Paths of Desire

Chapter 04: Daddy's Little Girl

A Raven/BB fanfiction by Sara "Secondary Gemini" Curtis

Notes: And here we go with another fight scene! Yay! rolls eyes After this, hopefully we'll get into the more angsty, romantic-type stuff!

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The last time Beast Boy had entered Raven's mind, he had landed flat on his rear. This time he managed to hit the ground feet first, still cradling Raven's sobbing form in his arms.

"It's okay... we're here now Raven, it's alright..." he soothed, rubbing her back.

"Your support is nice and everything, but I'm alright now..." The voice that replied to his gentle words came from above him and slightly to the left, and his head shot up to stare in shock at the girl who now stood at his side. He blinked, a sweatdrop forming on his forehead as he looked her up and down.

"But... if you're you... then who is in my lap?" he asked. Raven directed her gaze down to the being cuddled in Beast Boy's arms, sighing softly.

"Who else? It's me, but not me... you'd know her better at Timid..." Beast Boy's eyes drifted down to look at the cloaked figure in his arms. Of course, if he had been thinking (a hard task for him in the first place...), the cloak would have been the FIRST thing to tip him off that he was no longer holding Raven. She had lost her cloak during the battle against Bajaras, and when they took her home they had simply left it where it lay. The pair of eyes that looked up at him now were full of an eternal sadness, and this Raven was clad all in grey.

"Um... hey Timid..." he said, for lack of anything else to fill in the silence, "er... so was that you in Raven's body during the car ride home?" The girl sniffled and then nodded softly, glancing up at her hostess nervously.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered, moving out of Beast Boy's arms to stand before Raven, "it's just... we had to put someone in for you, or you would of pulled us all in at once, and the emotional output would of woken father up... and since I was the most prominent emotion at the time, you sucked me in first..." Raven sighed softly as Timid finished talking and reached up to massage her temples, willing the sob-induced headache away.

"Timid, it's fine..." she finally replied, giving up on her temples and instead rubbing her dry, bloodshot eyes, "I understand that you did it for my own safety... I'm not sure how I'll explain it to the others on the team, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it..." Timid nodded quickly and glanced over at Beast Boy, then back at Raven again.

"Come, we must hurry! Father is starting to wake up! The others are struggling to fight him off, but we're all starting to combine!" Raven nodded and looked to the green changeling at her side.

"Will you help us? Will you... help me?" she whispered, a touch of hope in her tone. Beast Boy nodded softly.

"I made a promise, didn't I?" he replied, smiling, "and I intend upon keeping it, no matter what..." Raven opened her mouth to reply, but a sudden quake that knocked them all off their feet broke in before she could speak. Timid squeaked and scrambled to Raven's side, latching herself on to the girl until the tremors stopped.

"It's starting! Father's waking up!" she cried, looking around frantically. Raven sighed and pushed the distraught emotion off of her, getting to her feet. She looked around slowly, surveying the area, then glanced back at Timid. Her eyes widened as she noticed that the entity's cloak was starting to take on different colors, as if it were tye-dying itself. Timid herself wore a look of confusion, as if she wasn't entirely sure as to what she should be feeling at that moment.

"Shit..." Raven whispered, grabbing the girl's hand and hauling her to her feet, "we have to go, there's not much time left!" Beast Boy nodded and followed her as she took off down the path that led to the home of her emotions, dragging Timid behind her.

They arrived at their destination minutes later, and already things were rapidly falling apart. It seemed as though Timid was not the only one who was going through an odd change. Each emotion had taken on the same rainbow color pattern and all were currently wandering around aimlessly, looks of confusion locked on their faces. Timid (or what was left of her, anyway) joined the others in wandering, and Raven sighed as she watched them.

"Great... this was the LAST thing I needed to have happen... if they had stayed separate just a little longer, it would have bought me some time to regain my energy before I fought Father. As it is, I'll just have to find a way to hit him, and hit him quickly..." she muttered, subconsciously sticking her finger in her ear to destroy an itch. The ground suddenly shook again, and if in response to her words, and she hovered above the shaking and looked around intently, as if searching for something in the distance that was just barely visible. After a moment she turned back to her emotions and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she lowered herself back to the ground.

