Chapter 10: The new normal.
It has been a journey to say the least and as Raven laid in bed anticipating for it to be over the minutes and hours could not have passed any slower as the clock showed 23:58 pm on the night of her 16th birthday. It was almost darkly comical anticipating the end of the world without any expectation only to wish for the catalyst to arrive faster and faster. to Raven that didn't matter much she just wanted to be sure that Constantine's work remained effective as he assured her so she could have not only a new beginning on life but a new sense of normal as well. As the clock struck midnight Raven stared at her room for a while waiting for something to happen, when it did not she rose out of bed and stared at Jump city from her window, keeping a close watch almost scrutinizing it, goading it for something to happen, that gaze lasted for almost two hours before sleep finally caught on with the anxious heroine as she crawled back to bed finally letting go of a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Morning came as Raven was now tossing in her sleep making sure the sun wouldn't get in her eyes until she felt the presence of a dear friend in her bed.
" Beast….. Gar….. tell me your not in my bed in your birthday suit…"
At that Beast boy could only grin as he playfully teased.
"well since you put it that way….. it wouldn't make any sense since it's your birthday and not mine….. then again…. the only way to confirm that is to open your eyes…."
Reluctant Raven opened her eyes to see that indeed he was fully dressed….. well minus his shirt, now being replaced by a white and red tank top, however more importantly she caught in the corner of her eye a square shaped item, a canvas with an image of her reading a book while stroking a green house cat.
"Gar….. what is this?"
Beast boy answered.
" a painting."
At that Raven rolled her eyes as she continued.
" why thank you captain obvious…. now again what is it?"
At that Beast boy/Gar answered with a warm and sincere smile on his face.
"that is your present…. happy birthday honey…"
At that Raven/Rachel got lost for words as she eventually asked.
" that's why you've locked yourself in your room?… you made it?"
At that Beast boy/Gar started to scratch the back of his head as he answered.
"yeah…. well I wanted to make something really special and heartfelt for the girl who has everything…."
At that Raven smirked as she asked innocently.
"really?….. I'm a girl who has everything to you?"
Catching on quick Beast boy explained himself as he started kissing Raven on the mouth gently yet passionately.
"why yes…. a loving family… good friends…. and my….. heart…."
At this Beast boy suddenly stopped as he began drawing quick and shallow breaths as Raven got concerned only to realize a few seconds later that Beast boy was faking it with a dumb grin plastered on his face, a grin that never left as Raven thwacked him square in the face with one of her pillows.
" I'm sorry…. I was just fooling….. I'm a fool… ouch….."
At that Raven/Rachel's only response was to faint a hurt expression on her face as she stated.
" I'll forgive you on one condition… promise me you'll under no circumstances do that again….. jerk…"
At that Beast boy hugged her tightly as he concluded the conversation with.
" I promise….. you won't be rid of me this easily"
At that Raven shooed him out as she went to her bathroom to start the day. A few minutes later she got out of her bathroom with a fresh uniform as she stepped towards the painting, lifted it and mounted it on her wall above the bed as a small smile crept on her face thinking.
' for a fool…. you're genuinely smart when you want to be.'
By the time she got to the kitchen she was met by the rest of the Titans as they all cheered in unison.
"happy birthday…."
With that the core Titans took their turn presenting their gifts with Night-wing starting giving her various gift certificates and a collection of rare novels ranging from mystery to romance, next was Starfire who surprisingly presented her with a Tamaranian armor given to the highly respected of warriors ending with being knighted by Starfire, a gesture clearly meant to show the gratitude she felt towards Raven with Cyborg being the last presenting her with flowers from him and Sarah.
"thanks Cyborg….. though to be honest I somehow expected more from you of all people."
At that Cyborg replied with.
" you really think that's it from me?… the real gift will come later in the day."
Intrigued she gave him a warm smile as Beast boy asked Cyborg.
"okay big man….. what are you up to?"
At that Cyborg gave a big toothy grin as he replied.
"you'll see…. you're a part of it as well."
With that Cyborg left the room carrying on with his day and so for the rest of the Titans as Beast boy exclaimed.
" you can't leave like that…..come on man….. throw me a bone over here"
At that Cyborg gave a big laugh as he replied back.
" I can't say anything less than make sure to wear something nice."
At that Beast boy was ledt alone to scratch his head a little as he eventually just shrugged as he went back to his room to check his wardrobe thinking.
' something nice huh… gee would it have killed you to be more specific?'
With that Beast boy entered his room checking out a few outfits until he decided to head out to the city to see if he could buy something nice or at the very least rent something. As Beast boy went out to the city he traveled using his morphing ability to avoid traffic and get some air in the meantime until he got to the mall. As he morphed back into human form he wore Cyborg's holographic ring to maintain a low profile as he navigated through the mall as he nearly got lost in there a couple of times, especially when your abilities makes you think and feel like a home theatre was pounding inside your head 24/7. finding a men's clothing store nearby he quickly made his way inside. Once there the cashier quickly zeroed in on him, an average African American kinda scrawny with an expression that was unreadable to him due to the fact that his eyes looked like they were gonna bulge out.
"hey… what's happening my man?…welcome to Barnett's…. what can I do for you?"
A little alarmed and jumpy Beast boy/Gar answered.
" I got a date tonight….. so I'm looking for something nice to wear….. without costing me an arm and a leg….. you know?"
At this point the cashier gave him a weird grin as he replied.
