Chapter 15

Raven grumbled as she slapped the useless book shut. She glanced tiredly at the green lion. "Anything?"

The lion shook his head and morphed back to normal. His legs swung softly in the air as he lay on his stomach. "Nothin'," he said with finality.

He hopped up, then grabbed himself another book before resuming his perch on the floor. They had been reading for about four hours, and the pile of unchecked books was slowly twiddling down. Cyborg had come in to check on them once, and even volunteered to help before he realized that it was time to daily waxing of his beloved car. So they were on their own pretty much the entire time. The atmosphere had grown comfortable, yet tired.

Beast Boy flinched suddenly, and reached around to rub his sore back. "I wish I had found something though."

Raven understood the sentiment all too well. Her back was aching too, but not too far into their 'research' she had taken her usual straight posture, while Beast Boy slumped; and more than usual. Sympathy welling up inside,---why she didn't really know---Raven walked over to him, and began to pull and stretch at his stiff muscles with her palms and thumbs. He stiffened at first before becoming mush against her hands. Letting out a pleasured groan, he said, "Do you mind?"

The plentiful amount of bliss that he seemed to feel from the caress made her crave for a similar feeling. Her thumbs pushed into the hardened tendons. "So long as you do me next."

His Elvin ears perked up, saying that he liked what he was hearing. "Okaaay." His voice reeked of sexual innuendo.

Raven put her hands on her hips and smacked the back of his head. "OW!"

Beast Boy painfully rubbed the back of his head. "Do you want the back rub or not?"

He started through the book again. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry."

With that lilt of chuckle in his voice, he didn't sound sorry. But still, she continued to massage him. It surprised her that she was massaging him in the first place. As she continued to knead the hardened muscles, she heard his low growl of happiness, and a smile of feminine pride broadened over her features. A week ago, she would have shrunk from this position. She wouldn't have let herself get in this position a week ago. She wouldn't have let Beast Boy in her room a week ago. Either the Feminine Side was really affecting her, or she was really coming to terms with her feelings. Since the latter wasn't really likely, she let her thoughts go, and continued to massage Beast Boy.

He let out a thoughtful hum, and produced an apple out of thin air. Shocked, she stopped suddenly. "Where the hell did that come from?"

He took a small bite, and winked. "A magician never tells."

Raven almost smiled. She had never known how flirtatious Beast Boy could be. Then again…

Generously, he offered her the fruit, and she accepted with a nod. This wasn't like the bruising, rotting apples in the Main room of the Tower; this was fresh fruit. The shiny red skin was complimenting by the tart yellow crunch on the inside. She handed it back to him, and he took a healthy chomp from it, and continued to eat and flip through the appendix as he asked, "Do you remember anything else besides the fact that it was brown? And leather bound?"

The snide comment escaped her lips before she could stop them: "You're a poet and didn't know it."

He laughed a little, thankfully having swallowed beforehand. Glad she had amused him, she leaned a little bit over his shoulder, and looked at the book in front of him. "Seriously, that is all I remember."

He let out a grunt, then after closing the book, took both her hands off his shoulder, and kissed her fingers, then let them go, and stood up with the book in hand. After tossing it away into their 'checked' pile, he snatched one of the thinner novels off the bed. He gave her the book, and remained standing; waiting for what, she didn't know. So she scooted over to where Beast Boy had been sitting, and stretched, the floor still warm from Beast Boys body heat. Just as she had reached the appendix, astonishment hit her as Beast Boy took off her robe. More astonishment came when he straddled her, and began to gently massage. "I did promise."

That he did. She noticed that he had taken off his gloves before he started on her aching back. Sighing, she froze all movements, the only thought in her mind of how glorious his hands felt on her. He leaned over, and in a low whisper that didn't sound like him at all, "Keep looking."

How did he expect her to 'keep looking' when he stroked her like that?!

His warm hands rolled over her back, and everywhere they touched brought sparks into her body. It was all so new, but so deliciously real. Concentrating har,d she began to study the pages, her gaze thorough. He worked his way down to her lower back, for which she was grateful. Her back was very petite, hence highly susceptible to tenderness. She let out a whimper at his relentless onslaught on her body, the touch so soothing and careful; it was almost as if he thought her fragile glass. At her whimper, he stopped instantly, much to her dismay. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, wanting to bury her head into her arms to embrace the feeling of his hands, but she still had other manuscripts to go through. "Very."

