Fan Fiction ❯ From Stone ❯ Cracked Glass ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: Since I obviously don't own the copyright to Teen Titans, I'm taking advantage of the Fair Use Clause of the Copyright laws to write a story with them in it. Who knew the government would protect the little guys? Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

 

Chapter 4: Cracked Glass

 

Raven landed on the muddy path leading to Titans tower, Beast Boy nearly falling to his knees when she landed. He had nearly passed out on the roof after the hug. The day's events had taken their toll on him. He had been so drained that he hadn't been able to fly back on his own. Raven hadn't called back to Titans Tower, she had put her arm behind his back and under his arm and put his arm across her shoulders and taken flight. Beast Boy stumbled as he stepped into a pool of water, slipping from Raven's grip and falling face first into the muddy trail. Raven quickly grabbed him and lifted him up. He was covered in mud, his green features were completely covered and his hair had turned an off green and brown as the mud mixed with drenched green hair. The rain was rinsing it off, but she noticed that rivulets of water streamed from the corners of his eyes, she couldn't tell if it was the rain or his own tears that were streaming down his face. He looked so pathetic she was glad the rain was coming down so hard she could barely make him out after he walked a few steps ahead. Coming back to her senses she followed him.

Beast Boy waited at the door, resting his back against the steel doorframe. Thankfully, the downpour had cleaned most of the mud off of him. Raven quickly walked over and entered the entrance code. The doors creaked and then began to slowly swing inward. Raven looked over to Beast Boy, he had his hands on his knees, keeping himself propped up against the wall, his face looking downward. She wasn't sure if he was still crying, but she would find out once they got inside. The door finally opened wide enough for them to fit through and she walked over to him, holding him up and helping him inside. A few steps inside the door and she stopped, Robin waited inside, Cyborg and Starfire a small distance behind him. Starfire's head was bowed and her arms were crossed while Cyborg was looking away. Robin was looking directly at them. If it wasn't for her supporting him, Beast Boy might have collapsed right there. Raven simply stared back at him, “You want me in the medical lab? Fine, I'll go after I get Beast Boy back to his room.” She said calmly and walked towards the stairs, still supporting Beast Boy and nearly dragging him along.

Robin's mask narrowed, “Raven.”

Raven tensed and stopped, returning the harsh glare he was sending at her, “What?”

Robin frowned, then looked to Cyborg who shook his head. The spiky haired young man sighed heavily, “Cyborg can do that. You need to get back to the medical bay.”

Cyborg walked over to Beast Boy who was still looking down at the floor, rested his hand on his shoulder and tried to lead him away, but he resisted. He looked up at the group, “I'm sorry.” The voice that came from him was not his, it was weak, and the strength and happiness that it once held had been wrenched from it. He turned to Raven and gave a small, false smile as he pulled his arm away, “It'll be ok, won't it?” Raven felt her arm slip away from him and Cyborg gingerly led him away. Raven wasn't sure when, but she noticed she had shed a tear, she quickly wiped it off her cheek.

“Now will you go to the medical bay?” Robin asked wearily.

Raven looked at him for a moment, her gaze narrowed, then she shook her head, “Yes, fearless leader, I will, once you find a heart.” She said bitterly and walked off before he could reply.

 

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Raven reached the medical bay and closed the door behind her. She didn't need the red suited leader of the team to get any angrier at her. She looked around the room, it was dark, the monitors were dead, and the lights were off. Outside the window she saw the rain. Usually she liked the rain; she wandered around in it, with her powers protecting her from getting soaked. This had been one of the first rainy nights she hadn't been able to enjoy. She pulled the blinds shut and walked over to one of the cots.

“You shouldn't have been out there.”

It was the first time Raven had ever been surprised by Cyborg; in fact, it was probably the first time anybody had been surprised by Cyborg. She whirled to find him standing at the doorway, looking at the monitoring equipment behind her. She let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding, “I had to.”

“Raven, I don't think you understand. You were dead.” Cyborg said sternly, and finally looked at her.

“Well I'm not now, and I have Beast Boy to thank for it.” She said and sat down on the cot as he grabbed some monitoring equipment.

“Roll up your sleeves, I'm going to need to place this into a vein.” He said, setting up an IV.

She started rolling up her sleeves just beyond the elbow, “Is he ok?”

