Hey guys, I just rushed this off the printing press. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I will get replies out to once I return from my trip in fourteen days.

So I guess I'm on a temporary hiatus. But then I will return a vengence!

Note: I LOVE BEAST BOY!

Dis...: You know what I'm going to put here. I don't own them!

Warning: Not so extreme fluffiness! But extreme increased speed in production with possible dire consequences.

Quote:

"Wake me up inside."

-Evanessence

Chapter Title:

Awkward Silence

Beast Boy stood outside of Raven's room and stared at her door with an expression of curiosity. His mind worked in a sort of slow pace, ideas clicking together. He mused out loud, as though hearing the words would help him string them together.

"Robin is not in his room," Beast Boy said slowly, "And no one has seen Raven."

Several moments of silence went by while Beast Boy thought a bit more. "Robin was angry at Raven yesterday."

A few more moments of silence.

"And Raven hasn't had her tea."

The wheels in Beast Boy's head were slowly churning, his eyes getting brighter and brighter, until the theory finally emerged.

"Robin killed Raven," he said triumphantly.

His eyes grew wider as he realized the implications of that idea. "Uh oh."

Beast Boy quickly changed into the shape of a fly and tried going under Raven's door, as he had times before. Unfortunately for him, Raven was not an idiot, and had sealed that particular entrance. He changed back into his human form and stood at the door, scratching his head.

After a few minutes of intense contemplation, Beast Boy slowly reached out a hand and placed a finger above the button that would open the door. He cautiously pressed the button, holding his breath all the while. The door whooshed open.

"Huh," Beast Boy said, "I guess it wasn't locked."

He stepped inside the room and immediately his eyes went to the two forms lyingin Raven's bed. Beast Boy stifled a gasp as he gazed at the sleeping pair.

Robin was lying on his back while Raven was secured by his arms, her head on his chest just above his heart, one her hands on his ribs. Her blanket had traveled down far enough that her body was mostly uncovered, her girl boxers and tee shirt barely enough to keep her warm. As Beast Boy watched, Raven curled even further onto Robin, absorbung the heat of his body.

Neither woke. Raven's bedroom was quiet and nothing seemed out of place. The two slept peacefully, their normally guarded expressions replaced with an almost...content expression.

Beast Boy covered his mouth with his hand in a desperate attempt to keep from yelling, and he zoomed out of the hall and into the kitchen. Cyborg was there by himself, cooking something, probably something meaty as his 'Keep it Veal' apron indicated, but Beast Boy had more important things on his mind.

"CYBORG!" Beast Boy shrieked at the big guy, "You will not BELIEVE what I just saw!"

Cyborg didn't even turn around, instead he leaned over the simmering pot on the stove and frowned at the contents.

"Cyborg!" Beast Boy whined, "You gotta come with me, so you can see this!"

"For the last time, Beast Boy," Cyborg snapped impatiently, "I don't want to see what the mold colony in your bedroom has done!"

"It's not that," Beast Boy explained hurriedly, "Although I don't understand what you have against my mold people. I need to show you something involving...Raven," Beast Boy paused to let the word sink in, "and Robin."

Cyborg turned, his attention finally caught. "What are you talking about?"

Sighing Beast Boy tugged on Cyborg's arm, "You'll just have to see," he said, leading the mechanical man down the hallway.

Cyborg almost stopped at the sight of Raven's open door, suspicion clear on his face, but Beast Boy kept tugging insistantly on his arm. Once inside the doorway, he stopped dead, just as Beast Boy had done.

It was the Birds alright. And they looked so damn different when they were asleep. They seemed so much more...innocent. And that was a weird thought to have when observing two people sleeping together.

Even though Cyborg was still frozen at the sight, Beast Boy was now ready to react and go. "Hey Cy, watch this!" Beast Boy said as he took a deep breath and changed into the shape of an elephant.

Then he trumpeted louder than Cyborg had ever thought possible. The reaction was almost instantaneous. One second the two birds had been sleeping calmly and before the next second was over Robin had leapt to his feet reaching for a weapon and Raven had emerged from the bed, glowing with dark power.

"Hold up!" Cyborg yelled loudly, holding his hands up in an effort to calm the two startled teenagers.

Beast Boy shrank down from an elephant, laughing hysterically, but after a moment he realized that the room was quiet except for him, and his laughter died on his lips. The room was awkwardly silent.

"Ummm...Sorry?" Beast Boy offered.

Raven's face was closed down into it's normally blank expression, though she didn't have her hood to hide in. "What are you doing in my room?" she asked dryly.

Beast Boy got a rather defiant expression on his face, "What is he doing in your room?"

Bad move.

"Haven't I told you that you are not to go near my room without my permission?" Raven hissed, eyes flashing dangerously.

