Part 13

There will be times in our life

When quitting will seem okay

But to walk the path

And cross each stream

Then we find out

The true passion

That life can bring

"What do you mean Raven has feelings for Beast Boy?" Robin asked Cyborg again.

"She doesn't know what's going on, but since the two have been together recently they seem to have been, well I don't know but something!" Cyborg rubbed his head.

"Oh glorious! Beast Boy and Raven have found each other! This is a wonderful thing!" Starfire said excitedly.

"I don't know how much I like two people of the team becoming really close to each other," Robin rubbed his chin.

Cyborg gave him a glance and Robin looked over at Starfire and gave a small laugh, "I guess it's a good thing, actually."

Cyborg sighed, "You two aren't supposed to know though."

"What are we not to know?" Starfire asked perplexed.

"That Raven cares for Beast Boy!" Cyborg quickly placed his hand over his mouth, wishing he didn't just shout it like he did.

"But is the feeling mutal?" Robin raised the point.

"Uh?" Cyborg blinked.

"I am sure Beast Boy cares for Raven!" Starfire said with glee.

"How are you certain?" Robin questioned.

Starfire huffed slightly, "Because it is obvious that he cares for her. If you think about it you'll come to the same conclusion," Starfire recalled all the times Beast Boy has tried to make Raven laugh and how only telling Beast Boy about Raven allowed him to change.

Cyborg sighed, "I seriously don't see it."

Robin laughed, "It's kind of weird."

Starfire crossed her arms, "On my planet wearing a mask and a cape would be considered weird, but love is never considered weird."

Cyborg and Robin stared at her for a moment and then Cyborg busted out laughing and pointing at Robin. Starfire gave a rare grin.

"I think it's a little early to be calling it love Starfire," Robin shrugged his shoulders, "Anyways we have to really be worried about Beast Boy unable to control himself. He's ending up like Raven, I am not sure that she is the best person to teach him how to control his changing."

"Who else is going to teach him? Raven's the closest in understanding his change. I mean I suppose Starfire could try to help, her powers happen when she is happy right?" Cyborg asked.

Starfire nodded, "Something like that, I'd be glad to try to help, but I think Raven should continue to be the one who helps Beast Boy mostly."

Cyborg nodded, "I agree with Starfire."

"All right then I guess it's settled, we'll leave things as they are, but Starfire who if you feel you can help, then you're free to do so."

They both nodded, "Right."

--

Raven awoke to see a sleeping Beast Boy in front of her. He looked so innocent being asleep. He couldn't be the troublemaker and comedian while he was asleep. He was just a green teenager trying to rest. She sighed seeing the gown and the wires connected to him.

She now after learning what it took to change him back, wished she would've went. She could have saved her team a lot of grief if she just went, but then again she couldn't get herself to go, she didn't want to think of him as that Beast.

She wanted to think of him as he saw him right now - the opposite of her. Everything she wanted to be he was. Did he like her though? She was at the point where she was semi-admitting to herself that she liked him, but was the feeling mutual?

She watched as he began to stir. She took her hand and rubbed it gently against his arm, calming him. "Oh Beast Boy what am I going to do with you?" She sighed shaking her head to herself.

Cyborg walked in and started checking the monitors, he looked down at Raven rubbing Beast Boy's arm. "You know everyone has figured it out. And it's not my fault!" He quickly added.

Another reasons why she should've went. Since it was her name that calmed him down her caring and his caring for her became obvious. Wait, that means it's obvious that he likes her! She gave a small smile; she quickly washed it away, "How long till he gets better?"

"His body is just exhausted. We're giving him IV fluids he should be back to his old self in no time – if that's a good thing." Cyborg answered.

Raven simply nodded and watched as Cyborg left the room. There was no way of her being able to heal exhaustion so she'd just have to wait it out. It would give her time to sort her feelings out. It would also give her time to figure out what to do with Beast Boy. Maybe the beast wasn't a horrible thing, if there was just a way for him to control it, he could become quite helpful, more so to the team then he is now.

What made this beast transition so much more difficult for him to control then his other metamorphoses? He had no trouble turning from a whale to a mouse, but his beast form, what was it that made him unable to manipulate it like his other forms? Was it because it's the only form that is connected to his emotions and not to his actions?

Raven looked down to see her cape and leotard changing shade. It went from her usual dark purple to a slightly lighter shade. She held her head, this was exactly what she needed – more change.

