Well, I almost wasn't able to get this chapter out on time. School's been kind of hectic lately, and I really didn't have a chance to work on this for a week. This chapter was also kind of difficult to write actually, as I was very picky about the interaction in this one. I hope it turned out okay.

feifiefofum: HAHAHA! That was great. If it weren't for the fact that I'd be blatantly copying, I'd be tempted to add something like that into that scene! Thanks for the laugh.

Also, thanks to all those who have been reviewing so far! I'm glad you all liked the character interaction. I know Eutonos was supposed to create some rift between them, but I didn't want you to hate him. Not yet, at least. (you'll see what I mean later in the story) And yikes, beautifulpurpleflame reviewed this story!!! She's one of the best BBxRae authors on this site, and I'm a big fan of her work. Anyway, on with the show!

Chapter 10: The Hardest Part

"Beast Boy? It's Raven. Can we talk?" the mage asked with a hint of hopefulness. When nobody answered, she couldn't help but feel her spirits sink a little. Maybe she was doing this too soon. Nevertheless, she knocked on the door again.

"Beast Boy? Are you in there?" Raven asked. When he didn't answer a second time, Raven decided to use her powers to sense his presence. Surely enough, when she felt around his room with her mind, her search came up empty.

"Looking for Beast Boy?" she heard Robin ask behind her. Raven turned to face the boy wonder, who was standing at the end of the hall and slowly approaching her.

"Yes. You haven't seen him, have you?" she asked, not wanting to sound hopeful.

"Actually, he's gone," Robin answered. "Cyborg took him down to Tofu Dog and I think to the arcade afterward. He's hoping to cheer the guy up a little bit, and they both figured you'd need more time to cool off. They won't be back for a couple hours."

"Oh," Raven said quietly. "Just out of curiosity, where's Evad?"

"Him? Oh, he's still resting after his leader ran him like hell. Poor guy feels terrible, though. He feels somehow like he's responsible for your argument."

"Well, he's not. Granted he helped prank me, but he's not the one who made Beast Boy and I get into that fight."

"I know. That's what we all told him, but you know how some people are."

Raven nodded. "I guess. Well, thanks." There was a brief, awkward pause as the two stood in the hallway.

"Raven, are you okay?" Robin asked finally, concern riding every word.

Raven sighed softly. "I'm fine, Robin. Yes, I was very angry before, but I've calmed down."

"Okay. Did Star…?"

"Yes, Starfire spoke to me, so you can stop worrying. It's okay," she said.

Robin nodded. "Alright. We're just worried about the two of you, Raven," he said.

"I know. Don't worry, Robin. I've thought about this a lot. Beast Boy and I will work this out."

"Alright. Glad to hear it," Robin said with a slight smile. "Anyway, if you want, I'll let you know when he gets back."

Raven shook her head. "Thanks, but you don't have to. I'll find time to talk to him myself."

Robin nodded in agreement. "Okay. Oh, Raven, can I ask you a question?" he asked bashfully, suddenly turning slightly red.

His actions made Raven wary, but she agreed nevertheless. "Okay…"

"Um, Beast Boy's been acting edgy around me lately, and you two have been acting strangely around each other," he paused and bit his lip nervously. "I was confused at first, but I think the reason he's been mad at me is because he's, well, jealous. I think he thinks that you and I might have an attraction or something."

Raven started feeling very uneasy, but refused to let it show. "Well, we don't, unless there's something you want to tell me," she said firmly.

"Uh, no! No!" Robin said defensively. "I was just saying that because I'm starting to wonder if maybe, well…if Beast Boy's, you know…attracted to you." Raven could again feel her stomach tighten, but she still showed no signs of shock.

"I see…" she said, ridding her voice of emotion.

"Heh heh…yeah. Anyway, I don't know for sure, but I was just thinking about it. I was wondering, though…um…do you, you know, have feelings for him?" he asked sheepishly.

Raven, despite her embarrassment, felt slightly annoyed at Robin asking such a question. Then again, he wasn't the only lately who seemed to suspect she had an attraction for the changeling. Just how many people suspected this???

Placing her hands on her hips, Raven glared at him. "Is that really the only thing you can think about, with everything that's been going on lately?" Robin's blush deepened, and he nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, um…well, yeah," he finally said. "So, do you?" Raven rolled her eyes and let out a long sigh.

