Beast Boy was laying in his upper bunk, playing MegaMonkeys 2025 on his new handheld GameStation, and he was facing the boss for the current level, a mean looking chimpanzee with fiery red eyes that shot lasers at his character. It was an intense situation, trying to stay ahead of the devil chimp while shooting back at it. Unfortunately the boss was winning and Gar clenched his teeth as he tapped furiously on the controller. He was so focused that he didn't hear the knock on his door, which did not stop. He was oblivious until he heard Raven's angry voice: "Garfield Mark Logan! I know you're in there! I'm coming in!"

That distraction was all the chimp boss needed to annihilate Gar's avatar, which was reduced to a pile of ash. He sighed unhappily as he hopped off his bunk.

"Come in!" He shouted.

His sliding door opened and Raven entered, carrying a laundry basket. He gave her a curious look.

"What's up, Raven? Need help folding your laundry?"

Earlier that day Johnny Rancid attacked the Tower with a volley of missiles. The Tower's defenses intercepted all of them, except for one, which hit Raven's room, destroying it. Fortunately Raven was doing her laundry at the time and had her Book of Azar with her, which was fortunate as it would have been irreplaceable. Her magic chest also survived, as she had moved it to a secure room in the Tower's basement; but everything else in her room was destroyed, leaving it uninhabitable.

Raven usually had a blank look on her face, one that was as expression free as her deadpan monotone. But the changing could see the grief in her eyes. It was a feeling he could fully understand, as he still had nightmares about the accident at the waterfall, where he would relive watching his parents fall to their deaths as he was unable to save them.

"I need to bunk with you until my room is repaired." She deadpanned.

Her request was totally unexpected. She hated coming into his room, and often cracked jokes that the Environmental Protection Agency should declare his a superfund site and thus was unfit for inhabitation by any living thing.

"Why don't you stay in Terra's old room?"

"Cyborg is remodeling it. It's dirty and dusty, even by your standards."

"OK, how about bunking with Star? You guys could do the girl tack, paint your toenails and stuff."

"She only has one bed and she snores like a buzzsaw. Plus her room gives me headaches, it's unbelievably pink."

"I Yeah, it is, OK, what about …"

She put the laundry basket down and raised her hand to stop him. "Cyborg doesn't even have a bed in his room, and Robin only has one bed, and I am not sharing a bed with him, so don't even suggest it. You have the only spare bed in the Tower, so either I bunk with you or I sleep on the couch, and the couch is hard as a rock."

The changeling made an exaggerated welcoming gesture as he bowed to her. "Mi cama es su cama!"

She glared at him. "Are you implying that we sleep in the same bed? Really?"

He quickly blushed. "I meant mi casa es su casa."

She rolled her eyes. "That's better. Thanks."

He grinned at her. "So what do you prefer, top or bottom?"

Her glare returned. "More innuendo, Garfield? Really?"

"Oh, come on! You know I didn't mean that! Which bunk do you want?"

She face palmed. "I'm sorry. I've just had a really, really bad day. Almost all my stuff was destroyed, including some keepsakes my mother gave me. The boots I'm wearing are the only ones I have left. I special order them and it takes a month to get a new pair, so if they're damaged I'll have wear sneakers on our missions. The only clothes I have left are what's in this basket and what I'm wearing. All my books were destroyed. My books, my books …"

Raven then did something he had only ever seen her do once before: she began to cry. He then did something he had only done a few times before himself: he hugged her. To his surprise she wrapped his arms around him and wept into his shoulder.

"You did have your Book of Azar with you, right?"

She nodded as she continued to weep. He then did something that surprised her; he kissed her on her forehead. She pulled back, the look of surprise plastered on her face.

"You can stay with me as long as you want. How hard will it be to replace your books?"

She took a deep breath before replying. "Most of them are irreplaceable."

"I'm so sorry … uh … how about I clean up my room, you know, so it feels welcoming and stuff?"

