Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, or it wouldn't be called fanfiction...

Warnings:This is the chapter where most of the warnings (see profile) come into play... ...Against our will... isa line break.

Pairings: Slowly coming into play...

Chapter Two: Cleansing Snow

The days.. in the day he tortured her, breaking and resetting bones, beating her when she tried to use her powers, ripping her mind to shreds when she was half-drugged. Made her listen, blindfolded and tied like an animal, to reports on the troubles plaguing her teammates, unable to move or try to use what was left of her powers.. She never stopped thinking of them as friends, which only made it hurt more to hear the news reporter announce Starfire's closeness to death, Cyborg's near destruction and Robin's repeated defeats. The worse part was that she knew who was giving the villains information to defeat them- Terra. She was selling them out and so again and again Raven listened to reports of smarting and painful defeats in pain. He made her listen, broken heart crying out, to Terra's reports on the Titans' deteriorating condition- and how they blamed in on the fact that Raven abandoned them.

"Bull," she had said before he had beat her again. "They don't blame me." But somewhere, as she listened to the ever growing crime reports, unable to move or teleport as Slade systematically tore her mind apart, Raven began to doubt. Had she brought about the Titans' destruction somehow?

The nights… He forced himself on her, finding ways more painful each time to repay her for the scratches, bruises and injuries she gave him at first. Sometimes he'd wait, making her think he wasn't going to come; and then open the door into the dark room that trapped her. The dark wasn't comforting anymore- the dark meant pain.

It was snowing. Raven watched the fat white flakes fall down, spinning in a freedom she longed for. A stray crystal fell on her cheek, melting in a moment. As the cool drop ran down her skin, like the tears she had had beaten out of her long ago, Raven realized she would be that cold soon. The snow built on her spread-eagled body, collecting on the torn leotard and cloak. The final brush stroke of pain- Slade had left her to die in the uniform she had warn so long ago, when she was part of the Titans. So long… How long had it been? The violet haired girl had ceased to count. All that had marked day from night was when he came in to pleasure himself. And long ago she had stopped thinking about that.

Maybe it would be nice to die, Raven thought. Maybe… she could… finally let go…

...Against our will...

Beast Boy shivered, drawing his ragged coat closer. No one on the train paid attention to the shabbily dressed person standing next to the train door. It was packed with people leaving Jump City, finally taking the course smarter ones had long ago. With the downfall of the Titans there was no point in remaining. That was one thing he had never gotten. Why were criminals so obsessed with taking over Jump City? It's not as if they could go from there and conquer the world once Jump City had fallen. Fallen like the Titans. It had all started with Raven leaving them…

He stared at her, anger for attacking Terra teaming up with the protective feeling he had for the stray girl. How dare she? It was, he realized, just as Slade had said. She had given into the darkness that he and Cyborg had seen in her mind. Part of him was suspicious that Slade had guessed so accurately what was going to happen, but he told it to shut up. Raven had attacked a Titan. That was all that mattered.

And then she was gone. All she had said was, "Be happy, Beast Boy. For my sake." Leaving them with that cryptic message she had disappeared. That had been over 10 months ago. She wasn't coming back. None of them were.

Robin had snapped. Raven's absence had brought a change in him; all the others could guess was that he had depended on her to help lead. And at times Raven had taken some responsibility, pulled part of his weight. That and he blamed himself for thinking her a true Titan, when deep inside she double crossed them, feeding information to Slade. Which he never could have known, of course. They had all let her stay, thought of her as a friend… But she hadn't been one. Robin wasn't able to think much now. They had to send him to an asylum. One push from Slade at the right moment and he had toppled.

Starfire blamed herself constantly, and for everything. There was something haunting her, lurking in her eyes. The alien never got over raising a hand against Raven; he knew because he had heard her weeping in the night, wanting to know how her sister could have gone so wrong. The alien had stayed by Robin's side all the time, trying to hold onto whatever feelings of joy she was able to by being in his presence. That's where she was now, with him. The sight of her brought a measure of peace to Robin's crazed mind.

