Taking Over Me

Beast Boy slammed into a wall of the chamber and turned it into a torrent of sand. The young hero pulled himself up and forced his way through the sand that sought to entrap him. Soon he was on his feet again, staring down the perverse little girl that carried the demonic essence of both Raven and himself. She was evil incarnate – even more so than most five-year-olds.

“I'm surprised you haven't thanked me for my gift,” Slade said with an evil smirk. “After all, I did just give you the most important thing in your life. And I even stripped the evil from her to create this tertiary being.”

Beast Boy gasped slowly. “You... took her evil away?”

The magician Slade allowed himself a confident chuckle. “Didn't you realize that? I took the evil from you and returned you to your normal state, as regrettable as that is. At the same time, I removed the demonic seed from Raven and made her a real girl. Rather like a fairy tale, isn't it? No longer will Raven have to deal with all those demonic urges.”

“The catch is that you have a demon to do your bidding,” Beast Boy snapped.

“A convenient bonus,” Slade smirked. “I'm truly a kind soul at heart. I just ask that you leave the 'waste products' to me.” Said waste products snarled and licked her lips anxiously like a starving jackal that's just found a zebra carcass to feast on. Unfortunately, this little jackal liked to hunt for prey instead of scavenge for it.

“With my machines blocking the chamber entrance, there's only one way out of here.” Slade pointed straight up. “Through the sand. But by the time you made a hole big enough for you and your friends to escape through, this chamber would become a tomb for you and your friends.”

Beast Boy frowned out of worry for his friends. Raven was trying hard to wake them up, but nobody was on their feet yet. But even if they woke up, there was no guarantee they'd get out of this underground chamber alive.

“It's a pity young Terra isn't here to save you,” Slade smirked. “It looks like you've hurt her feelings for the last time. Ha ha ha...”

“Put a cork in it, Slade!” Beast Boy changed into a striped, emerald velociraptor and dashed across the sand with his avian claws. He snapped at Slade's mid-section with his sharp jaws, but the wily villain swayed to the side and avoided the majority of the attack. Beast Boy came away with some ripped linen from Slade's robe.

“Get him!” Slade commanded, bringing the FOREVER pendant to bear. The demonic child mounted Beast Boy with a gliding jump and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. Her supernatural strength choked the dinosaur relentlessly, but he didn't give up. Beast Boy bucked and shook his body with everything he had in an attempt to get rid of her. Beast Boy tried to expand into a larger form, but the girl's neck lock didn't give away. Beast Boy couldn't transform unless he wanted to snap his neck. He went the opposite direction and shrunk into a much smaller creature – a snake that was nigh-impossible to choke. While the girl's grip was lost, Beast Boy slithered out of reach and changed into a green and black tiger to continue the battle. The girl roared and showed off a set of teeth that'd make a shark cringe. But the young hero roared louder. He wasn't going to let this little runt push him around. Not when Raven was watching.

Raven lamented her friends. She applied every anti-toxin in Robin's belt, but she couldn't bring them out of their deep sleeps. They must've been exhausted from all the fighting and couldn't bounce back as well as they usually did. Raven knew she was to blame for that. Slade used her as a weapon and a bargaining chip to get her friends here, and now they were out of commission. Beast Boy and her would follow unless a miracle happened.

And Raven was fresh out of miracles. She stared at her hands and willed them to glow with the dark chill of her magical powers. But none came. Not even a little spark. When her father's demonic seed left her body, a big part of herself went with it. Her birthright was gone. Even if they somehow managed to get out of this alive, Raven was useless to the Titans. Her friends went to all this trouble to save her from Slade, only to rescue a wizard with an empty bag of tricks.

Slade and his pet demon took turns pummeling Beast Boy relentlessly. The young Titan didn't have the strength to maintain an animal form now. He could barely stand on his own. Slade booted him in the face and Beast Boy fell on his back, staring listlessly at the ceiling of worked sand. The demon girl sat on his chest and smiled prettily. It was amazing how easy it was for her to hide her malevolent appearance. She looked almost normal now, save for the giant wings in her back.

“Finish him,” Slade ordered. “We'll take care of the other Titans together.”