" well…. you're out of luck there….. that's the bad news… the good news is once you do give your arm and leg…. we do alterations on the spot."
At that Beast boy/ Gar pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation as he asked.
"well I'm kinda attached to mine…. any chance I could rent one for a night?"
A few hours later Beast boy returned back to the tower with a shopping bag in hand heading towards his room as he took a look at what he got,a green pistachio dinner jacket, a plain white shirt, a creme colored pants and brown leather Italian shoes. As Beast boy took a look at what he rented the only thought that ran through his head was.
' for what I paid for… it could have been worst…..'
At this point Night-wing passed by saying.
"hey everything set for tonight?….. Cyborg sent me just in case….."
He was about to finish his sentence as he saw what was laying on Beast boy's bed.
"please tell me you're not actually serious….."
At this point Beast boy released a chuckle without noticing it as he said.
" it's a rental…."
At this moment Night-wing tried his best not to crack up as he said.
"no shit… what is it puke green?…"
At that Beast boy began to laugh with him saying it was supposed to pistachio which didn't help the situation either as Night-wing quipped that he could pull off this getup only if he was about to set out for Halloween as an Italian ice cream. With both of them laughing their ass off at this point Night-wing suggested.
"come on I'll lend you some of my clothes…. in the meantime make sure to return this hideous thing back."
At that Beast boy nodded.
" I'll do that tomorrow morning….. I don't want the clowns at Barnett's to charge me extra."
At that Night-wing quipped.
"fair enough… now can you please throw that thing back in it's bag before it'll poke someone's eyes out?"
At that Beast boy quickly and neatly folded it away as he quickly ran towards Night-wing's room as he rummaged throughout anything that wasn't work attire. A few minutes later he came back with a dark gray jacket, pants and dress shoes with a light Burgundy shirt. As evening arrived Beast boy, now dressed sensibly, came out of his room heading towards the living room spotting Night-wing and Cyborg joking among themselves.
"let me guess… the rental?"
At that all of that let out a laugh as Night-wing said.
"go ahead and keep those….. it's from my days as Robin"
At that Beast boy smiled saying.
"don't worry I'll keep those extra clean."
At that a slight awkwardness developed between the guys however that moment didn't last long as Raven/Rachel Roth entered the room dressed in an Escada creme white velvet beaded dress with a matching jacket.
"what?…"
At that Beast boy was the one to recover first.
" wow… you look just…. wow"
That made raven/Rachel feel a little self conscious as she replied the best way she knew how, honest with a touch of sarcasm.
" gee be careful not to bite you tongue there Twain….. still thank you…. you look somewhat decent yourself."
At this point cyborg politely interjected.
" not to ruin a cute moment here but….. we do have reservations and early rush hour to beat"
With that beast boy, Raven and Cyborg headed towards the garage as beast boyheld out his arm so Raven could interlock it with.
"thank you…. what a gentleman."
At that Beast boy just gave a satisfied grin as both of them reached the T car as both climbed in the back with Cyborg taking the wheel.
"are you both sure you didn't forget anything?"
At that Beast boy quipped.
" well gee thanks I was sure about that until you brought it up"
At that Raven assured Cyborg as the mechanical hero and resident driver headed out of the tower towards Sarah's place. Luckily for Cyborg traffic flowed reasonably well making it to Sarah's place in about 15 minutes. As Cyborg got out of the car to get Sarah he turned back to Beast boy and Raven.
"you two….. behave yourselves until I'm back….."
At that Raven and Beast boy rolled their eyes as Cyborg just smirked to himself while entering Sarah's apartment building. About 45 minutes later the T car pulled over into a packed parking lot as Beast boy and Raven slipped their holographic rings on as Cyborg unlocked the rear doors as Gar Logan and Rachel Roth got out first.
"Cy….. why aren't you two getting out?"
At that Cyborg tried to hide a smirk as he replied the following.
"me and Sarah got other plans….. besides this is the little lady's night….. have fun you two."
With that Cyborg reversed and drove out of the parking lot as Beast boy comically pointed out.
" we were setup…. we were setup…. can you believe that?"
Sighing a bit Rachel responded with.
"actually I can….. now can we get inside? I'm getting a little cold…."
At that Gar embraced her by the shoulder as he asked.
"would you like me to warm you up?"
At that Rachel laid her head on his shoulder replying.
"that's a nice gesture….. can you turn yourself into a mink?"
Gar at that gave a warm smile appreciating that remark as he gave her a small kiss on her forehead leading her inside the restaurant Cyborg made reservations in, it was a pop and mom's joint by the sea, it wasn't a posh high society joint but it wasn't no McDonald's either it was a busy restaurant to the like of Cafe's . as Gar and Rachel placed their orders Rachel wondered aloud.
"say did I ever ask why you have an aversion to meat?"
At that Gar simply answered.
"well…. officially I only talked about it with Cyborg but here goes….. other than the fact that I can turn into the animals being served on a dinner plate….. the smell of meat drives me crazy….. and I just don't want to lose control of myself because of my powers you know?"
At that Raven admitted.
" all too well."
With that the waiter arrived with the entree as the main courses were still underway as Rachel began to feel irritation from Beast boy currently distracting himself with a glass of coke and garlic bread. As the irritation became more apparent Rachel asked.
" say Gar….. do you want to get out of here?"
At that Gar chuckled nervously.
"it's that obvious huh?"
At that Rachel replied with a smile.
"it's not hard to miss… you always were your emotions on your sleeves"
With that beast boy changed the subject.
