Fan Fiction ❯ After The End ❯ Reunion ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, unfortunately. Any views or opinions expressed in this fan-fiction are strictly those of the author, me. The latter statement is probably just a formality, unless I somehow work my love of all things Canadian (GO CANADA) into this fan-fiction. Cheese is the root of all evil. If I were to use one word to describe all of the themes to all of my fics so far, I wonder what that word would be. Happy multicolored explosions in the sky day. I didn't see any fireworks go off on the fourth of July. I want to go to college so I can get out of this hell hole so bad. Blame comp problems for the missing update last week. …I hate that this has practically become an every other week update fic when I want it to be weekly updated.

 

Please Read and review. Constructive criticism wanted.

 

Chapter 8: Reunion

 

Not long after Raven was comfortably settled into a deep sleep as she cuddled up against the changeling beside her, a low, groggy moan escaped the lips of the green Titan. Somehow, Beast By had sensed that something was out of place in the small room, and his subconscious refused to allow him to gain another minute of sleep until he found out exactly what it was. Slowly, Beast Boy's conscious mind regained control, and he began to stir on the floor uncomfortably.

 

`Stupid cement floor,' Beast Boy thought angrily, blaming the first feeling that came to his mind for his sudden awakening. However, it did not take long for him to realize that there was something else he was feeling that had not been there when he had gone to sleep. Something small and slender had been wrapped around his body, stopping suddenly at the center of his chest. But that was far from all. Beast Boy could feel something, something big, pressing up heavily against his entire back side. Fearfully, the changeling opened his eyes and let them travel down his body to where the smaller object was, and his eyes went wide in shock when he saw the pale arm of who was now his owner, Raven.

 

`D-Did I miss something,' Beast Boy mentally stuttered. As carefully as possible, the changeling rolled in place onto his opposite side, careful not to wake the half demon with her arms around him, until he came face to face with her. `Y-Yeah,' the green Titan thought confused, `I definitely missed something here.' Unconsciously, Beast Boy tried to slide away from the Anger driven version of the real Raven, but as soon as a part of the teenage girl's body left the warmth of her slave, Raven gripped Beast Boy tighter and buried her face into his chest letting out a sigh of contentment.

 

Beast Boy's face faded from emerald to crimson as he looked down upon the girl… in his arms! `When did that happen?' He asked himself in confusion, but all questions were thrown aside when he saw the smile across Raven's face from just being this close to him. It was what Beast Boy had always wanted to do, be the reason that Raven smiles, and now he was. His mind went blank, and he lost all control over his body as he grinned like an idiot to himself.

 

`No!' The emerald changeling quickly countered his thoughts as he reluctantly forced himself to remove his arm from around Raven's waist. Instantly, he missed the feeling she had produced in his arm, but his resolve was now firm. He could not give in. `This isn't Raven,' Beast Boy sighed mentally. `Even if I want her to be, it's not. I'm not going to take advantage of her when she isn't even here. I'm here to bring her back, not get distracted like this.' He smiled down at Raven one last as he tried to conjure up enough will to force himself away from the Raven imposter.

 

He could easily use his powers to escape his current situation, but at the moment, Beast Boy did not want to risk them triggering whatever the choker around his neck could do to him. As a plan formed in his mind, he slowly reached for one of the pillows hanging off of the bed beside them. What he had planned usually only worked in movies, and he silently prayed that they had some fact to them. In one quick motion, Beast Boy rolled out of Raven's arms, swiftly replacing his body with the soft pillow from the bed. Once he was free, and a good few feet away from the half demon, the changeling just laid there on the ground perfectly still waiting to see if his plan had worked or if he was in for a very angry awakening.

