wind sounds door opens then closes

DarkEyedDemon: Hmm? Oh, guess I haven't been here in a while. Need to get some...End dust. Anywho, sorry to leave you all hanging. Stuff got in the way and grumblemumblegrumble...anywayz, I'll be continuing now.

Raven awoke the next morning as the sun reached its long, golden fingers through her window. She got out of bed and got dressed slowly, not wanting to see Beast Boy and have those thoughts return to her. Nonetheless, she left her room and went to the kitchen. Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire were all up, but there was no sign of Beast Boy. Heaving a sigh of relief, she began to prepare her herbal tea. Robin looked up from the newspaper he was reading to speak.

"Has anyone seen Beast Boy this morning?"

"Not me, I assumed he would be up making his tofu junk by now," replied Cyborg through a mouthful of waffles.

"I have not seen our friend either," added the red headed alien.

"Strange, Beast Boy never sleeps in." They all dismissed it as just an odd day and continued with their morning routines. Raven had gotten her water to boil and was now adding the tea bag when she went to the common room and drank her hot tea as she stared out a window.

It's true; Beast Boy never sleeps in... She shook her head. He must have just been especially tired this morning. After finishing her tea she started to walk back to her room. On the way she passed by BB's room and couldn't help but put her ear to the door. She didn't hear the light snoring that he usually emitted while asleep so she cautiously opened the door. Her eyes widened a bit as she saw that he was not there. She quickly ran to her room and levitated out of her window towards the city. There is only one place he would be...

She landed just outside of a deep tunnel, smoothed by cooled lava. She walked into the earth and came to the place that served as both memorial and grave. High up on a stone perch in the center of the vast cavern was the stone casing of Terra, and at her feet sat Beast Boy. He seemed to be holding something in his hand and was staring at it.

Raven approached him slowly. "Beast Boy?..." He looked up at her with tear rimmed eyes that nearly broke her heart.

"She...she's gone. She's really gone." Raven looked at him, confused, until he held up one of Terra's hands. It had broken off of the rest of her and proved what they had all feared. Terra wasn't encased in stone, it had gone right to her core. She was stone.

"Beast Boy, I'm sorry..." She began but was silenced when he started to cry openly.

"She was one of my best friends, Raven, and she's gone! Gone forever!" Much to both of the teen's surprise, Raven kneeled down and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Beast Boy, there was nothing you could do. Even if she hadn't given herself up to stop that volcano, it would have still destroyed her and the rest of us as well. There was nothing anyone could do." He sniffed audibly and wiped at his eyes. Without warning, he wrapped his arms around Raven and she could feel herself blush.

"Thank you, I appreciate you trying to help." He let go of her and forced a weak smile. He always had that smile, no matter how bad things had gotten. Raven realized that she treasured that smile, that unbreakable confidence that he kept when he tried to make her laugh, even though she never did. She did, however, return his smile and helped him stand up. The two started to walk out of the large cave in complete silence. "Raven, did you ever really trust Terra again? After what she did, I mean."

"Well...no. I'm sorry, but I couldn't. I was sad for her but I was still angry at what she did to us, what she did to you..." Raven caught herself as she said that but Beast Boy didn't seem to take any notice. She breathed a sigh of relief and was glad that her hood was up for she was blushing again. They returned to the tower and she walked with the green changeling back to his room. When they reached the door he stopped and faced her.

"I won't hold it against you that you didn't trust her, she didn't only betray us she even betrayed Slade, evil as he is. And thanks again for helping me out." He leaned over and kissed her cheek, causing her to blush furiously then entered his room. Raven put a shaky hand where he had kissed her and smiled a little.

He has very soft lips... Just then a light-bulb nearby broke and she hurried to her room to meditate. While she chanted her mantra, she could still be seen smiling.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos..."

DarkEyedDemon: Yeah, yeah, I know what you're all thinking. 'If they thought Terra was encased in stone why didn't they just break it open?'. Well bah humbug! I say she was stone to the core, so she was stone to the core!

Raven: Simmer down there.

DED: Sorry, lost control. Anyway, yeah it's been a while since last we met, but a little suspense is good now and then, right? Please hit that lovely review button.