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Beast Boy's intent was to defend the people he cared about. But yes, his actions carried the possibility of killing, and only luck stopped it. Thankfully it's not something he will have on his conscience.
What did the Titans use in the parking lot? Good question. In a place the size of Jump City I'm sure there's a lot of construction work going on. Dynamite would've been available. Or they might've used a gas explosion. Or it could've been something Cyborg rigged up from the looted technology he used to make Titan's Tower. Whatever it was, it wasn't quite enough. And even if contained I doubt too many of those would be good for a city.
The fleet is still around, as you will see in this chapter and the next.
Finding out about Beast Boy's little tryst on Tamaran, as well as knowing about Jenny, tells Raven the shape shifter has changed. Other women find him attractive, so she'd better not wait too long.
Time: Next morning.
Starfire,... Raven Wakes Up,... Loudmouth Aeopie,... Gangs and Looters,... A Shower,...
Beast Boy frowned as he watched Raven mediate, healing her wounds. Her flesh was bruised everywhere he could see, bones had been broken, and blood at times coated her lips. She looks like hell. He gulped, knowing it would've looked worse if she hadn't already been healing for a few hours. How bad it'd been originally he didn't want to know. He ached to touch her, to know she was still alive, but suppressed the urge.
He looked around the place. Why isn't she staying with Robin and Starfire? He wondered. But even back in the tower she'd always returned to her own room each night. There was the single bedroom, where he now sat watching her, along with a small kitchen and bathroom. A large chair contained Aeopie, cushioned with blankets to soften the stress of the earth's gravity on her frail form. Slight snores came from her direction.
Starfire was the only other person in the place, having decided to keep watch over her friend too. She cast the occasional curious glance at the small girl, but remained quiet. If he had to guess it looked like she had other things on her mind.
"The algae turn out okay?" The shape shifter asked, feeling uncomfortable with the silence.
"It did." The orange-skinned alien smiled, reassuring him. "Some of the life in the oceans was in a bad state, but it will survive. As soon as we've done tests with the new strain we will release it."
"That's good." He turned his gaze back to Raven, wondering if Starfire considered it strange, or inappropriate for him to be here.
"She broke off the relationship the day we fought." She didn't specify which relationship or which fight. It was obvious.
"Oh." Though intensely curious, he refused to probe into what was the violet-eyed girl's personal matters.
"I would've thought you would be angry." She attempted some probing of her own.
"When I cooled down I knew you didn't try to kill me." Beast Boy shrugged. "But I was still removed from the team, and felt no desire to return."
"We're sorry for that." Starfire said, her tone anything but jubilant. "We're still at a loss as to how things got so out of control. That we were manipulated is obvious, but the way we reacted was uncalled for."
"I know." The shape shifter shrugged. "But it wasn't just the images, which I still haven't seen. There were other components to the attack. Ones which would've affected the team's emotions and judgements. It would've enhanced the anger you felt over the images."
"How would the Gordanians have accomplished that?" The orange-skinned Titan wondered.
Beast Boy wondered what to tell her without giving way Aeopie. "Just more psychological warfare." He replied. "Anyway, I have no anger towards any of you."
"Good." The girl sighed in relief. "And Raven will be glad to hear that as well. I hope she will heal her eyes."
"Her eyes?"
Starfire nodded. "What happened upset her, and she decided to atone by not fully healing her own wounds. Her vision was left blurry enough that she could no longer read."
"Oh." Shaken, the boy gulped. "I'm sure she will heal them now." I hope she does. He thought, as he stared at the unmoving form of the violet-haired girl.
"She will when she sees you're okay." Starfire smiled. "Will you become a Titan again?" She dared to ask. "I'm sure everyone wants you back, but are just too embarrassed to make the offer. I make it now for all of us. It would cause Raven no small amount of joy to wake up and find you one of us again."
"I'll think about it." The shape shifter replied, doubting that he would.
"Please consider carefully friend Beast Boy." The girl insisted.