Beast Boy seemed to suddenly realize the dangerous footing he was on, and turned apologetic again. "I thought that Robin had killed you?" he offered weakly.

Everyone, Cyborg included, simply stared at Beast Boy. Then Cyborg went over and began dragging the changling out of the room. "We didn't see anything," Cyborg said as he muffled the struggling Beast Boy.

The door closed, though Beast Boy's indignant protests could be heard until the two had exited the hallway. Raven sat back down on the edge of the bed, and used her long fingers to message her temples. "Perfect," she mumbled.

Robin had never felt so out of place as he did right then, standing in Raven's room wearing his pajamas.He hadn't hesitated to comfort her the night before, but now he didn't know what to say. He was much better at handling emergencies than he was at normal life.

Robin took in a silent breath, and then quietly asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm great," Raven deadpanned, "Please leave."

He hesitated, wanting to say more, but finally he just walked out of her room.

Raven sat on top of the roof, hovering in the air, her blue cloak floating in the gentle breeze. Her regular meditations were interrupted by the scene of the morning being played and replayed in her mind.

What was she supposed to do? Her relationship with Robin was probably in ruins now. And the way Cyborg and Beast Boy had looked at her...at them. Things were going to be so damn awkward!

Breathe, she reminded herself. Raven struggled to regain her control. That was it. That was what she needed now. Control.

Raven's face melted into her expression of blank disinterest.

Ignore it, pretend that nothing happened. It had worked before and it would work again.

Wouldn't it?

Robin went through the mechanics of working out in the training room, his hair wet with sweat. Everyone had it wrong dammit! Robin hit the punching bag fiercely. Cyborg and Beast Boy would have reacted the same way if they had heard Raven crying like that during the night!

The punching bag swung back towards Robin, but he paused in his beating of it. Would...would Raven had acted the same way towards them? Perhaps. Robin attacked the punching bag with a sudden fit of rage.

The careful and quiet relationship that he had created with Raven would be ruined now! And who knew how long it would take BB to blab the news to everyone? And now Cyborg would keep a careful eye on everything!

What should his next move be? How was he supposed to fix this?

Robin worked to calm himself. He would talk to Raven and smooth everything out. He wasn't going to let that one moment destroy their friendship. Everything was going to be fine.

Wasn't it?

Raven sat in her usual corner of the sofa in the common room, a large old-looking book in her hands, an expressionless expressionon her face. Her cloak was wound about her body so that just the tips of her boots peeped out. Her hood was up so only part of her face was visible. Her eyes were hidden under the shadow of the hood so nobody noticed her slight peek above the pages of her book towards the figure across the room.

Across the room, sprawled out in one of the chairs was Robin, a brightly colored rubix cube in his hands. He concentrated hard on the cube, his mask hiding the fact that every so often he would roll his eyes upward to glance at Raven who seemed thoroughly immersed in her book.

Sitting stiffly on a couch opposite of those two was Cyborg and Beast Boy. Beast Boy also had a large book in his hands. He would slowly turn a page and then steal a glance at Robin, slid his eyes across the room so that he could also see Raven, and then turn another page in the book.

Cyborg was looking down at his arm determinedly, fiddling around with the various micro-chips.

The tension in the room was palpable. Beast boy glanced over at the clock. 11:44pm. He yawned loudly. "Well this is a good book," he said a little too loudly.

Both Robin and Raven ignored him and a few uncomfortable moments went by before Cyborg finally spoke. "What are you reading, grass stain?"

"Ummm..." Beast Boy fumbled with the book, turning it so that he could see the spine, "War and Peace by," he squinted, "Leo Tolstoy."

Raven couldn't help herself. She glanced up and raised a questioning eyebrow, doubt clear on her face. Robin didn't react at all.

Sighing, Beast Boy turned back to the heavy book and began slowly turning the pages again. The clock ticked loudly. Beast Boy coughed, squirming in his seat. Starfire suddenly entered the room, smiling brightly as she smoothed the bows and frills on the long pink cotton nightie she was wearing.

"Good evening friends!" she said happily.

"Hello Star!" Beast Boy said thankfully, "What are you doing?"

"I am preparing for sleep, friend Beast Boy, do the rest of you not wish to do so also?" Starfire asked.

Raven gave her head a slight shake, Cyborg grunted his dissent, and Beast Boy sighed sadly. "Not right now," he said tiredly.

Starfire noted that Robin had not said anything and she floated over to him lightly. "Ahhh, you are playing the cube of Rubix!" she exclaimed in delight.

"Yeah Star," Robin said distractedly.

"That game is gloriously simple, is it not?" Star continued brightly, "Friend Beast Boy showed me how to solve it!"

Robin finally looked up, confusion on his face. "You can solve this?" he asked in disbelief.

