DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Teen Titans. Very painful words to write.

Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to update; but I was writing as the ball dropped on New Year's Eve and I was gone all of yesterday and on New Year's Day!

Whew! I ate so much that it hurts!

Anyways; I had a great New Year and part of the reason that it took so long is that I couldn't figure out what words to end this story with; and also I was kinda stalling…

I mean; I'm gonna miss you guys!

Well, enough with the sob-story and on with the FanFiction!

Chapter 15

Back at the Tower…

The superteens all stared at him with expressions of pure shock.

"You mean it wasn't an accident?" , Aqualad inquired blankly.

Gar blushed,

"Well, no! –I mean- It was a total accident! But that doesn't mean that I didn't like it…"

He trailed off sadly; this mind replaying how right it felt to have her in his arms; the smell of lavender overwhelming his keen senses; and how it had felt as though; when she had pulled away from him; she had taken a little piece of his heart with her.

The broken feeling in his chest threatened to overwhelm his tear ducts; and cause the warm saltwater to spill from his eyes; but he fought the urge to cry valiantly.

Starfire suddenly giggled ecstatically, startling everyone else in the room,

"How wonderful! Friend Beast boy has 'the feelings' for Raven!"

Speedy scoffed,

"Yeah, too bad she obviously doesn't feel the same way. Oof!"

He stopped abruptly as Robin jabbed him in his stomach with his elbow.

Gar took a deep breath,

"I'll go find her and apologize; she's one of my best friends and I don't wanna lose that."

Cyborg sympathized with him; he'd feared the same thing when he'd asked Bumblebee out.

Except he hadn't been rejected.

He could only imagine what his best friend was going through.

Gar's expression hardened as he steeled himself for the upcoming flood of pain…

But he'd take the pain of rejection every day for the rest of his life if it meant that he'd get to see her every day as well…

Raven…

Raven sat on the roof of Titans Tower; tears of utter confusion streaming down her pallid face. Her heart thumped frantically in her chest as she replayed the kiss in her mind.

His arm around her waist; his fingers in her hair; her body against his chest; the feeling of his lips on hers; the electric shock that coursed through her veins; the pleasure that followed; that emotion freezing her in place and making her stomach do back flips.

She was unsuccessfully trying to comprehend her own feelings.

I…liked it. But he's one of my best friends… Why did I enjoy it so much? He probably didn't mean it, anyways; it was probably just an accident.

She cringed as that inexplicable burning rejection washed through her once more…

Why does it hurt!? Why do I care!?

She then heard the door open, but she ignored whoever it was and simply stared ahead at the barely visible sun over the salty river's mouth. Whoever had just arrived walked quietly over to the edge of the roof where Raven was perched.

He sat down beside her staring straight ahead at the sunset.

When she glanced over, she realized that it was Beast boy, and her stomach lurched uncomfortably. She averted her gaze back to the sunset and they sat in silence for about an hour; simply admiring the beauty of nature…

Gar hesitantly turned to look at her; knowing very well how his heart would stutter when he took in her gorgeous profile.

Just as he'd predicted; he felt a river of love pour out of his very soul; like a dam breaking; and he nervously rubbed the back of his neck; trying to think clearly enough through his fog to speak coherently.

She noticed this in her peripheral vision, and suppressed a girly giggle that had begun to bubble up in her chest.

She had never felt flirty before; but she pushed back the desire to run her long, pale fingers through his messy green hair and tell him just how sweet he looked when he did that; quite easily.

He haltingly began to speak after clearing his throat self-consciously,

"S-So…you're not mad at me?"

He paused, then continued without giving her time to interject,

"I-I mean about me traveling back in time and all?"

She finally turned to look at him and answered him, ignoring the fluttering in her chest,

"No. It wouldn't be the first time it's been done."

His face instantly became alight with curiousity,

"What do you mean, Rae?"

She looked down at her fidgeting hands and replied,

"Why else would I throw that book out, Gar? I tested it out myself… Well, more like tried it out myself. That is why the other version of me looks and behaves a little differently than I do. I wanted to experiment with my past; so I messed with it a little; and she's the end product. I know it was wrong to do it; but I rationalized it because the only one I'd be harming was myself."

His eyes grew wide with realization,

"Oh! Now everything makes sense! That's why you two are so different… Speaking of her… She told me something about you…she said that you lo-"

His eyes zeroed in on a small piece of copper that hung from a thick chain around her slender neck.

"Hey! Is that-?"

She looked down at it, then a slight blush colored her features,

"Uh-"

His eyes watered with emotion,

"I gave you that, didn't I?"

She bit her lip and nodded. He looked into her amethyst eyes as he spoke,

"I thought you dropped it on the altar… When you…you know…"

She nodded, and fingered the necklace gingerly,

"I went back for it… It really holds a lot of sentimental value for me."

