Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. But I'd really like to!

Chapter 10

"What the hell happened?" asked a shocked Robin upon seeing Beast Boy being dragged to the med bay.

"Nathan attacked him!" said Starfire, clinging to her beloved's arm. "We do not know why, but he did!"

"Nathan?" said Robin.

"Yeah, the guy beat the pulp out of him," said Cyborg, helping Beast Boy get onto a bed.

"We need some cloths and warm water," said Raven. "I can't see the damage if it's covered in blood."

"I shall get them," said Starfire and she quickly flew off.

"B, man, how many fingers am I holding up?" Cyborg asked, holding up three fingers.

"North Dakota?" said Beast Boy and with that he fell back against the bed.

"He's got a concussion," said Raven. "And, from what I can see, at least a broken nose."

"If this is how bad Beast Boy looks, I can't imagine how bad Nathan faired," said Robin.

"He's absolutely fine," said Cyborg. "B didn't fight back."

"He didn't fight back?" said Robin. "He just took the beating? Why would he do that?"

"Who knows?" said Cyborg. "But, man, I don't think I could take a whoopin like that and not raise a finger."

"I have returned!" said Starfire with a large bowl of warm water and a few wash cloths.

"Alright, I'll clean and fix him up," said Raven, taking the bowl and cloths from Starfire. "You guys can go."

"You sure you can do this alone?" asked Robin.

"Yes, I'm sure," said Raven. "Besides, I have a few things to ask him once he comes to."

The three didn't want to, but they did leave Raven and Beast Boy alone so that she could clean and heal him. Once they were gone Raven gently began to clean all of the blood off of his face. His lip had been split twice, his nose was unrecognizable, his cheek was shattered, he had a black eye, a concussion, and the back of his head had been split open from being slammed into the brick wall repeatedly. And she wasn't sure what damage the rest of his body had sustained.

Once the blood was cleaned off, for the most part since he was still bleeding, she placed her hand over his head and let her healing light enter him. She stopped the bleeding and took care of the concussion. This allowed him to wake back up.

He groaned and opened his eyes. "Am I still alive?" he asked with a slight lisp.

"Do you think I'd let you die?" she replied.

He saw Raven and smiled to the best of his abilities. "So you guys really did come and save me," he said, relieved.

"You're lucky we got there when we did," said Raven. "Nathan might've killed you."

"Probably," said Beast Boy with a slight chuckle.

"I don't see what's funny about that," she said as she to heal his face bit by bit. "Why did he attack you, anyway?"

"He thought I was spending too much time with you," he said. "A while back he told me that if I didn't leave you alone he'd make me pay."

"Is that what really happened outside of the teashop?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I guess he sees me as a threat or something. Anyway, he saw that I saved you the other day and, evidently, not even that's allowed. So he came up to me outside of the car place, threw me into the alley and before I knew it he was beating the crud out of me."

"I can't believe it," said Raven.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "You saw him beating me up."

"No, I mean I can't believe he threatened you and you never told me," said Raven. "Don't you think you should've warned me about what kind of guy he is?"

"I know I should've told you, but I didn't for a few reasons," said Beast Boy. "First off, I knew that if I told you you might think I was just trying to ruin your relationship. Second, I don't really know the guy so I wasn't sure if I was making a big deal out of nothing. And lastly, I know that you're smart enough to get yourself out of a bad relationship. So, I thought I'd leave it to you and see if you saw him as the asshole I did."

"Had I not discovered him beating you up today I never would've known he was like this," said Raven.

"Then thank God our paths crossed today," he said, attempting to smile once again. All Raven could see was the vacant spot where his fang used to be.

"I'm sorry about your tooth," she said. "Unfortunately my powers can't help you there."

"Eh, don't worry about it," he said. "A new one will grow in in a week or two."

"It will?" she said, unaware of this fact.

"Yeah," he said. "I accidentally knocked one out when I was younger and a new one grew in."

"Oh, well, I guess you're lucky then," said Raven. She finished healing his face and, other then some light bruising and a slight kink in his nose, he was as good as new. "Does anywhere else hurt?"

"I think I've got a bruised rib or two," said Beast Boy.

She placed her hands over his chest and began to heal one bruised and three broken ribs. "So why didn't you fight back?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Nathan practically made an attempt on your life and you didn't even raise a finger," said Raven. "Why?"

"Because… you told me not to," he said softly.

Raven stopped healing him and looked at him oddly. "I told you not to?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, looking down. "You told me not to fight him because he's just a normal civilian and not a superhero like us and you were scared I'd hurt him."

"So you let him beat you up just because I told you not to fight him?" she asked. "Why? You've never done anything I've asked of you up until now! Why on earth would you do this one particular request? You could've been killed!"

