Chapter Two: Some Knowledge Is Power – Some Power Corrupts
"Alright, what's the problem?" Cyborg asked, coming into the rec room.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Robin admitted, shrugging with his one good arm.
"Raven did not tell you why she called us?" Starfire asked Cyborg.
"Nope- all she said was that she needed to see us," he said. "Hey, Beast Boy!" he called to the lone figure eating his breakfast at the dining table, his back to the other Titans. "You know why Raven wants us here?"
"Nope," Beast Boy said. But I think I can figure it out, he thought, and he felt his blood boil, anger replacing the gloom which had accompanied him for the past week, as his mind found itself filled with the image of Raven and Blackfire sharing a kiss, illuminated by moonlight. "How could you do this to me, Raven?" he remembered saying through his tears, "I thought you loved me!"
Unfortunately, his three friends were too busy speculating over why Raven had called them there to notice. "Come on, Cyborg, pranks aren't Raven's style," Robin was saying.
"Yeah, but she has been hanging around Blackfire a lot lately. Who knows what might have rubbed off on her," Cyborg said somewhat obliquely. Due to her nervousness, as well as Blackfire's impish sense of humor, the two of them agreed that both Robin and Cyborg be kept in the dark over the other's knowledge of their relationship.
"'Rubbed off on her'?" Robin asked, trying to hide his apprehension. Had Cyborg figured it out? "What do you mean by that?"
Picking up on Robin's uneasiness, but not the reason behind it, Cyborg hastily replied, "Well, er, what did you think I meant?
"I don't know," Robin replied, equally flustered. "What did you think I thought you meant?"
"I don't know- what did you think I thought… er, you thought I… hold on a minute," Cyborg said, trying to get his mind up to mental speed, and failing miserably. "Er, what were we talking about again?"
Robin opened his mouth to answer, and closed it again.
"You were talking about the possibility that my sister may have influenced Raven's behavior," Starfire said in her boyfriend's defense. "And it is a possibility that I happen to find very disturbing," she added.
"Oh come on Starfire, I'm not that bad- well, at least as far as you can prove," Blackfire said as she entered, Raven beside her.
"Hey guys," Cyborg said, turning away from Robin to the two of them, relieved at being able to change the subject. "You two sleep in late?" he asked, and then mentally slapped himself when he realized what he had just asked.
Luckily for him (or so he thought), Raven was an expert at concealing her emotions, while he suspected Blackfire wouldn't blush if she suddenly crash-landed in front of a church choir naked.
For all he knew, she had.
"Hardly," Blackfire said, seemingly ignorant of what Cyborg had inadvertently implied, although the sly look she gave him said otherwise. "We just went out so Raven could practice her new powers. She needs to keep them in shape, after all." And then she whispered, "Among other things," her eyes shifting to a seemingly unperturbed Raven.
"Uh, okay," Robin said hesitantly, all too aware that Starfire was sitting next to him. "So, Raven, what's up? You said you needed to see us about something," he said, trying to change the subject.
"Oh come on, Robin, can't you guess? I thought you were the smart one," Blackfire said mischievously.
"Blackfire, that's enough," Raven said quietly, and Blackfire fell silent. Turning to her friends, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to keep her anxiety under control. "Some of you already know about this, but for those who don't… I have something to tell you, something about me and Blackfire. For the past week, we have- we have been…" she began hesitantly, before she found her throat tightening in nervousness
" 'In a relationship'? Was that what you were going to say?" Beast Boy spat out at them as he made quotation marks with his fingers. "Yeah, I saw the two of you up on the roof that night," he continued, in the shocked silence that followed. "You guys shoulda seen it- it was real romantic," he said, his voice growing quieter. "They were all alone, there was moonlight…" and then his voice rose, his anger now plainly evident, "These two being all so lovey-dovey."
"Beast Boy-" Raven began.
