Epilogue

"Shit!"

Raven jumped, startled by the exclamation and the loud thud that followed it. She promptly rolled her eyes, realizing what had happened.

"Garfield," she drawled, raising her voice to carry into the other room, "Please don't tell me you're destroying my stuff already."

"That dresser was heavy!" he whined from across the hall.

"Which is why you should have let Starfire carry it," she grumbled, unloading utensils into the kitchen drawer.

"I heard that!"

Raven made a slight grimace. Of course he did. He heard everything. It was one of the adjustments the two of them were going to have to make living together. Or rather, living with just the two of them. In a 900 square foot apartment.

"Raven, where may I put this, in the bedroom?" Starfire stood in the doorway, holding an armchair with one hand like it weighed nothing. Raven still wasn't used to seeing her like this, with dark olive skin and smooth, long black hair. They were all wearing their holo-rings today, with the exception of Robin. He opted for street clothes and a pair of dark black shades.

"Sure," Raven drawled. She didn't know why Starfire had asked her. She'd had no part in buying any of the furniture. Robin took care of it all a few days ago when the two of them realized they were moving into an apartment with nothing beyond their personal belongings.

For Raven, the production this whole thing had turned into was a little irritating, but she knew why they had to do it. They were going civilian, trying to be normal. Which meant a normal apartment, with normal furniture, and normal-looking inhabitants. Robin had picked everything in shades of gray, white, and black, though she had seen a few flashes of dark blue go by. It made her smile.

"Finished building your shelves!" Cyborg called, poking his head out from the side of the kitchen doorframe. Raven turned to look at him, a response on her tongue, then furrowed her brow.

"Where's your holo-ring?"

"Yeah yeah, I know," he said with a grin. "But how else am I gonna put this stuff together?" He held his hand up, a screwdriver popping out of the top of his finger. "This is just unnatural, holo-ring or not."

Raven rolled her eyes, lip turned up in the corner. "Don't let Robin see you."

Unsurprisingly, Robin was pretty obsessive about keeping up their disguises. Particularly Raven and Beast Boy's.

They never did find Malchior. It'd been over a month since they'd seen him, which left Beast Boy in some hot water. Even though Robin managed to capture and turn in four of the top criminals on France's most wanted list, it unfortunately didn't get him very far with the French government. Technically Beast Boy was wanted by the country for his "assistance" in engineering Malchior's escape, though they weren't pursuing him with much effort. Needless to say, he had to stay under the radar. The official story was that he had taken off that night and hadn't been seen since.

As for Raven, after talking with the team about her uncertain future, they decided it was best to simply not react for a while. They didn't announce her revival, which bought her some privacy and time to figure out a plan. It didn't take long to determine that combat was not an option for her. She was pretty defenseless without her powers, and with everything that was going on with Beast Boy, they came to the conclusion that they couldn't continue on like they always had.

Raven sighed, eyes flickering up to look at her reflection in microwave door. She was still getting used to her new look with the holo-ring. Her skin had darkened a few shades, her hair was now long and black, and her eyes were a bright blue instead of purple.

She pursed her lips and went back to unpacking kitchen utensils. Whether she liked it or not, this was her new look. Her new identity. As far as Jump City knew, Raven was dead. The only ones who knew otherwise were her team and Mammoth, who no one in Maximum Security would believe. She was Rachel Roth now, for good.

She moved slowly, carefully placing fork after fork into their assigned plastic partition. She was distracted, nerves churning in her stomach.

"Hey." The voice suddenly in her ear was velvety and deep. Raven jumped, whipping around to glare at him. She found his face closer that she expected, smirking at her with heavy-lidded eyes and an intense gaze. Her breath caught in her throat with the close contact, but after a moment she collected herself with a huff and held out the fork in her hand, pressing the tines firmly against his chest.

"You're having far too much fun with this," she said flatly, pushing him back a bit with the pressure of the fork.

"You not being able to sense when I'm coming? Yeah, I am," he said mischievously, his voice still deep. Raven pressed her lips into a thin line, trying not to react when he was so obviously trying to arouse her.

