Wow. The last chapter is here, a year and a month later. Never did I think the story would take this long, but I can't deny it's been fun! It's definitely been quite a journey. My deepest thanks to all those who have read this story, and especially those who have stuck with it from beginning to the end. I'm sure that can't be easy. I'm also glad the fantasy and OC's didn't turn people off. This story isn't really about fantasy, it was of course about BB and Rae realizing their feelings for each other, and BB getting over his feelings of inadequacy. (But I do admit, I probably could/should have done this story without so many OC's.)

One more note: the necrowings. As much as I'd like to say otherwise, they were not mine. They were actually based off of something else. Can you guess what? The answer may be more obvious than you think. The answer is at the end of the chapter.

Gun toten Girly : I'm really glad you liked this story! As for a book, are you kidding? I've written one already! (lol) At least, that's what this story sure felt like. But seriously, I have. I would love to write an original story, which is one reason why I'm hoping to finish my other fanfic ASAP. Anyway, I hope you like this final installment.

Thanks and final comments will be at the end of the chapter. Until then, enjoy the last one!

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing

Chapter 29: My Hero

One day later…

"We can't thank you enough," Robin said as he shook Eutonos's hand.

"I was about to say the same to you," the earth templar replied warmly. "We're all forever in your debt. I doubt we would have won without you."

The Titans found themselves back in the place they had entered Pantara in the first place. The same place in which they had been ambushed, and Raven and Beast Boy were kidnapped. Only this time it was daylight, and a whole lot less intimidating. Said Titans were currently standing next to each other, with Beast Boy beaming and Raven wearing a small, yet satisfied smile. They were currently facing the Templar and the Zamoans, exchanging handshakes, hugs, and goodbyes.

"So what's next for you guys?" Beast Boy asked the templar.

"Well, home is a long way from here. Calabos's chakra stone will have to be destroyed, and the rest of his followers will have to be removed from these lands," Worek explained. "After that…a long vacation."

"Yep. The order's never going to believe our story, though. It's going to be tough convincing them that a pack of 'kids' finished off Calabos himself," Lekim said.

"You know, I envisioned fighting him face to face one day. I just never thought I'd be fighting with him," Evad said with a shudder. "I'm really sorry about…trying to kill you," he apologized for practically the hundredth time since the battle.

"Hey man, you weren't yourself. You were under his control. Don't worry about it," Cyborg assured him.

"But, but-"

"Relax, Evad," said Beast Boy. "Like Cy said, don't worry about it. I'm not."

The air mage stared at the ground shyly. "Alright. Thanks. Again."

"It really was a pleasure meeting you all," Raven said.

"Likewise!" Eutonos replied. "We'll all miss you."

"You all have been most wonderful friends," Starfire said. "We shall miss you too. Perhaps we will meet each other again someday."

The Tamaran princess gave hugs to each of them, even gracing Evad and Lekim with a little kiss on the cheek. A frown formed on Robin's face when he saw hearts appear in their eyes again.

'I don't care how innocent they think she is. Star's a tease,' Beast Boy thought.

"So, do you have it?" Robin asked.

"Yep," Eutonos answered. He reached into his pocket and drew out the small, pyramidal crystal that brought them into this world to begin with. "With Calabos dead, it will be safe to use," he explained.

"Great. Let's get to it, then."

Eutonos held out the nexus key and chanted the mantra. A bright ray of energy shot out of the crystal again, opening the bright blue portal out of thin air.

"Well, I guess this is it. It was great meeting you guys," Beast Boy said. "By the way Evad, remember those prank – I mean, practice tips I gave you." Next to him, Raven shook her head, but the smile didn't leave her face.

The air templar gave him a wink. "Will do. Just remember mine! Farewell!"

Final goodbyes were exchanged, and one by one, the Titans stepped into the portal. Beast Boy was the last one, and gave one last wave before stepping into the swirling blue.

"Woah!" Beast Boy shouted before he fell on his face.

"You alright, BB?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah."

The shape shifter got up and looked around, seeing the other Titans were there as well. Around the heroes were a group of shocked construction workers who looked like they had been fixing up the apartment that they had wrecked only days earlier. All of them wore the same wide-eyed, open-jawed expressions. The site of the Titans, all of them beat-up, dirty, and tired, and suddenly appearing out of thin air, must have been a strange sight to say the least.

"Hi guys! Don't mind us, we're just passing through," Cyborg said cheerfully. One of the workers dropped his hammer and ran off screaming.

At last, the Titans stepped out and beheld the most wonderful sight in the world: Jump City. Home.

