Chapter 10: The News
As Beast boy walked up to the crescent moon- shaped couch he kept on looking at his team members suspiciously. All of his friends seemed to be staring at him, he couldn't figure out why but it didn't feel right. Finally reaching the couch Beast boy saw that Raven had saved him a spot next to her, sitting down Beast boy looked up at his team leader.
"Okay I'm here. What do you guys want to talk about?" His voice was saturated in curiosity.
"Beast boy you're under house arrest." Robin said quickly, trying to get this over with as fast as possible.
"I'M WHAT?" Beast boy shouted as he stood up from the couch. He looked at all his teammates who seemed to have expected this. Raven reached out her arm to grab his hand and tried to pull him back down to the couch but he refused. He looked back at Robin.
"Why?" Beast boy said in a near whisper, he was trying to stay calm.
Robin shifted uncomfortably; he knew Beast boy wasn't going to like this news.
"Beast boy, you have been accused of stealing a priceless artifact. The city wants you to stand trial for your crimes. They were going to throw you in a holding cell but we convinced the city that you would be placed under our watch and that you would be under house arrest." Robin looked at his green friend; he seemed to have been frozen in place. Beast boy's eyes were huge.
"What artifact? I don't remember any artifact, nor do I remember stealing anything." Beast boy said.
"Beast boy sit down, we'll tell you everything that we know about this." Robin explained. Beast boy sat down without question and waited for his leader to tell him everything.
Five minutes later, Robin had told him everything. "That's everything that we know about the situation." He looked at Beast boy who seemed to have gone completely pale.
"BB, are you feeling okay? You look a little pale." Cyborg asked as he watched his best friend just sit there and stare at their team leader. This wasn't how everyone expected him to be reacting. Cyborg was about to wave his hand in front of his green friends face when Beast boy finally exploded.
"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS? I have never seen a statue like that in my life. I would never steal anything. This is ridiculous. I'm innocent, you have to believe me." Beast boy said. Once she saw his reaction, Raven jumped up from the couch and grabbed him. She was attempting to calm him down.
"We believe you Gar. No one here thinks you stole the statue. Please, come back to your seat. You need to calm..."
"Don't tell me to calm down when I have every right to be this way. I am a being accused of a crime I didn't commit. The whole city probably thinks I'm a villain now, they probably don't trust me anymore." Beast boy yelled as he pulled away from her grip. He was beginning to hyperventilate and his body shift. Knowing what was happening Raven tried to calm him down again.
"Gar, don't think like that. We'll find a way to prove that you are innocent and the people will forgive you. This is only temporary. Please sit back down." She was now tugging at his arm, but he wasn't budging. Starfire cut in.
"Friend please, you should calm down. Being angry is not going to help your problem it will only make it worse. Please friend, for us." Beast boy looked at her; her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. She didn't like seeing her friends so upset. Beast boy took in a deep breath and allowed Raven to bring him back to his seat. Once he sat down, he expected Raven to let go of his arm but she didn't. She kept her arm wrapped around his tightly. Her touch gave him a good warm feeling in the chest and it seemed to have calmed him down a bit more. But he still was upset. Robin was looking at the connected arms.
"Beast boy I'm sorry, I know this isn't the best news in the world but at least it will keep you safe from Galtry. He wouldn't dare invade the tower. And you can still leave the tower; you just have to be with one of us. You see it's not all that bad Beast boy." Robin said trying to cheer his friend up, but it didn't really work because Beast boy countered it immediately.
"Yeah and the people of Jump City hate me now. They won't see me as a hero anymore, only a new villain being carefully watched by a Titan." His voice was sad and dark. Robin tried again.
"Yeah but after we prove your innocence, everyone won't think of you as a villain but as a hero again." Beast boy looked up at his leader.
"I don't know Robin. What if we never find the evidence we need to prove my innocence? Then I'll be more of an outcast than I already am." Beast boy didn't have to clarify what he meant. His entire team already knew he was insecure about his green skin, eyes and hair. He didn't have to say it for them to know he hated being different than everyone else. Raven placed her hand on his back.
"That's not going to happen Gar. We'll find the evidence we need and everything will go back to normal." She brought her hand up to his head and used her fingers to comb through his green hair. She was beginning to lose control; her emotions were taking over her body.
'What the hell is going on with her? She is being very touchy lately.' Beast boy thought before his eyes rolled to the back of his head when she scratched behind his ear. He wasn't the only one to notice this, Robin, Cyborg and Starfire were watching the entire scene play out. Cyborg and Starfire had smug smiles on their faces while Robin only looked at Raven oddly.
