Chapter 8

Beast Boy rounded the corner away from the scene where he left a dead Control Freak. He walked for a few blocks in silence. Just ahead of him was a flower shop with its gate pulled down and locked for the night.

He intended to continue back to the tower when he stopped. From the corner of his right eye he spotted a pot of fresh lilies. Beast Boy decided it would not be proper to visit Raven without bringing her a gift. Morphing his right arm to a long squid tentacle he reached out and caught two lilies. He retracted his arm, restored it to its green human shape,then returned to the tower.

Beast Boy located the tunnel that would take himto the island. He really felt no urge to morph in order to get back to the tower. His thoughts were focused on memories of when he was alive, with the titans, and with Raven.

Sadness filled him as he remembered how he was so close to telling her that night. Did she know he was about to say it? Even if she did, without him actually saying the words he knew it would make him feel better if he did say it. Saying it now would not help because he could only imagine how her eyes might light up, how she might smile, or that she would say it in return. He wanted to see her eyes light up and see her smile. He wanted to hear her say it in return. He believed all that would happen if she were standing before him.

Thinking of Raven, in a hushed tone he stated, "I will see you again and I will say it." With that he proceeded through the tunnel back to the island.

Dawn was less than ninety minutes away. Beast Boy was walking along the shore approaching the site of his and Raven's graves. Was anyone still in the tower? Would anyone see him security cameras or not? None of that mattered at the moment.

The raven had long been there waiting for him. It perched itself upon his marker. Beast Boy now stood before her grave. He took a couple of steps forward and knelt on the ground, fixing the coat so that it was not beneath his knees or draped over his heels.

For a moment he was silent staring ahead at the gravestone. The lilies were still in his now folded hands. He then set the lilies down on the soil. "I brought you something. I know your not much for flowers, but I didn't want to come back to you empty handed.

"It's strange that it's been a year. Seems like a blink to me. Was I in Heaven during this time? I just don't know, seeing as I don't remember anything like a tunnel of light. Was my soul sleeping so soundly in my body that time just zipped by? My little companion over here," he added tilting his head toward the raven, "said time has no meaning in death. But whether I accept that or not, time did pass."

His thoughts focused on their attackers. "Two of them are done. The other four are next and then I'll have you back. Will you come meet me when I'm done?"

He reached out and placed his left hand against her gravestone like he wanted to caress her cheek. Beast Boy did not realize the bird had leapt from his marker to Raven's. The instant they simultaneously made contact with the gravestone there was an intense flash of white light in the changeling's eyes.

Beast Boy opened his eyes. As odd as that was he wondered why it happened. The only thing that seemed out of the ordinary was finding himself lying on the ground. He was still on the shore of Titans' Island and the graves were next to him. Beast Boy stood up and looked around. For several seconds his back was to the graves. He was startled when a voice spoke to him.

"Hello, Beast Boy."

At the sound of that voice his mouth dropped and his eyes about flew out of their sockets. Slowly he began to turn around as his expression began turning to pure joy. There she was… standing on her own grave, still wearing her dark cloak and leotard.

"Raven!" he cried with an enormous smile. He reached out and hugged her tightly and she hugged him back. "You're here!"

"It feels good to hold you again," she said with content.

For a few minutes they remained embracing without a word. Then she let up on her hold and took a step back. Her face showed that same old stoic look, but Beast Boy could tell something was serious.

Raven spoke on. "I came here for a reason, but not to take you with me. You haven't finished yet."

"I will be. Why did you come then?"

"I have something to give you. It's a power that you can use only once."

"What kind of power?"

"Cold… darkness… terror… and pain. This power should be passed on to punish the one who was most responsible for our suffering."

"Which of them was it?"

"I don't know. You have to decide. But remember, it can be used only one time, so use it carefully." Her face turned even more serious. "Are you ready to receive it?"

Beast Boy's pause was brief until he replied, "I am."

"It won't be pleasant."

Beast Boy showed determination. "I'll live." He suddenly realized what he just said, aware of his actual condition. His inadvertent, ironic response received two different expressions of amusement. Raven smiled and Beast Boy laughed.