"I guess I'd rather be killed than do something that would hurt you," he said softly, looking up and making contact with her own eyes.

Raven felt something very odd pass through her as their eyes met; something that made her heart race and an odd sensation to well in her chest. Suddenly she felt as if she were looking at him for the first time; as if he wasn't the green changeling she'd known for the past few years. She realized how very different he was now and, for the first time, looked upon him as a man. And this realization made her feel sensations and think thoughts that she wasn't sure she could.

She realized that the air had been silent for an uncomfortable amount of time and snapped back into the present. "You're done," she said, feeling almost embarrassed for the secret feelings that had suddenly passed through her as their eyes lingered within each other. She went over to the sink and began to wash her hands, which had trace amounts of his blood.

"Thanks," he said with a soft smile and sat up fully, stretching his healed body. "I wonder if tasting all of that blood will keep my primal side quiet. Probably not, since it's my own."

Raven kept quiet as she washed her hands, still feeling confused about the moment they'd shared when their eyes had met. She continually took in deep, slow breaths and focused on her task at hand. After a few moments she felt everything within her settle down, and for this she was relieved.

"So, are you and Nathan really through?" he asked as he examined his face in a mirror.

"Do you really think I'd keep a relationship with someone who attacked one of my friends?" she asked plainly.

"I'd hope not," he chuckled. It grew quiet again, something Beast Boy detested. "So, um, I'm sorry I kinda ruined your first relationship with a guy."

"He ruined it," said Raven. "Besides, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I just expected it all to be a bit different than what it was, that's all," she said. "I guess being built up by all of Starfire and Robin's emotions set me up to be disappointed. I should've known the feelings they share aren't normal."

"They're relationship isn't normal, I'll give you that," he said. "But I'm pretty sure the way they feel about each other is right."

"I'm not so sure about that," said Raven. "Whenever they're together they're always exuding happiness, comfort, affection, and many other very positive emotions."

"And you didn't feel any of that with Nathan?" Beast Boy asked curiously.

"Certainly not to the extent Starfire and Robin do," she said. "I really didn't feel anything more for Nathan than I do for any of you."

"Then why'd you go out with him?" he asked.

"Because he and I became friends and I figured that that's how relationships were supposed to be," she said. "I'm no expert on the subject, you know."

"Obviously!" said Beast Boy. "Raven, you're supposed to go out with someone who makes you feel… different."

"And what do you mean by different?" she asked. She really hadn't a clue about dating and relationships, other than the solid facts, so she was very willing to learn about it. She always had a thirst for learning something new.

Beast Boy run his fingers through his hair and began to walk around the med bay aimlessly. "Well, what I mean is, when you see them they make you feel special," he said, awkwardly. "They make you feel almost like you're gonna faint when they so much as look at you. And when they're near you feel kinda sick and excited. Your heart races and your palms sweat and you pray to be recognized by them. And when you're together you feel like you're the only ones in the world and everything else just seems to fade away. Their gaze actually makes you ashamed of yourself and you feel as if you're not worthy enough of even their time. And you beg to whatever god there might be that somehow they can see past your flaws and feel even a fraction of the adoration you feel for them. When they're away from you you feel like you're dying and when they're near your heart aches, so no matter what you feel like you're living in turmoil. And it goes on and on and you feel like there's no relief. But then they do something as small as give you a slight smile and suddenly you feel like you could do anything! And a billion things inside of you explode and you just want to confess everything that's been hiding within your heart for so long, but you know you can't do that because it's not possible for them to feel anything close to what you're feeling!"

Raven stared silently at the green man who was now quite out of breath in front of her. Her heart was racing and it wasn't because his was and was influencing her own. The passion he put into each and every word he'd said had actually moved her in a way she certainly wasn't used to. She knew that each word he'd said had come straight from his heart. He wasn't telling her how everyone feels when they like someone; he was telling her how he himself feels.

Beast Boy leaned back against the bed that only minutes before he'd been resting in. Adrenalin rushed through his veins and he felt completely vulnerable. He hadn't meant to reveal everything inside of him, but once he started he just couldn't stop. He just couldn't keep it all bottled up inside of him any longer.

"Who is she?"

He looked up and his eyes met hers once again. "Huh?" he responded.

"Who is she?" Raven asked again. "The one who makes you feel like that."

Beast Boy let his eyes rest within hers for another moment, but then cast them down to the cold tiled floor of the med bay. "It's no one," he said, his tone soft and tragic.

"A person doesn't use words and feel passion like that over no one," said Raven.

Beast Boy bit his upper lip then started to head for the door. "I better go let everyone know I'm okay," he said and left.

Raven watched him leave and felt his emotions follow him out of the door. She wasn't exactly sure what had just happened, to either of them. She just sighed and went about cleaning the med bay.