"Ahem." Robin interrupted. Instantly Raven dropped her hand from Beast boy's head and Beast boy's eyes came back to the front of his head. Once he had their attention, Robin began to speak.
"Okay? Now Beast boy do you understand what this means? You are not allowed to leave this tower without someone with you. If you do the police will throw you in jail. Please give me something that tells me that you understand."
"I understand Robin." Beast boy said with a slight growl. He was more relaxed than he was before but he still didn't like the situation. Robin smiled.
"Good, I'm glad you're beginning to understand the situation." Robin then looked at every single member of his team, everyone but Beast boy seemed relieved to have this team meeting over. He looked at Beast boy again and saw that the green young man was in thought. Thinking Beast boy was just trying wrap his head around the whole situation, Robin decided that this team meeting is officially over.
"Alright Titan's, that's all we needed to discuss. If there isn't anything someone wants to bring up then you are all dismissed." Three of the Titan's got up; Raven was still sitting down as she watched Beast boy's every move. Robin took notice of this as he followed Starfire and Cyborg toward the kitchen, he had a feeling something was going on.
Once everyone left the room, Raven took out her book and began to read. She didn't notice that Robin was still watching her from the kitchen. Robin turned to his girlfriend and best friend, at the moment they were talking about what they were going to have for dinner but once he cleared his throat he had their attention.
"What is it Robin?" Starfire asked. She was now looking at her boyfriend.
"Have you guys noticed something different about Raven lately? I mean she seems really attached to Beast boy for some reason. Am I the only one seeing this?" Robin arched an eyebrow when he saw his friend's expressions. "What?"
"It's about time you noticed that something was going on. She's been all over the grass stain lately." Cyborg saw Robin's expression change.
"You guys knew about this?" Robin was looking at Cyborg. "Yeah man we knew about it. I mean it's not hard to notice. I'm surprised it took you so long to notice it." Cyborg's face was twisted into a look of pride. He discovered something before the greatest detective's sidekick did. Starfire let out a small giggle, which caught both Robin and Cyborg's attention.
"What's so funny Star?" Cyborg asked. Starfire looked up at him and laughed again. "I find it funny that you are telling boyfriend Robin that it's not hard to notice this when you didn't find out about this until yesterday afternoon. It is very what is the word? Hypocritical." Cyborg looked embarrassed and it was Robin's turn to laugh.
"Shut up, man." Cyborg said as he felt even more embarrassed. This only made Robin laugh even more. After a minute Robin was finally done laughing.
"Sorry, Cyborg but you deserved it." Robin said between breaths.
"Deserve what?" Raven asked in her monotone behind Robin. All three Titans jumped, they didn't see Raven walk up to them. Robin turned around and looked at the mage.
"Hey Raven, we didn't hear you coming. We were um, just embarrassing Cyborg because he was acting like an idiot." Raven arched an eyebrow, she felt like there was more to it than that. She could sense that Robin was nervous at the moment.
"Oh? And what was he doing?" She saw Robin sweat a little bit. Not liking being in this position, Robin looked at the other two heroes behind him; both heroes were sporting grins and nudging him to go on.
"He was uh. He was acting as if he knew something obvious before I did but turns out he only found out yesterday." Raven's eyebrow rose up even higher as she watched her leader fidget.
"Okay and what was it that he knew before you did?" Raven could feel Robin become even more nervous. Cyborg and Starfire were both trying to hold back their laughter as they watched Robin fidget.
"I don't think you want to know what we were talking about." Getting Raven mad was the last thing he wanted. Raven was now frowning and then looked at the other two.
"You two told him. Didn't you? You two can't keep your mouths shut." Raven glared at the two heroes. Both Cyborg and Starfire went quiet and wide eyed.
"Um, we do not know what you are talking about friend Raven. What did we tell him?" Starfire tried to play dumb.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You told him I love Gar." She said sternly. Her confession gave Robin the final confirmation to his suspicion.
"Hold up, Rae. We didn't tell him. He found out on his own, he only came to us to see if we noticed too; which we obviously did." Raven looked from Cyborg to Robin; the team leader only nodded his head.
"Cy's correct. I noticed some things different between the two of you over the years. You call him Gar instead of Beast boy, you spend a lot of time with him and you are very physical with him. You weren't very subtle Raven. It was only a matter of time before one of us came up with a conclusion." Raven seemed to be thinking it over in her head for a few moments before her face went back to its expressionless look. She sighed.
