Disclaimer: you know

Chapter forty-four! Sorry this is a bit of a short chapter. It's just the way it came out. I'll try to make 45 longer.

Note to They-Call-Me-Orange: I wouldn't mind at all if you mentioned me in your profile! On the contrary, I would be very flattered. Thanks for the compliments, I feel fuzzy inside:hugs:

Hugs for all of you!

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Sounds slowly filtered through the all-consuming silence of her mind. A soft, mechanical beeping of a heart monitor at first. And then the softer, more subtle sounds. For a moment, she was all-hearing, picking up the impossible sounds of the material of her leotard stretching on her chest as she breathed, the faint, distant sounds of voices, the soft, normally inaudible creak of the cot beneath her as it lowered fractions to allow her back moving with every breath. And then a higher level of consciousness came, and she was aware of fluorescent light on her face, the feeling of the cot beneath her and the cool, indoor air on her skin. And then she was awake.

Raven shot straight up, hand flying to her forehead as she looked around. She was in a familiar place. The Med. Bay of Titans Tower.

'They…took me in? But…why?' she thought, rubbing her sore head as the ache in her brain slowly subsided. It took her only a few seconds to recognize that she was completely unharmed. She slowly, delicately removed the wires attached to her skin and placed them on the cot as she slid to the floor. She stood there, unsure of what to do for a moment.

In any normal situation, the natural thing to do would be to find the Titans and tell them she was OK. But this was most certainly not a normal situation. She wasn't sure what action to take. She was sure it would be helpful if they knew she was awake so they could probably bunt her out and get on with their lives. But she had a strong gut feeling that none of then would be exactly happy to see her. Memories of the last time she had spoken to Beast Boy flooded her mind and a stab of anguish squeezed at her heart. Her guilt was unfathomable. She wanted nothing more at the moment than to run to him and tell him how sorry she was, but she had a feeling he wouldn't give her chance just yet.

XXX

"I wonder when Star's going to get back with that garlic salt," Robin said, steering the conversation in a comfortable direction.

"You can't just keep avoiding the issue," Cyborg said, stirring viciously at the meat-and-sauce mixture in the pot on the stove before him.

"I'm not trying to 'avoid the issue'," Robin protested, lifting out a forkful of noodles from the pot beside Cyborg's and checking their texture.

"Then why is it that every time I bring Rae up, you change the subject?" Cyborg asked with a knowing glance at the leader.

"I don't know," Robin muttered with a sigh, knowing he was trapped. "I guess it's just a little hard, you know?"

"Because you feel obligated to forgive her since she saved our lives and all, but you still want to be a little mad at her for how much she hurt BB?" Cyborg asked. Robin nodded reluctantly.

"Exactly. I don't know what to do about this. I mean…well… she's our friend, and I know it. I know she cares about us, and I know she didn't mean to hurt anyone by leaving. And she actually risked her life to save ours. That sounds like Raven to me. But there's just something there that just… it just hurts to see Beast Boy like this, and it's hard to forgive her knowing it was her who made him this way."

"Robin, he will feel better eventually. I know it seems bad now, but he'll get over it. Someday they might even be friends again, or maybe even more. People forgive each other. It's how life goes. If you stay bitter forever, life's no fun. Believe me, I know. I'm not saying you have to forgive her right away, that's your choice. But I am going to remind you that this is Raven we're talking about. This is the girl who's had our backs since I can remember on this team. This is the girl who would do anything for her friends. And I'm guessing she feels just as horrible about this whole situation as BB does. I'm not telling you to grovel at her feet, I'm not telling you to forget everything that happened. But I am asking you to give her another chance. I miss her, you miss her, Star misses her, and even BB misses her. Please Robin, for all our sakes, don't let her walk away again," Cyborg said, watching the Boy Wonder carefully as he spoke.

Robin sighed. "You're right, Cy. And as hard as I try, I can't convince myself that I'm even angry at her anymore. I guess it's time to let this resentment go." he took several deep breaths as though relieving himself of tension. "I'll go talk to her about this if she's awake yet… before she runs away again." and with that he turned and walked in the direction of the Med. Bay.

XXX

"This is pointless," Raven muttered to herself with a sigh. "They are never going to forgive me after what I did to them." she turned and prepared to ghost up through the roof.

"Going somewhere, Raven?" a familiar voice asked from behind her. She turned around and saw Robin standing in the doorway of the Med. Bay with a slight smile on his face. He started forward, stopping when he was about a foot from her. Raven lowered her eyes to the floor. "Whoa, easy Raven. I'm not going to yell at you or anything," he assured her.

"Are you sure?" she asked, slowly raising her eyes to meet his face.

"Positive," Robin said with a nod. "I just wanted to say that…well…I was really angry at you for a while for hurting Beast Boy, but I've decided I can't stay angry at my best friend," he said with a wink. "So, you were leaving?"

"Just about to, yes," Raven said, avoiding his eyes.

"You might want to stick around," Robin advised her mysteriously.

"And why is that?" she raised an eyebrow at him in confusion.

"I have a proposal to make," Robin said. "You see, I'm the leader of a team of superheroes. The Teen Titans. Maybe you've heard of us. We happen to be looking for a new member. Interested?" he asked with a grin, pulling out Raven's communicator and holding it out to her.

"Robin…" Raven muttered. She shook her head. "I can't."

"And why is that?" Robin asked her.

"Because of what happened before. It could happen again. I could kill someone," Raven said sadly, starting to shake a bit.

"Then we'll get you help. Special training. We'll get your powers under control and keep them that way," Robin said.

"No….It's alright. To be honest with you, Robin, because I know you deserve the truth for once…I don't think it will happen again. I'm just…"

"Afraid of facing your emotions?" Robin asked with a slight grin.

Rave gave a deep sigh. "Yes," she fairly whispered, giving a slight shiver before looking at him straight.

"Well, we'll get you special training anyway, just as a precaution. So there's no chance of you having to worry about this again. So what do you say?" Robin asked her, his tone letting her know that there was no escape, that she had to answer him without beating around the bush.

"Robin…I don't-"

"You don't have to do this. You don't have to keep running away." Raven was avoiding his eyes again. "Raven, I know you want another chance to patch things up with Beast Boy. To finally get it through his head how much you love him." he paused. "I'm trying to give you that chance."

Raven finally looked at him.

"Come on, Raven. We all miss you. We need you on this team, even though some of us are reluctant to admit it. We need your skills in battle, and we need your friendship. You're a valuable part of this team to all of us. We want you back. We need you back," Robin told her, staring her down. "So what do you say now?"

Slowly, shakily, Raven reached out a hand and took her communicator, clutching the small plastic disk in her fist. Her eyes trembled, and then her face grew firm and decided, filled with a determination Robin had often seen in the mirror. "I say yes."

"I'm glad. Later, there's things that went on that you know we're going to have to discuss." Robin smiled. "But right now, it's just good to have you back." he placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Welcome to the team."

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More soon. Do you hate me a little less now? (: And don't worry, that was friendship, not romance!