The girl looked into Beast Boy's eyes and slowly lifted one of her delicate baby fingers. The finger sprouted a claw that extended for several inches like a freshly drawn switchblade. Beast Boy could practically feel the claw's piercing strength, even though it hadn't touched him yet.

“Bye bye,” the little girl said, with a voice so soft and sweet. As she trained her finger on Beast Boy's heart, the earth beneath him sprang to life and wrapped him in a tight blanket of sand. The demon stabbed into the sand, only to hit empty particles. Beast Boy's body had vanished into the sand below.

Slade scowled at his disappointed general. “It seems we have an unwelcome visitor.”

The sounds of screeching metal alerted the villain to further interruption. The ceiling pulsated as something slithered through it in a slow and jerky pattern, only to fall through the sand and land in a crumbled heap at Slade's feet. His earthworm machines, responsible for keeping the entrance blocked, were crushed by the sand itself and thrown by the wayside. The afternoon sun streamed through the tunnel shaft and illuminated the very edge of the ritual chamber. A pair of petite figures stood in the light, their faces obscured by the shadow cast before them. Slade knew who they were from the clues given to him already.

“Leave him alone,” Terra warned. Her eyes shone with golden light and pierced the shadow over her face. “I've got a lot of apologies to make, and I can't make them if my friends are dead.”

“You've been naughty, Mister Slade,” Jinx added. Pink light shined from her eyes as her magical powers came to life. “The Hive doesn't like being jerked around by an urban despot. The way I figure it, that girl is our property.”

“Your Hive wouldn't exist without me,” Slade reminded her. “This girl is the key to reaching my ultimate goal. You won't lay a finger on her if you want to live.”

“We were just about to say the same thing about him,” Terra sneered. Beast Boy appeared beside her from the sand and fell to the ground. He could vaguely hear Terra's voice, but he couldn't believe it was actually her. He was sure she'd have run away if she had the chance.

“Last chance, Mister Slade,” Jinx said with cold disdain. “Hand over the pendant and walk away. Or you're going to get a serious case of bad luck.”

“I never did believe in luck. Only Fate!” Slade's pet demon shot forward like lightning and wing-whipped both girls, knocking them to the ground. Jinx recovered quickly by hand-flipping to her feet, while Terra rolled through the sand and stood back up without much grace. The blond called upon the earth to bury Slade, but the wily villain disappeared in a flash of smoke before the attack could connect.

“Damn,” Terra growled. “So much for that plan.”

“We've still got his little friend to deal with,” Jinx reminded her. She back-flipped out of the path of a fireball that slammed into the sand wall and made another part of it collapse. With all the strain on its structure so far, it wouldn't be long before the whole place came down. Terra sensed this as if it were her own body on the verge of rupture.

“Brace yourself.” Terra amped up her powers to a higher degree and released a shock wave in all directions that affected nothing but the earth. The sand above exploded outwards and upwards, creating a huge crater in the center of the San Francisco desert. The sunlight washed over everyone inside with blinding brilliance. The demon girl hissed and shielded her eyes from the light. It was the first time she'd seen it, and she already didn't like it.

“Not very fond of sunlight, are you,” Jinx noted. “If your powers are anything like the witch's, they don't work as well without shadows.”

The demon flapped her wings and jumped into the sky. She sailed through the air like a bullet and made her way towards the city in the distance. She was ready to make her escape.

“Ohhhh no you don't,” Terra growled. She couldn't fly after her with sand – even if she worked it like before, it'd fall apart from the strain of flying. But that didn't mean she couldn't keep up. “Take care of the guys for me.”

Jinx winked. “As you wish.”

“...R-right.” Terra set herself and focused her powers on the sand beneath her feet. Geokinetic energy erupted at her feet, and the sand burst in various directions as she revved up her powers. Terra gave Beast Boy one last look, then let her power explode. Like a jet skier, Terra zoomed across the sandy surface and shot towards the city with the air thooming behind her.

Beast Boy grunted lightly. “Ter... ra?”

