A Blaze In The Northern Sky

By Trollhammer

Disclaimer: I own nothing yada yada yada…apart from Bolthorn. He's MINE! ALL MINE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!

Chapter 10! -sigh- OH BOY!

Reviews Answered

Tammy Tamborine: I don't really like the whole Raven/Bolthorn thing, I'm more of a Rae/BB girl myself, but it was a good chapter:)

-rubs back of neck nervously- Yeah...I kinda had a feeling a few people weren't gonna be best pleased with my decision to make Bolthorn and Raven a couple. Don't get me wrong though, as you know, I'm a HUGE BBRae shipper. I just thought Bolthorn and Raven seemed right for each other. But you're probably not gonna be too pleased with what I have in store for later either.

PHAOE: have you read 'lords of chaos'? good stuff.

If you're referring to 'Lords Of Chaos: The Bloody Rise Of The Satanic Metal Underground', yes I have. It's one of my favourite books. Well done that man! You get a pint and a bag of toffees on me!

Also, I want to give a big shout of thanks to DeadRose332. Your review gave me some ideas for this chapter, which I'm sure is what you intended. KUDOS! Unfortunately, I've run out of ale and toffees, so you can have 10 bob and a pickled egg.

Chapter 10: Confessions And Heartache

The morning after...

Raven awoke and rose from her slumber, letting out a long yawn. She stretched and checked the time: 7:24 a.m. She looked down at the body of her sleeping lover, his hair draped over his face. She gently stroked his locks away, causing him to moan slightly. She smiled and leaned down to kiss his cheek softly, which made him emit the most adorable murmur ever…almost like a tired kitten. She giggled and gently nudged him until he finally woke up.

"Morning." Raven whispered softly.

Bolthorn smiled and reached for her head, pulling her down into a tender kiss.

"'Ello, cherub." he greeted sweetly, wiggling her nose with his fingertip, "How're you feeling?"

Raven smiled and nodded.

"I feel wonderful." she said, nuzzling into the side of his neck, making him chuckle.

"Aye. I was always told your first time was special." he smiled.

Raven's eyes widened.

"That was your first time?" she asked incredulously.

He blushed and nodded.

"Aye, that it were. And it couldn't 'ave been with anyone more special than you." he said adoringly, stroking her face.

She blushed, taking his hand in both of hers, leaning into his touch and kissing his palm softly.

"You're so sweet." she cooed, before she sighed and her face became stricken with guilt, "But there's one thing that's bothering me."

"Beast Boy?"

"Mm-hmm."

Bolthorn sighed and sat up.

"I know how you feel...because I'm feeling bad for 'im too. We're gonna break the poor little lads heart." he sighed again, before looking at her, "I don't feel guilty about us though...but I feel awful about him."

She crawled over behind Bolthorn and hugged him tightly around his shoulders.

"I know. But you're right; we shouldn't feel ashamed about us...we love each other, and that's what counts."

Bolthorn leaned into Raven for comfort wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

"Aye, you're right there, luv." he smiled up at her, "But I reckon we should let everyone else know sooner rather than later. The longer we leave it, the harder it's gonna be f'r either of us to pluck up the guts to speak."

Raven looked worried at the though of that.

"I'm...not so sure we should tell everyone out of the blue...I wouldn't feel comfortable in that sort of situation."

"Okay...okay." Bolthorn smiled, "We'll wait for what we BOTH feel would be an opportune moment."

Raven smiled and nodded, kissing the top of his head.

"Sounds good to me." she replied, her stomach grumbling just as she finished, "Actually, breakfast sounds good too." she giggled, blushing.

"Aye, let's get dressed and meet up in t' kitchen f'r brekers."

"Brekers?"

Bolthorn sighed.

"Breakfast." he said, smiling.

Raven's eyes widened in realisation.

"What's wrong?"

"My clothes are back in MY room!"

"Arse."

She quickly slipped on her night attire.

"I'd best get back before anyone notices I'm gone."

Bolthorn nodded and hugged her gently, kissing her. Before their passion could increase, Raven giggled, pushing his hands away from her waist softly.

"I have to go!" she giggled.

As she turned to leave, she winked and blew a kiss at Bolthorn, who playfully dived through the air to catch it. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, smiling as she left the door, and smiling all the way back to her room...until a tearful Beast Boy burst from his room, making Raven jump back in surprise.

"Beast Boy?"

"How could you, Raven?" he screamed at her, "How could you do this to me? I love you! I've loved you for years, and you throw yourself at HIM after only five days of knowing him!"