A smile hovered around the edges of his lips,

"Why?"

She looked down at the penny on the necklace thoughtfully,

"I guess because you cared enough about me to give it to me… I know it's really silly; but it really meant a lot to me; so I dug through the rubble and ashes and I kept it…"

He placed a hand on hers,

"I think it's really adorab- nice, Rae."

She arched an eyebrow,

"So what did you come up here for, anyways?"

"Oh! Uh, I came to apologize for kissing you… I didn't mean to."

Her face fell; even though she had been expecting this all along. She looked away before he noticed,

"But-"

"But?"

What else could there possibly be that could follow up to that?

"But I won't."

She blinked; dazed.

"Won't?"

"I won't apologize… Because I won't lie to you. And I'm not sorry for kissing you."

Her expression was one of pure shock and confusion.

What!? Not sorry for kissing me!? But why wouldn't he be-!?

Raven stiffened as Juliet's wise words echoed in her mind;

'That boy loves you, child…'

She then used her empathic abilities to taste his emotions; pure love radiated like the crashing of the ocean waves from him.

She wondered why she hadn't noticed this deluge of emotion emanating from him before.

Maybe because she didn't understand it before now…

Her eyes softened as she embraced the love that she felt for him; ending the internal war that had been raging in her mind for six long months; leaving everything that had once confused her to no end in perfect clarity.

She listened intently as he stammered his explanation.

"W-Well, Rae… I-I mean Raven; I-… for the longest time now, I… I've always felt… I mean, I've had a huge cru-… Um-"

He sighed in defeat, then took her pallid hands in his, staring into her deep violet eyes as the smell of lavender wafted gently to his nose; overwhelming his keen senses.

He gazed into her eyes for what seemed like an eternity; taking in her surreal beauty and bracing himself for rejection.

He opened his mouth to say the three words that had been lingering on the tip of his tongue for such a long time now; but Raven interrupted his declaration before he'd uttered a sound.

"I love you."

Upon hearing those words escape her lips; he felt as though he'd been punched in the gut,

"Y-You do?"

She nodded; not trace of humor written on her porcelain features.

"W-Wow, Rae! You beat me to the punch! I love you too!"

She smiled breathtakingly and wrapped her thin arms lovingly around his neck, pressing her lips gently to his cheek before leaning her head on his now muscular shoulder.

He was frozen in shock;

She loves me!

He wrapped his arms around her waist and they hugged tightly for about twenty minutes; just enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms.

Beast boy contentedly breathed in her scent and memorized it; it wasn't something he wanted to forget anytime soon. While Raven enjoyed the first emotional harmony she had ever experienced in her life.

Gar interrupted the contented silence,

"How come nothing's blowing up?"

"I guess because everything is balanced right now."

Her voice came out muffled as she spoke into the fabric of his midnight blue tee shirt. She abruptly realized that he was wearing civilian clothes.

She pulled away to get a good look at him.

He was taller than her; he wore jean cargo pants and Converse shoes along with his navy name brand shirt that clung to his well formed muscles in all the right places.

He noticed her careful inspection of his wardrobe and smiled broadly; exposing his sharp fangs, then looked down at his shirt.

"My new favorite color…"

A coy smile pulled up the corners of her mouth.

"The change wouldn't have anything to do with the color of my cape, would it?"

His cheeks took on a shade of red as he looked away. Raven smirked; extremely amused with his nervous reaction.

Her features then became touched with chagrin;

"I should probably go help them clean up my mess downstairs…"

He laughed at the mortified expression on her face; he thought it was adorable.

He ducked down and with lightening speed; threw his forearm up against the back of her knees, knocking her off her feet and into his arms.

And; holding her in his arms bridal style; he planted a passionate kiss on her lips. He heard several consecutive crashes behind him as multiple objects became projectiles.

Raven wrapped her arms around his neck; ignoring the UFOs that she had inadvertently created out of inanimate objects.

She eventually broke away from him and closed her eyes; concentrating on chanting her mantra. The flying objects dropped, and Gar assessed the destruction around them.

"Wow…Rae; I thought you said that your emotions were balanced and that you wouldn't blow stuff up anymore."

She scowled at him,

"They're not anymore."

He smiled broadly; ignoring the acid in her tone.

"Heh, heh… I guess now we have to clean up the outside of the Tower, too."

She nodded, and he put her back down on her feet.

She grabbed his hand and twined her fingers through his; sending another current through their bodies.

She blushed and gripped his hand more tightly as the walked down the stairs toward the Commons Room.

The Commons Room…

Cyborg looked around at the mess that Raven had left in her wake once more; dreading the clean-up sure to come.

