To Claim and Possess

by Xaphrin

A fight with Adonis forces Beast Boy to fully confront his primal nature and the beast living inside him. This encounter is not by chance, and the beast pursues Raven, claiming she is his mate. But Beast Boy and his beast are not the only ones fighting for Raven. Adonis will not let her go either, and he will stop at nothing to make sure Beast Boy loses. Primeval rewrite.

5. Chapter Four

To Claim and Possess
Chapter Four

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Raven stormed down the sidewalk, well aware that she was probably making a spectacle of herself. She knew a black cloud of energy followed her, which occasionally exploded a trashcan or some other small items filled with debris. At one point a light post reshaped its self into a pretzel. People glanced at her in shock, opening their mouths to scold her, but, they quickly realized who it was and pretended to never see a thing. Anyone who lived in Jump City knew better than to stare at Raven; that would be asking for something terrible to happen to their souls.

Evening was starting to stretch across the pavement in long shadows, and the heat from the day gave way to a thick, quiet coolness. Raven took a deep breath and slowed her pace from a rushed stomp to a walk, trying to calm the pounding in her head. Okay, perhaps running from the tower like an angry child wasn't exactly her finest reaction, but she didn't exactly feel like she could be blamed given the circumstances. Anything was better than being in that tower with him. In fact, anything was better than being on this planet with him.

"You look lonely, sweet cheeks."

Raven's mind didn't even have time to understand or comprehend what was said to her before her body reacted. She stopped mid step and turned to stare at the dark eyes watching her. Adonis. Anger bubbled up into her throat, spilling out curses in at least ten different languages. Energy gathered at her fingertips, hissing and crackling with raw power. Black tendrils snaked around his throat, tightening just enough to make him realize she was dangerous, but not tight enough to kill him. Yet. She refused to be controlled by him again, and refused to let him attack her. Especially now that she knew what he was after.

"You've got some nerve showing your face around me after what happened to me this afternoon." She let her eyes glow red and pushed closer to him, letting him feel the full extent of her powers. "Give me one valid reason I shouldn't kill you right here and banish your pathetic soul to the depths of hell to be fodder for low-level demons."

"Whoa. Hold on there, Killer." He raised his hands to his throat and fought against the power curling around his neck, fear shining in his eyes. One wrong move and he could be in serious trouble. He tried to give her a smile, but it looked sickly and desperate. "I'm beast-free for the moment. See? Just me. Promise. I just want to have a sort of normal talk with you. Ya know, without being killed or maimed."

"What could we possibly have to talk about?" Raven tightened her magic and he grunted in frustration, still clawing at the black tendrils around his neck. "You are nothing more than a pathetic excuse for a human being."

"Yeah?" He was gasping for breath now, his toes struggling to stay on the pavement and his eyes glossing over. "But I know that you've got some troubles of your own."

"Like what?" Her magic tightened, and Raven's extra set of eyes slid open as Rage pushed through her powers. "How could you possibly know anything about what is happening to me?"

"You're not the only one being cursed by the beast."

That blatant admission threw Raven a little off-balance, and her magic dropped out of surprise. Adonis coughed and sputtered as his feet hit the pavement, trying to regain his composure after his brush with death. Raven stared at him, trying to figure out how to approach this whole situation cautiously. She knew there was a monster that lived inside Adonis. After all, she had been attacked by it. But, she also got the feeling that Adonis was willing to tell her something Beast Boy didn't - or couldn't - tell her.

"You know about this too?" She hid her face in the lengthening shadows and stared at him, keeping her expression blank. Her powers reached out to tentatively touch his aura. He was telling the truth, and for the moment he was beast-free. But that didn't make him any less dangerous. This whole interaction set her on edge, but what choice did she have if she really wanted answers? "You know about this… mating thing?"

"Yeah. Well, enough." Adonis's face twisted into an expression of anger and he looked away from her, rubbing the red mark around his neck. "Do you honestly think I wanna spend my free time chasin' the tail of some creepy goth Titan? Especially if she's a crazy bitch who wants to kill me? Ah… no." He looked back at her and flashed a cocky, lopsided smile. "Besides, I'm way outta your league anyway."

"Says the boy who keeps chasing the creepy goth Titan." Raven rolled her eyes and took a step back, being sure to keep plenty of space between them. Her fingers found her communicator and brushed against the buttons, trying to decide what to do. He might have been human for the moment, but that didn't mean she should trust him, and he was a wanted (albeit free) criminal. If she called her friends too soon, she doubted she would get any information from Adonis, but if she called them too late… well, Raven tried not to dwell on that topic. She was walking a very fine line.

"So, what do you want from me?"

"A cup of coffee." He raised his hands in surrender, his eyes meeting hers in the darkness. "I promise, that's it. I just wanna sit down for a sec and have like a real conversation with you about all this…" He waved his hand around and shrugged. "Ya gotta admit that this is fucking weird. I mean, me and you, creepy Titan, yeah right… it's straight-up strange."

Raven's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him. "You're not exactly making a case for yourself when you keep insulting me."

"Yeah, yeah… whatever." He waved her off and reached for his phone, clearly more interested in anything other than her. "Anyway, I'm gonna guess that green bean told you all he could, right? Ya know, about us and what we are."

"I'm not sure what he told me." Raven felt anger flare up inside her and she took another step away from him. It felt downright disgusting to have to carry on this conversation with someone that had basically climbed on top of her – in public – and screamed to the surrounding world that she was a whorish bitch. But then again, she had to remember that he should have been considered another victim in this too. It wasn't as if he wanted to be connected to Raven, and she certainly did not want to be connected to him.