"I wasn't trying to be subtle, at least not anymore. I stopped trying to drop small hints to Gar a couple years back. The small things I did never seemed to get through his skull. It got even harder once Terra came back into the picture." Something behind her flew against the wall and shattered. "After a little while I gave him even bigger hints like being more physical and showing my affectionate side, but that still didn't work. And now I'm at the point of just telling him." Starfire floated up next to her dark friend.
"Have you actually told him how you feel?" Raven nodded her head but her eyes showed disappointment.
"I told him this morning that I loved him, but he misunderstood me." Starfire looked confused.
"Friend, I do not understand. How could he not know what you mean by saying that? Is there another meaning to the word love?" Raven looked at her alien friend.
"Starfire, he thought I meant that I loved him like a brother; that we were family. I tried to explain what I meant but he fell asleep." Starfire seemed to understand now. She only nodded her head sadly.
"I don't know what else to try that is still technically just friendly flirting." Raven said in a defeated tone. Robin walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Why don't you just ask him out on a date? It seems like the best option at the moment." Raven looked up at her leader. She seemed to doubt this.
"I don't know about that Robin. It's not exactly the best time to be asking him out on a date. The city doesn't really like him at the moment and there is a crazy man coming after him." The Titans seemed to agree with Raven's reasoning until Cyborg butted in.
"Why don't you just go somewhere that isn't part of the city? That could work." Robin and Starfire were waiting for her to answer.
"I suppose that could work but I don't know." She still doubted this idea.
"Ah come on Raven. Are you afraid he'll reject you? Because I don't think he will." Robin said. She was about to respond when the doorbell rang before she could speak. All four Titans walked toward the master computer. After Cyborg pressed a couple buttons a security camera that showed the entrance door to the tower appeared, allowing the Titans to see who the visitor was. It was the Chief of Police, Jack Hendrickson.
"What do you think he wants?" Cyborg asked the others.
"Do you think he has changed his mind and wants to arrest friend Beast boy?" Starfire asked concerned.
"I don't think so Star. He came alone, if he wanted to arrest Beast boy he would have brought at least a couple of men. He probably just wants to talk. Let's see what he wants." Robin said.
All four Titans took the elevator down to the main hall so they could greet the police chief. Robin was the first one to greet Chief Hendrickson with an open hand.
"Good afternoon Chief Hendrickson, what are you doing here?" The chief shook his hand and spoke.
"How is Garfield? Is he awake yet?" He ignored Robin's question.
"Yes he is awake. What do you want with him?" Raven asked quickly.
"Good, I came here so I can talk to Garfield. I have some things to discuss with him in private. Please let me in so I can talk to him." Each Titan looked at each other before they all nodded their heads in unison.
"Okay Chief Hendrickson we'll allow it. Where would you like to talk to him? We could give you a private cell or something." The chief only shook his head.
"Whatever room he's in should be fine." The Titan's looked at him strangely.
"Um, he's in his room. Are you sure you want to go in that room? It's not as messy as it used to be but I would still consider it as a quarantined area." The chief only smiled.
"That will be fine. Now please can one of you please lead me to his room?" Raven walked up to him.
"I'll bring you there." The chief looked at her and smiled again. "Thank you, Raven." He looked at the other Titan's. "Thank you, I won't be too long." The others nodded as they watched Raven lead the chief into their tower.
"What do you think he wants to talk to BB about?" Cyborg asked.
"I don't know, but he didn't seem like it was bad news. We'll just have to wait and see." Robin then looked out at the beautiful bay and his city. "It's a beautiful day." Robin said before he went back into the tower, with the other two following behind him.
Raven and Chief Hendrickson walked down the hallway quietly; they just got off the elevator. It wasn't until Raven spoke did the silence end.
"So, how do you know Gar?" The chief looked down at the young woman.
"I met him after we raided his uncle's house in search of him. Apparently Galtry had been physically abusing him for three years. We didn't know about it until a neighbor saw his uncle drag him away." Raven stopped walking. Seeing that she stopped, Hendrickson stopped as well and was watching her. She seemed to be trembling again.
"Did I hear you correctly? Galtry is Gar's uncle?" Under her hood, Hendrickson could see Raven's eyes darken. Realizing what was going on he spoke up.
"You guys didn't know. Garfield didn't tell you guys the man that is trying to kill him is his uncle. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." Raven lifted up her hand in a stop talking gesture.
