(A/N)- Woooo I'm finally finished with this one! I was working on it for like... four... five... no wait (counts on fingers) six days in a row. In spite of all the random things and obligations that kept popping up and distracting me. Now I am free to frollic and do something else for a change. (Like work on my anime-con costume, I've kinda been putting that off...)

This chapter is "The Beast Within" centric. I've been wanting to write a fic like this for forever, to fill in a bunch of the missing scenes and inner character thoughts and whatnot. It's a challenging episode to write for, since it delves into Beast Boy's serious angsty and dark side. And slightly because of certain percieved notions of jerkitude in various characters. (COUGH!) So basically my mission was to explore the aftermath and the behind the scenes without demonizing anyone. If I've suceeded, awesome. At any rate, enjoy the chapter!

Holy cats the grammer in the extended flashback gave me nightmares... and I'm pretty sure I made some glaring errors in tense too...

Disclaimer: Honestly, if I owned Teen Titans don't you think I'd be, you know, a little richer and more famous by now? I mean c'mon.

Scratch Marks

They found him in the main room.

Late morning sunlight slanted through the window. In the shade just outside the square of light sat Beast Boy at the breakfast table, idly picking at his food. To his side, Raven stood a little ways behind him, warm cup of tea huddled in her hands, taking slow, occasional sips.

The three remaining Titans hovered in the doorway, watching the empath and the changeling's strange silent companionship. Their faces bore the same heaviness as they gazed towards their friend. Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin glanced at each other with matching expressions of guilt. Robin half-turned back to the scene in the kitchen, feeling the others' eyes on him, waiting on his lead. He sighed and forged ahead into the room, and the other two followed, their thoughts all playing back the events of last night.

-TT-

The heart monitor beeped softly, the only sound in the room. The three of them were clustered around one of the beds, watching its current occupant's still floating form. They huddled beside Raven, as though their numbers offered a weak sphere of protection around the unconscious empath… and themselves. A little distance away, a small figure was sitting in the examination chair, staring towards them anxiously, the only member of the group currently excluded from the circle. The only member who, up until now, had never shown any form of aggression or hostility towards the rest of them whatsoever.

Beast Boy looked across the distance of the room at the cluster surrounding Raven, biting his lip, his arms around his knees like a scared child.

They wouldn't let him near her. They wouldn't even let him near them. They hadn't let him close ever since he'd woken up in the sewers, soaking wet, his clothes torn, a pounding headache coursing through his skull. His initial confusion had immediately vanished when he'd caught sight of Raven's prone form behind them.

"Raven!" he'd cried, scrambling up and trying to rush to her side. Before he could blink, Starfire and Cyborg were in front of him, directly in his path. Cyborg had had his sonic canon out and Starfire had charged up a starbolt. They'd stood there in front of him, blocking his way.

"What happened?" he'd asked frantically. "Is she okay?"

"Please…" Starfire had begged. "Come no closer."

He'd checked himself then, staring at the Tamaranian in bewilderment. Her eyes were wide as saucers; her starbolt trembled as she'd held it leveled at him. She was terrified.

Beast Boy had felt his stomach churn with worry. He'd tried to look around her to where Robin was picking Raven up from the floor, grunting with the effort.

"She… she doesn't look good." he'd whispered weakly.

The other Titans were silent. Robin did nothing but look at him with hard, apprehensive eyes.

"Guys?" His voice was raspy, hoarse.

They didn't speak to him-barely even looked at him-the whole way back to the surface. He'd trailed after them, hesitant, wanting to run up and see if Raven was okay, but confounded by the fearful uncertainty and guard his friends had put up to prevent him.

They'd cast furtive glances back at him every so often.

When they'd reached the car Robin handed Raven off to Cyborg, who'd carried her easily and set her down inside on the back seat.

They hadn't let him in the car with her.

He'd followed them from a short distance as they sped home, deadly silent. It wasn't until they'd reached the Tower that he couldn't stand it anymore. He'd burst out with questions. Robin and Cyborg looked at him somberly, but otherwise ignored him, as the cybernetic teen fetched Raven from the car and began transporting her upstairs.

In desperation, he had turned to Starfire.

"Star please," he'd begged, "What's going on? Why won't you let me near Raven? How did we get into the sewers?"

