TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

Disclaimer: Along with most of the other fanfic writers world wide, I don't own the Teen Titans; if I did, you'd be watching this as an amazingly awesome four or five part episode story. Being a lowly fanfic writer, any characters contained within this story are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation. I guess the only thing I really own is the story so enjoy!

Chapter Five

Beast Boy stood in the shower letting the hot water wash over him. The massaging heat penetrated through the skin, through the muscle, right down to the bone, washing away the dull pain he felt throughout his body. Sure, he was always a little sore whenever he transformed into anything, but it was completely different when it came to the Beast. The Beast was in control of the transformation, not him. It was always so painful, it felt like his insides were being pulled out of place, shredded, then put back in. The worst had to be the bones though. It's impossible for anyone who hasn't changed like that to understand the amount of pain it causes. It's as if his bones were being continually shattered until the growing finally stops.

Beast Boy punched the wall. "Damn it!" He cursed. "I have to calm down."

His dream had scared and enraged him. He wouldn't know what to do if any harm came to Raven. That wasn't going to happen though; he'd fight to his dieing breath before he ever let anything happen to her.

He turned off the water and grabbed a towel. 'Just have to calm down and get back to sleep.' He thought.

Despite the fact that the washroom was full of the warm steam, it was still a little chilly. He wished he'd worn more than just a pair of boxers for his return trek through the cold hallways.

:-:-:-:-:

Raven approached the washroom through the darkened corridors. 'Why does this have to be happening? Why am I not allowed to feel!' She cried internally.

Her dream had awoken her fears that her powers would hurt her friends; hurt the one she loved. She couldn't be allowed to feel now. Not now or ever. If she truly loved Beast Boy, she'd have to stop feeling her love toward him. It felt like destiny had chosen the cruelest fate imaginably. The unjust irony of the only choice that would keep her love out of harm also prevented her from loving him.

Raven could feel her frustration building. 'This isn't fair! I've finally found love and now I can't be with him anymore!' Tears began their journey down her cheeks.

Her heart yearned for him but she knew she couldn't be with him any more. Maybe seeing that he was safe ever day would be enough. She knew that it wouldn't be but tried to convince herself otherwise. Now she needed to get him to stop loving her. The very thought made her sick to her stomach.

She wiped the tears away and did her best to adorn her stoic exterior. 'No! It's the only way he'll be safe…' She thought.

She came to the door of the washroom and was about to enter when it opened. Standing there in nothing but a pair of green boxers was Beast Boy. She blushed profusely upon seeing his almost naked body and turned away.

Beast Boy let out a nervous laugh. "Uh… Hey…"

Raven didn't know what to do, she loved him so much but she needed to protect him. 'I'm sorry Beast Boy.'

"Beast Boy, we need to talk. What happened today shouldn't have. I don't know what came over me but we shouldn't be doing this." She lied.

Beast Boy felt all the blood drain from his face. What did she say? Everything that happened today shouldn't have?

"W-what?" He choked.

'I love you Beast Boy, I love you with all my heart.'

"I was confused today and you caught me off guard on the roof. I didn't know what I was doing then, it was all a mistake."

"M-mistake? What are you saying Rae?"

Raven tried to hold back tears. She couldn't do this, she could lie to him. She loved him more than he could ever know.

"Don't call me that. Everything that happened between you and I since Slade's attack shouldn't have happened. I don't know why it did but we should just forget this ever happened." She continued.

'No Beast Boy, it's not true. I love you so much.'

"But-but…" Beast Boy tried to protest as he took a step toward her.

Raven shot her hand forward and black energy pinned Beast Boy to the wall. His eyes when wide with shock and he was speechless.

'Just stop loving me and you'll be safe…' She desperately thought.

"Please do not approach me." She said bluntly as she struggled to hold the flood of tears the threatened to spring forth. "Just leave me now and our friendship can remain intact."

"I don't understand… Where's this coming from?" He pleaded.

She let him down and he stayed where he was. She bowed her head in an attempt to hide her tears.

"This isn't coming from anywhere. This is who I am; emotionless, uncaring, unloving… A demon." She sadly finished.

The realization struck Beast Boy like a ton of bricks. 'Demon? Her emotions! Her powers… She's afraid she'll hurt someone…'

He stepped toward her again and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be ok." She immediately pushed his hand away and forced him to the wall and he hit it with great force. Tears were flowing freely down her face and she kept her head bowed.

'I'm so sorry.'

"Don't touch me!" She coldly snapped.

"Don't worry Rae-" She cut him off.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" She screamed pulling him forward with the black aura only to slam him into the wall again.

'I don't want to hurt you…'

Her sorrow and frustration were building within her and she was doing her best to separate herself from Beast Boy but it wasn't working.

