"For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation".
-Ranier Maria Rilke
Raven traced a flower on the pillowcase with her finger. Her eyes were heavy with sleep, but her mind was restless. Beast Boy had kissed her. It was nothing to mull over. He didn't sweep her up in his arms. It was a simple, friendly, goodnight kiss. Yet, she couldn't stop thinking about it.
'Just stop' Raven told herself as she flipped over onto her side and glared are the clock. The red numbers glared right back at her, it was only 4:56 am. Raven groaned and closed her cerulean eyes. Thoughts she knew she should not be having flashed through her head and she quickly opened them and stared into the darkness of the room.
A loud ringing erupted from the living room and without much thought to her still somewhat aching body Raven shot out of the bed and scampered down the hallway finding something to keep herself busy with. Who could be calling at this hour, she didn't know but she silently thanked them before picking up the phone.
They had saved her from any more unnecessary dreaming. "Hello?"
"Is Doctor Logan available?" An important and urgent voice asked.
"Um, hang on just a second." Raven rushed back to the bedroom and hesitated slightly before shaking him from his slumber. "Beast Boy, wake up." He wiggled around momentarily before mumbling something and settling back into sleep.
The young woman rolled her eyes and shoved him harder. "Get up! There's someone on the phone for you! It sounds like your work!"
W-what?" he managed to ask groggily. Beast Boy rubbed his eyes and stared up at Raven who's own eyes were fixed on the wall behind him.
"There is a phone call for you!"
"Oh!" Now somewhat more alert, Beast Boy crawled out from under the layers of blankets and staggered down the hall into the living room. The receiver was waiting patiently for him on the end table. He picked it up with caution, preparing for the worst.
"This is Bea—the um, Doctor...Doctor Logan."
"I apologize for waking you up sonny and I know this is your vacation," a strong voice that could only belong to his boss, Dr. Griffin, "We need you immediately. Just get down here now, I'll explain when you arrive."
"Okay, I'm on my way." He hung up the phone and stormed into the bedroom. Raven was sitting on the edge of the bed, concentrating on her folded hands. "They need me at work. It sounds serious." Beast Boy paid no attention to the fact that Raven was still in the bedroom as he hastily changed into a long sleeved button down shirt, and gray slacks.
He threw his tie on carelessly and glanced over at his wife noticing that she hadn't protested about him changing in the same room she was occupying, and that she hadn't even made any effort to move from her spot. "Are you alright?" He asked her.
"I'm fine. Just get to work."
"Fine...um, I'll see you later. I don't know when I'm going to get back."
"Okay."
"Yeah, bye." Beast Boy muttered grabbing his keys and wallet and heading out the bedroom door. He could tell something was wrong with Raven, but he had no time to push the subject this morning. He would bother her about it later.
Now was not the time to worry about home life, Beast Boy knew that there was something wrong at work, presumably an animal in serious trouble. He looked down at the wedding ring on his finger as he revved up his moped. The young man hated that Raven was upset about something and he couldn't do anything to help at the moment.
He sighed deeply as he kicked off the ground at flew down the quiet early morning streets towards the veterinarians' office. Beast Boy entered the office, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He spotted Dr. Griffin standing by the receptionist's desk, waiting for him. "Doctor Griffin." Beast Boy said, trying to keep the exhaustion out of his voice.
"Gar! Hurry on back!" The older man began immediately, relaying all the details to Beast Boy:
"We got a puppy Golden Retriever, Ginger. She's the Brewer's dog, seven months old. Got into a nasty fight with a possum. So far we know of two broken ribs, and various bite and scratch wounds. The dog needs to be checked out for rabies and other diseases. She needs stitches and her broken bones mended. James and Katherine are already in there along with a few nurses. I'll be back in there too. Get scrubbed up Gar, we need you!"
Beast Boy nodded and ran back to the sink to scrub his hands clean. All the while he was fighting the urge to cry. The young man was frightened, he knew when he got the phone call that there would be an injured animal, but being forewarned did not make the situation any easier for him.