Starfire's wide green eyes had a thousand different conflicting emotions running in them. "You…" she'd started, then had to stop and swallow the emotion straining her voice. "You had become some manner of vicious animal…" she managed softly. "We heard Raven scream…"

Beast Boy's heart had given a jolt of panic and distress at that. "Wh-what d'you mean?" he'd stuttered.

Starfire bit her lip but said nothing. At that, he'd gotten irritated. His voice became harsher and a low growl rumbled through his chest. A haze clouded his mind.

"What happened Starfire?" he'd demanded. At her continued silence he'd gotten angry. He'd stepped towards her and yelled "What happened?!"

She'd gasped and backed into the wall. Robin's arm immediately inserted between them and the next instant the Boy Wonder's face was hiding her from view.

"Back off!" Robin snapped, his body shielding Starfire's protectively.

Beast Boy blinked, the sudden rage gone, a stunned expression on his face as though he'd been physically struck. As Robin and Starfire moved off he'd stood bewildered at the anger that had possessed him. He… he'd yelled at Starfire. He never yelled at Starfire.

He'd stayed frozen in place while the other Titans left the garage with Raven, finally deciding to go up to his room and change his uniform.

It was then, when he'd seen the scratch marks, the ripped-up sheets, the broken furniture, that he'd remembered. The lab… Adonis… his attitude… that argument with Raven… being angry… breaking things in his room… pain…

And then nothing.

A sinking feeling had hit his stomach then. He fell to his knees. What had he done? For several minutes he could do nothing but stay paralyzed on the floor, trying to summon back the memories from the blank period of time in between demolishing his room and waking up in the sewer. He'd thought about what Starfire had said… that he'd become some kind of animal… and the growing realization made him sick. He'd dug his nails into the floor, willing what he'd eaten that day to stay down.

He didn't quite manage.

Wiping the cold sweat from his face, he'd quickly changed into a new uniform and slipped into the med bay, cautiously creeping across the room and sliding into the examination chair, where he stayed, quiet and fearful, while the other Titans assessed Raven's condition.

Robin was the first one to glance back and acknowledge him. "Cyborg." the Titans' leader called, tilting his head towards the changeling in a silent order. Cyborg nodded and moved off towards Beast Boy, who reluctantly uncurled from his fetal position and let the older boy run examinations on him.

The nervous energy in the room began to dissipate as the minutes passed and Beast Boy showed no signs of returning aggression. He seemed like himself again, and that started to reassure them there was no danger. Cyborg passed back and forth between the changeling and Raven, taking measurements, checking the readouts on the monitors. Starfire looked toward him anxiously a long while, before she left Raven's side and fetched a cup of water. She floated over to Beast Boy and offered it hesitantly.

"I don't think I could keep it down Star." he mumbled, shaking his head.

The Tamaranian princess set it down by him anyway before returning to Raven. Eventually the changeling gave in and picked it up, downing it in large gulps to loosen his dry, tight throat.

Robin eventually made his way to Beast Boy as well. He raised his hand, paused and thought about it a moment, then went ahead and put it on the changeling's shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked.

Beast Boy didn't look up from his empty cup. "I feel terrible." he said.

Robin let out a heavy breath. Time to dig for answers. "What happened?"

"I don't know."

The Boy Wonder's brows furrowed. "You don't know." he repeated.

"I don't remember." Beast Boy muttered under his breath.

Robin frowned. Not the answer he was hoping for. Beast Boy was the only one who could've given them something more to go on than rough guesses and circumstantial evidence. If he couldn't help them… "Okay." Robin acknowledged, straightening up and wandering back over to Raven's bedside. "Work on it." he told the shape-shifter. Maybe Cyborg had something…

"What…" Beast Boy's voice called after him, strained, wavering. "What do you think happened?"

Robin stared straight ahead at the displays on the wall, and didn't turn around, weighing the choice. At length, he admitted the truth. "We think…" he said, "… you might have attacked Raven."

The cup went clattering to the floor by the chair. "No…" Beast Boy whispered.

Starfire's worried gaze lifted to him, and then to Robin as he rejoined her in vigilance over Raven. Her hands were clasped against her chest.

"There is… an explanation yes?" she inquired, her eyes darting from Robin to the readouts on the screens.

