Teen Titans: A New Beginning

A Bride (Not) To Be

Earlier that morning...

RAVEN POV

- You look beautiful Raven. - said my mother sobbing.
- Arella... please... there's nothing to enjoy about this! - I tell her nervously. She adjusts my bridal veil and she looks at me through the reflection of the vertical mirror, like I'm doing too.
I can't even recognize myself, this is not me, this is not who I am and who I want to be for the rest of my days!
We hear someone knocking at the door. Who could that be? My heart starts beating fast. What if it's the groom?
- Yes? - my mother says. She's visibilly worried too.
- Uhm... may I come in?
- Oh, it's just Beast Boy. - I sigh in relief.
- Please, come in.
- But, mother I...
Too late. Beast Boy opens the door and enters the room. I feel my heart beating even faster than earlier. What's happening to me? Like I said, it's JUST Beast Boy.
I see him with a lost look on his face.
- S-sorry, I just wanted to talk to Raven for a few minutes. If that's possible. - He asks as if he needed my mother's permission to do so. I giggle a bit but I go back to my flat expression right after.
- Sure, but be careful. Nobody but me is supposed to stay here in this room.
My mother carefully opens the door, looks around warily and then walks out, leaving me alone with Beast Boy. This is so strange. I've never let him stay in a room with me alone.

BEAST BOY POV

- Yes?
- Uhm... may I come in? - I let out timidly. I know this is Raven's old room, the one she spent childhood in before coming to the tower and I don't know if she'll let me in. But I need to talk to her before it's too late.
- It's just Beast Boy.
- Please, come in. - I hear her mother's voice. Ouff! At least I don't have to face her completely alone immediately, so maybe I won't be kicked out right away.
- S-sorry, I just wanted to talk to Raven for a few minutes. If that's possible.
As soon as I see Raven in her wedding dress, my jaw drops. She looks stunning. Her hair is pulled up in a bun decorated with crystal flowers, leaving just some hair falling on her face.
The dress is white ivory, trimmed with lace and full of little flower-shaped diamonds which make it shine in the sunlight coming through the windows. Her veil is a see-through kind, edged with the same floral pattern of her dress. She's also wearing some kind of gloves that leave her spindly fingers out.
God, my heart beats so fast and my face is catching fire!

As soon as her mother leaves the room, I realize that I need to tell her a million things, but nothing comes out of my mouth yet. Seeing Raven in this outfit just made me breathless and a lot of thoughts started scrolling through my mind: I imagined her to be my bride, and her lecturing me for having seen the dress and ruined the surprise, something just an idiot like me could do.
I imagine her walking down the aisle, getting closer and closer to me and our future together.
I see her smile, her eyes looking into mine lovingly, me taking her hands in mine and seal our endless love with a sheer kiss.
Those thoughts appear as memories in my head, even though they never happened for real and probably they will never do. I'm loosing her forever... that's why you have to wake up and talk to her Beast Boy!

- Eeeehhhm... Raven?
- Yes? Beast Boy...
- Look, I know you probably don't want me here right now, but I realize that I'm loosing you forever and... I need to talk to you.
- About what? - she sits on the bed, looking sad. I'd do whatever it takes right now to free her from her destiny and take her away with me.
- This morning, when I was crazy mad and followed you in the hallway, something happened between us. You can't deny that.
She tilts her head, looking away from me. I'm not sure but I can feel she's nervous and I guess it's my fault, like always.
- Look Beast Boy: I already feel uptight enough for today... don't make me feel like it even more.
- Please don't avoid my question, I beg you Raven, I need to understand what's going on.
- Nothing is going on between us. This morning we just let our emotions take the best of us, that's all I can tell you. - she adjusts her hair looking in the mirror. I place myself behind her and I look at her reflection again. Her gaze is turned towards the floor and she looks so unhappy it breaks my heart.
- I'm going to miss you... mama.