Jinx knelt down and scooped Beast Boy into a fireman's carry. “You Titans must be really close. It looks like nothing can separate you. No wonder Slade's fascinated with the Titans.”

--

Terra surfed the desert sands at nearly 120 kilometers per hour. She looked skyward to keep her eyes on Slade's new pet. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, which made finding her easy. Keeping up with her was another thing entirely.

Once we reach the city, I can use some rock to fly after her, Terra thought. 'Bout time too. Sand-surfing won't hack it. Terra surfed over a dune and launched across an expanse before landing and revving through the sand again. She kept her balance and maintained her speed. She wasn't in the mood to crash at high speed and snap every bone in her body.

The girl's wings were starkly visible from the ground thanks to their black tint. Feathers littered the desert and marked the path Terra had to follow. She dodged through each of them like flags on a ski slope. Terra had a lot of energy to work off after spending all that time cooped up in the hospital.

“Get your butt down here!!” Terra yelled. She waved her arm as hard as she could and launched a sand ball towards the sky. It missed by a huge gap, but Terra didn't really expect it to hit. She just wanted the little devil to remember she was there. Who knows; she might even come down and try to kick her butt. It'd save Terra the trouble of chasing her.

Terra knew they were within city limits when she felt the sewage outlets in the earth below. She mentally grabbed a chunk of the sewer's granite lining and pulled it through the sandy surface. A portion of the granite peeked through the surface beside her like a shark's fin and matched her insane speed. Terra surfed towards a dune and launched into the air in time with the granite piece, then landed on it in mid-flight. She jetted into the sky straight for the demon girl, who tried her best to escape in the city's skyline.

“Slade's not going to hurt anyone while I'm around!” Terra shouted. “There's no way I can let you live!”

The demon whirled around and launched a fireball, which Terra easily dodged. Fireball after fireball screamed past as Terra surfed through the air. She rammed into the girl with fierce speed. Terra felt like she'd shouldered a brick wall, but she managed to knock the demon off balance. Terra grabbed at chunks of earth in the streets below as the girl regained her balance. The chunks formed into small asteroids and catapulted through the skies, coming within mere inches of hitting the demon and crushing her tiny body. But the girl managed to dive, dodge, and duck under everything that Terra could throw. Finally, the girl used fireballs to eradicate the rocks before Terra could score a hit. Terra caught the fragments and packed them like snow into slightly smaller boulders, but no less lethal.

“That's not going to work, kiddo,” Terra snapped. She summoned her boulders together and prepared for one massive strike. “I was trained by the best. There's nothing you can do that I can't handle.”

The girl screeched like an angry vulture and faded into a shadowy wisp. Terra scowled at the spot she was. The girl got away, but Terra knew she'd be back. The villains always came back, no matter how many times you beat them down.

“Next time, Slade.” Terra launched her boulders towards the desert and headed back to her friends as the rocks crashed in the distance.

Hello

Beast Boy: “We had Raven back. For a while... that was all I could think about. Raven was really calm about it. Starfire and Cyborg were emotional about it; they cried, they laughed, they babied Raven non-stop. Even after the first week, they couldn't believe she was really back. I had to admit... I felt the same way. But I couldn't bring myself to tell her just how glad I was she was back. I kept thinking about Terra, and everything that led up to this. I didn't know what to say or do anymore. I was lost.”

Raven: “It was strange... being alive again. I breathed. I ate. I drank. And I didn't have to feel all that pain I felt when I was... with my mother. I decided not to tell the others about where I went. They'd probably think it was weird. Besides... we're having enough 'fun' deciding what to do about my powers. Robin said that my magic was bound to my demonic half more strongly than my human half. That was why my powers wouldn't work. He said that if I had enough time to practice, I'd be able to do my magic again. But the more I practice, the harder it is for me to feel that spark inside me. I don't think... I'll ever be the same again. And it scares me.”