He sighed, and went back to rubbing her back. Raven wished she knew more about the book she was looking for, but all she could remember was that it was brown. Her eyes were tired, and the lids were dropping, her eyes lowering on the page. Suddenly, she saw the word 'Side'. She gasped, and got up on her knees, surprising Beast Boy. He tried to bring his eyes over her shoulders. Raven noted the page, and flipped to it, finding a heading in large bold print stating: The Side Ceremony.

She smiled in triumph. "This is it!"

He got off her back, and moved by her side. "Are you sure?" Raven gripped his hand as she read the script aloud.

"In order to make the Side visible to the naked eye, one other than the host must find the spell-book, and pronounce the spell."

"Say what?" Beast Boy asked, his usual out-of-it personality rising.

Raven ignored him for a minute, and continued to read, her heart sinking as she discovered the process necessary to get rid of the Feminine Side.

(The Main room.)

Cyborg and Robin elbowed each other for a place closer to the TV. "Come on Cyborg! You've gotta do better than that!"

"If I did mah best then you wouldn't stand a chance!"

"Oh please! I'm already---"

"Please what? You know I have---"

The two of them continued to bicker over their game as Starfire paced impatiently behind the couch. Beast Boy and Raven had been gone for a while: at least four hours. Naturally, Starfire being the most compassionate of the team was the most concerned about them. Those two did not get along. And even though they were friends, that did not stop Raven from hurting Beast Boy, on a multitude of occasions. As the echoes of the fighting in the Main room started bouncing off the walls, Starfire tried to stop the overwhelming fight.

"Stop!"

That immediately drew the attention of the game-players. "Two of our friends are possibly already fighting! We do not need more!"

Robin pressed pause on his game, and walked over to Starfire. "Star, we're just teasing. And as for Beast Boy and Raven, I think they'll be fine." His voice had a strange tone that Starfire didn't recognize.

"You are positive?"

Cyborg, who had slung his arm over the back of the couch said, "Trust me Star, those two are fine."

That exact same tone was in Cyborg's voice. Was something happening that she didn't have knowledge of?

(Raven's Room.)

"Okay, I'll try to make this as simple as possible." Raven stated, pacing back and forth in her room. Beast Boy found himself in a little state of déjà vu, remembering the way the Feminine Side taught him about herself.

"I was the only one that couldn't see the book for what it really was, so I couldn't activate the spell that allowed others to see the Feminine Side. But since you could see it, you were able to perform the spell that allowed others to see her. If it weren't for you, the Feminine Side probably could have gone undetected for years. Now, since you've managed to find her, you have to be the one to get rid of her. And the way we do that, is go back into my mind, and somehow find a way to merge her with Rude. If we do that, then my emotions should…be under control. I mean, now that my father is getting farther and farther away from us, then that means the more and more control I'll have."

Beast Boy's eyebrow rose. "Uh…I get that part, but how do we get the two of them to merge?"

Raven shrugged. "Get them to make eye contact, and while they maintain that contact, say the spell, and it should get them to fuse together the way the other emotions did."

Beast Boy smiled, and hugged his knees. "Well, it doesn't sound that hard."

Raven whipped around to him like he had just called her something foul. "What the hell do you mean 'doesn't sound that hard'? Do you have any idea how to get those two to look at each other?"

Beast Boy simply shrugged, and leaned back casually. "The Feminine Raven seems to have the hots for me. So, I figure if I point out Rude, she'll be in a two or three second shock period. And we both know I can talk fast. So, hey. No worries."

Well he just had it all figured out didn't he? As Raven plunked down onto the bed, she buried her eyes into her hands. "You're way more optimistic about this than I am."

A comforting hand landed on her back. "You don't need optimism Rave. You always manage to pull through."

She looked up at him, still hunched over. His eyes were warm and glittering with what she thought was admiration? "You're the bravest, toughest, most selfless person I've ever met. You can do anything because you never give up until you do it."

Raven's eyes started watering, but she didn't let them out. Beast Boy was so confident, it was almost infectious. Wiping her tears away, Raven said, "So I'm thinking we should handle this tomorrow. We'll be recharged, and there will be a longer opportunity to handle the situation."