"Shut up, Raven!" Beast Boy shouted. "I thought we were- I thought- argh!" he yelled, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "And you!" he added, pointing to Blackfire. "You knew how I felt about Raven! I thought I could trust you!"
"Well, maybe you should stop thinking then," Blackfire said, on the verge of losing her own temper.
"Okay you two, that's enough!" Cyborg said, placing himself between the potential combatants. "Blackfire, you ain't gonna help nobody if you don't calm down, and the same goes for you Beast Boy- Beast Boy!" he yelled, but Beast Boy had already walked out of the room, the door shutting behind him.
"I'll go talk to him," Raven said, moving to follow Beast Boy.
"Why?" Blackfire asked. "Seems to me like you're the last person he'd want to see right now."
"I'll have to," Raven said. "Besides, you've got your own explaining to do," she said, pointing to Starfire, still sitting on the couch, mouth agape.
"My sister…and Raven?" she kept on asking herself, pointing slowly to Blackfire, and back to Raven.
(scene change)
"What do you want?" Beast Boy snapped as Raven caught up with him in the corridor as he was walking back to his room.
"To talk to you," Raven replied. When he showed no sign of stopping, Raven called out, "Beast Boy, wait!"
"Wait? Why?" he asked, finally stopping. "Just because you wanted to talk to me? Talk to me about what? How you betrayed me? Is that it?"
"I never betrayed you, Beast Boy."
"What are you talking about?"
"There was nothing to betray," Raven said. Despite her voice being as calm as it always was, there was a note of pity in it. "Beast Boy, you have to understand-"
"Understand? What's there to understand?" He turned away from Raven. "I thought we were friends."
"We still are, Beast Boy," Raven said quietly.
"Yeah Raven, 'friends'. We've known each other what, two years? Two years, and we're still friends. Blackfire stays here what, a month? And next thing I know, you're sucking face up on the roof." He laughed bitterly. "You know what, Raven? I think I do understand."
"Beast Boy-"
"Leave me alone, Raven, just leave me alone," Beast Boy said, holding up his hand and starting to walk away.
"Beast Boy," Raven said, taking his arm. "Beast Boy, we're still friends."
Beast Boy stopped for a moment before replying. "No, Raven, we're not friends. We're team mates, not friends- not anymore," he said, shrugging off Raven's hand and walking off, leaving a very hurt Raven in his wake.
(scene change)
"..and that's how Raven and me ended up," Blackfire finished as she sprawled herself across the couch. "Any questions?" she asked chirpily.
There was a second of silence, while the other Titans sat there, Blackfire's words slowly sinking in.
Then- "You knew too?" Cyborg and Robin said to each other in unison. "Why didn't you tell me? They didn't want me to tell you! Why didn't you want to tell us?" they said to Blackfire.
"Have you seen the looks on your faces?" she asked, pointing at her friends.
Before they could reply, Starfire spoke. "Sister, did you not bear affection for Dawn when she came here? And does the memory of that affection not bother you?"
"Bother me?" Blackfire asked. "Why should it bother me? She tried to kill me! What, are you saying that Raven's going to try to kill me too?" she asked incredulously.
"That's not what Starfire said, and you know it," Robin said. "She cares about Raven, we all do-"
"And you think I don't?" Blackfire asked angrily, starting to rise from her seat.
"Oh, we know you like Raven, you told us yourself," Cyborg said, "What we're wondering is for how long. From what you told us, you and Dawn were pretty tight for years, but even then, you decided to stay here with Raven, someone you've been with only a month or two."
Blackfire looked as if she was going to explode there and then, when she suddenly subsided. "You're right," she admitted, "It doesn't seem too good, does it? Let me see if I can explain."
She placed her hands together and leaned forward. "At first, yes, I did want to leave with Dawn. I wanted to travel the Galaxy again, see the stars, rob a few unsuspecting merchants, get rich, and to do it all with Dawn at my side. And do you know what? If Dawn had come right after we defeated the Puppet King, I would have accepted. Of course she would have killed me once there wasn't anyone to witness it, but I didn't know that."
