AN: Despite my hardest efforts, I still do not own Teen Titans or anything associated with them.

Chapter 10

By the end of the week word had gotten out as to the secret identity of R. Nevermore. Soon Raven was being asked for interviews, to go on television shows, to do book signings, and many other things she really didn't want to do. She had ripped Beast Boy a new one that fateful day when he had let his tongue slip and sent him home with his tail between his legs. And Starfire was the one to leak out the secret to the world when she told one of her clients at the mall, just as Raven had predicted.

Raven made an appointment with the fertility clinic for another in vetro session in two weeks, but she still hadn't told Beast Boy if he was to help her again. Since she was furious with him, he highly doubted it. But that just made him even more curious as to whom she was choosing instead of him.

Beast Boy pulled up to Ravens condo after the crowd left so he could go apologize. It was evening and the crowd seemed to be a day group, so at least Raven got the nights off. He knocked on her door and was not exactly greeted with a happy welcome.

"Go away already!" screamed Raven. "This is my private property and I'll call the police if you don't get out of here!"

"Okay, okay!" said Beast Boy, feeling very scared. "I just came to say I'm sorry."

The door suddenly opened up and Raven grabbed him and pulled him in. She quickly closed her door and locked it. She leaned against her door and sighed, looking very tired.

"I thought you were more press," said Raven.

"So, you're not mad I'm here?" he asked hopefully.

"No, I'm still mad," she frowned and pushed past him. She went into her kitchen and went back to making herself some soothing tea. "I can't believe you told everyone my penname after I told you not to."

"I know, and I'm sorry," said Beast Boy. "It just slipped out and, in my defense, Kori was the one who told the world."

"Fine, you get half of the blame, then," said Raven. "But I'm still mad at you." She moved from the kitchen, with her tea, and into the living room. She sat down on her couch and began to sip her tea. Beast Boy quickly followed her and sat down next to her.

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" asked Beast Boy.

"Nothing at the moment," said Raven plainly.

It grew quiet between them, which was just the thing Beast Boy hated the most. Raven just sat there and sipped her tea. Beast Boy began to feel a little awkward and his leg began to shake furiously.

"So…uh… any baby news I should be aware of?" he asked, not knowing anything since he had last talked to her at the get together.

"I'm going in again in two weeks," said Raven.

"Really?" he asked, surprised. "So… do you know if you're gonna let me help you or not?"

"Actually, I've chosen someone else," said Raven as plain as day.

Beast Boy felt as if she had stabbed him through the heart. "Oh," he said, feeling the breath being taken right out of him. "Who… who is it?"

"Garth," she said. "I asked him and he said he would be glad to help me."

Beast Boy felt his face heat up with jealousy the very instant he heard Aqualad's name mentioned. "Really," he said, his teeth clenched. "Well, I'm very happy for you. I'm sure your child with be beautiful and perfect just like him."

"Oh don't take it personally," said Raven sipping her tea again.

"How can I not?" he asked hotly. "The guy's perfect in every possible way. He's hot, he's smart, he's loved by everyone."

"Sounds like you have a crush on him," said Raven with a small smirk.

"That's not funny," he said, crossing his arms.

"Garfield, I only chose him for his genes, nothing more," she said.

"Yeah right," he said in a huff. "I know you like him, though I can't think of any girl who couldn't. God, he just gets everything, doesn't he?"

"I'm only meeting with him once before I get impregnated," said Raven.

"How do you even know that you and he can combine genetics safely?" asked Beast Boy.

"He went in yesterday and we got the results today," said Raven. "And there aren't any complications."

It was quiet again between them. Beast Boy was feeling very angry at this point, and Raven could feel it. But she wasn't about to let him think she was intimidated by this.

"You just chose him to get back at me," he said in a grumble.

"Oh yeah, that was why," said Raven sarcastically. "I threw out the whole idea of choosing the perfect gene specimen for my child and decided to choose the one guy you can't stand just to get back at you."

"Yes," he said confidently.

Raven sighed and stood up with her empty teacup. She went into the kitchen and began to wash it. Beast Boy stayed completely still on the couch; his arms crossed and his face in a pout.

"Garfield, if I thought we could have a normal friendship with a child involved I would have let us try again," said Raven from the kitchen. "And, trust me, I really wanted it to work out. But that fact is that we could never do that, so I had to go to my second choice."

"Garth," growled Beast Boy.