"You're not uncaring." He said.

'No.'

"Yes I am!" She said throwing him to the wall again.

"You're not unloving."

'Please.'

"YES I AM!" She screamed again throwing him to the wall.

"I love you Rae." He told her with all the conviction in his heart.

'Stop.'

"I DON'T LOVE YOU!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as she raised her head to reveal two glowing blood red eyes devoid of any pupils or irises. She became taller and the inside of her cloak seemed to become oblivion itself. She thrust a hand forward throwing an orb of darkness that struck the changeling square in the chest, knocking the wind and some blood out his mouth.

He looked at her as he gasped for breath. 'She's crying… Please Rae, don't cry.' He thought.

Beast Boy regained his breath and told her again. "I love you Raven."

"BUT I DON'T LOVE YOU!" She shrieked and threw another orb of her dark energy at him. This time it hit him on the side and he could feel ribs break.

'Yes I do.'

"No matter what happens Rae, I'll always love you."

"NO." She smashed him to the wall causing Beast Boy to cough more blood.

"YOU." Another dark orb slammed into his chest.

"WILL." She slashed out a wave of her black energy causing a large gash to form across his chest.

"NOT!" She finally screamed out collapsing to her knees sobbing. The glowing red in her eyes dissipated and reverted back to the normal violet.

Beast Boy was immediately dropped to the ground but was able to catch himself on shaky legs. Shaky though they were, he moved to Raven as quickly as they permitted and wrapped his arms around her.

"Shhh shhh. It's all going to be ok Rae. I promise I won't let anything bad happen." He comforted her.

'H-he's still here. He's not running away… I love you so much Beast Boy.'

"I-I'm sorry." She sobbed into his shoulder. She hugged him tightly around the middle and he did his best no to wince. Her arms were constricting around his broken ribs but he'd go through any pain to be with Raven.

"There's nothing to be sorry about Raven. I know what you were trying to do and I'm sorry that I forced you to do that." He said rubbing her back while simultaneously stroking her hair.

'He's apologizing? But I was the one who…'

"We have to get you to bed Rae, you need sleep." He lifted her off the ground and did his best to balance on his still unstable legs. Raven just buried her face in his shoulder, muffled sobs beginning to diminish.

"I love you Beast Boy, I love you more than I could ever tell you…" She said.

:-:-:-:-:

Robin stood in the hallway, a kind of quiet terror holding him in place. Starfire was at his side clutching him tightly out of shared fear. They were both awoken by Raven's screaming but were immobilized with fear when they found her screaming at Beast Boy and looking as though she was going to kill him.

Why couldn't they do anything? Why couldn't they help him? They'd faced monster the likes of which nightmares were made of but this was different. This was Raven, a teammate. For years they fought crime with her and never had she done anything like this. It was terrifying to see it, it seemed unspeakable. Beast Boy managed to get to her though. Any sane person would have run for their lives when they were given the chance or at least shut their mouths to stop from aggravating her. He didn't though; he persisted until he broke through her barriers and got to her.

Robin shook off his delirium. For better or worse, he gained a great deal of respect for Beast Boy that night. He didn't give up, even when he didn't understand what was happening. He also took quite a beating but still lovingly tended to Raven before even thinking of himself.

"S-should we not tend to friend Beast Boy's injuries?" Starfire voiced.

Robin just seemed to notice her and the fact that she had her arms wrapped around him. He put an arm around her and squeezed her gently.

"No. Not right now anyway. They need time to talk things out. Besides, we can always get Beast Boy to the medical bay in the morning."

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy smiled and kissed her forehead. They had reached her room and the door slid open with the usual hiss. He placed Raven in the middle of her bed with the greatest of care and slid under the covers next to her. Right now he didn't care what the others thought. Raven needed him now and he needed her.

Raven was nearly asleep when Beast Boy got under the covers next to her but she was happy. Happy to not be alone, happy he was going to stay with her through the night. She had to let him know how much he meant to her but words could never be enough. She rolled over and found his lips with her own. As their tongues met, Raven was struck with a displeasing coppery taste.

Her eyes snapped open. Blood. His blood. She had almost completely forgotten the pain she'd inflicted upon him.

"Beast Boy." She whispered, tracing her finger down to the large gash in his chest. "You're hurt! I did this…"

"No you didn't. You were scared, you were trying to protect me." He firmly stated as he rubbed her back.

"But-"

"Please don't worry. It doesn't hurt." He lied.

She traced her hand down further and it passed his broken ribs. He winced out of pain despite his attempt to prevent it.

"Your ribs! They're completely crushed!" She placed her palm on them as gently as she could and felt the bones. They felt more like shattered glass than anything else.