"Rae," She looked up to see a pair of emerald eyes looking back at her, except his eyes were glazed over, slumber within them. "What time is it?"

She looked behind her at the clock, "two thirty in the morning Beast Boy."

He yawned, "I should be in bed."

"You're in a bed," she reminded him.

He blinked several times looking around the room he then looked down to see the gown on him and his face became red from embarrassment, "wha? What happened?"

"You ask that question every time," she crossed her arms.

"Every time what?" He was confused.

"Every time you change you ask what happened!" She said in a less than friendly tone.

Beast Boy sighed, "I changed again," he pounded his fist into his hand, "Damn!" He spurted out.

Raven eyes grew wide and looked at him, she had never once ever heard Beast Boy say anything that could be considered foul language except for his jokes, they were always bad.

"Rae?"

"Yeah?"

"You're really pretty at two thirty in the morning," he gave her a toothy grin.

She lifted her hood up, "You talk a lot for two thirty in the morning," she retorted.

"You should hear me converse with myself," he joked.

She lightly smacked her forehead with her hand.

"Hey that was funny!" He sat up but quickly got dizzy and wavered. His hands found Raven's shoulders and his upper body fell into her, he moaned in pain.

She wrapped her arms around him, something at that moment felt right, something felt good, and she gently placed his body back down onto the bed.

His breathing became heavy and his eyes were dancing as though they were going to go up into his skull. He moaned again and closed his eyes.

"Beast Boy you okay?" She began to stand up and motioned towards him.

His eyes found hers and he gave her a nod, "I just got dizzy, that's all."

"Beast Boy how do you change normally into different animals?" Raven asked.

"I just think of the animal really, it's not hard."

"What do you think about when you change into the beast?"

He said nothing, he looked at the ceiling and time seemed to stop. He stayed like that for a few moments, "I think about all the people I am going to hurt, all the destruction I can bring."

The response scared Raven, it wasn't what she expected and it caught her off guard. "You think about hurting people when you change?"

He took a deep breath, "I think about tearing them apart with my claws, I picture their body shredding to bits as I tear through it with my teeth, that's what I think about," he gulped.

Raven just stared at him; she didn't know what to say.

"I think those things but I feel, I feel lost. It's hard to explain, I feel, I feel like how I should think that I don't want to hurt people that I want to be my old self, I feel so different then what I think, but I can't control it. I keep feeling pushed away, being thrown apart and then I can no longer control it, I just give in," he looked over at her, "I've never been strong Rae, I am not too weak to admit that. I am not a courageous person, I'm a wimp in a lot of ways, I am scared of a lot of things, myself now included. It's easy for me to give up Rae, I am physically not strong, and I joke around to hide my weaknesses. I figure if I'm enough of a distraction then the team won't see me for what I really am, because truthfully I rarely help the team," he turned away from her and glanced over at the IV bags and several monitors, "I've been afraid for as long as I can remember. That's one of the things I admire about you Rae, I know you have fear inside of you but you're able to repress it, like you repress many of your feelings you're able to hide it so the world can't see it. But the world can see me, it can see my green skin and stupid fang, there's not much more to me then what people see."

"I don't believe that," she replied softly, "I don't believe that at all. Why do you doubt yourself so much Garfield?"

The use of his real name caught his attention and he immediately looked over at her, "Because if I doubt myself I can never truly disappoint myself, look at me now Rae, I'm hooked up to machines, I can't sit up without getting dizzy. It just proves me right."

"No it doesn't! It proves you being stupid and thinking that you can control something that you're not ready to control, but it doesn't make you weak! It doesn't make you a loser! You're better than you give yourself credit for! You are not weak, every day we throw ourselves into danger and every time we come out of it, alive! If you think you are still weak after the numerous times we've risked our lives than," she shook her head, "I don't know, but what I do know is that you are wrong about how you see yourself! Garfield just because your gently and your soul is innocent it doesn't make you weak it makes you humane you may be able to change into any animal," she placed her finger upon his chest, "But you are human in here and that's all that matters."

She removed her finger and all there was, was silence. She watched as he seemed to tear up but a tear never moved down his face. He took a deep breath, "What time is it?"

"Three A.M.," she replied.

He gave a small grin, "You look beautiful for three in the morning."

She shook her head, "Get some rest," and with that she got up and left the room.

-end of part 13