A/N: I'm sure there were some people who were upset with the Ra/BB fluff in the last chapter. I admit that I stared at that chapter for over a month trying to decide if I was doing the right thing. This story is going to be far longer than I thought, and there may be stranger plot twists in store.

Also, it's nearly impossible to ignore the fact that Beastboy loves Raven, even if it may be totally unrequited. On the other hand, in the "Every dog has its Day" episode, Raven lets the alien dog lick her face, thinking it's Beastboy. I leave it up to you as to whether you support the coupling.

I personally don't support Robin/Raven, but there was even some of that earlier in the story. I just write it as I see it :p

Be warned- this is a long chapter. I got sick of how the test kept being put off.

I do not own Teen Titans or anything relating to.

Chapter Seven: Into the Whirlwind

Starfire chewed thoughtfully on her eraser. She was sitting by the window, writing in her journal. Both Robin and Raven had suggested to her that she should keep one as a reminder of her time on Earth. With all that had happened in the last few months, she found herself agreeing with that logic. After her experience with Warp and the stolen clock, she decided to keep a record as far back as she could remember. It amazed her how far they had all come.

Dear Diary,

Today has been full of many surprises. Raven has been acting… peculiarly. She smiled at me this morning! She also made enough to eat for both of us. It was quite good, including the ice-cream drink.

She has also been acting very strangely around Beastboy, but given the risks accompanying the test she has agreed to it is perhaps natural that she would be acting oddly.

"Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos…Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos…" came the whispery chant. Raven was meditating in front of the window. Starfire stared at her thoughtfully. Raven is very strong, Starfire scribbled in her journal. She knows the risks, but is willing to take them. Starfire mused about what reason she had to put herself in such danger. Beastboy. She may deny it, but she cared about the strange little boy.

It seemed strange to her, but Beastboy was in many ways still a child. Perhaps I am not being fair to him. I, too, am often seen as younger and less experienced than I am. Appearances could be deceptive, she knew. Blackfire had always been a lovable big sister, but she had used Starfire as a dupe and a doormat. Raven had seemed too strange to be friends with, yet now they were like sisters.

Another surprise was the "Payback" that we practiced on Beastboy. I had once thought such pranks to make one be lower than any creature known, yet I feel this "evenness" that Raven spoke of now. I know that Beastboy's prank was an accident, not meant for me, yet now I feel as if I have been washed clean of the memory of that awful mistake.

It is possible that Beastboy thinks uncharitably of myself and Raven now. I had merely planned to wash him with feminine bath soap, thus leaving him smelling of the scents that he complains of, yet Raven added to my plan.

It is my sense that something happened this morning that she is not happy about. She was not enthusiastic about my plan until after she returned to the kitchen with Beastboy. When she returned, however, she suggested that we wash him and then dress him up in women's clothing and makeup. We succeeded, and even have pictures. Beastboy screamed horribly and begged us not to do it until Raven gagged him.

Beastboy is no doubt cleaning off the makeup as I write. Raven dressed him in one of the pink dresses that I offered her as a gift.

Starfire paused to giggle. Beastboy had given her the blackest look she'd ever seen after Raven had dressed him with her powers. Before they had thrown him into the bath, he'd tried to change into a dozen different forms, but Raven's black aura matched him form for form. He did manage to get both of them quite wet, but Raven's power contained the worst of it. After a while, he simply gave up. That didn't stop him from giving them death-glares, though.

Beastboy looked quite convincing as a girl, but Raven only took three pictures with the instant camera. When Beastboy looked as if he would turn into some horrible beast, Raven whispered some words in his ear. He calmed down, and we let him go.

Raven is now preparing for her ordeal. I hear the mantra that she speaks, but I hear tension and a dryness in her voice as she speaks the repetitive chant, not the normal calm that seems to infuse her when she meditates. I fear that the dangers exceed what she has told me. I hope I am incorrect.

Beastboy looked in the mirror. Ok, note to self- never make those two mad again. One was bad enough, Beastboy reflected But together, they make Plasmus look like good news.