"That you're our mate." He gave a one shouldered shrug and pocketed his phone again, his eyes wandering over her body shamelessly. "Well, one of us, anyway gets to tap that. All that crime fighting's got your ass lookin' pretty fine, and I'm usually not one for creepy goth girls."

"So you've said…" Raven clenched her teeth as she fought the urge to curse at him. She needed to put up with him, at least long enough to get new information out of him. He might have been a complete and utter douche bag, but he might have had a different perspective on what was happening to her. If she could tolerate his presence for a few minutes, she might find out something new about him and what was happening to Beast Boy.

"You need a set of tits though."

Raven's hands tightened into fists, and a bolt of raw power splintered from her fingertips to the pavement, shattering the concrete under her. She glared at him from beneath her hooded sweatshirt. "Do you have any respect at all for the opposite sex?"

Adonis snorted and cocked a hip to the side, still leering at her. "Sure. I respect that they need to be in the kitchen or the bedroom."

"I'm sorry, I don't remember the world being suddenly transported back in time to when men were disgusting barbarians." Raven crossed her arms over her chest to keep her hands from shaking with rage. Okay, maybe this was a bad idea. In fact, maybe this was a downright terrible idea. No amount of information would be worth the torture she would have to endure from him. She turned and started down the sidewalk, trying to keep away from him. "You know what? Forget about this, you can talk to me when you find some maturity."

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that." He trotted after her, grinning. "Just one cup of coffee, and I'll see if I can answer any questions he didn't, and maybe you can answer a few of my own."

Raven glared, but didn't stop her pace. "Like what?"

"Like what you're wearing under that hoodie."

Raven blanched and recoiled from him. "You know what? Whatever you're going to tell me, isn't worth the pain and suffering of actually having to talk with you. I'm going home."

He let her walk away a few steps before he responded to her. "You're missing a memory, aren't you? Maybe two?"

Raven stopped mid-step and swallowed hard, turning around to look at him. How in the world had he known? She closed her eyes against the push of emotions and looked away, trying to keep herself hidden. He grinned at her and rocked back on his heels, knowing that he'd won against her.

"I'm right, aren't I?" He shoved his hands in his jacket's pockets and watched her through his shaggy bangs. For a second, he looked like a cat toying with its food, deciding whether or not to eat it. "Let me take a few guesses… you're missing a memory that meant a lot to you, and the last time you spoke with green bean's beast, he took it. You don't know what memory it was … am I right?"

Raven let a moment of silence hang between them before she spoke. "How'd you know?"

He shrugged, trying to be coy. "Maybe I don't fight my beast like green bean does. Maybe he and I talk a bit more and have a better understanding of each other. But, I guess you wouldn't find that out unless you talked to me." He started off in the other direction, knowing full well that he had trapped her into going with him. "So… g'night, Raven. If you happen to change your mind, let me know."

Raven stood there and watched his retreating form, praying that she was making the right decision. Her fingers stroked her communicator again, all it would take was one call and she could have her team here. She was safe, right?

"Hang on…" She took a deep breath and stepped up to him, looking into his eyes. "Half an hour. That's it. You and I will have coffee, in a crowded, busycoffee shop, where there are spectators watching us, and it has a limit of half an hour. After that, I value my soul too much to stick around you, and you probably value your manhood enough to keep it attached to your body."

Adonis laughed. "So, it's a date. C'mon, you can buy the coffee."

Raven rolled her eyes and walked next to him, making sure she kept plenty of space between them. "Great. That's so kind of you."

"It's 'cause I'm a nice guy."

"Mm-hm… right. And, this is not a date. This is a lesson in patience." Raven followed him into the nearest chain coffee shop and they sat down across from each other, listening to the noise around them. There was a long moment of awkward silence before he leaned forward.

"Ya know, in low watt lighting you don't look half bad. Cute nose." He gave her a once-over and cocked a half-smile at her. "But really, you could do with some tits. I mean, were they just not handing out tits on your birthday? Pad those things or something."

Raven glared and leaned back in her chair, as far away from him as possible. Behind the counter, a few mugs broke with the force of her restraint. She glared at Adonis. "You know, you're a real douche bag. I thought they were completely extinct, but I guess I was wrong. Apparently there are a few still left."

He chuckled and shrugged. "You're just upset because your sexy Tameranean teammate has nice knockers and you were left with the short end of the stick."

"I hope you realize that the only reason I am not killing you in a slow and gruesome death is because you have information I want. When I decide I don't want that information anymore, I don't have any reason to not kill you. Just, keep that in mind when you are talking to me." She glared at him, but he didn't seem all that responsive to her un-worded threats. Raven finally sighed and looked at the clock, starting her mental timer. "Thirty minutes, so let's just get this over, so I can go back to my own, real life. Okay?"

"Whatever you want, sweet cheeks."

Raven pinched the bridge of her nose, her other hand instinctively moved toward her communicator. No, she needed to be patient. She hadn't quite gotten her answers yet. Once she had those, then she could kill him. "You're insufferable and I am not enjoying this at all. I would just like to remind you of that fact." She paused for a moment as the waitress brought their coffee over and smiled at him. Adonis checked out her backside as she shuffled away and grinned. Raven growled and somehow managed to not throw his coffee into his lap. He was disgusting. There was no other term that could possibly describe him.