 

Beast Boy sighed in relief as he saw Raven wrap her arms fully around the pillow and mumble something about him, causing another blush to rise from within him, before her stirring halted completely. `Well,' he mentally began, `that went well, but why did that have to happen at all? I though Rage was sleeping in her bed. Why would she… do… that… to me?' Yet another blush rose to his cheeks as just a few of the possibilities came to his mind, but he quickly dismissed all of them and quietly stood to his feet. `I need some air,' he thought trying to convince himself that he wasn't just trying to get away from the thought that rose in his mind each time he looked at the sleeping Raven. With one final glance at the sleeping girl, Beast Boy smiled again before creeping over to the door and out into the cool night air.

 

The night was dark and starless, almost as if the beauty that the darkness unknowingly brought was being eaten away by some unknown force in the universe. The truth was, that was exactly what was happening. The loss of the ability to see the stars in the night sky was the first sign that Trigon's hold was spreading unto a new region. Even the clouds had disappeared from anywhere in sight. It was only a matter of time before the dark cerulean was devoured by a deep blood red that had appeared over the skies of Jump City and the surrounding areas. Eventually, the same fate would befall the entire world if Trigon was not stopped.

 

As Beast Boy silently closed the makeshift door behind him, he took the time to take in his surroundings for the first time. It was still a horribly built cottage in the middle of a highway, but there was a lot more that he had not noticed before or had been brought in during the short time he had slept. The latter seemed more logical to him since he had gotten a pretty good view of the campground on his way in. Directly beside the door to the small cottage, there was a small water cooler complete with several paper cups on top of it. Briefly, Beast Boy wondered how the seemingly mindless war machines had enough brains to bring them more than the jug of water alone, but he quickly dismissed any questioning as he noticed for the first time how dry his mouth was.

 

It had been more than an entire day since he had last had something to drink, and he could no longer stand how that made his throat feel any longer. Desperately, and rather loudly, Beast Boy ripped one of the paper cups from its stack and began to pour himself a cup before greedily drinking its entire contents. Once the first drop of water hit his tongue, it seemed that stopping was an impossible feat for him as he drank cup after cup of the cool liquid. He laughed at himself mentally as he watched himself fill up his seventh cup. `Funny. I always hated water before, but now that it's the only thing I've got, I can't stop.'

 

As he drank yet another cup, Beast Boy failed to notice the sounds of someone or something slowly sneaking up behind him. It was not until the sound of a small pebble being unintentionally kicked across the pavement by the unseen intruder that the changeling realized that he was not alone outside the safety of Raven's cottage. Trying his best to act casual, Beast Boy slowly lowered the cup still half full in his hands to the top of the water cooler. Now listening intently, he could clearly hear the sound of a human approaching him from behind. The figure's footsteps were too light to be human, but also too light to be an adult. And that was the fact that revealed exactly who it was to the changeling.

 

Grinning to himself, he slowly refilled the cup to the brim with water and prepared to confront the intruder. Taking one final breath, he braced himself for the confrontation he was about to experience, and swiftly spun around to face the figure head on. “Hey, Robin,” the changeling whispered, careful not to wake the sleeping Raven within the paper thin walls. He grinned and held up the cup he was holding to the Titans' leader. “Want some water?”

 

Robin frowned at his teammate's jovial attitude and the smug look on his green face, but still swiftly ripped the cup from the hands of the changeling and gulped the entire thing down at once. “Don't you have a mission to accomplish, or at least a certain suddenly gone evil Titan to keep an eye on?”

 

“Mission?” Beast Boy asked in confusion before his palm found its way to his forehead roughly. “Oh yeah. Dude, Raven is just right inside sleeping.”

 

“So, you gave her the tranquilizers?” Robin asked hopefully. He was anxious to get this mission over with and set everything right that Trigon had destroyed.

 

“Uh…” Beast Boy began sheepishly. “Not yet, actually. I mean, I can't really just force it down her throat. That would only get me killed before she passes out, and I'm hoping that wasn't what you had in mind. I was kind of trying to find something to hide it in, like some kind of food or drink.”

 

Robin stared blankly at Beast Boy for a minute before holding up the cup he had given him.

