Chapter 18

Beast Boy paced restlessly as Rude played her third round of solitaire. She eyed him in annoyance. "Would you sit down already? My feet are aching and I've got holes in my booties just watching you!"

Beast Boy scowled at the air. "Raven's out there! Fighting the Feminine Side alone! She needs help!"

Rude looked up at him sarcastically. "And you're gonna be just the one to give it to her right?"

He growled again. "Raven's my friend, I don't want to see her hurt."

She slapped a card down, and scooped up the four piles. "I doubt you would get this worked up if Starfire or Cyborg got in a sticky situation. Or Robin for that matter." Rude flopped the deck down with finality, and began picking her ear with her pinky. Speaking of sticky…

He groaned out his impatience, and started to stomp. "Of course I would; just because I have feelings for Raven doesn't mean I don't care about my other friends. It's not like I'm putting them underneath her."

Rude stopped what she was doing to look up at him, her gaze a mix of cynicism and sympathy. "It's not so much like you're putting the rest of them underneath her, it's like you're putting her above them."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes, ignoring her too-accurate perception. "Oh, please."

"Don't 'oh please' me dude! It's not exactly like you're a locked diary when it comes to expressing your feelings, you know," she reminded him.

Beast Boy growled once again. Feelings didn't matter here. Who knew what could happen between those two?

(Somewhere else in the new Nevermore.)

Raven hated what she did. Looking back, it was definitely a bad idea to ask her friends to guard the book. Who knew what they were up against when the Side got angry? If she was anything like Raven was, then they were probably facing a very difficult challenge.

But she had to help Garfield, and her friends were strong. She stopped walking, and closed her eyes, searching for Beast Boy's essence. It then occurred to her that since Beast Boy was now an actual part of this mind, then finding him psychically was going to be almost impossible. She supposed she would have to find him the old fashioned way. Sighing, she began the long walk through the vacant territories of what used to be her mind. Raven wasn't a very optimistic person, but she just wanted everything to turn out alright.

Her lips tightened as she went over her plan. Find Garfield, reverse the spell, if necessary fight the Feminine Side again, and get Rude to face Feminine Side so they could combine again. Then she and Beast Boy would be back in the real world. After that…

She flew off the ground, and began to scan the terrain below her. If Beast boy was in here, then she was going to find him!

(The Real World)

Starfire paced across Ravens floor while Robin's eyes rolled under his mask. "Starfire? What are you so worried about? Raven said that everything was going to be okay."

Starfire continued to pace.

"Seriously Star, relax; you don't need to be so on edge, it's gonna be fine," Cyborg said, trying to assure the Tameranean.

Starfire continued to pace.

Robins brows furrowed in distress. "Star? Are you okay? You haven't said anything since Raven went into the book."

Starfire continued to pace.

Cyborg stood from the chair he had perched himself in. "Yeah, and ya haven't stopped pacin' either."

Starfire continued to pace.

Robin and Cyborg looked at each other and nodded. Cyborg stepped forward and spoke, "Star, we're just tryin' to say---"

"In the nicest way possible---"

"Is---"

"That…"

They watched still, noticing that Starfire had been pacing the entire time they were talking.

But teenage boys could only take so much for so long. "YOU'RE DRIVING US CRAZY!" They yelled in unison, shaking their fists and flailing their arms crazily. (A/N: Chibi-Style.)

Starfire stopped suddenly, and slowly turned to look at the boys, her hands clasped together so tightly her knuckles were turning white, but done so innocently and childlike that if the situation weren't so serious, it would have Robin smiling. Her eyes were bright, the beautiful green shining and glimmering.

"I am not worried about the Feminine Side. I am confident we'd be able to 'kick her butt' in combat."

Cy and Robin looked at each other again. "Then…what's the big deal?"

After a short pause, Starfire's famous smile lit brightly, her enthusiasm literally radiant through that lively smile.

"OUR FRIENDS ARE IN LOVE!"

Robin let out a breath and grinned. "Well, Raven loves him, but let's not jump to any conclusions about Beast Boy. We don't know how he feels."

Starfires head rested on her hands. "But it is not conclusion-jumping!" She giggled enthusiastically and began bouncing on her toes. "Our friends are clearly meant to be!"

"Which pair?" Cyborg muttered snidely to Robin, who blushed and ineffectively jabbed him in his metal stomach.

Thankfully Star hadn't heard noticed, for she continued. "Hahaha! It is so wonderful; Raven and Beast Boy are perfect together."

Robin crossed his arms, doubtful but amused by the concept. "You really think so Starfire?"