"White, black, green…guys are all the same," she said simply and walked off. Robin stood there awkwardly in the hall for a moment, running Raven's answer over and over in his head.

"She didn't say 'no'," he thought to himself before he left the hallway.

When Beast Boy and Cyborg finally returned home, it was pitch dark outside. The changeling returned slightly hopeful, but really in no better a mood than he was before he left. Nothing would change the fact that Raven still probably hated his guts right now. They were first greeted by Starfire when they finally came through the door.

"Greetings friends! I trust the outing was rather enjoyable for the both of you?" she asked cheerfully.

"Star, we really didn't do much," Cyborg said. "But it was ok. It's going to take a while to get the taste of tofu out of my mouth." The metal man grimaced.

"Hey, tofu dogs are no worse than regular hot dogs!" Beast Boy snapped back. "And they're probably better, considering all the stuff that goes into sausage meat."

"Okay, okay," Cyborg said. "They actually weren't that bad, I'll give you that. But I think I'll stick to real meat."

"On the other hand, it was nice whooping your butt in Mega Racers 4," Beast Boy said while sticking his tongue out.

Ignoring him, Cyborg focused his attention on Starfire. "Hey, where are the others?"

"I do know Jinx is in her room, and I Robin and all the visitors except for one are in the common room. The gray one is still resting," Starfire told him. "As for Raven, I am afraid she is still in her room."

Cyborg nodded and Beast Boy frowned. "Okay," Cyborg said. "I'm going to meet up with the others, then."

"Very well. Oh friend Beast Boy, may I please talk to you privately for a minute?" Starfire asked.

"Um, sure I guess," he replied. Taking that as his cue to leave, Cyborg left the two of them alone. "What's up?" Beast Boy asked when he was gone.

"Friend Beast Boy, I just wish to say that I know what you and Raven are going through, in more ways than one," Starfire said.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Beast Boy thought.

"You must remember though that you two are friends, and Raven cares for you very much. You must not let one argument endanger the friendship the two of you share."

"I know, Star," Beast Boy said sadly.

"Beast Boy, it would be best if you and Raven do the talking very soon. I believe she wishes to speak to you as well."

"Starfire, are you sure about that? She's probably still angry right now," the changeling said.

Starfire smiled in her usual manner. "I would not be so certain of it, Beast Boy. Just give her a chance. You will not be sorry about it, I promise."

Beast Boy was pessimistic, but nevertheless, he trusted her. "Okay, Star."

"Very well, friend. By the way, we will be doing the watching of movies very shortly!" she said. "Would you like to join us?"

"Okay. Oh wait!" Beast Boy said. "Just start without me. I'll be down in a minute." The alien nodded and flew off to the common room. Beast Boy rushed over to his room and flung open his door, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw something. On the very middle of his desk was a folded piece of paper that hadn't been there before. Curious, he walked over to the paper and opened it up. His jaw dropped in surprise when he saw what was on it and whom it was from. There in neat handwriting was a message:

Beast Boy –

We need to talk. Meet me on the roof when everyone has gone to sleep.

Your friend,

Raven

The next few hours went rather smoothly. Jinx and Evad both had finally rejoined the group, but Raven never came out of her room. At last, everyone had decided to turn in, and the Tower grew quiet. Not long after everyone had gone to his or her rooms, Beast Boy cautiously opened the door and silently proceeded to the roof. Beast Boy looked calm on the outside, but inside he was scared to death. Every step he took, his nervousness grew, until finally he stopped midway up the stairs leading to the roof. So many questions ran through his head. Had she calmed down? Was she still mad? Was she going to yell at him? Was she going to take the opportunity to kill him without anyone knowing???

Pushing this last thought out of his head, he took a deep breath, summoned up his courage, and climbed the rest of the dark stairwell. At last, he opened the door and stepped onto the roof. Pausing, he took a moment to survey his surroundings.

The moon shone brightly, and a soft breeze blew through the air. The only sounds to be heard were the drone of cars in the distance and the soft beating of waves against the shore. It was actually quite serene, and would have been relaxing had he not been so nervous. He looked to his right, and his heart leapt into his throat when he caught sight of the person he had come to see – Raven. She sat on the roof with her legs hanging over the edge, looking out over the beach. She must have known he was there, for before he even took a step, she got up and turned around to look at him.

Beast Boy could feel his stomach tighten. He couldn't really see her face since her hood was up, but she remained there silently. For a while, the two stood there awkwardly, just looking at each other. Finally, Beast Boy gathered his nerves and spoke.