 

“OH!” Beast Boy whispered loudly in realization and he chuckled nervously. “I'm sorry, dude. Things have been a bit hectic here with Raven. And there have been some… surprises that have been a bit… distracting. I'll give her this as soon as she wakes up, Dude. I promise.”

 

“Beast Boy,” Robin sighed in frustration. “You've spent an entire day with Raven and haven't managed to do anything at all. What could have possibly happened to distract you when you more than anyone want to save Raven?”

 

Should he tell him about what he found when he woke up earlier? “Trigon killed Slade.” NO. He was not quite ready to share something that made him feel like he did with someone else yet. Besides, there is always a scapegoat.

 

Robin's eyes widened beneath his dark mask, and he found himself in one of those few moments where he was utterly speechless. He could not move. He could net think. He just stood there wide eyed with a blank look on his face. It was like his entire reason for living had just been taken away. Well, most of his reason for living. It was not like when the thought Terra had killed Slade at all. It was different. The feeling that he was eventually brought to his demise by evil left Robin feeling somewhat hollow and unfulfilled. Good, the thing he had dedicated his life to after his parents had died, should always triumph over evil and eventually overcome it. But, if what Beast Boy had said was true, good had no part in this. There was only evil. That was unsettling.

 

Yet, even as he felt defeated in a sense, there was something else that was left behind in his heart. Something survived when everything else he had dedicated himself to seemingly was all washed away in one fell swoop. By definition, that something gave him enough will to quickly get over the fact that he had failed to personally bring Slade down, and it was able to renew his spirit if not just a little bit. He had always had someone to fight for, and even though his greatest dream had just been shattered, she was still there and always would be if he had anything to say about it.

 

“But…” Robin began in disbelief, “how? Why? When?”

 

“Well,” Beast Boy gulped as he already felt the unpleasant churning in his stomach, “Raven flew us into this city. I don't think it is too far from here. We landed right beside Trigon, and he was talking to Slade but I could tell that something was wrong. Slade said something about a deal he had made with Trigon, but he did not seem to pleased that Slade had brought it up. Before I knew it, Slade sort of collapsed on the ground, and that glowing mark on his mask was gone. That's when it happened, Robin.” The changeling fought to keep down the water he had just drank. This was the last thing he wanted to recall.

 

“Just out of nowhere,” Beast Boy continued once he felt it safe to open his mouth, “Trigon ordered some of the nearby minions to kill Slade. They… they… they ripped him apart, Robin. They just pulled him apart like it was nothing. And, it wasn't all at once to put him out of his misery. Thy pulled his limbs apart one at a time until he was nothing more than a head on a body. They ripped that from him too. That's when I just looked away, but I was forced to look directly at Trigon while he was talking to Raven. He acted like it was nothing that just happened. There was no remorse at all, Robin. He's pure evil.”

 

`No one deserves that,' Robin thought, now once again unable to speak. `Not even Slade has done things bad enough for him to receive that kind of torture. It's inhumane, but Trigon is far from human, isn't he? He's a demon, and I'll make sure he gets what he deserves if it is the last thing I do.'

 

“Where's Starfire,” Beast Boy's voice shot Robin back into reality. “Why isn't she with you, and what happened to Cyborg? Where are they?” The emerald changeling was beginning to get frantic and rather loud with his questions. “They haven't been captured, have they? Please tell me they're okay! I couldn't stand it if something happened to either of them like what happened to Slade. We have to-”

 

“Beast Boy!” Robin whispered and quickly covered his teammate's mouth. “You have to calm down. No, they haven't been captured. At least, as far as I know they haven't found Cyborg. You have to be quiet when I tell you this. You're not going to like it, but just promise me that you'll stay calm, okay?” Beast Boy looked on confused, but nodded anyway. “We had planned to bring Cyborg with us, but before we could make our escape from the city, there was a massive invasion of Arkaens. We couldn't have gotten out unnoticed with Cyborg in tow. I barely even got here unnoticed alone, and that entire army out there is all asleep right now. So, we did the best we could do. We hid Cyborg as well as we could, and prayed it would be enough. I'm sorry we couldn't do more.”

