Notes: Goodness, it's been a while. I really felt that the story needed a finishing touch, so I have come back from the grave, to make one! This is pretty much Nick's reaction to the aired tv show.
Epilogue
Young Beast Boy's lithe form jumped onscreen followed by Starfire's devastating star bolts. The back of Raven's blue outfit billowed out behind her and suddenly Cyborg's fist comes shooting out of nowhere.
And finally, the hero and leader of them all—Robin, Boy Wonder. Swoops gracefully from behind and walks up to his team, at the last second, looking back. The title phases onscreen in huge black and white letters: Teen Titans Fifteen-year Reunion: Inside Scope.
"I can't believe we're watching this," Sam groans as she grabs a handful of popcorn from a big bowl.
"I know!" Nick was on the verge of hyperventilating, his hands shook as he grabbed more popcorn. He stared intently at the screen.
Each Titan's face flashes until all five of them are onscreen. A masculine voice narrates the opening sequence, "The Teen Titans. First made their appearance almost three decades ago." Young Robin is seen smashing Dr. Light's head with his retractable pole. "The Teen Titans consisted of Robin, leader of the Titans, highly skilled in martial arts and various aerodynamics…" Young Robin stands proud for the cameras in true superhero fashion.
"Isn't Nightwing the coolest?" Nick asks his wife without looking away from the television.
She agrees with a, "Mmhmm." But does not add any more comments other than that. Sam fishes an old fashion designer magazine out of a stack next to the couch and flips through it.
"…Starfire, the beautiful lady of the team, yet powerful as well…" Young Starfire is laughing and smiling while gently floating above the ground. "…Beast Boy, the changeling, who can morph into animals…" Young Beast Boy is talking to the camera but the crew has edited out the sound so only his mouth is moving. Suddenly he grins and transforms into a green tiger for the audience.
As Nick devours the remaining popcorn, he catches Sam reading out of the corner of his eye, "Hey! Why aren't you watching this?"
Sam looks up, "What? I am watching it." Nick frowns but his disappointment is replaced with hunger.
"Since you're not watching it, can you make more popcorn?" he hands her the bowl.
"Fine, just tell me when it actually gets interesting." Sam leaves the room and minutes later faint popping noises can be heard.
"…Raven, the mysterious mystic whose true powers are unknown…" Young Raven's face is shielded by her hood, but her frown is clearly visible. "…And Cyborg, the technological genius of the team…" Young Cyborg in all his metal glory yells out to the audience, "Beast Boy will never beat me at Gamestation!" Young Beast Boy's voice can be heard off screen, "No you can—" the next scene cuts him off midsentence.
"These five young teenagers, blessed with superhuman abilities, have saved countless citizens many a time. But one can only be considered Teen for so long. When Robin turned twenty years old, the Teen Titans disbanded." An older video showed Starfire and Raven flying away from the Titans Tower, each going opposite directions. In the background Cyborg's car could be seen driving to an unknown destination. "For years, the Titans have eluded nearly all paparazzi, as pleas in the form of letters, online videos, and petitions from devoted fans pour into the city's government office."
Sam flops back down on the couch with a newly refilled bowl, "Hey honey, I remember this! Didn't you send in a petition or something?"
He nods in anguish, "But they didn't bring the Titans back…" He grabs more popcorn.
"Amid the confusion and increasing crime rate, the young Titans East emerged as the new Teen Titans." An image of the Titans East tower flashes onscreen. "And the Teen Titans slowly faded into history…" The opening scene of all the Teen Titans standing together slowly fades to black.
A burst of white light and, "Fifteen years since the demise of the Teen Titans, has lead to this shocking and interesting documentary, tracing the forgotten lives of the city's most beloved crime fighters. This is… Teen Titans Fifteen-year Reunion: Inside Scope!" Theme music plays while the all-grown-up Titans' faces flash onscreen for less than a second. Nightwing's face is the last one to flash but doesn't fade away.
"Well, I guess this is where I say: 'Welcome back Titans.'"
The screen flashes to black as a commercial starts.
On the bottom of the screen appears: "Nightwing" and under that: "formerly Robin"
Nightwing is sitting alone in a comfy looking chair, "I was nervous before the reunion. Everyone expects superheroes to be flawless, but these were very good friends of mine who I haven't heard or seen of in fifteen years! Geez it sounds like such a long time when I say it out loud." He laughs.
On the bottom left corner of the screen there appears the words: "Entrance Cam"
"Are you nervous hon?" Starfire asks calmly while smoothing out Nightwing's outfit as he checks himself over in the mirror.
Nightwing looked over his uniform once again, "Of course I'm nervous!"
"Do you think I should go casual or old time?" Starfire wonders aloud about her choice of wardrobe.
