. The younger empath's outbursts were a common occurrence in the Tower and Cyborg had jokingly stocked an entire closet filled with the bulbs that were used throughout their home. This particular outburst had barely made Beast Boy flinch but by the embarrassed look on his older colleague, this was a situation that no longer transpired.

"Sorry. That seldom happens anymore," Raven sighed.

Beast Boy's eyes had already adjusted to the darkness and he could see the humiliation gleaming across her face as she confirmed his suspicion.

Switching on his bedside lamp, the lone survivor to Raven's magic, Beast Boy's mind whirred as he took it all in. This Raven had shown more emotion in the last few minutes than he knew his Raven would show in a month. He knew that the quick display of her goo-expelling power earlier was a mere party trick in comparison to what she was now capable of. This older Raven was a powerful being whose powers and emotions were mastered. An eruption like this exposed not only Raven's fatigue but also her fierce desire to not be found by her younger self.

"No worries. Happens a lot around here!" He smiled in a vain attempt to clear away the discomfort in the room. "I'll go get the light bulbs. Tell you what, I'll put the kettle on too. I'm sure Raven- errr- you- won't notice one missing tea bag!"

Raven gave the changeling a genuine smile as her bright eyes looked gratefully up to his. "Thank you, Beast Boy, that's very thoughtful of you."

"I'll be right back, don't move."

Beast Boy raced out of his room and headed towards Ops faster than if he had Killer Moth on his heels. He filled the kettle with equal speed and opened Raven's tea cupboard with ferocity only to be stopped in confusion. How many teas did a person need? There had to be a dozen packages of tea all lined up in perfectly neat rows along the shelf.

"Eenie, meenie, miney, mo!" He picked up the yellow box that landed with Mo and impatiently drummed his fingers as he waited for the kettle to finish boiling over. He knew that Cyborg would probably take his time getting pizza, possibly spend a few extra minutes flirting with the cute brunette that had just started at the place, so he wouldn't have to worry about him for a while. Raven, on the other hand, regular-aged Raven, could be back at any moment. Depending on how detailed the statement she was going to make, and who would be questioning her, she could be back anytime now. Especially, he thought bitterly, if she made a portal or teleported back. He did NOT want to get caught using her tea bags and from what he had just observed from the older Raven, she was not going to come to his rescue anytime soon.

The kettle finally gave a light whistle and Beast Boy rushed through the process of steeping the tea and as an afterthought, added some of the honey he had seen Raven put in her cups from time to time. It smelled vaguely familiar so he left the kitchen with some confidence before grabbing some bulbs and making his way back to his room.

Thrusting his sliding door aside, he entered to find Raven floating over the floor and unscrewing the broken lightbulbs from their sockets. A quick look at his full garbage bin confirmed that she had cleaned all the broken glass from the floor. He also noticed how some of his piles of comics and clothes were slightly neater than they were before he left. Not clean exactly but the comics were all lined up in tight bundles and his shirts were gracefully arranged instead of thrown haphazardly on the carpet. Did Raven clean his mess? His mess? Deliberately?

"Oh! Chamomile!" Raven interrupted his gaping. She took the mug out of the stunned boy's hands and took a deep breath of the calming scent the tea was offering. "You remembered to make me a non-caffeinated tea! This is perfect, thank you!"

"Yes.'' Beast Boy moved his hand to the back of his neck and sheepishly rubbed at it. "Because pregnant women shouldn't drink too much caffeine, so I brought you….. this one!" He finished, mentally thanking whichever deity had taken pity on him. Those Eenie, meenie, miney, mo gods; they knew just when to help a guy out.

Raven gave a knowing smile and after giving the vapors a gentle blow, took a quick sip of her cup. "Not bad," she said, clearly impressed. "You aren't having one?"

"Nah," Beast Boy replied with a laugh as he clambered onto his desk to screw in a lightbulb. "I'm not much of a tea drinker."

Raven cocked her head to the side and looked intently at him. "No. I guess you aren't yet."

Beast Boy felt his eyes go wide. If it was one of the cartoons he watched on a Saturday morning, they would have bounced out of their sockets in shock.

"I drink tea?" His voice squeaked in bewilderment, and he found himself nearly falling off his desk and onto the floor.

Raven gave a small chuckle and took another sip of her drink. "Yes. You and I will often have a cup together."