"No," said Raven. "My second choice was actually Roy, but he didn't feel comfortable with it. Garth was my fifth choice."

"He was?" asked Beast Boy, very surprised.

"Yes," said Raven coming out of the kitchen. "Feel better, now?"

Beast Boy thought for a second and then said, "I guess."

Raven sat back down next to him and leaned back into the couch. "What would you rather have?" she asked. "A long lasting friendship with me or a child that will do nothing but make both of us feel awkward?"

"Well, no matter what, I'm always gonna feel awkward around you," he said sadly. "And I don't think I can just be friends with you anymore."

"Because I won't have a child with you?" asked Raven.

"No, because I love you," said Beast Boy. He was sure of this and he had to say it. It was the truth, and Raven only wanted the truth. "I love you and every minute that I spend with you is as wonderful as it is heartbreaking to me and I just can't go on like this anymore."

Raven was quite taken aback by this admission. She had known that he had had a crush on her, but she had never considered that he loved her. She looked at him with a blank, shocked look upon her face. Beast Boy knew she would probably react like that, so he wasn't phased at all.

"Look, I better go Rae," he said, standing up. "You probably shouldn't expect me to stop by any time soon. I know that you're gonna be busy. But I'll call you once in a while, okay?" Raven still had that blank look on her face. "Yeah, okay," he said in a defeated voice and headed towards the door.

"Gar, wait," she said quickly and went over to him. She grabbed his arm and stopped him. He sighed and waited for what she had to say. The truth was that Raven wasn't really sure what to say. "I… you can't just say that to me and walk out of here," she said at last.

"Why not?" he asked. "That's all I have to say and I know you don't have anything like that to say to me, so I'm leaving."

"Gar, love isn't something you can just say," said Raven.

"I just did," said Beast Boy.

"Well then you didn't mean it," said Raven. "No one says 'I love you' and then takes off. You're just feeling a little confused right now. Actually, you probably just want me to feel bad about this and I'm not going to do that. I won't give into this mind game of yours."

"This isn't a goddamn mind game!" said Beast Boy. "I'm in love with you, Rae. And I'm leaving because I want you to be happy. Doesn't that show you that I'm not confused about the way I feel? Doesn't that show you that I love you so much I would rather leave and have you be happy than stay and try to convince you to be happy with me?"

Raven was a flurry of different emotions and thoughts, now. She hated to see him in pain over her. They had only been in touch for a couple months and now suddenly he had gone from having a crush on her to being full blown in love with her? And it was true? He wasn't just trying to get her to feel bad about not choosing him to be her child's father.

"Gar… why?" she asked. "Why do you love me?"

"It's simple," he said softly. "It's because you're the three deadly Bs; beautiful, brilliant, and better off not having me around." He began to move towards the door again, but Raven wouldn't let him pass.

"I'm not better off not having you around," she said.

"Of course you are," said Beast Boy. "When I'm near you nothing but complications and frustration happens."

"That's not true," said Raven.

"Yes it is," said Beast Boy.

"No, it's not," said Raven.

"Yes it is," said Beast Boy.

"Gar, stop it!" said Raven. "How can you say all of this? I'd be better off not having you around? That's bullshit! You're the best friend I've ever had and that's the truth. You've been there for me when I needed help, but was too stubborn to ask for it. You've been nothing but a perfect, wonderful, and all around great guy."

"Then why don't you feel anything for me like I feel for you?" asked Beast Boy softly.

Raven could feel that these words of his were pouring from his heart, from his very soul. He really did love her and he was in pain when she didn't express anything similar to him. She felt all of his emotions and for the first time in her life she was unable to distance herself from them. She let them soak into her completely. She felt his love and his care and his anger and his frustration and his sadness.

"Gar…" she whispered and then placed her hands on his shoulders and brought her lips to his.

Beast Boy closed his eyes and felt her soft hands upon his shoulders slowly travel to his neck and she held his face as the kiss released. She slowly let go of his face and brought her hands back to herself.

"Why did you do that?" asked Beast Boy, who was trembling with excitement and confusion.

"I don't know," said Raven, who was feeling the same as he.

A few silent seconds passed between them before Beast Boy took Ravens face into his own hands and kissed her. He had longed to do this for so long and every moment of it felt like bliss to him. Raven allowed him to kiss her for as long as he wanted to. She became one with his thoughts and emotions and was lost within them.