"speaking of… have your powers recovered yet?"
To that Rachel's reply was.
" I'm not really sure… most of my powers came with Trigon's influence…. either way I'll get back to you on that."
With that Gar grabbed her hand gently saying silently 'I'll be there for you' as the main courses arrived both of them ate in peaceful silence until they had enough making sure they paid the bill only for them to find that the meal was free of charge as apparently it was a favor for Cyborg as he in turn saved the owners. At that both gar and Rachel bid farewell as now they made it to the beach as gar and Rachel removed their rings.
"wow… feels good to be my real self again…."
At that Raven agreed.
" you said a mouthful…."
With that Beast boy morphed into a mink climbing up to raven's shoulders, wrapping himself around her neck to which Raven began to giggle.
"you didn't have to do that you know…"
At that beast boy's only response was to nuzzle his head on her cheek as they continued walking along the beach. Meanwhile back with Sarah and Cyborg, the two had opted to catch a screening of whatever played that time of year in the movie theater, enjoying their company Sarah asked silently.
" do you think those two are okay?"
At that Cyborg smirked.
"knowing those two…. their probably enjoying some fresh air about now"
And as Cyborg predicted those two did enjoy themselves outside as Beast boy and Raven were making out on the beach using Beast boy's jacket as a makeshift beach towel with beast boy at the bottom.
"happy…. birthday…. sweetheart…"
At that raven smirked as she kept on kissing him, letting her passion for once to take full control as she began fiddling with his shirt while kissing his neck slowly.
"hey now….. if this is your way of celebrating sweet 16… I should definitely look forward to 18…."
At that Raven willed herself to stop as she asked.
"honestly….. do you want to wait this long?"
At that Beast boy kicked himself as he couldn't deny that he was aroused so he answered bluntly.
"honestly….. no….. I just want to do this right for a change…."
With that Raven helped him up as he dusted the jacket and pants from sand as Raven conjured a portal back to Titans tower as she held Beast boy's hand.
" take it from someone like me….. no one gets it absolutely right….. but you're the closest I ever met."
With that both stepped into the portal walking out to Raven's room.
"well….. I guess this is goodnight?"
At that Raven nodded as she said.
" I guess…. we should do this again… soon"
At that Beast boy gave a small smile saying.
" I'd love that…. now go on inside I'll tell Cy we A-okay"
As the days passed by Raven kept on training discovering that though some of her powers have weakened her ability to heal never went away, in fact it became stronger much to her relief, however what happened next nobody could anticipate. It was a snowy day in Jump City as Beast boy was casually walking around the city heading towards downtown. It was early noon by the sheer amount of passers by minding their own business as Beast boy walked on by a few residential areas detecting the faint smells of home cooking hitting gently on the nose, however by this point he felt a sharp pain on his back as he was attacked by random teenagers with wooden planks and a few solid punches with the only thing he caught was the color red, then again maybe it was him as he got continuously getting the shit kicked out of him.
"tell that gloomy bitch of yours we're coming for her next."
At that Beast boy slowly got up as he felt sharp stings at his sides as he gave a reply.
"oh yeah?…. who are you supposed to be?"
The ring leader among the teenagers spoke.
"we're the new Bloods and don't you forget it…"
With that the teenager unleashed a kick to Beast boy's groins as Beast boy fell face down on the ground as the teens scattered. The next thing he knew he was waking up in his room with Raven standing next to him healing him.
" who did this to you?"
At that Beast boy groaned as he struggled to sit up coughing in pain.
" I got no idea…. only thing they said was that they'll be coming for you next… and their name…new Bloods….. or something….."
With that Raven eased him back in his bed.
"shh…. now sleep…. I need to take care of you until Cyborg is back…"
True to her word she tended and healed him from most of the beating until Cyborg returned with a grim expression on his face.
"Raven….. what the hell happened to you?"
At that Beast boy chuckled with a cough as he woke up with a migraine.
"got sucker punched by wanna be bad asses and you?"
Cyborg replied.
" some punks harassed Sarah and the kids…."
At that raven took a wild guess.
"did they call themselves new Bloods by any chance?"
At that Cyborg gave a small nod saying yes as Night-wing and Starfire entered the tower as Cyborg urged them over, taking a quick glance Night-wing took action as he told Cyborg the following.
"new Bloods right?… dig up anything you can about those bozos as we'll make sure that they don't cause a panic in the streets and Beast boy…. get well"
At that Beast boy replied.
"let me go with you…. I'm feeling a whole lot better…"
At that Raven stopped him.
"no you're staying here….. your ego isn't as bruised as your face…."
Beast boy wanted to insist but he found himself drained from energy so he relented as Starfire and Night-wing left with Cyborg soon in toe before he addressed Beast boy.
"don't worry little man… I'll tear their nuts off for you."
At that Beast boy smirked as he said.
" just make sure they don't get to Raven"
At that cyborg nodded as Raven added.
" they should be worried that I get to them first"
At that both teens laughed as Beast boy let out a small cough. Within the next hour or so Starfire,Night-wing and Cyborg reconvened in ops room with Raven gracing their presence with Starfire asking.
"how's Beast boy?"
Raven relieved a little answered.
"Resting….. luckily no major damage has happened… so where are we with these guys?"
Cyborg at that took his turn to answer.
" well I've done some digging and they're mostly some punks…. some local hoods and some…. well… survivors of Trigon's attacks trying to make sense of what's happened with one thing in common….. Sebastian Blood…."