He nodded. "How're the efforts towards cleaning up the rest of the silver minion going?"
"I had my people divide into forty groups of ten." Starfire replied. "The schematics are proving useful. We know if ten of us focus on one place, then they can't cope with their shielding technology, and they die in less than five minutes. Each team has destroyed over twenty each." She smiled. "They're loving the chance to hurt the Gordanians."
"And if the Gordanians decide to pay Tamaran another visit?"
"They won't. We're no longer as peaceful as we were back then, and our grand ruler is willing to meet violence with violence. The Gordanians don't like enemies that fight back, hence their current method of trying to enslave your world."
The shape shifter turned his gaze once again towards Raven, trying to detect some minor change that would show she was healing. There wasn't any.
She will be okay." Stafire reassured him. "She's healing her internal wounds first. When she focuses on the less serious ones they will quickly vanish."
Beast Boy nodded, knowing she was speaking the truth.
"Do not let her think you're angry with her friend Beast Boy." Starfire's tone was serious. "Her guilt is crippling her."
"I won't. I know neither of you were fully responsible for your actions." He studied her place. "I only wish..." He went quiet.
"What do you wish?"
"Nothing." Beast Boy replied, suppressing the sadness he felt. Raven will never look at me the way she looked at Robin, and staying will only cause jealousy. If I stay, I will hate him, and that will lead to trouble. Best to leave as soon as everything settles down. He looked at her bruised and bloodied form and gulped.
"Checkers?" A voice asked.
They both turned to see Aeopie standing in the doorway with her cloak still tightly clutched around her. In her hand she held the small checker game Beast Boy had grabbed from a store for her. Made for travelling its pieces had tiny magnets that would firmly hold them on the board.
"Sure." Beast Boy slid out of his chair so she could have it. "You okay?" He asked, sensing the tiredness in her voice.
"I'm fine." Aeopie replied, setting up the game. "No orange pieces." She noted, with a frown in her voice, choosing red.
"We can get one made with orange pieces." The shape shifter told her. "Might be a while though. Jump City is still in pretty bad shape."
"Okay." She slumped down in the chair as she let the heavy gravity pull her frail form down.
Beast Boy made the first move, as usual, wondering how long it would take the girl to wipe him out. It was worse than playing on the ship; here Starfire was watching and he was about to be humiliated in front of her. Five minutes later they were setting the board up again, with her having chalked up another win.
"I'll win a game one day." He told her.
"Sure." Her voice held a grin
Aeopie was about to win a third game when she froze, staring off into the distance. Her hand reached out to pull him close. "Cloaked ship underwater approaching our ship." She whispered in his ear.
"Oh." Beast Boy sat back, gulping. He glanced at Starfire nervously; it would be obvious to her where the information had come from, and it would make her curious. Still there wasn't any way to avoid it. The Gordanian plan was simple, get close and fire with the element of surprise.
"Starfire, have your people scan the bay with the ship's sensors. There should be a Gordanian ship there."
She obeyed, using the Titan communicator to switch to a frequency the ship would be monitoring. He listened as the scan detected the alien vessel, and then opened fired on it just before it launched its own surprise assault.
"How did you know ..." The orange-skinned Titan paused. "How did she know that ship was there?" She asked, peering at the cloaked figure.
Beast Boy shrugged. He had no answer for that, and simply made his next move. The telepathic girl won two more games and then choose to return to her chair to nap a little more.
"Who is she?" Starfire asked, sounding more than just curious.
The shape shifter shrugged. "Someone the Gordanians captured. I suggest you don't play checkers with her in front of your people. She'll just humiliate you." Checking on Raven again, he turned back to her. "What will the Gordanians do? They know they've been discovered and they've lost three of their ships, so why are they sticking around?"
"A chance to gain several billion slaves. To them it might seem like a worthwhile gamble." The orange-skinned alien was now frowning seriously.