Cyborg had gotten angrier and angrier, retreating into himself and exploding every time they got defeated. One day he had just gotten up and left. He was long gone, the T-Car sending up dust before anyone knew what had happened.

And Terra… Terra had revealed her true nature at last, stood against him and Starfire, told them that she was the reason they had sunk so low. He hadn't known what to do. Her words bit into his soul like a double edged blade, (like Raven must have felt, he realized sorrowfully) leaving him speechless and numb. Starfire had solved the problem.

Terra stood, hands on hips, facing Starfire and him. Her hair fell over half her face as she smirked at them.

"Looks like you made a mistake, Beast Boy. Raven didn't betray you- I did." Her finger tapped her chest as her blue eyes spurned him for being the weakling she saw him as. "And you sent her away when she found me out. Think how grateful I was to you; I had been wondering how to get that bitch out of my hair." The finger pointed towards him now, as waves of shock and hurt alternated hitting him.

"You- were- behind this?" he croaked, voice gone hoarse. Terra's smirk grew wider and she cocked an eyebrow.

"Slade's SO much better than you wimps. A hell of a lot more fun too. Though it was enjoyable, cracking Robin's mind like that. But I can't play with you," and her expression turned to one of disappointment. "Slade wants you dead- NOW." He couldn't move as the earth started to open up below him, started to drop like his heart already had. Suddenly Starfire slammed into the traitor, eyes a green inferno in the cold sun beams. Terra started to get up, automatically raising a hand to protect herself, as Starfire's starbolts struck with deadly accuracy. The double-crosser gasped with the pain as Star lifted her up, regarding her with hard, brutal and vicious eyes. There was no kindness in them, no hint of humanity. Terra could only stare, stunned, until Starfire's fist connected with her face. There would be no mercy from the alien. There was no mercy.

Now that she knew who had injured Robin so, she took out more than righteous fury on the betrayer. What had been left was barely recognizable as human. The two had walked away, Beast Boy stumbling and Starfire a new, colder and more brutal girl than anyone had ever thought she could be.

No. There was never going to be a Teen Titans again. With a sigh Beast Boy turned his attention out the window, watching the snow drifts flash by.

As the train rounded the bend in the tracks he saw the snow glare reflect off of something near the tracks. Almost on cue the puzzled green eyes caught sight of a piece of blue cloth flutter in a snow bank. No way. There was no way­-

Without hesitation he pulled on the emergency brake near his head. The train squealed to a halt, throwing all the passengers off their feet. Before anyone could react he thrust through the doors and out into the bitter cold. The bundled teen started shedding the layers of suddenly hampering clothes, down to the long unused uniform. Ignoring the cold gust of wind, he pushed through the three foot deep banks.

After what seemed too long Beast Boy reached the area where he had seen the cloth. Raven couldn't be here. She would be long gone. 10 months. Why should she be here? The scrap of cloth waved its blue tip like a dying soldier surrendering to the inevitable, and the sight of it spurred him on. Digging frantically around it, he stopped.

There was nothing else there.

Damn it, just my luck! Grabbing the offending fabric he pulled hard. It resisted. Huh? Suddenly revitalized he scooped snow rapidly. The first thing he got to was something black. Frowning, Beast Boy pushed more melting snow out of the way. The next thing made him freeze.

A hand. A cool, grey hand. He tried to swallow, a thousand emotions running through him.

Raven. The single thought remained.

Raven.

Raven!

Beast Boy wrapped his hands around the cool one and heaved, trying not to think about what this meant. Slowly, then all at one, a body emerged from the snow.

Raven.

His breath hitched and he stared at her. She was dressed in a near shredded old uniform, pain etched onto her face. Her mouth was opened, and he imagined her last breath escaping in a wisp of mist, carried instantly away by the biting wind. Her beautiful violet eyes were glazed, blind to the world.

"No." No. Not after so long- not now, when he needed her the most. He put shaking hands around her, drawing the snowy body to him. The stunned teen traced her face, waiting for her to wake up and get angry with him, to do something other than lay there, unable to accept the fact that she was gone for good.