At that Raven responded.
Brother Blood?….. what does he want with random teens?"
With that Night-wing entered the conversation.
" that's a good question… we should track him down and ask him ourselves"
With that Night-wing concluded the meeting as the Titans split up each following leads and collecting clues the best they can as Raven returned to check on Beast boy who at the moment slept peacefully in bed. Leaning next to him Raven affectionately kissed his forehead.
"let me sleep in mommy….. just five more minutes….."
At that raven smirked as she muttered.
" you're delirious… but I love you for it"
As Raven left her room Beast boy continued to sleep until late afternoon when he got up and tried to stretch for a bit before feeling a sharp pain in his lower back muttering.
"damn assholes…. when next I'll find them I'm kicking their asses"
With that Beast boy slowly but surely made it his way towards the living room finding Raven reading a book quietly. As Beast boy walked, more like awkwardly limped towards the fridge he heard Raven asking while keeping her eyes on her book.
"feeling better?"
At that Beast boy peaked from behind the fridge door answering.
"technically… I'll feel a lot better finding the asshole who kicked me in the balls."
At that Raven/Rachel tried her hardest to stifle any kind of laugh, smile or even a smirk as Beast boy went to seat next to her with an omelette sandwich in his hands.
" I mean seriously….. who does that…. whatever happened to 'no hitting below the belt'?"
At that raven answered as follows.
"don't worry too much…. Cyborg and the rest are tracking these guys down…. now finish your sandwich before I'll be tempted to take a bite."
At that Beast boy smiled.
" no worries… I was going to share anyway"
With that he broke the sandwich in half giving one to Raven as he ate his share basking in the silence that fell on the tower as he made himself even more comfortable near Raven nuzzling his cheek next to hers comfortably closing his eyes.
"say do you remember when we had a quiet moment like this?…. seems like forever ago…"
At that raven tried to remember as in her frustration she said.
" I hate it when you make a point…. you know that?"
However instead of answering her beast boy fell asleep right next to her breathing gently as Raven felt a soft smile etching on her face as she kissed him on the nose.
"god you're hopeless…."
Having nothing better to do Raven laid her book down and fell asleep next to Beast boy and as an hour passed and the rest of the Titans returned to the tower with Cyborg spotting Raven and Beast boy.
" should I wake them up?"
At that Starfire nodded a ' no' as she said.
" I'll get them both a blanket"
In the meantime Night-wing nodded indicating that he's returning to his room to keep on working as both nodded before Cyborg whispered.
" if you need me…. you know where to find me"
With that said and done Starfire quickly flew and grabbed a blanket before covering both Raven and Beast boy letting them rest for a bit longer. Speaking of quick, it took two days for Night-wing to pin point all of the 'new Bloods' gang's hideouts throughout Jump city as he sent Beast boy due east, with Raven taking the west, Cyborg south and Night-wing and Starfire headed northbound.
"now it's pointless to point out but watch your six everyone"
With that Beast boy was first to respond after arriving at the docks.
" you do know you're inviting trouble saying that right?"
At that Night-wing smirked as he said through the communicator.
" don't worry…. I trust you'd make it in one piece"
At that Beast boy was about to retort but Night-wing cut off the communication as Cyborg was calling.
"talk to me C man, did you find something?"
At that cyborg smirked a bit as he said.
" no just one piece of advice…. watch your balls…"
At that Beast boy laughed sarcastically as he muttered.
" with friends like you who needs comedians…"
At that remark Cyborg's grin became wider as he tried to contain a laugh as Beast boy cuts off the call, now focusing on the sole purpose of finding these punks all the while thinking.
'easier said then done…'
With that he took a few sniffs in the air before turning himself into a bloodhound trying to locate a scent that didn't belong on the docks, among the scents were the smell of freshly caught fish, smog from heavy machinery, coffee beans and Cheap cologne?….. focusing on the last scent Beast boy still in hound mode made a mental note.
' let's hope I'll still have a nose after this…'
Following the scent it led him to a condemned warehouse just across of a loading bay and as Beast boy went inside he reverted back to human form just as a bunch of older kids than him surrounded him, some carrying chains, some knives and the ring leader apparently carrying a barretta 9 mm.
" so you came back?….. getting kicked in the nuts wasn't enough for ya?"
At that Beast boy joked/taunted.
" yeah about that….at least you could have offered them a movie and a dinner first."
Confused by his joke some of the punks tried rushing him with their chains only for Beast boy to turn into a lion, roaring at them as they ran away in fear, some with extra 'baggage' in their shorts at that the ring leader stared daggers into Beast boy as he tried to shoot at him as the lion dodged the bullets swiping its paws at the thug knocking him down without a single blood shed, turning back into human Beast boy quipped.
'they sure don't make them like they used to"
With that Beast boy contacted the local police before contacting the rest of the Titans starting with Raven.
"hey beautiful… I'm done with my end would you like some company?"
However instead of hearing Raven he heard another voice on the other end that send shivers down his spine and rage through his blood.
"your honey can't come to the phone right now… she's having a nice honeymoon….."
As the transmission stopped Beast boy's heart sank for a few long moments before the police sirens shook him back into reality as he contacted the rest of the Titans meanwhile Raven was now waking up in an old abandoned mall somewhere downtown with her throbbing , her cloak removed, and bound by her wrists and ankles.
"well raven this is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into…"
At this point a young man , probably at the age of Starfire spoke up.
"don't berate yourself…. we were expecting you…."
