Insaneiac: Holy mega reviews Batman! I've not only broken one personal record, but two personal records. Over 15 reviews in one chapter, and all in one day. Anyways, I could kiss you all, over and over again…but then you wouldn't read would you? No… you'd all file lawsuits and take me to court and all that jazz.

Reviews

Alexnandru Van Gordon: Ah my must trusted Reviewer, and the sole person responsible for this being up. Here I was planning on hiding it for a while. Thanks a ton you do-gooder for giving me that little push I needed, and do not worry, I intend on putting this on a rigorous update schedule. So baby, go eat your heart out.

Eryka O.G.: Sparked it eh? Just you wait. Good to see it caught your attention.

NumbuhZero: No, don't die. If you die, I'll have to send flowers. Don't worry, I updated soon. So put away the pills or whatever you were going to off yourself with.

Goth Jedi: Congratulations. You are my first reviewer, EVER, to have the word Goth in their name. You get…a specialized shout out. Sorry. Enjoy the chapter, and glad you like it.

Cyborg Chicken: Glad you like it, and here you go. An update. Love me more.

Coolgirlc: I apologize that I did not put all the dreams in italics, but it would take away from the realism of the moment. Glad you like it, hope you keep reading, and thanks for putting me in your C2.

Dragongirl: Poor Beast Boy! Sistah, you ain't seen nothing yet. The worst is yet to come for our precious green changeling.

Starygurl88:I KNOW! We Beast Boy fans have to unite and demand more focus on him! Well, enjoy this chapter, and I hope you keep with. Beast Boy fans unite!

Kazzy103: Thank you. That is something I love to go for, originality. And while Slade may not be the pet type, I do believe he'd want something as powerful as that. And thanks for the compliment of Cages. Glad you love that too. And yes, according to quite a few people, that was an evil ending place. I'm crazy that way.

Chibi Scooby: Comas? I prefer concussions. They are instant, and you tend to wake up somewhere new every time. Glad you approve, hope this chapter meets your standards.

LadyMaundrell: I hope I wasn't too long for you ;D.

HeX-VaiN: WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN! Jeez, I write and I write and I get no respect from you. Thanks for the review, hope you keep with.

Uberman: Thanks for the review, hope you like this chapter.

Billy: OH YES!

The Mad Shoe: …Your name rocks. Thanks for the review, hope you keep reading, and enjoy.

Red Vixen: Will do. Glad to see you like, and hope you keep reading. I have a lot planned.

The Planner Conspiracy: Thanks for the compliments, though I am a bit modest in it all. Here you go, one good update for you. Enjoy it.

Rebel-Aquarius: Master Aquarius…are you threatening me? Don't worry, Beast Boy won't die…yet :P Enjoy.

Slade Wilson- Deathstroke: (Sent me his by email, it counts. IT COUNTS!) Yes well, what can I say? The Beast Within remains my favorite episode, and I could just never let it go, his dark side that is.

Wow! Must shout outs I've ever done in a single chapter. Go me! Go me!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or any Teen Titan/DC related individual.

Chapter 2: What Lies Behind
The first time they heard it, they were surprised and scared. It sounded like children screaming over an over again, sobs choked in between each ear shattering cry. Now it sounded like those same children being slowly, and thoroughly, tortured and killed. The effect that this had was enough to even unnerve Robin, leaving him momentarily stunned and hesitant.

"ROBIN!" A voice yelled, sounding galaxies away. A pair of pale hands began to roughly shake him, bringing him back to reality, as Robin turned from hearing the screams… to Raven's visibly worried gaze. Starfire and Cyborg had run off towards the med bay, leaving Raven to bring back the fearless leader.

"Beast Boy!" Robin yelped, looking past Raven and charging towards the medical bay. Raven followed closely, as the screams got louder and louder, and more agonizing every time. The two passed Starfire, who found herself unable to go near the med bay. The screams had done well beyond unnerve her, and she soon found herself in tears. Despite the all too urgent emergency, Starfire leapt into Robin's arms as soon as he came into view, breathing heavily.