"NO!" Crying softly, then loudly, he let all the tears he'd held back flow. This wasn't fair. It wasn't fair! Was he cursed? Why did fate have to torture him so? Why did he find her now, when he was ready to give up, when he needed her to sarcastically bring him back from the brink of despair? Please. Don't let her be dead. Don't let her die. Don't… He didn't know how long he sat there, holding her and crying.

"Raven…" Beast Boy whispered, pressing his cheek to hers, breath steaming in the frigid air. "Raven… I'm sorry. Oh God, I'm so sorry…" Unable to speak, he bowed his head, forehead almost touching hers, finally accepting the bitter truth; she was gone.

It was then that he felt her move, shift as once cold lips tenderly touched his. The salty taste of tears brought him back to reality and he caught his breath as the feather light kiss ended. Startlement changed to disbelief and then hope as Raven smiled crookedly at him.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." Heart leaping, he just stared at her until she touched his lips with her warm fingertips. Raven looked, really looked at him with those violet eyes, taking in his condition and weary face. A faint hint of concern showed on her face.

"What happened? I heard- I heard so many things…" The exhausted anger he had felt when they were first being knocked down flared suddenly into existence.

"If you heard, why didn't you come help us?" She tried to speak but her cut her off. "We needed you! Do you have any idea how much it hurt when everyone started falling apart, and then to find out that it was Terra- the girl I had pushed for us to accept- betraying us? And if you knew, did you really hate us that much to not come back? I know your powers, Raven and I know that if you had you could've come back at anytime!" he was slightly out of breath, chest heaving. It was only when the anger faded slightly that he saw Raven had drawn away, pulled herself off of him and was sitting, staring at her hands. She was shaking. The anger vanished and Beast Boy reached out, about to touch her when she looked up. Her violet eyes were filled with a pain that cut to his core, horrors that he couldn't begin to understand. A single tear had found its bitter way down her cheek.

"Do you really think I hated you? That I wouldn't have come back if I could?" Her voice cracked. "Oh God- if I could have- Oh God." For the first time he saw the mottled bruises and healing slashes showing through her leotard, stark contrast to her grey skin. He grabbed a sleeve and pulled it up, staring dumbstruck at the scars and bruises covering her arm.

"Who?" The question slipped out immediately. He believed her; she wouldn't have lied to him. The whisper that came next didn't surprise him somehow, though the loathing, hateful way she said it did.

"Slade." And Beast boy understood at least that much. If anyone could have held Raven prisoner, that bastard could. He put his arms around her, drawing her back to him, trying to give some measure of comfort to the girl he had known for so long. The fact that she didn't resist, or draw away, but tensed and the relaxed, finding that comfort in him meant more than words. Few were the times she had let anyone touch her without a reason behind it; it had scarred her more deeply than she had realized.

"I'm sorry Raven. It's just…" She nodded against his chest and he was hit with the realization that she was shorter by a hair now. He must have grown while she was away. Then again, he had never held her except once or twice so… "What did he do to you?" It was obvious he had done something- that much even he could see. There was a long pause.

"He beat me. He made me listen to reports on your failures and Terra's comments. He drugged me so I couldn't fight at first. He… he raped me. He tore me apart; I couldn't use my powers after that. He violated me in so many ways…" Beast Boy felt nauseated and resisted the urge to throw up. His heart went out to the young woman he held in comforting arms. Even as anger grew, he felt some of her pain.

"Raven, I… I'm so sorry." There was little he could say, other than that. She sat, eyes closed as she fought some internal battle. Then, opening those endless dark eyes, she leaned her head against his.

"Then just hold me…" Her voice was a whisper. "Please?" He didn't respond, just let her channel her pent-up emotions while they sat in the snow.

When she finally relaxed, he tilted her head up, olive green eyes meeting her shadowed ones.

"Then I'd say it's about time the Titans did some major ass kicking." Happiness filled her face and he felt like basking in the light of it forever, but duty called. No one on the train rushing by saw the green pterodactyl lift into the clear sky, a girl in a blue cloak held gently in its talons.

