TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

I'd like to thank everyone for their amazingly kind reviews on chapter eight. I wasn't all that happy with the way it turned out but all of your responses pulled me out of my funk. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

Chapter Nine

Beast Boy relaxed and let the hot water of the shower wash over him. The intense pain he had experienced yesterday was now just a sore aching all over. It was a far cry from comfortable, but at least he wouldn't pass out because of the pain he felt. He still bore a large and dark bruise all over his upper back and it was sorer than the rest of his body, but the continual and gentle flow of water was a relief.

He had awoken early that morning as well, it was 6:45AM and he had already been basking in the warmth of the shower for half an hour.

'I guess there are a couple advantages to getting up early.' He thought as he turned off the water.

He looked at his change of clothes as he toweled off and frowned. It was just another of his regular purple and black jumpsuits. Didn't he have any other clothes? Why should he wear the same thing now that he didn't have to wear that constricting spandex?

'I'm going to have to buy some new clothes…'

Beast Boy moved down the deserted halls toward the common room and passed through the doors to find it empty. It wasn't that big a surprise, if anyone were there it would be Robin. It appeared that the Titan's leader had yet risen so Beast Boy would be dining alone.

He pulled a couple slices of vegetarian pizza from the fridge and began to chew on one. For some reason, he hadn't had his usual appetite since the change. Well, besides the time he had to wait until lunch for a meal that is. He thought back to that incident the other day. He was enjoying the time he spent with Raven. It seemed as though she was as well, but it was difficult to be certain.

She was beginning to express her emotions now so it was tough to tell how she really felt. She may have felt that way about everything before but was simply forced to quash those feeling because of her powers. It was still good to see her happy. Beast Boy loved to hear her laugh, even if it didn't mean as much now, he still loved the lively sound in her beautiful voice.

He dropped into a chair at the kitchen table and winced as his injured back came in contact with the backrest.

"This is really starting to get old…" He mumbled.

'Maybe I can heal it now. I'm not in that much pain anymore.'

He placed his slices of pizza on the table and reached both hand over his shoulders. The pull on the muscle and skin made him want to drop his arms but he resisted. He did what he'd done twice before, he felt the energy inside him; he saw the blue glow growing outwards to his hands. As the faint bluelight shone down on his back, the bruise began to diminish in size and he felt the discomfort start to grow inside him again.

The pain seemed to stop for a moment and Beast Boy thought he was done but the moment he stopped, he was hit by a jolt of pain. It caused him to choke slightly as he inhaled.

"Are you ok Beast Boy?" Asked Robin.

'When the hell did he show up?'

"Uh… Yea, just a weird feeling. I was trying to heal my back but it was a lot different from when I healed Starfire." He lied.

Robin gave him an odd look for a moment but shrugged it off.

"I never did thank you for that… What happened on the bridge yesterday…" He sighed heavily as he fell into one of the seats. "It was the first time I didn't know what to do. Starfire was in danger but so was a citizen of jump city."

"It was a tough call to make." Said Beast Boy as he began to eat his cold pizza again.

Robin slammed his fists to the table, slightly startling Beast Boy for a moment. He did his best to center himself and looked back to Robin.

"It shouldn't have been! Things like this are supposed to be black and white; either you do this because it's right or you don't do it because it's wrong!" His shoulders dropped and his body relaxed. "My feelings for Starfire aren't exactly the biggest secret in the world, but it was a little girl… What am I supposed to do in that situation? If you didn't stop me, I would have left Starfire to save the girl. Star would have died…"

Beast Boy didn't respond but he studied his leaders expression. Cold and depressing emotions were emanating off of him in full force.

"I love Starfire but I would have left her to die. Do you want to know my reasoning behind it?" Robin let out a bitter laugh that was completely devoid of happiness. "She's a Titan. This is the shit we deal with daily and it was what she signed up for. That little girl didn't expect something like this so I was going to go after her. Until you stepped in that is."

"Starfire is a Titan, and danger is something we all have to deal with. She didn't die though, neither did the little girl, and do you know why? It's because we're a team. I was there to save the girl and you saved Starfire." Beast Boy steadily explained. "You may be the leader but the responsibility of protecting this city and one another lies on all our shoulders."

"Since when did you get to be so wise?" He asked as he lifted an eyebrow above the edge of his mask.

Beast Boy could feel that the mood had obviously lightened so he afforded himself a little slack on his tightly reigned emotions.

"Guess it's all in the powers." He shrugged with a very slight laugh.

"I don't think so. People usually don't give you a lot of credit for much, but you've got a lot more going on inside than you let on." He grinned after having decided that the conversation had been far too serious. "So when are you going to ask Raven out?"