She glared at him and sipped her tea. "Can we at least try focus here? Instead of staring at girls you don't even possibly have a chance with?" Raven snarled at him and he looked back at her, his eyes laughing.

"I will always have a chance with girls like that, and that's just somethin' you're gonna have to deal with. 'Sides, you're just jealous 'cause I didn't look at you like that." He sipped his coffee, and leaned back in his chair, draping his arm behind him. "Admit it."

Raven rubbed her temples and stared into her tea, taking deep breaths. Just half an hour, and then she wouldn't ever have to deal with him again. She could get her answers, she could call her team, and they could arrest him again. Or, she could skip the team all together and really use his soul as fodder for low level demons. Raven glanced up at him, her eye twitching. "Back to the topic at hand: why am I missing a memory?"

He shrugged. "You're missing a memory of Beast Boy, right?"

"I would assume so, since most of this debacle revolves around him." Raven rolled her eyes and tapped her fingers on the table, trying to ignore the hairline cracks in the glass next to her. Was that from her? Great. Her powers were going to go haywire if she didn't reel them in. "If I knew who it was with, I probably wouldn't be missing it."

"Hey now, no reason to get technical, babe."

The cracks in the glass deepened and Raven cursed. "I'm not your babe."

"Whatever you say, honey." He shrugged and leaned forward, trying to keep a serious look on his face. "So, here's what's going on with your missing memory. The beast doesn't exactly have its own emotions or memories. It's all just the will to survive and all that shit. Oh yeah, and procreate." He grinned at her suggestively, but Raven ignored him. He wasn't even worth a glare at this point. "But, it wants to have what we have. Ya know, emotions and feelings and stuff. So, the beast steals our memories and lives in them. It lives through us… what's that word... vracilously?"

Raven pinched the bridge of her nose and prayed again that the half hour would pass quickly. He was disgusting and stupid. What a lovely combination. "Vicariously."

"Yeah. Varcalisoly. The beast lives through our memories and gets to experience all the awesome stuff we have. Ya know, like pleasure and friendship and love. Oh, and sex." He continued to grin at her and Raven's fingers twitched in the direction of his coffee cup. All it would take was one flick of the wrist to teach him a lesson. Adonis was oblivious to her mental attack and continued on. "Anyway, you're super special because your brain is different. You can move through minds and memories and… what's the glow-y stuff psychics see?"

"Auras."

"Yeah. You see that stuff. So, I'm gonna guess green bean and you had some kind of memory together, and the beast wanted it. It had enough of green bean's thoughts, so when it entered your mind it took the one you found the specialest."

Raven closed her eyes. "Most special."

"That's what I said. Duh." He rolled his eyes at her and leaned back in his chair again, still staring at her. "So, that's why you're missing a memory. Green bean has it, and I bet he doesn't even know it. The beast is probably hoarding it to himself."

Raven stared at him for a long moment, trying to weed through all the nonsense to get to the facts. As much as it pained her to admit, his words had validity. It made sense in a way. The beast was not something that had a past, or a body to create a past. It was a parasite within Beast Boy, claiming his body when he wanted it, but unable to create new memories with Raven, outside of experiences. Except he had attempted a few times, and they had all ended in failure. Raven rubbed her forehead, her mind racing through a million different magical spells and properties at once. This was beyond her comprehension, and it frightened her.

Adonis was quiet for a moment, before he caught her attention. "Hey, you're a crazy magician right? Like Zatanna?" He paused for another moment, a slow, uncomfortable smile peeling across his lips. "Man, Zatanna is hot. With a capital H. Fucking tits everywhere. And fishnets… oh, yeah."

Raven groaned and somehow resisted the urge to punch him. "Your point, Adonis?"

"Well, she does that weird, creepy dreamwalking stuff, right?"

"In comic books." Raven wanted to strangle him and throw his body to the shadows. "Zatanna and I have never actually carried on extended conversations. I met her once in passing, so I'm not exactly sure what the extent of her powers are… what is your point in all of this?"

"Really?" Adonis seemed genuinely surprised. "I thought all superheroes were like best friends or whatever. You know, hanging out with Batman in the Fortress of Solitude and everything." Adonis seemed to ponder that thought, and Raven's fingers tightened over her own mug as he continued blathering on. "Hey, who is Batman, by the way? I mean you have to know, right? You're teammates with Birdboy and everything."

"I don't know, I am not privy to that knowledge, and quite frankly, I don't want to know." Raven gritted her teeth and forced her grip off of her mug. She didn't have to shed blood today, no matter how much she wanted to. "Look, Adonis, if you're not going to stay on track with this conversation, I am going to go home."

"Jeez. Don't get your panties in a bunch, sweet cheeks." He huffed out an irritated breath and rolled his eyes. "I only asked, 'cause you can go all freaky magician if you want and see Beast Boy's dreams."

Raven jerked back in surprise. "What?"

"Yeah, you can see the dream you're missing. At least, thoretorically." Raven didn't even have the energy to correct him, and he continued to talk. "See, it's like this: the beast is gonna wanna relive the memory he took from you, and he can only do that if green bean's mind is dormant. So, he's gonna dream about the memory, and you can see it if you enter green beans dreams."

Dear goddess, that actually made logical sense. There was no way in all the levels of heaven or hell, or any of the existing dimensions, that Adonis would know complex magical concepts like that. How did he know? Raven's eyes narrowed and she stared at him for a long time. "I don't mean to be rude… scratch that, yes I do. How in the world do you know all this? I'm amazed you put your shoes on the correct feet every morning. These are complex and advanced magical theories that you are talking about."

