Here it is, another chapter. Apologies to everyone who's been waiting for updates. Lately I've been focusing on my other story and haven't really been giving this one as much attention. Sorry, guys. If I could do it over, I would have finished this story months ago. Anyway, I hope this chapter is at least a little worth the wait. And just a note, this segment of the story's going to focus solely on Rae and BB. :)

And just so you know, I've been toying with another TT story lately. Though I'm not sure if I'm going to post it or not.

Disclaimer: I own nothing


Chapter 12: Darkest Hour

Two hours had passed since the third tripod arrived, and still nothing seemed to be happening. The one that had just arrived was carrying a horde of frightened-looking people in two baskets on its backside. From the dark basement, Raven and Beast Boy were watching the spectacle from behind a small window.

"Are they doing anything out there?" the shape-shifter asked as he peered through the glass.

Raven squinted. "I can't tell." The red weed had started to grow over the window and was making it difficult to make out what was happening.

"There's gotta be something we can do!" he said through gritted teeth. "Maybe we can free them!"

"Beast Boy, there are three tripods out there, and two of us. We don't stand a chance. You know that," Raven replied.

One of the tripods that had been there before was walking around again outside, exhausting its red fertilizer out the back.

"What are they doing with those people?" Beast Boy asked. "Why didn't they kill them?"

Raven sighed. It's not as if she knew any more than he did. She had an idea, but didn't want to say it. "I'm not sure."

Beast Boy's mind flashed back to the time he carried Raven into the house. He remembered seeing the huge machines picking up fleeing civilians with their tentacles as they ran. The memory sent a chill up his spine.

Raven put a hand up to her head. The cut on her head was a little sensitive. She hoped it wasn't infected, but she was at least thankful it didn't require stitches. She looked over at Beast Boy and couldn't help feeling sorry for him. He was so innocent. He looked up to her, yet she had never thought of herself as that good a person. He felt brave with her around, yet she probably wasn't any more capable of defending herself from the invaders than he was.

When the scene remained unchanged for a while, Beast Boy slinked away from the window and collapsed on the couch. He was tired. Lately, it seemed like he was always tired.

Raven remained by the window. It was now past noon. They had only a few more hours before it became dark again. She peaked through the window again. It was cloudy outside, as it had been yesterday. The way the clouds looked, Raven wouldn't have been surprised if it rained soon. Surely enough, about half an hour later, the soft pitter-patter of raindrops sounded from above.

Beast Boy was still lying down, not saying a word. Raven had moved from the window to a dark corner of the room, buried deep in her own thoughts. Her emotions were starting to resurface, so she decided to meditate to calm herself down. Really though, she couldn't help thinking it was just to avoid Beast Boy. Her mind kept drifting back to the hug she and Beast Boy inadvertently shared a short while ago. It had been enough to make her shy away from him. And yet, she kept feeling the desire to do it again, to feel it again. The feeling was so persistent.

Nevertheless, she pushed the thought out of her head and tried to focus on something else. She thought again of Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire. Wherever they were, she only hoped they were away from danger. She hoped. The mage's mind also wondered to Titans East. Perhaps they had found a way to fight them. Deep down however, Raven felt they were having no more success than they were. Raven wanted to think there was some way they could defeat them. They had always found a way in the past. Now, there seemed to be no way out. A dead end. Raven couldn't help thinking there was no way, that they were doomed.

But she wouldn't let go of her hope. If there was one thing Robin had taught her, it was to never let go of hope. If she was already defeated in her mind, then she was good as defeated already. Robin always had that heroic determination. Foolhardy yes, but somewhat admirable.

When another deafening blast sounded from the machines outside, Raven almost jumped. Beast Boy, whose hearing was better than hers, did leap out of his seat in surprise. He looked out the window to see if anything was happening. Nothing seemed to have changed. Sometimes he wondered if they liked making that noise just for fun. He started to back away, trying to avoid the puddles of water on the floor. Rain had started to leak into the basement through the hole in the ceiling, and was starting to make its way across the floor. As if things weren't bad enough. He sat back down, his head swimming.

"Man, that never gets old, does it?" he said to Raven with a forced smile. She said nothing in response, but was just staring at the window across from her as if she was expecting a Martian to burst through at any moment. He turned his head away and just stared blankly ahead. As if the Martians weren't bad enough, the sheer boredom was now starting to get to him.

Raven's attention shifted to the shape-shifter once again when she heard him humming. She instantly recognized it – it was that same melody he was humming when she first woke up in the house after being unconscious. Raven looked over at Beast Boy, who still sat alone. A wave of regret came over her. She could feel his fear and how alone he felt. She had been avoiding him all because she was afraid that she might have feelings for him. She shouldn't be avoiding him. Even if Raven didn't have feelings for him, she should try to support him as a friend. He had looked to her for support, and frankly, she wasn't doing a good job of it.

Well, it wasn't too late to rectify that mistake. She hoisted herself off the ground walked over to the dusty couch, and sat down beside him. Beast Boy was shaken out of a daydream and looked over at her, half-startled.

