Author's notes - my track season has officially ended for the year. Hopefully now I'll have more time to write. At least, until I start my summer job. Sorry for leaving you all on a cliff hanger for so long! So, I'll end that right here. Review and enjoy!
...
The next few minutes in the tower became chaotic. Jinx clawed at the magic closing around her throat, her legs kicking out as she struggled. Wally yelled at Raven, trying to get her to stop. Raven was cursing at Jinx, still claiming she was Slade.
"Raven stop, that's not Slade!" Beast Boy yelled, reaching for Raven's extended arm. She threw her other arm at him, sending him flying into the air with a loud crack as his head connected with the wall.
"Raven let her go!" Wally sprinted towards the sorceress, but he too was blown away by Raven.
She sauntered closer to Jinx, who was slowly starting to go limp against the wall. "I won't let you hurt my friends any longer." She clenched her fist, the magic tightening around Jinx's throat.
Beast Boy quickly shifted into a cheetah and leaped at Raven, reverting back to human form and tackling her down the hallway. He sighed when he heard Jinx's coughing and the signs of Wally checking on her.
Raven struggled in Beast Boy's arms. "Let go of me!" She screamed, driving her elbow into his sternum. Beast Boy let out a cry, pretty certain that his sternum had cracked under the force of the blow.
"Raven it's me!" He tried to get through to her. "It's Garfield!"
"I won't fall for your tricks again!" The sorceress drove her head into Beast Boy's face. The changeling let go of his girlfriend and covered his nose, soon feeling blood pouring into his hands.
"Raven, what's going on?" Argent's voice echoed through the hall. Beast Boy looked up to see Raven running towards Argent.
"Argent grab her!" Beast Boy called out.
At the last moment, Argent grabbed Raven's arm and whipped her around, slamming her friend into the wall. Argent was in Raven's face, but suddenly Raven's angry expression dissipated and she stared blankly at Argent, who seemed to be in a trance of some sort.
Beast Boy turned down the hall to see Wally holding Jinx against the wall, trying to help her breathe better. Bee, Kole and Jericho approached the duo on the ground, Aqualad and Speedy came from the bed bay, and Hot Spot came from the commons room.
No sooner than Beast Boy went to open his mouth, Argent screamed, backing away from Raven and falling into the floor. Raven, however, slowly slid down the wall, her head bowed and arms limp at her sides.
Hot Spot was at Argent's side in an instant, his hands on her shoulders as he pulled her against him. Aqualad went to Raven's side, feeling for a pulse.
"What the hell happened here?" Speedy said, walking towards the changeling and helping him to his feet.
"I don't know." He answered honestly. "She claimed I was Red X, attacked me, said that Jinx was Slade and attacked her."
"That's strange."
"Was she dreaming?" Bee asked.
Beast Boy shook his head. "She was awake." His eyes moved to Argent, who was clinging tightly onto Hot Spot, her shoulders shaking as he slowly rocked her back and forth.
"She's breathing fine." Aqualad stated, looking up at his friends. Raven was still slumped against the wall, her chin touching her chest.
"Why would she think that we were her enemies?" Wally's voice said from behind Beast Boy. His arm was wrapped around Jinx's waist and hers was thrown across his shoulders.
"I don't know." The changeling answered honestly, still covering his nose with his hand.
Aqualad took Raven's arm and draped it across his shoulders, wrapping his arms around the half demon and lifted her off the ground. She curled into him as he straightened up, her head resting against his shoulder.
"Come on, I think I need to heal that sniffer of yours." Jinx's voice chimed beside him.
Beast Boy perched on the edge of the bed where Aqualad had deposited Raven, allowing Jinx to place her hand over his and he soon felt the shifting of bone. He winced, finding out he didn't like the feeling of bone setting.
"Anything else I need to take care of?"
The changeling shook his head and went to stand, but muttered out curses and fell back on the bed, clutching his chest. He'd forgotten about the elbow he took to the sternum.
Jinx healed that too, then gave him a small smile.
"So she attacked you first?" Bee's voice asked.
He nodded. "She said she wasn't falling for my tricks again."
"Something isn't right here."
"Tell me about it." He groaned, stroking Raven's cheek absentmindedly.
The room fell into an uncomfortable near silence, the only sound being the beeping of machines attached to Robin.
"Is Argent okay?" Bee said, but not to anyone in particular.
"Just shaken up." Hot Spot's voice was low, yet he wasn't seen in the med bay. Beast Boy assumed he was still in the hallway with Argent clutched to his chest.
"Can you ask her what happened that caused her to scream?"
Hot Spot's voice fell even lower, soon after a sob came from Argent.
"She doesn't want to talk about it right now. I'll come tell you guys when I find out."
There was some shuffling out in the hallway, but soon that faded away. Wally, Jinx and Bee stood against the wall, Wally and Jinx whispering to each other, while Aqualad and Speedy stood by Robin's bed, looking around the room curiously.