"No, it's alright. You didn't know he never told us. Apparently Gar doesn't trust us enough with his life." She spat the last part out. "His door is just around the corner. Once you're done talking to him, please find me in the common room. I have some things I want to say to him later." Hendrickson only nodded his head before he continued down the hall. He had a feeling that Garfield was going to be in trouble.
Raven went in the opposite direction; her emotions were going crazy at the moment. She was hurt and angry that Beast boy never told her the truth. It was a miracle that nothing was destroyed. Taking a deep breath, Raven got absolute control over her powers and emotions once again. Finally somewhat relaxed Raven walked toward the common room to wait for Hendrickson's return.
Beast boy was in his room lying down on his top bunk staring at the ceiling. He was trying to wrap his head around the whole situation. 'Alright I have my crazy uncle trying to kill me, the city thinks I'm a criminal and I'm under house arrest. This week can't get any worse.' Then another thought came back into his head. 'Oh yeah and Terra broke up with me. This sucks!' Beast boy was interrupted when he heard a knock on his door. He jumped down from his bunk and ran to the door. Expecting to see one of his friends on the other side of the door, Beast boy opened the door.
"Hey dude, what's…?" He trailed off when he saw who was standing outside his room.
"Hello Garfield, may I come in?" Seeing that Beast boy was frozen in place, he spoke again. "Don't worry Garfield; I'm not going to arrest you. I just want to talk to you in private." Beast boy seemed to calm down and allowed the police chief to enter his room.
"So uh, what do you want to talk about Chief Hendrickson?" Beast boy was watching the chief walk around his room; he seemed to be inspecting every inch of the room.
"Do you remember me Garfield?" Hendrickson asked without even looking at him. Surprised by the question Beast boy answered.
"Of course I do, Dude. You're Jump City's police chief. I've met you hundreds of times over the years." Not letting his eyes leave the man in front of him. Hendrickson shook his head.
"That's not what I meant Garfield. I mean do you remember me before you were a Titan?" Hendrickson was finally looking at him. Beast boy didn't know how to answer that question; he had a suspicion that the man in front of him knew more about him than just being a Teen Titan. He just realized the man has been calling him by his real name.
"Wait! You know my real name? Who the hell are you and how do I know you?" Beast boy said in a defensive tone.
"You should take a seat Garfield. I'll explain everything." Beast boy sat down on his bed and waited for the man to begin but he was still on edge.
"Do you remember how you escaped your uncle's mansion?" Hendrickson was sitting down in a chair that was next to Beast boy's desk. Beast boy became defensive; he never told anyone Galtry was his uncle.
"How the hell do you know about that? I never told anyone that, not even my friends. You're working for him aren't you?" Beast boy shouted. He stood up and was about to shift when the chief placed a hand on his arm.
"Wait Garfield, I don't work for your uncle. I'll explain myself after you answer my question." Hendrickson loosened his grip on the green man's arm and watched him relax and then sit down. After a long awkward staring contest, Beast boy answered the question.
"Yeah I remember; the police raided his house. I saw an opportunity to escape so I did." Beast boy had his arms crossed at the moment. Hendrickson nodded his head.
"Do you know how I know about Galtry?" Beast boy shook his head. "It's because I was there Garfield. I was the one who shot your uncle." Beast boy's eyes went wide. He couldn't believe it.
"You're the cop that chased me down in the back yard? Why didn't you ever tell me?" Hendrickson only smiled sadly.
"Because for the longest time I thought you were dead. It wasn't until you came to Jump City as a super hero did I know that you were alive. But by then you didn't recognize me. I figured you didn't tell your team about your past so I didn't say anything. I also figured that since Galtry was dead there was no point in bringing it up. But…" Hendrickson stopped talking mid-sentence; he was trying to catch his breath.
"But he wasn't dead. He went into hiding after he faked his death and began planning his revenge against me. So now you feel like it's the right time for you to tell me who you are." Beast boy added. Hendrickson nodded his head again.
"Exactly Garfield, now I must ask you something important. Do you remember the exact location of his mansion?" Hendrickson was hoping that he remembered. He watched Beast boy close his eyes and try to concentrate.