"I'm going in uniform, you might as well too."
On the bottom of the screen appear: "Starfire"
Starfire is sitting in the same chair Nightwing was, "I was very happy to see everyone together again. Friends shouldn't go apart for too long. It's not good for the heart."
There was a distinct knock on the front door.
"First one's here." Nightwing murmured to his wife, "Who do you think it is?"
"If this were years ago, I'd say Raven or Cyborg," She tilts her head ever so slightly, "But I'm not sure. You never know."
Cyborg is the first to arrive, "Hey Nightwing, Star!" He has a huge smile plastered on his face as he bear hugs the both of them. "I'm the first one here?"
"Yeah," Nightwing mutters a bit over excited and nervous as well, "You look well, Cy."
"Life has been good to me. Not as exciting as crime fighting, but running a business is just as strenuous."
"Really? What business?" Starfire inquires innocently. Cyborg hesitates—should he voice which business he runs on television? Life in secrecy would be done with if he did. He lets out a sigh of relief as the front doors open.
Raven comes stumbling into the hall next. A trail of water follows her. She is literally drenched and utterly exhausted.
"…Sorry I'm late." She manages to say while walking over to the center of the room where everyone else seems to have congregated, "It's raining really bad out there." Raven casts a suspicious glare at Cyborg as if to ask "How come you're not wet?"
He remembers that glare. Although not nearly as threatening as it was a decade ago, it still held some power. All he can do is shrug, "I have a built-in umbrella for these occasions."
"How have you been Raven?" Nightwing asks.
"Just dandy."
"Still not the type for conversation huh?" Cyborg chuckles.
She sends him another glare, "Would you like me to stick with one-word answers?"
Starfire is about to lighten up the atmosphere when the front doors open yet again, depositing a green bird that transforms into Beast Boy.
On the bottom of the screen: "Beast Boy"
He reclines in the chair for a moment, taking in the comfortable atmosphere the producers have managed to create, "Who was I looking forward most to see? That's easy. None of them. I didn't want to see them at first. I was against this stupid reunion. But my—err, friend—sort of convinced me to go. But as soon as I stepped into that hall…"
The camera zooms in to capture Beast Boy's reaction as soon as he's human again. His mouth is open and gaping as he stares at the woman standing in front of Nightwing. She looks over her shoulder and catches his eye. No one moves.
"…I couldn't take my eyes off her."
A piece of popcorn falls out of Nick's mouth. He looks for his wife but finds her sitting right next to him. Her eyes are glued to the screen just as much as his are.
"Is that—?" They stutter simultaneously.
"Garfield?!"
"Kori Anders?!"
Nick is taken aback, "—Who?"
She points at the screen, "Kori Anders!" then points at the tower of magazines sitting on the table next to the couch, "The most famous fashion designer that has the most secretive private life of all celebrities!" Realization hits. "Oh my gosh! She's Starfire? She's so pretty in real life!"
Nick waves his hands around, "Hello? Anyone there? Do you not notice that this Garfield who is actually Beast Boy? Who is my best friend? Who I've actually met—and worked with!—and ate lunch with!—and talked with!—and—"
"If you didn't record this I'm going to strangle you!"
"Of course I recorded it! (Just in case!) If I were eighty years old right now I would've had a heart attack three times over!"
"…was against this stupid reunion. But my—err, friend—"
whirwhirwhir
"…against this stupid reunion. But my—err, friend—sort of convinced me—"
whirwhirwhir
Sam grabs the remote, "Stop that would you! You're going to break the t.v. by rewinding too much!"
Nick is still staring at the screen, "He looks just like Garfield… except green!"
Sam is slapping his arm lightly, "Be quiet! It's starting!"
"…years since the demise of the Teen Titans, has lead to this shocking and interesting documentary, tracing the forgotten lives of the city's most beloved crime fighters. This is… Teen Titans Fifteen-year Reunion: Inside Scope!"
"Elevator Cam"
The top of Raven's head could be seen walking in with her suitcase. She turned around and stared emotionlessly at the open door of the elevator. After a couple seconds Beast Boy came bounding in after her. He looked around the tiny compartment obviously avoiding her. She paid him no mind. As the elevator made its ascent, Beast Boy struggled to make conversation, "So…uh… Rae, how's life?"
She didn't even spare him a glace, "It's …Raven."
"Beast Boy" Appeared on the screen. He was halfway hanging off the chair this time fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "Yeah she didn't take to me so well at first," he laughed and scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Back when we were teen titans, I'd always call her some nickname like 'Rae' and she didn't like that. She insisted she be called 'Raven'. I always thought it was kind of like our little thing."