Terra: “I didn't get as many stares as I thought I would. The guys have been really helpful, making me feel welcome. There's still a little tension among us, but it's better than being alone. I've apologized so many times, but words can't forgive something like that. Only actions can. Everyday, I try my best to help the Titans be the heroes they've been to so many people. Robin helps me train, even when the others are done for the day. I spend time thinking about my place on the team and in the world. Sometimes I forget to have some fun as well. But the guys like to remind me. Beast Boy and Raven and I don't talk unless we have to. It feels... wrong, compared to how we used to be, before everything went wrong. I miss the days when Raven would act weird, and I'd go ballistic because of it. Those were the good old days.”

Beast Boy: “I don't know what to say to them. Raven and Terra... haven't changed all that much since all this began. Sure, things have happened, but they're the same people underneath it all. Me, on the other hand... I feel like I've changed a lot. Things that I thought were important, like that moped I was saving up for, just don't seem all that important any more.”

“Nothing's changed. And yet... I feel like everything has.”

My Last Breath

Slade disappeared after the fight, and we'd rounded up all his thugs in the meantime, which meant the city was fairly peaceful. The police were as busy as usual, but they were dealing with low-level crimes that didn't involve alien death rays or superhuman rampages. The Titans were given a chance to rest and recuperate.

The heroes had a picnic two weeks after the incident. The Titans were able to track down the three rogue Hive agents who basically ostracized themselves from their organization when they went against Slade's contracted plans. Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth were renegades among criminals, the loneliest of the lonely. But because of their actions that day, they had a place among the Titans as “friendly enemies”. It was enough incentive for them to join the Titans' barbecue in celebration of Raven's and Terra's return to the team. Which made it a family reunion of sorts.

“Red, 22!” Robin shouted as he held the football against the crouched Starfire's back. “Red, 22! Hut!” He rushed back and watched the field as Starfire and Mammoth made a break for the end zone. Starfire used her flight powers, while Mammoth used his superhuman strength to power through the opposition – namely Cyborg, Gizmo, and Terra.

“One Metropolis... Two Metropolis...” Cyborg counted off the seconds as he watched Robin warily. He wasn't going to let him get past! Meanwhile, Terra followed Star through the air, and Gizmo easily kept pace with Mammoth at mid-field. Robin darted glances back and forth, but he couldn't find anyone open!

“Four Metropolis... FIVE Metropolis!” Cyborg shot towards Robin and juked left and right to cover his sides. Robin jumped onto Cy's shoulder to get better range, but Cyborg wasn't going to let him get a shot off. He dragged the smaller boy down by the leg, but not before Robin managed to throw the football in Starfire's general direction.

“I have it!” she cheered, arms outstretched.

“No, I've got it!” Terra said, flying in front of her. Starfire reclaimed the front-most point, then Terra, then Star, then Terra, in a continuous dance for dominance. The football entered its descent, with neither girl showing a clear advantage. Terra dove at the ball by leaping off her flying earth, while Starfire tried to dodge around the hovering obstacle. Starfire destroyed most of it in her attempt to fly after the football, but by then it was too late. Terra landed against the soft earth below with a thud, cradling the football in her arms.

“Interception!” Cyborg taunted. “Boo ya, baby!” Robin kicked the dirt as Cy went to high-five his favorite rock 'n roller. Gizmo taunted Mammoth in the mean time, saying that he was on the 'loser team'. Mammoth snorted once, and that ended Gizmo's taunts.

“It's still seven-seven,” Jinx said from the sidelines, where she acted as the referee. “But I say we chow down before we decide the winner.”

“Good idea,” Robin said. “Teen Titans, let's eat!” Everyone cheered in agreement, including the former Hive kids. They were honorary Titans, at least for today. With some effort and a little luck, they'd continue to be Titans allies in the future.

“I'll get the burgers going!” Cyborg declared as he whipped out a chef's hat and an apron saying 'Down with Tofu'.

“No way, Tin Man!” Gizmo snapped. “You'll mess up the meat. Let a real cook handle this!” He shoved the bigger guy out of the way, against all the laws of physics yet within the laws of humor, and fired up the grill in anticipation. Cyborg shoved back, and the two started squabbling illegibly. Robin and Mammoth tried to jump in, but they ended up taking sides instead.

“Boys,” Jinx muttered with amusement. She sat at a picnic table with Terra and Starfire. They were cooling their heels after playing football in the California heat. “Where'd your other friends go?”