I can't believe Star never forgave me for that messed up prank. Beastboy thought glumly. On the other hand, he couldn't really blame her. He'd itched for months to get Cy back for turning him red. He'd only given up on it because he didn't want a repeat of that mishap. It had been so strange having Starfire hate him. She was such a glowing and happy presence that it had been all but impossible to believe that she could be otherwise. Having her hate him had been like having the sun disappear.

At least I got one good thing out of my makeover. Raven knew that he was going to get serious about escaping when she whispered to him. She said that she would do something for him that he couldn't do himself. While this answer perplexed him, he knew that her word was good. She wouldn't do something lame and call it good. She had something spectacular in mind.

Beastboy smiled as he wiped the makeup off. Another good thing had happened- Star smiled at him without reservation now. He hadn't really noticed, but apparently every time she saw him, she was reminded of the oil balloon. She and Raven had said they were "even" now. I guess I could be a jerk about this and prank them back, but Starfire did have a valid claim. I can't believe Raven was so upset when I tickled her, though. Beastboy thought about that, but couldn't come up with any answers. And why were Cyborg and Robin out patrolling? Beastboy's stomach rumbled. Food first. He headed toward the kitchen.

Beastboy wasn't in his normal uniform. He was wearing some worn out khakis and a tee-shirt. It's been so long since I wore anything but my uniform, but since Robin doesn't want me out on the streets, I might as well wear something less geared to work. He frowned. He liked being out and fighting bad guys. I haven't left the tower in a week. No wonder I'm starting to get cabin fever. Oh, well. Changing forms usually helped with that. He dismissed all of his practical forms, and decided on the ultra-cute kitten form. As he trotted down the hall, his acute hearing caught the sound of Raven reciting her meditation words, and the sound of a pencil scratching. He could also smell Star and Raven's freshly washed hair.

As he entered the main room, he saw Starfire scribbling on a sketchpad, and Raven hovering off the floor, meditating. He wandered over to Starfire, and rubbed against her side. Starfire was uncharacteristically silent, but she smiled at him and put her drawing pad aside so that he could hop into her arms. He did so, and perhaps for the first time, totally relaxed into her arms. He stifled his usual meows, but he couldn't help purring. Starfire for her part, gently rubbed his ears and his back.

Raven felt the presence of the kitten enter the room, the sound of the soft footfalls mixing with the scratching of Star's pencil. Raven was not relaxed, but her focus was as sharp as a blade. I'm too worried about what happens next. I'm wasting my time. She opened one eye, and saw Beastboy resting in Star's arms. She let a gentle smile cross her face. Maybe I'm worrying too much. Maybe Beastboy really is better now.

Her features darkened momentarily. I can't be sure. Beastboy has been doing strange things all week. This may be just another stage. She sighed and let herself drift to the floor. She felt Starfire's gaze, but avoided it. If I look at her, she'll probably know how worried I am. I have to pull myself together and get this over with.

Raven wandered over to the kitchen, and poured some tea for herself. As she sipped the tea, she tried desperately to stop her hands from shaking. I don't have time for this! If I don't do this, things are just going to get worse. She knew the shaking was a bad sign. It meant that she was suppressing so much emotion that it was trying to get out any way it could.

Raven fell back on her most desperate defense. She disassociated herself from her fear. Death is nothing, madness is nothing, fear is nothing. She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. She knew how dangerous it was not to care, but hopefully, this would all be over soon.

As Raven came out of her thoughts, she noticed that Beastboy was frying tofu in the kitchen, and she had somehow made it to the table where she was staring into her cup. Star was still by the window, drawing on her pad. It was odd how silent things were. Only the sounds of Beastboy cooking and Star's pencil were to be heard. Oh, well. Here we go.

"Beastboy," Raven called to him.

The sound cut through the silence. Beastboy looked at her a bit nervously. "Yeah?"

Raven looked at him very seriously. "Robin told us what you want to do. Do you still want to do it?"

Beastboy looked at her, and then Starfire. Both faces were like blank masks, their eyes unreadable. "Terra's all alone out there," He answered quietly. "I wasn't going to do anything. She can take care of herself, but not if Slade wants her."

Raven's eyes were sharp and deadly. "We all agreed that we can't make a decision until we're sure that you aren't mentally unstable." Raven paused. "There aren't a lot of ways to test you that will give us an absolutely certain answer. I know of one, but you probably won't like it."

