AN: I do not own the Teen Titans, for if I did I would never let it go off the air!

Chapter 2: Slip of the Tongue

Raven looked around Beast Boy's room in disgust. There were piles of clothes everywhere and there was a bit of a foul smell. She cleaned a spot off of his bottom bunk and sat down. Beast Boy had invited her in and had decided to tell her about the dream. She was mature and very smart, so he knew that she would help him figure out why he had had that dream about her.

"I had this dream last night that you were in," said Beast Boy. "And maybe you can help me figure out why."

"So I was in one of your dreams," said Raven. "What was going on in it?"

"Well…" said Beast Boy nervously scratching his head. His heart was racing and he felt so embarrassed. "We were kinda making out." He looked at her to see what kind of expression she would give him. He expected to see her jaw drop or her eyes widen with shock, but she stayed calm and placid. He was never so happy to see her not show any emotions.

"Is that all?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Beast Boy. "Well, actually, we were about to do more but I woke up."

"Who kissed who first?" asked Raven like a psychiatrist.

"Well you came at me and kissed me first, but I didn't seem too unhappy about it." He was so relieved by the way she was handling this.

"Were we just kissing, was there any conversation going on?" she asked.

"We only spoke once," said Beast Boy. "You asked, 'Do you want me?' and I said, 'Yes'."

Raven nodded and thought for a moment. Truthfully, she had been shocked by this dream that Beast Boy had had, but she refused to let him see that. She decided to just assess the situation as if she hadn't been the girl in his dream. That was the only way she would be able to think clearly.

"Do you have any idea why I would have this dream?" asked Beast Boy.

"I think I do," said Raven. "Do you remember what we watched last night before we went to bed?"

"It was that sappy love story Starfire forced us to watch," said Beast Boy sticking his tongue out in disgust.

"Do you remember what the last scene of that movie was?"

"No, I was trying to fall asleep at that point."

"Well in the last part of the movie the girl asks the guy, 'Do you want me?' and the guy says, 'Yes'. Then they start to kiss passionately."

"Well that would explain why that was in my dream, but why were you there?"

"Probably because I was the last person you saw before you went to bed last night and because I'm the only available girl near you. If Starfire was still single I'm sure there would have been an equal chance of her being the one in your dream."

Beast Boy took in all of this information and sighed in relief. "Thank God," he said with a smile. "I thought I was attracted to you for a while there." Now that surprised look Beast Boy had been expecting earlier was on Ravens face, it was hurt as well. "Uh, that's not what I meant," he said quickly. "I meant that I… um… well…"

"Don't worry about Beast Boy, I know what you meant," said Raven coldly standing up.

"Well, thanks for helping me figure out my dream and not getting all weird about it," said Beast Boy standing up and walking her to his door.

"Don't mention it," she said putting her hood up. "Someone around here has to be mature." And with that she left, never looking back.

Beast Boy closed his door and felt a little relieved. But at the same time he felt horrible. He knew he must have hurt Ravens feelings when he made his little comment. He knew that she had self image problems, they all knew. And those words he had said about not being attracted to her must have been like a knife through her already broken heart. Here she had maturely helped him through a very confusing and embarrassing dream and what did he do? He makes her feel even worse about herself.

Raven went into her room and locked the door. She really didn't want to be bothered now. She went to her bed and sat cross-legged upon it. She kept her lights off and closed the shades of her window. She needed to think, to relax her mind.

'He didn't mean it,' she thought to herself. 'Besides, since when do I care what Beast Boy thinks? Still, it was a very rude thing to say. Even if it is true. You just don't say something like that out loud. I know they all think it, but actually saying it; that hurts. But I have come to terms with the fact that I'm not… attractive. I have already figured that out and made peace with it. But having someone say that they're not attracted to you, it's like opening up old wounds and pouring salt in it. It doesn't matter that it came out of Beast Boy. It doesn't matter who says it, it hurts just as bad. Oh well, at least he was honest. Unlike others I have come across in my life that have simply lied to me.'

The Malchior incident had happened years ago, but the pain never really went away. How can you forget the pain you feel when your first love lied to you and used you? That's not something that just goes away in a few years. It would take decades. She hated him so much. His memory festered in her mind and fed itself into her hate. After Malchior she had promised herself that she would never love again. She would never allow herself to be tricked. She would never be so foolish as to think that someone could actually love her.

She went into a trance and began to chant. Meditation always helped calm her nerves. At that moment a million negative things were running through her head and she needed to stop them before something blew up in her room.