Beast boy opened his eyes again. "No I don't remember. I was never allowed outside of that damned room. All I remember is that it was surrounded by forest and that the closest house to it was nearly a mile away. I'm sorry that's all I remember." Hendrickson looked disappointed. He combed his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"Damn, you were our only lead. The report we filed out all those years ago has been…" He hesitated for a second. "Misplaced, back then everything was filed out on paper. So when we changed to electronic files, we found that several files went missing including the report on that day. Now that I know Galtry's alive, I think he stole those files to hide himself." Hendrickson stood up from his chair and reached his hand out to the green young man. "I'm sorry I wasted your time." Beast boy looked at him strangely.
"Why are you trying to help me?" Hendrickson looked at him; his eyes appeared to be rather sad.
"Because for the longest time I thought I had failed you; I thought that even though that evil man was dead, I didn't free you from his grasp. I thought that you died in that forest all alone from the wounds he conflicted upon you. I felt that I should have saved you. When I saw that you were alive and healthy seven years ago I thought that the guilt would be gone but it isn't. It's still there and I know why now. It's because that man is still alive and out there. I have to find this man, so we both can have the justice and peace we deserve. Do you understand Garfield?" Hendrickson looked at the door and then back at the green hero he had small tears in his eyes. Beast boy nodded his head before he walked up to the man and shook his hand again.
"Thank you, sir. I am grateful for your compassion. I'm sorry that I made you feel this way." Hendrickson placed a hand over Beast boy's before he spoke again.
"You shouldn't be the one that's sorry. You're the victim in this entire thing." Hendrickson broke the hand shake and stepped toward the door before he looked back at the green man once again. "Thank you for allowing me to talk to you. I have been meaning to do this for a long time; I'm glad I finally did. Goodbye Garfield, I'll see you when all of this is over." Hendrickson gave him a small smile before he walked out of the door. Beast boy took a deep breath before he sat back down on his bed; he had a lot more things to think about now.
Hendrickson walked into the common room, he noticed that everyone in the room was watching him carefully.
"I'm done talking to him. I'll be leaving now. Thank you for your time." Hendrickson then looked at Raven. "He is still in his room if you want to talk to him now." Raven nodded her head and got up from the couch intending on going to see Beast boy. The other three Titans watched the man walk toward the elevator and wave at them before the door closed. Once he left the other Titans just went back to what they were doing before he entered the room.
Beast boy was on his bead once again thinking about everything Hendrickson just told him. He felt incredibly guilty that after all these years Hendrickson still felt like he had failed him. He was interrupted once again when he heard another knock on his door. Getting up Beast boy walked toward the door. Opening the door he noticed it was Raven. A smile came to his face and his heart began to beat faster which confused him.
"Hey Rae, what are you doing here?" His smile began to fade when he saw that she had her hood up and her arms were crossed.
"We need to talk Garfield." Instead of waiting for him to invite her in, Raven walked toward his bed. Beast boy looked confused.
"Okay? What do you want to talk about Rae?" Beast boy noticed that his desk was a little messy so he tried to clean it up a bit because he had company.
"Let's talk about your extended family, more importantly your uncle." Raven said quickly. Beast boy jumped a little bit and dropped the scissors he was holding. Raven kept watching him carefully.
"Oh? What about my uncle?" Beast boy asked nervously. He still wasn't looking at the empath who was sitting on his bottom bunk.
"Well for starters do you have any uncles?" She was watching him closely from the bed. She could sense how scared he was at the moment.
"No, both my parents had no siblings." Beast boy lied. Raven narrowed her eyes.
"Are you sure about that?" Raven asked. Beast boy turned around and looked at her, he seemed to be sweating now.
"I'm positive." He said in a not so convincing voice.
"And Galtry has absolutely no relation to you?" She said. He felt his heart stop. 'Does she know?' Beast boy thought.
"Nope. He has absolutely no relation to me." Raven couldn't take it anymore she hated beating around the bush.
"Oh for crying out loud just tell me." Raven said sternly which surprised Beast boy on how quick she can change moods.
"Tell you what, Rae?" Beast boy asked he was still trying to act like he didn't know anything. This only made Raven even more frustrated.
"That Galtry is your uncle." Raven yelled. Beast boy's eyes went wide.
"How? How did you know?" Beast boy asked in a scared tone. Raven got up from her seat and walked toward the green hero.
"Hendrickson told me when I brought him up here so he could talk to you." Raven looked at the messy desk and noticed a small photograph of the team. "Why didn't you ever tell us Gar? Don't you trust the team? Don't you trust me?" She yelled. Beast boy bowed his head down in shame.
