A few days later …

Raven was feeling an emotion that was rare for her. The last time she felt it was when Terra had briefly been a Titan, not to mention been the object of Beast Boy's affections. Ever since her father's defeat she became more comfortable with her own emotions, but envy and jealousy were not her cup of herbal tea.

She was actually sipping a cup of herbal tea, and was surrounded by the source of her envy: The Wayne Library's private collection. The room, which as in the west wing of Wayne Manor, was twice as big as the common room back in the Tower, and its collection was second to none. It contained manuscripts that would normally only be found in a museum, meaning that they would be off limits to a non-credentialed scholar such as herself. Bruce told her that she could avail herself of the library whenever she chose. It was a generous offer, but one she knew that she would rarely have the chance to exercise, given the vast distance between Jump City and Gotham. Her sole consolation was that Bruce told her she could take as many books back as she wished with her to Jump City on loan. She had already selected 30 tomes, and stopped at that number as she didn't wish to push her luck.

She put down her tea and picked up one of the ancient books, carefully examining it with the utmost reverence. The room's door suddenly creaked open, revealing Alfred Pennyworth's slim figure. He approach Raven and saw the books she had selected, which were neatly arranged on a desk next to her.

"An excellent selection, Miss Raven. I for one am glad that you will enjoy reading them. I have special packaging to protect them during shipment on the T-Ship, and I will be more than happy to pack them for you."

She handed the book she was holding to him, a treatise on the grammar of ancient Sumerian. "Thank you, Mr. Pennyworth. You are always so kind and attentive."

A small smile appeared on the butler's face. "Please, just call me Alfred. Mr. Pennyworth is my father's name."

She returned his smile. "Only if you call me Raven, without the 'Miss' before it."

He frowned. "That would be highly irregular, not to mention bad manners … but if you insist."

"I do."

"Perhaps I could call you Mrs. Logan?"

"That is Gar's mother's name."

"It is also your name."

She instinctively raised her hood. "Maybe someday I'll be ready for it."

Alfred had many talents, one of which was reading body language. Even had she not raised her hood he knew that she didn't want to discuss whether or not she was worthy of the title of Mrs. Logan.

"Understandable, but please, there is no need to hide your lovely face.." He replied. "That said, there is something I would like to give to you."

He opened a drawer in another desk and pulled out an old magazine, a science journal that had long since ceased publication. It had a page bookmarked and Alfred opened it to the page before handing it to Raven, who gave him a curious look before turning her attention to the page.

It was an article on anti-viral serum research, and the science in it was beyond her understanding. But there was a small picture in the article, of a couple with a small baby, and it looked familiar. It was only then that she noticed the names of the authors: Dr.'s Mark and Marie Logan. Her eyes widened.

"This a picture of Gar with his parents."

Alfred silently nodded and patted her hand. Raven locked eyes with him, then lowered her gaze and scanned the article. Her eyes danced across the page as she quickly read it.

"I'm not a biologist, but this research, this is what the serum that saved him from Sakutia is based on." She whispered. "Gar has almost no relics from his parents, just a few faded photos … seeing this will mean so much to him."

"I was hoping that it would." He replied. "It's yours to keep."

"Thank you."

"You are most welcome, Miss … I mean Raven. Also, I am here to tell you that Master Bruce is having a confab in the Batcave and you are expected to join it."

She nodded and and after thanking him again she headed for the door and was gone. Alfred began to pack the books and glanced at the now closed door.

"If only Master Bruce could find someone like her … Master Garfield is a fortunate man." He mumbled to himself as he continued to pack.

-(-)-

Raven was the last to arrive. Everyone else, including Cindy, was already seated around a large conference table. She apologized for being late and took a seat next to her husband, who gave her a warm smile. Bruce was in costume, but wasn't wearing his cowl. His expression hinted at frustration. He rose to address the assembled team.

"I'll keep this short. My intelligence sources indicate that Slade has left Gotham. While we don't know where he went, it's very likely that he has gone to Jump City. Whatever coalition Slade formed with the locals appears to have dissolved after their trap for us failed. They have all gone under the radar and vanished, though it will be only a matter of time before they begin to resurface … anyway, I'm afraud we failed our mission."

Nightwing was leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed. Slade's escape, though a familiar occurrence, still irritated him. "Bruce, is there anything else you need from us?"

"No, you can return to Jump City. In fact you should go immediately as Slade is no doubt already there. Thank you for your assistance, all of you."

The Titans rose from their seats, but Bruce gestured for them to wait.

"There is another matter which I would like to discuss with all of you. Please sit down."

Gar frowned and leaned over to his mate.

"I have a bad feeling about this." He whispered to her.

Bruce leaned forward on the table. "Alfred, Barbara, Damien and I have been discussing a potentially sensitive matter, one which affects the Titans"

He paused before continuing. "We would like to invite Cindy to join our team."

"What!?" All five Titans shrieked in one voice. Cindy, who had recovered from her injuries, said nothing, but looked pleasantly surprised. Damien leaned over to her.

"Sorry, I couldn't tell you before. I was sworn to secrecy."

Nightwing glared at his former mentor. "Are you serious? But above all, why? Cindy's already a Titan."

Damien leaped to his feet.

"First of all, and no offense to the Titans, but we can train her better than you can, and she needs it."