"Cyborg Cam"
He was staring at her. Not in any way romantic. It was strictly glaring.
"Are you cold?" she asks. He looks surprised that Raven would be concerned with his well being. Anyone's well being for that matter.
"…No. I'm fine." Beast Boy tells her and gets into the T-Car once Cyborg pulls up.
"Hey, man… leave the door open for Raven."
Beast Boy masks his confusion with sarcasm. "She likes the rain. She's a creepy goth remember?" But his body language tells otherwise. He's staring out the window at her distant form as if he wishes they were both out there.
"Why do you hate Raven so much?"
"I just don't like her! End of story!"
On the bottom of the screen flashes: "Cyborg"
He chuckles lightly, "It was the most blatant lie I've ever heard. Why does Beast Boy hate Raven so much? He probably hates the fact that he doesn't hate her. Does that make sense? You see when Nightwing disbanded the Titans back when he was Robin, Raven had her reasons for wanting to split and Beast Boy took it the wrong way as if she was trying to purposely break them up. We all made it clear that it would ultimately be Robin's decision and we would follow it whether we liked it or not and not hold any sort of grudge against him. Course, holding a grudge against Robin wasn't what Beast Boy did, he held one against Raven instead."
"Starfire"
"Actually Raven doesn't like rain for very practical reasons. It's cold, wet, dirty, makes car accidents more frequent and harder to concentrate in when fighting. About Raven's hatred for Beast Boy? I can't say there was any. She certainly wasn't "a creepy goth" she just had," Starfire paused momentarily, "problems controlling, how shall I say, the demon within, if you will. We all have our inner demons and she was no exception. We could simply handle ours a bit better."
"Roof Cam"
The background was night and although not completely pitch black, it was still dark. Therefore the cameras were recording in night vision.
Raven had her suitcase in hand and was walking towards the edge of the roof. She stopped at the edge briefly and had a puzzled look on her face. After a while she crossed her arms angrily and stalked back to the entrance only to stop mid way.
"Dammit." She cursed at nothing in particular besides her own inability to make a decision. Raven paced back and forth for a while. It was quite comical actually. The door to the roof creaks open and Beast Boy walks out.
"Nightwing"
"I was shocked that they were thinking of sneaking off in the middle of the night like that! We just had a reunion and you can't even say good bye? Yes I was a little mad when I saw that."
"Starfire"
"I thought it was cute. They both decide to leave, then both decide to stay? It's the first step in a relationship is reading your spouse's mind isn't it?" she laughs.
"Nightwing"
He sighs heavily and leans back in the chair, "I understand their reasoning. If I were in their shoes, there would be the option of leaving without telling anyone, yes, I admit it. I admit having done so myself occasionally in the past."
Beast Boy was smiling like an idiot throughout their rooftop conversation. His awkward attempts at a compliment and her awkward attempts at a conversation were pitiful if not hilarious.
"It's complicated demon stuff." Raven said as Beast Boy shrugged off her last comment. He points out that the rain has stopped. There isn't a cloud in sight but the sky is still painted a dark navy blue. The early risers of the city start to stir as the two make their way back inside.
She was bouncing up and down on the sofa, "This is so exciting!"
"Please stop that… It's very awkward to watch." Nightwing confessed.
"I love the way they did the opening sequence. It was gorgeous!" she gushed.
"By the way, wasn't Rachel interviewed too? I haven't seen hers yet." He asked referring to that horrible set up the crew had put together with that horrible—yet comfy—chair and horrible fake setting.
Starfire pauses the tape, "Actually I think she didn't want to be interviewed."
Nightwing was surprised, "She declined? Why?"
"I believe her words were, 'a complete waste of my time' and 'humiliation by television is a lot worse when you're the one on it'."
"She thinks she'll be humiliated? Not as much as any of the rest of us."
Starfire giggled and kissed him on the cheek, "Then don't watch this next part."
"Why, what's the next part—?"
"Okay I won't go easy on you! And remember—no powers!"
Nightwing gawked remembering what comes next, "You're right. I'm leaving."
"I can't believe they put that on television!" Could be heard from down the hall.
On the bottom left corner of the screen: "Gym and Med Bay Cam"
"Do you need a towel? Water? Anything?" Beast Boy asks Raven as they proceed to follow Nightwing into the medical bay after the sparring.
"No thank you. I'm fine." Raven replies.
He slaps her on the back lightly, "Hey! But you did really good considering Nightwing does this for a living!"
She winces slightly at the contact, subtle but not unmissed by the well trained eye.
"S-Sorry. Are you—"
"It's just a bruise." She cuts him off clearly trying to tell him to back off, "I can heal it myself just fine."