"I miss hearing things like that," Raven commented smiling.

"I miss telling you those things." Beast Boy suddenly remembered something. "Raven, I have something I'd like to tell you."

"I know you do. But you don't have to say it right now. It can wait until this is over. Now, here goes." Raven reached out with both hands and placed them at the sides of his face.

The power was agonizing and it showed. Beast Boy's face clenched and his body began to jerk uncontrollably but Raven did not let up on her hold of him as she passed this power on to him. "I know it hurts Beast Boy, and it's more than I said it was," she explained sympathetically. She was sorry to be putting him through this. "This is everything I had to live with and kept suppressed for seventeen years, including what I endured when they killed us."

As this power left her, both Raven's cloak and leotard lost their dark colors becoming white. When the transfer was finally completed, Beast Boy was on his hands and knees, breathing quite heavily from the experience. He managed to raise his head to look at her and saw the change.

"Your uniform… how did that happen?"

"I'll tell you later. Right now, it's time for you to go back." Raven leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Then she began fading away as did her voice with her final words, "I believe in you."

Beast Boy's body finally succumbed to what he had just been through and fell over unconscious.

--

The titans watched as Beast Boy fell over from the monitor. Robin ordered, "Titans, go!" They were out of the tower and down at the gravesite within minutes. The raven that had been perched on the deceased sorceress' marker had flow out of site when it became aware that those still living were approaching. They made enough of a commotion as they made their way down to the shore.

They all stood around his unconscious form. Beast Boy was laying on his right side, his face buried under his left arm. Robin knelt down and pulled the arm back exposing Beast Boy's strange new face.

Cyborg raised his arm and scanned for vitals. "No pulse Robin."

"Your readings show he has no pulse," Robin stated. "But my ears are telling me something different. Listen."

The titans all leaned in. They heard it… Beast Boy was breathing.

"Let's get him inside and check him out," Robin instructed. "And while he remains unconscious I'd like everyone to see that footage I brought with me."

Beast Boy was placed in Medical. Robin was uncertain about this Beast Boy so he ordered bindings secured to his limbs. The titans complied, strapping Beast Boy down. "Let's wipe this stuff off his face, too."

Starfire wet a cloth and began rubbing it across the changeling's face, but nothing happened. "Robin, I do not believe these colors are going to come off."

"But it's just face paint. It should come off."

"I do not understand, myself, why it will not."

"Fine then, just let it be." Robin turned to Omen. "Can you get inside his mind and tell us anything?"

Omen place her hands over Beast Boy's forehead and closed her eyes. Try as she might, she could not get through. "I'm sorry Robin. Something is blocking his thoughts. Something doesn't want me to see into his mind."

Robin thought for a moment, and noted the changeling's damaged uniform. "Get him changed while I call the lieutenant. I have to give my report."

"What will you tell him of Beast Boy?" wondered Starfire.

"If that even is Beast Boy," he added as he stepped through the open door. "Until we know more, we know nothing more to tell the police. Kid Flash, can you and Magenta take first watch and monitor Beast Boy since the two of you had the most sleep?"

"Sure we can," Kid Flash replied.

Robin thanked him then turned to the team. "Let's get some rest. It's been a long night. This evening we'll talk about last night's events." Robin turned back to Kid Flash and Magenta. "If he wakes, call me."

--

"That was most peculiar," Slade coolly stated about the incident he and Brother Blood had just monitored at the island. They, too, had seen Beast Boy topple over. "Even stranger was that the raven was with him even there."

Brother Blood took a different approach to the subject. He turned from the monitors to face Slade. "The loss of our allies started over the course of the night, sometime after the jail break. We should review the titans' security footage about the time they would have received the alarm."

"I agree."

After entering a series of commands into the monitoring console he had the footage at Titans' Tower running from approximately 10:00 p.m. Starfire was there and was called away. There was a brief occurrence in the atmosphere. A couple of minutes later a dark bird landed on a gravestone.

"Again with the raven," Slade noted.