Holding his breath he put on his gloves and coat and walked into the back room. He heard the sounds of pained howling and saw James and Katherine, another veterinarian, working tirelessly on the poor, miserable creature.
Blood spattered their white coats like red paint and their eyes were unblinking as they worked. Beast Boy spotted Annie, the nurse who had helped him countless times, running around grabbing syringes and sterilizing tools.
"Doctor Logan! We need you to start stitching up wounds by the left eye socket. After that proceed to the flank and base of the tail," James shouted over the dog's cries, "Just...if you see a problem. Try to fix it!" Beast Boy nodded and gathered his courage. He had to help save this dog this was his only concern.
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The apartment was unusually quiet. After a few hours of light, agitated sleep the young woman woke to an empty bed and looked over at the clock. It was 7:30 am. Her thoughts traveled to Beast Boy. She hoped that everything was all right.
Raven knew it was an understatement to say that Beast Boy was close to animals, half the time she saw him if he wasn't physically an animal, he was acting like one. Him seeing one seriously sick or hurt would be very distressing.
She pulled herself out of bed, wandered into the living room, and sat down on the sofa. Raven turned on the television and watched the news, surreptitiously stealing glances at the soundless telephone. She wanted Beast Boy to call, but she dreaded talking to him.
It was an uncomfortable situation, after his impromptu kiss last night, she didn't know how to act. She knew he thought she was sleeping, but Raven couldn't pretend that she didn't know it happened.
The phone rang for the second time that morning. Hesitation swam through her as her shaky pale hand hovered over the receiver. After the fifth ring she finally picked up. "Hello?"
"Raven? It's Julia Polanski." Raven vaguely remembered the name; Julia was Glen View Academy's principal.
"Oh! Hello Ms. Polanski."
"How are you feeling dear?" The woman's warm tone seemed genuinely concerned.
"Much better, thank you. I think I'll be able to come back Monday."
"Really? Terrific!" There was a slight pause before she continued to speak hurriedly.
"Do you think you could come in today? Not to work, just to come in and check up on your class. Lucy has informed me that they have a surprise planned for you."
"Oh? A surprise?" she asked nervously. The last surprise she received from her students landed her in the hospital.
"Yes, Lucy said that it would be ready around eleven or so."
"Alright."
"Good to hear you're feeling better. Take care Raven."
"You too." Raven hung up the phone and ran her fingers through her dark hair. Shuffling her feet she made her way into the kitchen in search of breakfast and something to help keep her mind from wandering.
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"Good job Gar. You really came through today, you should be proud of yourself." Dr. Griffin patted the young man's shoulder proudly. Beast Boy grinned down at his hands. They were the hands of someone who saved a life. Ginger was fine, she didn't die, and he helped.
He had saved lives before, innumerable times, but he usually had his powers to thank for that. But today, he only relied on his intelligence and what little he had taught himself from books. This was the first time, in a long time that he truly felt independent.
It was a rush for him to realize that he was capable of being strong even without his 'special talents.' Ginger stared up at him, her rusty tail swaying back and forth weakly in silent gratitude.
"Thank you for saving my Ginger." A small boy with tired blue eyes whispered shyly to the three doctors.
"Happy to be of help!" James grinned a 100-watt smile and ruffled the boy's brown hair. "Now you should probably get some sleep." The young child toddled off into his waiting father's embrace.
"When will we be able to pick her up?" the mother asked.
"Probably tomorrow she seems to be responding nicely to the medication," James said confidently as he shook the woman's hand. Both parents nodded in gratitude and quietly vacated the veterinarians' office, son in tow.
When they were gone, James turned to Beast Boy and laughed. "Great job, Gar!"
"Thanks."
"Are you staying the rest of the day?" he asked, his voice thick with eerie curiosity.
"Um, I can if you need me." Beast Boy smiled, after helping save Ginger his confidence in his work had risen dramatically.
"We can always use you Gar."
"Okay." The two took Ginger into the back room and put her in a comfortable cage lined with blankets and began to prepare for their next patients.
"So, how's Raven been?" James questioned nonchalantly.
