Notes: Yeah, I know it's been forever since I updated, but I've been busy. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Rae BB Forever!

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Back at the Tower, everything was unusually quiet. Raven suddenly opened her eyes, ending her meditation. For some strange reason, she couldn't concentrate that day. She sighed and glanced around her room, her eyes resting on the bookshelf where only days earlier, Beast Boy had sat waiting for her.

Beast Boy. She had never really imagined what it would be like if he was gone. Actually, she had, but it had been nothing like this. Instead of the eternity of peace that she had thought up, she found herself missing the laughter that floated down the halls after he played a practical joke.

Still, she had to admit, that his prank on her had been clever. He knew enough about her to disguise himself as an animal that wouldn't look foreign in her room. And he hid in a convenient spot where she couldn't see that the bird was actually green. He waited until the perfect moment to strike too...when her attention was directed at something else.

You're just too used to him that's all, Raven told herself suddenly, ending all thoughts. You couldn't possibly miss him. After all, he was usually annoying and always telling those ridiculously corny jokes. It was almost impossible for him to take anything seriously, unless it involved himself.

He never weighed the consequences of his actions before acting on his plans. Beast Boy was outgoing though, she would give him that, but it was to the point that it bothered her. The weird thing was that it didn't bother her as much after a while.

Realizing exactly what she was thinking about, Raven stopped herself from going any further. The thoughts of the former green titan were getting her confused. Did she miss him or not? She got what she wanted...didn't she?

She stood and headed to the kitchen. The room was disturbingly quiet. Cyborg was sitting at the table, breakfast set out for everyone. She could plainly see the bored look on his face though. That's also when she noticed the extra plate that was set out mistakenly...in Beast Boy's spot.

Raven didn't touch the plate, and instead pretended to ignore the extra dish. A second glance however showed that it wasn't meat on the plate but tofu. She removed her gaze from it and looked at Cyborg. His eyes were fixed on that spot, almost as if he half expected Beast Boy to come walking in, proclaiming that the whole thing was a joke.

She switched her glance over to Starfire. The usual excitement in the alien's eyes was gone, replaced by a look of worry and grief. In the place of a smile was an emotionless face, much like hers was usually described. Robin was beside Starfire, not really paying much attention to anything around him.

So this is what it's like with him gone, Raven thought. It hadn't hit her until now that Beast Boy was more important to the team than she thought. He might not have had the strongest powers, but he had the energy to crack jokes, even after something terrible happened. He lightened the mood after the storm. That was his purpose.

"This is ridiculous," Robin said suddenly, startling everyone but Raven, who had been studying his expression, "We have to go out and find him."

"Wonderful," Starfire exclaimed, her eyes lighting up at the thought.

"That's the best idea you've had all day," Cyborg agreed.

"Sure. Whatever," Raven said.

"Ok, Star, you check..." Robin was cut off by a loud alarm that sounded throughout the tower.

"Let's go," Starfire told him, sounding unlike her usual hyper self, "We can search for him after we take care of this." Robin nodded his agreement slowly, already leading them outside the tower and to the crime scene.

XXX

Machine looked up suddenly, his ears picking up a sound from outside. He glanced from Blackjack, who was shoving money into his pockets to the dark of night outside.

"Someone's coming," Machine said suddenly, turning his attention from the convenience store window. Aqua risked a glance at him from her job of handing Shad bills from the register.

"Let's get out of here," she spoke up, breaking the uneasy silence that followed, "He could be right." Blackjack glared at her, but grabbed the last of the money before heading for the back exit. Shad followed behind him and Aqua waited for Machine to come before she headed in the same direction.

Just as they started running down the street, the sound of people outside the store front sounded, their footsteps echoing in the still of night.

"What," a male's voice was heard, "There's nobody here!"

"Yes, where are the villains," a female voice sounded.

"They have to be around here somewhere," another male voice came in, "Search the area."

XXX

The four gang members ran until they reached their so-called home. Shad was gasping for breath and collapsed onto the floor the second he entered. Aqua and Blackjack were doubled over, leaning against the wall for support. But Machine looked perfectly fine and closed the door behind him.

"Who were they," Aqua finally asked when she caught her breath. She looked to Machine, because she knew that neither Shad nor Blackjack knew the answer.

"The Teen Titans," Machine replied with an edge of coldness in his voice, "They're the protectors of this city."

"You know them," Blackjack asked.

"No," Machine replied harshly, "but I know of them. They think they're better thane everyone else."

"And how do you know that," Aqua questioned.

"That's not important," Machine told her, "We just got to be more careful from now on."

"Obviously you know the most about them," Blackjack pointed out, "I guess we have no choice but to trust you on this."

XXX

"Nobody's here," Raven announced minutes later, "Whoever it was, they left in a hurry."

"This is most confusing," Starfire commented, "Don't we usually catch the criminals?"

"Yeah Star, we usually do," Robin told her.

"How could they have heard us coming," Cyborg asked, "This is a amateur job. They couldn't have heard us."

"Guess that's one more mystery we have to solve," Raven replied.

XXX

Shout-Outs:

Soraoathkeeper – Hope you liked this chapter. I'll be trying to update more often now, but I do have school, so I'll try to at least once a week if possible.

Werewolf – Thanks! I hope you liked this new chapter. Hopefully, I'll be updating again soon. And you'll be glad to know that I didn't rush...obviously, lol.