Chapter Three: Slade
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans and I never will so stop rubbing it in!
(A/N: This chapter is REALLY LONG!)
Raven sighed in content as she inhaled the herbal teas sent. Beast Boy was thumping his leg impatiently. He didn't like waiting and being in Raven's room made him nervous. Not because it was dark that had never bothered him but because he now realized he knew very little about her private life. This was her sanctuary, her refuge from the world
"Beast Boy!" Raven said snapping her fingers under his nose. He jumped slightly and looked at the girl
"Could you at least try to pretend like you're listening?" she asked crossing her arms in fake annoyance
"Sorry Rae I was thinking."
"For the hundredth time my name is Raven." the girl grumbled to herself. In truth she really didn't mind Beast Boy calling her Rae. She considered the changeling her best friend. Robin and Starfire were always busy with each other and Cyborg had his car so most of the time he was the only one available
"Hello Raven? Can you come back to the land of the living?" Beast Boy asked waving a hand in front of her face. Raven snapped out of her trance and the boy chuckled
"Guess we're both feeling a little spacey today."
"Yes I suppose so." Raven set her tea mug down on the floor then looked at the green teenager. Before either of them could say anything more Robin's voice came over the intercom
"Titans get down here." his voice was strained as if he was angry. Raven placed one hand on Beast Boy's shoulder and a black raven scooped them up then deposited them in the living room. Slade's face covered the large screen
"Hello Raven." he said smirking under his mask
"Slade." she returned calmly. Starfire and Cyborg were already standing beside Robin looking at the man hatefully. Beast Boy was staggering around slightly from Raven's teleporting
"What do you want?" Robin asked
"Must you always ask the same question Robin? After six months that's all you can come up with? Pitiful really."
"Shut up." Beast Boy growled under his breath. Slade turned is attention towards the changeling
"Temper, temper my little green friend. We wouldn't want an accident to happen would we? We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt again would we?" Beast Boy's face turned a sickly lime green color. His hands clenched into fists
"What do you want with BB?" Cyborg demanded. Slade smirked
"This message is for him alone. He knows where to meet me." the screen went blank and Beast Boy collapsed into the sofa groaning
"Beast Boy, what does Slade mean?" Starfire asked
"I don't know. I really don't." he shook his head. Raven studied the boy carefully, his face was as pale as it could get for being green and he looked tired
"Robin can I talk to you?"
"Sure Raven." they walked into the hallway leaving Beast Boy to be comforted by Cyborg and Starfire
"What's up?"
"I think Slade's talking about the Beast."
"But we gave BB the antidote." Raven nodded then silently apologized to Beast Boy
"It wasn't the chemicals Robin. That just brought it out. He told me that he could feel it inside of him. Like it wanted to get out." she decided not to tell Robin about him changing into it just yet
"But how could Slade know about it? He was dead when it happened."
"We don't know that for sure. Trigorn could have had him spying on us until my birthday came around."
"So what do we do?"
"Keep an eye on Beast Boy. I have a feeling he knows what Slade's talking about but he's just not telling us."
"Okay." Raven turned to go back into the room "Hey Raven, how do you know this anyway?"
"He told me."
"Why didn't he just talk to all of us?"
"Because he's afraid. For some reason the Beast tried to protect me so maybe he feels safer confiding in someone that it won't attack."
"There's something else." Robin stated. Raven hesitated then continued
"You scared him."
"What? When?" Raven turned back around to look at her leader. His masked eyes held hers
"When you were interrogating him. When you said those things you made him think it was him who hurt me and it scared him." Robin nodded then turned to go upstairs probably to track Slade's transmission. Raven went back into the main room to find Starfire and Cyborg talking in low tones on the sofa
"Where's Beast Boy?"
"We were talking and he suddenly ran out of the room. He looked pretty upset." Cyborg said.