The changeling tried to smile through the pain but he wasn't at all convincing.

Raven began to channel the energy necessary to heal the wounds but a voice stopped her. It wasn't Beast Boy, it was something more terrifying than she thought possible. Slade.

"This is just so precious." He mocked. "A little lovers quarrel and one of you almost ends up dead. He'll never last Raven, you should give up now."

Beast Boy leapt out of the bed completely forgetting his injuries and transformed into a giant green gorilla.

A small symbol that looked similar to an 'S' glowed a fiery red from one of the shadows of the room and Slade stepped forward. The symbol on the forehead of his mask seemed to burn even brighter as he began to speak.

"Fool. You've fought before as every beast this pathetic planet has to offer. It has not worked then and it will not work now. Stand aside and your death will be quick."

This wasn't good. Beast Boy had fought Slade since he returned, but that was with all the Titans. Even then they never seemed to be able to harm him. It may have been futile but Beast Boy wasn't about to forsake Raven.

"You must be pretty fucked in the head if you think there's any force in Hell or on Earth that's going to make me hand Raven over to you." He spat with distained.

"Oh I think you'll find you're quite wrong about that." Said Slade as he leapt forward and kicked Beast Boy in the face knocking him to the floor.

He grunted as the metal clad foot connected with his face but rose again and stood his ground. Slade made another assault and grabbed the giant gorilla, throwing him clear across the room to smash into the bookshelf that stood against the wall.

'He's too strong…' Beast Boy thought doing his best to stay conscious. He was barely able to keep his animal form but he fought to hold on to the shape. If a gorilla couldn't inflict damage to him, his human form definitely wouldn't.

Slade was moving closer to Raven but Beast Boy wasn't about to let him get to her. He quickly got up and leapt at Slade. The masked intruder seemed to hear him coming and spun around with a spinning kick to meet him, however the Titan was a little faster and grabbed the leg in one of his massive gorilla hands and slammed Slade to the floor. A sickening crunch was heard as he came in contact with the floor and Beast Boy was sure he'd immobilized him.

'Yes! Got him!' He thought confidently.

Slade rose again however and flexed his shoulders. More sickening cracks were heard and he turned to Beast Boy.

"Is that the best you can do? There's no way you can stop me. You're little more than a minor annoyance."

The alarm sounded and a little relief rose in Beast Boy. The others would be coming to help.

"Looks like my backup's on the way. We're going to finish you this time Slade!"

"Oh that? I hate to tell you but that alarm means you puny friends are fighting for their very lives. There are hundreds of my robots flooding into the building as we speak." He informed him.

Slade clenched his fist and it seemed to burst into flames. Beast Boy stood in front of Raven in an attempt to protect her with his mass but he knew it would do little good. Slade threw the ball of fire and it exploded with enough force to send Beast Boy over Raven's bed to the other side of the room. The blast must have knocked him unconscious because he reverted back to his human form as soon as his feet left the ground.

"That's better… I have something for you Raven." Slade pulled a metal collar from his belt and stepped toward her. "This should make you much easier to get along with."

Raven was frozen in utter terror when Slade emerged from the shadows and found herself powerless to do anything. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she couldn't even think. All she could do was watch and listen the two battle one another.

Despite her desperate attempts, she was still unable to move as Slade advanced on her. The collar was nearly around her throat before she was finally able to cry out a high-pitched squeak for help.

"H-help!"

"Get away from her asshole." Ordered Beast Boy as he tried to stand. The effort was too great though and he fell to one knee.

He was panting and clutched his bleeding side. The edge of his vision was dim and blurry and he knew he was going to pass out at any moment.

Slade turned around focusing his attention to him. "You just don't know when to stay down do you?"

"Yea I do. And that's going to be when I'm dead." He stood and began to transform into a grizzly bear but was stopped by an excruciating flash of pain from his ribs. He stifled a scream but managed to stay on his feet.

"That can be arranged you worthless little wretch."

Slade moved so fast that he had his hand around Beast Boy's throat before he had a chance to react. He lifted him about a foot or so from the ground and his eye seemed to smile evilly.

"It looks as though you'll be dieing tonight. Any last words?" Slade asked with a hint of triumph in his usually ever-stoic voice.

Beast Boy did his best to support his weight by holding on to Slade's wrist but knew that he would soon feel his fingers constrict around his throat. He knew nothing he could do would get himself out of this but he was sure as hell not going to make it easy for Slade. He swung one of his fists trying to hit him in the throat but his meager attempt was easy caught by Slade's free hand. With nothing left to do he spat in Slade's face. This got a reaction Beast Boy was pleased with.

"INSULENCE! I WILL MAKE SURE YOUR DEATH IS SLOW AND PAINFUL!" Shouted Slade, betraying his usual calm demeanor.