"Hey, now. I'm a smart adult. I know stuff about things and all." He seemed genuinely insulted, but he shook her words off. "Besides, four years in Jump City Pen solitary confinement gives you lots of time to talk to your inner-beast. He and I have had a few conversations about you, about him, about green bean. I learn things good."

"I'm sure." Raven glanced at the clock, feeling relief flood her body. She had gotten her answers, she hadn't shed any blood, and he was going to be taken back to jail. Things happened to turn out all right. Thank the Goddess. "Well, that was thirty-one minutes. I'm going home."

"Ha. You know you want to figure out more."

Raven stood up and started for the door. "I want to go home."

"Not an option."

Shit. Raven looked back and saw the slow smile start to creep across his face.

Stupid. She was so stupid for letting herself be blinded by the idea that the beast was dormant. He wouldn't stay dormant forever, she should have known that. Her heart pounded out a frantic rhythm as she glanced around the shop quickly counting the patrons. Twenty three. There were twenty three potential victims crowded into the small space, each oblivious to the danger that sat in the corner. She turned back to look at Adonis, who was still smiling at her from across the table.

He leaned his chin on his hands and stared at her. "You're a little too trusting of a felon, Raven. Maybe next time you should think a little more carefully about who you follow around at night. Maybe next time you shouldn't get so close to a beast."

If there was a next time. Raven shoved her hand into her pocket, pressing the panic button on her communicator. It would trigger a distress signal at the main tower, and her friends would come find her. She just had to keep Adonis occupied until then, and away from everyone else. "Not here, Adonis. Please."

Adonis chuckled, tapping his fingers on the table. "Look, a demon that cares about people… how fascinating. I was unaware you had such emotions, Raven."

"More than a beast." Raven gritted her teeth and glared at him.

"Am I supposed to be insulted by that?" He met her eyes with his own, steely stare, frowning. "I have no emotions. They only bog down my purpose."

"And that is?"

"My claiming of you, of course." He took a long drink of his coffee and smiled, his cold stare melting into false pleasure. "You are so easy to read, Raven. You are so desperate in your quest for answers that you forget that I am dangerous. Perhaps my host isn't the most intelligent of creatures, but I can always gain control of his body. And you, foolish demon, played right into my hands, of course. Like a child."

Raven swallowed and forced herself to stare into his eyes. She wouldn't let him bully her like this. "Is it true?"

"Is what true? Oh!" Adonis looked surprised for a moment before sipping on his coffee again. "The memory exchange? Yes. It is. What my host told you was in fact the truth, and will explain the missing memory. But, I won't need to steal your memories, Raven." He gave her a smug smile and motioned to the seat across from him. "Sit down, won't you? I would hate to have you miss out on the best parts of the conversation."

"Is that so?" Raven slowly returned to the seat across from him, knowing full well that there would have been serious injuries if she tried to get any farther away from him. A woman behind him chattered into her cell phone, unaware the of the unsheathed claws at her back. Raven put her hands on the table and watched Adonis remove his hand from the woman's back, keeping one less person away from danger.

"See? All you have to do is play by my rules, and you'll find that it's not so bad being with me."

"I beg to differ." Raven's lips twitched, but she gave no other indication of her emotions. She wouldn't let him have the upper hand. "And, why won't you need to steal my memories?"

"Because you are going to be my mate."

"And what makes you think like that?"

"What makes you think I won't claim you? Beast Boy has had four years to claim you, four years to make his move, and yet you have resisted him at every turn. He has made no effort to force you, made no other excuse to claim you, and for all intents and purposes, he has retreated." He chuckled as if he had won a high stakes poker game. "Clearly, if you were going to mate with him, you would have. Yet you didn't. He stayed away from you and you stayed away from him. A stalemate. And so, since there is no definitive winner, I will stake my claim on you. That's simply how this works." He looked at her over the rim of his coffee cup, still smiling. "Oh, and if you don't want these patrons to be violently murdered right before your eyes, you will let me claim you."

"No." Raven felt like the breath had been stolen from her lungs. What had she done? This was all her fault. If she had just turned around and left when she had the chance, none of this would have happened, and these people wouldn't be in danger. She was an idiot. "No. Don't hurt them. They didn't do anything. All you want is me, leave them alone."

He put his coffee cup down and continued to smile at her. "You are right, all I want is you. No one has to be hurt here if you make the right decision. You can see the predicament you are in, Raven. Your life for twenty three." The door opened and another person walked inside, waving at a friend. The beast looked back at Raven. "Ah, twenty four. It's an easy decision by your standards. All that unnecessary heroic business and whatnot."

"I won't let you do this."

"Let me?" There was a long, heavy pause between them and Adonis moved to look around the room, his eyes like a hawk's searching for prey. "Oh. Look at that little boy by the counter. He looks almost sweet enjoying his hot chocolate, don't you think? Little legs aren't even big enough to touch the ground. How prescious." He turned and caught her eyes, teeth glittering like fangs. "Will our litter be that sweet I wonder? That adorable?"

Raven's hands were shaking and she hid them under the table. Where were her friends. "Don't do this. Please."

His eyebrows shot up, surprised at her reaction. "You're actually pleading with me. I'm shocked. The answer is still no, but I appreciate your efforts. Although, the sorrowful look isn't a nice expression for your face. No, Raven, I'm afraid the only way to win this battle is to lie on your back and let me rut with you."

"No. Stop this."