"Wow. Civilization," Cyborg said aloud.

"And indoor plumbing," Jinx added. The Titans couldn't help but agree with that. They then traveled to the top of a nearby building and beheld the cityscape in all its glory. For a while, they simply stood there, admiring the sight.

"I believe as Dorothy said in the Wizard of the Oz, there is no place like home," Starfire said. All heads nodded in agreement.

"Well, let's go home, Shall we?" Robin finally suggested.

The Tower was just as they had left it. Except for a thin layer of dust, everything was just as it had been before. Robin was positive that it was a miracle that their home hadn't been broken into during their absence. The first thing everyone did upon getting home was take a shower. They all had gone for days without bathing, and everybody (except for Cyborg) couldn't wait to get out of their dirty uniforms and wash away the dirt, blood, and other substances that had accumulated on their bodies.

Then of course, came catching up what had happened in the few days they were gone. There had luckily been no major villain attacks, but the Titans' absence had been noticed and caused quite a panic within the city. Poor Robin had to make at least a dozen phone calls to the mayor, police department, and the Justice League explaining where they had been, and making sure nothing bad had happened while they were away. When at last all was settled and done, the six teenagers had gathered in the common room.

"Well, what's next?" Cyborg asked the group. "Cause I'm bored."

Beast Boy leapt onto the table and pointed a finger into the air.

"Pizza time!" he shouted with glee. "Who's with me?"

"Sounds fine to me," Raven added. "Anyone else?"

Nobody dared disagree. After their ordeal, a slice of pizza sounded like manna from heaven! Not long afterward, the group of heroes (and former villain) sat perched atop their favorite pizza place.

"A toast," Robin said. "To another job well done. Way to go team."

"And," Beast Boy added, looking Raven straight in the eye. "To Raven, for being the most amazingest girl in the world. And for giving a loser like me a chance."

Raven rolled her eyes, but raised her cup. A faint trace of pink could be seen on her cheeks.

"And to Beast Boy," the goth droned in her normal deadpan voice, "For being everything a friend could ever hope for. And for being…my hero." This time, Beast Boy's cheeks flushed.

"And for being wonderful leader when we needed him!" Starfire exclaimed as she raised her glass.

"And one hell of a fighter," Jinx added.

"I'll drink to that," Cyborg said cheerfully. "Cheers!"

All laughed as they downed their drinks.

It was dark when they finally got back. Most were tired, and went to bed almost immediately. That is, except for two.

Beast Boy couldn't sleep, as tired as he was. There still was something missing. There was still something left that he had to do.

The green teen went into the kitchen to fetch a glass of soymilk. Unfortunately, it had gone bad in the few days they were gone, so he settled for juice instead. A moment later, the sound of approaching footsteps caught his ears. He could recognize those footsteps from a mile away. Raven was coming. Soon, that refreshing scent of lavender reached his nostrils, and the mage appeared in the kitchen.

"Hi," she said shyly as she approached.

"Hey," he said back. "Couldn't sleep?"

"No," Raven replied as she went to fetch herself some herbal tea. For a while, the only sound was the hiss of the water as it boiled. Finally, she sat down across from him, mug in hand.

Slowly, she took a sip and placed it down. "Beast Boy, can we talk? About us?" she asked.

"Of course, Rae," he said.

The mage smirked. "Raven," she corrected. The changeling only smiled in return.

"Anyway," she continued, "Beast Boy, there's a lot I want to say, but…oh Azar, I just don't know where to begin."

"Raven, if you don't want to talk about it yet-"

"No, I do! There's a lot I need to say. I'm, I'm just not very good at this."

"Take your time. I'm all ears." Beast Boy waggled his pointed ears to highlight the point.

"Heh. Beast Boy…" A long sigh escaped her lips. "First off, thank you…for saving my life."

"Hey, no problem," he replied.

"Beast Boy, when I almost died, I was so scared. I really thought I was going to die right then and there."

"But you didn't."

"I know. And I owe it all to you. When he stabbed me, do you know what I thought of first?"

"What?" Beast Boy asked curiously.

"You. I was afraid that I'd never see you again. That I'd never see your smile, hear one of your lame jokes or even, or even kiss you again. That I'd leave you without ever giving you a chance. I think that's the most frightened I've been in a long time."

The changeling couldn't help but feel very touched at her confession. Hearing this coming from her, well, was just beyond special to him.

"And when I saw that you had come back for me…I don't think you realize how much that meant to me, Beast Boy."