"She's getting better," Beast Boy said as he examined the file of a small tabby cat.
"Good, I was going to stop by today."
"Um, why?"
"You know, just to check up and everything." Beast Boy looked up from what he was doing and raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Just concerned." James shrugged his shoulders and turned his back on the young man. Beast Boy stared at the back of his head confused. His indifference seemed strained.
"Oh okay." Beast Boy left the back room puzzled, he felt anger bubbling at the base of his spine slowly moving up and spreading itself through the rest of his body. But he didn't know where it was coming from.
Quickly, he shook away the feeling and continued down the hall towards the front desk, forgetting about his suspicions, opting to throw himself into his work.
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"Mrs. Logan! Mrs. Logan!" Red-faced children in identical school uniforms assaulted Raven with hugs the moment she walked through the doorway.
"They just had their recess," a tired looking Lucy announced as if to justify their blotchy faces, and sweaty hands.
"Oh, um...did you have fun?" Raven asked putting on an awkward smile. Even after weeks of not having powers the young woman still forgot that she was free to be emotional. All these years of maintaining a stoic presence, was hard to undo.
"Yes! I played on the monkey bars—"
"Me and Leo had a sand fight—"
"We played Titans!" A young boy stated proudly puffing out his chest. A young girl and boy stood near him looking equally as pleased.
"Really? Sounds like fun," Raven whispered sadly. The little boy's joy of pretending to be a Titan made her miss the team. She wondered curiously, if out there somewhere, there was a little girl imitating her. But that thought quickly disappeared when she remembered no one in this world knew of her and Beast Boy's association with the Titans.
"It was!" The little boy responded eagerly.
"Mrs. Logan! We got a surprise for you!" Tiny hands pushed her towards the table in the middle of the room and sat her down at one of their small and uncomfortable chair. "Close your eyes!"
Raven looked up at Lucy, panic in the young woman's gaze. Lucy reassured her with a small nod and Raven closed her eyes. There was a small amount of shuffling feet and many giggles coming from the children around her.
"Open them!" they shouted collectively. Sitting in front of her on the table was a two-tiered cake, that was decorated with sloppy chocolate frosting and pink sprinkles.
"We hope you feel better Mrs. Logan!" The children sang out as if rehearsed. Raven looked up from the cake and at her eager students' faces. Feelings of frustration and impatience immediately washed away and were replaced with those of love and genuine care. She felt grateful for them and her once awkward smile developed into a large grin.
"Thank you so much!"
"Eat some! Eat some! Eat some!" the children chanted. Raven took a fork from Lucy and carefully extracted a small bite's worth from the large lump cake. Hesitantly she brought the fork up to her lips and tasted it. Surprisingly, it did not kill her. She knew she had to thank Lucy for that later, since she was obviously the one who baked it, the children's input must have been in the decorating only.
"It's good," she said smiling. "Have some." With her consent the children dive-bombed the cake, something they clearly had been waiting to do all morning.
"Children! Take some napkins and forks!" Lucy attempted a disciplinary tone but could not keep the laughter from her voice. Raven joined in, hiding her amusement behind her hand.
"You would think their parents taught them manners," the older of the two women sighed. Once the students were clean and stuffed with cake, Raven said her goodbye to her class and to Lucy, promising her return on Monday.
Out in the hallway, the young woman breathed a sigh of relief, and placed a hand to her head. "I wonder if Beast Boy has any animal sedatives, I'll need daily injections to make it through that everyday," she muttered.
But her complaints were no longer out of irritation, but rather necessity. Their small act of kindness and their cute pudgy faces were starting to get to her and Raven needed to remind herself that she and children simply do not mix.
"Well hello there Mrs. Logan!" Raven turned around to see a tall, brunette woman clad in a pair of tight fitting jeans and a tank top looming over her. "How are you feeling dear?"
"Better, thanks."
"How's the husband? Last night was definitely a hard one for him," she said with a wicked smile dancing across her fake ruby lips.
"Excuse me?"