"You're on fork duty, huh?" he asked, leaning back against the center island and crossing his arms. "I guess without your powers you're not much help with the heavy lifting," he mused.

"From the way things sounded a minute ago, you're not either," she replied coolly, her lip turned up in the corner.

Beast Boy shot her a look, then crossed his hands behind his head, making an obvious show of flexing his arms. "Yeah right. I don't even need my powers when I've got muscles like these."

Raven snorted, turning back around to the forks.

"Robin's really gone all out with this," Beast Boy commented, moving himself over to the corner and leaning against the cabinets.

"You mean the décor?" she asked wryly.

"Yeah, and downstairs too."

The selection of this particular apartment was no accident. The third-floor walk up was directly above the other piece of property they were now the proud renters of: a shopfront that Beast Boy, with a lot of help from Robin, was transforming into a cafe.

That was their next chapter in life, at least for Beast Boy. He was determined to run this vegan cafe to success, and thanks to Robin's "connections" had the money to get it off the ground.

"What are you thinking about?" Beast Boy asked from beside her. She hadn't realized she was staring into space.

"You," she answered earnestly, a faint smile on her lips. "You've been working so hard to get the cafe running. I'm, um, proud of you," she said shyly.

She snuck a glace at him and found him beaming. Before he said anything Cyborg came into the kitchen, followed shortly by Starfire and Robin.

"Alright, everything's set up in the bedroom, the entertainment center is fully installed, and the kitchen's stocked. Don't worry, I made sure you had some meat in the fridge," Cyborg added quietly to Raven. Beast Boy scoffed. "I'd say we're finished here."

"Oh," Raven replied, untangling the last utensil from its packaging and tossing it in the drawer. "You finished so quickly."

"That's what happens when you're working with the furniture assembly dream team," he said with pride.

Raven smiled at her friends. "Thank you for helping us with all of this," she said, gesturing around them. "We wouldn't of known what to do without you."

"It is our pleasure to assist you," Starfire assured her. "But please, may we return to the Tower soon? My favorite program of the television is about to begin," she informed everyone, though she said it right to Robin.

"Sure. Let's let the two of them settle in. Raven, Beast Boy, you guys need anything before we head out?"

Raven shook her head no, then turned to look at Beast Boy, who hadn't replied. He stood in the corner, leaning against the cabinets in silence, staring at the floor. Raven furrowed her brow, studying him. He seemed to be focused on something, which could only mean one thing. She rolled her eyes and braced herself.

He was about to propose. Again.

Beast Boy had proposed marriage a total of 17 times in the past month. The first time he had proposed it was in earnest. Out on the rocks on the edge of the island, on the first night she was back, he had looked so hopeful, and so in love, that it had almost, almost convinced her to say yes.

They were young, fresh from tragedy, and they had no plan. It was easy for Raven to see why it was a terrible idea, but Beast Boy was, for whatever reason, convinced that marrying her would solve their problems. She let him down easy, but she let him down decisively.

Unsurprisingly, he didn't learn his lesson the first time. The second time he proposed was also somewhat sincere, this time in front of her friends. Apparently he thought she would change her mind when she saw his level of commitment, proposing a second time when the stakes were higher. Starfire gasped so loud Raven would have thought she was having a heart attack. Her answer was still no.

Her answer continued to be no, no matter what the circumstance was or how creative he got. It had turned into some kind of game for him. He proposed in the common room surrounded by rose petals, on the top of the tower at sunset, in the park, on the beach with the question written in the sand, and at the pizza parlor in front of a very large crowd. That one had to have been particularly embarrassing for him. He even asked her in the middle of having sex, which was very distracting.

She couldn't decide if she was irritated or charmed by it. If anything, he was persistent. And though it was certainly annoying, she secretly found it kind of sweet. She still had this underlying fear that he would decide he didn't really want to be with her, that all the baggage wasn't worth it. But every day he proved to her that wasn't the case.