"Fourteen ships left. They could bombard our world from orbit like they did Tamaran. That was the image that truly gave him nightmares.
"Those ships aren't capable of that; they just carry particle beams." Starfire frowned, staring up into space. "They used antimatter weapons to devastate my home world. Thousands of tons of it, and then they covered the world with toxins to finish killing what little survived."
"Oh." The shape shifter shuddered.
"They won't do that to earth." The orange-skinned girl attempted to reassure him. As powerful as the Gordanians are, there're other races almost as powerful. Someone who routinely destroys whole worlds would make them nervous, and they would unite to end the threat. Tamaran was an exception as we're not seen as true people. No one would care if we vanished from the universe."
"I would care." Beast Boy pointed out. "So would your friends."
"True." She smiled at him. "We've considered destroying the ships, or capturing them, but their particle beams can kill us, and they might destroy a number of cities in response before they perished."
The green-skinned shape shifter sighed. "While that wouldn't do the damage that was done to Tamaran, losing a few dozen major cities would be bad."
"Very bad." Starfire agreed.
They both turned to see Raven appeared a lot better than she'd just a short while ago.
"I'm going to check on how my people are progressing with the silver minion. Besides, I think you're the one she'll really want to see when she wakes up."
"Why me?" Beast Boy started to ask, but the girl was gone. Nervously he waited for the violet-haired Titan to wake up.
A shower. Raven mused, on the verge of waking up but needing to rest for a while to restore some energy. If I hadn't taken a shower what would've happened? She let the thoughts play out in her mind.
I wouldn't have been late meeting up with Cyborg and Robin. She decided. So that particular fight would've ended a fair bit earlier. Then I would've healed myself and gone to that school. The same process, but several minutes before I actually did. I would've fought the silver minion, but by the time Starfire showed up I would've been dead. She smiled. That'll teach me to think Knowledge's advice is silly.
Healed, and a bit refreshed, she opened her eyes and looked around.
"How're you feeling?" A voice she knew very well greeted her.
"Beast Boy?" She asked, heart racing, as she peered in his direction.
The shape shifter knelt beside her bed and waved his hand in front of her eyes. "You're not finished healing yet." He noted with a frown. "Things are okay here. Now fix those eyes of yours."
"I ..." She didn't know what to say. He didn't sound angry, and she'd claimed she would heal them when she found him; when she knew he was safe and sound. "I would rather not." The violet-haired girl replied, afraid the next time she opened her eyes he might be gone.
"Heal them. That damage is from what I did. And I don't want you going around half blind because of me."
Raven gulped. Now he did sound angry. "Okay." She let herself drift off into a healing trance once more. It was minor and should heal fast. He wouldn't just disappear. Would he? She focused on healing her eyes as fast as she could. When she opened them again he was nowhere to be seen, though there was a small figure curled up in a chair that was overflowing with large thick blankets. Though she couldn't see the child's eyes, she could sense they were looking at her with a great deal of interest.
"He's just cooking something for you to eat." The voice of young girl came from the mass of blankets.
"Oh." She sighed in relief before looking around, noting how the room looked now that she could see clearly. Dizziness claimed her as she attempted to stand.
"He's not going anywhere." The girl told her.
"Who're you?"
"Aeopie. He rescued me from a Gordanian ship."
"Oh." Raven said again, looking towards the bedroom door. There was a smell of pancakes in the air, and her stomach rumbled loudly. "How did you get on a Gordanian ship?" She asked the girl.
"Obviously not willingly." Came the reply that carried a tiny hint of humor.
"Obviously." Raven agreed, feeling her lips wanting to curl up in a smile.
"You've lost weight, and you still look like hell." Beast Boy mused from the doorway. A second later he sat a tray loaded with juice and pancakes down in front of her. "Eat."
She took a knife and fork and started eating, immediately starting to feel better as her hunger pains vanished. You look like hell. The words vibrated through her mind, making her winch inside. And what do I say to someone I almost squashed against a wall, someone who I almost killed. Tears threatened to flow from her eyes. She looked up as Aeopie stirred, and with some difficulty pushed the blankets away.