"Alright... let's get this done..." she whispered. All at once order replaced chaos; all eight present entities moved to stand in a circle around their hostess, waiting for her next command. Raven stared at each one in turn, somehow still able to decipher each one for what emotion they were. As her eyes trailed slowly over them one by one, the mix of colors faded away and each regained their original form.

"Is everyone ready to be whole?" she asked, giving a soft smile. They all nodded and Raven closed her eyes, lifting her arms up to the sky.

"Alright... link hands..." They did as told, moving in towards her and clasping hands. Beast Boy noticed that Brave and Timid were clutching to each other as tight as they could, and as Brave leaned over to whisper in her counterpart's ear, he strained his hearing to pick up on their conversation.

"You're getting what you want... we're finally becoming whole. Congratulations, you little wuss..." Her voice was not laced with its usual cruelty, but rather with a sort of loving affection. Raven gave the final command and started to rise into the air, the emotions following her. As Beast Boy watched, Timid did the one thing he never thought he would ever see her do; she smiled. The emotions started to spin and twirl around their hostess, color blending into a smooth white. There was a bright flash of light and then suddenly Raven was standing before her friend, her cloak resting on her shoulders and her eyes burning with a new sense of emotion.

Beast Boy stared at her for a long moment, amazed by this sudden change.

"Raven... you..." He was lost for words and she filled in the uncomfortable silence with a smile.

"I know... it's an odd change, but we will both get used to it, in time..." Her voice, as with her eyes, was filled with a gentle underline of feeling – he sensed excitement, fear, determination... all these and more in her still-soft voice. She was so beautiful; she had always been pretty to him, but suddenly... suddenly he couldn't tear his eyes from hers. His hand moved of its own will, coming up to brush a strand of hair from her face. Her eyes changed again, shifting into a shyer gaze as they redirected themselves their stare to the ground. Her pale cheeks slowly gained a slightly pink tint, and his hand slid down to gently cup her chin and face in his palm, pulling her head up so she looked at him once more. He stared to lean in towards her, eyes narrowing down to slits as his lips neared hers.

What are you DOING?!his mind screamed, what about Terra?! Did she mean NOTHING to you?! You had such a connection with her... are you willing to throw that all away?!He paused for a moment and searched Raven's eyes, which were also half-closed.

... and yet... there's something that's drawing me to her... something so strong, so undeniably intoxicating... why did I never notice just how gorgeous she is until now?He licked his lips and gulped, moving closer to her. He had to... he had to kiss her, or he was going to go insane. They were so close now... so close he could taste her breath, clean and sweet and driving his senses even higher than they already were. His eyes drifted shut and for one moment he thought he felt her lips his; and then the ground started shaking beneath them and suddenly they were lying together in a heap, Raven sprawled out across Beast Boy's chest. They stared into each other's eyes again for a long moment and then looked away quickly, getting to their feet as the quake calmed.

"He's waking up... the combination of my emotions must have spurred the final reaction required... he'll be here soon..." Raven's voice was strong, but Beast Boy could hear the fear underlining her tone. "When he gets here, I want you to stay out of sight until I call for you; this is still my fight, and I'd prefer not to pull you into it unless I have to..." He nodded softly and reached out to touch her arm, causing her to jump.

"Will you be alright?" he whispered. Raven nodded and gave him a gentle smile.

"Yes... we've beaten him once before; I have faith that we can do so again..." He nodded in reply and then leaned forward, brushing his lips against her cheek.

"Be careful... and don't forget that I'm here if you need me..." he told her, turning before she could answer and hurrying off to find a place to hide. Raven's hand came up slowly, fingers brushing across her cheek for a moment before she smiled and nodded.

"I could never forget you..." she whispered softly, more to herself than to him. She then turned back to the barren wasteland that was her mind and once again began to search. The ground beneath her shook again and her eyes narrowed, beginning to glow a brilliant white.

"Trigon! I know you're here, so come out and FIGHT!" she screamed, balling her hands into fists at her sides. The ground immediately stopped shaking, and for several moments there was only a thick, heavy silence. Then a large, thundering roar filled the air and the form of a huge demon took shape before Raven, stepping out of the dust cloud his appearance had caused. Trigon glared down at his daughter with for menacing red eyes, his lips pulled back in a snarl.