"You still haven't answered the question," Robin said.
"Answers? You want answers? Well then, here you go: I changed, Robin. Whether you believe me or not, I changed. Back in the Galaxy, I was wanted one way or another, but it was all about what I was, not who. People wanted me because I was a criminal, or because I was the heir to the throne of Tamaran. But Raven…" she trailed off, before resuming, "It's too hard to explain- besides, I've never been too good with words, but I'll give you the short version: The reason I chose to stay here with Raven is the same reason I will always stay with her- out there, I feel wanted; with Raven, I feel needed. Hopefully, she feels the same way about me too. Got that?" she asked aggressively.
"Yes," Raven's voice said tiredly from the doorway behind her. "I think they did."
"What can I say, Raven," Blackfire bragged as she turned around. "I am a very persuasive spe- Raven? What happened?" she asked, all trace of humor disappearing from her voice. "It was Beast Boy, wasn't it?" she asked, walking over to the door he took, her fists bunched up, her eyes glowing.
"He just needs some time alone, Blackfire," Raven said, taking Blackfire's arm. "Please, don't make this worse," she asked.
Blackfire stood there for a moment, her eyes darting between Raven and the door.
"If that's what you want, Raven, no problem," she said, cooling off. "I guess I didn't want to seem, well…"
"Don't worry," Raven said, hugging Blackfire and kissing her lightly on the cheek. "You weren't mushy at all."
"Did I say mushy?"
"You didn't have to," Raven replied, her eyes closed.
"Ouch."
"Still have doubts, Cyborg?" Robin asked, his arms folded.
"Do you?" Cyborg retorted.
"A few, but…" he sighed, before turning back to Blackfire and Raven. "So, you two are really serious about this?"
"Pretty much," Blackfire replied. "Why?"
"Nothing," Robin replied. "Just wishing you two the best."
"Don't worry, I'll be good," Blackfire said.
"Really?" Cyborg asked.
"She will," Raven assured her friends. "She is."
"Wait!" Starfire called out. "Cyborg, Robin, do you really find the relationship between Raven and my sister acceptable?"
"Of course," Robin said, giving Cyborg a sideways look, while Raven felt Blackfire tense up a little. "Come on, Starfire, you seemed pretty okay with it when Dawn was here."
"I am," Starfire said, "I just do not want to see my sister or my best friend hurt if… if-"
"Don't worry, Starfire," Raven said. "I don't think that's going to happen."
Starfire still looked worried, but there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes as asked, "Are you sure, Raven?"
"Yes, Starfire, I'm sure."
"…Very well, Raven," Starfire said. "I will believe you, and I too will wish you the best of fortune."
"And don't worry about Beast Boy," Cyborg added. "Next week, he'll see some pretty girl on the street, and it'll all be over," he said confidently.
Raven looked up at him and smiled, but inside, she didn't think it would be that easy.
(scene change)
Beast Boy lay in his bed, staring at his ceiling. He thought he had his feelings well under control for the past week, but when he saw those two like that…
They got it bad for each other, don't they? a voice in his mind asked
"Shut up," Beast Boy whispered.
They got it real baaad…
"Shut up," Beast Boy said to himself, a little louder this time.
Maybe they're bad to each other too-
"Shut up!" Beast Boy said trying to drown out the mocking voice he kept on hearing, hot tears streaming down his cheeks now. He thought that he had his emotions under control, but he could see now that if anything, he was very good at lying to himself.
And then, as he lay there crying, his mind full of regrets for something he knew at his basest level he had no control over, an idea formed in his mind. An idea that spoke to him in his own voice, and his own voice echoed.
"It isn't Raven's fault, It's not her fault at all" he said, as if speaking to a child, not even aware that he was speaking. "Raven's my friend. She had nothing to do with it. It's all Blackfire's fault," he said, his face darkening in anger.
"it's all Blackfire's fault…"