'Yea! When are you going to ask her out?' One of his many emotions excitedly exclaimed.

Beast Boy began to answer before he fully understood the repercussions of what he was about to say.

"I don't really know, we have been getting-What?" He cut himself off and one of the chairs at the table began to shake.

Robin just grinned wider. "What do you mean 'What'? Don't think we didn't see you clinging to each other on the bridge."

Before Beast Boy could protest, Cyborg walked in through the common room doors and yawned loudly.

"Mornin' guys. What are you talking about?" He asked as he sat next to Robin.

Again Beast Boy was cut off before he could speak. "Just about how clingy Beast Boy and Raven were yesterday."

"Oh yea man, you two were getting pretty touchy feely, weren't ya?"

Beast Boy blushed and hung his head in defeat. There was absolutely no way to come out of this on top now that they had both ganged up on him. Was there a way to avoid this embarrassing and potentially destructive situation?

"Guys? Emotion driven powers, drop it." He said blankly.

Both Cyborg and Robin promptly closed their mouths.

"So I'm going to be getting some new clothes." He said in an attempt to conquer the uncomfortable silence. "I'm not going to wear a spandex jumpsuit a minute longer than I have to."

"What kind of stuff are you going to get?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm not sure, probably just some pants and some shirts. They may not last that long in combat though."

"I've got a jacket made out of the same fire, shock, and projectile resistant material as my capes if you want it. It's a little small for me so it should fit you fine." Robin offered.

"Sure, Thanks."

:-:-:-:-:

Raven rolled to the side and smacked her alarm clock. She was tired; therefore, she would sleep more. Just as she was about to fall asleep again, she sat bolt upright.

'I can't fall asleep again. It's time to wake up.' Raven thought to herself. 'At least my alarm woke me today.'

She stretched her arms high above her head and arched her back as she let out a large yawn. She glanced at her clock and almost fell out of her bed when she noticed the time it displayed.

'It's already 12:37PM! My alarm has been going off for three and a half hours!'

She quickly donned her leotard and wrapped herself with her cloak. Where would Beast Boy be right now? She thought the most probable location to be the common room and made off in that direction.

When she got to the common room however, she only found Starfire and Cyborg. Starfire seemed to be making lunch in the kitchen and Cyborg was playing on the game station.

"Where's Beast Boy?" She asked before even announcing her presence.

"He was waiting her for you for a while, but he left about an hour ago since you were a no show. He said something about picking up some new duds." Replied Cyborg as he shut off the game station. "You guys were supposed to be training right? He said you should call him on his communicator when you were ready."

Her stomach growled a little.

'Well, he said when I'm ready. I might as well have lunch first.' She thought.

Raven went over to the kitchen and opened one of the cupboards. She grabbed a can of soup and a bowl and poured the contents of the can into the bowl. After hitting the correct sequence of buttons, she placed the bowl in the microwave and pushed the start button. She leaned on the counter and looked over to Starfire while she waited for her lunch to heat.

"What are you making Star?" She asked, prepared to hear some obscure and difficult to pronounce Tameranian dish.

"Crème of mushroom soup." She replied giddily. "Robin has taught me to make this."

Raven blinked momentarily at her simple answer. "Well that's… Normal."

"Is it not wonderful?" She asked in her ever-happy tone of voice. "It was beginning to become exceedingly difficult to find the proper ingredients for my Tameranian recipes."

Cyborg stretched as he rose from the couch. "Well, Robin said he wanted someone to spar with so I'll be in the gym."

After Cyborg left, Starfire turned off the stove and dished herself some of her soup. The microwave beeped indicating Raven's soup was ready as well and she took it to the table.

"Raven, would now be an appropriate time to initiate in 'girl talk'?" The tawny haired Titan asked.

Raven blew on her soup to cool it and nodded.

"Glorious! Then I must tell you of my experiences last night! After you departed for bed, Robin and I continued to study your books about Earth creatures. We did this for a short time but Robin soon spoke of what happened during our fight with Plasmus. He told me that he was very worried for my safety when I was injured and went on to say that he would not know what to do if something bad were to happen to me. We then kissed!" She excitedly squealed the last part.

Raven listened quietly the whole time Starfire was talking but couldn't help but giggle at her excitement.

'Took them long enough.' She thought.

"That's great Starfire. What are you two going to do now?" Raven asked with a warm smile.

"I asked him if that meant I was his girlfriend but he said he wasn't sure. He told me that he would very much like it if I was though and we kissed again!" Stated Starfire, almost bouncing out of her chair.