 

Beast Boy's eyes ignited with a fire of fury blazing within them. Had he just heard what he thought he had? Cyborg, his best friend, had just been abandoned by the mechanical Titan's own friends without a second thought. He was left behind for any random minion of Trigon to walk in and find wherever he had been hidden and do God only knows what to his helpless body. He wanted to scream at his leader. He wanted to strangle him, but he could not. Beast Boy might have acted rather dim at times, but he was smart enough to know that this was not the time and especially not the place to voice how much of an idiot he now thought Robin was. Doing so would only wake the emotion masquerading as Raven up, and that would only lead to chaos and ultimately, despair.

 

“Just,” Beast Boy pointed away from their position, “…go.” The changeling's voice was filled with no signs of emotion at all. He was completely serious, so much that it scared the boy wonder. “I'll take care of my part. Come back Three hours after sunrise. It will be done then, just be ready with a plan to sneak Raven away from all these Arkaens around here. I don't want to have done all this for nothing, and I know you don't either. So, just go back to Starfire. It's probably killing you to be away from her right now, so just go.”

 

Robin silently nodded, putting all of his trust in Beast Boy to get his part of their mission done. He could no longer blame the changeling for having done close to nothing to achieve his goal. Even he could not imagine being able to do anything but stand perfectly still in shock after watching something as gruesome as Slade's demise. Even the description had freaked him out. But now, he had to get back to his current charge. Something inside of him now kept screaming for him to get back and be with Starfire. He had to protect her. She was close to all he had now. Slowly, the masked Titan spun around, and began creping away from the badly built cottage, and towards the direction from which he came.

 

Sighing to himself, Beast Boy decided that it was best if he got back to Raven's side soon, and back into the position he had awoken in. Though he was trying (and failing) not to enjoy the notion of Raven pressed up against his back like she had been, he had little choice but to resume the stance they had been in before Raven awoke. The half demon had latched onto him for a reason, and though he could only hope what it was (but still wish that her actions reflected at least in some way how the real Raven wanted to act), he did not wish to evoke her wrath is she found that he was not there when she regained consciousness.

 

Silently, Beast Boy slipped back into the small one room building he and Raven were housed in and glanced at the still fast asleep girl on the floor. She looked so peaceful while she clutched that pillow tightly to herself for comfort thinking it was him. A part… okay, his entire being wished that the actual Raven wanted this badly to be that close to him, but he was not sure if he would ever know. The only thing he could do was carry out his part of the plan and hope that everything worked out from there. Even the slightest chance of seeing the true lavender haired girl again gave him enough courage to do anything in the world, even take down her rage fueled alter ego.

 

Shaking his head from his thoughts, Beast Boy silently made his way over to where Raven slept soundly. He just hoped that he was fast enough for the same trick to work twice. As swiftly and silently as he could, Beast Boy slid into Raven's arms, yanking the pillow out from it's previous position as his own body took its place. It did not take long for the pillow to be free, but Raven had tried to latch back onto it few times before her arms found their way to Beast Boy again. Fr the second time that night, Beast Boy was laying on his side with Raven's arm around him instinctively trying to pull him toward her only to drag herself across the floor until she was again pressed warmly against the changeling's back with her head buried between his shoulders.

 

`Good night Raven,' Beast Boy thought as he slowly got used to the feeling of her body against his. Eventually, all feeling of resistance drained from his body and he relaxed into her hold, finding it rather soothing. Sleep came upon him faster than it had ever before. The reason: The feeling of Raven so close to him was just too natural for him not to enjoy. If only Rage was truly Raven.

 

Soon after beast Boy was fast asleep in a deep slumber, Raven's eyes shot opened and then narrowed angrily at the changeling before glancing at the door.