The shape-shifter shrugged. "Hey, any of us would have done it."

"But it was all you, Beast Boy. You led the team to me, and you defeated Calabos. You were the hero. And before you came back, I was so scared that you had died, or would never come back that I almost gave up hope."

Beast Boy reached over and placed a hand on hers. "We were both scared, then. I was afraid I'd be too late or that I wouldn't be strong enough to rescue you. I guess it's that fear that sort of kept me going. I've lost loved ones before. If you had really died, I never would have forgiven myself."

Both of them stared down at the table for a moment, taking each other's words in.

"Well, what's done is done. We're both here, right?" Raven asked.

"Yeah," Beast Boy said with a satisfied smile. His eyes drifted upward to behold her in all her dark beauty. At that moment, his legs seemed to have taken on a will of their own. Without a word, he rose from his chair, approached her, and wrapped her up in another deep kiss. She responded by rising from her chair and wrapping one hand around the back of his head. The two stood their locked within each other for what seemed like an age, and once again Raven felt her mind explode in that tantalizing mixture of emotion and excitement that she had felt when she first kissed him. A tiny, feminine moan escaped her lips. Her emotions reached out, and could feel the typhoon of feelings raging within him as well. There minds had almost touched. They were almost one.

She still couldn't believe it. Beast Boy. Garfield. The same boy she used to scorn like the plague. The same person who was practically an enemy when they first started out. The one person whom she would never have seen herself with in a million years. And now here she was, kissing him with more passion than she even knew she had. She then knew in her heart that it was never Malchior, or even Robin who ever had her heart. It was him all along.

At last, the two pulled away, out of breath from the kiss.

"Wow. You're a dynamite kisser, Rae," he breathed.

"You're not so bad either," she replied with a blush. She and the he looked into each other's eyes for the longest time, just taking each other in.

"So, where do we go from here?" the empath finally asked.

"I guess we take the next step together," he replied. "Do you think you're ready? Cause if not, I underst-"

She silenced him by placing a finger on his lips.

"Yes, I'm ready," she answered confidently. "Before, I was scared that you would be like Malchior. I was afraid to take a chance with you just because I was so scared of getting my heart broken again, or that my emotions might hurt you. It took you doing something amazing for me to see the light, but I know better now. I know you would never do anything to hurt me, and I'm not afraid to take a chance with my emotions again."

She paused and looked him straight in the eye. "I want this. I want to give you a chance. I want to see where our feelings will take us. I want you, Beast Boy."

A shy, yet hopeful smile spread on his face. "So, does that mean you're my…you want to be my-?"

"Yes. I would love to be your girlfriend, Beast Boy."

"R-really?" Beast Boy paused, with a look of outright shock on his face. But the look quickly melted and was replaced with an excited grin. "YES!"

Without warning, he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up, causing her to let out a startled yelp. He raised her so she was above his head and spun her around in the air, and she had to grab the back of his head for support. He then set her down, but only for a moment, and repeated the action again. Even though she was quite surprised, Raven couldn't help giggling. Heck, it wasn't every day she was treated like a princess.

Beast Boy finally put her down and wrapped her up in a tight hug. "Hey Raven?" he asked while they were locked together.

"Please, call me Rachel," she said, feeling comfortable with using her real name around him.

"Alright. Rachel?"

"Yeah?"

Beast Boy pulled back so he was staring directly into her violet orbs. "I love you," he said with a slight look of awe in his eyes.

The empath blushed. "I love you too, Garfield."

The two kissed again, with just as much passion and energy as before.

"My hero," she whispered after they had finished, and she rested her head on his shoulder. She didn't want to lose him. Never again.

"Well, I guess we should get to bed," Beast Boy finally muttered.

"Yeah," she agreed. Even though she didn't want to ruin the moment, she was still deathly tired.

"You know," Beast Boy said as he wiggled his eyebrows. "I'm gonna kind of miss sleeping next to you."

"Who says you can't?" she asked cheekily.

That caught Beast Boy totally off guard. He was too confused at first to notice Raven envelop them in her black energy and phase-shift them through the floor. Before he realized it, they were in her room.

"Raven, wha…?" he asked in sheer confusion.

"What you said you wanted to do this, right?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"Well, yeah, I just…um, I didn't think you'd want to too."

"Hey, I don't have a problem with it," she replied. "Just don't get any ideas just yet."

Beast Boy blushed. "No way! I mean, of course I won't do anything to like, well you know."