"No. You stop this. You're the only one who has the ability to save these people's lives, and you know what you have to do." He took one more sip of his coffee and stood up, offering his hand to her. "Shall we go then? I may be a beast, but I will at least make your first time special. I'll play to that pathetic human side of you and make some attempt at romance."

"No." Raven took a deep breath and stilled her heart, listening to the emotions raging inside her. Everything was fighting against her, but she would not let him win this. She was a demon. She was a Titan. She was powerful. She refused to be bullied around by Adonis and his beast. It wasn't going to happen, and she would show him who was pathetic. Raven reached out with her powers, black energy wrapping around his wrists like a vice.

He seemed shocked for a moment before he laughed and pushed forward, resisting the pull of her magic."It is not a game, little demon. You cannot contain me."

It happened so fast, Raven wasn't even sure she saw it at all. His hands twisted and his body moved. With just a few, short movements, he had escaped her magical binds and moved across the room, claws outstretched as he reached for the child. Everyone reacted at the same time. Screams pierced the soft jazz and quiet conversation as people realized what was happening. Raven moved, pushing the child out of the way, just in time. Adonis's claws sunk into her left shoulder and Raven howled in pain. Her blood dotted the floor as she growled up at him, pushing against the claws in her shoulder.

She snarled into his face, her eyes glowing red with power. "I won't let you hurt them!"

"That is not your decision anymore!"

"It will always be my decision!"

"Raven!"

She looked over to see Robin's shocked face, surrounded by the equally shocked faces of her friends. Beast Boy opened his mouth to say something, but she pushed him off. "I'm fine! Just, hurry and get everyone out of here!" She pushed the small child in the direction of Robin, seeing the look of horror in his eyes. He stumbled through the debris, and Raven realized that this child might have turned out a victim if she hadn't moved as fast as she did.

"Hurry!"

Patrons flooded towards the exit as each of her friends tried to get them out of the café. It was madness, twenty four different feelings and emotions scraped and cawed at her, both feeding her powers and threatening to break her resolve. Raven's head pounded, but she didn't drop her eye contact with Adonis. She would not let him bully her.

He growled, crouching low as if he were going to pounce. He claws scraped along the tile floor, gouging marks in the porcelain. He snarled at her again, fur rippling along his skin as his beastly form pushed through. "You called them."

Raven stood her ground and gathered energy within her. "You gave me no choice."

"You have no choice!" Adonis uncoiled his muscles and sprung forward, his body connecting with hers and throwing them both through a pastry case. Glass shattered around them, slicing into Raven's skin and embedding into the raw claw marks on her shoulder. She cried out as darkness invaded her vision for a second, and she felt her body go into defense-mode before she had a chance to stop it. Energy crackled around her, splintering from her body and crashing into the nearest object.

"You will not escape me this time!" Adonis slammed him foot into her thigh, pinning her against the shattered glass. Raven's body cied out in pain, her powers becoming even more violent and unpredictable. Adonis dodged a metal coffee pot and he fell on top of her, clawing at the bloodied rags of her clothing and tearing them from her body. "Fight all you want, Raven, but I will not give you up. You're mine. You're mine!"

"Get away from her!" Beast Boy snarled and charged forward, his body transforming into a rhinoceros. Animal connected with human body and they tumbled through the bar area and into the espresso machine. Boiling hot water hissed from the pipes, spilling onto both the rhinoceros and Adonis. They both howled in pain and Adonis retreated even further away, into the small kitchen. Beast Boy stood up, his body transforming again, and chased after him. Only this time, it was the beast.

"Raven."

Raven pushed the hand off her shoulder, wincing as new wounds were opened with her movement. "Get me up."

"Raven, we need to get you to a hospital."

She opened her eyes and looked into the blurry faces of her friends, her head swimming with pain. She must have had a concussion too. Great. "No. No, I need to get up. I need to get to Beast Boy." She tugged at Starfire's wrist, hoping that there really wasn't three of her. "Get me up, Star. Please. You know I have to be next to him."

She glanced at Robin, who gave a curt nod of acceptance, albeit with some reservation. "Okay. I will help you." Starfire wrapped her arms around Raven and pulled her gingerly to her feet. She bit back a cry of pain and wrapped her arms around her neck, stumbling through the wood and glass shards to the small kitchen. Walls were shattered and metal was bent as the two beasts circled each other in the wreckage. They hissed and spit like cobras, each trying to defend and claim the territory that was Raven.

"Enough!" Raven placed her feet on the ground, grasping onto the countertop for balance. Her head might still be swimming, but things were looking a little better now, at least there were only two of Starfire. She cleared her throat and called out for both of them. "Stop this at once! Adonis! You are out-numbered. Give up."

"I have worked too hard to let you go." He glanced between all of them, still growling. His fingers curled into a metal prep table, puncturing the steel. He was trying to keep conversation going, trying to find an escape route. "Is that what you think, Raven? That I am simply going to give up?"

"Yes." Robin appeared at the back door, his bo staff in hand. He moved into position, being careful to choose the right moment to strike his opponent. "We have more than enough evidence to lock you back in jail, Adonis. And you've done more than enough damage to give us just cause."

Adonis laughed, as if this were all a game to him. "Silly, stupid bird. Do you think you can control me like you do Beast Boy? I am not an animal that can be caged, and I am not to be trifled with. I will get what I want. Raven is my mate and I will have her no matter the costs."

Robin's fingers tightened on his weapon, readying for an attack. "We'll see."