“Raven wished to be alone,” Starfire said after taking a deep drink of Disani©. “I believe Beast Boy is ignoring the request.”

“Is that so?” Jinx said, giving Terra a sideways glance. “Aren't you going to do something about that? I mean... he's technically your boyfriend, right? Or does that sort of thing not apply after trying to kill said boy and blowing up his home?”

Starfire scowled. “That is not a nice thing to say. Terra-!”

“It's okay Star,” the blond said, casually wiping some sweat off her brow. “I deserve that.”

“No you do not,” Starfire pleaded. “You have worked hard to pay for your mistakes. You even rebuilt the tower with Cyborg's wavi-fication machine.”

“Wave modification machine,” Terra corrected. Starfire probably knew the full name of the machine in Tamaranean, but she still had trouble saying long names in English. “And I did that just out of community service for my crimes. I still haven't said 'I'm sorry' the way I want to, yet.”

“And how do you plan to do that?” Jinx asked. “There's not much you can do to forgive something like that.” Again, Starfire glared at the other girl. Jinx returned it with a cool smile. Terra's angel and devil on each shoulder were bound to break into a fight like the boys at the grill if this kept up.

“Beast Boy and I had a talk earlier, about us,” Terra said. She rested her head on her arms as she recalled the conversation. “I told him how I really felt... that I loved him as much as I said. Even if I was saying it because Slade wanted me to. I told him that the future would be different for us... because of what somebody told me once.”

“...What do you mean?” Starfire asked.

“'One of the greatest things a person can do for someone they love is help them find their true love.'” Jinx smiled knowingly at the quote as Terra continued. “I told Gar that... I want him to be with someone that would make him happier than anyone else. And I knew that it wouldn't be me.”

Starfire frowned sadly. “Terra...” The blond girl's eyes were misting over.

“With everything that's happened... I think I'm not ready for love just yet,” Terra said, smiling despite her sadness. “I want to work on having friends, before I worry about something like love. Right now, friendship is the most beautiful thing in the world to me. I'll let the 'other' lonely girl deal with all that love business.”

Starfire couldn't help herself. She let a few tears slide down her face as Terra did the same. The alien floated over to her friend and hugged her fondly, like a mother consoling her child. She whispered that 'it was okay', and they shared a moment of mixed emotion together – happiness, sorrow, and the love shared between friends.

Jinx watched with a sardonic grin. “Cute. PBS would kill to see this scene.”

Starfire shot lasers at the cynical girl; it was the next best thing to shooting daggers. The green light singed the tips of Jinx's hair, causing it to droop as her hairspray melted away from residual heat. Jinx's hair flowed to her shoulders. The girl's eyes widened slightly.

“On second thought, you two do your thing. I'll go help the boys cook.” Before she could get away, Terra grabbed her in a hug as she went into a laughing fit. Jinx sweatdropped in irritation as the two Titans tried to share the joy with their world-weary friend. Just like with Raven, they had minimal success.

“Someday when I'm ready, I'll go and find the man who loves no one but me,” Terra promised. “But for now... I'll just keep him in my heart to give me strength. I don't think that's asking too much, is it?” Starfire agreed, and the girls went over to keep the boys from blowing up the grill with a firefight. Easier said than done.

Whisper

Raven sat cross-legged beneath a shady tree overlooking a pond within the park. She was wearing a pair of black jeans and an equally dark T-shirt that did little to shelter her from the sun but kept her body cool. Raven didn't feel right wearing her sorcerer's uniform when she didn't have any magic, so she'd taken to wearing street clothes when she was at the new Tower or outside with her friends.

Hmm... friends. It was amazing how easily that word slipped from the tongue, even though it meant so much. Raven's adventure with her emotions, her father, her death, and her rebirth, has taught her one important lesson. Never underestimate your friends. They're love may underscore the day-to-day activities, but that love is stronger than any other force on earth. There's no limit to what it can do.

“You still want to be alone?” Beast Boy said from the tree above. It startled Raven to hear his voice so suddenly. She used to be able to feel people when they approached. Now, it was almost impossible for her to feel anything beyond her five senses. She felt so enclosed and isolated - not all that different from the rest of her life.

