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

Chapter 14

Beast Boy sat in his room feeling very depressed. He was the only one in the tower, aside from Silkie, for the team had been called out on a mission. Night had fallen and the tower was very quiet. He'd never felt so alone before.

"This sucks," he said to the quiet air.

He stood up and looked around at what was left of his room. He'd nearly destroyed it at this point. The broken chains and locks were scattered about the floor. He couldn't believe such strength resided inside of him. He looked into his mirror and frowned, disgusted with the green man that was staring back at him.

"I hate you," he said through his teeth.

"Well, I'm not very fond of you, either," a voice said.

He jumped and looked around.

"Who is that?" he demanded.

"After all of our sessions together you don't remember my voice?" it laughed.

Beast Boy growled and said, "It's you. My damn primal side. What do you want?"

"Just thought I'd keep you company," its voice said. "You are all alone, after all."

"Shut up," Beast Boy snarled.

"I don't blame you for being upset," it said. "But, just remember, you did this to yourself."

"You did this to me!" Beast Boy shouted to the air. "You're the one who's been ruining my life!"

"I told you, let me out and I'll leave you alone," it said.

"And I told you I'll never do that!" said Beast Boy. "I'll figure a way to stop you from doing this. I'm not gonna let you control me anymore! I'm going to get rid of you!"

"Do you really think you can do that?" its voice laughed. "Do you think I'd ever let you be free of me? If you think so, then let me tell you right now, you'll never be rid of me; of what I am."

"You're just a stupid part of me!" said Beast Boy. "And right now you're nothing but a voice. I just have to plug my ears and I won't have to listen to you."

"Just a voice, eh?" it said. "Then look in the mirror again."

Beast Boy looked and was shocked to not see his own reflection but the reflection of his beast form! The very creature who was taunting him!

"Am I just a voice now?" it asked, looking at him through the mirror.

"I don't care if I can see you," said Beast Boy, turning away. "All I have to do is look away or close my eyes and you're gone!"

"But the next time you look back in the mirror I'll be there," said the creature. "As long as you live, I'll be right here."

Beast Boy closed his eyes and held his head. "This isn't real," he said to himself. "This is just a stupid illusion being put on by my brain. I just have to will it away and it'll all end!"

"This is no illusion!" said the creature. "I'm here to stay, no matter what you pretend."

"You can't stay because you can't be controlled!" said Beast Boy.

"You can't control me because you've allowed me to live untamed for so long," it said.

"Well I'm done letting you be untamed," said Beast Boy. "I'm sick of you being around. I don't even need you!"

"You'll never be rid of me, you fool!" it said. "I'll be inside you forever!"

"No!" Beast Boy screamed. "I won't let that happen! I'm going to get you out of me if it's the last thing I do!"

"And I'm going to bring us together, if it's the last thing I do," it responded. "When I'm done, we'll be as one! You'll truly live up to your name of Beast Boy!"

"Don't you understand?" Beast Boy cried. "I'm the one in charge here and I decide what happens with my body! And it's time for you to die already! You've done nothing but ruin my life!"

"I can't die!" he laughed. "I won't die!"

"Damn you!" Beast Boy screamed. "Leave me alone! I hate you!"

"Then you hate yourself," it said. "Because you are me and I am you. We are one, Beast Boy, embrace me and the possibilities are endless!"

"No, never!" said Beast Boy. He quickly bolted out of his room, which felt suffocating, and began to walk down the quiet hallway. He was really questioning his sanity now.

"You can't just walk away from me," the creature's voice said.

"Leave me alone," Beast Boy demanded.

"I'm not going anywhere," it said.

"Fine, then shut up," Beast Boy growled. "You're giving me a headache."

"You're giving yourself a headache," the voice replied.

Beast Boy growled and continued on his way down the hall. He finally reached the common room and felt the large open space help him to feel a little less trapped. He prayed that the others got home soon, since he knew the voice would shut up once they were around.

"Why do you want them to return?" the voice asked. "I'd think you'd want them to stay away, especially in your condition."

"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asked.

"Do you really think I'll stop at making you tear about the tower in your sleep?" it laughed. "I'm only getting started. The next step is, of course, attacking your friends."

"Then I'll tell them to fight me back," said Beast Boy.

"And then, of course, I'll go against my own principles and have your darkest nightmare come true," it said.

Beast Boy felt a shiver go down his spine and fury boiling within him. "I won't attack Raven," he growled. "You can't make me do anything to her!"