"Robin… why is friend Beast Boy acting this way? It is deeply scaring me…" She choked out, Robin finding himself again stunned for the moment. It wasn't unusual for Starfire to be scared, but this was different. She was scared on a whole new level, and Robin had no clue what to say or what to do to make her feel better. He signed for Raven to go on, and quickly took Starfire aside.

Meanwhile, Raven charged into the room, only to see Cyborg fighting to hold Beast Boy down, as he kicked and screamed at random things, clutching at his neck as he had before. Even Cyborg, Mr. Roboto, had a tear trail, though he kept it hidden as best as he could.

"RAVEN! DO SOMETHING!" Cyborg screamed, as Beast Boy delivered a randomly place kick into Cyborg's side. With a quick disoriented blink, Raven used her powers to strap Beast Boy onto the medical bed, severely limiting his movements. His hands now forced at his sides, Beast Boy finally stopped screaming, only to seclude back into the muttering mass of goo he had been earlier, shaking violently in the bed, and tears streaming down his green cheeks.

However this time it was different. The words have changed a bit, and both Raven and Cyborg found themselves staring into each other's eyes as Beast Boy wept and muttered large amounts of nonsense, with to coherent words popping up side by side.

"Slade…pet…"

"Raven…what's wrong with Beast Boy?" Cyborg muttered, his voice trembling as he watched his best friend throw his head side to side and mutter nonsense over and over again. Robin finally managed to get to the room, only to feel his heart cannonball into his stomach. His eyes, though hidden behind his mask, softened considerably as he watched Beast Boy suffer. Yet it was the words that truly dug into his heart. Slade again, but now the word 'pet.'

"Raven… go in his head. Find out just what is wrong with him!"

"Robin… I just can't…" Raven began, before looking back at Beast Boy, suffering as he was. After a brief moment of hesitation, Raven nodded, her words failing her as she started at her friend. Her annoying, loud mouthed, completely un-funny friend, but her friend indeed. She slowly placed to fingers on each of Beast Boy's temples, and using her powers held his head in one place.

"Alright Beast Boy… slow your breathing… calm down…" Raven began, her voice visibly weak. Maybe it was stress; maybe it was the fact that it was late, but she knew herself it was at coming back to face this again though, and as long as she lived she would never tell anyone exactly how she felt at the time. "Now… open your mind to me."

Arching his back as best as he could, Beast Boy's eyes shot open as wide as they could. For a brief moment, Raven saw those eyes, and almost cried. They were full of pain, full of suffering, and full of madness and misery. Those eyes would forever haunt her mind and soul, but for the moment the eyes disappeared as her consciousness slipped into Beast Boy's.

Beast Boy's Mind ------

When Raven first thought about diving into Beast Boy's mind, she had never assumed on seeing what she would see. Beast Boy's mind was not the thing she had made it out to be. Raven had always thought it would be empty, and full of stupid jokes and animals. Maybe, if anything, a rather large shrine to his beloved girlfriend…albeit short lived relationship, Terra.

No, instead what she saw was nothing more than collections of jumbled up memories revolving around his friends, and the much larger, and much more disturbing collection of his nightmares. For someone with such a stupid friendly attitude, he had beyond the regular amounts of demons hiding inside him.

"Alright then… What's behind this all?" Raven muttered, before turning around. In front of her, the entire room changed. From almost void like, Beast Boy's consciousness took the shape of a cave. Not just any cave, but the very cave Beast Boy had secretly left to every night to mourn. Raven knew that much about him. Try as he might, Beast Boy could not sneak when she was concentrating.

In the cave was Terra, not as a statue but in living flesh. Just in front of her lied something even more sinister, something Raven had encountered and remembered all to well. It almost led the Titans to destroy Beast Boy completely. Standing in front of Terra was Beast Boy's much darker, much more destructive Were-Beast form. And further beyond that, hiding in the shadows…was someone that she too knew all to well. He was the one that took Robin away from the Titans, and tried to change him into something evil. He was the one that took Terra away from Beast Boy.

It also happened to be the one person who Beast Boy had been muttering over and over again, almost obsessively. Slade.