Raven felt her heart racing; she had hoped this moment wouldn't come yet...she wasn't ready for an emotional onslaught from Beast Boy. She knew there was no point in denying the truth to him. Besides, it wasn't in her nature to lie to anyone.

"How...how did you know?" she asked, fearfully.

"Oh I'll tell you how I know..."

-Flashback-

Beast Boy placed his uniform into a crumpled pile on a small table as he prepared himself for bed. He stretched and yawned before clambering onto the top bunk and tucked himself in comfortably. He was tired from the celebrations of Bolthorn's initiation into the Titans. There had been music, pizza, and computer games, movies...and Bolthorn had provided quite a bit of alcohol. Although many of the Titans politely declined Bolthorn's generous offerings of ale, Beast Boy had been one of the few who had consumed a considerable number of pints, so his drunkenness only added to his tiredness. As he was drifting into a gentle sleep, he heard a loud banging, which immediately roused him to alert. Then he heard hastened footsteps and heavy breathing...Raven's heavy breathing...it was unmistakable to him. He leapt from his bed, adrenaline flushing the alcohol from his bloodstream temporarily, and bolted for his door. He flung his door open and looked around, only to see Raven at the far end of the corridor with her back to him, just before she turned the corner. After taking a split second to admire Raven's night attire, he morphed into a cheetah and darted after her. He ground to a halt and hid around the corner when he saw her banging on Bolthorn's door, screaming out for him. He watched on curiously, until Raven ran into his room with open arms when he opened the door, then he morphed into a fly and flew to the doorway. He morphed back to his human form and stood at the edge of the doorway, listening eagerly to what was being said. He heard Raven...crying...Raven never cried...and hearing her sobbing now tore his heart. He heard Bolthorn trying to soothe her:

"Sssssshhhhhh. Come on now. What's wrong?" he heard Bolthorn ask softly.

"I…I…I had a dream, and…" she choked on her sobs "Just promise me one thing, Bolthorn."

"Anything."

"Promise me you won't die." She managed before bursting into an uncontrollable fit of tears.

"I promise." he whispered softly into her ear.

For quite some time, Beast Boy stood there silently, listening to Bolthorn comforting Raven, until her sobs finally began to subside.

'What kind of dream could have Raven this spooked?' Beast Boy asked himself. 'What does she mean 'Promise me you won't die'?'

Beast Boy suddenly became aware of how deathly silent everything had become, and his stomach twisted with knots of anxiety.

"You look so adorable." he heard Raven say admiringly.

"And you're the most beautiful person I've ever met."

Beast Boy's heart leapt to his throat and he felt sweat on his brow.

"Raven? You okay? You don't 'ave to do anything you don't want to." Bolthorn reassured her sweetly.

Beast Boy heard quickened, excited breathing, and dared to peek around the corner...just as Raven closed the gap between the two of them and tenderly brushed her lips against his, moaning with pleasure. Bolthorn returned the kiss eagerly. Raven moaned loudly, opening her mouth, her own tongue eager to explore. Raven grabbed two handfuls of Bolthorn's hair and pulled him further into the kiss, which he reciprocated eagerly by pulling her hips further into his. Raven gasped as she felt his straining arousal pressing against her nether regions. When they finally came up for breath, they realised that nothing had blown up, and nothing was floating around the room...everything was normal...except for Beast Boy...for him, everything was far from normal. He brought his head back from around the door...he'd seen enough.

"You're so special." he heard Raven say, then she giggled.

"You're amazing." he replied.

Another silence fell upon the tower...just as the tears fell from Beast Boy's eyes. He heard Bolthorn clear his throat.

"Would you...umm...like to stay...for the night?" he smiled shyly, turning as red as a beetroot.

Beast Boy froze.

"Umm...Well I...I..."

"No! NO!" Beast Boy whispered.

"I'd love to."

Beast Boy's heart stopped dead upon hearing those words. As if to emphasise the feeling of complete loneliness and utter isolation that burned away at his heart, Bolthorn then slide the door shut and locked it. Then he heard the pair of them moan as they shared another kiss. That was all he could take, and he ran back to his room, tears streaming down his face.

-End flashback-

Raven could only stare back at Beast Boy. For once, she was lost for words. Fresh tears fell from Beast Boy's eyes, and he lowered his gaze

"No...this can't happen to me again!" he screamed bitterly, clutching to the sides of his head, as if in an effort to block out the truth...as well as the horrible pain that pounded in his ears, the hangover from Bolthorn's brew taking its hold, "I already lost one person I loved…" he sobbed, before looking back into Raven's eyes painfully, "…I can't bare to lose you too…please Raven." he begged with outstretched arms.