Everyone had been in shock over Beast boy's revelation of his feelings for Raven; and the disturbing image of his best friend's hands and lips on his little sister was burned into his memory; in spite of the fact that he was trying desperately to forget it.

He shuddered in disgust; willing himself to stop replaying the disturbing scene in his mind. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder,

"You okay, Sparky?"

He turned to his girlfriend,

"Yeah, Bee; It's just that… Rae's like my little sister, y'know. And I'm just no sure how I feel about my best friend having his hands all over her…"

Bumblebee nodded,

"Now that you put it that way… I just thought that it just looked wrong. Raven and Beast boy kissing! Blech!"

She shuddered involuntarily.

"Bee; the worst part is that they've always gotten on each other's nerves! BB never told me that he liked Raven; and she obviously doesn't like him. If he'd just told me, I could have helped him! I don't even know who to feel bad for; Beast boy doesn't be the girl, and Raven lost one of her best buds…"

His girlfriend nodded,

"You're right… It's a lose-lose situation."

Throughout this conversation, Robin was trying to explain to a jazzed Starfire why it wouldn't be a good idea to bring up the kiss around Raven.

Mas and Menos both sat in a corner conversing in Spanish about how they would be mentally scarred after having witnessed such a cataclysmic event.

Speedy and Aqualad were talking about the kiss as well.

Speedy scoffed,

"I thought she would have slapped him!"

Aqualad snickered,

"I thought she would've punched him out!"

"What if she did punch him out? It would explain why he's been gone so long!"

They both doubled over in hysterics after an odd silence.

Cyborg began to worry about Beast boy; he'd been gone for more than two hours.

Maybe Raven hurt him…

Suddenly the doors to the Commons Room slid open to reveal Raven and Beast boy; their fingers intertwined.

Speedy and Aqualad's jaws dropped to the floor, and Robin started choking on the chips he'd been eating, Cyborg went blank, and Mas and Menos remained completely oblivious; still complaining in Spanish about their eyes burning. Starfire and Bumblebee were the only ones who remained remotely calm.

Cyborg watched blankly as Raven's eyes scanned the demolished room. Beast boy also looked around the room,

"Wow. This place is totally trashed!"

Cyborg thought that he saw a small blush creep across Raven's impassive face.

She then authoritavely raised the hand that was not enterlaced with Gar's and it glowed with negative energy.

The glass shards then flew into the air and then levitated into the trash can. The slashed-up furniture floated into place, and the rest of the debris also flew into the trash can.

Beast boy gently squeezed her hand,

"Nice job, Rae."

Her face remained unaffected; but the sparkle in her eyes betrayed that she was secretly thrilled with the compliment.

"Thanks."

Starfire was the first to recover from her surprise,

"Raven? What has occurred between yourself and Beast boy?"

Gar seemed to suddenly remember something, he spoke with unbridled excitement plainly in his voice,

"Hey guys! I'll be right back!"

He reluctantly pulled his hand out of Raven's and took off down the hall with inhuman speed.

He had really missed his enhanced abilities, and he was just enjoying the sheer speed at which he raced down the halls.

He arrived at the door labeled 'Beast boy'; and chuckled as he remembered the incident that had prompted the door-labeling.

After scanning his hand on the panel beside the door; he entered his messy room.

The odor assaulted his senses like a truck slamming into him. His eyes watered as he covered his nose with his hand;

Ugh! This is the first thing that I'm gonna change!

He ran over to his dresser and pulled out a black Victorian jewelry box; he carefully cradled it in his arms as he fled from the reeking room.

He made it to the Commons Room in record time; and upon entering; he hid the box behind his back.

"Raven… I bought this for you a week before I left… I meant to tell you how I felt, but…I chickened out. Big time. So I wanted to give it to you now."

He held out the antique box and Raven's eyes began to swim with emotion. The toaster became encased in black energy and began to shudder violently as if it were a volcano on the verge of erupting.

She quickly put a leash on her emotions and the toaster returned to normal.

She reached out and took it from him; gently handling it as if it were a newborn. Suddenly she cracked a smile and quickly leaned in to gently peck him on the cheek.

Everyone else in the room gasped. Mas and Menos both ran up to Beast boy with super-human speed and inquired in unison,

"? Ya tienes un novia, señor Beast boy?"

He Looked to Raven; who had recently taken up Spanish; for a translation.

"You have a girlfriend now, mister Beast boy?"

He looked down at the twins; who gazed up at him with child-like innocence.

"I think that after our first date I will."

He then smiled broadly at Raven, who returned the gesture with only a fraction of a smile.

She looked down at the box that she held in her arms lovingly; admiring how the light played off of it and taking in the intricate detail hand-carved into the wood. The lining was burgundy velvet and the design on the box would go perfectly with the décor in her room.

