(A/N) I thought about why I didn't have Beast Boy kiss Raven, and I think the main reason is because he would be too panicked (been using that word a lot in this story) to go through with it. So for those of you waiting for the magical moment to happen…you might be waiting indefinitely. There're still some things ahead that could make them not want to be in a relationship. What you may want to think about instead is the moment they're in now. Enjoy it while it lasts and all that.

Disclaimer – I don't own the Teen Titans, some guy with lots more money than me does. Lucky punk.

Tamed – In a Word – A confrontation-laden story about learning self-mastery. (A/N I just had to point this out…you now know what's 'in a word'. snicker Sorry, I love puns and their ilk.)

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Beast Boy got out of bed and felt like singing. Remembering that he was about as good at singing as Starfire was at cooking he decided to ignore the impulse. Instead he used the abundance of energy he had to go get food for breakfast.

Raven, on the other hand, woke up cranky. She had kept having dreams about the date where Beast Boy kept fainting whenever she felt like things were perfect. They woke her up because she always panicked, trying to catch him before he hit something as he fell. She was reaching for her cloak when her hand stopped. The cloak hung off the back of her desk chair, and it was brown. "So…I guess that means that you only change colors when you're on me. And whatever emotional color I am, you are." She had said all of this to the garment, it felt comforting to discuss this thought aloud, and the bit of cloth was all that was available at the moment.

Raven finished grabbing what she would need and was already starting to head off for her morning shower when Beast Boy met her headed in the other direction. He was carrying some freshly cleaned fruits and vegetables in a basket in one hand, and a large pail of water in the other.

"Morning, Rae." He still felt embarrassed about passing out during their date. He was sure that if he hadn't he might have had even more reasons to smile. "I got breakfast today."

She gave him a small smile. It hadn't been his fault she couldn't sleep. "Good morning, thanks. I'll be back after I'm done with my shower."

"'K." As she walked away he mentally berated himself for letting his mind wander. "I gotta get Cullen under control. The more control I have over him, the more time I can spend with Raven." He had mumbled this all to himself as he finished bringing everything into camp.

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Raven suspended gravity's hold on her and rose into the air a few hundred feet. "OK, Beast Boy. I'm ready."

Beast Boy bent forward and was the Cullen instantly. He marveled at the feeling of it since he was awake this time. He didn't have control, but he knew what was going on, it was like having a dream where you're inside of whoever you're dreaming you are. It was very strange. He couldn't choose where to look, so every time the Cullen turned it's head he got a little disoriented. This would be a cool thing to tell Raven about later.

Cullen looked around the camp just as he had done last time, when a familiar scent struck his nose. He made has way towards Raven's temporary home and stalked around the outside, looking for a way in. He found the window and jumped through it, smashing glass over Raven's floor. Once inside he looked around for the girl and having not found her, he jumped back out through the opening he had made.

Beast Boy cringed watching what the Cullen had just done. Maybe telling Raven that he was awake for all of this wouldn't be such a good idea after all…

Raven fumed. She was curious, at first, when Cullen had seemed to be looking for her, but when he broke into her room through her window, she was JUST a bit upset. She had almost flown down to eject the foul thing from her private space when he jumped back through the window. Seeing him start to trot off back towards the mountain she flew after him still in a huff.

When he finally reached as far as he had explored the last time he had been there he continued up the rocky beginnings of the mountain that loomed overhead. He was moving towards the craggy parts, still apparently seeking a place to claim. Coming around a sharp boulder that jutted out he found what he was looking for. There in the side of a ten-foot drop was a cleft in the granite that was only two or three feet wide. Raven was trying to see if she could catch a glimpse inside of the hole, but she wasn't able to find a way to get the view she wanted without putting herself back within the reach of Cullen.

Beast Boy was actually enjoying what was happening. He was starting to realize he could tell what the Cullen was feeling and the cave had made him very pleased. It had a den, and it was a crucial thing to it for some reason.

Raven was just floating in place, waiting for Cullen to come back out when a green blur popped out of the rock face. She blasted off as fast as she could, but it was difficult. At least this time the sun's still up, she thought, as she pulled back closer behind Cullen as he sprinted through the trees. When he suddenly stopped Raven was ready, having reminded herself that he was liable to do things like that if he were hunting. Instead of going into a crouch, he instead just raised his head and stared up at Raven. He let out a growl of some kind, but it didn't feel threatening. She focused on the tall creature and let her mind drift inside of his. She was surprised to feel Beast Boy, full awake and enjoying just looking at her. She descended to Cullen smiling softly. "You figured out how to get control!" After she had touched down she walked over to him. "OK, Beast Boy, change back and tell me how you did it."