"No not attempt to fight me, child; you were lucky last time, but this time you will not be as victorious. Surrender now and I will make your demise quick and merciful." His voice boomed down upon Raven, who stood in silence as he screamed at her. When he was done she let out a cold, cruel laugh, her hands starting to glow black.

"Surrender? I'd rather die the most painful of deaths fighting for my freedom and my life than ever willingly give in to you, no matter how much pain it spared me," she replied. Trigon snickered and started to build up his own power as well, his four eyes lighting up red.

"So be it..." he whispered, firing at her suddenly and catching her off guard. She managed to jump away at the last moment and rolled across the rocky terrain, coming to rest in a crouched position, the tips of her fingers pressed against the ground to support her. She got to her feet and lifted her arms in front of her, whispering softly under her breath.

"Azerath, Metrion, Zynthos..." A moment later the energy exploded from her hands and shot out towards her father. He met it with one of his own, and for several minutes they stayed locked in a fierce and dangerous tug-of-war; whoever lost would bear the full brunt of the attack.

Beast Boy stayed crouched behind his rock, keeping a close eye on the battle. Last time Raven had faced her father, it had taken her only minutes to defeat him once all her emotions combined themselves into her. He could only hope that the case would be the same this time. There were a few things to take into consideration, however; first of all, both Raven and her father had become much stronger since the last time they fought. This wouldn't be such a big deal until one took the second factor into consideration; Raven was weakened and wounded from her previous battle with Bajaras, leaving her at a serious disadvantage. Beast Boy continued to watch the fight, trying to judge if he should come to her assistance or not. For the moment she was holding her own ground fairly well, and didn't seem as though she were struggling too much. Bit by bit, however, Trigon's power started to overcome his daughter's and Raven struggled to maintain the upper hand. In a sudden movement she dropped her beam entirely and allowed her legs to collapse out from under her, falling on her stomach as her father's attack just barely missed the top of her head. She rolled out from under it and took the air, dodging skillfully as her father attempted to hit her with quick blasts of energy. She threw her own energy at him as well, managing to strike him twice before he caught up with her and struck her square in the chest, knocking the wind out of her. Immediately her levitation was lost and she started falling, struggling to regain her breath so as to also regain levitation. She hit the ground hard just as she drew in her first deep breath, that air automatically going to the sharp cry of pain that escaped her lips. Her head made contact with a hard, jagged rock and her vision exploded into a swirling red vortex of agony. She staggered to her feet, ignoring the blood running down the back of her neck and the pulsating ache that echoed through her skull as she lifted off the ground once more, continuing her attack. Her most recent injury slowed her down severely, however, and she managed to get in only one blow before she was struck again. This time Beast Boy intervened and caught her as she fell, pulling her quickly over to his hiding spot and checking her over. Her eyes were glazed and were starting to defocus, her skin seeming even paler than usual. Blood seeped slowly but steadily out of the wound on the back of her head, and by the wheezing noise she was making as she took rapid, shallow breaths, it sounded as though her lungs had sustained damage as well. Looking her over now, he was amazing that she had been able to make a second attempt at fighting at all.

"Ga... Garfield... I can't... can't beat him..." she choked, her voice weak and strained.

"Don't say that! You can beat him, you CAN! You did it before and you can do it again!"

"No... I can't... he's... just too powerful..." Tears brimmed at the corners of her eyes and fell freely down her cheeks, and Beast Boy reached up to wipe them away before he grabbed the bottom of her cloak, tearing at it until a long strip came off. He wrapped it tightly around her head, tying it off above her left ear, and propped her up so he could look her directly in the eye.

"Raven, listen to me... we can beat him, I know we can... but you have to believe in yourself. I'll lend you all the power I can... and if you go down, then so do I..." Raven blinked lazily and looked up at him slowly, her defocused eyes searching his. After a moment she nodded softly, wincing at the pain it brought to her head. Beast Boy nodded back and then helped her to her feet, pulling her arm up over his shoulder so he could support her as she walked. She leaned heavily against his side and stumbled along drunkenly beside him, still wheezing in air rapidly. They came out of hiding and Trigon laughed as he spotted them, watching with a great amount of amusement evident on his face.

"Amazing! You continue to fight even though it is obvious you have no chance of winning! Do you truly wish to suffer that much, child?" Raven gritted her teeth and glared at him weakly, hissing out her next retort with a slurred, almost drunk-like voice.