It was truly a work of art.

Suddenly she remembered the old shop-keeper, Juliet.

She suddenly grabbed Gar's hand and pulled him toward the door, the antique jewelry box tucked under her arm.

"Hey! Where are we going?"

"I have to thank someone; come on, Gar!"

She turned to the other Titans,

"We'll be back before ten!"

With that, she towed him out of the room by his hand.

Cyborg shared a perplexed look with everyone else in the room.

Speedy crossed his arms and sighed,

"Well, that was weird."

Juliet's Magic Shop…

Raven pulled Beast boy to the little shop on the corner. Upon entering; they were greeted with the scent of sage wafting to their noses.

The lighting in the shop was very dim, and many vials of potions, dusty spell books, and antique artifacts cluttered the shelves on either side of them; having no apparent organizational method in use.

They walked up to the counter; where someone sat in an oversized leather chair that looked like it came from an old movie's Study; reading an ancient book.

Upon arriving at the front desk; they realized that it was not the old shop-keeper who sat in the old leather chair.

Raven spoke first,

"Roxxi!?"

The girl looked up, her blue eyes glinting with exctitement,

"Hey, Raven. My Granny's in the back; she'll be here shortly."

Raven's eyes widened,

"Your Granny?"

Roxxi nodded,

"Yep. Well, I forget how many 'great's to put before the 'grandma's, so I just call her Granny."

Juliet then gracefully entered from the corridor in the back of the shop, brushing away the priceless Persian carpet that served as the door to the hallway.

Her creased features became alight with joy as soon as her gaze fell upon the two teens standing in front of the desk, holding hands.

"So, you got the girl, huh? I take it she liked the jewelry box; seeing as how she's holding onto it so tightly."

She spoke to Beast boy, who smiled widely, showing off his pointed canines.

Raven cleared her throat, then spoke,

"Thank you."

She looked very deliberately at Juliet, and then at Roxxi.

"Both of you."

Roxxi nodded solemnly and Juliet smiled wider.

"So did you come to a conclusion, Raven?"

Raven cracked a small smile at both of them.

"Yes; I finally sorted out my emotions; and I know how I feel now."

She then looked at Beast boy; her eyes softening as they rested on him.

"I love him."

Juliet clapped her hands gleefully,

"Well my job here is done!"

The old woman turned to Roxxi and pulled out a key on a gold chain; and, placing it around Roxxi's neck; she seemed to glow with joy,

"I will leave my shop to you! I have another dimension to attend to!"

Roxxi looked both shocked and touched,

"Me!?"

Juliet nodded,

"Yes. You are my heir in this dimension; and you have proven yourself most worthy by helping me accomplish my task. I must go put things right in other worlds."

Raven's eyes grew wider as realization hit,

"You are the same Juliet that is mentioned in Azar's books!"

The ancient woman nodded as a swirling vortex opened beside her. She winked as she stepped into it and it shrunk into oblivion as it closed.

Raven and Gar shared a look of amazement.

Roxxi surprised them both with a loud outburst.

"Well, what are you waiting for!? Go on a date already!"

Amusement glinted in Roxxi's clear azure eyes as Raven and Beast boy said their goodbyes and left the shop.

Roxxi leaned back in the comfortably padded leather chair; picked up her book, and reopened it to her bookmarked page.

"Gosh… How some people can be so intelligent, yet so clueless is beyond me…"

Back at the Tower…

Raven and Beast boy lay on the roof of Titans Tower staring up at the starry night sky. A warm summer breeze carried the scent of salt water with it as it tousled Raven's short lilac locks and caressed the skin left exposed on her arms by her black tee-shirt.

She was very comfortable in her civilian clothes, and the light of the full moon shone off of her pale skin giving her an otherworldly appearance.

Gar thought that he'd never seen anyone so mystically beautiful in all his life.

They lay on their backs, contentedly gazing up at tWhe heavens, their fingers once again intertwined.

As he stared, Gar noticed a streak of white blurring across the infinite stretches of the black sky.

"Hey! Shooting star!"

Raven's head rested on his chest, and she spoke detatchedly,

"Careful what you wish for…"

He gently squeezed her hand and whispered into her lilac hair,

"That's okay. My wish already came true."

Well! Did it live up to expectations?

Was it cute enough?

What did you think?

I'd love it if every one of you reviewed! It would be greatly appreciated!

And don't be afraid to ask me any questions you might have about the story! I would be happy to answer them!

And feel free to PM me for anything you might need! Or just to talk; that's fine!

I don't mind helping people out; it's one of my many joys in life!

Well,

Later Days and Happy New Year!

Please Review!