Raven felt her heart ache to see him like this. She felt tears well up in her own eyes, and the lights above them began to glow and rattle with in a black aura.

"Beast Boy…I'm so sorry. I never asked for this to happen. But I love Bolthorn…but that doesn't change how I feel about you. I still have feelings for you…you'll always be one of my closest friends."

Raven could have sworn she heard…and felt…Beast Boy's heart rip in half, as his sobs became uncontrollable. Raven knelt in front of him and tried to gently embrace him, only to have him flinch away violently from her.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" he screamed.

Just then, Bolthorn came running down the hallway in his usual attire, minus his coat and chain mail shirt.

"Calm down Beast Boy!" he said cautiously, standing in front of Raven, holding his hand out in front of him, while shielding Raven with body.

Beast Boy's face became twisted with rage and he lunged at Bolthorn.

"YOU!"

He morphed into a tiger and took a swipe at Bolthorn's chest, his claws rending his flesh apart. Bolthorn screamed in agony as he was sent sailing into the wall. He tried to cover up as Beast Boy continued to swipe at him, but to no avail, as the skin on his arms was ripped to pieces. Before Beast Boy could do any further damage, Raven encased Beast Boy in a black aura and flung him against the opposite wall. By this point, the other Titans came running, having heard the commotion.

"What the HELL'S going on?" Robin demanded.

Before anyone could answer, Beast Boy threw himself at Bolthorn again…only to fly face first into his outstretched fist. He collapsed in an unconscious heap on the ground, while Bolthorn cried out in pain, recoiling him arm. That last protective blow had taken a significant amount of effort, given his current condition. Raven knelt at Bolthorn's side, checking him over, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" she practically yelled.

Bolthorn looked up and smiled weakly at her through his cuts and bruises.

"I've been better." he cracked, before wincing in pain again.

Raven removed her hand from his chest to find her palm drenched in her lover's blood. Without even thinking about it, she placed her hands over him and began healing him. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she desperately tried to save Bolthorn from bleeding to death. When she was finally done, she collapsed from exhaustion, only to be caught in his arms, his strength fully returned.

"You alright there luv?" he whispered sweetly.

She gazed up at him and smiled back.

"I am now I know you're safe."

With that, they shared a soft, tender kiss, not caring what the others thought. Luckily for them, the others were checking over Beast Boy. Robin whipped his head around and glared angrily at the two of them.

"What the hell was that all about?" he demanded.

Bolthorn and Raven looked at each other nervously. Bolthorn sighed.

"Why can't things just go as planned eh?" he joked nervously to her.

She smiled softly and helped him stand. As he did, Beast Boy regained consciousness and had to be restrained by Cyborg…and Starfire…and Aqualad.

"If you must know," Bolthorn began gravely, "Raven and I 'ave…well…we're in love wi' each other."

There was a stunned silence amongst the Titans…until Beast Boy broke into another fit of tears. Bolthorn and Raven winced at the sound as everyone stared at the changeling. Bolthorn looked up at him, biting back on his own tears.

"Beast Boy…I'm so sorry…it just happened. I'm not doing this out o' spite; I KNOW how much you love Raven. Don't think this is a walk in the park for either of us. We knew you'd find this hard to take…but we love each other and…as shitty as this may sound…it's as simple as that. But please don't hate us…we never meant to hurt you." Bolthorn tried to reason.

Beast Boy continued to sob, although he'd stopped struggling.

"Just leave me alone." he barely whispered.

Bolthorn glanced over to Cyborg with a look on his face as if to say 'Take care of him.' As if Cyborg could read minds, he gently led Beast Boy away, back to his room. Bolthorn and Raven turned back to the remaining Titans.

"If you want us, we'll be in t' kitchen."

Before anyone else could speak, they quickly turned and left.

In the kitchen...

Bolthorn and Raven were the only two at the table, sitting beside each other. They had just made themselves a few rounds of toast and a pot of herbal tea to tide them over, desperately trying to put their earlier troubles behind them…for the time being.

"Do you hear that?" Raven asked, smiling.

Bolthorn looked up at her, making sure to swallow his toast before speaking.

"Wot?"

"Silence. I don't get that as often as I would like."

"Well I suppose the other's'll be takin' care o' Beast Boy." he reasoned gloomily, before his face brightened up again, "But I see what you mean. It's nice to 'ave the kitchen to ourselves. We'd best make a habit of this." He finished, taking a sip of his tea.

"That's one of the things I love most about you Bolthorn; as energetic and talkative as you are, you enjoy silence as much as I do."

"Aye well, when you've been on your own as much as I 'ave, you get used to it. It's nice to 'ave friends around to talk to from time to time, but then everyone needs their own personal space. Besides, an old friend once told me 'You can always sit in comfortable silence with your best friends.'" he smiled.