"The PTA meeting, hun!" the woman laughed lightly before proceeding to ramble, "Ah, double entendre's can get you if you aren't careful. I'm sure your husband would never dream of being unfaithful. Although, if he ever did I'd be the first to know."
"What?" The young woman folded her arms over her chest, jealousy surging in the pit of her stomach.
"Gossip travels fast at Glen View Academy and I'm always the first ear to hear!" Raven stared at the woman crossly but she did not seem to notice as she continued to carry on talking. "So, is he excited to be the new soccer coach?"
"Soccer coach?"
"Oh! He didn't tell you?"
"He did. I just seemed to have had a memory lapse," Raven lied.
"Oh, okay."
"He's doing fine. Really excited."
"Terrific! I'm always at practices and games, it'll be great to see some fresh meat taking to the field!" she raised a threatening eyebrow, "you know after all these old men."
"Sure. I have to go."
"Well, nice seeing you Mrs. Logan."
"Goodbye." Raven scurried down the vacant halls of Glen View Academy forcing her tears to stay hidden. It wasn't until she found herself safe in her car that she let them roll down her cheeks. She was infuriated, Beast Boy not informing her of his new position as soccer coach or that devious brunette made her truly upset.
She slammed her hands against the steering wheel out of aggravation. She hated crying, it wasn't something she did very often nor did she do it well. Raven laughed bitterly, silently chastising herself for crying over something so trivial.
The great control she harbored over her emotions kicked in and and although her anger was still in check, her tears lasted only a few more seconds, within a moments time her face was clear of any sign that they were even there at all.
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"So Gar, any plans for tonight?" James interrogated.
"I don't think so."
"Want to go out to dinner with Mia and I?"
"Me?"
"Well, you and Raven. A double date, even though you two are already married. You guys need to get out more!" James insisted.
Until James mentioned this, Beast Boy didn't realize that, although he was married to Raven, he had never actually dated her. This would be their first date, the situation was completely backwards and the young man could not help but feel his heart rise into his throat at this realization. "I...um, okay."
"Cool! We've wanted to check this place out for a while, it's supposed to be really nice...one of those jacket required type of establishments. We'll swing by and pick you guys up, how's 7:00?"
"Sounds good."
"Yeah, I'm sure you and Raven will love Mia. We've been dating for a few months now." Beast Boy's ears perked at this. A wave of relief washed over him, the prospect of meeting James's girlfriend made him welcome the idea of going out to dinner with him tonight.
Beast Boy arrived home, completely overcome with exhaustion. He had only gotten three hours of sleep. The young man took off his helmet, undid his tie and lazily shuffled into the bedroom. To his surprise, he saw Raven lying on her side facing the window.
At first he thought that maybe she had never left, but upon further inspection he noticed that she wasn't wearing her pajamas, but rather regular clothes. Something he had not seen her in for several weeks. "Hey Rae-Rae."
"It's Raven," she growled, not moving from her position to face him.
"Sorry," he muttered sitting on the edge of the bed and kicking off his shoes. He could tell Raven was angry about something. It was different from earlier that morning, before she sad, but now, he knew she was mad. "Raven, what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm not five years old, Beast Boy! I know when there's something wrong with me and when there isn't," Raven snapped. Beast Boy lay down on the opposite side of the pillow wall and stared at the ceiling.
The young had every reason to believe that he was the reason she was irate. "James invited us out to dinner tonight with him and his girlfriend, Mia."
"I don't want to go."
"C'mon Raven! You haven't been out in weeks!" Raven did not respond, opting to let him think this. She did not want to tell him what was upsetting her she was too embarrassed.
And on top of the peculiar 'goodnight kiss' her mind was stuck on thoughts of the devilish woman she had the misfortune of meeting, and she did not want Beast Boy to know how heavy of an impact his actions had on her.
After weighing the pros and cons of going out to dinner with Beast Boy and two other people Raven came to the conclusion that it would be a better situation. If their were others around, Beast Boy would not have the opportunity to question her on why she was mad at him. "Fine."
"He said he'd come get us around seven. Oh, and he said it's nice...so I guess that means it's fancy." Raven's sigh was her only response.