"I'm sorry." The girl said, standing at the foot of the bed.
"Huh?" Raven asked confused.
The girl pushed the hood of her cloak to one side to show her dark orange eyes and the slight orange tint to her skin. "I'm sorry." She repeated, taking a deep breath.
"Are you a Tamaranian?" Raven asked, still puzzled as to why the girl was apologizing. And why would someone of her race be so weak? She wondered.
"No. I'm from ..."
"Aeopie. Are you sure?" Beast Boy asked with a worried expression.
"I am." She replied before turning back to Raven. "I'm from a world where everyone is a telepath." She explained, looking Raven in the eye. "What happened during that fight was my fault. The Gordanians told me to do it, but I'm the one who caused the emotional outburst where you attempted to kill Beast Boy and where you nearly killed Robin." The girl closed her eyes, waiting for the half demon to measure out whatever justice she deemed fit.
"I see." Raven replied, still puzzled, but aware the girl was claiming she was the reason for the disaster that'd broken up the team. Her emotions stormed inside of her, and she nearly lashed out. Trembling, she contained her wrath, unwilling to strike someone so young. Too young to be responsible for what happened. She decided, still wanting to let her power flow freely to crush the person before her. Yet she managed to resist.
"She's just a kid." Beast Boy stated, staring at the half demon. "One who was taken from her own world by aliens who can only be described as psychotic."
Focusing, the violet-eyed girl analyzed the anger and placed it in its proper place; something to be aimed at those who'd forced the frightened girl to act in such a manner. "I see." She intoned, taking another bite of pancakes. "So you're not angry at me?" She asked, hearing the pleading tone of her voice.
"No. It wasn't your fault. Nor was it Robin's or Cyborg's or Starfire's. I'm not angry." He emphasised the words with a smile. "So you went half blind for months, and nearly starved yourself to death, over nothing."
"If anything I learned a few lessons." Raven intoned, not knowing how to express what she was feeling, or what she wanted. "Books are just things, people are what's important.
"She wants you to look at her the way Robin looks at Starfire." Aeopie said. "And she wants to do the things she did with Robin with you."
Silence reigned in the room. Raven was frozen with a forkful of pancakes halfway to her mouth. Her eyes were wide open, and her face was a blood red. Beast Boy heard the words, but they were just bouncing around in his head as he struggled to understand just what the girl had said. Eventually his face too turned red, and his jaw dropped in shock.
"I thought I told you not to poke around in people's heads." He finally said, for lack of knowing what else to say.
"I didn't. She's projecting her thoughts." Aeopie shrugged.
Raven gulped. "You know, it's very disturbing to have someone around who can read my mind.." She turned towards Beast Boy. "Some herbal tea would be nice now." She intoned. "Maybe Aeopie would like some too."
"Sorry." The telepath said. "It's just that you were thinking about him so hard."
The violet-haired girl blushed even redder. "How come I can't detect you in my mind?" She asked.
"You would if I were. But I just read what you were projecting, so there was no need to look inside. Before, when I affected your emotions, you were too angry or stressed with what was going on around you to pay attention. And even then I didn't enter it directly, just enhanced the emotions you were feeling."
"I see." She intoned.
Reluctantly Beast Boy left to get the herbal tea. He didn't think Raven was going to do anything drastic. Or so he hoped.
"I know I'm going to regret this." Raven intoned once the shape shifter left the room. "But what does Beast Boy think of me?"
"You're an empath. Wouldn't you already know?" Aeopie was puzzled.
"I know he liked me before all of this happened." The violet-haired girl intoned. "But a lot has changed since then. And he hasn't touched me since he returned. I don't know."
"I can't read his mind." The girl shrugged. "It's like there're thousands of him. One for each shape he can change into."
"Oh."