"Stop avoiding me." Beast Boy persists, "How about a… nice relaxing massage then?"
Her eyebrow perks up slightly at the suggestion. Yes, a nice massage would be very nice. But by Beast Boy? Does he even know how to give massages?
She hesitates but his toothy grin and hopeful eyes seals the deal. She sighs, "Fine. But make it quick."
"Lobby Cam"
Raven was standing behind Beast Boy leaning over the back of the couch. Her hair obscured her facial expression but she stayed in that position for some time. He had fallen back asleep after their short conversation. She reached a hand out to caress his face but decided against it and rested her hand on his shoulder instead. "Am I still the emotionless teenager that I was all those years ago?" she questioned his sleeping form. With a last look Raven straightened and left the lobby.
"Beast Boy"
He seemed a bit calmer than last time and wasn't fidgeting around so much, "Raven told me she found one of the cameras in her room after that conversation. I guess she didn't tell anyone since I was just as surprised as the rest of the team when we all found out in the end."
"Starfire"
She was smiling as usual, "Nightwing's reaction to finding out he was being taped? He wanted to sue someone. But I thought it would be different if the public knew superheroes have the same type of problems as they do. Such as running to the grocery store when we're out of something or running back from a fight to watch some show that's coming on t.v. We're all human too," the human comment slipped out before she could catch it, "Well… You know what I mean."
"Gym and Med Bay Cam"
Beast Boy had just admitted to kissing Raven twice in the med bay.
"What do you mean 'just me'?" Raven asked quite curious but kept her back to him.
"Honestly who wouldn't want to?" He said quickly. The room was silent until he broke it, "I'm sorry."
Raven was genuinely surprised after his last comment but brushed it off, "It's fine. You don't have to be sorry." Her face turned pink, "It was nice."
Beast Boy almost jumped back, "What? You liked it? Are you serious?"
"Y-Yes," she struggled to admit and was glad she wasn't talking to him face to face, "Why are you making a big deal out of it?"
"Because I'm surprised! I really am! Here I am apologizing for keeping a grudge against you, and treating you like shit, but it turns out that you liked it! I don't know, I'm just amazed!" Beast Boy was grinning, "Amazed but happy that you're not mad!"
She shot up off the bed, "What? That's what you were apologizing for? You weren't apologizing for the kiss?"
This time his face turned a shade of red, "Wha—? How did you get that impression…" He mentally replayed the conversation back in his mind and caught the misunderstanding, "Wait… So you thought it was nice?" he grinned slyly.
Raven looked away, "I don't know what you're talking about. I told you I was going to forget everything that occurred in the last five minutes."
He crawled on top of the bed, "Would you like me to jog your memory then?"
She flopped down on the bed to put some distance between them. He followed.
"Possibly. Although I don't think one will be enough to jog my memory…"
On the bottom of the screen: "Beast Boy"
He was blushing like a mad man but seemed giddy enough, "I think it was one of the best moments of my life. I'm glad the producers didn't show the rest of that scene." He laughed, "Actually I'm kind of embarrassed. Can I go now?"
He pulled apart for air. They were both panting. The television was on in the next room.
Beast Boy's voice floated through the rooms, "…kind of embarrassed. Can I go now?"
She laughed, "You were embarrassed?"
"Yeah." He smiled sheepishly and kissed her again, "Are you mad I'm not man enough?"
"No. Or we wouldn't be in this position now would we?"
He leaned down so their foreheads were touching but he could still look into her eyes, "You didn't even let them interview you and you laugh that I'm embarrassed?"
Her eyes softened. She could feel his emotions weren't radiating pain or sadness. "Are you mad?" she asked anyway.
"No. Or I wouldn't do this—" he closed the gap between them. She deepened the kiss. They had only just started when a shrill ringing filled the room, completely throwing off the romantic atmosphere. He cursed loudly and grabbed his cell phone from the edge of the bed.
"Aw shit it's Nick." He told her, the phone still ringing, "He probably wants to have a long talk with me and then invite me over and have dinner with his wife."
"Does he want you to talk today?" She asked a little sourly. Even if it was her man's best friend, he had interrupted their 'romantic moment' and they didn't get a lot of those.
"Probably." The ringing stopped. 'One New Urgent Voicemail' was flashing on the screen. An idea struck him, "How about you come with me?"
She rolled over to grab some covers that had escaped her, "Sure why not. I can finally meet this guy."
He beamed, "I'll tell him we'll come in a few hours." He started dialing. "Thank you. He means a lot to me you know."
"I know." She mumbled from under the covers. His brows furrowed. Her response didn't sound right…
He scooted over to her and lifted the covers away from her face, "But only you mean the absolute world to me." He pecked her cheek and she smiled.