Adonis moved again, but it was towards Raven. He lunged his body forward, wrapping his arms around her middle and throwing her down to the ground. Her head connected with the tile beneath her head and she screamed again, energy escaping in a magnificent burst of power. But this time, Raven saw nothing at all as aftershocks of pain rippled through her body.

She heard the crash of glass, the obscenities in both English and Tameranean, and then there was silence.

Cool, dark silence.

"… let me bandage her."

"Beast Boy, I'm not sure that's a good idea."

So much for silence.

Cyborg snorted. "Yeah. Do you remember the field dressing you gave Star during training two months ago? She looked like a mummy, and if it had been a real wound, it would have gotten infected." He shuffled closer to Raven. "No, I'll do it."

"Come on, I've been working on it since then!" Beast Boy groaned. "I promise that it'll be dressed properly. I know my dressings are looking better. Just trust me."

"That's asking a lot."

"Come on, guys… It's not like I don't want you to help her too. I just can't. Whenever she's hurt, I have to protect her. Even if that means something like bandaging her wounds." He sighed, and Raven could hear the frustration in his voice. "You just have to trust me, okay?"

There was a long pause and Raven could feel the emotions weave through the room, pushing against her senses. Tension threaded through everyone so tight, that it felt like something would snap any moment. All of her friends must have known the secret by now, and it was undoubtedly hard for them to understand exactly what was inside Beast Boy. The only thing they saw were the beasts that attacked earlier, and the show of dominance they displayed. To them, it looked like nothing more than utter chaos, and they had no idea how to begin to trust or understand their friend.

Raven just prayed that this didn't blow up in their faces.

"We'll try to trust you, Beast Boy..." Robin's voice was tentative, as if he were both holding back anger and trying not to upset Beast Boy at the same time. "But what we saw between the two of you today..." His voice trailed off, and Raven could hear the unspoken warning in his voice. If Beast Boy was unable to control the beast inside him, then the rest of the team would have to take action.

"I..." Beast Boy's pain pushed against her, stirring up emotions Raven didn't know she had. This wasn't his fault, and she knew that. So, why couldn't the others see that? He was trying the best he could to keep the beast under control, but when Raven went walking right into the arms of danger, the beast reacted. He was just trying to protect his mate.

"I know what you have to do." Beast Boy's voice was so soft it almost disappeared into the thick silence in the room. "I know that if this thing becomes uncontrollable, you're going to have to react, and I don't blame you for that."

There was awkward shuffling, as if no one wanted to look that scenario in the eyes. This had to stop, Raven couldn't let this continue between her friends any longer. She opened her eyes and looked over at her friends, breaking the silence between them.

"How did this happen to me twice today?" She offered what was an undoubtedly broken smile. "Twice. Am I just that lucky?"

"Raven!" Beast Boy stepped next to her and wove his fingers between her own. Heat coursed between them, but he seemed oblivious to it. "You're awake. Are you hurt? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. After blacking out… for the second time today. Other than that, I'm fine." Raven pushed herself into a sitting position, feeling a bit woozy. She looked down at their hands and pulled hers away, feeling her face get red. "If we don't figure out how to stop this nonsense, then I am going to suffer serious and real brain damage." She glanced up at all her friends, expression blank. "Thanks, by the way."

"After you wandered off into the company of Adonis? You're thanking us for saving your ass from a problem that never should have happened in the first place." Robin sighed, running a hand down his face and staring at the ceiling. "You know, I thought about all the ways I was going to have to scold you and reprimand you the moment you woke up, but I can't think of any right now. None at all."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure they'll all come back to me when you're feeling better. Then I can stand here and scold you all I want." He sighed and shook his head, muttering under his breath. "Anyway, your wounds need to be looked at and bandaged."

Raven rolled her eyes and looked over her wounds. They were deep but already starting to heal. Although, she did have to admit that her shoulder was killing her, right where Adonis's claws sliced through her skin. "They'll heal in a few days. They don't need to be dressed. I'm a demon, remember? I think I can handle a few scrapes and bruises."

"Huh… clearly you didn't see your shoulder. I spent an hour picking glass out of your skin, Rae, and it doesn't look like it's going to start healing any time soon." Cyborg crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her, eyes steely. "That beast clawed into you. No offense, BB, but you two are killing machines."

"Don't lump me in with that lowlife." Beast Boy growled low in his throat and looked ashamed for a moment, but pushed it off when he locked eyes with Raven. It was almost as if he was trying to keep it together just for her. "Whatever. As long as Raven is safe, that's all that matters." He picked up the gauze and pushed everyone out of the infirmary. "Just go. I'll dress Raven's wounds, and we'll all talk later. We can figure this out when I'm not high on adrenaline and Raven has full use of all her brain cells."

Robin opened his mouth to say something else, but shut it again. It was better not to argue with him right now, not when Beast Boy was still riding the high of the beast. "Whatever, Beast Boy. Just… just talk to us when you're both better." He motioned for the others to follow and they left the infirmary together, leaving a cloud of confusion and questions in their wake.

Beast Boy ignored the emotions and grabbed the gauze again. He locked eyes with Raven before moving to her side, focused on the nasty wound on her shoulder. After a few, quiet moments of inspection, he tugged at the remains of her clothing, pulling them off of her in pieces and leaving her half naked in her bra.

Color flooded her face and Raven swallowed, looking away. She knew he was only concrened for her health and safty, so why did this suddenly feel so intimate? She started sputtering off any excuse she could think of to get him to pull away from her. "You know, I can heal myself. It's not like you have to do this. That wound isn't that deep. I can take care of myself."

