Chapter 12

Raven was sore all over, but she managed to put on some clothes. Beast Boy was repacking her bag and they were getting ready to leave the hospital. Their son, Hunter Mark Logan, lay asleep on his back on the bed. They had just decided on his name that morning. They had gone through what seemed a hundred names, but none seemed to fit. Then, as she was feeding him, he bit down on her nipple and made her wince in pain.

Beast Boy said, "Can't help that animal instinct. He's gonna be like a hunter, only I'm not gonna let him hurt anything other than your breast." Raven suddenly looked at him as if she had had an epiphany. "Hey, that sounds like the perfect name. Hunter." Beast Boy thought about it and quickly agreed. His middle name came from Beast Boy's father's name.

Raven picked Hunter up and held him close. She was very tired and very sore, but she always found the strength to pick her son up and hold him close. "Do we have everything?" she asked looking around the room.

"Uh, yeah, I think so," said Beast Boy looking around as well. "You ready?"

"Very," said Raven following him to the door.

On the other side stood Cyborg with a wheelchair ready. He was there to drive the two new parents back to the tower. Raven sat down in the wheel chair and he pushed her to the elevator. As they made their way out of the hospital everyone they passed by oowd and awed over Hunter.

It felt so nice to be back at the tower. Robin and Starfire had made a small "welcome home" party for them. It had been Starfires idea and Robin had had little chance of talking her out of it.

"Welcome home friends!" said Starfire giving Beast Boy a large hug. "It has been lonely without you."

"It's nice to see you too, Star," said Beast Boy through his crush windpipe. "Now could you please let me go?"

Starfire released and went straight to Raven and Hunter. Raven grew nervous and hoped that Starfire wouldn't hug her as well. Luckily, she didn't. She only touched Hunters small hand as gently as she could. "Might I be able to hold him?"

"Maybe later, Starfire," said Raven. "Right now we both need to be put down for a nap." Starfire smiled and allowed Raven to go to her room.

Beast Boy moved the crib into their room. Raven laid him down, made sure he was alright in his new crib, and then collapsed on her own. She felt so drained, as if she had been hit by a truck. Beast Boy lay down next to her and couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Raven opened her eyes and saw Beast Boy staring at her.

"Why are you staring at me?" she asked with a smile.

"I just can't believe how much I love you," said Beast Boy kissing her.

Raven smiled and then closed her eyes again. She loved him too, but right then she just wanted to sleep. Beast Boy knew this and decided to leave her be for a while. He kissed her once more and then left. Raven sighed and curled up, falling asleep the moment he was out the door.

Beast Boy went back to the common room and found that the small party was still up. He saw food and drinks and he couldn't wait to eat something real, not just nasty hospital food. He was tired too, but not in anyway like Raven was. He sat down on the couch with a plate of food and relaxed.

"How's Raven doing? She tired?" asked Cyborg.

"Yeah, but that's normal," said Beast Boy. "God it's good to be home."

"It must be," said Robin. "You've been sleeping in a chair at the hospital for the past two days. You really should have come home for a night, then you wouldn't be so tired."

"I wasn't about to leave Raven and Hunter," said Beast Boy. "Having to sleep in a bedside chair was a small price to pay. Although my neck is pretty sore."

"I was wondering why your head was tilted in that way," said Starfire. Beast Boy had barely noticed that his head was slightly tilted to the left. He did his best to straighten it, but it hurt too much. Like he had said, it was a small price to pay.

Raven was awakened by the sound of crying. She sat up and looked to the crib. She saw Hunter crying and flailing his little arms and legs about. She sighed and crawled off of the bed. She picked him up and tried to hush him.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" she asked in a quiet voice. "I know. You're hungry." She grabbed a spit up blanket, set the pillows on her bed up against the back of it, and then crawled onto the bed. She sat against the pillows and then took out one of her swollen breasts. As she did Beast Boy entered.

"Time to eat?" he asked with a smile.

"How did you know?" asked Raven, smiling back. She helped Hunter find her nipple and the child began to drink greedily. Once she was sure he was all set, Raven sat back and closed her eyes. Beast Boy crawled onto the bed and sat next to her.

"You feeling okay?" he asked.

"Just tired, but okay other than that," said Raven. "I'll be sore for a while, though."

Beast Boy kissed her on the cheek and then rested his head on her shoulder. He stroked the top of his son's soft head. Beast Boy loved the sound of Hunter eating. He made grunting noises and sounded as if he was drinking so fast he couldn't breathe. Sometimes he would reach one of his small hands up and grab Ravens breasts.

"He's so perfect," said Beast Boy.

"You've been saying that since he was born," said Raven.

"Doesn't mean it isn't true," said Beast Boy. "I think he's the perfect balance of the two of us."

"Really?" asked Raven laughing. "How can you tell? He can't even talk yet. He doesn't even have his right eye color yet."

"I can just tell," said Beast Boy.

Raven shook her head and winced as Hunter bit down a little two hard with his gums. She sighed and readjusted herself. "You know what we need to move in here?"