Beastboy plated his tofu eggs and bacon, and gave her a measuring look. "What's the hitch?"

"Two things. One, the process involves me going into your mind." Raven watched him, gauging the impact. She wasn't disappointed.

"You mean like when…" Beastboys words were cut short by Raven's powers forming a gag again. Raven made a motion at Starfire with her head and then the zipped lips motion at Beastboy.

Beastboy gave Raven an apologetic look and nodded. The gag disappeared. Starfire glanced at the two of them, wondering what had just transpired. "Ok, so what's the other problem?" Beastboy asked.

"The other problem is that if you don't agree to it, then the discussion about Terra is over," Raven said with cold finality. "You will have to stay in the tower for a few weeks until we're sure you're back to normal."

Beastboy looked trapped. And so he is, thought Raven. Either he surrenders all of his secrets to me, or he spends the next couple of weeks with us watching his every move. On the other hand, it's not like this is fair to me, either.

"I have to think about this…" Beastboy began.

"You don't have that luxury!" Raven cut him off in a cold fury. "Either we do this now, or we don't do it at all." Star and Beastboy looked shocked at her outburst.

Star nodded quietly. "Beastboy. If you are to do this, it must be now. If Slade truly seeks Terra, it may be too late already."

Raven looked at Star. "Star, can you give us a few minutes alone, please?"

Star looked at Raven. "Of course, friend. Seek me out when you need me."

As Starfire floated out of the room, Raven looked at Beastboy penetratingly. Beastboy was bewildered by all of what was going on. Once Starfire was out of range, Raven spoke.

"I know you don't like this Beastboy, but how do you think I felt when I found you in my mind?" Raven asked accusingly. "You and Cyborg know more about me than most people will ever know! I didn't offer you that- you were stupid and you stumbled on it." Raven took a deep breath to get herself under control. "I'm grateful that you helped me, though. I probably wouldn't be here right now if not for you two"

"You're going to have to trust me and open your mind to me if you want to go after Terra. You caused this problem by going into such a deep depression." Raven took a breath. "I don't want to do this anymore than you do. But this isn't about want. If you feel this is important enough, I will do it."

Beastboy looked at Raven in stunned astonishment. What's going on here?! I don't understand any of this! He looked at Raven as if she sprouted another head. This is nuts! Raven is…

…doing this for you, dimwit. Beastboy almost dropped his fork. He proceeded to swallow, hard. "Raven, what was the alternative?" He asked in a shaky voice.

Raven gave him an inscrutable look. "Someone suggested that we take you out the next time there was an emergency. They thought you were fully recovered. I know better." Raven paused. "You're a danger to yourself right now, sick or not. You're obsessed with Terra and Slade the same way Robin was. It doesn't matter whether you're right about it or not. You aren't in any shape to go into battle."

Beastboy felt as if he'd been slapped in the face. She's right. All I need is a Red X costume. He thought long and hard about what he was doing. Going after Terra seemed an act of total desperation, seen from the outside.

You want to fight me, Beastboy? A phantom Slade seemed to say inside his mind. She's mine, and nothing you do can stop me. The vision mocked him with cold certainty.

NO! I won't let you destroy her! Beastboy mentally shouted back. Terra's stronger than you! And so am I!

Beastboy looked up at Raven. "I have to do this." Beastboy said with calm certainty. "What do you need from me?"

Raven watched Beastboy battle with himself and come to some sort of understanding of the situation. She didn't sense as much desperation now, but that was misleading. He has no idea what he's getting himself into, more than likely. Robin told her all about Slade's abilities after the battle in Slade's hideout. His skills seemed to based around his incredible ability to read people. Maybe that will hurt Slade, in this situation. Beastboy is nothing if not unpredictable.

"Beastboy," Raven began "I'll touch your third-eye and heart charkas…" Raven broke off as she saw the baffled look on his face. "Look," She began again "you'll lay down somewhere, and I'll lay my hands on your forehead and over your heart. Assuming you don't resist, I'll be able to enter your mind."

"What, no mirror?" Beastboy asked hesitantly.