Fear for Raven was all that Beast Boy had. She must have felt me inside, and not known that I'm not in control. His fears were only worsened by what the Cullen was feeling. Ownership. Territory. Mate. Beast Boy tried to scream for Raven to run, but he had no control over his vocal chords and he could only watch as the great beast suddenly snatched Raven from the forest floor.

The ground was going by at a terrific pace as Raven was held tightly in one of the large creature's arms. She didn't know why Beast Boy was doing this, but it was scaring her. "Beast Boy, stop! Let go…I don't like this!" She remembered that he couldn't talk when he was in another animal form and probed his mind. What she felt raised the level of her horror. Beast Boy was afraid for her…he didn't have control. She was too scared to be able to pull the focus she needed for her powers. But sooner than she thought possible, they were back at the cave.

Cullen placed her inside of his den and followed in proudly. Beast Boy calmed down some when he felt that the thing wasn't going to hurt her at all. He still felt very nervous for her being trapped in such a small space with it. She was in front of them now.

Raven felt the beast loom closer to her. It wasn't charging, but the much slower advance made her even more panicked than when he had snatched her out of the air. She backed up against the back wall and it still proceeded forward till it was mere inches from her. It stopped and leaned its head closer to hers and sniffed at her hair and face. After it had done this for a moment it went back closer to the cave entrance and laid down. Raven was too on edge from everything to leave where she was yet, especially since it sounded like it was growling softly as it laid where it was. No, it wasn't growling, it was…purring? That was what it sounded like. Like it was purring contentedly about the current situation. This was too weird. She sat down on the ground and just watched him as his purring grew softer and he drifted into sleep.

Beast Boy was feeling a bit claustrophobic now that the Cullen had closed its eyes. He couldn't see anything any more, and he still couldn't control his own body. The large cat was at least happy. It had been purring steadily since Raven had been placed into the cave. "All I want is to be able to open my own eyes." Hearing his own voice echo softly in the cave his eyes did just what he wanted. He instinctually looked down at his hands to see if he was still the Cullen. He had changed back again, and Raven was talking to him.

"Are you back?" She still kept her distance; she hoped that Cullen hadn't just learned how to use Beast Boy's morphing ability.

"Yeah." He turned to her. "I'm sorry! I could see everything, but it was like I was just a passenger. Are you OK? Please be OK." He desperately wanted her to be OK.

She gave a small, tired smile. "I'm fine, just…a little shook up. It kind of freaked me out. I mean, I looked in Cullen's mind and found you awake while he was just staring at me." She left out how she had seen Beast Boy admiring her. "Why did he bring me in here? What does he want with me?"

Beast Boy looked down at the floor. It made him very uncomfortable to think about what that…Cullen had been thinking right before he grabbed Raven. "Uhm…well…he kind of thinks of you like his…uh…yeah, like his."

"What do you mean by 'like his'?" She felt she knew, she just didn't want it to be true.

"Like his…his, uh, mate." Beast Boy swallowed, it didn't work out so well with how dry his mouth had gone. "Right before you flew down and he grabbed you, he made a little growl, roar thing. He was calling you to him."

Raven was glad she had already joined with Wisdom, it would have driven her mad having to wait to get the clear thoughts that were coming to her now. "He, uh, he wouldn't try to do any…anything to me, would he?" The idea was almost more frightening than anything she had ever faced.

Beast Boy's eyes widened when he understood what she meant by 'do'. "Whoa! I didn't think about that…uh…" He needed more than to just reassure her, he needed to be able to believe whatever he told her himself. He thought hard about what he had found out about cats during his studying. "I don't think he would…do…uh, that. Cats do…that…when the girl cat is in heat. So, you shouldn't have to worry since you're not a cat. People don't really go in heat." Beast Boy frowned remembering the Cullen sniffing Raven so earnestly. "I think he wants you to be though." He hadn't meant it to come out so blunt, but he didn't want to have another accident like today.

"So I'm safe, but only barely because he thinks I should be in heat?" The whole thing was sadly, miserably, darkly funny. In about the same way that someone having something hit them wonderfully forcefully in the groin was. It hurt like mad for the person being hit, but was enjoyable by onlookers if they didn't mind that the person was in pain.

Beast Boy stood up and walked back to her. "Come on, let's get out of here." He helped her to her feet and kept her hand in his as they walked out. "Rae…I'm sorry. I don't think it's safe for you to be near me at all when I change. I could have done something horrible and I couldn't stop it." He faced her full on, not caring that his tears that he had been hiding were plain for her to see now. "I want you to promise me you won't get within the safety zone for any reason if I'm in that form, no matter what. I need you to promise or I won't change back into him anymore."