Beast Boy snapped to attention at the lull in the conversation, then cleared his throat. Here we go...

"Raven?" he asked, turning her way and taking a couple steps towards her. After a moment's hesitation her friends came to the same conclusion she had about where this was going. They watched with baited breath.

Raven sighed loudly, but didn't make a move to stop him. She had determined it was more efficient that way; she let him get it off his chest, then promptly turned him down.

He got down on one knee. He took her hands in his, smiling up at her.

"Raven, standing here in our—"

"You're kneeling," she pointed out. She couldn't help herself.

His lip twitched, but he kept going. "With one of us standing and one of us kneeling in our new home, I'm reminded of how much I love you, and how much I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Living together, seeing you every day, damaging your furniture," he said with a grin. Raven held her lips in a hard line. "Raven," he continued, "will you make me the happiest man in this apartment building by becoming my wife?"

Raven rolled her eyes. Now he was just goofing off. Before delivering her now-signature "not today Beast Boy" in reply, she was distracted by Cyborg and Robin's snickering. She looked at the two of them, who were having a side conversation.

"Told you," a very smug Robin proclaimed, holding out his hand. Cyborg slipped a twenty into it, grumbling.

Raven narrowed her eyes. "You two made a bet on whether or not this was going to happen?" she asked, judgement heavy in her voice.

"No," Cyborg huffed, as if the answer was obvious. "We knew he was going to pop the question again. We bet on whether or not he was going to do it with all of us here or after we left."

"I am still confused. Does this ceremony not typically include the presentation of a ring?" Starfire asked, head tilted to one side.

"Usually. Hey BB, maybe that's why she keeps saying no. Maybe you should get her a ring like a gentleman," Cyborg teased. He and Robin continued to snicker.

"I see. So the absence of a ring is not only unusual, but makes his proposal illegitimate?"

"Hey guys, I was kind of in the middle of something here!" Beast Boy interrupted, exasperated.

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Raven drawled, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back against the counter. "The answer's still no."

"Ohhh!" Robin and Cyborg chorused. Raven thought she heard Starfire sigh.

"Eh, worth a shot," Beast Boy muttered with a shrug, getting back up on his feet. He gave her a quick kiss on top of her head, making her blush.

"Better luck next time bro," Cyborg said, clapping him on the back as he headed from the kitchen to the front door.

"Indeed," Starfire chimed in, leaning in close to whisper, "perhaps next time you should acquire a ring?"

Raven sighed as she followed her friends into the hallway. She walked slowly, a strange feeling building in her gut. By the time she joined them, they were already giving one another hugs and saying their goodbyes.

"We'll see you Saturday for pizza, right?" Robin asked Beast Boy as they embraced one another, clapping each other on the back.

"Of course. We'll call tomorrow though."

"I'm sure I'll be back the first time something around here breaks," Cyborg muttered, though their hug lasted for longer than Raven would have expected.

Starfire's eyes glistened as she gave Beast Boy a bone-crushing embrace. Before Raven knew what was happening, she was the victim of Star's hug, gasping for air against her alien restraint.

"Bye Rae." Cyborg and Robin toon their turns giving her a hug as well, which Raven made some effort to return. Robin opened the door, letting sunlight from the hallway pour in. Her friends moved out slowly.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Robin said, turning back to look at Beast Boy. "I need to show you how to work the alarm system downstairs. You'll need to let the movers in there tomorrow."

"'Kay," he sighed, turning towards Raven. "Be back soon," he said with a wink, turning to follow the others as he shut the door behind him.

Raven stood still for a minute, staring at the door. For whatever reason, she couldn't shake this feeling, a swirling mix of excitement and anxiety. She could feel the weight of this moment pressing down on her. They were really doing this. So much about her life was about to change, and today was the start of it all.

She turned from the door with a sigh, moving aimlessly through the apartment. She wandered into the bedroom, tilting her head to the side as she studied the finished décor.

A queen sized bed sat prominently against the back wall, light from the two windows on either side streaming through sheer curtains. A breeze blew against them through the open window, causing them to billow and rustle against the heavy, dark blue drapery that framed them. Raven shivered.