Raven nodded and took a sip from her tea. They both sat in silence again as they finished the rack of toast and drained the last of their tea. Bolthorn stood up.

"Allow me."

He took their dishes over to the sink, washed them, and put them back in their rightful places, Raven watching him the whole time with a small smile spread across her face. He turned and noticed her gaze.

"Wot?" he asked playfully.

Raven sighed dreamily.

"Sorry, it's just...well it's a bit embarrassing really."

"Wot is it?" Bolthorn teased, sitting back down and nudging her playfully.

"Well...one of my earliest childhood fantasies was always to fall for some handsome English Knight in shining armour, or some wonderful Prince, or something corny like that." she giggled, blushing deeply.

Bolthorn took her hands and smiled.

"Well I'm not exactly a Knight, but I fight wi' the heart of a warrior. I'm no Prince Charming either but...Raven...you've made me feel like the richest man in the world." he said sincerely.

"Awwww!"

Suddenly one of the lights on the ceiling burst into pieces. They jumped out of their skin, then looked at each other and giggled. They kissed tenderly and Eskimo kissed...just as Robin, Starfire, Cyborg and Bumblebee walked into the room. The two lovers saw their serious faces and the mood of the room changed very quickly. The other Titans sat around the table, never looking away from the two lovers.

"How is he?" Bolthorn asked, looking up at them.

"He's asleep. He'd been up all night trashing his room." Cyborg replied sadly, "Poor little guy just wore himself out."

Bolthorn looked down at the table feeling ashamed, running his fingers through his hair.

"What've I done?"

Raven took his hand in both of hers.

"We've done nothing wrong here Bolthorn." she reassured.

He looked over at her and smiled softly.

"I know…but the last thing I wanted to do was hurt him…I never wanted to hurt anyone. But all I've done since I've stayed 'ere is cause trouble. I'm really sorry…but you can't blame me for being human." he said, holding Raven's hand tightly.

Robin sighed.

"No…you're right. But you are wrong about one thing; you're a valuable member of this team…you're a Titan now; you're one of us. Yes, this may present a few problems for now, but I'm sure the three of you can resolve your differences somehow. But no Bolthorn, I can't blame you for…being human." he blushed, leaning into Starfire, causing her to giggle.

Bolthorn and Raven smiled warmly.

"I see me advice paid off then?" Bolthorn asked Robin.

Robin turned bright red and averted his gaze, nodding his head.

"Uh...yeah." he smiled before looking back to the young English Northerner, "Thanks for...giving me the courage to finally tell Star how I feel." he said, cuddling up to the Tamaranean.

Starfire giggled adorably, nuzzling into Robin's embrace.

"Yes, thank you friend Bolthorn."

Bolthorn waved his hand in front of him and shook his head smiling.

"Think nowt of it. Just glad I helped two of me best mates find 'appiness."

"'Bout time you and Star hit it off!" Cyborg whooped.

"Thanks Cyborg. So...you and Bee huh?"

Now it was their turn to blush.

"Well...yeah."

"Well good for you! I hope you guys are really happy together."

"Yes, I give both of you 'the kudos'!" Starfire beamed happily.

"Congratulations." Raven said smiled.

"Aye, I'm chuffed f'r t' pair o' ya." Bolthorn finished with a wink.

"Thanks guys." Bumblebee said happily.

There was a brief silence, before Robin spoke up again.

"So…since when did Beast Boy start liking Raven?"

Cyborg looked at Robin like he'd sprouted an extra head.

"Say WHAT? don't tell me you haven't noticed how totally into Raven he is. Man, even I noticed that."

"As did I." Starfire said sadly.

Robin's eyes widened in surprise.

"We knew he was gonna find this hard to take." said Raven.

"And I do feel awful about how much I've hurt him...but it's like I said just back then, we love each other...and it's as simple as that."

The grey early morning sky outside complemented the sombre silence that hung over the table perfectly.

"So…what now?" asked Cyborg, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well I would normally suggest we all get drunk but it's too early in the morning, so I say we set about making breakfast." suggested Bolthorn, standing up.

"Good idea." Robin said, smiling genuinely, before the Titans took great pleasure in explaining to Bumblebee the feasting spectacle that was Bolthorn's full English breakfast…

TBC

Well, that's chapter 10 done. Sorry if the mood of this one seemed a bit sporadic, but I was kinda in a rush to get this one done. Anyway, just let me know what y'all think, and I'll get chapter 11 done ASAP.

Until next time.

Trollhammer.

METAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!