"What?"

"The rocking chair. I would feel better feeding him in a chair than on the bed. It's just too much work to get on and off of it with him in my arms."

"You got it." And with that Beast Boy hopped up.

"I didn't mean right now!" But it was too late, Beast Boy was gone. Raven sighed and felt that Hunter was done. She lifted him to her shoulder and patted his back, making sure his face was over the spit up blanket. Beast Boy reentered and wedged his way in to the room with the rocking chair. He placed it on the other side of the bed, near the window.

"There you go," said Beast Boy, out of breath.

"Thank you," said Raven. Hunter began to let out small burps and then a large one. Raven wiped his mouth and then scooted off the bed. "I'm going to change his diaper."

"How do you know?" asked Beast Boy.

"I can just tell," said Raven with a smile. "Come on, you have to learn how to do it, too."

"Hey, I know how to change a diaper," said Beast Boy following her out of their room and into the nursery. "I practiced, remember?"

"Beast Boy, there's a big difference between a baby doll and a real baby," said Raven entering the nursery. She went to the changing table and laid Hunter on it for the first time. He was basically asleep and barely moved as she undid his little one piece. Beast Boy peered over Ravens shoulder as she undid the diaper. "Would you stand next to me, you big baby?"

"I'm watching," said Beast Boy.

Raven rolled her eyes and unfolded the diaper. Beast Boy quickly looked away and tried not to act grossed out. "Oh, it's not that bad," said Raven laughing.

"Dude, it's not even the right color!" said Beast Boy covering his eyes.

"Oh you're ridiculous," said Raven cleaning her son's bottom. She slipped a new diaper onto him and then closed up the little snaps that held his one piece on. She scooped him up and headed back to their room to set him down. She passed Beast Boy and as she did she handed him the rolled up, dirty diaper. "Put this in the diaper genie, would you?"

Beast Boy took the still warm diaper and got rid of it as fast as he could. He decided that he wasn't ready for diaper duty just yet. Once the diaper was gone, he exited the nursery and went back to their room.

Raven was just lying Hunter back down and then headed into their bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and was shocked at what she saw. Her hair was a mess, she looked slightly paler than usual, and she had dark circles under her eyes. She grabbed her hair brush and began to work on her tangles. Beast Boy peeked in and saw her raking her hair.

"Whatcha doin?" he asked.

"Trying to look a little less nasty," said Raven.

Beast Boy entered the bathroom and wrapped his arms around her, placing his hands on her once swollen stomach. "You look fine to me."

"Oh yeah, I'm a regular MILF," said Raven sarcastically.

"Well I think so," said Beast Boy with a mischievous smile.

Raven stopped brushing her hair and looked him in the eyes, in the mirror. "Not for a while, babe."

"Is this the part in our relationship when you're going to start rejecting me by saying, 'Not tonight, I'm tired'?" asked Beast Boy sadly.

"No, this is the part in our relationship when you respect that I just pushed your seven pound son out of me and I need a little while to heal," said Raven pulling her hair back. She had begun to fall in love with elastics during her morning sickness and found them to be very handy. Now she kept her hair pulled back most of the time.

"And what am I supposed to do until then?" asked Beast Boy as he kissed her neck and shoulders.

"Whatever you were doing before we had sex," said Raven ignoring his kisses and starting to brush her teeth.

"You mean suppressing my sexual urges with video games?" asked Beast Boy. Raven laughed and continues brushing her teeth. Beast Boy sighed and left her to finish cleaning herself up.

Beast Boy stopped at Hunters crib and watched his son sleep. Raven had given him a pacifier and as he slept he sucked it. Beast Boy gave his son his finger and the child's little fingers wrapped around it. Beast Boy smiled and felt as if he was beaming. He never thought he would be able to love anything as much as he loved Raven, but here it was, his son.

Raven came out of the bathroom and did look a little refreshed. She was still swiping her tongue over her now minty teeth when she saw Beast Boy bent over the crib. She went over to the crib and bent over the other side of it. She saw Hunter holding his father's finger and this made her smile. She put on of her own fingers in her son's other hand and he grabbed it as well. Beast Boy had watched her and now he couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"Raven?"

"Yes?"

"Would you marry me?"

Raven looked up from her son and into Beast Boy's sparkling jade eyes. She wasn't sure what to say. The only thing she could get out was, "Really?"

"Of course, really," said Beast Boy. "There's no reason for why we shouldn't. We love each other, we're soul mates, and we have a child together. If we're supposed to spend the rest of our life together, then maybe we should do it properly. So… will you marry me?"

Raven smiled and felt tears well up in her eyes. It was all of those stupid post pregnancy hormones. "Of course I will."

Beast Boy smiled, then leaned across the crib, and kissed her. Raven kissed him back and let the tears fall down her cheek. Their fingers were still wrapped in their sons hands, who was still sleeping quite soundly. On Ravens bureau sat the two, attached, meditation mirrors. They had not been moved since the last time they had used them, over a year before. And they would never have to use them again.

The End

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