"But when he met Starfire you were the one he first asked about. And when we got here you're the only one he came to see."
"Oh." That's good, I think. Raven hoped. But still, I know he had sex with at least three other people. All of them attractive. Why would he even look at me anymore.
"Why wouldn't he?" Aeopie asked. "Sorry." She immediately added, blushing. "But you're still projecting your thoughts and I can't help but hear them."
Raven blushed further. "That's going to take some getting used to."
"Sorry." The girl got back in the chair and drew the blankets around her. "I know you're important to him, so I had to tell you what happened. If you tell anyone about me they might kill me." She drew her hood back up.
"Why?"
"We don't need weapons to destroy a world. An adult of my kind could do it easily. I can't yet, but in time I will be able to too."
"Oh. Guess that makes you pretty dangerous." Raven admitted.
"It does."
Beast Boy brought in the herbal tea, relieved to see Aeopie safe and sound, curled up in her chair.
"Good." The girl said, sipping the herbal tea.
"It is." Raven agreed. "Touch my mind." She ordered. A few seconds later she nodded. "I see. I can recognized it now, and know when you're trying something." The empath sounded relieved.
The shape shifter relaxed. It seemed Raven wasn't going to blame Aeopie for what had happened. Actually, if he had to guess, they seemed to be getting along pretty well. Raven's face was still blood-red, but then so was his. Does what Aeopie said mean what I think it does? He pondered, heart racing. He peered at the violet-haired girl out of the corner of his eye. Despite having starved herself half to death over the last few months, she still made his heart race even faster. She's no longer with Robin. Will she go back to him now that this mess is cleared up? He frowned, not liking the idea. Fun as Jenny had been, they'd both known it was just casual and not meant to last. Burningfire and Violetfire had been interesting, but also casual. They'd been interested in what sex with him would be like, and he'd been curious about what sex with a Tamaranian would be like. Raven though? That was too serious to mess up, assuming he even had a chance.
I wonder what he's thinking. Raven pondered. He looks so serious. He said I looked like hell. That didn't sound good, but what Aeopie said ...
The young girl held her head. "Why not just ask him?" She demanded. "You're so serious it's making my head hurt." She turned to Beast Boy. "Do you like Raven, as in like like?" She asked.
"No..." The embarrassed half demon cried out too late. She buried her head in her hands.
Taken by surprise Beast Boy took several seconds to answer. And when he did he decided to answer fully and honestly. "I like that she's smart. She's always interesting to talk to. Before she started dating Robin I loved making stupid comments just to get a rise out of her. Her comebacks were always witty. She has a great sense of humor. Destined to destroy the world, she became a hero. How ironic is that? She kept moving forward even with that hanging over her. That's incredible." He paused and blushed. "Then there's the fact she's so beautiful." He shrugged. "It's the thought of her that keeps me moving when I want to just give up. I know she wouldn't."
"When you hug her she feels comforted." Aeopie spoke for the violet-haired girl. "Somewhere along the way she lost sight of that. She thinks you're cute, and appreciates that you didn't always leave her alone in her room. That you cared enough to make her realize she was a part of the team, and that you considered her worth while."
Beast Boy and Raven were left staring at each other, hearts racing.
Then the communicator Raven wore started blinking, indicating someone was trying to contact her. Reluctantly she looked at it.
"Cy?" She said, noticing the name of the caller.
"Rae? Are you okay?" The cybernetic teen sounded worried.
"I'm all healed up." She replied, still looking at Beast Boy.
"If you're able to help out we could use you. But if not we understand. Don't try to over exert yourself." A tiny hint of panic came through in his voice despite his obvious attempts to hide it.
"What is it?" Raven asked.
"The Tamaranians have got rid of the silver minion, but the gangs and looters are still stirring up trouble. Robin and I could use some help."
She took a deep sigh. "Where do you want us ... I mean where do you want me?"
"Just fly over the city and round-up any gang or looters you find, and then report them to the police. The department has reassembled and can handle the minor criminals, though it might be a while before they get a trial. Are you sure you're up to it?"