Everyone looked up as Starfire reached for the Rubix cube. She immediately began peeling the colored stickers off of the cubes and replacing them so all of the colors were together. "Is it not a great game?" she questioned enthusiastically.

Robin grabbed the rubix cube from her and began trying to solve it again. "Beast Boy showed you that, huh?" Cyborg muttered, "That figures."

After Star departed the room drifted back into the awkward silence that had occupied it before. The clock now read a little past midnight. Cyborg got up and went over to the kitchen, rummaging through the refrigerator before finally pulling out a cold piece of leftover steak. He brought the plate back to his seat on the couch and pulled out a copy of Mechanical Weekly.

Beast Boy was drooling while staring off into space by that point, the pages of the forgotten book wet with his slobber. Cyborg glanced at him with interest and snapped his fingers in front of BBs eyes.

Nothing.

Cyborg slowly cut a small piece of steak and waved the fork in front of Beast Boy's mouth. Still no response. An evil grin spread across Cyborg's face and he pushed the steak into Beast Boy's wide open mouth.

Beast Boy chewed the meat a full two times before he finally snapped back to life. He started gagging. "Ahhh! What have you done?" he shrieked standing, "Now I have to gargle bleach!"

He ran from the room.

There was a few moments of silence before Robin spoke. "Shouldn't you go and try to stop him?" he asked pointedly.

"He'll be fine," Cyborg replied unconcernedly.

Robin sighed and looked at the clock. 1:33 and he was tired as hell. He finally decided to be blunt. "Cyborg I need to talk to Raven. Alone."

Cyborg looked up and nodded with satisfaction, "Certainly. Have a good time," he said with hint of mirth in his voice as he left.

Raven's head had shot up when Robin had spoken, and she watched Cyborg's reaction with growing anger. She snapped her book shut and stood up quickly. "It's not like that!" she hissed, flinging the book to the ground.

She sent Cyborg a death glare before walking angrily out of the room.

Robin sighed. That certainly wasn't the reaction that he was hoping for. Cyborg raised an eyebrow, "Trouble in paradise?"

"It's not like that!" Robin growled fiercely, throwing down the rubix and stalking down the hallway after Raven.

Cyborg stood in the now empty living room and shrugged. "Guess so."

Robin stepped out onto the roof. He knew that if Raven had left she would go to either the roof or her room. They were her two safety areas.

Sure enough there she was floating lightly above the roof, breathing deeply, in meditation mode. Normally he wouldn't bother her, but...Robin sighed, he had gone to such lengths to talk to her tonight, there was no going back now.

"Raven?" he questioned tentatively.

Her concentration broke and she fell from the air landing painfully on her back and elbows. Raven groaned in pain as she slowly sat up. Suddenly two hands were on her arms helping her up. She turned around to see Robin.

Instantly her face colored. Of course he would see her fall, right after her outburst downstairs. "Are you okay?" he asked concerned.

Raven quickly pulled away from him and raised her hood back up, shielding her face. "I'm fine."

There was a painful silence. "Listen Raven, about last night," Robin began.

Raven cut him off. "Don't worry about it. It'll brew over in awhile. We can just pretend like it never happened."

The quiet night drifted over them as Robin contemplated that statement. It would be best to just go back to the way things were before...right?

It was frustrating to him not to meet things head on. But he also knew that Raven didn't work like that. She went to great lengths to avoid problems, to pretend like they didn't exist, as though nothing was wrong. It was a skill that she had practiced throughout her entire lifetime.

He sighed. "Okay then."

He walked over to the edge of the roof and sat down with his effortless grace, his back hunched over as he observed the city.

Raven looked at him with a slightly contemplative expression and she moved slowly after him. She spoke hesitantly, "Thank you, though."

"For what?" Robin asked not turning around.

Raven moved a bit closer. "For waking me up."

Robin glanced back at her. "What was it about?"

Raven sat down so that her back was against the ledge, opposite of Robin. "My father. They're always about my father."

Robin pulled himself back so that he was now lying on the cool roof top, his legs still on the ledge. He was facing the sky, but his eyes were on Raven. "He's gone Raven."

"I know that," Raven said, a ghost of a smile on her face, "Just like other people know that there is no monster in their closet. Knowing and believing are two different things."

As much as Robin was trying to pay attention, he could feel the affects of the late...err...early hour. "You don't believe that he's gone?" Robin murmured drowsily.

"I don't know what I believe," Raven answered quietly.

She looked down to see Robin asleep, his light breathing growing heavier. Raven sighed feeling the exhaustion of the long day and knelt down on the ground until her head rested by his shoulder, garnering heat without touching. She had one last thought as she joined Robin in slumber.

"This is turning into a bad habit."

There we go! I've gotta go, I leave this place in a little less than an hour! See you all in fourteen days!

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