"That would be nice. I would like to help you."

The green and gray Titans got to work. Rubbish was sent down the trash chute into the incinerator, dirty laundry was piled into a hamper and books (OK, graphic novels) were put away. Gar even replaced the bed sheets with fresh ones. The last step was running the vacuum cleaner, which Raven did using her powers. When she was done they both admired their handiwork.

"Wow, my room looks awesome."

"You should try to keep it that way."

"If it means you'll visit me more, I will."

"Maybe I will, but right now I would like to thank you for your hospitality. I'll be right back."

Before he could say anything she sank into the floor and vanished. She was gone for a few minutes, and while he waited he emptied a couple of drawers in his dresser, cramming their contents into other drawers, making room for her few garments. As he was finishing up her heard her tell tale hum and turned around. She was holding a tray.

"You made us banana splits!"

She put the tray down on his desk. "Actually, Cyborg made them. I don't have a clue on how to make one. They would probably turn out like those pancakes I made."

She handed him one of the treats and they sat down on the lower bunk. "Yours is made with your tofu ice cream."

He was about to shove the spoon into his mouth, but stopped. "I've never told you before, but you're really nice."

She looked up from her banana split."Me, nice?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I know you can get angry, especially with me, but that's because I do stupid things."

Raven looked back at him. "Then don't do stupid things. I know you're not stupid. Maybe lazy, but not stupid."

"Ok, I will. But if I slip up, could you tell me, you know …"

"Yes, I will try to be nice."

"Thanks. I'll try not to let you down."

The rest of the day was uneventful. Cyborg assessed the damage in her room, if what was left of it could be called that. The exterior wall was completely gone, as was half the floor, which exposed a storage room below. All that was left of her furniture were a few carbonized pieces of detritus. There was no trace of her bookcase or her books. Her desk, which had her meditation mirror stashed in a drawer, was also gone.

Raven stared stoically into the wreckage that used to be her room. Had she been in there, meditating, instead of being in the laundry room, the Titans would be holding a funeral.

Cyborg frowned, then spoke in an angry tone.

"This was personal, he tried to kill you. Rancid's gonna pay for this."

"We don't do revenge, Cyborg."

He glanced at her. "What if Rancid's attack had killed B? You'd still say no revenge?"

"I don't know, Cyborg, I don't know. I know that under the right conditions we can toss our most strongly held values out the window."

He shook his head. "No, not you. You wouldn't."

She sighed. "Let's just hope and pray that we are never put to that test."

"Amen." He replied. Eager to change the subject he gestured at the crater that used to be her room.

"This is gonna take 2, maybe three month to rebuild. Maybe longer, my list of vetted contractors has grown short as people are afraid to work on the Tower."

She nodded. "I understand."

"So Salad Head is letting you stay with him?"

"His name is Garfield." She replied in a curt tone.

He chuckled. "I think he'd rather be called Salad Head."

"Maybe, but I don't like it."

"As you wish." He said as they exited her room. Even the sliding door had been blown out in the attack, and Cyborg covered the entrance with a thick sheet of plywood, which he secured into place.

As she walked, he called out to her. "Raven?"

She turned around. "Yes?"

"If he's anything less than a gentleman, you'll let me know, right?"

"You have nothing to worry about." She replied.

The rest of the day was uneventful. BB and Cyborg had a round of videogames after dinner. They were alone in the common room, and shared their usual banter and trash talking as they played, that is until the Tin Man switched subjects.

"So, you're bunking with Raven, huh?"

"Yep."

"I'm surprised she's putting up with your pigsty."

"We cleaned it up."

"You did, really? You actually ran the vacuum cleaner?"

"She ran it. Anyway, my room looks awesome I think I'll keep it clean from now on."

"Ok, those are words I never expected to hear you say … hey B …"

"Yeah?"

"Look, Raven is a lady, so you be super nice to her, OK? And no peeking at her when you shouldn't. You know what I mean."