Starfire was usually a very bubbly person but it now seemed that she was absolutely ecstatic.

"It took you two long enough!" Raven giggled.

Starfire sighed wistfully and looked up at Raven from her soup.

"And what of your relationship with Friend Beast Boy?"

The green Titan blushed and looked down to her soup. She should have expected this.

"I wouldn't exactly say what we have is a relationship."

"What do you mean? Do you not have feelings for him?" Starfire asked.

"Well… Yea, but it's not that simple…"

"And why is it not that simple? It has been apparent to me for some time that Beast Boy has strong feelings for you. If you both care for one another, why not simply admit it?" She said with a quizzical expression on her face.

"I do have feelings for Beast Boy, but there are just so many different emotions. It's hard for me Star, I was raised so that I would ignore my emotions. Now that I'm feeling and expressing them, I'm finding it difficult to know what I should really do." Raven explained.

"You must follow your heart Friend. Deep down you already know what you want. If it is Beast Boy your heart desires, than it is he who you confess your affection to. I was afraid that Robin did not feel the same for me as I did for him, but now that I know we both feel the same way, I am feeling most wondrous!" She said as she got up and spun in a circle in mid air.

"Yes." Raven sighed in resignation. "Yes, you're right. I still need to find out what my heart really wants though."

"I am certain you will make the correct decision." Starfire smiled as she washed her dishes. "I am going to the gym to train with Boyfriend Robin"

That was it, too much. The emphasis she put on 'Boyfriend' had just broken Raven's last barrier of emotional control. She began to giggle but it steadily progressed into a full and hearty fit of laughing. She laughed so hard that her sides hurt and tears were in her eyes. After a minute or two, her laughter subsided and she saw Starfire looking at her in confusion.

"I'm sorry Star." Raven said as she wiped a tear away. "It's just the way you said 'Boyfriend' that got me. I think everyone in the tower was just waiting for you two to get together. It was painfully obvious that you both liked each other but neither of you seemed to catch on."

Starfire blushed and waved to her friend as she left the room.

'Well, I guess I have to call Beast Boy.' She thought as she placed her dish in the sink.

She moved over to the computer console and dialed Beast Boy's communicator. It rang for a little while but a dark mass of blue soon appeared on the screen. Raven wasn't quite sure what she was seeing until Beast Boy's head popped through the top of the dark blue shirt.

"Hello?" Said Beast Boy. "Oh hey Raven. Are you ready to give transforming another shot?"

"Uh, yea. Sorry I made you wait but I slept in again…"

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy pulled one of the shirts he had selected over his head when his communicator started to beep that familiar nine-tone ring. He rummaged through his clothing that he had entered the store with before fully putting the shirt on.

"Hold on, I'll be there in a second." He muttered.

After snapping open the device, Beast Boy pulled the garment all the way over his head to see who was calling him.

"Hello? Oh hey Raven." He answered after seeing who had called him. "Are you ready to give transforming another shot?"

"Uh, yea." She sheepishly replied. "Sorry I made you wait but I slept in again…"

Beast Boy wanted to laugh at he demeanor and the fact that she had yet again slept in, but remembered that he was in a public place and quickly quashed the feeling.

"That's ok. I'm almost done here so I should be back in half an hour. You should try changing into a kitten again before I get back. You just have to remember, no matter how strong the animal instincts are, you are the one in control and nothing will change that."

Raven nodded. "See you soon then."

"Bye." He replied as he shut the communicator.

Beast Boy looked down to the pile of clothed he selected. There were three pairs of pants, six shirts, and a belt. There seemed to be a predominant feature to all of the clothing; it was all fairly dark. The jeans he had selected were all a very dark blue denim and his shirts were either a dark blue or black. He was satisfied with what he had chosen and walked out of the changing room to the front counter.

On his way there, he grabbed a dark gray t-shirt.

'Couldn't hurt to add a little bit of light.' He thought.

He deposited the pile of clothes and the tags from the pants and shirt he was now wearing on the counter. The woman began to scan the items through. She looked out to him for a moment and then at the jumpsuit he held under his arm.

"Wait a second…" She said. "You're one of the Teen Titans aren't you? Aren't you supposed to be green or something?"

Beast Boy knew this was going to happen sooner or later, his preference would have been for later but he was faced with the situation now. The woman annoyed him; there was a tone in her voice that felt a little condescending.

"Yes. The name's Beast Boy." He said, doing his best to feign indifference.

"So why aren't you green anymore?" She asked again, having stopped scanning items.

"Does it really matter what color I am so long as I defend the city? I'm not green anymore because I no longer transform into animals." He explained as annoyance began to slip into his voice.