She saw how scared he had been for her. He was crying because of what could have happened. She grabbed him in a tight hug, badly wanting him to feel better, and wanting to feel comforted. She was glad he was returning her embrace. "I promise." She felt great peace in holding him and being held. She felt him shudder again as fresh tears came forth. "It's OK, I'm fine. You didn't do anything bad. We're OK." She was glad his silent sobs subsided as he held onto her as though he thought this was the only thing keeping him alive.

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They had walked back to their two-house town leaning on each other. Giving comfort to one another through the physical closeness they shared. Raven enjoyed the feeling, the give and take of it. It made it easier for her to let go of how scared she had been not more than twenty minutes earlier.

Seeing her shattered window, Beast Boy turned to the girl walking along side him. She was allowing him to keep his arm around her, and she was even returning the gesture with her own arm around his back. "I'm sorry about your window. I'll clean it up and figure out how to fix it." He smiled at his thoughts. "I'm glad this all happened after our date."

She turned her head towards him. "Me too." She then felt the urge to kiss him. Not a regular kiss, just something like a peck on the cheek. She forced the urge back down, afraid of it and not ready to face those kinds of things after all that had just happened. 'Screw that,' she felt Crass say and suddenly she found herself kissing Beast Boy. It was not the cheek peck she had originally thought to do. Her head swam while it happened; it felt…as good as she had always read it was supposed to be.

Beast Boy, though very much confused, returned her kiss for all he was worth. When they had broke apart he looked at her lightly purple eyes. He couldn't think what you could say after something like that, so he only smiled at her and let out a nervous giggle.

Still caught in his arms, and feeling a little light headed she couldn't help but feel good about what had just happened despite a strong desire to go use her mirror and punch the daylights out of Crass. She smiled at his giggle. "That was very nice." Her cheeks went a little red at having admitted it to him. "I, uh, I haven't done that before."

He blushed as he answered her, "me neither. Not unless you count dreams."

She kept her arm around him but turned back towards camp. "We should go get something to eat."

"Can't we just order out? Have Robin or Cyborg bring us out something? It'll only take them, like, four hours." He laughed a little.

"Come on." She smirked. "I'll cook if you help so that it doesn't turn rancid."

"Deal!"

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"Crass? Where are you?" Raven had almost yelled herself hoarse calling out for her slovenly self.

"She's not here. She has been in Affection's realm." Intelligence had heard Raven's calls and was seeking to help so that she could return to reviewing Raven's knowledge, looking to see if everything that had just happened really was her first time.

Raven turned to her yellow clad self. "What's she doing in there?"

Her sigh going unnoticed by Raven, Intelligence answered, "Making a nuisance of herself per the status quo."

Raven stormed off to so that she could finally tell off Crass. She'd entered an hour or so ago, after she and Beast Boy had eaten a late lunch, and she was losing her patience rapidly.

She stopped just outside of the archway that would take her to Affection and Crass. She touched one of the stones and waited for Affection to answer.

Affection finally showed after nearly ten minutes, though she did look apologetic about her having taken so long. "Raven, what may I do for you?"

"I need to come in so that I can talk to Crass." The apology being in a look instead of being said and the wait were slowly killing off the last of her patience, so she just walked in under the arch, not waiting for Affection's invitation.

"Uh…" Affection followed quickly after her. "You didn't wait for my approval."

"I just really need to find Crass, besides, you always let me in." She stalked past some new pictures that she didn't stop to examine, she look at them later.

Affection frowned. "I'm not so certain I would have let you in this time."

Raven stopped dead in her tracks. "Huh? Why wouldn't you let me in?" Seeing Affection frown was very disconcerting. She had never seen affection have any other expression than some kind of smile.

"You broke your promise."

The simple answer evaded Raven's understanding. "What promise did I break?" Remembering how fickle her emotions could be she quickly added, "and how did I break it?"

Affection's frown looked slightly worried. "You broke your promise to let us run free. Yet, as soon as I started guiding you with how you were feeling about Beast Boy you suppressed me." Her eyes started to take on the glassy appearance of those ready to cry. "How can you ignore such obvious love as he has shown?"

"I…" She was having trouble coming up with an answer. "I'm not ignoring him, I'm…I was scared." She sighed and sat down on the ground. This talk would do them both some good. "I like the way he makes me feel, I like the things he does for me, and…I like to make him feel good too. You said those would be how I would know if I liked him. What am I supposed to do next?" She hoped that her real desire to learn would help Affection to cheer up.

Affection finally allowed a smile to return to her face. "I know that you are scared. Malchior's treachery has left scars. Realize that Beast Boy will not repeat those actions."