She ran her hand lightly along the dresser on the opposite wall as she moved across the room. Suddenly curious, she opened one of the drawers. Her undergarments were folded neatly inside, separated into little fabric bins and dividers. She hoped to god this was Starfire's work. Either way it was embarrassing.

Sliding the drawer shut, she ambled over to the far wall, where a large bookcase was filled to the brim with some of her non-magically oriented volumes. Her spellbooks were here somewhere, though she had a feeling she would have to really search for them.

Next to the bookcase was the armchair she had seen Starfire carry in earlier. With a sigh she turned and sank down into it, propping her elbow against the armrest and resting her head against her hand.

It was a lot to take in, this new life they were starting. It felt a little surreal, sitting in her new home in full disguise. She played with the holo-ring on her finger, turning it on and off and watching her skin change colors.

"Testing it out?"

Raven jumped, quickly turning to find Beast Boy leaning against the doorway, watching her with an amused look on his face. Raven turned the ring back on and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm going to have to put a bell on you."

He snickered, pushing himself off the doorframe and walking over to the bed, which he fell down on unceremoniously. He lay on his back, hands clasped over his stomach and legs dangling off the side. "I think with your ability to sense what's around you your hearing never developed right, because it kind of sucks."

"Hmph." Raven snorted, rising from the chair to join him. She lay back on the bed, letting her legs hang off the edge. Her head was level with his, and when she turned to look at him she found herself staring right into his eyes. She gave him a soft smile.

"You okay?" he asked. "You've been pretty quiet. More than usual."

She nodded slightly, then turned her head to stare at the ceiling.

"It's strange. To actually be here."

"Yeah." They were both quiet for a moment, the sounds of the city coming softly through the open windows. After a minute he spoke quietly. "Are you upset about it? Leaving?" He let out a short, humorless laugh. "Because I feel like I'm dragging you here."

She sighed. "I feel the same way. It's all my fault you have to leave the Titans and—"

"No, it isn't," he interrupted her. "It isn't your fault. I made the decision to do what I did, and I'd make the same choice over and over again." She looked over at him and found him smiling softly at her. "You never answered my question though. Are you sad to be leaving?"

"Gar," she sighed, pausing to choose her words carefully. "We made this decision together. Being a part of the Titans... that chapter of my life is over. Of course I'll miss it, but... things change."

"Things change," he echoed, voice almost a whisper.

"I made a choice, I lost my powers because of it, and I can't take that back. But the new life we're about to start, it gives me hope."

Before she knew what was happening his mouth was on hers. He kissed her, deeply but gently, winding one hand through the hair at the nape of her neck, the other resting against her cheek.

Raven may not have had her empathy, but she could feel the love and warmth radiating off of him. He truly loves me, she thought, unable to keep the smile off her lips. It was an indescribable feeling, all at once joy and love and relief. It was so wonderful it almost hurt, like an ache in her chest that told her she would never be alone again.

"We're partners now Gar. The way I love you, it's more meaningful to me than a piece of paper or an overpriced ceremony," she added with a smirk.

They lay still for a few moments, staring at each other. Beast Boy had a strange look on his face and a pensive look in his eyes.

"What are you thinking?"

He smiled. "You're beautiful," he whispered, and she could feel his breath on her cheek. Raven rolled her eyes, but his lips found hers again, the kiss brief and sweet. "I'm trying to memorize this moment, because I don't think I've ever loved you more." He grinned. "Partner."

She smiled, because finally, without a doubt, she knew.

Whatever happened, it was going to be okay.

AN: Before I end this story, I have to give a shoutout to my beta reader, Steve6363, who through thick and thin has helped me turn whatever garbage I've handed to him into something worth reading. You've been a blessing, and a wonderful friend. Thank you for everything. And thanks to you, my readers, for your encouragement, your overwhelming support, and for allowing me this opportunity to grow as a writer, and as a person. It's been an amazing journey!

XOXO,

Gwen