"I can't think of anything that would make sense as to why she attacked everyone." Beast Boy spoke suddenly.
"Yeah, it just doesn't make any sense at all. I mean, you said she defeated them herself, right?" Aqualad took a few steps away from Speedy.
"Yeah. There wasn't many of them left, but she made them all just vanish."
The remaining teens glanced around the room at each other, all of them trying to come up with a logical explanation.
"Why don't we just go back to bed?" Bee suggested. "It's only three a.m., none of us are gonna think of something at this time."
They nodded in agreement. "Kole and Jericho are gonna take over watch duty in about an hour." Speedy said, settling himself back in a chair by Robin. "I'll be fine till then."
"Goodnight guys." The remaining teens left, leaving Speedy and Beast Boy with their injured friends.
"You can go too, BB. I got them covered."
"Nah." Beast Boy plopped down in a chair beside Speedy. "I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to."
"I know the feeling." Speedy crossed his arms across his chest and propped his feet up on the edge of Robin's bed.
Beast Boy rested his temple on his hand, watching the sorceress sleeping.
"I just don't get why she attacked."
"Me either." Speedy sighed, popping his knuckles.
"Guess we'll find out soon enough, huh?"
The duo fell into silence, watching the two sleeping teammates.
Beast Boy closed his eyes. He couldn't wrap his head around what had happened. Raven thought he was Red X, and that Jinx was Slade. She attacked both of them, yet she tried to simply run by Argent.
There was still the matter of the blinding white light that Raven projected. Sure, it made the remaining threats to the city vanish, but where to?
Jail? They would have received a call from someone down at the precinct by now. Another dimension? Reasonable, definitely something Raven would do to ensure the safety of the city.
But why hadn't she mentioned it yet? More importantly, why hadn't be asked about it?
He sighed, opening his eyes, immediately feeling them widen. Instead of being in the medical bay, he found himself in a forest, the same forest that Raven brought him when she was still in her healing trance.
"Raven?"
"Garfield." Her voice answered from behind him. He spun around, finding her in her leotard and cloak, giving him a small smile.
"What happened, Raven?" Her face fell slightly. "Why did you attack us?"
She tore her eyes from his, looking down at the ground. Her hands fidgeted in front of her. "It's hard to explain."
"I'm here as long as you'll let me be." He stepped forward, taking her hands in his. "Raven, I can't help you if you don't tell me."
She sniffled, looking up at him. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and Beast Boy wanted nothing but to take away her reason to cry.
"It hurts."
"What hurts?"
"Everything." Was her response. Suddenly she gasped, her knees buckled and she collapsed, the changeling dropping with her.
"Raven you have to tell me."
"Make it stop, Gar." She begged, her hands squeezing his hands.
"Make what stop?"
Raven let out an ear shattering scream, and Beast Boy was launched from the forest, coming to in the med bay. He sprang upright and gasped, his chest rising and falling rapidly and harshly.
"Beast Boy?" That was way too feminine to be Speedy's voice. He looked to his left, finding Kole and Jericho staring at him. "Are you alright?"
He shook his head, all but running out of the med bay. The changeling sniffed the air, hoping to find the scent he needed. Once he locked on the scent, he ran down the hall to his bedroom, throwing open the door.
Hot Spot and Argent stared back at him. Beast Boy winced at Argent's red rimmed eyes, but walked further into the room, squatting down directly in front of Argent.
"I need you to tell me what you saw."
She flinched, her hands gripping tighter into his comforter.
"Argent I can't help Raven unless I know what you saw."
Argent wiped her eyes, closing them for a moment and taking a deep breath. When she opened them, she found the changeling's eyes and locked onto them.
"It's impossible." She began. "I knew Raven was strong, but I didn't know she was capable of that." Hot Spot stroked her back, soothing her nerves and nudging her to continue. "Somehow, I assume from seeing a friend, she pulled me into her mind. Instantly I could feel everything she felt. The pain. The fear. The grief. It was everything Raven wasn't."
"She dream walked with me earlier. But she screamed, and I was thrown out."
"She's in so much pain. She stayed strong for this long, fighting on her own, but now, she needs help."
"Argent, what did you see?"
"I know what happened to the MIA villains. With that white light you talked about, she brought them into her mind."
"What?"
"She's been fighting them ever since. The Raven we see, she seems perfectly healthy. But, the Raven in her mind, she's broken. She's been struggling. When she pulled me into her mind, she was begging for you."
"Who?" He whispered, tears brimming in his vision.
"Cinderblock, Adonis, Red X and Slade. They're hurting her, Beast Boy." She clenched the comforter between her fists again. "They're hurting her and she isn't going to be able to fight for much longer."
Beast Boy stood abruptly, fists clenched at his sides. "I know what to do."
