There aren't enough word to apologise profusely enough for taking so long in getting this up. I've been busy, had block... it's been a pain. But it's here and I thank you all for your patience. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and for those of you who've given me stuff on comic book relationships – may use all that in a future fic. To those of you arguing over Nightwing's reaction to Raven, let's set things straight.

Raven was shocked to find he had kids because well… this is Nightwing and she just didn't expect it. It also shows that he moved on extremely fast… Secondly, Nightwing still hurts over Raven leaving; seeing her again after fifteen years is a bit of a shock – he'd sorted his feelings out for her but then she reappeared.

Remember, you need to have read Stuck With Each Other, or you're gonna be a little lost...

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans (unfortunately) but I do own this plot.

Chapter Three: Kicking Ass And The After Party...

Raven soon remembered that protecting Jump City was really strenuous; she hadn't used her powers this much since… well, since she was a Titan.

The villain they were fighting was a meta that could control water who had been in the process of robbing the jewellery store when the Titans hit the scene. After the obligatory "Titans go!" from Nightwing, the team rushed forward and went into action.

Raven flew and dodged and raised her shield; she threw nearby trash cans and lampposts at their enemy. She protected Changeling from getting his skull slammed too hard against the concrete and stopped water in the shape of a fist from punching Cyborg to unconsciousness. The only unfortunate moment was when the villain used his powers to form a giant hand and grab her unaware; throwing her across the street…

Right into Nightwing.

Picking herself up, she offered a hand down to Nightwing, who was still on the floor, but he refused it, knocking it aside as he leapt to his fight and threw himself back into the fray. Raven frowned at Nightwing's stubbornness and turned back towards the battle, ready to go back on the offensive. Nightwing, however, had somehow managed to knock their adversary unconscious.

"Home in time for dinner," Changeling said, rubbing his head. "That's a first."

Dinner, much to Raven's surprise, was edible, even though it had been made by Kori. Dishes of vegetables, roast potatoes, pork, turkey, tofu and a jug of gravy sat on the table when they came back from the city. Ryan was putting cutlery next to the plates and Kori was swatting her children's hands as they reached out for food in the hopes they could sneak some before anyone noticed.

Everyone sat around the large table, and Raven felt herself smile as she looked around at the faces of her family; faces of the people that were so dear to her that she would never forget them no matter how long she lived.

Have fun fighting, Chickadee? Ryan's voice whispered in her mind as his hand clasped hers under the table.

'I'd forgotten the action I used to face on a daily basis,' she replied as she passed Garfield the tofu with her free hand. 'How much fun did you have cooking with Kori?'

Ryan laughed in her head, the sound filling her. Oodles, Sunshine. I was either in the way or being shouted at to grab a pot off the cooker before it over-boiled... it was emotional to say the least...

Raven let go of his hand so she could ladle carrots and potatoes onto her plate before passing it to her Mate and taking the plate of pork from Cyborg, glad that he'd actually left some for her to take. Garfield was joking around with the half Tamaranians, making fun of how they'd acted in a past battle. Cyborg was asking Ryan how he'd survived the kitchen with Kori, who was currently laughing along with Gar at her children's expense.

That left Nightwing.

Richard was sat diagonally to Raven and had taken his mask off before being seated; his blue eyes flickering over to the empath every so often, not believing that she was actually sat there. Pushing peas around his plate, he found it hard not to keep looking, despite a voice in the back of his mind telling him that nothing good could come of this: what if Kori were to notice?

Raven couldn't believe that he was still watching her, despite her attempts to ignore him, whilst at the same time passing him subtle looks telling him to knock it off. Kori, however, was unaware that her husband's eyes were glued to the empath, and Ryan only noticed the feeling of unease that was welling up inside of her through their bond.

Sunshine, you okay?

Raven cleared her throat and took a sip of her tea. 'Yeah. I'm getting sick of being stared at.'

Ryan looked at Richard in a sideglance and took a deep breath in. Did no one ever tell him it was rude to stare? Especially at someone else's girl whilst his wife is sat at the other end of the table and the girl's Mate is sat right next to her.

Raven nodded imperceptibly and reached for the potatoes. 'Why is he being such an uptight…'

Ryan grinned as the colourful expletives she dictated entered his head, which only got more colourful when she slipped into her native language, and his grin caught the attention of Richard, who frowned and dropped his eyes to his dinner plate.

The three Tamaranian teens were excused from the table by their mother, who had gave them strict instructions to pack for their trip to Tamaran. Gar beamed at Raven and lifted his glass, Cyborg and Kori following suit.

"To Rachel, the best friend we've missed so much. Life hasn't been the same without you."

"To Rachel!" Cyborg and Kori repeated, clinking the glasses. Raven felt a blush rise in her cheeks and Ryan nudged her in the ribs with his elbow.

After dinner, the others retreated to their own activities: Richard went to the gym, a focussed expression on his face as he all but ran out the door; Gar went out for a flight over the city in the form of a green eagle; Kori loaded the dishwasher then sat with a magazine, and Cyborg went down to the garage to work on the T-car.

'I'm going to see Cyborg for a bit. Will you be okay?'

Rae, I'll be fine. I'm a big boy. I'll go to the gym and do some weights or swim in the pool.