His grip tightened around Beast Boy's throat and he brought a powerful punch into the exact spot where the ribs were the most damaged. The changeling cried out and spat thick blood as tendrils of pain lashed deep into his soul.

This was it. This was how it was all going to end. The darkness at the edge of his vision grew and began to consume more of the room around him. He'd failed her. He fought his hardest and he'd failed.

'I'm sorry Raven, I wasn't strong enough.' He looked past Slade and saw Raven still frozen in terror on her bed. He looked deeply into her beautiful dark purple eyes trying to communicate his love for her. Why hadn't he said he loved her? That would have been worlds better than to try and hit Slade and spit in his face. 'Why hasn't she moved? Why isn't she running? She can still live if she just runs…'

Beast Boy's vision was almost completely dim and what was left of it was blurring over with a thick haze. His strength was leaving him but there was still something he needed to do.

"R-Rae…" He spluttered through blood.

"She's not going to help you." Said Slade, his poisonously calm voice returned to him.

"R…" He tried again. Bringing all the strength and air he had left in his body, he shouted out the last words he thought he'd ever say.

"Run Raven! Run!"

With the last of his strength spent, his head fell and he slipped into the darkness.

:-:-:-:-:

Raven was trying to move but she still couldn't. All she could do was watch and listen to Slade kill her one true love.

"It looks as though you'll be dieing tonight. Any last words?" He asked.

Beast Boy tried to punch Slade but his punch was a weak and desperate last attempt that was easily blocked. Failing that, he spat in Slade's face.

"INSULENCE!" Slade screamed. "I WILL MAKE SURE YOUR DEATH IS SLOW AND PAINFUL!"

'MOVE!' Raven commanded to her body but nothing changed.

Slade's fist rammed into the green Titan's broken ribs eliciting a cry of pain and a mouthful of blood.

His eyes met hers. They didn't look sad, angry, or scared though, all Raven could see was love.

'Beast Boy…'

"R-Rae…" He tried to say but was stifled by blood.

"She's not going to help you." Slade taunted.

"R…" He tried again but was again choked out by his own blood.

'Why can't I move! He's going to be killed!' Tears were now cascading down Raven's cheeks.

His face became strained as he pooled what little strength he had in him.

"Run Raven! Run!" He shouted, spewing more blood as he did so. The strained expression left Beast Boy's face and his neck gave way to the weight of his head.

Raven snapped out of it.

"No!" She cried as she raised her hand and threw long lances of dark energy into Slade's back. Some of the longer ones protruded out of his chest and abdomen and he dropped Beast Boy.

Despite the holes that filled him, Slade turned his attention to Raven once again and held out the collar. She flung him into the wall but he just stood and shook it off.

"None of you understand do you? I'm immortal, there's nothing on this planet that can kill me so stop fighting. You can't escape you destiny."

This couldn't be happening. Beast Boy was dead. He fought and died trying to protect her. The sorrow she felt was overwhelming. This wasn't supposed to be happening, nothing like this was ever supposed to happen. She was supposed to be in bed curled against Beast Boy right now. His warmth was supposed to envelope her in a protective little world that only they could share.

Too much, too many emotions, she just couldn't take it. Everything went black and she fell down on her bed.

Hot damn! That was a long chapter huh? This is my favorite chapter by far and I'm just so pleased with the way it turned out (I'm almost ashamed to say it but there were several times while writing some of the more emotional parts where I almost cried). I'm sorry if there was more dialog than fighting in the latter half there, but I didn't feel that I needed to go into an uber long battle to come to the same end. Besides, Raven kind of messed up Beast Boy herself so he was already at a disadvantage compared to Slade.

I know you guys want to kill me for where I left it off and even more so for killing off Beast Boy but chill out 'til the next chapter. I'll tie up some loose ends and answer some of those unanswered questions. From the looks of the story, it's going to take more than one chapter to finish it up so look forward to at least two more.

I guess I never really gave a date as to when this is happening (Besides it being around two years after the Malchior incident: Spellbound) but I kind of place this at least half a year after Slade came back (Birthmark).

I don't want to become one of those fanfic writers who nags people about writing reviews, but if you read the story please review it. Even if you think it's the worst piece of tripe on the net please let me know and say a thing or two about how I could improve. That being said, Thanks to all the people who did review!

warprince2000 – I'm glad you're enjoying it. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Story Dragon – Thanks a lot. I'm happy to see that people like it.

They-Call-Me-Orange – I'd like to especially thank you for all of your detailed reviews the whole way through! Your comments along with those of everyone else have spurred me on to continue writing the story. Thanks a lot! Have a hero cookie for your good work.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story. (And this long ass authors note!)