"GIVE BACK BEAST BOY!" Terra yelled, her fists raised, eyes glowing. From Beast Boy… or the Were-Beast, a pair of soft eyes, as soft as those horrid eyes could be, addressed her as she hurled a chunk of earth into Beast Boy. Raven wanted to interfere, but she could not. Something was holding onto her, something with a powerful grip. Raven turned quickly to come eye to eye with Beast Boy… the real Beast Boy…

Or at least Beast Boy's subconscious self. "Raven…what are you doing here?" Beast Boy asked, though his voice sounding defeated. It almost sounded as if he had failed in something, though Raven truly had no clue as to what.

"If anyone, you should know the answer."

"You shouldn't have come here… You should have just left me to my nightmares…" Slowly, Beast Boy lowered his head as he heard Slade say the same thing he said every night for the last month. This time though, it was Raven who felt like she had been blindsided by a brick, it was Raven whose eyes opened wider than the have ever done so before. Most of all, it was Raven who found herself wanting to scream.

"My pets should learn to behave themselves, and listen to their MASTERS!" Slade growled angrily, before the whole image disappeared. Again in darkness, again alone in his own secluded hell hold, Beast Boy looked up, and sighed.

"I guess this means we should talk?" Beast Boy muttered, looking back towards the rather disturbed Raven,

Slade's Lair ------

Despite his hurry, Slade had managed to download a large part of the Were-Beast file, something that he had found himself revolving around since the moment he had seen it. On his massive computer was irrefutable proof that the annoying little changeling had some deeper, darker menace inside him. Something that single handedly wiped out the Titans, twice. Not even Robin could stop him when he was in that mode.

And Slade wanted him. He wanted this "Were-Beast" as his own. He wanted it's wild and unmatched power. He wanted it's intimidating and destructive appearance. He wanted it's pure destructive capabilities. Most of all… he wanted to have him under his control. The Titans couldn't control him, but Slade would.

And all it took was a little appointment with one of his best, brightest, and most aggravating scientists. Dr. Lin Winry, his single greatest biochemist and technical scientist, and the single greatest pain in his neck. She would do what she was told, as anyone obedient subordinate would, but she gives him hell for it during the entire ordeal. It was amazing the mental fortitude it took to keep from breaking her precious little neck

And, with everything that had been going on… it would take a whole lot more. Even though she did what he asked, she hated him with a burning passion. The fact that she still worked for him had chiefly to do with the fact that if she refused a task, or tried to escape, her child would suffer the consequences. 'Honestly, a mother is the weakest target of all.' Slade mused to himself, looking towards the bottom left screen. 'Take their sons or daughters and she becomes a pawn in the game of life.'

Slowly, Slade rose from his seat, turning off the computer. For the third time since returning, he had looked over the documents, and with every read over he found himself more intrigued. The impudent little fool was truly a devil in disguise. And if there was one thing Slade was remarkably good at, it was brining that devil to the surface. A subtle smile crawled across his face from behind the mask as he walked towards the door, and inevitably towards Dr. Winry.

He would have to pay a visit to his pet.

Beast Boy's Mind ------

"A month?" Raven exclaimed, now sitting in Beast Boy's representation of the Titan Tower. Raven had an herbal tea…even if it wasn't real, and Beast Boy was staring out the large windows, and into a landscape of darkness and void like black. Even if he could create Titan Tower…the rest of the world was something he wanted to avoid representing.

"Yes. A month. Same dream, same people. Every time it ends the same, only today it has ended much more sinisterly, and far more disturbing." Beast Boy spoke, looking over his shoulder. Raven had adopted a thoroughly uneasy look on her face, something that Beast Boy felt inwardly proud about. Not many people managed to disturb the gothic Titan, and now Beast Boy could be added to that list.

"How so? What could be more disturbing than…" Raven continued, masking the fear with seriousness, hiding the horror with intrigue. That was the fist time she had ever seen that nightmare, and even she was creeped out.

"When this dream ends, I have another one. One much more realistic, and much scarier. I can actually feel him grabbing me by the throat, feel the air as it scrambles out of me, and the pain as it screams through me. Slade shows up the two times I've had them, and throws a collar around my neck… and calls me his pet."

"Beast Boy…what you are saying is very close to a premonition."