Raven had shifted uncomfortably at the mention of what that evil dragon had done by using her desire to have someone understand her against her. "I know he won't." She thought about him and everything he was and did. "He made me a gopher burger." She chuckled lightly at hearing just how ridiculous the statement sounded, yet it had been a very powerful show of how much he liked her. "I feel more than what I felt with Malchior, and I thought I was in love with HIM."

"You were, to an extent. Malchior made you feel accepted and normal. He made you feel pretty. But, love of that sort is quickly built and quickly dismantled. You loved him because he gave you exactly what you had wanted with affection added to it." She had drifted to Raven's side and placed her hand on the Titan's shoulder.

"If that was love, why was everything you had me do with Beast Boy just to see if I could like him beyond being friends?"

Affection smiled sadly at Raven. "I said those things so that you wouldn't be so afraid. I'm sorry, Raven, but I lied for much the same reasons as you would in telling someone that you're fine regardless of how upset you might really be about a rather large creature having just frightened you badly."

"Oh." Raven started playing with the hem of her cloak. "So I…and Beast Boy…he's…I lo…I love…him?"

"Yes and no." Raven's look was so startling she guessed it would be safer for her to explain immediately. "You love him to an extent, but not in the full way that you would think of real love as being. You will know you have arrived at that point when you seek for his happiness above your own. And, if you are truly loved in return, he will seek your happiness above his."

Raven looked up at Affection and her heart dropped. "But he already does that. At least, that's what it feels like, and even inside his mind it feels like that."

Affection looked over to a picture. "Yes. It would appear that Beast Boy truly loves you." Affection knelt in front of Raven. "You must not hurt him." It was a command. A command from Affection, and it had a deep impact in Raven.

Several thoughts ran together in Raven's mind. "I wouldn't ever hurt him on purpose…and…does you telling me that mean that part of me is truly in love with him?"

"Yes." Affection stood. "Crass is asleep past the pictures of your mother." Affection then walked back the way they had come in. It was then that Raven saw that the new pictures that Affection was now looking at all had Beast Boy in them.

Raven stood and walked on till she found the lazy orange robed emotion sleeping on the ground, her arm draped over her eyes to shield them from the light. "Crass, get up. We need to talk."

"Get stuffed." Nothing beyond her lips had moved.

"I said get up!" Crass lifted her arm away and propped herself up on her elbows. "Why'd you have me kiss Beast Boy like that?"

Crass sneered a little. "Like you didn't enjoy it. Besides, it wasn't me, that's not my field."

Raven furrowed her brow. "If you di…Affection."

"Wow. Right on the first try."

Raven turned back to Crass. "OK, so what were you doing yelling to me then?"

"Being a distraction, duh. But at least you've been listening to me more lately." She went back to laying flat again, her arm under her head.

"Right. What have I been doing that you wanted me to do?" Raven stared at the rude girl in front of her.

Crass smirked. "How about that right there? Also, being short with Affection when she took so long to get you, and then you barge in past her. The nap you took after we argued. The way you wake me up. And, the great thoughts you had about me while you were looking for me before you found out I was here." She sat up to look at Raven. "I've been talking to Affection since you seem to eat out of her hand lately, and I know you like BB. You need me to understand all that 'gross', as you called it, stuff. I'm not just a pretty face that helps you let out your own relaxed attitude about appearances and stuff. And one more thing, I'm the part of you that balances out Wisdom. She told me that, so you can't deny it, gloomster."

"So you're saying that I'll understand Beast Boy's immaturity if I have some myself?" She was skeptical, but it rang true inside her head. Crass rolled her eyes rather than answer. "OK then, I want to rejoin, but only if you stop calling me those stupid names."

"Since I'll be you after this, then it wouldn't be ME doing it if it happens afterwards." She liked getting in one last parting shot.

"Fine." Raven closed her eyes and focused. She wanted this just to have it done, but a part of her that spoke more softly wanted this for the help it would provide with Beast Boy.

As they lifted into the air Raven felt the same sensation as before, the wind that didn't ever seem to do anything more than make noise, the feeling of Crass circling her faster and faster till she felt her on all sides, and then finally a forceful pull inward that shocked her with how powerful it could pull without hurting her. As soon as she had solid ground under foot again, she opened her eyes and looked down at her leotard. The pumpkin orange that greeted her eyes looked strange, but she couldn't be happier with the fact that the merger had been successful. "Cool."

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(A/N) Thirteen has always been my lucky number. I picked it because I like the irony. I decided that since this was the thirteenth chapter, then my luck would go towards our slowly progressing couple. So they got lucky. Kind of fun to write. I hope it wasn't contrived. That's been one of my main goals here since the beginning. Let me know what you thought.