“Yeah. He was just tired, and wet, but you knew that.” Cyborg nodded without looking away. He took out an alcohol pad and swabbed her arm, “We were worried about you and Beast Boy.” The vein appeared and he stuck the needle in, Raven didn't flinch or try to pull away, “I'm just glad you both got back safely…” He looked away again, grabbing more wires and placing them on her chest and forehead in strategic places. The monitors came to life, monitoring her vital statistics. “You seem fine.”

“Seem?” Raven raised an eyebrow.

Cyborg sighed heavily, “Then again, so did Beast Boy on the walk to his room.” He turned and looked at her, his usually hardened eye softened, he was frowning slightly, “You have to sleep here tonight, want me to stay?”

“I'll be fine.”

He nodded and slowly walked off, pausing at the doorway, and taking a look back at her, “Good night Raven.”

“Good night.” Raven said lying down on the cot.

Cyborg watched her a moment longer and then shut off the lights.

 

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Raven watched them, Beast Boy and Terra in their titan's outfits, sharing a picnic, sharing food with each other, Terra smashing the desert into his face and laughing and then him grabbing her and rolling her onto the ground. It had been a long since Beast Boy was so happy. The background faded away, leaving them in an odd darkness that she could see through. He pulled Terra close, gave her a tight squeeze, pulled back and then kissed her. “I love you Terra.”

“I love you too Beast Boy.” Terra said, a tear falling down her face. And then Beast Boy faded leaving Terra there, in the darkness with Raven. Terra's clothes changed to what she had worn when she had joined Slade. Raven took a heavy breath and turned to leave this surreal dream when Terra stopped her.

“Were you trying to set me free?”

Raven stopped dead, she had learned to pay attention to her dreams, but it was truly rare when her dreams actively talked to her. It had only happened a few times before, and the most recent dream of that kind was what led her to become a Titan. She swallowed the hard lump that formed in her throat and turned to look at Terra.

“Were you really trying to set me free?”

“Yes.”

Terra's eyes widened slightly, and then she turned away, “I'm sorry.”

Raven scowled, “You should be, you betrayed everyone who was close to you.”

Terra crouched down, tucking her knees to her chest, “I don't know why I did it.” There was a brief silence and then Terra turned to look back at Raven, “You still hate me.”

“Yes, I do.” Raven said calmly, looking at Terra, still wrapped in the suit that she had worn when they last fought, “I hate you almost as much as I hate my father and far more than I hate Slade.”

“Then why did you try to save me?” Terra said meekly, retreating to her former position.

A bitter taste filled Raven's mouth; it was like swallowing poison talking to the traitor, “Because as much as I hate you, Beast Boy needs you. And, like a real friend, I will do things I do not like to help him.”

Terra went silent and disappeared, leaving Raven in the darkness of her mind.

 

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Cyborg paced down the hall, the others hadn't come to breakfast. He hadn't expected Raven or Beast Boy, but Robin and Starfire never missed it. He sighed, Robin was probably taking out his frustrations on his punching bag, but Starfire… he couldn't believe that Starfire would skip breakfast. Even in the worst situations she was up at the crack of dawn trying her best to cheer everyone else up… and right now the Tower could use it.

Turning the corner Cyborg saw Starfire's room; there were some pictures of flowers posted on it as well as one of a rainbow. He smiled briefly to himself; it always helped him to talk to Starfire. She didn't always understand, but sometimes that helped… he took a few steps forward and knocked on her door lightly, making sure it didn't fall in like Raven's did. There was no sound from inside, “Hey Star, you in there?” He waited for a minute, “I guess not.” He turned, frowning and started walking back.

That's when he heard a sound, not from Starfire's room behind him, but from Raven's room down the hall. It was faint, but it sounded like rustling of paper. He froze, if her window was open… the pages might still be salvageable but not after the storm that had been going on since last night. He quickly ran to her room, throwing the door open and staring. His jaw nearly dropped at the site that lay before him, Starfire was taking the shredded paper and tossing it into a massive recycling bin, “Starfire? What are you doing in here? What are you doing to Raven's books?”

She looked up and smiled, “I am picking them up so Raven does not need to have a mess when she returns.”

Cyborg watched as she tossed another pile of paper inside, “You're not planning on throwing them out are you? Because Raven will… kill you if you do.”

Starfire blushed, “No… I was hoping she might be able to piece some back together…” She smiled lightly, then grabbed another wad of papers somewhat roughly and tossed them inside.