Raven's smirk remained. She still loved messing with his head. With a quick motion, she removed her cloak and tossed it to the side and crawled into bed. Following her motions, Beast Boy took off his boots and lay down behind her, placing an arm over her and drawing her close.

With a quick peck on her neck, Beast Boy closed his eyes and settled in, and she snuggled her back closer to his chest.

"I love you," he whispered one last time, and a satisfied smile spread over Raven's face. They remained there until both finally drifted off to sleep together, and slept better than they both had in a very long time.

Beast Boy blinked his eyes open when he felt a ray of sunshine hit his eyes. He looked to his right to see that Raven was no longer sleeping next to him. She must have gotten up already. He happened to glance to his left, and his jaw dropped when he was greeted by a solid sheet of white.

Raven turned around from the window, her white cloak swirling with her motions. "Rise and shine!" she said happily.

Beast Boy continued gaping at her. "Raven, your cloak thingy! It's all…it's not…it's white!"

"What do you know, he knows his colors," she replied.

"But, but, but…" he stuttered. "How?"

The corners of her lips rose. "Because my emotions are at peace now. You've made me…happy."

Beast Boy's eyes widened again. "I…woah."

"Come on. Let's get some breakfast, I'm starving."

The rumbling in his stomach told Beast Boy it was a great idea. By the time they got downstairs, Cyborg and Jinx were already down there.

"Morning dudes," Cyborg said casually. Upon seeing Raven, he did a double take. "Raven, what the heck happened? You're-"

"Wearing white. I know," she replied with a smile.

"And what does that mean, exactly? Other than that she's found something other than blue to wear?" Jinx asked curiously.

"It means her emotions are at peace. And that she's happy and stuff like that," Beast Boy explained.

"Well, congratulations, you two," Cyborg said excitedly as he squeezed them both into a tight hug. "Now, you take care of my sis or I'll kick your ass," he whispered into Beast Boy's ear. The changeling winked in response.

"Good morning friends!" Starfire said brightly as she and Robin entered the room. "Raven! Your cloak has done the changing of color again!"

"Yes, I know. But like I told Beast Boy, blue is still my favorite color," Raven said with a slight roll of her eyes.

"I am most happy for you, Raven!" Starfire said joyfully as she gave her a quick hug. "Now, I shall whip up some of my Tamaranian pudding for you!"

"Um, that won't be necessary Star. I'll just have tea," Raven said as she paled slightly.

"Well, I'll fix you up some waffles anyway. My treat for the lucky couple," Cyborg offered.

Raven blushed, and busily went to work preparing her tea while Beast Boy poured himself a bowl of sugary cereal.

Later that day, Beast Boy had to go out for reasons he didn't really make clear, making Raven very curious as to what he was doing. Surely he wasn't buying her something, was he?

"I'm home!" Beast Boy said as he walked through the door to the kitchen. In his hand, he held a small paper bag.

"What's that you have?" Raven asked curiously. Beast Boy's face turned red, sparking her curiosity even more.

"Well, um…first off, I'll get rid of them if you want to. I just thought you had a right to know."

Raven's eyebrow arched. "What is it?"

Beast Boy slowly drew out a small paper packet. It was a photo packet. Raven merely watched as Beast Boy tore it open and drew out a small bundle of photos. Right on top of the pile was a picture of Raven sitting down, eyes wide as plates, on top of a whipped-cream pie. It was a picture of the prank Beast Boy had pulled on her earlier, before they had left. The same picture Raven had thought she tore up in a fit of rage.

"How did you do that?" she asked him flatly. Beast Boy rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Well, I kinda figured you'd try and destroy the film when I got back. So I took it out and replaced it with some blank film before I got back. Sorry."

Raven got angry, but just for a moment. Her anger was soon replaced by oddly enough, a sort of happiness. After all, this was one of the things she realized she loved about him.

"It's okay, I'm not mad," she assured him. "Come to think of it," she chuckled as she looked at the photo, "It is pretty funny."

"Really? You mean it?" Beast Boy asked.

"Sure. Just don't go showing it to strangers, or it will end up as confetti this time," Raven promised.

"No problem! Thanks, Rachel!" Beast Boy wrapped her up in a quick hug before running off to put the photos away.

A little while later, Raven and Beast Boy sat together in the common room, with Beast Boy busy playing a videogame and Raven reading beside him on the couch.

"As your boyfriend, I think it's time you gave videogames a chance. Whadaya say?" he asked hopefully.

The empathy smirked. "Maybe if you actually agree to pick up a book."

"For you, I'd be happy to," he replied with a wink. "So, I was thinking, there's this cool movie out in theaters today. Maybe we could see it later."