He smiled, and accepted her choice. "Okay." He leaned over, and before she could stop him even if she wanted to---in fact, she leaned forward a bit---he kissed her. His lips were soft, seeking. He opened his mouth, to envelope her lips, then closed them, daring her to do the same. They continued to open and close their mouths, a teasing game of wanting and giving. Beast Boy pulled away from her, and with his eyelids low over his smoky-green eyes, said, "G'night Rave."

It was hard to concentrate on what he was saying. Had they really stopped kissing? She could still feel those full lips on hers. "Good night Garfield."

With a disarming grin, he walked out of the room. Raven flopped onto her back on the bed, and almost laughed at herself. She had it bad.

(The next morning.)

Beast Boy whistled as he put the hot kettle in the dish water. Immensely proud of himself, he strutted over to the table, and handed Raven a cup of herbal tea, and sat down next to her as he sipped his own and started on a word-search puzzle. He snuck a peek at Raven as she smiled at the cup and started sipping. She then tossed him an almost invisible smirk, and he grinned back. 'Ten points! Go Beast Boy!'

Cyborg and Robin looked at each other, then back at their friends. Over the past week, the relationship between the two of them had obviously changed. How, they didn't know, but it was clearly there.

Raven looked over to get clearance from Beast Boy, then cleared her throat, and pulled her hood from her face. "Beast Boy and I figured out a way to stop the Feminine Side last night. There's nothing to worry about, we can handle this on our own. In fact, it would be best if the number of people handling this was minimal. Which is why Beast Boy and I are going in alone."

Beast Boy felt a mass amount of pride for Raven. She managed to explain the reasons they had practiced this morning with great finesse, and without missing a beat. He watched for the other Titan's reactions. Robin and Cyborg looked a little worried, and Starfire looked…majorly worried. "Please, are you sure there is nothing we can do to help?"

Raven nodded. "Very sure Starfire."

Cyborg put down his bacon-and-toast sandwich. (A/N: Say what you will, YUM!) "Are you guys sure you can handle this thing on your own?"

Beast Boy nodded, and picked up Raven's already empty tea cup, taking his with it, and walking towards the sink. "Very sure Cy."

Cyborg shrugged, and went back to his sandwich. "Okay, fine with me."

Robin nodded. "Same here."

"But…you are certain that we cannot help."

"Very certain Starfire," Beast Boy and Raven said at once.

(Raven's room.)

The duo stood over the book, bracing themselves for the challenge ahead. Raven looked over at him. Never before had Beast Boy seemed so brave or determined to do something before. He was a better man than she. The night had given Raven a lot to think about. She knew that she loved Beast Boy for the simple fact that…she loved him. It came to her when she was trying to get to sleep last night that Beast Boy and her had some serious relationship issues to discuss after this entire mess.

But for now…

She accept the hand that he was offering, and looked up at him, going over their plan once again. "I'll find Rude, you get the Feminine Side, we'll meet in Timid's territory, then you say the spell. Do you remember it?"

He grinned. "Yup. Akra nomb foomba Metra Ka."

Raven bit her lip. "That's fahba."

He blushed, and scratched the back of his head with a laugh. "Oh yeah. Akra Nomb Fahba Metra Ka."

With a confirming nod, Raven glanced down at the book, then back towards Beast Boy. "Ready?"

Beast Boy smiled gamely. "Ready!"

She took a deep breath, then kicked the book open. As they were being sucked in, Raven shouted over the whirlwind, "WHATEVER YOU DO DON'T LET GO UNTIL WE GET THERE!"

"RIGHT!" He shouted.

Soon, they were twirling down a massive vortex. But there was something unusual about this. Right in front of them, were four…glowing…red eyes. There was a loud booming voice expelling itself from the surroundings of the funnel. Raven looked over at Beast Boy as the echoing, menacing voice shouted, "Hate to use an old cliché…but if I can't have him, NOBODY CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A force started gripping at them both, but each was going in the opposite direction. Raven held on tight, Beast Boy's hand slipping through his glove. Her eyes widened, and she suddenly watched him get torn away.

"BEAST BOOOOY!"