“Star, those books are really old… you shouldn't treat them like that. Maybe I should help you?” Her face lit up her green eyes sparkling, and she nodded. Cyborg looked about the room, it was a complete disaster. Had he not known what were he was, he might have mistaken it for Beast Boy's room. He walked inside, lifting an ebon stone pillar that had once held a statuette of the masks of comedy and tragedy… on the floor, the mask of tragedy had survived, but the mask comedy was shattered beyond repair.

“What is it Cyborg?” Starfire queried, floating over to Cyborg who stared intently at the floor.

“Raven used to have a little statue of the actors' masks, it must have fallen when her room was destroyed.” Cyborg said frowning.

Starfire leaned down and picked it up, “It does not look very nice…”

“It's the mask of tragedy Star… usually there's a counter, a mask of comedy, but it broke.” Cyborg's frown widened as Starfire placed it upon the pillar.

Cyborg sighed and turned, not wishing to dwell on the irony when he heard another crash. Starfire had her hand to her mouth and was frozen in air, “I am sorry, I did not mean to…” She blushed and cringed while Cyborg stared at the mask. It had fallen, sharing its twin's fate, shattered beyond any recognition.

Cyborg smiled lightly, “Don't worry, I wont tell Raven.” He put a hand on her shoulder, “We should get back to work.” He turned to the door and found Beast Boy looking at them from the doorway. Had Cyborg still had the ability to have lumps in his throat, one would have formed then and there, “Hey, BB… we're just cleaning up Raven's room.” Beast Boy didn't move for a moment, finally nodding and then turning to leave.

Cyborg watched his friend for the few last seconds he remained at the doorway, wondering how much he had seen, not knowing if he had seen Starfire throw the remnants of Raven's tomes into the recycling or not. Starfire floated next to him, “I fear he is still not well…” She said, her smile fading somewhat.

“He's not, Star, now come on… let's get this place cleaned up before Raven comes back.” Cyborg forced himself to look away from the doorway and continue working, Starfire following moments later.

 

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Cyborg had finished cleaning up Raven's room, carefully placing what was undamaged on her bed and the tattered books in the clean recycling bins. Fortunately, it appeared as though her room, outside of the books, was relatively untouched, although he had nearly screamed when Starfire had found her mirror. It too, had been cracked… he wasn't sure how he was going to tell Raven that, although he wondered how Beast Boy had entered her mind while it was damaged. He dwelled for a moment on Beast Boy, thinking back to him watching them clean up. He hadn't said anything, just stared and then walked away. They should have used something else to put the paper in, but Star hadn't brought anything else with her.

He sighed heavily and walked onward, holding Raven's lunch platter: an apple, a small sandwich he was sure she wouldn't touch, and herbal tea. He also had something else with him though, he never would have suspected Raven to have a stuffed animal, but when he had found Star holding it she had told him it wasn't hers. It eerily resembled the birds in Raven's mind so he had believed her, and then took it with him to give to her when he brought her lunch.

The door to the medical bay opened automatically as he approached and he found Raven resting against the backboard, watching the blinds. “Seeing anything interesting Raven?”

She shook her head then after a moment longer, turned and looked at him, “Not really.”

He walked into the room, placing the platter on a cart and wheeling it to her bedside, “I brought you lunch.”

“Gee… thanks.” She looked at the sandwich situated on the center of the plate and instead grabbed the apple.

“Oh, almost forgot, I brought something else.” He pulled the small stuffed bird from behind him and held it out to her, “I thought you might like to have it, we found it in your room earlier.”

“We? Entered my room?” She raised an eyebrow accusingly and Cyborg groaned inwardly, Raven's room was almost entirely off limits.

“Yeah… Starfire decided to clean up, I helped her, all the papers are off the floor, your statue was smashed, but most of your stuff is ok. Starfire found the bird doll off in the corner.”

She nodded, and took the doll from him, placing it on the other side of the bed, “Thanks.” Her eyes widened a moment latter, “You didn't throw my books out did you?”

He took a step back hands held out in front of his chest, “No, no of course we didn't. They are in recycling bins though, so you can sort through them when you want.”

She nodded slowly, picking up the cup from the platter and taking a small drink. She smiled briefly, “You know how I like my tea?”

He nodded, “I've seen you make it, I thought you'd like some.” She nodded again and there was silence outside of the rain. Cyborg watched her eat a little, and little was the only word to truly describe it. Half and apple and the tea and she pushed the cart away. He almost wondered how she kept her weight up the way she ate. He smiled, looking at the sandwich, “I knew you weren't going to eat that.”

She nodded, “When can I leave?”