"Hey," he said shyly.

"Hey," she replied softly. The two stood there again, this time Beast Boy nervously rubbed the back of his neck. To his surprise, Raven started slowly walking toward him.

"Raven, about earlier today-" The empath silenced him with a soft finger on his lips. Beast Boy looked at her face close up for the first time, and was shocked to find that her usual hard, emotionless glare was replaced by something much softer. Slowly, Raven reached up and pulled her hood down, exposing her pale face to the moonlight.

"First, before you apologize for anything…I just want you to know that I've been a royal bitch lately," she said flatly. Beast Boy was obviously taken aback at this, and he looked at her with wide eyes that almost made her laugh.

"Beast Boy…I'm sorry," Raven said in a soft voice that surprised even her.

A little shocked by the response, Beast Boy almost squeaked out his question. "Are you, are you still angry?"

Raven silently shook her head. "No. Why, are you surprised?"

"Well, actually, yeah. Kinda," Beast Boy stuttered. "I kind of thought I'd have to be the one apologizing first."

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Raven said with a barely visible smirk.

"Why the sudden change?" Beast Boy asked timidly.

"Well, let's just say I did a lot of thinking and had a good long talk with myself," said the mage, and she wasn't lying, either. Beast Boy however couldn't help frowning.

"Raven, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault-" Raven stopped him again by putting her fingers on his lips.

"Shh. There's nothing you can apologize for that I didn't do to you either," she said. She withdrew her hand and looked straight into his eyes.

"Beast Boy, I haven't exactly been treating you very well at all lately. These last couple days I've been doing everything but treating you as a friend." Beast Boy said nothing, but continued to look at her. "Beast Boy, I've been rather…confused lately about some things…" she said, trying not to imply anything. "And I've been taking it out on you. This…has all been my fault. What you did earlier today, I guess you could say I had it coming."

"That doesn't make it alright though," Beast Boy said sadly. Again, he could feel moisture starting to gather at the corners of his eyes, and he broke down. "And all those things I said about you! I-"

"As I said, there's nothing you can apologize for that I didn't do," Raven said. "Beast Boy, what I said earlier, I just want you to know…I didn't mean any of it. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you for it."

"Well, let's just say we both acted like idiots, then," Beast Boy said. "I think we can both agree on that for once." He smiled when he saw Raven give a faint smirk.

Suddenly feeling timid though, Raven frowned and gazed downward. "I know. But prank or no prank, you didn't deserve my scorn or any of those things I said about you. I, I'm sorry about that, too." She nervously bit her lip.

"Will you – will you forgive me?" she asked, still refusing to meet his gaze.

Beast Boy blinked several times, forcing the tears away and looking down at her in shock. He was still thoroughly surprised to say the least. Ninety-nine percent of the time, he was the one having to beg for forgiveness! If anything, he was expecting to be the one groveling for forgiveness right now. To see Raven being this way was, well, downright un-Raven! Nevertheless, Beast Boy overcame his shock enough to gather his courage. Carefully, he softly cupped Raven's chin in his hand, and slowly raised her head so she was looking at him.

"I do," he said softly. His lips curved upward ever so slightly, his fang poking out from his bottom lip. "But only if you forgive me."

Raven gave a slight chuckle. "Okay, then. Deal." She slowly removed Beast Boy's hand from her chin. "I forgive you." She paused. "Oh, and Beast Boy, I just want you to know…what I said earlier, was a lie. I was just angry and wasn't thinking. I don't hate you. At all."

"You…you don't?" Beast Boy choked.

"No. You're my friend, Beast Boy. No matter what I say or do, in anger or not, nothing will ever change that."

Beast Boy felt the tears returning, but he kept them down. Sure it might not have seemed like much to someone watching, but to him it meant everything in that moment. For now, he was just grateful that things were finally alright between the two of them. Maybe, just maybe, there was hope after all.

"And, and you're my friend, too. Thanks, Raven."

"Thank you," she replied, and paused. Beast Boy looked at her curiously as the half-demon looked to be contemplating something. Then, in a move that took him totally off guard, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him! The changeling's eyes widened to the size of saucers. This time however, Beast Boy didn't make the same mistake twice and returned the hug. Raven let out a sigh and leaned her head on his supportive shoulder. Beast Boy didn't say a word, but couldn't help smiling as he held her, wishing this wouldn't end.