Gar paused the Game and scowled at his friend. "Hey, of course I know she's a lady. And I'm not a perv. I'm not gonna sneak peeks at her when she's changing."

"I still can't believe that she chose to bunk with you. I mean, I could have ordered a new bed for her and had it delivered today, but she told me she wanted to bunk with you."

"She did? Well … that's because the ladies find me irresistible."

"In your dreams, evergreen."

Later that night …

Gar walked into his room. Raven was seated at his desk, using his computer. She turned to look at him.

"I found replacements for some of my books."

"Awesome! I knew you would find some."

"Hey, uh, I think we might need a roommate rule. Before either of us enters the room. I think we should knock first." She interjected.

He nodded his agreement. "Yeah, I don't want to walk in if you're, uh, not decent."

"Me, too." She began to fidget with her fingers. "Uh, Gar, I want to apologize for my outburst earlier today."

"Outburst?"

"When I got angry, when I misunderstood and thought that you wanted to share a bed with me."

He laughed. "No biggie, I do need to be more careful with what I say. I mean, my Spanish is pretty bad. I can't believe I said cama instead of casa."

She shook her head. "You were just telling me to pick the bed I wanted. I assumed the worst. I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Forget it."

"No, you were being very kind and I went looking for something bad that wasn't there."

He nodded his understanding. They remained both silent for a bit, until he blurted out.

"OK … so, uh, why do you think you do that?"

Raven pursed her lips. He saw her jaw tremble nearly imperceptibly.

"I guess it's because I have low self esteem, and that no one would want me except for … using me that way."

"You have low self esteem?"

"Gar, I know I'm not beautiful. I don't light up a room when I walk in, not like how Starfire does. I know that I'm not ugly, and I've long told myself that I don't care about how I look, but … I kind of do. I mean, all girls do … even me."

He sat up straight. "You, unattractive?" He then slowly shook his head. "Raven, I've always thought you're pretty."

She did a double take. "You do? Are you kidding me? Forgive me, Garfield, but I've always thought of myself as creepy."

"OK, it's true, when you get all magicky it can be creepy, but that doesn't mean you're creepy or nasty. Sure, you're different; but … you're pretty."

She shook her head in disbelief. "OK, I wasn't expecting that. So, may I ask what it is about me that you find attractive?"

"Well, for starters, you're super smart."

"OK, thanks, I appreciate that you find that attractive, as a lot of men don't. But I'm wondering more about my looks."

"Sure, well, I like your face, you have really nice features. And your hair, it's so silky and I like the way you wear it, does your style have a name? I mean, mine is 'scruffy dog'".

"Some call it a bob, but I've heard that the technical term is an A line … you really like my hair? My unnaturally violet hair?"

"I like it when you wear it behind your ear. It's so cute when you do that."

"OK, now you're just messing with me."

He stood up. "No, I'm not."

"OK, so you have a hair fetish. Perv."

He laughed. "There's more."

"Really? What else?"

"Well, you have a killer figure. And your legs are nice too."

Her eyes widened. "No way. I have a nice figure?"

"You do, and there's …"

He stopped midsentence and Raven suddenly sensed a great deal of fear emanating from him.

"Don't be afraid to tell me. I want to know. I promise I won't get angry."

He turned away from her. His worry was now a torrent. She wondered just what he wanted to say.

"No. I shouldn't say that. You're a lady and you deserve to be treated like one."

She stood up. "Oh no, you don't. You aren't leaving me in suspense. What else were you going to say?"

He turned back to face her.

"Are you sure you want me to tell you?"

"Yes. Now spit it out before I go crazy."

"OK, but don't say I didn't warn you … OK, here it goes …I really, really like your butt."

Raven furrowed her brow and Gar braced himself for whatever rebuke she would dish out on him.

"When can you see my butt?"

"Well … it is hard since you wear your cape, but sometimes when it's windy it doesn't cover you down there …" His voice trailed off.