"I'm sure there is Starfire." he reassured her. His gaze became distant. "There has to be." he added to himself. He stared off into space, losing himself in his thoughts.

For a long moment they were all quiet. No one said anything, no one moved from the spot they were rooted to. Only the steady beeping of Raven's heart monitor broke the uneasy silence. Cyborg pressed buttons on the medical computer, going over his findings. Beast Boy sat glumly in his chair. Starfire gazed down softly at Raven's floating form as the empath bobbed up and down.

She couldn't bear the tension.

"Is she… all right?" she asked.

The question brought everyone back to the present. Cyborg's head lifted and he pointed at one of the displays.

"She's alive, but she's in some kinda trance." he told them.

"She's healing herself." Robin said, watching the process as the empath hovered several inches above the mattress, eyes closed, completely relaxed.

Beast Boy spoke up then, the distress clearly evident in his voice.

"And you're telling me… I did that to her?" The shape-shifter shook his head. "That's impossible!"

"We found you with her." Robin told him.

Beast Boy wasn't listening. "No!" he cried. His head shook harder. "I wouldn't! I mean, we had a fight but I would never…" His vehement denial trailed off. He couldn't say it.

Starfire met his eyes from across the room. "She was in your teeth." she said quietly.

"THAT'S A LIE!" he screamed, the rough growling undertone suddenly back.

Robin tensed, willing himself to stay calm. His mind was still trying to come up with a plan, an idea, an explanation, a way to handle this, something. Something that would prove his friend hadn't attacked Raven, hadn't done what all the evidence seemed to point to, was not violently unstable and a danger to all of them, and Beast Boy yelling at Starfire was not helping. Robin managed to keep his face neutral as he turned around and stepped toward the agitated changeling.

His voice was very even. "I'm going to ask you to keep… your voice… down." he warned.

Beast Boy's jaw clenched as he glared with an alien seething fury. His hand gripped the handle of the chair tightly, trembling with barely-contained rage. Robin kept on high alert, preparing to put himself between the changeling and the rest of his team, if need be. Beast Boy had already attacked Raven (from all appearances at least). Cyborg and Starfire would not be next.

But the need never arose. Beast Boy's expression twitched and softened, the anger fading away as suddenly as it had come. Weak shock replaced the wrathful glare. His eyes dropped to the floor.

"What's happening to me?" he whispered hoarsely.

Cyborg spoke up as the computer finished its analysis, and all eyes turned to him. "I'm picking up traces of recombinant DNA." he said. He glanced back over his shoulder. "It's not human."

"The chemicals at the lab?" Robin questioned.

Cyborg nodded. "Because of the shape-shifting, his genetic code was always unstable." he explained. He looked ruefully at the display showing the mutation in Beast Boy's body. Whatever it was had changed Beast Boy from the inside out, on the molecular level. And Cyborg didn't know how much farther it would go. "Maybe it's just... finally falling apart." he mumbled.

Coming undone from the inside seemed to be lost on Beast Boy for the moment. Instead, Raven's still, unmoving form had his full attention. His voice quivered. "Raven..." he breathed. "She's gonna be all right, isn't she? I mean... she's not moving." No one answered and Beast Boy pulled his eyes away and put his head in his hands. "What have I done?" he whimpered.

Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire traded a guarded look, their thoughts running along the same path. What had happened that day… they would never have expected it from their little green shape-shifter. Possibly from Robin (they all knew how he could get during a case, especially one involving Slade) or maybe Raven. But never from Beast Boy. It was Beast Boy for crying out loud! The changeling had never gotten angry, not like that, dangerously, violently angry, an unstable force of animalistic nature. The idea that he of all people could suddenly develop an attitude and then viciously attack and injure one of his teammates… they just couldn't comprehend it. It didn't register properly in their minds. (Likely why, in spite of how scary it had been initially, they were not as frightened to be in the same room with him now.)

Robin couldn't think clearly with that conundrum beating at his brain. There had to be another explanation. He had to get to the bottom of this, to determine for certain what had gone down, what the next course of action was. He had to find the answers, mostly for the changeling's sake so they could find out what was wrong with him and fix it, but also for the others' sakes should the unthinkable prove true. Robin was still hoping, fervently hoping, that it wasn't… but if Beast Boy proved to be a viable threat to the Titans… he would protect his team.