Carefully, Beast Boy looked over the pillow wall to see that she had her eyes closed. Taking his cues from his wife, the young man yawned and collapsed on to his own pillow, relinquishing all control he had over his body to the sweet whispers of sleep.
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"Beast Boy, it's 6:30. I think you should get ready." Beast Boy heard Raven's quiet voice in his ear. Slowly he opened his emerald eyes to see Raven rushing back and forth between the bathroom and dresser.
She was wearing a lace black skirt that danced just above her knees, a silk royal blue blouse, and black heels. Her hair was pulled back in a simple bun and she had very little makeup on. A scowl formed on her lips as she fidgeted with the blouse.
"You look very nice Raven."
"Thank you," she replied curtly as she put on a pair of silver earrings. Without anything else to say, Beast Boy grabbed a nice shirt and tie from the closet. He was just going to put on a different shirt but looking down at the state of his pants, he decided it would be best to change them as well.
Quickly he grabbed a new pair of slacks and a matching jacket and disappeared into the bathroom. When he was finished getting ready, Beast Boy found Raven sitting on the couch reading a book. "What're you reading?" He asked in an attempt to make conversation.
Raven held up the book for the young man to read the cover: "You're reading 'Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley'. I've never read it."
"For some reason that doesn't surprise me," Raven stated coldly as she continued to read. Beast Boy stared at her for half a second, enveloped in uncertainty over her mood. But before he could give it anymore thought, the buzzer rang out around the apartment signifying the arrival of James.
"We'll be right down," Beast Boy said pushing the button on the small, dark intercom system.
"Alright, see you soon!"
"Ready?"
"I guess so," Raven placed the book on the coffee table and walked out the door, completely ignoring Beast Boy. The young man locked up behind them and hurried down the stairs with his wife.
Outside they saw James with his arm around a tall, statuesque woman. Her skin glowed radiantly and her ebony eyes peered out through thick, long lashes. The woman's lips were stained a cherry red and her coiled hair was pinned elegantly atop her head.
Her dress was black silk and short, accompanied by knee high boots. Raven drank in her appearance skeptically, debating on whether or not this woman was James's actual girlfriend or just gorgeous woman he had blackmailed in order to get her to go on a date with him.
"Hey Gar." James shook the young man's hand and smiled at Raven. "I hope you're feeling better."
"I am, thank you."
"That's good to hear." James moved between Raven and Beast Boy and kissed her on the cheek, lingering a little longer than what was deemed appropriate. "This is my girlfriend, Mia."
"It's so nice to meet you," Mia said in a French accent, kissing Raven on both cheeks and then proceeding to do the same to Beast Boy. The young man felt his cheeks redden unwillingly. He chanced a glance in Raven's direction and noticed that she was staring at him out of the corner of her eye.
Pleadingly with his emerald eyes, he tried to remind her that they were husband and wife, and for the sake of keeping the façade, had to make their marriage look convincing. The restaurant was large and dimly lit, and the atmosphere was almost foreboding.
It was quite trendy, packed with young people dressed to the nines. The two couples sat opposite each other at a table near the back. They would be surrounded by darkness had it not been for the three small candles who's lights danced delicately, casting their shadows upon the cold stonewalls.
If it weren't for the stained glass windows, it would have been easy to mistake the establishment for a dungeon. Raven closed her eyes taking in the pianist's haunting rendition of 'Danse Macabre' wishing she were somewhere else.
"This place used to be a church. Instead of tearing it down, they gutted the whole place and turned it into this spooky themed, Gothic restaurant," James explained. Beast Boy nodded distantly, his mind somewhere else.
"So Raven, vat is it dat you do?" Mia questioned, dragging the young woman back from her mental absence.
"I'm a teacher."
"Oh! 'Ow I love zee children!" she squealed, "You must love children too, yes?"
"Um, yes."
"I, myself, am a model. I vas on the cover—"
"Yes, you were," James interrupted quite rudely, "So, wine for the whole table?"