He looked up at her, frowning. "Your wound is still bleeding and it's cut almost down to the bone. Just humor me, okay?"

Raven shifted, but still couldn't meet his eyes. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I can call Star back in and she can do this."

"No. I can't handle another person touching you right now, it just reminds me of my own failure that I couldn't protect you. Just... trust me. Please." There was a long stretch of silence between them as he inspected her injury, still avoiding the uncomfortable situation. "Besides, I'm an adult, Raven. I think I can handle you in your underwear."

"I'm not worried about you." His eyes met hers finally and she blushed under his shocked stare. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes, you did. You think that because you're half naked my beast is going to come out and attack you... like Adonis would." There was honest pain in his voice and it made Raven recoil a little. Once again, she was reminded that this was not a fate he wanted or even understood. "This is going to sting a little." He pressed antiseptic into the wound, making Raven hiss and wince with pain.

"A little?" Raven pushed his hand off her shoulder, glaring. "It's like pouring acid on my face. Jeez."

"Serves you right anyway." Beast Boy returned her glare. Whatever desire he had to protect her had vanished, leaving something angry and violent in its wake. "What in the world were you thinking? Did you have to go running out and find Adonis?" He cursed under his breath and returned his attention to the bandage, yanking the cloth around her shoulder with enough force to make Raven groan. "Damnit, Raven. I turn away for thirty seconds and you chase after him? Like he's going to fix all your problems because he's different?"

"That's not why I followed him!"

"It doesn't matter why. You chased after him, what am I supposed to think?" He sniffed her hair and gagged. "And you smell like him… and strawberry frosting. Disgusting."

"It's not like I want to smell like him." Raven looked up at him and growled, her good arm reaching to pull the frosting out of her hair. It must have gotten stuck when she fell through the pastry case. "That grosses me out too. I know you think it doesn't matter, but I only chased after him because he was answering questions. Unlike you, who wants to keep everything in the dark."

"I gave you answers!"

"You tried to give me answers, but you only left me with more questions." Raven stared at him before rolling her eyes and looking away. He didn't have to be such a bastard about the whole situation, he was only making it worse for her. "And, you didn't tell me that the beast could steal my memories. Thanks, by the way. I wish I would have known that a week ago."

"Wait. What?" Beast Boy looked genuinely shocked and he pulled back a little, frowning. "I didn't know. I mean, I never knew." There was a long pause as he searched her eyes. "Are you missing a memory, Raven?"

"One." Raven blushed and looked away. She was half-naked in the infirmary, Beast Boy was attempting to dress her wound, talking about a potentially intimate memory that she wanted back. Raven didn't think this could get any more awkward if every god or goddess in the universe intervened. "At least… I think it's only one. I think it's you and me and… I don't remember. We were on the roof, maybe… but we're always on the roof."

"The roof…" He leaned back on his heels and thought. Raven breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't judging her or making inferences about the insane idea that she was missing a memory (and let's face it, it's a pretty strange idea). He listened to her fears and her problems and genuinely wanted to help her. That was one good thing about him at least.

"Well, yeah we're always on the roof…" He snapped his fingers. "But there was one time… Oh, never mind. It's not worth it." Beast Boy's face fell, and his eyes went wide with fear. He ignored whatever realization he had and went back to wrapping her wound.

"Wait." Raven's hand wrapped around his and she pulled him closer. He knew. "You know what memory it is don't you? What happened? On the roof?"

"Yes..." He trailed off, trying to reclaim his hand. "But, you made me promise never to think about it ever again."

"Well, can I take back whatever I said? I'm sorry if it hurt you, but I need to know what memory I'm missing." There was a long pause and Raven looked up at him, trying to look cute and pleading. It was a look Starfire used whenever she wanted to get her way with Robin. Raven, however, probably looked like a corpse waiting for a kiss, but she was trying something at least. "Please? I can't remember anything.

Beast Boy sighed. "Fine, but you have to promise not to kill me if this is a trick. Okay?" Raven nodded. "We fell asleep on the roof together. It was last year, right after the security systems failed at Jump Pen. Remember, we spent seventy two hours straight trying to round up all the missing criminals. I don't think we slept for days… and then, when everyone was back in their cell, you came and sat on the roof and watched the stars. I came up and talked to you for a second, but you were exhausted. You curled up in my arms like a child, and slept with me until morning…" His eyebrows knitted together and he stared at her for a long moment. "You really don't remember that? You were so embarrassed, you made me promise that if I told anyone, you were going to sever my soul from my body and hide it in the lowest circle of hell."

"Well, that certainly sounds like a threat of mine." Raven looked up at him with a pleading expression. "How did I forget that?"

Beast Boy smiled, trying to look reassuring, but Raven could see the doubt shimmering in his eyes. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her side, pulling her closer to him. Warmth flooded her body again, and Raven fought the strangest desire to bury her face into his neck. What was wrong with her? She never had feelings like this, let alone with Beast Boy. Raven pushed his arms off of her, keeping her face expressionless.

"It can't be what Adonis says it is." Beast Boy went back to wrapping her wound. "I highly doubt the beast would want to steal a memory from you."

"Why not?" Raven looked over at him, watching as he focused on her dressing. "Adonis had a valid point."

"Oh?" He snorted. "And what point is that?"

"That your beast cannot have any memories of its own. So, it has to steal mine."

Beast Boy blanched and met her eyes. "What?"