From the look of it, Cyborg couldn't tell them anything. And Raven sure wasn't waking up anytime soon. The answers were in Beast Boy's head.

So he was going to get them.

"You need to tell me what happened." he said. A statement, not a suggestion.

"I told you, I don't remember-any of it." Beast Boy protested. "We had that argument, I went to my room, I was angry, and then nothing." His eyes clenched and one hand went to his temple as his brain made a cursory rack of the dark blank period in his head. "Claws... a scream... nothing!" he told Robin, straightening back up.

Robin set his jaw. That wasn't acceptable. They weren't going to get anywhere if Beast Boy kept hedging and giving vague non-answers. They could wait, maybe, to see what Cyborg could find, what a more in-depth analysis would turn up. But that wouldn't tell them what had happened to Raven, whether the shape-shifter had attacked her or not, and if so, whether the danger was still present. Those things he needed to know now. He didn't have time for Beast Boy's dodging. Channeling the methods of his former mentor wasn't very savory, but he was at a complete loss. He didn't have a whole lot of options, and he didn't know what else to do.

So he pushed.

"Claws and a scream isn't nothing. What else?" he pressed, stepping around to the other side of the examination chair.

Beast Boy slumped in his seat. "That's all." he maintained.

"No, it isn't." Robin insisted. "You have to focus."

"I am!" the changeling cried.

Robin leaned down to Beast Boy's level. "You have to remember!"

"I'm trying!" he whined.

"Try harder!" Robin ordered adamantly. The changeling began to sweat as Robin continued pressuring him. "If you can't tell me what happened, I have to assume the worst." Robin reminded. "I have to put you in jail. You need to remember!"

"I CAN'T!"

Beast Boy's heart monitor suddenly began doing double time, and the changeling yelped and shouted in pain as he hunched over, grimacing and jerking about. Beast Boy's face contorted, a titanic struggle between rage and agony. Robin's eyes widened and he stepped back, stomach plummeting with a sinking realization that he'd pushed the shape-shifter too far.

"Beast Boy!" Starfire cried. She moved towards them.

"No!" Robin shouted in panic, holding up his hand to stop her. Whatever trigger had caused the last assault, he knew he'd just hit it. It wasn't safe. She couldn't get near…

"Get away from me!" Beast Boy growled, though whether to Starfire or something else, they couldn't tell.

Starfire halted where she was and came no closer, a horrified expression on her face. "What is-"

A ripping sound suddenly added to the din. Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire watched in paralyzed terror as the shape-shifter began changing before their eyes. His uniform shredded and his snarls and growls grew deeper in pitch until, with a final snap, the wolf-like creature from the sewers stood up in the place of their friend.

-TT-

Beast Boy showed no sign that he noticed their approach, continuing to push the food on his plate around with his fork. It wasn't until Robin spoke that they had his attention.

"Beast Boy."

He looked up. "Oh." He looked back down at his plate. "Hey guys." he greeted.

"We need to talk." Robin told him.

Beast Boy set down his fork and scooted his stool out a ways from the counter, angling it to face them. "Okay." he said, still not making eye contact.

Robin glanced briefly at Raven, who just stared back coolly at him, then turned his attention back to Beast Boy, who was busy finding his shoes exceptionally interesting. The Boy Wonder tugged at the roots of his hair and took a deep breath.

"Look, I…" He paused and dropped his hands. "I'm sorry for how I treated you last night." he said quietly.

"We all are." Cyborg added.

"We wish to apologize." Starfire put in, her head dipped low. "We were... mistaken… in our assumptions. We allowed our fear and confusion to dictate our actions."

The changeling's cheeks flushed with dull heat. "S'not a big deal." he muttered almost inaudibly.

"Yes, it is." Robin insisted firmly. "We were too hard on you." He sighed again and then amended, "I was too hard on you. I shouldn't have pushed you like I did. I made a poor judgment call with the way I handled the situation." The Titan lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry."

"I forgive you."

"I failed you as a leader and as a friend and I-" Robin was cut off by a pair of arms being thrown around him. Beast Boy had popped up from the stool and… hugged him. Robin blinked.