"Me? You? Tea?" Perplexed, he jumped to her height and continued, "What else can you tell me? Are we all still friends in the future? Do we all still live in the Tower? Does Robin and Starfire get married and get even more annoying? Does Cy ever get the guts to ask out Sarah Sims? How many girlfriends do I have? Do I get to meet Batman? Do I-"

"Enough!" Raven stopped him. "Let's quit before you're ahead. You know I can't divulge too much information about the future." Her monotone was back with a vengeance.

"Ugh," Beast Boy pouted. He had seen enough Sci-Fi movies to understand that knowledge about the future was always a heavy burden on the protagonist- who he decided was him- but his curiosity was scratching at his centre and his impulses were begging to know more.

"So that is all you are going to tell me about my future? That I become boring and I spend my time drinking tea? C'mon Raven! Give a green guy a break!"

"Let's just focus on the here and now." Raven shook her head. "We need to plan. Raven and the others are coming back soon."

Beast Boy stopped his hassling at once. Raven was right- the younger Raven would be back at any moment and although he didn't understand the elder's hesitation to let the younger into their confidence, he trusted her enough to assist her in any way he could.

Arms crossed and his face still set in a scowl, Beast Boy nodded his head to show his understanding. He didn't like it, but he would play along for now.

"Thank you," she whispered. She gave a quiet yawn as she folded her legs under her and got comfortable on his bed.

I am REALLY glad laundry day was yesterday, Beast Boy thought as she gathered up his sheets and wrapped them around her small shoulders. He shuddered when he thought of the socks that sometimes got left behind in the corners. NOT something anyone- especially a girl like Raven- would enjoy seeing. Or smelling for that matter.

She looks awfully comfortable in my bed. It figures that the first girl to get under my covers would be a pregnant one. A married, pregnant one. One that happens to be the ice queen herself. I hope this isn't some sort of twisted premonition for the future. WAIT- a pregnant half-demon can't jinx a bed, can she?

"…it won't take too much energy to shield myself from Raven, so as long as I stay hidden, she'll have no idea that I'm even here. The same goes for the others, too. Can I trust you to not say anything to anyone?" Raven had been talking for a good minute while Beast Boy had ruminated about demons and beds. Just putting the two words together had made his face get hot.

"…of course," Beast Boy replied with a shrug. He stopped while his mind attempted to catch up with the moments he had missed. "But how long are we talking about here? Days? Weeks?"

Raven wrinkled her nose in thought. "Give me one night to rest. My brain is foggy from the trip over here and I can't seem to think clearly." As if to confirm this notion she gave a wide yawn that she attempted to hide behind her fist.

"Yep. Sleep. That's what you need!" Beast Boy exclaimed as he took the half-drunk cup of tea from her hands. "This is the whole reason I have bunk beds! Slumber party! You take the bottom and I'll take the top!" He fluffed out her pillow and made a show of helping her spread out the blankets and getting her tucked in. He was pleasantly surprised as she allowed him to fuss over her.

He moved his way over to the light switch. "I'm going to see the others when they come in. Make sure they aren't suspicious of anything. I'll try not to wake you when I come back. Sleep tight, Raven." With a click of the light, the room turned dark.

"Beast Boy," she called as he walked out the door. He turned to her and saw her purple head being shrouded in moonlight. Her eyes gave off the tiniest shimmer and her pale skin was radiant. Her grateful, tired smile seemed to just accentuate her loveliness.

Huh, pregnant women do have a glow about them, Beast Boy smiled to himself.

"I don't know how to thank you," Raven said softly. "You've been so accommodating and thoughtful. I know this is such a big burden to ask of you and I'm so grateful for your help." She hesitated a moment before continuing, "I just need some reassurance that no one will come in here. Especially Raven. She absolutely cannot know that I'm here."

Beast Boy chuckled, "This whole thing is definitely… weird but I won't say a thing to anyone, I promise. And don't worry, Cyborg will be a vegetarian before Raven voluntarily comes into my room. I mean, she might if she's intending to murder me but I think that's the only circumstance." He gave her one of his signature toothy smiles before closing the door with a faint, "Goodnight."

As he walked towards Ops, fully resolved to numb his mind with video games, his acute animal hearing was just able to catch Raven breathily reply, "I wouldn't be so sure of that."

Authors Note:

Thank you so much for all of the follows and comments! I was incredibly apprehensive about posting my first chapter and I am overwhelmed with the amount of support it got so thank you from the bottom of my heart!

This chapter is probably my least favorite chapter of the whole fic but things get a little more fun in Chapter 3 so I hope you come back next week to see it!