When at last they broke apart, the world seemed to halt. As they stood there, locked on each other's eyes, they both became aware that their faces were mere inches apart. Raven's gaze was fixed on the changeling's green orbs, and was entranced at the way the moon reflected brilliantly off of them. Beast Boy in turn marveled at the way the light reflected off her pale skin, almost making her glow. No matter how hard they tried, neither of them could look away. At that moment, Beast Boy wanted nothing more than to just be able to indulge his growing affection for the mage. But…now wasn't the time.

"So, um…" Beast Boy said as he and Raven pulled away. The changeling didn't comment on how Raven was madly blushing.

"Yeah," was all she said. Inwardly though, she was happy. Saying sorry really was the hardest part, but now she really didn't find it so bad.

"Hey Raven, I was wondering," Beast Boy said. "I know you're not mad, but I still feel really bad about what happened. I want to make it up to you."

"Beast Boy, you don't have to do anything," she said.

"I know, but still, I don't want to just let this go. I know we promised that we'd get along better, but neither of us has been really doing a good job of it."

"Beast Boy, if anything, I should be making this up to you," Raven replied with an eyebrow arched.

"Tell you what," Beast Boy said, smiling. "You can make this up to me by letting me make this up to you. How about it?"

Raven rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from rising slightly. "Okay, deal. So what exactly do you have in mind?"

"Well, I was thinking…" Beast Boy started. He paused as his own nervousness started getting the better of him, and he could feel an intense blush forming on his face. Was he really about to ask this? Was he dreaming? This was just too much. But then he remembered Eutonos's words from earlier that day, and Beast Boy felt his courage come back. He took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Raven, I was wondering if maybe tomorrow you'd like to go down to the book store? Just you and me? I'll get you any book I want, I promise. I'll pay for it myself even."

Raven could feel her blush growing, and she deep down cursed herself for it. It was a miracle nothing had shattered yet. She definitely wasn't acting like normal. Raven didn't know what to say. Should she say yes? What would the others think? God, this was getting way too complicated.

When Raven didn't reply, Beast Boy's hopes sank, and he frowned. "Oh, if you don't want to, that's fine."

"Wait!" Raven said suddenly. Beast Boy looked back at her in surprise. "I…yes. I'd love to."

"Wait, what did you say?" Beast Boy asked, not believing he had heard her correctly.

"I said yes, Beast Boy," Raven said.

"Woah, are you serious?" he asked again.

Raven rolled her eyes impatiently. "Yes, Beast Boy! Do I have to repeat myself a third time?"

A wide smile slowly formed on his face. "Dude! Sweet!" Beast Boy said excitedly and pumped his arms into the air.

"Alright, would you keep it down?!" Raven said in a harsh whisper.

"Oh, sorry," Beast Boy said. Raven, rolled her eyes, but her frustration diminished. 'Alright, Beast Boy. Stay cool,' he told himself. "So, when do you want to go? How about maybe eleven-ish?"

"Eleven would be fine," Raven said, her smirk returning. "Oh, and Beast Boy?"

"Yeah Rae?" he asked.

"Thanks," she said, not even bothering to correct him on her name. The changeling only smiled warmly in reply. "Well, we should probably be getting to bed," the mage suggested.

"Yeah, good idea," Beast Boy agreed. He made a mock-bow and motioned with his hands. "Ladies first."

"Thanks. You're a real gentleman," Raven said sarcastically. The two of them walked down the stairs together toward their rooms, not saying a word as they went. Beast Boy wasn't even paying attention to where he was walking, he was so busy thinking about what had just happened.

"Um, Beast Boy?" Raven asked. He snapped out of his daydream to find that he had followed Raven all the way to her room.

"Oh. Heh heh, sorry," he said sheepishly, a blush creeping up on his face again. Why hadn't she said anything earlier?

Raven pressed the button on the panel and her door slid open. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then," she said. Beast Boy nodded. "Good night, Beast Boy," Raven said.

"Good night, Raven," he replied. The mage looked at him one last time before waving goodbye and entering her room. Beast Boy turned around and proceeded to his own room, and once he got there he leaned against the wall and looked at the ground.

'Dude, do I have a date? With Raven?' he thought. "I got a date," he said out loud. Slowly, a huge smile formed on his face, and he leapt into the air, throwing his fists up.