"Yeah. So long as I don't have to fight anything big."
"Okay. Just fly, and scan as much of the city as you can. Take as many breaks as you need."
"Okay. I'm heading out." Raven signed off.
"He still sounds like an older brother." Beast Boy mused.
"Yeah." Raven replied with a hint of a smile.
Beast Boy turned towards Aeopie frowning. It was one thing to leave her alone on a ship she knew for a few hours, but in a city that was in chaos? He didn't think so. Yet despite being no longer a Titan he felt the urge to stamp out a few trouble makers.
"I'll be okay alone." The girl read his expression.
"She can stay here." Raven said. "The doors are pretty sturdy, and if she runs into trouble she can tell me. At least I think she can."
"I can." Aeopie smiled. "Assuming I'm allowed to." She looked up at Beast Boy.
"You can talk to her, but not probe her mind." The shape shifter sternly replied. "And you will call her for help instead of trying to handle it yourself. Right?" His expression demanded an answer.
"I will. And I will be able to sense if anyone is near or if they mean harm." She wore an indignant look on her face.
"Okay. I guess I can leave you alone for a few hours." He ruffled her hair. "Be good."
"I will."
Raven, to his surprise, handed him his old Titan Communicator. "Just so you can keep in touch. If Aeopie calls me, I will need a way to contact you. And it'll help if you can follow what's going on." She explained seeing his look.
He took it and dropped it in a pocket. "Okay." They both left.
She levitated and scanned the ground below, glad of her newly healed vision. He took the form of a hawk and used its powerful eyesight to also scan the ground. Almost immediately he spotted two different groups of people causing trouble. Using the communicator he directed Raven to one of the sites while he took the other.
The violet-eyed girl hovered above the ground watching as five thugs looted a store. Her dark magic reached out with ease and bound them with its mystical energy. The girl blinked as she felt the power flowing through her; not the same as she remembered, yet different from how it'd been for the last few months. Some part of Happy and Timid are back. She realized, smiling.
The shape shifter landed to see several people busy blocking the street with cars. Why? He had no clue. Maybe they'd seen too many post apocalyptic movies and thought they were marking out their own fiefdom. He turned into a Tamaranian and tossed the cars to one side, clearing the street. Once it would've been a great ape, but the new form was better. I wonder if I can use a great ape's size, yet still be a Tamaranian. He wondered. If I can mix parts like Killer Croc's hands and skin with the beast then ... He decided it was something to look into in the future. Several low intensity starbolts left the group unconscious, and he took to the air where he returned to the form a falcon.
With his extremely acute vision he immediately spotted two more groups causing mischief. Once again he pointed Raven to one, and then took the other himself. It seemed to be a non-ending task. Jump City had a population of two million. With even one percent of the population running amok that was twenty thousand thugs and vandals to round-up; which meant five thousand criminals for each of the four heroes. If left alone, the gangs would tear the city apart just as easily as the silver minions would've. The newly reassembled police department was overwhelmed and needed all the help it could get. Plus it wasn't just the regular people going crazy. Some of the villains were also free.
"Cinderblock is just a mile ahead." Beast Boy reported to Raven.
"Should we call in the others?" She asked, trying to spot the villain.
"No. But the authorities should be told where he is so they can pick him up. There's a another group just a few hundred yards east of him. You take those."
"You can't take on Cinderblock alone." The communicator transmitted her worry.
"Don't worry. He won't know what hit him. That other group is starting to light fires, so they need immediately attention."
She accelerated, wanting to handle the vandals, and then rush to help the shape shifter. They were easy to just wrap up, being normal people. She was puzzled as to what they hoped to accomplish. The city was in dire straits even with the Gordanian machines gone. Why would they now try to tear the place apart? A sound like thunder echoed across the distance, coming from where Beast Boy had went to meet Cinderblock. She hurried there only to see that the concrete villain had been pounded into the asphalt up to his neck. He wore a stunned expression.