“Not really,” Raven admitted.

The girl watched as Beast Boy changed into a squirrel, scurried down the tree head-first, rolled onto his back at the base of the tree, and finally returned to human form. He folded his arms behind his back and stared at the swinging leaves above, while Raven looked across the lake to where the Teen Titans were partying. It was so far away. Like usual, she was a spectator, but this time she wanted it that way. She wasn't in the mood for fun; she needed time to think.

“Here.” Beast Boy held up his hand and revealed an old crusty penny. Raven blinked at it, then realized what he meant. The old saying, 'A penny for your thoughts'. Raven took the penny and shook her head at his lame joke. It was rather cute, but it didn't make her laugh. As usual. Nothing had changed.

“So, what do you want to talk about?” she said. “If it's about me not worrying about my powers, you can save it. You'd be worried too if you suddenly stopped being green.”

“Would you like me any more if I wasn't green?” Beast Boy asked.

Raven was surprised at the question. But she answered quickly. “No. But... I wouldn't like you any less either.”

“That's cool,” he smiled. “Because that's how the rest of us feel. We won't like you any less if you can't do magic. And we won't kick you out of the Tower or anything either. You'll just have to sit at home for a while until you get your powers back.”

“What if they never come back?” she challenged. “What if I'm stuck like this forever?”

Beast Boy rolled over and looked Raven in the eyes. His spirit pierced hers in that moment, eliciting a gasp from the girl. She couldn't break that contact, no matter how much her insecure personae demanded it.

“I'd rather you be like this than dead,” Beast Boy said. He crawled to his knees and plopped against the tree so that he was sitting right next to Raven. She followed his gaze silently. He continued in a solemn tone. “I don't care if you can't do magic. We wanted you back because you're you, not because you're strong or resourceful.”

Raven's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't believe that this was the same wise-cracking, prank-pulling, video-game-playing buffoon she'd known during her stay with the Titans. The same boy that promised to make her like him if it took a thousand years.

Raven shuffled to her side to put some space between them. “If Terra heard you say that, there would be trouble. I don't want you to cause another fight.”

“When you were changing personalities in the beginning, you said you cared about me,” Beast Boy said with a sneaky grin. “Was that true?”

“Of course not,” Raven snapped immediately. Again, her inner voice SCREAMED for her to change her words, but she pressed on. “I was just muddled is all. I mean, I like you as a friend, but that's all. I don't want to be someone's girlfriend. It's a pointless gesture that causes nothing but pain.

Beast Boy's grin softened into a common frown. “...Oh. I see.” He reclined and stared into the sky, while Raven looked away at the ground, biting her lower lip in irritation. Why couldn't she just admit it? Did she half to evade the issue? If she was going to say it, it was now or never.

“Heh heh. I don't mean to badger you,” Beast Boy said, quickly changing into said animal for his requisite one-liner. It didn't help the situation. He continued nervously. “I just had a lot of time to think about you when you... left us. I thought of all the things I'd say if you were still alive. And now that you are alive, I have the chance to say those things. But I'm scared that you wouldn't like me if I said them.”

Raven bit her lower lip harder. She felt the same way. Did he really like her that way? Did she really like him that way too? Could they really... be 'like that'?

“I had feelings for Terra. I'll admit that.” Beast Boy's cheeks turned greenish-red as he dared to look at Raven's face. Her eyes were turned down to the grass still. Was she bashful? Or was she bored? He was sure it was the latter. But he couldn't stop himself now. He had to say what he felt.

“I guess I have a weakness for lonely girls,” Beast Boy joked. “When I see a girl whose lived a lonely life... someone who acts tough but really just doesn't know what to do with herself. I feel the need to brighten their life any way I can. That's why I act like such a goof-ball sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” Raven cued.

Beast Boy smirked. “Okay, all the time. I want to make the people I care about as happy as I can. Because they do the same for me, without even realizing it.” He leaned a little closer, daring to bridge the gap between him and Raven. “Some more than others.”

