Chapter 11
For the next ten days, Raven spent her every waking hour with her friends. She watched Robin and Cyborg play video games; she helped Starfire walk Silkie; she even joined in on games of volleyball on the roof. Through everything though, she remained pensive and silent.
At night, she slept in a sleeping bag on the floor in Starfire's room. They watched movies chosen by Starfire until they fell asleep, or simply talked about things, careful not to mention Beast Boy or any of the other happenings in the past month.
Everyday, Beast Boy stayed with Raven as well. He was careful not to stand in shadows, and never went into Starfire's room, in case they saw him in the dark. Her kept his eyes peeled for a way to make Raven happy, without having to show up and make her upset again. He never found an opportunity,
On the night the tenth day, he was beginning to get worried.
"I only have five days left," Beast Boy muttered to himself, walking through the slumbering tower. "If I can't find a way to make Raven crack a smile, I'll be stuck like this forever." He sighed. "Who am I kidding? I couldn't even get her to smile when I was alive!"
He paused outside of Starfire's door. He knew Raven would be in there, asleep. With another side, he decided what he needed to do.
"Goodbye, Raven. I love you."
-
Raven sat straight up in her sleeping bag, heart pounding. There was a ringing in her ears, and she felt as though she had missed something important. Closing her eyes, she focused on the familiar aura she had been feeling for the past week or so. There it was.
Standing up, Raven slowly made her way to the bedroom door. After a quick glance at Starfire, to make sure the alien was fast asleep, Raven slid the door open.
Slowly, Raven made her way down the hall, following the faint aura she had come to recognize over the past fifteen days. It wasn't as noticeable as it had been a month ago, but when she concentrated really hard, she could feel it. It had been around her everyday for the past ten days, for sure.
As her eyes slowly adjusted to the minimal lighting in the halls of the tower, Raven saw that she was following his aura to the roof.
She stopped in front of the door that closed off the stairs to the roof from the rest of the tower. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked up the stairs, pausing in front of the other door.
Why was she doing this? She wanted to know. She knew what she would find on the other side. It excited her so much, but scared her more than anything. She would be better off just turning around and going back to sleep.
But she couldn't. This was something she just had to do. She would never forgive herself if she chickened out now. Not when she was so close.
Lifting a trembling hand, she twisted the door handle and silently pushed it open. She took a step onto the roof, and looked around. She found him almost immediately.
He stood with his back turned to her, gazing out across the ocean in front of him.
"I'm sorry, Raven." He said without looking back at her.
"F-for what?" Raven asked once she had found her voice.
"For everything. I've been making you sad for the past month," he replied, turning around to look at her. "That's why I'm going. How did you know I was here, anyway?"
"I've been able to feel your aura since that night in the cemetery," Raven answered. "But why are you leaving? And where to?"
"Anywhere but here," Beast Boy said. "I can't stay here anymore."
He raised a hand and tried to touch Raven's cheek. His hand passed right through.
"Why not?" Raven asked, eyes flooding with tears. She held them back as well as she could, but she knew they were going to fall eventually.
"Because I can't stand to see you like this," Beast Boy replied. "I can't stand being the reason you're so sad. If I go now, you can be happy."
"I'm never going to happy," she responded with conviction. "Not unless you're here, with me. Alive."
Beast Boy looked at the ground sadly. "I wish I could-"
He was cut off as he suddenly disappeared.
"Beast Boy!" Raven exclaimed, reaching out, grasping at nothingness. "Beast Boy, please! Don't leave me! Not again!"
The tears she had held back so diligently a minute ago flowed freely down her face.
Taking one last look around the empty rooftop, she took a shuddering breath and went back to Starfire's room.
Silently, she crawled into her sleeping bag, and buried her face in her pillow. She shed no more tears, because she felt no need to. She was dead inside, and dead people don't cry.
-
Beast Boy looked around his new surroundings. He was back in the timeless black space.
"What? No! I had five more days! Why am I back here?" Beast Boy exclaimed frantically, spinning around. "Why now? I never told her that I love her!"
"Then tell her when you get back," a kind voice told him. Turning around, Beast Boy took in his mother and father smiling at him proudly.
"Mom! Dad! Why-?"
"Calm down, Gar. Everything is fine," Mark Logan held up a hand, trying to get his son to calm down.
"Better than fine," his mother assured. "You've completed the tasks."
-
"She will not get up. I have been trying for the past three hours," a small female whisper reached Raven's ears from the other side of Starfire's door.
"And you're sure she's not just tired?" a deeper voice asked. That would be Cyborg, Raven knew.
"I am most certain. Her eyes were open when I awoke, and she did not drift off while I was trying to get her out of her bag of sleeping," Starfire whispered, worry creeping into her voice with every word she spoke.
"Isn't there anything you could do?" Robin asked, joining the whispered conversation.
"I have tried everything, save forcing her out," Starfire insisted.
Before anyone could say anything else, the sound of the doorbell cut through the tower.
"I'll get that," Robin sighed.
There was silence after he left. Raven let her mind wander, now that she didn't have a conversation to listen to.
Suddenly there was a small, but happy yelp from Robin.
"Guys! Come here! NOW!"
The ground shook slightly under Raven, as Cyborg and Starfire dashed towards the front door, where Robin was still exclaiming indistinguishable things. Raven didn't move.
Cyborg's loud voice boomed through the tower, "OH MY-" and was cut off by a high squeal from Starfire.
They sounded happy. Raven assumed there was a visitor at the door. It was probably one of the honorary Titans that they hadn't seen for a while. Still, their reactions seemed a bit over the top.
Raven rolled her eyes as she listened to the small celebration going on downstairs, before ignoring them and letting her mind go blank once more.
There was a low rumbling, which Raven ignored, as four sets of feet ran upstairs. They stopped in front of Starfire's room.
"I must be going crazy… I'm going crazy!" Robin kept repeating, although anyone could hear the happiness behind his words.
"If you're going crazy, then we all are, man!" Cyborg replied ecstatically.
"Oh friends! This is most wonderous! We must inform Raven of this marvelous affair!" Starfire exclaimed happily, barely containing her excited giggles.
Hearing her name, Raven narrowed her eyes, trying to focus on the pattern stitched onto Starfire's blanket, rather than the gaiety outside the door.
Suddenly her eyes snapped open as she sensed something. That aura! It couldn't be!
She sat up quick enough to get a head rush, but not really caring, and looked at the door.
Agonizingly slowly, the door slid open, and Raven gasped at the sight.
Beast Boy stood in the doorway. He wasn't transparent in the least. He looked at her with a grin on his face that showed that he was almost as overwhelmed by everything as his friends.
"What's this I hear about you not getting out of bed?" he asked her playfully.
Without saying a word, Raven got out of her sleeping bag and ran towards Beast Boy faster than anyone could blink.
He met her halfway, pulling her into his arms. She squeezed him, gripped the back of his clothes, and took in his scent, convincing herself that he really was real this time. She could feel him doing the same.
Happy tears filled her eyes, and her heart felt as though it was going to swell up until it was too big for her chest. Everything was okay. He was back! He was back…
Lol, I bet that some of you are a bit confused about how Beast Boy came back. Everything will be explained in the next, and last, chapter. It will be up for sure on Sunday.
'Til then!
Tammy Tamborine