Tired of the few minutes of incident free footage, Slade advanced the recording ahead. He stopped it as suddenly a little critter popped up from the soil of the gravesite. Both Slade and the cybernetic Blood watched as the rodent took human form and became Beast Boy.

"It would seem the changeling is truly back from the dead," noted Blood.

"Agreed," added Slade. He considered something for a moment in silence. "Let's see if there is anything more. I have an idea about something, and if I'm right, we'll see that bird once more at the chemical plant."

Slade pulled up the chemical plant recordings. He was hopeful of inside footage, but he only had enough of the footage showing Killer Moth entering. A few minutes later all recordings stopped. But Brother Blood and Slade still had the exterior recordings. They saw the same footage Robin had earlier seen: of a hawk landing within the confines of the plant that morphed into Beast Boy who approached the facility. But another recording, from a different angle gave Slade the evidence he needed. That alternate angle revealed the dark bird once again.

"Hmm," Slade sounded out in thoughtfulness.

"You have an idea?" inquired Blood.

"Wherever Beast Boy is that bird is with him and it's been with him since his restoration to the living. I have heard of the legends about the dead returning with a crow, but I have never known there to be a raven as the soul carrier."

At the mention of this legend, Blood added his thoughts. "I have also heard of it. You're right, too, that the guide was a crow-." He broke off with a brief thought. "Do you suppose Raven is connected to it?"

"She may be," agreed Slade. "Her death is part of the reason he would be back. And her powers could easily make her more involved than just that of a victim." Slade paused a moment. "Locate Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth and call them back to the H.I.V.E. I will locate Johnny Rancid. We should warn them and make them ready since they are, of course, in danger."

--

The sun had set. Beast Boy was still unconscious. Omen relieved Cyborg to take the liberty of watching over Beast Boy in case he woke up.

Robin walked in again to check on Beast Boy as he had done periodically during the day since he had been up. "Still nothing?" he asked Omen.

"Nothing," she replied. Having thought over the course of the day about what she knew, Omen decided she should tell Robin. "Can I talk to you?" she asked as he started for the door.

"Sure." Robin took a seat.

Omen took a breath. "Recently I began having visions. I kept seeing someone in the shadows roaming the rooftops of Jump City, like he was looking for something. There were indications of 'death to life' and 'revenge.' I think it all has to do with Beast Boy."

"'Death to life'?" Robin wondered. "Do you believe this really is Beast Boy?"

"Yes. He's alive again for something and I firmly believe if we keep him here like this, we're just getting in his way."

"You mentioned revenge. Do you think he killed Killer Moth and Control Freak?"

"Uh huh. He'll also want to go after the other four on his list."

"We can't allow that… not as titans."

"Robin, he's back because he seeks justice. Do you suggest we go after them and put them in jail? That won't put his soul at ease, and his mission will be incomplete. I think we should let him go."

"Omen I refuse to allow that idea."

Omen regretted what she was about to do. "Then I'm sorry Robin, for doing this." With her powers, Omen pierced his mind.

Omen and Robin entered the conference room a short time later the other titans were already there. "We're letting him go," Robin stated to them.

The team was puzzled. They were unaware that Omen altered Robin's mind to permit Beast Boy's release. "I have reason to believe based on the footage we've seen that Beast Boy is Beast Boy. Whatever his reason for coming back, we shouldn't stand in his way."

The rest of the titans knew nothing about Beast Boy's motives. Before any of them could comment, the alarm went off. It was double trouble. Both Johnny Rancid and the H.I.V.E. were out to cause problems.

"I'll handle Johnny," stated Robin. "The rest of you get the H.I.V.E."

Omen insisted she remain behind to continue her watch until Beast Boy woke up. Robin permitted it. Now that she was alone in medical with Beast Boy, she removed his restraints.

From the rooftop of the tower, the raven waited for Beast Boy to recover. It would be very soon. There was something different about the bird this time. Just above its beak appeared a very tiny red jewel.

--

A/N: I had long before this chapter intended to include Raven in this story as more than just a victim, doing for Beast Boy what she did. I hope I've done right by the Raven fans. Read, review, and thank you.