I'm still looking at her and I see a tear sliding down her cheek. She closes her eyes while her lips quiver and she takes off the flower-shaped decorations from her head, letting her hair fall on her shoulders and some of it covering her face.
- I don't want this... I don't want to get married! - She furiously throws the veil on the floor and she rips the gloves, throwing them along with the rest of the jewelry. Before she's able to break more stuff I try to stop her.
- Raven no! Please, you gotta stop!
- Leave me alone!
She's furious and I'm afraid her evil side is going to show up very soon and reduce me to ashes. I take her by her wrists and then I wrap my arms around her, blocking hers in my embrace. Raven immediately tenses up, trying to pull away from me, but then she unexpectedly relaxes and fall on her knees sobbing.
- Raven... - I gently rest my head on the back of hers and I whisper in her ear. - Calm down... You're safe... You're here with me. Nobody is going to hurt you.
I can hear her breathing becoming slower and that's when she sits down, me now in front of her.
I can't believe I'm going to do this...
- Hey... - I timidly lean my hand towards her face and still shaking I stroke her cheek, wiping her tears. She moves her head away and wipes the other cheek.
- You don't need to worry about me. Is not the first time I fight against my destiny.
- I know, that's why I want to help you, we all want to. I mean... this time is not like the end of the world. - I wink at her, hoping she'll get the reference and won't kill me for having said so.
- You're an idiot. - she giggles between a sob and another.
- You see? I make you laugh! - I reach out my hand while I stand up, she takes it and gets up too, still smiling. I don't want this beautiful smile to be just a memory. - I'm going to take you out from here.
- What?
- You heard me Rae Rae: we are going out. NOW.
- Are you crazy? We can't jeopardize my mother's life and ours too!
- Nobody will be killed, I promise. I'm going to work something out with the other Titans and we'll rescue you. Oh, and your mother too, of course.
- What about Azarath? I made a promise and I intend to keep it.
- Raven, you don't belong here and you know that. You belong to Earth, and WE are your family.
She looks thoughtful for a while, shakes her head and then lets out a sigh.
- I know Beast Boy. But I'd hate to see my homeplace being destroyed another time. My people suffered enough already.
- They won't anymore, I promise. We are the Teen Titans after all, right?
- Right. - she riplies with a feeble smile.

Right when I was ready to start the "rescue mission", a couple of brawny dudes threw open the door and seemed rather frantic.
- How dare you staying in this room with another man? - said one of them in a really deep and quite scary voice.
- He's my friend! - promptly answered Raven.
- You are coming with us, lady.
- You ain't taking her anywhere dude! - I shout. He starts laughing an evil laugh.
- Hahaha! Did you hear the green dude, Vegar?
- I did, Magnus... he thinks he can stop us!
- In fact I will! Watch me... - and I go on the attack turning into a cheetah.
Raven uses her dark power to create a shield to protect us from their counterattacks, but those two guys really seem stronger than what I thought.
I don't even have the time to go back to my human shape that I see one of them holding Raven.
- Argh, let me go you old windbag!
- Hahahaha, your efforts are in vain...princess.
- No! Raven! - I scream at the top of my lungs.
- Beast Boy... save me!
I run to attack them again but the guy named Vegar punches me in the stomach, throwing me against a wall, while Magnus takes Raven away from me.
- Goodbye, little green failure.
The last thing I hear is the door being shut and locked right after. I can't feel my ribs anymore and I can barely keep my eyes open from the pain. This is not the time to think about yourself and your injuries Beast Boy... now you need to rescue the woman... you fell in love with.
I pull out the T-Communicator from my pocket.
- Robin, call the other Titans. I need backup.
- Is everything ok Beast Boy? What happened?
- I'll tell ya later. Now we need to go for a rescue mission.
- Alright, give us your position, we'll be right there.
- Who needs the help? - I hear Starfire's voice in the background.
- Raven.

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Oh, finally I managed to finish this chapter. I wanted to update it last friday but it was still missing the ending part and then I ENDED up being busy.
Alright guys, that's all for now (more than 1700 words, wow, is that too much or...?)
Please I'd appreciate your comments and your support if you like this story.
See you next time for a new adventure!

*SPOILER/WARNING*: Next chapter may contain some mature subjects, so I'm warning you in advance, especially for underage viewers. Bye bye :)