"I mean…" Raven chewed on her lower lip and stared into the space in front of her, thinking. "It makes sense. The beast is a parasite, with no physical body to create memories, so if it had the opportunity to steal a memory from me…" She drifted off, leaving enough space for Beast Boy to make inferances on his own.

"Even if that's true, and I'm not saying it is, when would it have even had the opportunity, Raven?" He leaned back on his heels and watched her for a moment, trying to decipher her emotions. She could see he was trying to ignore the very real possibility that Adonis might have been right. "It's not like you go walking around in my mind all that much. He wouldn't exactly have access to your memories otherwise, right?"

"Last week, when I had to calm you down…" Raven looked away, feeling suddenly sheepish. She knew, logically, that she shouldn't be ashamed, after all it wasn't her fault, but that didn't stop her from feeling that way. "I didn't want to tell you, because I thought you would get upset, but… the beast attacked me when I entered your mind last week. He said he required payment for my intrusion." Raven shivered. "He ripped me apart and looked for a memory. He took that one."

"Raven…" His skin was pale and he had to sit next to her on the hospital bed. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"You were so upset over what happened last week." Raven tucked her hair behind her ears, still avoiding his stare. Why did he have to sit next to her? He wasn't making this conversation any easier with his proximity. "I didn't want to burden you with anything else. It wasn't your fault that it happened, but I knew you would blame yourself."

"Raven…" He sighed and leaned his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes. There was a moment of warmth between them and Raven wanted to hold onto it. He touched her hand with his. "What can I do to fix this?"

Raven swallowed and met his gaze. "Let me into your dreams tonight."

The change was instant, and whatever warmth had been building between them quickly vanished. Beast Boy recoiled so fast he knocked over a crash cart in the process. "What?"

"Let me into your dreams. Please." She looked at him, her eyes almost fevered. She knew she was asking a lot of him, especially after her rather rocky history with dreamwalking, but it was the only way she could get her memory back. It was her memory, she had every right to have it back. "Adonis said I could see the memory if the beast relives it, which would be when your mind is at rest or asleep. So, let me dreamwalk. I just want my memory back. I promise that's all I'll see."

"Regardless of what you might see, let me make you ponder this for a moment: you want me to trust something Adonis told you? Hell. No." He frowned and glared at her. "In fact, double hell no. There is no way that I am letting you even close to my dreams if that was something he recommended. So, the answer is no, and you can drop the subject right now."

Raven returned his glare, anger and resentment building inside her. He was right to be wary of Adonis's advice, but Raven was at such a loss. She was missing a piece of her past, and she had no idea how to get it back. Except for trusting the ideas of another beast. "I know it doesn't seem right, Beast Boy. I know. But his ideas have real, valid merit. It makes perfect sense that the beast would try to keep memories to himself if he was unable to create his own. And..." She was desperately searching for another excuse. "And, you've let me dreamwalk before."

"I let you once when I was having nightmares about Tara." He growled at her, crossing his arms over his chest. "And you know what, my nightmares got worse. I am not having you dreamwalk again. And I still do not trust anything Adonis told you, no matter if it has real, valid merit. Jeez, Rae. I thought you had more sense than that."

Raven didn't want to admit that the first time she had ever dreamwalked had been with Beast Boy, and she didn't realize her feelings for both him and Tara would get in the way of her mission. To sum it all up: the emotions of the walker could easily affect the emotions of the dreamer. So yes, she did screw him up a little, but it wasn't entirely her fault. Besides, she had learned her lesson: check all emotional baggage at the door. "Please. Beast Boy, I want my memory back."

"Fine. Then I can go lay on the roof and you can crawl into my lap and sleep, and we can reenact the memory. But, you are not getting into my head again."

"That's not the same. I want my memory! It's mine, and you took it from me!" Energy sparked and crackled around them, and Raven glared. She felt almost crazy with her need. A part of her and her experiences were missing and she wasn't allowed to have them back. She knew she was acting half-way insane, but she didn't know how to stop it. "Let me at least see it."

"No, Raven." Beast Boy sighed and took a step away from her, putting space between them. "Besides the whole Adonis-told-you-this-information thing, which you happen to keep forgetting about, what if you see something different? Or what if you see something private? You and I are great friends, but that doesn't mean I want you poking around in my dreams."

Raven snarled at him. "Like what? What could you possibly have that I haven't already seen?"

"Like a fantasy?" He kept his face devoid of emotion and looked into her eyes. "My beast might not want to see your memory all the time. It might want to see something else, something I created."

Her anger flared and the crash cart took another hit. "Like rolling around the sheets with a redhead?" Beast Boy glared at her. Raven felt her eyes widen with shock and she pulled away from him. Where had that come from?

"Excuse me?"

"I…" Raven swallowed hard and tried to save her face. "I know you have a thing for Star. And maybe you're right, maybe I don't want to see that. That's your private memory. But what if you do see my memory tonight? I want to see it too."

"N. O. Forget about it." He turned on his heel and walked away. "If you're not going to drop this, then you can dress your own wound."

"Fine." Raven cursed under her breath and looked away. "If you don't think I can handle your gross fantasies about Starfire, then you don't know me."

His eyes met hers, and in the smoldering anger, Raven could see something different shine behind them. Something she didn't have a name for.

"What if my fantasies aren't about Starfire?" He let that hang between them, before he walked through the door, closing it behind him. Raven stared at the space where he stood, feeling like he had left her with more questions than ever before.

)O(

I know that last scene moved a little fast and was a little scattered. But I was having a hard time keeping the pace up to what I needed it to be. Anyway, please let me know what you think. Thanks again for reading!