"Of course I trust the team, especially you. I guess I just never told you guys because I wanted to forget that part of my life. I wanted to forget who that man was." Raven looked surprised. She remembered what Robin said in the car ride back to the tower after the battle with Dr. Light. That Beast boy wanted to forget his past. 'I guess all that training Batman made him do is paying off.' Raven thought. Noticing that Beast boy was waiting for her to respond in any way, she made a gesture that told him to keep going.
"When I heard that he came back I knew that I shouldn't tell you guys that I was related to him because that was only going to make it more complicated." Raven was confused by this.
"I don't understand. Why would you two being related make it more complicated?" Her anger was slowly subsiding.
"Because I want him dead!" Beast boy said incredibly fast and in a sharp tone. Raven was shocked by his instant change of mood. Beast boy sighed and walked away from her. "I know that this team is against killing our enemies, but I can't let this one live. You don't know what he did to me. I can't forgive him for all the horrible things he had done and making him be my uncle only makes me want to do it myself." The more he talked the angrier he became. He could feel his blood pulsing through his body and his muscles shift and change. He knew what was coming and he tried his hardest to prevent his transformation, but he couldn't. Once Raven caught on to what was happening she quickly grabbed his arm and pushed him down on the bed so he could sit down.
"Gar you need to calm down. Your anger is making you release the beast. You need to relax." Raven was once again sitting on the bed but this time she was trying to calm him down.
Beast boy was trying his hardest but he was failing, he could feel his skin grow fur and his fangs extend into sharp blades. His clothes began to stretch and sharp claws ripped his gloves. He opened his eyes and saw that Raven was still sitting next to him.
"Rae, you got to get away from me. I'm not safe to be around." His voice was becoming deeper and more feral.
Raven stayed by his side and held on to his arm tightly. Realizing that this wasn't working Raven began to chant her mantra. Eyes glowing white, Raven focused her powers on the changing hero. Diving into his mind Raven searched for the source of his anger. Once she found it she used her abilities to calm him down. Within seconds of her exiting his mind she found Beast boy slowly morphing back to his normal self. Opening his eyes, Beast boy noticed that he was still in his room and that nothing was destroyed. He looked over at the empath who was sitting next to him.
"Rae, what did you do?" Beast boy asked in astonishment. Raven put her hand on his shoulder.
"I went into your mind and found the source of your anger. I had to calm you down somehow, that was the only option I had without hurting you." Raven looked at him and smiled. "I'm glad it worked. If it didn't I wouldn't know how to stop you."
"Thank you, Rae. If it wasn't for you I would have done some things that I would later regret. But I have a question." Raven was waiting for him to continue. "Did you see anything in my mind? Anything at all?" He was hoping she didn't.
"No, I didn't see any of your memories. I only saw what was angering you and that was your uncle. I didn't see his face either." Beast boy let out a breath of relief.
"Good, I wouldn't want you to see all the pain I experienced." The two heroes then went quiet, but it wasn't awkward it was a comfortable silence where two friends could just enjoy each other's company.
"Gar? You do know you have to tell the rest of the team about this, don't you? You can't keep this from everyone else. They deserve to know." Beast boy looked down at his now ripped gloves and sighed.
"I suppose you're right. I'll tell them at dinner tonight. Hopefully their as understanding as you are. You're not mad are you?" Beast boy looked worried.
"I'm not mad, Gar. I'm just disappointed that you never told us. It hurts when you keep things like this from us." He felt ashamed, having a girl disappointed with you is far worse than having them mad. Her face then turned stern. "Is there anything else that I should know about?" Beast boy quickly went into thought.
"I already told you about my disease and you now know that Galtry is my uncle, so when it comes to important secrets. I don't have any more that you should know about." Raven's face went back to neutral.
"Good, I don't want another repeat of today. I'd rather hear you tell me about your secrets instead of the chief of police." Raven took his hand and gave it a quick squeeze before she got up. This didn't go unnoticed by Beast boy. 'There she goes again with all the physical contact. What is going on with her? I should ask her.'
"Hey Rae? Are you having problems with your emotions again?" Raven stopped halfway to the door. Slowly turning around she faced the changeling.
"I don't think so. Why do you ask?" Beast boy was sitting down on the bed and was scratching the back of his neck. He was starting to regret bringing it up.
"Um, never mind then. I just noticed some things that are off about you lately." Raven arched an eyebrow.
"How so?" Beast boy began to avoid eye contact. She could feel Beast boy's embarrassment.
"It's probably nothing. It's just; I've noticed that you have been more physical." Raven's eyebrow went even higher.