"Fuck... you..." The drawl in her tone struck a cord of alarm in Beast Boy; he needed to get her to the hospital ASAP, or else she wasn't going to live to reap the benefits of her victory. He stopped them a few feet in front of Trigon and moved her so she was standing with her back against his chest, slipping his arms down hers so her hands were rested on top of his own. Her intertwined their fingers and lifted his arms, supporting her completely. At this point, all her energy and stability were in his hands; he was, in essence, her lifeline. He leaned down to whisper in her ear as Trigon started to power up for another attack.

"Channel your energy through me... I'll lend you all the power I have..." She nodded groggily and blinked rapidly several times, struggling to maintain consciousness. After a moment she braced her feet as best she could, whispering her chant under her breath. The power extended out from her body and flowed through Beast Boy before releasing itself though his palms. As Trigon countered and they met in the middle Beast Boy closed his eyes, projecting all his energy into the fight. He dipped his head down to rest against Raven's shoulder, tightening his grip on her hands. He could feel her shaking violently against him, struggling to give what little energy she had left.

"Just a little longer... I won't let you go through this alone, I promise..." he whispered. Her legs buckled out from under her suddenly and he moved with her smoothly, lifting his arms as they fell to maintain the beam's current position.

"Raven! Raven, stay awake! You have to stay awake, just a little longer!"

"I'm scared..." she sobbed, her voice thick with tears, "I'm really scared, Garfield... I don't know if I can do this..."

"YES YOU CAN! Stop doubting yourself! I've never known you to lose faith in any of us, so don't lose faith in yourself! WE CAN DO THIS!" By the time Beast Boy was done yelling at her, tears were streaming down his face as well. Raven gulped heavily and struggled for air, then lifted her head and set a hateful glare on her father.

"Alright..." she whispered, "let's do this..." Beast Boy nodded and threw the last of his energy into the fight, squeezing her hands so tightly his knuckles were turning white. Raven gave the rest of her energy as well, letting out a hoarse scream that trailed off into a sort of gurgling noise. The beam of energy wavered for a moment and then suddenly pressed itself forward with a new sense of power, overtaking Trigon's beam in moments. The bright glow surrounded him and he screamed in agony, writing and twisting as his body started to break. There was a wet ripping sound, as if bones were being physically torn from flesh, and then out of the light flew a being dressed all in red. She made a beeline for Raven and shot into her body through her chest; and suddenly, with a violent convulsion, her soul was complete.

The inward tremor caused Raven to drop her powers, resulting in Beast Boy falling back against the ground, the small goth still in his arms, as post-adrenaline captured his nerves. After a moment he sat up, gripping Raven to him tightly, and looked around for Trigon. His eyes met with the sight of his mangled remains, and a great sense of relief swept through him.

"Raven... Raven, you did it! You really did it, you beat him! You're free!" The joy immediately turned to alarm, however, when she gave him no response.

"Raven? Hey, Raven..." he whispered, gently taking her by the shoulders and turning her around to face him. His voice died in his throat as his eyes revealed to him the reason behind the gurgling noise that had escaped her lips only a few moments previous. Thick, pink blood ran in a thin line from the corner of her mouth down her chin, and the wheezing had become much more obvious. Her eyes were half-open and shifted back and forth as if she were in the REM stage of sleep. As he turned her around they slowly moved to focus on his face, and her lips moved weakly as if she were attempting to speak but could not summon the energy to do so. It took Beast Boy only a moment to take action; he hoisted Raven up into his arms and stood, taking off as fast as his legs could move as he headed for the forbidden door. Her head rested against his chest, rocking back and forth slightly to the rhythm of his running.

The journey felt like it took forever, at least to Beast Boy; every second that went by was another second that she was losing more blood, that she was closer to slipping into an unconsciousness from which she might never wake up. Finally the portal entered his sight and he pushed himself to his final reserves of energy, managing to dive through the door with Raven still clutched to his chest. The last thing he saw before his eyes rolled back in his head and his own welcoming darkness consumed him was the walls of Raven's room, painted a dark purple, and the worried and shocked faces of his friends above him.

TBC

YAY!! THANK FUCKING GOD! ;;; starts singing You got to belie-ieve in the power of love, yeah! Alright, seriously... this chappie came out REALLY good! I hope the other ones do as well. Enjoy!