“We'd like to keep you overnight again…” He watched her reaction, she wasn't happy, but he hadn't expected her to be, “… but I think we can let you go if you promise not to do anything strenuous.”

She nodded, “Fine, my gymnastics lessons will have to wait…” she added dryly, Cyborg smiled, and she smirked, “Don't worry Cyborg, I'll be fine…”

`Now comes the hard part…' Cyborg thought to himself, trying to think of a way to tell Raven her mirror was shattered. Raven looked back to the blinds, “Something is wrong, I can tell, you want to tell me something you just can't figure out how.” He nodded dumbly, and she shook her head looking down at the floor, “My mirror is broken, I felt it, I already know.”

He stared at her completely dumbfounded, “How… did you know I was going to tell you?”

She looked back at him lazily, “You made my herbal tea just the way I like it, and brought me the only stuffed animal in my room. Dead giveaway there is bad news.”

“Oh… I'm sorry Raven…”

She nodded again, “Don't worry about it Cyborg… and thanks for the doll.” She rested her back against the wall, holding her bird and looking back at the blinds.

“Do you want me to open the blinds?” Cyborg asked, standing up. Raven was obviously finished talking for now. She merely shook her head not turning to watch her friend leave.

 

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`So why is it that I have no heart when I want Raven to be safe?' Robin smashed the punching bag one more time, finally stopping. He had avoided the question all day, although he hadn't slept well the night before because of it. `Why was I attacked for trying to tell Beast Boy the truth? Why am I the cruel and callous one for doing what is necessary?' He doubled back, twirling and kicking the punching bag for good measure, the attack sent it spinning, bouncing wildly off the backboard but not being forced back by another blow. Robin watched it as it slowed and finally came to a stop. He sighed and left the training room, he had beaten the punching bags long enough without getting answers, and he needed some himself.

The operations room was relatively silent, Cyborg and Beast Boy were playing video games, Cyborg was winning, but wasn't trash talking, and Beast Boy seemed to loose too easily. Robin approached to find Beast Boy slumping down in his seat, “You win again Cyborg…” He said simply, and then put the controller down.

Cyborg smiled victoriously, but it faded quickly, he was watching Beast Boy intently, trying to figure out what to say. Robin cleared his throat and Cyborg turned to look at him, “Yeah man?”

“I guess we're ordering in tonight?” Robin asked simply, pointing to the kitchen. It was basically barren, with nothing outside of the utensils sitting on the counter.

“Uh… yeah… sorry.” He scratched the back of his head embarrassed. Robin simply nodded, walking around to the other side of the couch. Beast Boy looked at the screen, which was still flashing `Game Over' with disinterest. Cyborg was back to looking at his friend. “Hey, BB, you want to pick what to have for dinner tonight?”

Beast Boy looked up at Cyborg then back down, shaking his head, “No thanks…”

Cyborg looked at Robin pleading, this was far worse than Robin had expected, and he frowned. `This isn't going to go well…' Robin thought, taking a seat next to Beast Boy, “About yesterday…”

Beast Boy visibly cringed, sinking farther into his seat and pulling closer to Cyborg, “I'm sorry…”

If Robin weren't better at keeping calm, cool, and collected during the worst situations, his jaw would have dropped right then and there. `He apologized?' Robin's mind raced, he had expected an argument to come, for him to bash him for insulting Terra, to defend his attack… not an apology. He tried to collect his thoughts, “Look, Beast Boy, I was…”

Beast Boy looked down, his voice cracked a little as he spoke, “I'm sorry I attacked you… I… you were right.”

At that Robin simply balked, it was all he could do. Even the best training wasn't good enough for him to keep a straight face during… THAT. He could barely process the information, but he never really got the chance. Beast Boy got up, looking at the two of them, “I'm… really not hungry you guys… I think I'm just going to go to my room.” He said slowly, trying to keep his voice calm.

Cyborg went wide eyed for a moment, “Wait, BB, we'll order pizza, we can get vegetarian!”

Beast Boy stopped for a moment, then shook his head and forced a smile, “No… that's ok… I'm really not hungry.” Robin and Cyborg could only watch as he slowly walked out of ops, the door slamming shut behind him. The pair looked at each other and then looked at the screen, which was still flashing `Game Over.'

 

*A SPECIAL Thanks to my good friend Nina for helping me finally break a case of writers block that was roughly the size of my ego. I couldn't have done this story without her. All compliments will be forwarded to her.