"No mirror," She said firmly. "That mirror only allows you to enter my mind. It would take too long to change it to your pattern. Also, your mind won't be like mine. It took me years to form all of the separations for each of my personality components." Raven hesitated. "We might get mixed up if your personality isn't clearly defined, so try to stay calm and don't fight me."

"Ok, so where do we do this?" Beastboy asked after he was sure that Raven was done with her explanation.

"You go find Starfire. We'll do this in my room." Raven noticed Beastboy's jaw dropping. "Don't try my patience today. Go find Starfire and tell her to come to my room. After that, come back here and finish eating, and make absolutely sure that you brush your teeth before you come to my room." Raven said darkly.

Beastboy swallowed hard before changing into a bigger cat and running off the way Starfire had gone earlier. Raven finished her now lukewarm tea and headed to her room. This is it. No turning back. Her hair flew in all directions, crackling with her unease.

As her door slid open, she took a moment to pause and reflect about her room. Dark. Mysterious. Full of interesting things. Neat and tidy. She looked at the drama masks. Frightening. All of these things are me. she smiled to herself. She felt Starfire behind her, the heat of her body radiating off of her.

"Starfire, please come in." Raven said quietly. The fiery-haired alien followed Raven into the dark room. "Star, I want to say some things to you," Raven began as she sat down on her bed. "I'm sorry I was so abrasive to you on so many occasions. I'm…not used to people being close to me." Raven took a breath. "I wish I were a better friend to you."

Starfire looked at Raven sadly. "I know that the test will be difficult for you, but there is no reason to abandon hope. I, too, do not understand you as well as I wish to, and I wish I could know the things that could help you more often than I do. Even so, you and I will have the time we need if we wish to be better friends."

Raven clenched her fists. "You don't understand, Star. I've only done this once before, and it almost destroyed me!" Raven's voice was shaking. "I can't do this without telling you how I feel." She continued more quietly "I feel guilty every time I hurt your feelings. I'm sorry."

Starfire looked at her friend closely. "I am hurt when you say those things, but perhaps I was in the wrong, too, when I ignored you in favor of the others in the beginning." Starfire looked sad. "It is hard being your friend sometimes, but I…" Starfire paused. "…like you. You are…special."

Raven attempted a smile, but a tear ran down her cheek. There are days that I wish I wasn't who I am. When did I give up on being human? I may be half-demon, but I don't have to be a monster.

Raven sneered at herself. All my studying, and I can't even relate to Starfire. Way to go, Raven. Raven took a deep breath. This may be your last chance to show her how you feel. Do you want her to think that you merely "tolerated" her?

"Star, I'm not good at this." Raven bit her lip. "I want you to know that I like you, too. I can't relate to how emotional you are, but you touch people in a special way. You're the special one." Raven got up and walked over to Starfire. "The fact that you want to be my friend is more important to me than I can tell you." Raven pushed herself in spite her self-imposed barriers and hugged her friend.

A long moment was spent by two friends acknowledging how deep their friendship had become in such a short time. The moment passed as they heard Beastboy making his way to Raven's room.

Raven smiled at Star one last time. Then, she let her training and instincts take over. She was again the faceless mystic, a wielder of dark power and a keeper of secrets. Emotion was nothing, time was nothing, space was nothing. That she was master of all things was all that mattered.

As Raven's eyes glowed pure white, she spoke to Star. "Guard this room against all intrusions, Koriand'r." Starfire looked shocked at the use of her Tamaranian name. "You are the one I entrust. At the end of the test, remove him from my place of rest. If all goes well, we will speak again." As Raven finished her bizarre speech, Beastboy reached the open doorway.

"Changling!" Raven said in a hollow voice, her form surrounded by dark power. She pointed to the bed at the far end of the room. Beastboy tore his eyes from the fearsome form Raven had taken, and made his way to the bed. Starfire sat cross-legged at the door, her eyes alert.

As Beastboy lay down on Raven's bed, she followed behind him, hovering in the air. She's really creeping me out, Beastboy thought to himself. He was filled with a sudden dread. Why did she gloss over what she was going to do?

Raven watched as Beastboy began to sweat. A fury filled her. Not now! She mentally shouted at herself. Just say something to reassure him. Raven's eyes dimmed back to her icy-cold blue ones. "Relax." She said coolly "If you don't do this, we can't let you go."