At this point the young man presented herself to her, he was well built with a light brown tan, dark brown hair and piercing black eyes shooting daggers into her, unimpressed Raven asked.
"if you're trying to intimidate me your failing…. now what do you want?"
The man chuckled a bit before punching Raven square in the face.
" Justice…. those demons of yours killed my family…"
Hearing this Raven tried to reason with him.
" what kind of justice is it?…. tell me if your family could see you now… do you think they'll be proud?!"
At that the man backhanded her as blood spatter fell on the floor.
"shut up and prepare yourself to summon Trigon."
At this Raven's eyes widen in revelation.
"you're gonna try and force Trigon into this dimension killing you and everyone else in the process aren't you?"
The man gave a quick nod as he pulled out a switch blade sticking it dangerously close to Raven's neck.
" you're a clever little bitch aren't you?"
At that raven sounded aloof as she replied.
"not particularly…. I still haven't figured out who's the one pulling your strings"
At that the young man smirked.
"and you'll never get the chance to learn…."
With that he punched her again, as she lost consciousness he started dragging her limp body deeper and deeper into the abandoned mall as Beast boy at this moment ran as fast as he could occasionally morphing back into human form to check if he still was in the right direction.
" fuck…. even as a cheetah I can't avoid traffic…."
With that he checked his communicator as it acted like a GPS indicating that Raven signal was ahead by 10 more miles. Turning back into a cheetah Beast boy prayed.
'please hang on just a bit longer….'
With that beast boy turned back into a cheetah as he kept on running the last of those miles eventually reaching the abandoned mall only to be greeted by the 'new Bloods' armed with 9's and Macro 10's. reverting back to human form Beast boy quickly took cover as he muttered to himself.
"great just great….. didn't these assholes get the memo that they're supposed to bring knives?"
With that Beast boy turned himself into a fly as he zoomed pass the gang members outside making his way to the centre of the mall where a bunch of the punks gathered while the young man hung raven like a fish as he ripped the clothes off of her, beast boy at that reverted back into human.
" hey asshole….. get your hands off of her if you wanna keep them"
At that the young man chuckled darkly as he said.
" I have no intention of fucking this whore…. I'll clear her tattoos off her body so that Trigon could finally pass through…."
At that Beast boy exclaimed.
" are you fucking crazy?….. do you have a death wish or something?"
The young man ignored beast boy instructing his followers to start the ceremony as he jumped into action as he ordered the rest to hang back. Facing Beast boy Mano y Mano. Around two years ago Beast boy would've acted foolish, running straight in with no regards of strategy or planning, however now he waited for his opponent to make the first move, however his opponent wasn't having it.
"what's the matter you pussy?…. did we kick your balls too hard last time?"
At that Beast boy didn't answer, instead he goaded the young man into attacking by treating him like a dog which worked, as the young man rushed Beast boy he instead jumped to the side acting like a matador fighting an angry bull all in the mean time landing striking blows into his arm. Before anything else could happen he heard Raven scream in agony as the other gang members started peeling off her flesh with ceremonial knives.
'shit….. I need to finish this quick…..'
However at that precise moment Beast boy lost his concentration for a split second allowing the young man to land a direct punch straight into Beast boy's jaw sending him flying six feet across the room. Struggling to get up beast boy thought he was done for until one horrifing scream from Raven made the punk grin.
" I could kill you…. but I'll let you have a front row seat to the end of the world first…"
At that Beast boy spat in his face saying.
" hey dickhead not to spoil anything but if the world ends you'll have no one to brag about it"
At that the young man gave him an intimidating grin.
" who said I aim to survive this?"
At this point he tossed Beast boy towards the center of the ritual as the ring leader exclaimed.
" do it slowly this slut deserves all the torture she could handle…. as for him…. feed him her flesh when you're done"
Having managed to remove some of the runes Raven began to feel some of her father's influence flow from within the gang members right back into her at full force as Raven struggled to keep conscious. As Raven felt her skin being cut and peeled off she also began to feel Trigon's influence beginning to take hold as by this Beast boy was being forced to watch as the ceremony continued. By the time that the young ringleader took his turn ruckus could be heard outside, wasting no time the young man stuck the blade into Raven's back as he started peeling away as Raven hoarsely claimed.
"you can do whatever you want to me…. do something to him… and you'd be dead before Trigon brings hell on earth…"
At that the young man chuckled darkly as he replied.
"you think I'm afraid of death?….. I welcome it…"
Right at this point one of the young man's followers and gang members lost grip over Beast boy just as Beast boy came to, at this point Beast boy took his shot knocking down the punks who held him down and as the young man was about to pull out the knife he got knocked out by Beast boy with a kick to the groin. Convulsing with pain Beast boy treated to Raven's wounds which at this point were severe.
"Beast boy…. don't try to move or touch me….. I just need a minute….. get Cyborg and the rest here quick…"
As she said that Night-wing and Starfire came in looking in horror at Raven's condition as Beast boy said.
"tell me you got a way to treat her….!"
At that Night-wing reassured him.
"don't worry I got this…."
With that Night-wing reached into a compartment in his costume's utility belt as he dug up some antiseptics and a roll of bandages as Starfire began to cauterize Raven's wounds as Night-wing began bandaging Raven. When both were done Cyborg came rolling in with the T car as he rushed her inside heading towards the tower. Noticing the unconscious ring leader Night-wing asked.
"got anything useful out of him before his dirt nap?"