"Raven, I pray to god every time I wake that it isn't. The dreams get worst, more real, and I get even more scared. Now these dreams come…I'm beginning to have trouble distinguishing real from dream now… I'm scared Raven." Beast Boy muttered weakly, the windows all turning black, solid black.

"Beast Boy…" Raven replied, looking down at her feet.

"If it is a premonition…"

"Why wouldn't you tell us?" Raven interrupted, instantly jolting back as the windows suddenly displayed Robin on them, displaying quite potently the memory of when Robin jumped at Beast Boy for "attacking" Raven. A memory burned into his head all to well. Something that, despite the circumstances, has had yet to forgive the leader for.

"Robin… He would have been more concerned that Slade wanted something than what I felt." Secretly, and he would never admit it to anyone, Beast Boy hated Robin. He hated how the team always worried about him, and he hated how quick Robin was to attack rather than help when Beast Boy needed it. "He would have berated me with questions, then lock me away somewhere."

"Beast Boy, that's nonsense." Raven replied with a stern voice and with stressed meaning behind them.

"Is it? Take a long look Raven. When Slade took Robin, we all wanted nothing more than to save him. When I became…" Beast Boy began, as Robin was replaced with the Were-Beast. "…that, Robin hopped right to attacking me, after pulling the bad-cop routine."

"You can't blame him; it looked like you attacked me." Raven replied, even though her confidence was waning. Despite what she thought, what she believed, Beast Boy was right. At least, he was right to a point.

"You can't tell anyone Raven."

"They have to know."

"I refuse it."

"They need to know about it. What if you have them again?" Raven replied, getting stressed. Funny thing was she didn't want to tell them. Beast Boy was suffering and she knew all to well that, when confronted with friends or Slade, Robin always chose Slade. Even if he hated him, the subject of Slade pushed his friends aside with ease, and he became oblivious to everything except Slade and finding anything out on him, or bringing him to justice.

As much as she would refuse to admit it, the two were similar in that one ideal. If they wanted something, they would not stop until the get it.

"There has to be another way Raven. If you tell him, I'll leave."

There was no comedy in his voice, there was no happiness, but what was there was complete, total seriousness. Something Raven knew all to well, and couldn't believe hearing it come from Beast Boy…even if it was just his subconscious self. She had never truly seen Beast Boy as the ignorant comic relief, but now here he was, not a tinge of comedy anywhere in his voice.

"There is a method…"

"Yes?"

"Every night you must come to my room. I'll go into your head, and help you calm yourself. I'll use my powers to put you into a state of empty-mind ness, and clear your head of all thoughts." So many insults began popping into her head, and with all the control she had readily available she fought the urge to insult him. . "As well, I'll leave a temporary mental link between you and me, so if you have anymore…nightmares, I can help you deal with them. Then you should be able to sleep fairly easily."

"And no one tells Robin, or anyone for that matter, right?"

"I promise." Raven replied, before Beast Boy lowered his head, the windows going back to being windows.

"Alright then. So what do we tell…them" Beast Boy replied, a rather disdainful tone flowing when he reached the final word. Of all the people in the world to open up to, Raven was the last person on his list. Ironically, he also knew she would be the only one who would understand.

Slade's Lair: Winry's Lab ------

Lin Winry was a bustling young scientist, one of the strongest minds in her specific fields. She was no more than twenty six, and all ready she had cornered the nation on the studies of biochemical sciences. Add for the fact that she had a knack for mechanics, an art for the technological, and mind for challenges, and easily had the leading woman in science, within Jump City, of the last century.

And of course, through the miracles of life and luck, she was a gorgeous woman at that. Caucasian, good medium length brown hair, a pair of hazel eyes behind a very proper pair of glasses, and perfect lips. Men around her would melt at her appearance, and suddenly find themselves infatuated with someone far beyond their league. She wore the typical white lab coat, with a black T-shirt underneath it, and a pair of casual jeans.

However, the shining jewel of this woman was her take-no-prisoners, grow-up-or-piss-off attitude. She was brilliant, beautiful, and without a doubt in the world, a very independent woman at that. If someone tried to go at her with a knife, chances were he would get knocked to the ground, and then spat on by her. Very little truly scared Lin, and even when something did, she seemed to become even more of a smartass. It was as if in her own personal way, she was giving Death the middle finger, and laughing all the way.