Beastboy saw a vision of Terra in Slade's uniform. NO! I have to do this! He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. Continue." Beastboy said.

Raven felt like she was at the edge of the abyss. After this, there really is no turning back. She shuddered. Here we go…

She touched Beastboy on his forehead and his heart. As she let the sensations flood into her, she relaxed her hands onto those points.

At first, there was nothing. Emptiness.

And then, she started seeing flying things that looked like ghosts, and the sound of wind. One of the ghosts passed through her, and she saw a little girl smiling at Beastboy, thanking him for the ice-cream cone he had given her. Another one, a purple one, passed through her, and she saw herself blowing up the breakfast he had offered her after he had made the comment about Dr. Light. Another passed through her, a red one, and she saw Cyborg falling over the couch in fear, Starfire trembling at his side.

Memories, or maybe thoughts. As she had suspected, Beastboy's mind wasn't structured like hers was. The sound of the wind seemed to be getting stronger, too. More ghosts were around, and Raven made an effort to avoid them. I can't sift through his whole mind. I need to get to the important parts, and find the controlling personality. She hated what came next, but she was going to have to seek out the parts he wanted to hide. That's the only way I can be sure that He's all right.

As she pondered, the sound of the wind became a shriek. No way, She thought in disbelief. She saw a hurricane in front of her- a hurricane of the ghosts she had seen earlier.

Raven's heart sank. Who would have thought anyone could build the Tempest in Beastboy's mind, Raven thought as she remembered the mythical storm that raged in the land of the dead. What could have done this? I would have wagered that he couldn't have two thoughts at once flying around in here.

The maelstrom was a twisting spiral of doom. The ghosts, Thoughts, she reminded herself, were shrieking horribly. This is just the impression my mind is getting. This means that his mind is in turmoil. But such turmoil! Raven thought in awe. Her mind wasn't any comparison to the sheer chaos infusing Beastboy's being. Has he always been like this…? she wondered to herself. And then she remembered when he touched her after the battle in her mind. Yes, she thought grimly. I knew something wasn't right with him. No wonder those hypno-screens in Mad-Mod's little "school" had such an effect on him. He's using everything he's got to keep all of this under control. She shuddered. He must not even know about this. He couldn't be so happy-go-lucky otherwise.

Raven looked curiously at the storm. Why isn't it moving? She wondered to herself. She cautiously moved to the edge, and reached for one of the thoughts. Her mind noted that this one was a black one.

Raven was suddenly filled with hatred and horror. This phantom contained a scene where a man was savagely beating a child. Raven retched. What's that doing here…

Wait…Robin told me that Beastboy had savagely attacked someone while they were chasing some criminal awhile ago. Could this have been why?

Raven looked more closely at the storm, and saw that most of the apparitions were either black or white. Let's try a white one. She reached out to one and…

Raven saw herself helping Beastboy to a chair, and lay her hands on his leg, healing him. "Who knew we had a doctor in the house? Thanks."

I remember that. The day the HIVE took our home, and we showed them that we were the better team. Raven was touched. She felt the gratitude and surprise from Beastboy's memory.

Raven pondered. I don't see anything out here. I'm going to have to go in if I want to figure out what's really going on. She shivered as she looked at the wall of conflicting thoughts and memories. He's not the only one with contradictions, She thought darkly. I may have calmed my own storm, but I can unleash it, too. She allowed some of her barriers to weaken, and her thoughts began to surround her. Black and white phantoms swirled around her. Her own thoughts and memories.

As she made her way into the storm, she still felt and saw snatches of Beastboy's thoughts, but she was sheltered from the full effect. She saw many things from the last few months that she had been witness to, but the more astonishing things were the things she'd hadn't been there for. After going through dozens of the impressions, it was clear to Raven that Beastboy loved children, and loved animals. The part she hadn't known was how aware he was about what happened to them.

A great deal of the black phantoms were animals- either in pain, or being raised simply to die. The blackest phantoms, and the ones that disturbed Raven the most dealt with children.