Beast Boy had a full length mirror on one of his closet doors. Raven removed her cape and walked up to it. She turned around and craned her neck to get a glimpse of her derriere.

"You're yanking my chain. What's so special about my butt?" She looked back at him. "Did you like Terra's butt too?"

"Uh, she kinda didn't have one."

Raven smiled at his putdown of the wretched blond before examining her backside again. "I still don't know if I should be embarrassed, flattered or incredulous."

She gave him a piercing look. "What about my bust? You didn't say anything about it."

"I also didn't say anything about your toes. I like all of you, Raven, you're beautiful."

Raven looked shocked at first, but quickly regained her composure.

"The last person who told me I was beautiful was Malchior."

"Well, he wasn't wrong, you are beautiful."

Raven closed her eyes and began to pace around the room, looking lost in thought. This went on for several minutes and Gar quietly observed, knowing better than to interrupt her. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she stopped pacing and walked up to him.

"I have decided to not wear my cape, but only when I'm in this room. And you will tell no one else about that."

"Yeah, sure, that seems like a good idea. And I promise not to stare, and that won't be easy."

"See, I told you you're not stupid. Also, I have decided to tell you that you are handsome. You will also tell no one about that."

"Really … what do you like the best about me?"

She grinned. "That will be my secret, for now."

"Oh, come on! You have to tell me! I told you! It's the ears, right?"

She put her cape back on and left the room without saying a word.

"It's not the ears?" He asked as his door slid shut.

The next day …

Beast Boy and Robin were playing a ninja game on the GameStation. Robin usually won those matches, but noticed that the changeling's level of play was off. He was about to ask Gar how the room sharing was going, but before he did the sliding doors opened. Raven entered the room and went straight into the kitchen, where she prepared a snack. She opened a bag of pretzels and filled two bowls. She took one and placed it in front of the changeling. He mumbled a quick thanks and she left the room. Robin and Gar continued playing, until Robin won the match.

Gar reached for the pretzel bowl, grabbing a few and popped one into his mouth.

Robin looked at the empty space in front of him. "She didn't even ask if I wanted some."

Using his foot, Gar slid the bowl to the boy wonder. "We can share."

Robin grabbed a few, but before consuming them he said "She gave you some without being asked."

"We're roomies now."

Robin frowned. "I hope that's all you are."

"Dude, I'm not a creep."

Robin shook his head. "You two shouldn't be roommates. I'm going to trade with her. She can have my room and I'll bunk with you."

"Take it up with her." Gar replied. "Ready for another match?"

Later …

Robin was sitting in his office when there was a knock on his door.

"Enter!" He shouted.

His door slid open and Raven walked in. "You want to see me?"

Robin sat up straight. "Yes, I want to apologize."

"For what?"

"You can have my room and I'll bunk with Beast Boy. I should have offered …"

"Thanks, but that won't be necessary."

"Really? Cyborg told me your room won't be ready for months."

"Really. Garfield is a good and thoughtful roommate."

"But his room's always a mess."

"He keeps it clean now."

"He what?"

"He knows that it's important to me."

Robin gave her an odd look before breaking out laughing.

"What's so funny, bird boy?"

"I'm sorry; I just remembered that some local journalists call you two 'the old married couple'."

Raven frowned at him, "What? Why?"

"You mean it isn't obvious?"

Raven crossed her arms. "No, it's not."

"I'm only telling you since you asked … 1) You hang out a lot with each other. 2) You bicker. 3) You watch out for each other. And don't ask me how they do it, but they always take pictures of you looking at each other."

"What pictures? What are you talking about?"

Robin found a recent copy of the Jump City Tribune in his recycling bin; he quickly flipped through the pages until he stopped. He handed her the newspaper.

Raven looked at it and scowled. They were holding hands and were smiling at each other.

"Oh for Azar's sake. Beast Boy was knocked over by an explosion and I had just helped him get up."