Raven raised an eyebrow at him, and Ryan copied her expression, even the hands on hips pose, making her laugh.

I'm sure I'll survive being in the same room as the Boy Blunder. He's never kicked my ass. Not even once.

That said, Ryan kissed her gently on the cheek and left the Common Room. With a sigh and a quiet smile to herself, the empath followed after him and took the elevator down to the garage.

She found Cyborg leaning into the T-Car, turning the volume of his CD up near full volume. She crossed the room unnoticed and placed a hand on his shoulder, making him jump.

"Jeez, Rae!" he shouted over the music, turning to face her. "You really-" he stopped shouting as the music turned down, courtesy of Raven's telekinesis and a little flick of her hand.

"I forgot how you sneak up on people," Cyborg said, moving round the front of the car and lifting the hood.

Raven followed him and raised an eyebrow. "Well I haven't been around lately. And I don't think you would have heard the Titan alarm going off over that music, never mind me walking up behind you." Her eyes dropped to where Cyborg was reaching in, and they widened in appreciation. "Wow. Suped up much?" she commented, leaning forward slightly to get a better look.

Cyborg turned and grinned at her proudly. "My baby's changed a bit since you last saw her."

"No kidding," she muttered, running her fingertips over the top of the engine. "You have seriously outdone yourself, Victor."

Cyborg put an arm round her waist and pulled her close for a hug. "I really missed ya Rae. No one else appreciates my baby."

Raven smiled and hugged him back. "I've missed you too, Victor. A lot's changed since I've been gone."

Cyborg laughed and let her go, returning to turning up the engine. "You've been gone a long time, Rae. Things change."

Raven sat on the floor at his feet, next to the toolbox, just as she used to. "It's the people that have changed. Everyone's so different. The dynamics have changed."

Cyborg held his hand out and Rachel passed him a spanner. "Things are alright. Kori speaks great English now; she only slips up every once in a while, the kids are… boisterous, but I think that's down to the Tamaranian in them. And of course, who their father is." He looked at Rachel then, her face unreadable, before returning his gaze to under the hood of his baby.

"Dick was such a... well, dick, about what happened, y'know, with you telling him you couldn't be with him any more. The way he ranted… I wanted to kick his ass. He didn't seem to understand that there was nothing he could do. Gar had told us you'd left him a letter telling him you'd escaped from Red X and that you were meeting up with your Mate." Cyborg ruffled Raven's hair, making her smile.

"So… what about Kori?" she asked, pushing her hair from her eyes.

He sighed and caught her eye. "It wasn't long after you left… maybe about a month before Rob jumped Kori." He frowned. "At first I thought he was doing it to get back at you somehow… Kori didn't think that; she thought he'd finally realised she'd loved him for years." He paused and rubbed a hand over his bald head. "But I saw that he loved her and that he wasn't trying to get one over you somehow. Until you came back. I can see you still have some hold over him. And I'm starting to think that maybe I was right this whole time."

Raven frowned. "He wouldn't do such a thing. Especially to Kori. Would he?"

Cyborg shrugged. "I don't know. Something changed when you left. And speaking of people changing… Gar took it hard too."

The empath sighed. "I really missed Gar. I felt worse about leaving him than the rest of you. No offence."

Cyborg shook his head. "None taken. I know you had this thing." Rachel raised an eyebrow. "You did. And he loved you so much, Rae." He smiled. "You know he dated Argent?"

Rachel shook her head, a surprised expression on her face. Cyborg grinned. "Yep. For quite a while too – a year and a half I think it was. I think it's cuz she's a bit dark too, ya know? Like you used to be. Anyways, they broke up because Argent was moved to London and it was too hard for them to see each other."

"I'd never have thought that he'd go for Argent. But if they broke up just because of distance, why didn't he just ask Dick if he could go with her? I mean, you've got enough Titans here to cover the city, I don't see why he couldn't go to London."

Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "The kids aren't Titans yet, Rae. And back then they were only little. They're not disciplined enough, despite being Dick's kids. They see fighting monsters and bad guys as a game. They aren't a fraction as serious as we were at their age."

Rachel fiddled with a smaller wrench from the toolbox. "What about you? Anyone in your life?"

Cyborg blushed and turned back to the car, head back under the hood. Rachel grinned. "It wouldn't be a certain Bumble Bee would it?" she said, a teasing tone to her voice. At the silence that replied her, she let out a light laugh, to which Cyborg looked round at.

"I always saw you and Karen together. You both had the same mentality, the same spark. It was written all over your auras."

Cyborg beamed. "Yeah. Karen's great. Been ten years now." He paused. "I was thinking of asking her a certain question..."

Rachel floated to her feet and hugged him. "Well if I know Karen, she's gonna say yes. And if I know you, you're gonna be the best husband a girl could ask for."

"Thanks Rae."

Releasing the man she saw as her big brother, Rachel turned to the door. "I'm gonna go and make sure Ryan isn't doing anything stupid."

"Good luck with that one," Cyborg replied. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Bye Victor," she called back as she went back upstairs.

So, a little background info on the team in the time Raven's been gone, as well as a little battle and some potential... problems?

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think.

Love Luna xxx