Beast boy didn't answer at first as he was still knackered and worried about Raven, however he sucked it in as he answered.
" he was trying to bring Trigon here….. I guess if the world's gone to hell for him who cares if it became literal."
At that Night-wing sighed in disappointment as the Titans secured the gang members until the police arrived to take them into custody. Once that was done the rest of them rushed back to Titans tower, as they got there Cyborg greeted them with a scowl on his face which alarmed Beast boy.
"tell me she's okay….. please tell me….."
At that Cyborg calmed Beast boy down.
Easy man… easy…. she's healing herself….. but…"
At that Night-wing finished for Cyborg.
"let me guess by the time she'd heal herself Trigon would be primed and ready to breach our world?"
Cyborg nodded a 'yes' as beast boy interrupted.
"can't we call Constantine again?, If he sealed Trigon once…."
At that Cyborg replied with.
"first thing I did…. he told me that there are key ingredients to make those sealing runes….. like super rare ones that can't be found everywhere….. plus those runes have to be super specific… if even one is misspelled or misplaced there's no guarantee what will happen to Raven….."
At that Beast boy got discouraged as the Titans reassured him that they will find a solution to their problem as Beast boy said.
"thanks guys….. I need to be there for Raven when she wakes up."
At that everyone nodded as Cyborg concluded.
"sure thing…. if we need you we'll call you."
At that Beast boy forced a cheerful demeanor as he raised his thumbs up in silence as he headed for the infirmary…. at some point he turned around heading for Raven's room as some of them looked puzzled.
" I'm just taking a few things for her like a change of clothes"
At that everyone nodded as they tried to resume their lives as normal as possible. As Beast boy kept on visiting Raven in the infirmary the Titans redirected all their efforts to flush out Brother Blood as Cyborg and Starfire were hitting all the fronts associated with the criminal/Super villain as Night-wing kept on visiting the ringleader in jail trying to make him flip on Brother Blood to no avail. By day five Beast boy hasn't moved an inch with his body failing from exhaustion as Raven finally opened her eyes as the pain settled in.
" Beast boy…. Gar….. where is everybody?…"
At that beast boy shot up as though he got an adrenaline shot replying.
" shh…. don't talk….. the guys are tracking down Brother Blood…. trying to find a way to save the world…. to save you…."
At that raven looked at Beast boy with a vacant expression as she said.
" good….. you should join them…. too."
At that Beast boy shook his head.
"you need me more right now…. besides I'm not about to fail you again…"
At that Raven looked at him puzzled as he explained.
" I should've saved you faster….. before those animals carved you up…"
At that Raven held on to his hand tightly as she replied.
"let's be honest….. Constantine did his best but his best was a sophisticated form of band aid….. maybe Trigon should invade in order to stop him for good."
At that Beast boy looked at her dumbfounded.
"please tell me you're not serious…"
At that Raven looked apologetic as Beast boy gently captured her mouth with a kiss as a surprised Raven looked at him with a questioning look.
" I could never truly express how much I love you… so I decided to take action…"
At that Raven countered.
" that's not what got me curious….. I mean you kiss me as often as much as you can so… what makes this one any different?"
At that Beast boy tried to pull a brave face as he uttered.
" this…. is maybe…. one of the last moments….. I'll ever get to kiss my wife…."
At that Raven grew quiet as she signaled Beast boy to come closer to her and as he did she slapped him upside on the head. Letting a comedic ouch Beast boy asked what the hell was that for as Raven deadpanned.
"you're a superhero… get your act together."
At this moment Beast boy rubbed the back of his head as he started to laugh followed by a genuine laugh from Raven.
" okay… got you…"
At that Beast boy kissed Raven's forehead as he exited the infirmary towards the living room as the rest of the Titans returned from patrol.
"any luck on your end?"
Night-wing and Cyborg nodded a 'no as Starfire asked.
"what's the situation with Raven?"
At that Beast boy gave a small smile and a wince from where he was hit replying.
" she's awake, recovering and shes already back to her usual self….."
With that Beast boy took off heading outside as he addressed the team.
" I'm going out…. maybe I'll find something you didn't….. don't wait up for me."
With that the days have gone by with Beast boy joining patrols trying to find any clue on how to save the world as he made it a point to visit Raven as much as he could and though Raven was discharged from the infirmary within a day, her condition didn't get any better. At first she began hearing her father's voice in her head starting as a whisper getting louder and louder each day by the minute and by the hour as it goaded her at first to torture her friends up until it graduated into suggestions about killing them, Beast boy/ Gar in particular.
'go on…. go ahead and kill him…. you know his sorrow and misery better than anyone….. he'll thank you for it…. if you really love him you will not let him suffer a minute longer'
At that Raven tried to block the voice through meditation which at first for about a day or two worked until Raven began experiencing sharp migraines coupled with a burning sensation, Raven didn't wait for the feeling to stop this time as she teleported herself to Nevermore only to see her emotion clones fleeing for their lives as a wave of fire and brimstone swept across their lands destroying it completely as some of the emotions couldn't make it, 'knowledge' sensed her presence as she uttered a few in-distinguishing words as she flung Raven back into her own body as Raven woke up numb with a realization.
"it has already begun…."
At this point She heard a knock on her door as she staggered to open it coming face to face with Beast boy.
"it started didn't it?"
Raven looked surprised as she asked.
"how did you know?"
At that Beast boy awkwardly paused before answering bluntly.
"instead of looking better and better…. you look like shit."