How she came to work under Slade was still something that baffled her every night. He was cruel, violent, and dangerous, everything that she hated in the human race. Yet somehow he still managed to get her to work for him. At first, it was a great job. She was paid lots, and did great things for the worst man on the planet. And then he would cross the line, and ask her for something her morals wouldn't permit her to do…ever. He wanted a bomb…a specific kind of bomb.

She decided then after to quit, and for two years it had gone according to plan. Everything was perfect, and the young and volatile woman had even gotten married to a scientist employed to Wayne Enterprises. His name was Geoffrey Gosper, and of course, Lin forced him to keep her last name. They had one child, a son. They named him Richard after her late grandfather. When it was his first birthday… Slade showed up. He had a present of his own.

Lin was restrained by a pair of his special robot figures, and was forced to watch as Slade brutally killed Geoffrey in front of her. He systematically broke each bone in his body, before finally snapping his neck. It was a very long, and very cruel way of reminding her just who she served. They dumped his body to the side, and moved towards her young son, and despite her cries, protests and foul language, took him away from her. In his wake, Slade left her directions to his lair, and warned her gravely that any interference results in her son dying.

And here she was, on the fifth birthday of Richard, and the fifth anniversary of Geoffrey's death, serving both the killer and kidnapper of her family. She knew nothing at all of where Richard was, and Slade had barred her from ever leaving the lair. Of course, she does his dirty work, knowing what refusal to work would buy her, but she would make Slade regret it every moment of his life.

Of course, at the time she was merely looking over some documents. Slade had given her a rather large list of very important tasks to work on. Though he called everything important, he usually gave her as much time as needed to do each task. Despite his being a conniving and sinister man, he was surprisingly easy going…to a point. Her day was about to get a whole lot worst, as the doors open to reveal her forced employer. Slade walked in to the room, maintaining the same confidence he did every time he entered her room. It was to show nothing more than his superiority over her.

"Miss Winry… how are you today?"

"Fine…" Lin replied on instinct, a rather vicious sting to the word. She hadn't even bothered to look up, focusing more on his projects than Slade himself. Aside from that, his opening statement was more of an insult than anything else, a stab at her life as it were. The whole day was ahead of her, and Slade knew all to well what day it truly was.

"Have you paid your respects yet?"

"Go screw yourself." She replied, still not looking from her papers. Behind his mask Slade smiled.

"I have a new project for you Miss Winry…"

"And that would be…" Lin retorted, finally breaking away from her papers to look into Slade's one eye. Of course, she didn't raise her head entirely to him, as she never would unless he forced her to. Instead, she met his gaze with a vicious stare over the rim of her glasses, resting on the bridge of her nose.

"This." Slade replied, simply. He pulled his hands from behind him, and dropped to folders on the desk. On reflex, Lin opened up the folders, and read over both projects. She always did that without being ordered, as seeing his plans gave her material to shoot at him with.

"A serum?" Lin droned, looking up at Slade with a pitiful stare. "Let me guess… Robin again?" This wasn't the first thing she had done in Slade's hunt for the apprentice. Despite his failures to admit to them, both the nano-scopic probes and the neural armor had been her creations.

"Surprisingly not."

"And the other one…" Lin began again, tossing aside Slade's asinine comments. Her eyes glanced over it briefly, before she dropped the previous folder, and took a longer look. She read it through once, then twice, then another time before putting it down neatly, and staring back at Slade. This time, the glares were replaced with a much more serious stare, something she reserved for the times his plans actually struck her at home. Be it her curiosity, or her alert, this stare was reserved when one of the two were triggered. And for the moment, both were going off like school bells.

"And the other one is a collar…"

Insaneiac: Ooh… I know you'll hate this cliffy. So meet Lin Winry, the sass mouth beauty forced to work under Slade. A bit of a sad story to her, but in all fairness, she dedicates her life to ruining Slade's as best as she can. Anyways, read and enjoy. That's the most important thing.