Why did I ever think the Tree was just good for defense. Beast Boy wondered. He had only flown a few hundred feet above the villain, and then dropped down, turning into the alien plant at the last second. He'd been right; the villain hadn't know what happened to him.
"What did you do to him, and what was that sound?" Raven asked, curious.
"I just hit him with a very big stick." The green-skinned hero replied. "Another group just a few hundred feet ahead, and a little to your right." He sighed. "This is going to be a long night." He turned and headed towards a smaller group just a little to his left.
"Very." The violet-haired girl replied, but she sounded pleased. In fact, she was jubilant. She had what she wanted, him by her side once again.
They traversed the city, hitting gang after gang. It was slow going, but the various groups went down easy. It was just a matter of finding them, quickly subduing them, and then notifying the authorities. Beast Boy let her report the ones he apprehended.
More serious trouble arose when Cyborg ran into Billy Numerous. Outnumbered two hundred to one by the villain's clones he was taking a beating. Robin was busy with a large group of thirty or forty youth who were taking great pride in their city by smashing windows. That left Raven and Beast Boy to help the cybernetic teen.
Raven held herself fifteen feet above the ground and tried to bind as many as she could with her dark magic.
Beast Boy took the form of the alien elephant. A little squatter, but used to twice earth's gravity, its muscles were a lot stronger, and its hide thicker. He charged the clones one by one and carefully trampled them underfoot, trying not to hurt them too much. The villain found a net, but he simply tore through it.
"Beast Boy?" Cyborg asked, seeing the strange green creature. The only reply he got was a weird sound that earth-born ears were never meant to hear. With the pressure off him, the cybernetic hero raised his cannon and started firing medium level shots of sonic energy that level two and three of their foes with each blast.
When thirty of the clones organized another assault on the half-titanium hero, Beast Boy changed into a Tamaranian and flew over them, raining down starbolts. When they tried to overwhelm him by throwing objects, he landed and charged as the alien elephant once again.
It took time, but after the first few minutes the end was never in doubt. Raven was safe in the air, while the alien elephant form was extremely fast and durable. Cyborg had pushed himself to the limit to make up for the shame of having needed to call for help. The clones eventually underwent some sort of shock, and they all collapsed back in being one person, Billy Numerous.
The night was long, but with Beast Boy able to spot the gangs instantly from the air, and direct the rest to them, a wave of tranquility washed across the city.
It was early morning before the shape shifter and Raven returned to her apartment to find Aeopie still curled up in the chair, disguised as a pile of blankets. She was snoring lightly.
"She'd adorable." Raven couldn't help by say, peering at the petite girl.
"She is." Beast Boy agreed, for some reason feeling proud as thought she actually were his little sister. "I'll take her and find some place for the rest of the morning."
The violet-haired girl felt a twinge of panic stir within her. "You can't disturb her." She insisted. "You'll wake her up."
"Can't just leave her here." The shape shifter pointed out.
"Yes you can."
Raven took a deep breath, blushing a bright red, but not facing the green-skinned boy. "I need a shower. You probably do too." She took another deep breath, feeling excited yet so incredibly scared. "Not much hotter water so best if you join me." She headed to the washroom, not looking behind her, her heart racing fast enough to make her feel dizzy.
Beast Boy gulped, blushing at the invitation, yet also scared silly. Still, he took one last look at the sleeping girl, and then followed Raven into the washroom.
Despite the incredible weariness that dragged at them, they did more than shower. A while later the two of them, both radiating bliss, curled up together and slept, snuggled close together. Within Raven Happy and Timid struggled to set their domains in order. Beast Boy finally felt as if he'd come home.
One orange eye opened and peered at them. Aeopie smiled, and drifted off the sleep again, soaking up the feelings of bliss as if it were sunshine. It felt a lot like being home.
End of Chapter.
Many thanks to those who read and review.