Raven walked out of the main room and closed her eyes trying to find Beast Boy's presence. He was up on the roof. She walked up the stairs slowly. Rain was pattering the windows lightly. Thunder rumbled from far away. Normally she would be meditating or reading in her room but this was much more important
"Beast Boy, are you up here?" she asked opening the door and raising a raven shaped shield over her head (like the one on 'Haunted')
"What do you want?" his figure was sitting cross legged by the edge of the roof watching rain drops hit the ocean. His voice was strangely harsh
"Why are you out here? You'll get sick." he laughed hollowly making Raven shiver slightly
"Like you really care." Raven came a bit closer letting her shield's wings spread over him as well
"I do care Beast Boy. You're my friend."
"Sure you are Raven. But for future reference friends keep promises and don't lie to each other."
"What are you talking about?" Raven asked in frustration. Beast Boy turned around and stood up so he was at eye level
"You told Robin. You said you wouldn't and you did. You lied to me." water was streaked all over his face but Raven couldn't tell if they were rain drops or tears
"Beast Boy I'm sorry. I was worried about you. I don't want you to get hurt."
"I'm not a little kid Raven; just because I act like one sometimes doesn't mean you can treat me like one all the time. I can take care of myself." Raven opened her mouth to yell but she stopped and her eyes softened as her anger flowed away
"I know you can take care of yourself. And I know that I treat you like a little kid a lot and I'm sorry. And I'm sorry I broke my promise and you have every right to hate me for it but I was worried."
"Why do you even care?"
"I told you. You're my friend. Maybe my best friend." the boy turned his eyes up to look at her. Raven felt herself blush lightly but she returned his gaze
"You really mean that?"
"I don't say anything I don't mean." she answered sitting down next to him. He sighed and sat down as well
"I'm sorry for yelling." he said
"It's okay." Beast Boy smiled weakly
"Thanks Raven." the two of them stared out over the water for a long time each waiting for the other to break the silence. But what did break the silence was the alarm
"Let's go." Raven said quickly getting to her feet. Beast Boy ran after her and they both skidded into the main room. Robin and the other two were there
"It's Slade." Robin said.
Slade smirked as he pulled wads of cash from the bank vault. In truth he had no need for the money but he needed to draw the Titans out. Sure enough the screeching of tires could be heard and Robin's order to search the building came loud and clear. Slade clicked open one of his pockets and drew out a bo staff. He had some revenge to carry out before his other plan could be put into motion. He ran out of the building and headed down the street
"Titans follow him!" Robin yelled. Several starbolts hit the ground behind Slade making him pick up his pace a bit.
Soon they came to his abandoned hide out. He was able to leap up onto one of the wrap around walkways before the Titans got there. They can into the room and got into fighting positions
"Well Titans this place sure brings back memories. Doesn't it?" Slade dropped to the ground easily. No one moved to attack
"What's the matter Titans?" he asked tauntingly. After a moment there was a loud rumble and several large gears fell on top of him encased in a black mist
"Idiot." Raven muttered letting her magic fade from her hands. The Titans walked over to the pile of metal and looked around
"Could he have moved?" Starfire asked picking up a rather large gear and tossing it aside easily. Cyborg shook his head and tapped at his scanners
"I don't think so. Raven dropped those things too fast for him to…" Robin's words were silenced and he fell forward. Slade was standing behind him bo staff in hand
"Do not underestimate me Robin." the boy got up and stood with his team "Six months of rigorous training has made me even stronger than before. And I have a revenge plot to carry out." he threw the staff straight at Raven like a spear. Raven just stared as the staff flew straight for her head unable to move or protect herself. Suddenly someone pushed her out of the way and the staff snapped in half. Beast Boy stood with Raven behind him. He had turned into a tiger and was baring his teeth at Slade
"Hey Slade. This'll cut you down to size." Cyborg yelled firing his sonic cannon at the man. Slade flipped out of the way and the blast hit Starfire who was aiming a starbolt. She dropped to the ground and was knocked out cold
"Starfire!" Robin yelled running over to the girl. Raven threw a shield over herself and her friends
"Take her to the Tower. Beast Boy and I can handle Slade." she said after a moment. Robin glanced at his friend and teammate
"You're sure you can handle him?" Raven nodded then winced as Slade hammered on the shield
"Just go." she ordered letting her shield fall. Slade charged at the two remaining Titans twirling another bo staff. Beast Boy tackled him as a tiger and Raven threw him into a wall. The man groaned as he slid to the ground
"Guess being mortal has it's disadvantages doesn't it Slade?" Raven said letting her cloak wrap around her body hiding it from view. She looked like a blue pillar with eyes
"Well since your father is gone I'll have to take my revenge out on you." he threw out a hand and a disk flew out. The walkway above Raven exploded and fell
"Raven!" Beast Boy screamed running over to the pile of metal. He started digging at the pile not bothering to change into anything
"Leave her boy." Slade said looking at the changeling who turned to him with tears in his emerald eyes
"She will never care for you. Not the way you want her to. You don't seem to have very good luck with girls do you? I would have given up after the way Terra betrayed you."