At that Raven answered sarcastically.
" didn't know you were such a poet…"
At that Beast boy continued the conversation.
"sorry…. you're right… it's just I keep coming up empty when you need me the most."
Raven at first didn't say a thing, she waited a bit before replying.
"yeah well don't bother….. you're always coming empty regardless"
At that Beast boy answered defensively.
"don't go there…."
At this moment Raven snapped.
" then do something about it already….. I'm loosing my mind over here."
At that Beast boy did something crazy, something his old self will definitely do without thinking he grabbed Raven's vanity mirror as he concentrate his mind as it sucked him towards Nevermore. Landing with a thud on the other side he quickly picked himself up to see Raven's inner world in ruin as most of it looked like the remains of Pompey as he was soon met with an even more horrific sight among the ruins were the remains of several of Raven's emotion clones with shreds of their various cloaks. Looking around he searched for any survivors as he came upon what looked like a ruined library/ archive as a Raven dressed in a charred yellow cloak crawled out of the wreckage as Beast boy uttered.
" thank goodness… here let me help you up…"
The emotion clone replied in kind.
'thank you I'll manage… now state your business'
At that Beast boy answered awkwardly.
"gee I wish I'd knew… one minute Raven dares me to take action, the next I'm here with your company….."
At that 'Knowledge' straightened herself out as she continued the conversation.
' in that case you must go back before Raven completely looses her mind.'
Beast boy was about to retort as 'knowledge' grabbed the side of his head with her hands glowing in a bright light as the force of whatever she did to Beast boy knocked him back a bit.
" not to belabour a point… but would you mind telling me what the hell were you thinking?"
At that 'knowledge' showed no emotion as she replied.
' I know it makes no sense to you now but I've stored some of Raven's essence into you…. when the time comes you'll know what to do with it….'
At that Beast boy ended the conversation with.
" any more messages that you'd like to pass along?"
'knowledge's' only response was as follows.
' yes, get going or we're all doomed otherwise.'
With that 'knowledge' used a considerable amount of her strength to open up the portal back to earth as she shoved Beast boy out, landing exactly where he left off, dusting himself off he muttered to himself before noticing that Raven was laying down trying to rest.
"well….. that was a short visit…"
At this point he morphed into a cat as he jumped on Raven's bed hoping to at least keep her company for the next few days, as he snuggled next to her she patted him softly as she whispered.
"sorry…. that was uncalled for…"
At this point Beast boy only purred as if to say 'no harm no foul' as both of them breathed deeply falling asleep next to each other. Speaking of sleep Angela Arella Roth had none of that since her return to Azarath trying to find Trigon's weakness to help her daughter fight him off once and for all, however going through tome after tome she found nothing useful, usually at this point she would've consulted Azar but the aging old woman passed away a year ago. Feeling that frustration would drive her insane she stopped for a brief moment to concentrate and meditate. Breathing deeply she closed her eyes as the image of Azar appeared to her as a vision.
'it's been a while child… I sense you need my help…'
Arella responded as follows, frustration clearly present in her voice.
' I met with Raven a while back….. I promised her to help in any way I can…. but so far I haven't been able to keep said promise….'
Azar nodded saying.
'patience Rome wasn't built in a day…. now what do you wish to know?'
Arella continued the conversation as such.
' I keep searching for a weakness in Trigon to exploit…. but so far I have found none what's so ever.'
At that Azar comforted her with an advice.
' to exploit someone's weakness you'll have to be familiar with one's source of strength'
Before Arella could continue the conversation she felt being yanked out back to the library of Azarath as she opened her eyes muttering the following sentence for a while.
" to exploit someone's weakness you'll have to be familiar with one's source of strength… to exploit someone's weakness you'll have to be familiar with one's source of strength….. to exploit….."
At this moment Arella had an epiphany as she ran quickly towards the stack of books she's been searching all the while thinking.
' God… help my daughter hang on a bit longer…..'
The following days have been a nightmare on the Titans, not only that again and again they came up empty with leads on how to help Raven, crime escalated further as the Titans had to continue without her as Raven's situation got worse by the minute, first with the constant migraines, then to slowly but surely losing her eyesight completely to her skin getting hotter and hotter to the touch and now adding to the list was drastic weight loss and inability to keep food or drink down. The worst of it though it affected Beast boy in battle as we was having trouble keeping Brother Blood's acolytes at bay from looting the streets of Jump while riling up the whole streets into a state of chaos with prophecies of impending doom, the worst part of it all? He couldn't dispute those prophecies no matter how much he wanted to. As some of the rioters began at some point throwing Molotov's Beast boy tried desperately to evade.
"hey watch it….. you've almost burned me to a crisp…."
At that Night-wing countered.
" I don't think they care right now."
With that the Titans fought off the mob avoiding using too much force, focusing on the more dangerous one until S.W.A.T arrived to clear the rest of the rioters as the Titans stayed behind a bit longer looking for any injured bystanders. They searched for three hours straight before finding at least two with just a few scratches. At that the Titans escorted them to the nearest hospital before driving back to Titans tower. The drive home was met with heavy silence as the T car pulled into the garage before Night-wing uttered with a forced enthusiasm.
"good job out there everyone….."
At that Beast boy was the first to reply, more like shatter the illusion.
"good isn't great is it…?"
At that Cyborg replied.
"Greengo….. seriously…. now is not the time….."
Night-wing gestured Cyborg to stop talking as he replied to both.