Raven replied without looking up. “Are you saying... that you 'like' me?” Even after all that had happened with her personalities, she never found out if Beast Boy reciprocated her feelings. Trigon got in the way before that answer could come out. Now, finally, she was hearing the words from his own mouth. She just had to know for sure that he meant it the way she thought she did. The distinction between friendship and love was difficult to see sometimes, especially in vague conversations like this.

“I love you, Raven,” he whispered. Raven breathed sharply as her heart skipped another beat. Beast Boy thought he'd said the wrong thing and jumped back while shouting apologies. “I'm-sorry-if-I-weirded-you-out-but-I-just-had-to-get-my-thoughts-off-my-chest!”

“Shut up,” Raven snapped. Beast Boy immediately complied. The violet-haired girl put her hands on his shoulders to calm him down. In actuality, it probably made him even more tense than before. Beast Boy lay paralyzed against the tree as Raven sat on her knees and stared him straight in the eye, her lip trembling nervously. Raven stared into his eyes, trying to discern if he was really speaking the truth. She just couldn't believe that her polar opposite would really feel that way for her, when he had a girl like Terra at his side once before. A psychotic girl, but no more psychotic than herself.

“It's okay if you don't feel the same way,” Beast Boy said. Raven's glare made him certain that he would be drowning in the pond in a few seconds. “I may have gotten the wrong idea after seeing all your other selves. But even so, I... I just want you to be happy, and I'll do anything to make you happy. That might not be love, but it's how I feel.”

Raven's glare softened into her usual calm stare. Beast Boy thought he'd calmed the beast, so to speak. In reality, he'd told to her what she'd waited so long to hear. Someone really did care about her. And it was somebody whom she felt the same way about.

Raven leaned close and hugged Beast Boy tightly. The Titan was surprised by the sudden intimacy, but he kept his cool relatively well. That is to say, he didn't go bouncing up and down the walls and screaming like Daffy Duck. Beast Boy gently wrapped his arms around the girl and held her. He felt wetness on his cheek, which surprised him even more. Raven crying was one of the signs of the Apocalypse, like Hell freezing over. She sobbed quietly with short catches of breath punctuating the moment.

“Terra wanted me to tell you something,” Beast Boy whispered as he ran his hand across Raven's hair. “'Don't worry about a thing. You've earned it. Just don't let him sweet talk you into a kiss.'”

Raven smiled into his shoulder and held Beast Boy tighter. She couldn't laugh, but her spirit glowed with the warmth she felt. Raven knew at that moment that everything would be alright. She didn't care if her powers ever came back. She was happy, and would be forever more.

It was funny how the truth always seemed to reveal itself. No matter how much you turn away from it.

“So, what say we go cook some tofu burgers?” Beast Boy suggested softly. “My treat.”

Raven choked away a final gasp and gathered her voice. “Alright. But on one condition.”

“Name it.”

Raven leaned back enough to look Beast Boy in the eye. “Don't tell Terra.”

“About what?” he asked.

His answer was a gentle kiss from the girl he loved. At first it was a simple touch of her lips to his, like a casual greeting between friends or family. But Raven gently parted the boy's lips with her tongue and took it to the next level. Beast Boy matched the kiss and added his own feelings to it. The two teenagers exchanged a thousand romantic words with that one prolonged touch. Like all good things, it lasted for the briefest of moments but would stay in their hearts and minds for eternity.

“About how I let you sweet talk a kiss out of me,” Raven answered softly. She stood up and offered her hand to the boy.

Beast Boy's jaw hung open like a fly trap until he remembered himself. “My lips are sealed.” He took her hand and got on his feet as well, and the pair started the long walk around the pond to rejoin their friends. As they left, a leaf floated to the ground and landed gently on the spot where Raven and Beast Boy had their moment. The instant the leaf touched the ground, it sparked and exploded with black energy. Like magic, it changed into a handful of cherry blossom petals and sprinkled to the ground once again, as if a higher power were blessing the spot for all eternity.

For Beast Boy and Raven, that's how long they'd been apart. Forever was a long time to be alone. They had a lot of catching up to do. But now, they had all the time in the world to do it.

-- The End --