Beast Boy left his room and headed down to dinner. He made sure to go down early because Cyborg was cooking and he knew that he would have to fight to get his tofu meal. After a short battle with Cyborg he got what he wanted and they all sat down to dinner. All but one.

"Would you like more of the soda, Robin?" asked Starfire cutely.

"I would love some," said Robin cutely back. Beast Boy thought he was going to throw up. He sipped his soy milk and looked at the empty chair near him.

"Has anyone seen Raven?" asked Cyborg, who had also noticed that she was missing.

"I have not seen her all day," said Starfire going to the fridge.

"I saw her a couple of hours ago," said Beast Boy. "I think she went into her room."

"Did she seem upset or anything?" asked Robin.

Beast Boy almost choked on his drink. "Why?"

"Well I just want to make sure she's not going to have another 'stay in her room for three weeks' episodes," said Robin.

Beast Boy had forgotten about that. Once or twice a year Raven would lock herself in her room for weeks at a time and never come out. Never! They weren't sure how she could survive, or how she would never have to go to the bathroom. And when she finally did come out she usually looked very sickly. They weren't sure why she would do such a thing to herself and they did their best to keep her from getting upset.

"Uh, well, she was a little upset," said Beast Boy suddenly feeling sick.

"Uh oh," said Cyborg.

"Please, do you know why she was upset?" asked Starfire.

Beast Boy felt all of their eyes on him and they burned. He really didn't want to tell them about what he said, because then he would have to tell them about his dream, and he knew that Cyborg would never let him live it down. "No," he peeped.

"I better go find out what's going on," said Robin.

"No!" said Beast Boy suddenly. "I mean, uh, I'll go."

"Are you sure?" asked Cyborg. "Cuz it sounds like you were the last one to see her, so she may be upset with you."

'Oh, I'm positive on that,' he thought to himself. "Yeah, I'll go." He stood up and made his way to Ravens room.

He knocked on her door and waited for her to respond. She didn't. He knocked again and said, "Raven? It's Beast Boy. Um, it's dinner time. Everyone's wondering where you are. Raven?" He knocked again. "I hope you're not upset with me. I'm really really sorry about what I said. Honestly, I really didn't mean it. Please answer me." He waited and when she didn't respond he grew nervous and scared. "Please don't lock yourself in your room for a couple weeks again. Please! You know we hate it when you do that. I know you can hear me so please just let me know you're okay."

Her door slid open and she appeared on the other side. He felt quickly relieved, but her expression scared him. She looked very angry and very annoyed. "I'm fine, I'm not hungry, and I'll stay in my room as long as I fucking want to." And with that the door closed. Beast Boy had a funny suspicion that she was going to stay in her room for a few weeks. And worst of all, he was the reason she was going to do it. He had really hurt her. He had to come clean to the others.

"Is she okay?" asked Starfire.

"No," said Beast Boy sitting back down. "And I don't think we're going to see her for a while."

"Shit," said Cyborg and Robin together.

"Why must she do this?" asked Starfire. "What has made her so upset?"

"Me," said Beast Boy.

"You?" asked Cyborg. Then they all grew very serious.

"Beast Boy, what did you do?" asked Robin in a stern voice.

"Okay, let me start from the beginning. Last night I had a really strange dream where Raven and I were kissing. So today I was acting all weird around her and she asked me why. So I told her about the dream and asked her if she could help me figure out why I had it. She said that it was a combination of the movie we saw last night and that she was the last person I saw before I went to bed. So it was completely innocent. And I accidentally said that I was happy that I wasn't attracted to her."

"You did what!" asked Cyborg furiously. "Man, you know she has issues when it comes to the way she looks!"

"I know!" said Beast Boy defensively. "The moment I said it I wanted to take it back, but it was too late. I said I was sorry and that I really didn't mean it, but I think I really hurt her. Trust me, I feel terrible about this."

"And you should," said Starfire crossly. "Friend Raven shall never come out of her room now."

"This is not good," said Robin massaging his temples. "Last time she spent three weeks in her room because that lady at the mall told her to wear makeup. She'll probably be in there for at least a month this time."

"Nice goin, BB," said Cyborg.

"Oh God, I feel so awful about this," said Beast Boy placing his face into his hands. He knew he would never be forgiven for this. He sighed and then said, "Maybe if I sit outside her room every day and just keep apologizing to her she may cut it down to a week or two."

"You might as well, though I can't see what good it could possibly do," said Robin.