Beastboy had saved many children, even in his short time as a super hero. He was haunted by the ones he couldn't save, or the ones he found victimized. Raven cringed at one particularly bad memory, where Beastboy was asked to help find a small girl that was missing. He found her easily in his bloodhound form…in several pieces.

Raven shut out the impressions for a moment. How does he cope with this? She wondered to herself. She wanted to believe that he had suppressed all of this, but…

If someone had told me about this, I would have laughed at them. Beastboy is such a corny, dimwitted little twerp…but maybe that's just an act. Raven paused, and she saw something odd outside her makeshift shield. Is that a treasure chest?

She forced herself to ignore the continuing flow of impressions, and moved closer to the chest. There was a big lock on it. Like that's going to stop me. She made a grasping gesture with her hands. "Azerath…Metrion…ZINTHOS!" She shouted as she made a tearing motion with her hands.

She was not disappointed. Her powers worked just about the same, even in Beastboy's mind. The lock dissolved into smoke, and the lid opened. What's that…?

As Raven peered inside, she saw a photo of herself. It was an unremarkable photo, except that she seemed to be content, even smiling slightly. I don't get it…why did he hide this? She looked more closely at the photo, and then noticed that her cape was shimmering into different colors. Blue, yellow, gray, green, pink…and then something prompted her to look on the back.

"I've always thought you were funny, but you know

what they say, 'Looks aren't everything!'"

Wow. He keeps this locked up to remind him of who I really am. Raven thought to herself. Why? She wondered. She remembered that she was blocking her perceptions. She eased off just a bit. She felt a flood of happiness from the picture. She could almost hear words coming from it "I can't believe it! We won! And she likes me! She's so amazing!

Beastboy likes me? Raven thought incredulously. He likes me that way? Raven was suddenly happy and sad all at once. She knew what to look for next, and it wouldn't be hidden.

As she peered through the maelstrom, she saw another chest. This one was bigger, and not locked. As she opened it, she knew what she would find.

There were pictures of Terra. Terra flying on rocks, Terra hugging him. Terra skipping stones. Terra messing up the bathroom with her bath. Terra eating Star's fungus.

Terra with an engagement ring on.

Raven knew it would be there, but it still hurt her to see it. That was on my picture. I know it was! Raven sobbed, and her shield buckled. She didn't care. This hurt. The maelstrom intensified around her. Then she noticed another picture, underneath the others.

What's this? she wondered. He shield hardened, and the winds died down. The picture was of Terra, in the center of a whirlwind of dust and rocks. Her goggles were broken, and her eyes glowed yellow. The odd part was that she was in a fetal position, sobbing. And she saw Beastboy throw himself at her in the form of a mole, and change as he grabbed her hands. She saw Beastboy talk her out of it, telling her to believe in herself, and that he wouldn't tell anyone her secret.

She needs him. She needs him more than I ever will. The thought was a melancholy one, but it gave her strength. I'm strong enough to deal with my problems. she thought to herself. And at least I know that I'm lovable. Starfire and Beastboy showed me that.

Her powers intensified, and she called more of her mental phantoms out of herself. There were so many of them that they began to cancel out a great deal of the turmoil. As she pulled herself out of Beastboy's troubled psyche, the two storms canceled each other out. Beastboy's central persona stepped out.

"Do you believe me now?" The other mind-projection asked. It seemed utterly calm.

Of course. The calm in the center of the storm. Beastboy's other facets were probably wandering around, but this was the one she felt when the danger was the greatest. She felt this one in her mind when they had battled her hate in the form of Trigon. This was the one who came out when no one else was there to take charge.

"How can you control all of this?" Raven gestured at the now dispersed thoughts and memories. As she watched, they began to coalesce back into the storm, as her own phantoms returned to her mind.

The other one smiled slightly. "I can't. Nor can I stop this. Beastboy is what he is. I am his center, but he will have to be the one to find a solution to this." The calm one gestured at the gathering tempest "Beastboy does the best he can, but he wants to stop all of this." He gestured toward the dark specters this time. "You and I know that he can't, but that doesn't stop him from wanting to. Why do you think he joined the Titans? For the fans?" The last was said sardonically.

Raven wasn't sure what to make of this. "Is Beastboy really alright?" She asked the calm one.