"That's kinda dumb." She plainly said. "So what's your new 'superhero' name if you don't transform into animals?"

Beast Boy was starting to get thoroughly annoyed by this woman and was doing his best to keep his temper in check. He closed his eyes and centered himself so that his powers didn't destroy anything and spoke again.

"My name is, and will continue to be, Beast Boy. I would appreciate it if you could just complete the sale thank you." He replied through still closed eyes and in monotone.

The clerk just shrugged and informed him of his total which he quickly paid before leaving the store.

:-:-:-:-:

'Ok. I might as well give it a try.' Raven thought to herself before focusing on an image of a kitten.

She felt herself begin to shrink and her skin tingled as fur sprouted all over. She fell forward as she continued to shrink and landed on two furry green paws that were once her hands. Her tail grew out behind her and she swished it through the air. Her ears that were now atop her head swiveled slightly to focus on which directions sounds were coming from.

She was again struck with the sense that the best thing to do right now was to find a soft place to curl up and sleep. Having prepared herself for this, Raven did her best to resist the animal urges. After a short mental battle, the animal instincts seemed to back down and left her in total control.

'Got it!' She thought to herself.

Raven began to walk around the empty common room. It was amazing how little sound her small paws made on the soft carpet. She moved over to the couch and crouched down. She could feel the muscles in her hind legs tense before she sprang forward onto the backrest of the couch.

After a little more exploring, Raven stood in the middle of the common room and thought about her human form. She turned back into herself with alarming speed and she was forced to stick her leg out behind her to stop from falling over. She dropped herself to the couch and took a deep breath.

"Well that was interesting." She said out loud.

Just then, she heard the front doors of the tower open. It had been almost half an hour so it must have been Beast Boy.

A devious smile played on Raven's lips.

'I wonder what he'd do if I snuck up on him as a cat.' She thought.

She again transformed into a small green kitten and hastily slunk over to the common room doors. She crouched low to the ground, ready to pounce on her unsuspecting prey and waited. As predicted, the hydraulic double-doors opened and through them strode Beast Boy. Perfect timing, she crouched down a little more and sprang forward.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy stepped through the towers front doors with his bags of clothing in hand to meet Cyborg.

"Hey Cy, what's up?" He asked.

"I was training with Robin." He replied but scrunched up his face. "Until Starfire came to train that is. I had to bail when they started going all lovey dovey on one another."

Beast Boy smirked a little. "It took them long enough. Hey, have you seen Raven?"

"Last time I saw her, she was in the common room."

"Thanks." Beast Boy said before making his way to the stairs.

He jogged up to his room and threw the bags of clothes on the bed before walking to the common room.

'I wonder if she's managed to control the kitten yet.' He mused.

The double-doors hissed open and he stepped through. After a quick scan of the room before him, he found Raven was not there.

All of the sudden, he felt tiny, but nonetheless sharp, claws in the back of his shirt. He let out a sharp yelp of surprise and one of the pillows on the couch exploded, sending cottony fluff in all directions. The sudden noise made his attacker leap forward and land in a heap on the floor ahead of him.

A green kitten swiftly transformed back into Raven who was lying on the ground in only her leotard. For a moment, they were both completely silent; simply staring at one another. Then Raven burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard that she was rolling back and forth on the ground.

"You should have seen your face!" She choked between fits of laughter.

Beast Boy shook off his shock and just looked at her. It took all his self-control, but he managed to keep his face emotionless. Even if his face didn't betray any emotion, he was happy. Right now Raven was laughing. That beautiful sound meant more to him than almost anything.

Hello everyone. I am Ubu's younger brother. He asked me to post this for him. He is going to be away until Thursday. I received an e-mail from him today though, it contained the second half of this chapter and an authors note. Here it is:

Alright! I know I said that there would be a ton of transforming Raven in this chapter but there wasn't. Sorry but I began to write and this is just the way it went. I thought it would be good to put another serious moment with Robin in there and have a bit of humor with Cyborg. I also wanted Raven to start experiencing a little more emotion and I thought the 'girl talk' with Starfire was fitting.

I am currently moving around with my friends and I'm a ways from home. I'm due back on Thursday the 11th so I'll post the reviews then. I'd have done it now but I have limited internet access (I'm currently in an internet cafe). I should be posting an update fairly soon after I return because there is a long ferry trip and bus ride back where I have little more to do than listen to music and write. I'll also do a proper editing job on all of this chapter when I return.

I consumed four sacrificial cans of Coke in the writing of this chapter. I hope they were worth it.

Thank you all for your understanding and thanks for taking the time to read my story.