"I got a date with Raven!" he said excitedly. After dancing around his room in sheer joy, Beast Boy finally collapsed on his bed. He couldn't believe it. He had gone from being in their worst fight ever to actually going out with her! For the first time in a long time, he felt things just might just work out. Sleep slowly subdued him as thoughts of a certain violet-haired girl occupied his dreams.

Back in her room, Raven changed into her night attire and lay down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

'Did that really just happen?' she asked herself. She gave a long sigh and smiled sadly.

"Oh Azar, I don't think I'm ready for this," she said. Sure, she had accepted that she felt something for him, but this was so soon! She was afraid. She was actually afraid of the changeling.

"Just trust yourself, Raven. Trust me," she could hear love say in her mind. She wasn't sure if it was her thinking it, or if the emotion really was speaking to her inside her head. At this point, it really didn't matter. "Just rest now," the voice in her head told her. For once, she agreed, and the half-demon soon drifted off to sleep.

Beast Boy didn't even emerge from his room until after nine the next morning. The shape-shifter didn't really walk as much as stumble on his way to the kitchen. There, he was greeted by an elated Cyborg. The metal man was standing over the stove, heating a pan up over the flame. Not surprisingly, Jinx was there as well, sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.

"Yo BB, dude! Good to see ya awake!" he said. Beast Boy grumbled in reply, his head still thick with sleep. He mindlessly got out a glass and went over to the refrigerator to get some soymilk.

"Not a morning person, is he?" Jinx asked sarcastically.

"Watch this," Cyborg said to her. Knowing what would really wake him, he casually threw a piece of bacon on the skillet. The raw meat sizzled loudly as it hit the hot surface.

Suddenly, Beast Boy sprang to life. "AAAH! YOU'RE SICK!" he shouted accusingly, pointing a finger at him.

"Good morning to you, too," he said. "What's up, dude?"

"Meh, not much," Beast Boy said. Wait a minute, that wasn't true! He had a date today!

"Well, good! Cause today I see a two-hour round of Super Monkey Ninjas 5 with your name on it! So how about it?"

"Actually Cy, I can't. I'm gonna be busy today," he said sheepishly.

"Busy? Busy doing what?" Cyborg asked curiously. Since when had he ever been too busy for videogames?

Beast Boy blushed. "Well, um, I'm going out today. With Raven." Off to the side, Jinx practically spat out her coffee out of shock.

"Out?" Cyborg asked in dumb shock. "You mean, out out?"

"Uh, yeah," said Beast Boy timidly. "Sort of." A huge smile formed on Cy's face.

"ALRIGHT!" Cyborg shouted. He scooped up the grass stain and started giving him a Dutch rub. "Way to go, BB! I knew you had it in ya!"

"Aaaaaw, how cute. I guess opposites really do attract," Jinx added teasingly.

"Wait, hold on a minute!" Beast Boy said, breaking free of Cyborg's grip. "It's not like that! I felt bad about what happened yesterday, so I volunteered to take Raven out today as way of saying sorry. That's all."

"Whatever you say, Beast Boy," Jinx said, not sounding convinced in the slightest. Beast Boy stuck his tongue out at her in retort.

"So you two have made up?" Cyborg asked hopefully.

"Yeah, we talked and we apologized," Beast Boy said happily. "We're cool now."

"Great. Things were getting kind of depressing around here with you two at each other's throats. Hey, want some tofu waffles? My treat for the lucky guy!" Cy offered happily.

"Dude, it's not like that!" Beast Boy said, which was kind of untrue, but he didn't want the others to know.

"Uh huh. So where are you taking her today?" the bionic teen asked curiously.

"Well, I'm thinking of taking her out to the bookstore, then maybe going out for lunch afterward, if she agrees," Beast Boy told him. "But it's a friendly thing, you know?" he added quickly. Cyborg only nodded, not looking convinced either. Beast Boy sat down and poured his soymilk as Cy went to work on the tofu waffles.

Okay, he wasn't really lying; today was a way of him making this up to Raven, but to Beast Boy, this was so much more. If he played his cards right, this just might work out. Today was the day.

Today, he would tell her everything.

Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Lot's of fluffy stuff for you to choke on. If you liked that, they'll be even more in the next chapter! Just to let you know, the first half of the story will be wrapping up shortly, then the real conflict begins! (evil laugh) As usual, please read and continue with the reviews!