"Oh? Can't I?" it taunted.

"You're not gonna touch her!" Beast Boy screamed. "I won't let you!"

"You can't stop me," it chuckled. "I'll do as I please until you do as I command!"

"I'll never let you hurt her!" Beast Boy shouted.

"You're the one who'll hurt her!" it said. "She'll suffer because of you!"

"I'm sick of hearing this!" said Beast Boy, pacing back and forth in the kitchen. "You are me, I am you, we are one, enough already! If we're the same being then the only way to get rid of you would be to…"

Beast Boy paused as a thought came to him. A dark thought that struck him like an epiphany.

"Don't even think about it," warned the creature's voice.

"Why? Are you scared?" asked Beast Boy, going to one of the kitchen drawers and pulling it open.

"If I am then so are you," it said.

"At this point, I don't even care," said Beast Boy, slipping a large knife out of the drawer.

"Well you should!" it said, growing frantic.

"You are me, I am you," said Beast Boy, placing the cold steel of the knife to his wrist. "So if I die, you die too!"

"You don't have the guts," the voice said darkly.

"Oh, don't I?" said Beast Boy, applying a bit of pressure to the knife that lay against his skin. "You think you can threaten me and get away with it? To tell me that you're going to force me to attack my friends? That I'll attack Raven? I'd rather die then cause any of them harm. And I'd rather die then spend another day listening to you!"

In one swift movement he pulled the knife along his wrist and, as the adrenaline kicked in, slid it across the other as well. He then threw the knife aside and held his bleeding wrists up, letting the blood course down his green arms.

"There! I'm free of you!" he screamed.

"You idiot!" the voice cried. "What have you done?"

Beast Boy felt relief wash over him, but just as quickly the reality of his actions set in. Shock consumed him as he brought his arms down and looked at the deep cuts he'd made in each wrist. The blood poured from each wound and within moments he felt lightheaded. He wavered about and grabbed onto the counter, but his legs gave out and he crumpled to the floor. His body began to shake and fear took him.

"Oh God," he said as he laid his head on the cool floor of the kitchen. "W-What've I done?"

His heart raced and he felt tears come to his eyes. He was going to die here, on the kitchen floor. He was going to die by suicide; the coward's death. No, he couldn't let his friends think he'd done it for selfish reasons. With whatever strength was left in him he rolled onto his side and, with his own blood, wrote on the floor, 'I did it for you.' That was as far as he got when he felt everything within him calm down. A feeling of euphoria washed over him and he almost felt as if he were floating.

The blood that continued to flow out of his wounds felt hot and sticky. His nose was overwhelmed with the scent of his own blood and he felt sick. He moved himself onto his back and stared up at the tall ceiling of the common room. The outer areas of his sight began to grow dark and creep inward. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his head. Finally the darkness took his sight and his breaths began to slow and become shallow. He felt one last moment of fear before slipping out of consciousness.

Within the city Nathan strolled into the cities most important laboratory. He looked around and saw that everyone had gone home for the night. He smiled to himself, quite glad to be rid of any witnesses. He went straight to a storage room in the back and began searching for the chemicals.

"There better be enough," he said to himself as he looked around. "Not that I'd know how much is necessary."

He found about ten refrigerators and began going through them, looking for the chemical's name on the labels. And, in the third refrigerator, he found just what he was looking for. The fridge was completely filled with the chemicals.

"Perfect," he said, smiling to himself. He opened up a large cooler and began to place in as many bottles of the chemicals as he could.

"Hey! What're you doing?" came a voice from behind him. He turned and saw a security guard, shining a flashlight on him.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know anyone was here," he said very coolly and flashed his brilliant smile. "I'm Nathan Ross, police chief Ross' son."

"Oh," said the security guard, putting his flashlight down. "You sure gave me a shock there, son."

"Sorry about that," he said, still smiling. "If I'd known you were here I would've checked in with you before come in here."

"What are you doing in here?" the guard asked.

"My father wanted me to get a few samples of these chemicals," he said, innocently. "I don't know why, but he does. I was supposed to do it earlier today but I forgot. You're not gonna tell anyone, are you? Cuz my dad will skin me alive if he finds out."

"No, don't worry about it," said the guard. "It'll be our little secret."

"Thanks," said Nathan, closing the cooler.

And, just like that, Nathan walked out of the laboratory with nearly two gallons of highly unstable chemicals in plain sight of the security guard. And he did it with a smile on his face and dark intentions in his heart.