"Don't you dare say her name. You're the one who tricked and used her. She came back in the end. She saved us."
"But did she do it for you or did she do it so the team would forgive her? Face it boy, she never loved you. Who could?" Beast Boy had it. He changed into a small Raptor and charged Slade. His claws scratched the amour deeply and Slade's one visible eye widened in fear
"It seems I underestimated your abilities." he muttered dodging the Titan who had now turned into a bear and was roaring "But still you know I'm right." the bear stopped charging and turned back into Beast Boy
"I don't have time for this." he growled. Slade smirked then his smirk disappeared as the Titan turned into a Stegosaurus and swung its tail at him. It threw him back into a wall. Beast Boy snorted then started to dig out Raven.
After a few minutes he found her. Several beams had made a small shelter over her body but a large piece of concrete was lying across one leg. He turned back into a human and knelt down by the girl
"I'm sorry Rae. I should have been ready. I'm so sorry." he whispered while trying to push the slab off her leg. The girl gasped in pain and her violet eyes opened
"Beast Boy look out!" the changeling turned around just in time to receive a blow across the face and multiple kicks in the side
"Face it boy, you are weak. You couldn't protect Terra and you can't protect Raven or your team. You're worthless." angry tears sprang into Beast Boy's eyes. His demon side had said the same thing
"Now if you don't mind I have a few things that must be finished." Slade walked over to where Raven was still trapped. Beast Boy's mind searched frantically for some idea. He was badly hurt and could barely move. There was no way he could fight. He had let his team down. He had let Raven down.
Raven struggled to lift the large concrete slab off her leg but it hurt too much. She could hear Slade's voice faintly then his footsteps getting closer. Her mind was too frazzled to phase out from under the slab and she couldn't focus her energy to lift it either. Slade's face suddenly appeared above her. The man held a high powered pistol in his hand an he aimed it at Raven's heart
"I'm not sure if you have your heart on the left or right side or if demons even have hearts but I'm sure this will take care of you permanently. Good Bye Raven. Oh and say hello to your father for me." Raven squeezed her eyes shut but instead of a gun shot she heard a shrill snarling and a loud thumping sound. After a moment there was silence then something moved closer to her small prison. The Beast looked down at her with its head cocked slightly as if to say "What are you doing down there?"
Raven was speechless. This massive monster was hovering over her and here she was trapped under a concrete slab and unable to protect herself. The Beast breathed out softly as if it was relieved then lifted the slab with ease. Raven looked up at it slowly
"T-thank you." she whispered still fearful of this strange animal. She knew it was only Beast Boy but her friends had said he was out of control and trying to destroy everything. Now he seemed almost gentle and kind. He reached out one large paw and lifted her out of the hole the set her down on the ground tenderly
"Raven!" a voice yelled. The other three Titans stood in the doorway open mouthed.