She shook her fists together happily. (A/N: How Long Is Forever, last scene reference.) "Just think! First, they shall do the 'dating', then they shall get married then have many little children that look just like them and they shall have children and their children shall have children and Beast Boy and Raven will live happily ever after!" She took a deep breath, her face turning blue from lack of oxygen, and she plopped down on the floor on her knees to take a break from all the pacing.

Robin went over to her, and kindly patted her shoulder. "Why don't we get through this situation first Starfire?"

Starfire looked up at him from her legs, and smiled. Still naïve in earthly ways, it didn't even register to her how close her face was to Robins. "You are right Robin. We must concentrate on the situation at hand."

A little uncomfortable at the short proximity of their faces, Robin tried to smile back. "Okay. And maybe we should let them decide on how they want their relationship to be right?"

Starfire nodded again. "This is true also. How they want their relationship to be is their choice."

Robin managed a real smile this time. Starfire was so kind and considerate to others, and so sweet and childlike, she was almost impossible to resist. He had been trying to hide his attraction to her for some time. Being taught and raised in Batmans image didn't exactly teach him to be an open book about his feelings. But he swore to himself that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. No matter what. His eyes shifted over her features. She was so beautiful…in so many ways. When they had first met, he was stymied by how incredible she looked. Everything from her soft red hair, to her dazzling green eyes, tall graceful figure, and healthy fully developed br---

"Robin? Are you alright?"

His eyes widened at the turn of his thoughts, and he jumped up, his face as red as his costume. He scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Y-yeah Starfire! I'm just fine!" He hoped his big smile wasn't too fake but all he got was a sly grin from Cyborg and a confused glance from Star.

He cleared his throat, and looked back down at Star to address her again, but she appeared distracted. "Starfire are you okay?"

She got to her feet, and fisted her hands at her sides, the luminous green around them meaning that she was attempting to gain starbolts. Robin looked over at Cyborg, noticed that he was watching behind Robin, his mechanical arm cocking.

Robin turned around, and his eyes widened, recognizing the Feminine Side as she flew to the Tower. Her high speed, combined with the wicked grin and livid stare making her all the more frightening. Robin spun his bo-staff, and waited in preparation as Feminine Raven soared to the Tower, knowing that revenge would be the first thing on her mind. "Titans! Get ready!"

(In F.S.'s mind)

Raven scrutinized the landscape below her, feeling like an owl looking for a mouse. Only she didn't intend to eat Beast Boy once she found him.

She didn't know how long she had been looking for him, but she wasn't going to give up. Not until she was positive that he was alright.

Raven didn't even know how long she had been looking for him anymore. For any price, she'd bet that she'd been through six emotional fields, and still no Beast Boy. The area once her mind was restored to what it had been when the Feminine Side took over: that dreadfully decorated house. If it weren't for her feelings towards Beast Boy and her ability to commit self-sacrifice, Raven would have sworn that the Feminine Side wasn't even a part of her.

Suddenly, something dashed below her, but so rapidly that she couldn't identify it. Raven stopped abruptly in the air, looking frantically for the object. Once she saw it move again, she did a nose-dive to the ground, flying as fast as she could. Once she jerked to a stop five inches above the ground, a massive cloud of dust puffed up around her. She didn't wait for it to clear. Raven flew out of the gray dust, and held out her hand as she ran, shouting, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

A rock rose from the ground in front of her, and she threw it to the wind. Once she could clearly make out the person in front of her, Raven released a depressed sigh. "Rude?"

The graceful orange figure looked intimidated, crouching in the fetal position in a very uncharacteristic way. "No, it's Shirley Temple! Yes, it's me Rude ya oddball!"

Rude stood shaking in fear of Raven; an unusual thing, but she couldn't honestly blame her. To Rude, Raven probably seemed more dangerous than usual…in fact she felt more dangerous than usual. She put her hands on her hips. "I thought you would be with Beast Boy."

Once seeing that Raven didn't have any dangerous intentions, Rude got out of her fetal position, though still not rising to a stand. As she patted the ground, apparently searching for something, she said, "I was. But he wouldn't stop pacing waiting for you it was making me nuts! So I told him that since you would be coming back for him anyway, he might as well start looking for you and give me some peace!"

Raven's eyes widened. "So he's been wandering around my mind this whole time? Looking for me? While I was looking for him?"

Rude shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

She tossed Rude a disgusted glance, and turned to fly off. Just as she was about ready to jump, something occurred to her. Her head twisted back to Rude. "What are you doing anyway?"

Rude looked up, and her brow rose snootily. "If you must know, I'm looking for something."

Raven's eyes narrowed to slits in annoyance. "And what would it be that you're looking for?"

Rude smirked. "Makings for a house. All this housing in your mind has inspired me. I'm making a new house. One that fits here better."

"Oh…" Raven looked around, and before she let herself completely forget about Beast Boy, she said, "well, start looking somewhere else."