"Hey," she said with a forced smile. "You okay?"

He shrugged. "I guess. As okay as one can be when there are hordes of aliens outside who probably want to kill me."

"Yeah, I guess that's not to pleasant a thought."

He gulped. "Tell me about it. It's just that feeling that if I go to sleep, something bad is going to happen."

She raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're afraid again. I'm still with you, remember?"

"Okay, I'm a little scared of them, I admit. A little." He winked at her. "But not as much as I'm scared of you, Rae."

She smiled again, this time for real. "Thanks, BB. I appreciate the compliment."

"Aww, you called me BB. I'm touched."

"Quit it."

Beast Boy put on a faux-macho pose. "I know. It's obvious that you dig me. I'm so stupid! I should have seen it all along."

"I said quit it," she said a little more sharply. Before she got angry she stopped herself. She knew deep down he just liked to tease her. She was relived nevertheless that he still had his sense of humor intact. It was probably the one thing helping him to deal with what was going on. She bit her lip when she pondered what to say next. For some reason, she actually wanted to keep talking. Then an idea hit her. "Hey Beast Boy?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"What was that thing you were humming earlier?" she queried. "It's the second time I've heard you hum it. What is it?"

Beast Boy lowered his head nervously and blushed. "It's nothing."

"Really? But it was nice. I kinda liked it."

Beast Boy opened his mouth, but quickly snapped it shut. "Nah, it's stupid."

Raven playfully punched him on the shoulder. "Come on, what was it? You can tell me. I won't laugh. Promise."

Beast Boy's face turned an even deeper shade of red, and he nervously scratched his head. "It's um, a song I remember from when I was really young. It's um," he repeatedly stumbled over his words. "It's a lullaby. My parents, I mean, I remember them singing it to me when I got scared. That's what I was humming."

Raven leaned back on the cushion. "Do you think you could sing it for me?"

Now the changeling's face was practically indistinguishable from a tomato. "Rae, do I really…?"

Raven tried to put on a puppy-dog look. "Please?" That was probably the first time she could remember ever saying that word to him. "I'd really like to hear it."

Beast Boy shuffled nervously. "Um, okay." He straightened out and paused as if he still wasn't sure if he was going to do it. But finally, he began.

"Hush my child, don't you cry,

Though the sun has left the sky.

The shadow comes, and purges light

And the darkness closes tight."

The melody was slow and sad, yet strangely comforting. Raven was entranced while Beast Boy went on.

"But don't be afraid, don't you fear,

Though I'm not there to hold you near.

The sun will come, and bring the day,

The light comes now to show the way.

Beast Boy's voice slowed as he choked out the words.

So be brave my child, you must be strong,

Hold your head high and keep walking on.

I'll be with you, wherever you roam,

The daylight will come, and bring you home."

Raven's eyes moved from her hands to Beast Boy's face. Tears had started streaming down his face. She edged closer to him and put her arm around his shoulder. "That was beautiful," she said to him. She could feel her own tears starting to form, but she blinked them away.

Beast Boy leaned his head on her shoulder. "Sorry, I kind of get that way when I think about my parents."

"Don't be," she said as she leaned her head on his. He had lost his parents long ago. She knew deep down she didn't understand what he was feeling. She hated her father and her mother was gone. But nevertheless, she felt so sorry for him. Raven often wished she had normal, loving parents like he did. She looked back on the years they'd been together and wished that they'd gotten along better. That was her last thought before sleep subdued her.


The loud grinding of machinery was what finally awoke both Titans. Raven straightened herself out and rubbed her eyes. It was now night out, that much she could tell. By the sound of it, the rain had stopped, though much of the basement floor was wet now. Like last night, there was a strange green light creeping in through the windows.

"What's going on?" Beast Boy asked as he rubbed his eyes. He looked around and noticed how dark it was, too. "Rae?"

Raven got up and approached the window. Now it was really hard to see because of all the red weed that had grown over the windows. She hated the stuff. However, by leaning in closer she could make out what was going on. It was a bizarre sight.

The three giant tripods were gathered around in a circle, their massive heads looking at the ground. Their menacing metallic tentacles waved in the air, and the spotlights lit up the place in an eerie green glow. Through the loud noises emanated by them she could hear screaming coming from the captive humans.

"Raven, what's going on?" Beast Boy asked again, sounding afraid. When Raven didn't answer, he ran over to another window to see what was going on. His window was even more overgrown with the red plant, and he could barely see anything.

Raven focused on the voices. They came from the strange basket the tripods were using to hold the humans. She could hear them all yelling and screaming. A strong fear gripped Raven. Something terrible was about to happen, and she didn't know what.

"Raven?" she heard Beast Boy ask again, this time from right next to her. "What's happening."

"I don't know," she finally answered.

"Let me see!" Raven moved over so Beast Boy could see. Judging by his look, Raven could tell he heard the screaming humans too, and probably better than she could. "Oh man! What's going on out there? They almost look like they're doing some kind of cult ritual."