Raven felt the wind rush through her hair and past her face, revealing in the sensation of flight and the freedom that came with it. This was what she had longed for ever since she had left the Tower. This was what made her complete and was healing her. This, she thought, and Beast boy. That he accepted her, shared her pain and still though of her as a Titan, was helping her overcome Slade's influence; little by little. She could stay like this forever, and maybe, one day, if a miracle took place, she could.

...Against our will...

The minutes passed, marked only by the swoosh created by Beast boy's wings. Raven watched, emotionless, as they passed over smoking rubble and collapsed buildings, forms hidden by the fallen snow. The city below looked nothing like the Jump City she remembered. Finally the familiar shape of Titan's Tower became and she saw with resignation the rusting condition it was in. Touching down, Raven stood shakily while Beast Boy changed. Without a word she lifted up the trap door built into the roof, slipping inside ahead of Beast Boy.

Dust covered everything, a gray tribute to the Tower's acceptance of its abandonment. Her footprints were outlined clearly in the dark floor and they echoed hollowly. Hood up, the dark teen walked by the main room, refusing to choke on all the memories that she had formed in there. Slowly she stopped at the room labeled RAVEN. The door slid open at her touch and she looked into it. Then, surprising the changeling, Raven turned and came back.

"I don't want to go into there now. It's as if it's not my room." She said dully. At his confused look she sighed slightly. "That room belongs to another Raven- the dark yet innocent sadistic one. I'm the scarred, broken version who feels out of place here." She broke off. He nodded slowly.

"Want a bed, then?" She looked flatly at him. He blushed and waved his hands. "Not like that! It's just that I have two and, well…" With a small, amused smile Raven nodded.

"If you wouldn't mind… I'm not sleeping on any dirty clothes, either." He sweat dropped. "We can find the others tomorrow. It's late, and I know I'm tired. Near death experiences aren't the best way to get your attention, you know." As Beast Boy stared at her she brushed by, pausing to look over her shoulder.

"Well?" He looked at her, unsure if she remembered what had happened to the said others, even though Raven had mentioned she knew. "I know about them, Beast Boy. But one thing I've learned is that in darkest night there is a hope of light." She raised her eyebrows. "Poetry, though I doubt you've read any besides what's in those game cheatlets." Spluttering, he followed her, amazed at her ability to bounce back, not realizing that he was the main reason she was.

The door opened and her eyebrows arced higher at the clean state (excluding the dust) it was in. Then, moving inside, she fell onto the lower bunk bed. "I'll change in the morning." Was is response to his glance at her ragged uniform. When the door closed behind Beast Boy, he heard Raven take a sharp breath. Guessing what the cause of her distress was, he flipped on the closet light and opened the door far enough that the crack of light feel onto her face as she sat upright. Once again he was struck by how different she was now, the scratches and hollows on her face shadowed by the yellow beam of light. Her hair fell messily into her face as she blinked, and relief crossed the weary expression, a sigh escaping. Slowly Raven lowered her aching body onto the mattress, violet eyes hidden by closing eyelids. "Thanks, Beast Boy…" Her voice trailed off and he smiled.

" 'Night, Raven." Clambering onto his top bunk, he fell asleep quickly as below him Raven did the same. Tomorrow they had to regroup the Titans.

A/N:And the second chapter of Maelstrom gets posted! Yae! Thanks to all who reviewed:

Miss Poisonous:Well, it wasn't quite a slow death, but I hope you're satisfied... And you'll get to see the other's reactions in the next chapter or two.

Grey Rain: I updated! And that's okay, I know the feeling...

Hollykins2891: Bashed enough? Starfire took care of it for you.

Yaa: I got the point! Updated soon enough?

DudeBBR/AAML: Turtles are nice, but I've never seen one rabid before. Slade's thrown his monkey wrench into the system for now, but he'll show up later. Unfortuantely...

RavenFlyingSolo: Thanks for the compliment! Were you talking about when she attacked Terra? In that case, they were all downstairs in the main room and hadn't realized that Raven was out of her room yet; they didn't leave her alone. Here's the next chapter- hoped it lived up to your expectations!

Thanks for those who reviewed- please review again!

For those of you who read but didn't review: I'm glad you're reading, and hope that you do decide to review sometime.