I Promise
A/N: Takes place during Season 5, episode 2: "Homecoming: Part II"
Her cry ripped through the air, tearing through the dust that the crushing rubble begat. The dirt billowed out, rolling and tumbling over the baked desert sands, a fog that hides tragedies of the past.
He knew. His wide, terror laden eyes locked on the woman as she succumbed to her stoning, crumpling to the ground. Her yell, sharp as his pointed ears, rang in his mind and split through his conscious. It slit him apart.
"Rita!" All rational thought drowned in a painful torrent of memories. He rushes towards the heroine, blinded by hysterical determination.
The iron grip of reason, however, stops him. Mento roughly seizes the boy by the collar, hindering the fruitless rescue attempt.
Frantically pushing at the older man, the boy attempts to free himself. It is to no avail. His last defense is his words, "Let me go, we have to help her!"
The infamous leader of the Doom Patrol falters. His visage contorts with agony and he acknowledges what they must do. He's been in this position on countless occasions but his heart can't help but ache every time he watches her collapse. She's succumbed to countless beatings for him, for love. His heart wants nothing but to betray his logic. "Beast Boy, there is nothing we can do now. We must keep moving."
The anguish is clear in her pained expression. She's struggling to protect them, slowly inching towards the ground. "Beast Boy, I'll be fine. I promise."
Behind her the villain takes lethal aim and the explosive pressure becomes too much for her to handle...
"But she promised! She said she'd be okay! Please Mento, we can't go! Don't make me leave her!"
Looking down on the boy he helped raise, his hardened emotions shield his fatherly nature. "It's time to grow up, Beast Boy. The world is counting on you."
Squeezing his eyes shut, he can feel the burn of fresh tears. It's as if they're eating through his eyelids like acid. "…So was Elasti-Girl."
A/N: My analysis of Mento and Beast Boy's relationship with Rita/Elasti-Girl. I really wanted to touch upon the aspect of Beast Boy watching his adoptive mother submit to a blow in attempts to save him and Mento. In this scene ( from Homecoming II ) it's easy to view Mento as harsh and cold towards his adoptive son, but if you break it down, you can clearly see the pain he's going through, ripped by his family and justice.