"Physical? What do you mean by that?" She asked harshly, she thought he was insulting her. Beast boy let out a nervous laugh.
"Um, you know. You seem more comfortable with people being in your personal space than before. You also have been making more physical contact than before. You hug me more than you used to and you hold my hand a lot." Seeing Raven's eyes go wide he began to sweat.
"Um, actually it's probably just my imagination. Forget I ever said anything." Raven wasn't even listening anymore.
'He's finally noticed.' Raven thought. A small smile began to appear on her lips. She was knocked out of her thoughts when she felt a hand grab her shoulder and slightly shake her.
"Yes?" Raven said in a neutral voice as she looked at the confused changeling. Stepping away from her he rubbed the back of his neck again. He traced the outlining of his uncle's initials.
"Um sorry, you seemed to have spaced out there Rae. Your eyes went wide and you didn't blink for a good minute. What were you thinking about?" He seemed curious. Thinking quickly Raven said the first thing that popped into her head.
"I was just thinking that I should meditate. I haven't meditated all day. I think I'll do it before dinner." Looking at the clock she noticed that it was almost four. She was in Beast boy's room for a good hour and a half. "I should get going. Dinner is going to be ready soon." Stepping through the door, Raven looked back at the still confused Beast boy. She gave him a wave goodbye before the door closed. Walking toward her room she allowed the small smile to return. 'It's about time you've noticed.' She thought.
(Back in Beast boy's room)
Beast boy stood there confused as he stared at his now closed door where his best friend once stood. He had a feeling that she wasn't telling him the truth, which was strange because she never lied to him. 'Yep, I was right. There is something strange going on with her, but what?' Coming up with no logical answers, Beast boy tried to forget about Raven's strange behavior but he found that he couldn't. He had to know why she was acting this way around him.
"Maybe the others know what's going on with her. I'll go ask them." Beast boy ran out of his door and went straight to the common room. He found the others in the kitchen making dinner, well mainly Cyborg making dinner. Starfire and Robin were just helping gather the ingredients for the dinner. The smell radiating from the kitchen told Beast boy that Cyborg was making an all meat meal. He felt his body cringe. Cyborg was the first one to see him.
"Hey BB, you're going to have to make your own dinner. I'm making my famous prime rib steak." A smile grew on Cyborg's face; he knew this was going to upset the grass stain. Beast boy had a scowl on his face as he walked up to the kitchen. He already forgot about the reason why he came looking for his friends.
"Dude, that is so not cool. The entire tower smells like murder. I can't eat my tofu in here when it smells like this." Cyborg started to laugh.
"Well then you'll just have to eat it somewhere else. This is a tofu free zone; I don't want that nasty stuff near my meat." Beast boy walked to the fridge as he mumbled something. When he opened the fridge his eyes went huge. He looked back at his best friend who was watching him with great amusement.
"What's the matter BB?" Cyborg asked in fake concern. Beast boy narrowed his eyes.
"This is not funny dude. You stocked the entire fridge with meat. Where is my tofu?" He asked in a low growl. Robin and Starfire were watching the entire thing from the counter
"I don't know what you're talking about, man. I didn't touch your tofu. It should be in there somewhere. You'll just have to look deeper." Cyborg's grin was growing even larger. Mumbling to himself again, Beast boy began to dig through the meat. He finally found what he was looking for in the far back corner of the fridge. But when he pulled it out he was disappointed.
"Dude, you pushed my tofu too far back. It has freezer burn now. Now I don't have a dinner. What the hell?" Beast boy yelled as he let out his frustration. Cyborg frowned, that wasn't his intention. He just wanted to mess with the grass stain not make him starve.
"Oh crap, sorry man. I didn't mean to ruin your food. I was just messing with you like always. I was trying to lighten up the mood. You were pretty down this afternoon." Cyborg said apologetically. Beast boy sighed.
"It's alright I guess. At least you tried to make me feel better. I'll just have cereal I guess." Beast boy said softly as he was trying not to make his friend feel anymore guilty than he already was. He went back into the fridge and found a half gallon of soy milk; after pouring the soymilk and the cereal of his choice into a bowl Beast boy walked toward the counter where Starfire and Robin talked silently. Both Titan's looked up from their conversation when they saw Beast boy sit down next to them. Robin was the first to talk.
"Hey Beast boy. What have you been up to? You haven't left your room all day." Beast boy looked up from his cereal and made eye contact with his leader.