The calm one lifted an eyebrow. "You're asking about his sanity, right? I can't tell you. You aren't really sane, yourself, so we can't use you as a measure." The calm one seemed amused by this. Raven shot a murderous glare at him. "Ok, so it wasn't that funny. All I can tell you with certainty is that Beastboy didn't figure this Slade thing out."

Raven was shocked. "What do you mean?"

"He felt the thoughts of an incredibly powerful creature that was worried about Terra. This creature seems to have figured Slade out, somehow. Knows the one-eyed monster better than himself, I think." The calm one stared up at what would have been the ceiling. "I can't be sure, but I think the creature wants us to follow him into the desert."

"Was it evil?" Raven wanted to know.

"How should I know?" The calm one countered. "All I could tell was that the creature feared nothing in this world." He stared thoughtfully toward the roof again. "You should be going soon. The strain of projecting into here must be immense."

The calm one noticed Raven's frantic look. "Look, I know you came in here looking to prove that Beastboy was either sick in the head or not. It's not that simple. Beastboy is following a trail of breadcrumbs left by a creature that could probably turn him inside-out. I wouldn't call that sane, but what choice do we have? My two cents was that we should leave as soon as possible." The calm one sighed. "I hate offering answers on a plate, but you need to leave soon, or you won't ever do so."

"Beastboy is as sane as he can be. He's worried sick about Terra, and this creature's thoughts aren't helping." He pointed to an intense white dragon shaped thought. "That is one of the creature's thoughts. It's making the storm worse, here. Touch it, if you dare."

Raven watched the dragon-shaped thought form swirl thought the maelstrom effortlessly. She reached out, and the thought seemed to gravitate to her hand.

"Run all you want, Terra. Each step brings your closer to me…" She heard Slade's whispery voice say, as he watched a spybot's transmission of Terra running through the desert.

Raven was shaking after she absorbed the thought. He is after her! Wait, it was just a thought. It might not be real… Raven was shaken to her very core by how powerful the thought-form had been. That creature thinks it's real…knows it's real, Raven realized. It wouldn't be here otherwise. Nothing that powerful would ever spend time on something it wasn't certain of.

Raven realized that she had been Beastboy's mind too long. It was time to get out.

"Thank you for the information!" Raven said to the calm one.

The calm one looked at her and shrugged. "I know this wasn't what you were looking for. I hope it helps anyway." He pointed up toward where the calm center of the storm continued. "Head out that way by shifting your hands. It will save you the trouble of going through all of that." He gestured at the storm surrounding them.

Raven came out of her trance. Starfire was watching expectantly. Beastboy was out cold.

"Starfire…" Raven rasped to her "Get me some water!"

Star silently left the room, bewildered by the request. She did hurry, though. She was very concerned about what happened. When she returned, Raven was kneeling on the side of her bed, holding her side. She grabbed the glass of water with her free hand, and drank it jerkily. She sputtered some of it out, but seemed to be regaining control. By the end of the glass, she was drinking more or less the way she should have been.

Raven took several breaths, and tried to get ahold of herself. Why is Beastboy out cold?! He should be in better shape than me! "Star, how long was I in the trance?" Raven wheezed out the question.

"Two hours. It is almost three o'clock."

Two hours. Raven thought numbly. I can't believe I can still think. All of that psychic trauma was unbelievable.

I must have knocked Beastboy out when I scattered his thoughts. She made a face. Some mystical genius you are. Her conscience mocked her.

And then, a thought occurred to her. That was bad, but I didn't run into anything that I don't think about myself. "Whew." A big sigh escaped her. I didn't go mad after all. I'll have to make an offering to every god I know that might have helped.

Raven's voice still wheezed, but it was gaining power. "Star! Beastboy is alright! Tell Robin that he has to get back here!" She took a few breaths. "The bad news is that he was right about Slade…we have to do something!"

Star watched as Raven drifted closer to unconsciousness. She touched Raven gently. "I will tell him. You must rest." Starfire lifted Raven gently into bed next to Beastboy. Star pondered Raven's order to take Beastboy out of the room at the end, and decided to ignore it. Both of them were in bad shape. She would be back after they had some time to recover.