"no matter how blunt Beast boy can be….. he made a good point there….. now if anyone needs me I'll be in my office."
With that Night-wing was the first to get out of the car as Starfire flew after him close by as Beast boy sat in the back seat facing Cyborg running diagnostics on the T car.
"sorry Cy….I just don't feel like my usual self lately…"
At that Cyborg replied without even looking.
"don't worry about it… now go back upstairs back to the missus….. I'll be in a few myself."
At that Beast boy sighed heavily, not because he didn't want to spend time with Raven, quite the opposite, its just that it would tear him apart knowing he'd be useless to help her when she needed him the most. With that in mind he thought to himself.
' focus on what you can do….. focus on what you can do…..'
With that he entered the tower only to make a quick dash to Raven's room. As he entered the room he was met with Arella exiting a portal from Azarath with an ancient tome in hand.
"please tell me…. are you here to save her?"
At that Arella answered as follows.
" only you Titans can do that…. I'm here to offer you a helping hand."
With that Beast boy politely gestured her to follow him giving the reasoning that Raven needed to rest. Agreeing Arella followed him towards the living room meeting Cyborg anxiously looking for something to repair or tinker just to keep himself busy.
"Cy… call the others….. we have a guest."
Taking a look at both Arella and Beast boy Cyborg exclaimed.
" gee I thought you'd give me some warning….. I would at least clean the place a little first."
At that Arella showed a bemused look on her face as Beast boy simply answered.
"please just call them… she's here to give us a hand."
With that Cyborg nodded calling in Starfire and Night-wing as all of them began to talk, wondering what Arella had to offer and as about half an hour went by Beast boy began to feel optimistic again.
" so you're saying that all we need to do is to find a place without any people or animals on it, lure Trigon into it and kick its ass?…. is that about right?"
Arella at this point corrected.
" a dimension to emphasize preferably a void."
At that Night-wing got up claiming he had to make a few calls as Starfire asked.
" a question if I may…. how are we to lure Trigon into this trap once he crosses over to our world….. won't he try and destroy it or us immediately?"
At that Cyborg answered.
" as we experienced Trigon has an ego on him…. so he'll most likely want to torture us first, as for how we'll lure him….. we'll let Beast boy tell his stupid jokes…. that will make anyone angry."
At that Beast boy answered sarcastically.
"thanks Cy…."
With that the Titans continued to discuss among themselves as Beast boy left the room for a bit before returning to Arella offering her to stay saying that he made the spare room. About three more days passed as the skies started to become crimson red each day passing becoming redder and redder than before as Beast boy stared at it out of Titan's living room sighing deeply knowing that the time is about to be up as he heard a blood curdling scream coming from Raven's room as the chakra stone on her head began to glow brighter and brighter. Beast boy confused didn't know whether to stay put or rush to his wife's side as he heard someone speak next to him.
" go to her…. just remember to stand guard."
At that Beast boy remained calm as he replied.
"perfect timing as ever John."
At that Constantine showed genuine surprise as he asked.
"you knew didn't you?"
At that Beast boy replied as he walked towards Ravens room.
"yeah well Night-wing said he'd make a few calls so I guessed…. besides you've got nothing on Batman… that guy knows how to make you jump out of your skin"
As Beast boy made it to Raven's room he took notice that the rest of the Titans plus Arella already prepared themselves for the worst as Constantine entered the room almost marveling at what happened as the chakra stone drained much of Raven's life force before dislodging violently from her forehead as it opened a dimensional rift allowing Trigon a passage way but not before a swarm of demons passed through engaging the Titans in combat swarming them, overpowering them as Trigon, as he appeared in Raven's recurring nightmares looked around with content.
" Angela….. you look well….. and the Titans I presume…. thank you for taking such care of my daughter….. as a reward I'll start by tormenting your city first before I'll show you the greatest mercy of all… a quick and painless death"
At that Beast boy quipped.
"is that suppose to scare us?…. do you know how many threats like that we get everyday?… plus I figured you'd be taller…"
At that Trigon chose not to answer as he stepped towards Raven's window going through it like a specter before morphing into a crimson giant with sharp horns and four menacing eyes as he awoken the earth itself as the ground took shape into soldiers in his image wreaking havoc and chaos onto Jump city. At this moment Starfire and Night-wing took charge.
"Cyborg…. contact the others…. Beast boy and us in the meantime will try to stall Trigon….. Arella do what you can to save Raven…. Constantine keep her safe just in case someone tries to interfere."
With that the Titans took the demons by surprise overpowering them as they forced them out of Raven's room while Arella began to try and heal Raven as Constantine began to sweep the room making sure no demon tried to get near. As Cyborg made the call a random yet important question came up.
"say how do we stop that giant of bastard?….. we had a hell of a time trying to keep this fucker out."
At that Beast boy answered.
" simple, we trip him."
At that Cyborg scoffed.
"oh sure and then we kick him while he's down."
At that Beast boy gave a thumbs up while Cyborg smacked himself on his forehead as Night-wing cut into the conversation.
"considering our options that's not a bad start"
At that Beast boy felt confident, almost cocky after that ego boost as Cyborg stated.
" you know what you've set in motion right?"
Night-wing smirked saying.
"oh I know alright but considering that if we fail to stop Trigon there won't be living anyway so it's a calculated risk."
At that Cyborg gave a wry smile saying.
"okay… but once this is all over, you're dealing with his shit solo.
At that Beast boy interjected.
" you know I can hear you right?….. plus why are we running?"