"Offense taken!" Gar snarled back, before Raven placed a calming hand on his shoulder, empathically absorbing his anger and guiding him back down into his seat. He did send a mild glare Damien's way, despite Raven's best efforts to calm him.

"You've got the hots for her, that's what this is all about. Admit it."

Damien glared back at him. "Don't be so coarse about it, Logan. And don't deny that that you have carnal feelings for Raven."

"Excuse me, Raven is my wife, in case you forgot!"

"I am aware of that fact. What makes you think that my intentions are any less noble than yours?"

Gar crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Why? Because you're you!"

"Don't be obtuse, Logan. It doesn't suit you."

Gar then looked at Bruce and Alfred. "And you guys are on board with this?"

Alfred cleared his throat. "Master Damien threatened to move to Jump City if we didn't agree." As soon as he said that both Damien and Bruce glared at him.

"What!? Are you kidding me? What are you? Some kind of stalker! You leave Cindy alone!" Gar growled.

"Stop!" Raven shouted in a very authoritative tone.

Damien and Gar desisted from their argument and looked at her.

"Aren't we forgetting something? Shouldn't we ask Cindy what she would like to do?" Raven interjected.

All eyes were now on the younger changeling.

"Go ahead, Cindy, tell Damien to get lost." Gar barked at her.

Cindy sweat dropped and looked around the table. Bruce and Alfred both had poker faces. Batgirl, Cyborg and Starfire were smiling. Nightwing and Raven looked calm and serene.

And Garfield looked like he would only accept one answer. Cindy gulped.

"Actually, I would like to stay." She said in a shy voice.

-(-)-

Garfield tossed his empty suitcase onto the bed and began shoving his clothes into it, with no rhyme or reason, while Raven calmly packed her own bag. Because of his haphazard technique his suitcase was poorly packed and wouldn't shut, despite repeated attempts on his part. With a huff of exasperation he gave up.

"Here, let me help you."

Before he could protest she used her powers to neatly fold everything and within a few moments everything was in his suitcase. He sighed and shut it, the lock making a sharp click.

"Thanks." He mumbled to her.

She wrapped an arm around his neck and pecked him softly on the lips. Her eyes looked warm and comforting. Raven had a well earned reputation for being harsh, but she could also be soft when necessary.

"Gar, don't take her decision personally. She isn't rejecting you."

"It sure feels like she is." He grumbled. "How could she possibly want to stay here … with HIM."

"Gar, I know it's hard for you to accept, but she isn't a child, not anymore."

"She's just sixteen. She's still a kid."

"You were only fifteen when you fell in love with Terra, remember?"

He was about to protest her remark, but he knew that while there were times it made sense to argue with his gray wife, that this wasn't one of them.

"Don't remind me … so what are you saying, Rave? That he's her Mr. Right?"

"Maybe he is. Look, Gar, everyone knows that Damien is …"

"A jerk"

"I was going to say obsessed. We all thought that Dick was obsessed and could think of nothing but fighting crime, until he finally admitted he loves Starfire."

"And you think Cindy is Damien's Starfire?"

"Gar, tell me you don't see it."

"Yeah, OK … maybe I do. That doesn't mean I have to like it. And if he lays a finger on her ..."

"He's a gentleman, I don' think that will happen, at least not until they're older."

He gave her a nasty glare, but said nothing."

"I think this is the right thing for her to do, she needs to get out from your shadow, plus Bruce and Damien will train her far better than we can."

He sat down on the edge of the bed. Sat sat down next to him. He looked unhappy and she could sense it as well.

"It'll be OK, Gar. I know you're being protective and that is your job. But much like we were at that age, Cindy has matured beyond her years."

An unhappy sound came out of his throat, which he cleared before speaking

"You know what this means, Rave?"

She gave him a quizzical look. "What does this mean?"

"We're going to be in-laws with the freaking Wayne's, the most compulsive/obsessive guys in the whole world,if not the whole universe."

"I thought that honor belonged to your adoptive father." She said with a hint of mischief in her voice.

Gar chuckled. "Bruce has Steve beat hands down."

"Maybe he does, but I can think of worse in laws."

"Such as?"

She shrugged. "Jinx comes to mind. Imagine if you had a brother and he married her."

Gar visibly shivered. "I see your point. Maybe Damien will be OK."

"He worships the ground she walks on. It'll be OK, Gar, everything will be fine. Anyway, we have other things to think about."

"We do?"

"Yes, we do. While our vows are considered legally binding in Azarath, in the eyes of any Earthly government we still aren't married. Plus I think our friends will want to attend a proper ceremony, not to mention Steve and Rita."

He groaned. "Star is going to make a super big deal out of this and invite half the world, and Steve and Rita are going to freak out."

"I know. I'm not crazy about it myself. Your parents can be rather intimidating when they want."

"So what are gonna do, Rave?" He asked as he looked lost in thought, then snapped his fingers. "I know what we can do! We can elope!"

"Elope? OK, that idea intrigues me. The question is when? Once we get home there will be missions and other distractions. There's no way we can sneak away."

He took her hand. "How about now?"

"You mean right now?"

"Yup, you can teleport us into Gotham and we take care of it before heading home. So what do you think?"

Raven looked him in the eyes and replied in her best deadpan: "Let's do it."

The End