Beast Boy looked at Raven who stared back just as uncertain. Neither knew what to do, both were still technically underage at Beast Boy's young nineteen and Raven's barely older twenty, and both had never really had much alcohol.
"Sure, why not," Beast Boy said, swallowing nervously as if it were still incredibly illegal.
"Great, how about a nice cabernet."
"Cabaret sounds great," Beast Boy agreed nervously.
James laughed loudly and the young man raised an eyebrow. "I forget how funny you are sometimes Gar, you need to loosen up more at work, just chill out."
Before Beast Boy could respond, the server came and James ordered a bottle of the restaurants cheapest wine, all the while his eyes kept slipping from the servers and were instead finding themselves focusing in on Raven's cerulean ones.
The young woman, somewhat startled, opted to gaze down at the white tablecloth. She felt a blush creeping across her cheeks.
"So, 'ow long 'ave you two been married?" Mia asked.
Both Raven and Beast Boy looked at each other, neither one knew the answer to this question. The young man smiled slightly and turned to make direct eye contact with Mia.
"Too long," he laughed somewhat forced, putting an arm around his wife. Raven's blush grew deeper. Just as soon as his arm was there, it was gone and Raven looked up from the tablecloth to see that James's brown eyes were still fixated on her.
"Aw, I remember when you two met. God, were you nervous Gar." James smirked/
"I vant to 'ere zis story," Mia proclaimed eager to listen.
"Well, Gar was my roommate junior year of college. I was twenty and you were what? Fifteen, sixteen yeah, I think sixteen or so. Such a genius, but what a nerd," James laughed.
Beast Boy sat listening, completely bowled over by the fact that this other Gar was sixteen years old and a junior in college. He looked over at Raven and saw that she was equally as surprised.
"Anyway, I was seeing this freshman girl at the time, I think her name was Jessica. Her roommate was a sophomore, Raven. One night, she brought Raven to a party. I felt bad since Jessica just sort of left her alone, probably because Raven skipped a grade or two, maybe she was seventeen? So, being the guy that I am, I made Gar talk to her. He wasn't too fond of the idea, being somewhat socially awkward. After all, Raven is pretty intimidating."
James placed a hand on Raven's and slyly stroked the inside of her palm with his thumb. Raven attempted to politely remove her hand from his, but he held it firmly in place.
"I have no idea how Gar was lucky enough to marry you."
The young woman's eyes widened. Something was clearly wrong in his tone, and up until now he hadn't directed any particular part of the story at either Beast Boy or her.
"It is because it vas true love!" Mia said in a whimsical voice, but her eyes glared at James. James immediately removed his hand from Raven's, who quickly placed hers in her lap, and then he tried to kiss his girlfriend on the cheek, but Mia pulled away carefully.
"Maybe," James whispered, a sour expression on his face.
Beast Boy placed a hand on his wife's shoulder and squeezed it gently.
"Damn Gar, we've been friends for such a long time now."
"Too long," Beast Boy responded without skipping a beat. However, this time there was now laughter in his tone and his expression was completely void of any emotion.
He rubbed Raven's shoulder soothingly, he could tell she felt uncomfortable but there was little that he could do. After all, James was supposedly his best friend and he needed his help at work.
Not to mention the fact that he was his boss's son. The possibility of overreacting was also there. James had known both him and Raven for quite some time. What Beast Boy finds suspicious could be what James finds harmless.
'He does have a girlfriend.' The young man thought trying to convince himself. He sighed deeply and slowly removed his hand from Raven's shoulder. 'But, that doesn't seem to stop James from treating Mia rudely and making passes at Raven,' Beast Boy thought to himself.
However, a cold hand made its way into his warm one, and gave it a tired little squeeze before letting go. This was enough reassurance to allow him to put his thoughts to bed and force himself into his typical jovial mood. He looked at Raven and noticed the stoniness of her face.
Her uninspiring smile and dull eyes were about as real as those of a porcelain doll. He collected one of her hands in his and held it encouragingly. There was little he could do about James, but he knew that he would seek to mend Raven until she was no longer broken.