Without another word to the emotion, Raven flew off again. She'd already killed too much time.

(Back in the real world.)

"Oh, poor Titans! You're really trying aren't you? A pity you don't stand a chance!" The Feminine Side said loftily. One of the arms of the Tower was completely destroyed, making it look like an upside-down L, so perhaps she was permitted to gloat.

Robin ran, and grabbing a broken light fixture, he swung himself up onto the roof of the Tower while Cyborg and Starfire burst through the ceiling. Robin snapped his bo-staff from his belt again, and shouted to the Feminine Side, who was floating haughtily over their heads, her arms crossed in satisfaction. "Look dear Titans, I have already made it clear that if you wont give me the book, then I'll just have to take it."

Starfire growled. She had the book in a death-alien-grip, and wasn't about to let go. "You will never get this book! Raven has entrusted us to keep it safe, and keep it safe we shall!"

The Feminine Raven grinned. Her eyes glowed, and released one of her arms. She pointed to Robin, who was suddenly engulfed in black, and was rising off the ground. "Robin!" Starfire shouted.

Groaning, Robin dropped his bo-staff. The Feminine Raven clenched her fingers together, and twisted her wrist. The next sound they heard was a snap, and a shout. She dropped Robin to the ground with a foul smile. His right arm was broken, snapped in a different direction from the elbow. Starfire gasped, and foolishly fell for the trap. Forevermore fell from her hands as she rushed to help Robin. The Feminine Smile grinned again. "Love's a wonderful thing!"

Landing with the book at her feet, the Feminine side knelt down, but once she had it grasped with one hand, Cyborg tried to snatch it away. She gasped, and took the other corner of the book in her other hand while Cyborg gained a better grip on it as well. They both groaned, desperately pulling at the book to get it back. The Feminine Side shouted, "Resistance is a waste of time Cyborg! You will never get this book back!"

Cyborg grinned gamely. "You wanna bet? Argh!"

The two stomped their feet into the roof to get better balance. Once that was settled, the two raged a vicious battle of tug-of-war. "Beast Boy is meant for me! I will not let him go so easily!"

Starfire joined Cyborg, and pulled at his stomach, her alien strength aiding them greatly. The Feminine Side began to slide forward, her feet dragging in the concrete roof. "You will not get this book back you horrible BITCH!"

Everyone gasped, though they didn't let the unusual outburst stop them. Robin in fact watched the others more intently, trying to get up on his feet while clasping his bleeding arm. Starfire was more than ready to fight for her friends, regardless of what happened to her.

And he never loved her more.

His eyes widened in fear as Cyborg armed his shoulder-cannon; and the Feminine Raven had a black aura glowing behind her. With a growl, they both shot at each other.

Before Robin passed out, the last thing he saw was a large flash.

(In the book.)

Raven felt so tired…physically and emotionally. But she couldn't give up, nor would she! Just as her eyes began to fog with sleep, she noticed something below her again. She gasped, hoping urgently that it wasn't Rude again.

The figure was faltering in its steps. It raised its hands, and shouted, "Raven! Raven where are you?"

A lustrous, happy smile lit Raven's so often somber face. Cupped her mouth, she shouted, "Beast Boy! Up here!"

He froze, then his eyes rose. Since his back was facing her, she shouted again, "Behind you!"

Beast Boy flipped around, and gave her a smile that lightened her mood almost completely. He morphed into a pterodactyl, and began to fly up to her. Before she was completely distracted again, Raven crossed her hands in front of her face, and shouted, "En Ima Mortux Giuno VIZ!"

They sky was altered from the cheery, sunny palette to the dark, starry horizon, laced with blood-red clouds. Now, they were finally in her mind again! Not the Feminine Side! Not that ostentatious, girly bimbo's! Hers!

"Finally!" She shouted in unison with Beast Boy, who in his eagerness changed back to his human form prematurely. He almost fell to the ground before Raven grabbed his hands.

He looked so happy, and he cupped her face while she held his waist, almost like he had wanted to prove to himself that she was real. "I didn't think you'd make it back," he said sheepishly.

Raven blinked. "To be honest, I didn't think I would either."

All words forgotten, Beast Boy leaned forward to kiss her.

"Not so fast lovebirds!"

They turned, and faced the Feminine Side. Wild in all her fury, her teeth sharper, her four eyes red, and her hands jointed in fury. "You forget already Raven? Well…let me remind you!"

She threw her hands behind her head, then in front of her face again, her powers reflecting her rage. "THIS ISN'T OVER!"

The black aura was all that they could see anymore. As Raven waved her hands through the dark, she realized that she and Beast Boy had been separated. Her hands searched through the blackness, desperate to find him. "BEAST BOOOOOY!"