"Sure. I guess we could do that," she responded semi-enthusiastically.

"Sweet."

There little moment was interrupted by a very loud, yet familiar sound. The Titans' alarm had gone off.

"Oh man," Beast Boy groaned. Next to him, Raven rolled her eyes and got up. Seconds later, Robin burst through the door, with the other three behind him.

"Okay guys, looks like there's a bank robber going on downtown! Cops said it could be Control Freak this time," Robin explained.

"Oh goody," Beast Boy muttered.

"Let's get moving! Titans, go!" Robin shouted.

Before he left, Cyborg turned to the pink-haired mage beside him. "So, you gonna be fine here? We should be back soon."

Jinx shook her head. "Here? Heck no. I'm coming with you, Cy."

The metal man's human eye blinked in surprise. "Wait, what? You mean, you're coming with us?"

"Sure," she said smirking. "It was pretty fun kicking butt with you guys, you know. Thought I might try it out again."

"I…wow," Cyborg said. "Alright, let's go!"

"Just don't get any big ideas, metal moron!" she shot back. With a laugh, Cyborg and her rushed out the door.

"Well, shall we join them?" Raven asked.

"Guess we'll have to postpone our date," Beast Boy said with a sigh.

Raven gave him a playful pat on the shoulder. "Hey, we'll have time for it later. Now come on, let's go. I'll even let you tell your jokes in the car."

Beast Boy's jaw dropped. "Really?"

"Sure," she replied with a wink.

Beast Boy's face widened into his trademark Cheshire grin. "Alright, let's go!"

He grabbed Raven's hand, and the couple rushed out the door to join their teammates.

THE END

I admit, I may have laid the fluff on a little thick in this chapter. And the scene with them sleeping in the same bed was probably too soon, but I felt like it, dammit! Plus, there's the whole parallelism thing to consider. Hope you didn't mind.

So, did you guess correctly? The answer is...Mothman! Dun dun dun!! Hee hee, ain't I a stinker? There were of course some slight differences in appearance (like the crests and pupils). I was just curious to see if anybody noticed this before.

Anyway, WHEW! Wow, what a long story this turned out to be. I admit, I'm sad to see this over, but it's satisfying nonetheless to finally get it finished. If I could do it over again, it would have been shorter, and finished much earlier. Also, as strange as this sounds, I really wish Starfire had a bigger role in this. She kind of got screwed in the show without her own season, and not enough stories have her placed in an important leadership role. I would have loved to have made her a bigger part of this story, but I just didn't find a way to make it happen, and it sort of got lost among trying to get everything else done. Oh well.

Again, thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this story, and making it the most reviewed of all my works! You really helped keep it going! Special thanks go out to:

Agent of the Divine One – loved your compliments and predictions, and of course being here from beginning to end!

TDG3RD – thanks a lot for the reviews, and for sticking with this story!

Banan-nonne – for liking my story and falling in love with my OC. Calabos sure is a hunk, isn't he?

ahilty – for being an amazing fantasy reader/writer! And of course, for reviewing my story.

Beastboy4pres052 – for thinking my story was the greatest thing since sliced bread! Thanks, man.

timkhj – For sticking with my story through its duration, and helping to keep it going in the beginning!

IGAF-kun – for being a consistent reviewer and the kind comments. Hope basic went well!

General Havoc – for the great compliments and kind words!

Ma.anda – thanks for finding my story, and reviewing it! Your comments really helped.

ItCame – same as above. I'm glad you loved this story!

XnvrmoreX – Again, thank you so much for the support and compliments. They were much appreciated.

For all those I didn't mention, my sincerest thanks to you as well! You all helped keep this story going!

Now, of course, there's one question left to answer: will there be a sequel? Well, unfortunately, most probably not. While I would love to write one, and I have toyed with an idea or two for a sequel, I'm afraid life is just getting to busy for it. I'm going to take a quick break from writing, then finish "Tearing Me Down" as soon as I can. After that, well, I think that's pretty much it for my fanfic writing. I may churn out a oneshot here or there, but I'll mostly be here to read and review.

Now now, there is still a small chance there will be a sequel. If there is, it won't be as long, and it probably won't come out until late next spring at the earliest. But don't get your hopes up for one. Just assume if there isn't one, that Raven and Beast Boy stay together, get married, have lots of kids with green skin and purple hair, and live happily ever after!

Well, I guess that's it. Thanks again, everyone! Be sure to check out "Tearing Me Down" for more BBxRae goodness, if you're interested. Bye!