"Dude, seriously." the changeling said, pulling back. "Cut it out. I forgive you."

"You-huh?" Robin said, confounded, having never been interrupted on one of his self-depreciating rants before.

"I mean, yeah, I'm still a little mad and bitter and… hurt." He thought a minute then gestured with his hands. "Okay, a lot hurt. But, I was…" He looked back and shared a significant look with Raven. "Um, thinking about it this morning and… I kinda understand somewhat where you're coming from?" Beast Boy scratched the back of his head. "I was really scary out of control like that. I even scared myself." he said, giving a small sheepish grin. His expression turned more serious. "But you guys are still my friends no matter what. You should've trusted me a little more."

"We should've trusted you a lot more." Cyborg said, speaking up from where he'd hung silent at the back of the group. His expression was cowed and full of remorse. "You're right B, we are still friends." he said. "We shoulda acted like that before we acted like heroes."

"Oh!" Starfire cried, rushing forward and crushing Beast Boy with a hug. "Forgive me for ever doubting in you my friend!" she wailed, almost on the verge of tears.

Beast Boy wheezed as the air in his lungs was pressed out of him. "Can't breathe… Star…" he gasped.

She let go.

The shape-shifter coughed, inhaled deeply, a hand on his throat. "It's okay Star." he told her a little hoarsely, smiling at her reassuringly. "Actually I owe you an apology too. For screaming at you and stuff." He dug his toe into the carpet. "It was out of line." he told her.

"You are forgiven." the Tamaranian replied.

Cyborg rubbed his neck. "I don't suppose there's any way we can make it up to you?"

"Maybe." Beast Boy waffled. "I'll think of something later. Honestly guys, it wasn't that bad." he assured them.

"It could always have been worse." Raven piped up to remind them.

"Yeah, exactly!" he agreed, shooting a quick grateful look in Raven's direction. "I mean, it's not like you had to strap me down to the bed or anything." he pointed out.

"…Gee thanks." Robin grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring at the floor at the reminder.

-TT-

Raven kept a close, but unobtrusive watch on the Titans' interactions for the next week, seeing how everyone was, and how the relationships between them were slowly healing. Beast Boy himself was a little quieter and more subdued for a while, which was both a relief and worrisome to her. (She made frequent empathic check-ups on his emotional state, noticing when it started becoming clearer and healthier.) As for the other Titans, Robin locked himself in his room for two days, still beating up on himself for his error in judgment, and Starfire wouldn't stop apologizing profusely whenever Beast Boy was in range. But gradually, things began to go back to normal. Beast Boy started cracking lame jokes around the dinner table again. Starfire started laughing again. Cyborg risked raising an argument about tofu versus meat and it was met… about as well as it ever was, which was certainly a sign that things were improving.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were the first to completely recover, and three days after the fateful "were-beast" event could be seen, dueling to the death on the gamestation, back to their old selves. A day or so later, the changeling invited Starfire to come with him to adoption day at his favorite pet store. From the way their auras glowed when they came back, laughing, their eyes bright and shining with shared childlike wonder, Raven could tell that they were on the mend too.

She started worrying after a week about Beast Boy and Robin but that soon passed the day she heard strange grunting and panting coming from the gym. She peeked in through the door and almost chuckled at what she saw. The changeling and the Boy Wonder were sparring; Beast Boy was taking many different animal forms in rapid succession as he fought and it was clear from the chagrin on Robin's face that the young martial artist was either legitimately outmatched or just allowing Beast Boy to clobber the bejeezers out of him to make him happy. (Raven put her money on the latter and wondered to herself just how that conversation might have gone down.) The fight ended when both boys collided and cracked their skulls against each other. Raven winced and almost went inside, but the boys sat up laughing, lightly punching each other on the arm and she relaxed.

She smiled when she saw the Titans' leader extend his hand to the changeling to help him to his feet, and gently slid the door shut again, feeling the weight of the event finally dissipating. She walked away quietly, letting the two alone to heal behind her.

(A/N)- There's something wrong with me. Seriously. I should not have had so much fun writing the BB+Robin friendship at the end of this chapter.

Wait, what am I saying? I always get really squealy and fangirlish over gen. (bonks head) Duh! Should've expected my giggling and aww-ing when writing the hug as standard procedure...