"I had a talk with the Chief of Police for a while and then Raven came in. So I talked some more." Each Titan other than Beast boy looked at each other and smiled. Beast boy looked at each of them strangely.
"Oh and what did you guys talk about?" Robin asked in amusement.
"Well, the chief asked me a lot of questions about my past. He then said that he knew me before I became a Titan, which surprised me. And finally he asked me if I knew where Galtry was hiding. I said no." Robin nodded his head in understanding. He took all this information into consideration, but he was more interested in the talk he had with Raven.
"And what did you and Raven talk about?" Cyborg asked as he walked toward the counter. He looked at the other two and they all smiled at each other. Beast boy was getting the strange feeling that they knew something.
"She came to my room to talk about someone from my past that's all. She was a little upset with me for not telling her or you guys about it." He just remembered something Raven told him to do. "Which reminds me, I have to tell you guys something later when Raven gets here." He noticed that their smiles grew even bigger.
"Okay? And what is it you have to tell us? Does it involve anyone we know?" Robin said with a knowing smile. Beast boy was beginning to feel uncomfortable. 'What is going on with everyone?'
"Um, actually it does. It has to do with how I know Galtry." When he said this he noticed that all his friend's smiles had dropped.
"Oh, we weren't expecting that. We thought you were talking about something else." Starfire said in a matter- of- fact tone. Beast boy kept looking at them strangely. Finally he spoke his mind.
"Alright guys what is going on? First I notice that Raven has been really touchy feely with me lately and now you guys keep asking me questions about what Raven and I talked about. And the entire time you asked me these questions you all kept looking at each other with these creepy smiles. But when I tell you guys something important, you all look disappointed. What is going on with everyone?"
"Wow, hold up Beast boy. Believe me, we're glad that you're actually going to tell us about your past. We really are. We just thought you two were talking about some things that were more… intimate." Robin explained. Beast boy went bug eyed.
"Intimate? What is that supposed to mean? Is there something I should know?" Beast boy asked loudly. Robin and the others avoided eye contact with him.
"Um, maybe you should ask Raven that. She can answer your questions better than any of us." Cyborg said. Beast boy looked confused.
"Okay then? I'll go ask her right now." Beast boy said as he turned around and headed back to the door.
"Hey when you're done tell her that dinner is ready." Cyborg shouted. Beast boy just waved his hand in response. When the door closed Robin looked at Cyborg.
"Do you think that was a good idea Cyborg? Raven might get mad at us." Robin said hesitantly. Cyborg shook his head.
"He already knows something is going on with her. He said so himself. Maybe he asking her directly will give her the confidence to get things moving. I mean it's about time." Cyborg said with a confidant smile.
"Says the guy that didn't notice anything going on between those two until yesterday." Robin said with a sly smile. Cyborg gave him a glare.
"Why can't you let me have my moment?" Cyborg asked annoyed. The other two laughed.
(In Galtry's mansion)
Galtry was in his study looking at old police reports. He was looking for something or more importantly someone.
When he found what he was looking for he smiled. Pulling out the file he glanced at the police report. The file read.
Date: March 25th 1998
Location: 277 Morningside Road, Bellingham California.
Report: Suspect known as Nicholas Galtry shot and killed by Officer Jack Hendrickson after attempting to conflict more harm on a minor. Police raid of suspect's mansion had found nothing suspicious other than the chamber Officer Hendrickson Found the suspect and victim in. Minor identified as Garfield Mark Logan. Parents Mark and Marie Logan are known to be deceased. Victim's current whereabouts unknown. Due to large amounts of blood loss the victim is reported as deceased. Filed out as a standard child abuse case. End of report.
At the bottom of the report there were several pictures. Some were pictures of his mansion, some were pictures of Beast boy's room and others were pictures of Galtry lying on the floor with blood pouring out of his back. The final picture was of a young man in a police uniform with his name written under it. Galtry smiled even more. He went to his computer and typed in the name. Hendrickson's entire police file appeared on the screen as well as his current residence.
"I'll have to thank that low ranking officer I bribed for the access to the Jump City Police archives. Well, well what do we have here? You have been promoted to Chief of Police. Congratulations are in order it seems. I suppose Reaper and I should pay you a visit." Galtry picked up the glass of wine he had sitting next to his desk and raised it up in the air in a congratulatory fashion. "To the Chief of Police." Galtry said before he began to let out his dark laugh.
This chapter took forever to write. I'm not completely satisfied with it but it will have to make due for now. i hope you all like it.
-Greenhatred77