Robin grinned. "That's a nice smile on your face."

"I was relieved he wasn't hurt. I would do the same for any of you."

"OK then, so you're sure you don't want to trade?"

"Everything is just fine the way it is. In a few months my room will be rebuilt and I will move back into it. And thanks for your thoughtful offer."

Robin nodded. "OK then, if you change your mind, just let me know."

Raven nodded and left the room. After the door closed, Robin whispered to himself. "Raven and Beast Boy? I guess stranger things have happened."

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos …."

Raven, who had already changed into her pajamas, was levitating in the middle of the dimly lit room, which was illuminated by a few candles. Robin's words, "the old married couple", rang in her ears. She tried to eradicate them from her mind, but only got so far. Heaving a sigh of defeat she lowered her feet to the ground.

Beast Boy was already sound asleep. Raven levitated to his bunk to check on him. There was no REM activity and he looked remarkably peaceful to her. She suppressed a small chuckle when she saw that he was slightly drooling. She lowered herself down to the lower bunk and tucked herself in. For some reason, his room made her feel peaceful and safe. She rested her head on her pillow and closed her eyes. She felt her muscles relax and she began to doze. An unknown amount of time had passed when she suddenly woke. She sensed a feeling of terror and despair. Still fighting the cobwebs in her head she sat up and tried to locate the source of the fear she was sensing. But before she could, she heard it.

"No, no!" She heard his voice. She jumped out of her bed and levitated up to his bunk. He was in the REM state and there was no doubt he was having a nightmare. She pondered whether to wake him or let the dream run its course.

"The waterfall, mom, dad, there's a waterfall!"

She stared, mesmerized. Garfield had never told anyone what had happened to his parents.

"No! I won't leave you?"

Raven was tempted to use her powers to see his dream, but also knew that it would be a terrible invasion of his privacy.

"Mom! Dad! Noooooo!"

The changeling's nightmare ended and he sat up, panting.

"Garfield, are you OK?" She asked.

He turned to look at her. His heart was beating like a jackhammer.

"I woke you up, right? I'm sorry."

"That doesn't matter. You had a nightmare."

"Yeah, I did."

Raven sat next to him and took his hand. "It was about your parents?"

He closed his eyes and nodded sadly. He looked as if he was about to cry.

"You've never told us about your parents. Would you like to tell me?"

"I don't know."He whispered.

"I'm willing to share your burden."

He gulped, then looked into her eyes.

"You have nice eyes."

Raven felt a small flutter in her chest.

"Thanks. So are yours."

A small smile graced his face.

"Are you sure you want to know what happened to my parents?"

"Yes, I do want to know."

"Why?"

"Because we're friends. If it's important to you, it's important to me."

He nodded. "OK, I'll tell you."

He then proceeded to tell Raven about how his parents died in the waterfall accident and how they told him to save himself and not stay with them. By the end of the story he looked drained and Raven could feel it.

"That's a terrible story. You were only a child when that happened. Garfield, you don't blame yourself for what happened, do you?"

He didn't reply immediately, and Raven could feel the turmoil within him.

"I know I shouldn't, but I do. I keep thinking that had I done something differently that maybe, somehow I could have saved them."

Raven furrowed her brow, clearly not liking his answer. She sighed.

"Do you have a picture of them?"

He nodded.

"May I see it?"

He hopped off the upper bunk. Opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a picture frame. He climbed back into his bunk, sat next to her and handed the picture to her. Raven looked at It with great intensity.

"You look a lot like your father, but you do have you mother's chin. I wish I could have met them. I'm sure they are very proud of you and everything you have done"

"Thanks." He replied in a whisper. "Anyway, I'm sorry I woke you up. You probably want to get back to your bed."

"I do. Goodnight, Garfield."

Raven leaned over and pecked him on the cheek before floating down to her bunk. A small smile grew on his face.

"Goodnight, Raven, sleep well."

There were no more nightmares that night.