Raven feared it was worse than that. Her mind wondered again. She remembered the plane wreck they had found and how every body had been removed from the wreckage. That had to have been it. It was so obvious that she mentally kicked herself. They were vastly more intelligent than humans, but they still needed to eat.

"Look!" Beast Boy shouted. He moved over a bit so Raven could see.

It was just as she feared. She saw one of the tripods grab a struggling human from a basket and pull him out. It looked like a man, but it was hard to tell how old he was. The tentacle placed him down on the ground in the middle of the group. An old truck and some bushes hid the human from sight. Then they saw some kind of probe attached to a long tube slither out from the front of another tripod.

"Beast Boy, don't look!" Raven warned him. She tried to push him away so he couldn't see what she was sure was about to happen.

"No! I gotta see this!" he protested. He pushed back so he could see what was happening.

The metallic probe was lowered toward the ground. It ended in a very sharp point. As it was lowered it split open so it ended in three sharp points. Then, in a swift motion, it shot at the ground and the two Titans could hear a sickening crunch as it embedded itself in what was undoubtedly the unfortunate person. As soon as it did, they heard the human go quiet.

"Oh…" Beast Boy moaned. She glanced over at him to see how he was taking it. He wanted to turn his head away, but no matter how hard he tried he remained transfixed on what was happening. He could hear what sounded like pumps, and as he watched, a column of red liquid traveled up the tube and into the tripod.

"Beast Boy?" Raven asked to see if he was okay. He looked over at her, eyes wide as dinner plates.

"Rae, did you see that?" he said hysterically. "They're eating us! They're eating us!"

He fell away from the window and collapsed against the wall. Raven hoped he hadn't snapped. "Beast Boy, calm down!"

"They're eating us! They're eating us! They're eating us!" he continued with no signs of stopping.

Raven went away from the window to try and calm him down. "Beast Boy, shh! Stop it!"

"They're eating us! They're eating us! They're eating us!" he went on.

"Beast Boy, quiet! They're going to hear you!" she hissed.

"They're eating us! They're eating us!"

"Beast Boy, get a GRIP!" Raven swiftly slapped him hard across the face. He stopped and now just stared blankly ahead with a slightly dumbfounded expression. Raven delicately reached out with her hands and turned his head so their eyes met. A wave of relief went through her as she saw the sanity slowly return to his eyes. "Beast Boy," she whispered. "It's okay."

The green changeling sniffed and collapsed against her as he hugged her tightly. The mage responded by wrapping her own arms around him and embraced him. Raven rested her own head on his. "Don't quit on me now, hero," she whispered to him. After a few minutes passed, she gently helped him up and led him away from the window so they wouldn't hear what was going on outside. She led him back to the old sofa and sat him down, then sat down next to him while still holding him close. He was actually shivering. With nothing much else she could do, she hummed the lullaby he had sung to her earlier. When she did, she noticed his shaking stopped.

Raven's emotions resurfaced and threatened to take control of her again. She was afraid, but she was angry too. She cursed herself and the Martians to have to sit and watch while they continued their genocide. Everything they did made a mockery of them.

Beast Boy remained silent for what seemed like at least an hour after that. When she was sure he was ready talk, Raven decided to make sure he was alright. She cupped his chin in her hand and raised his head so he was looking at her. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Her voice was dry and raspy, yet to him it sounded like the most wonderful thing in the world right now. He smiled weakly. "Yeah." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "I'm fine. Sorry for freaking out back there."

"It's okay," she assured him. "I think that'd be a hard thing for anyone to take."

"I know, but I still should have handled it better."

"It's alright," she said again. "I think you might have just gone crazy for a second, there."

"Maybe I did," he sighed. He looked at the window. The eerie green light weakened, making the room darker. "So they eat like leeches. Kind of creepy."

"Yeah." Raven stood up and stretched. "Those they don't kill, they eat. I wonder if they did the same thing before they came here."

"Probably, but I don't want to think about it," he muttered as Raven sat back down. After a moment of silence, Beast Boy spoke out of the blue. "Hey Raven?"

"Hmm?"

"I just wanted to say that, um…" he shifted awkwardly. "I'm sorry for all those times I got on your nerves."

Raven blinked in surprise. "Beast Boy?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm sorry that I've been a pain in the butt a lot. I guess you're right, I try to be funny but most of the time I was just annoying."

"Well, as much as I hate to admit it," she said with an arched eyebrow, "You always were kind of cute in a nerdy sort of way." Even though it was dark, she could tell he was blushing.

"Thanks. I mean, thanks. I mean…" kicked himself mentally. "Now that I think about it, I think I did it most of the time just to get your attention."

Raven was a little shocked at that. Why would he want her attention? "Beast Boy, I know we haven't always gotten along that well. But I just wanted to tell you…" Now she was the one blushing. "I've always considered you a very good friend." It was true, after all. He was the one who seemed to keep her company the most. He was the who was tried to get her to lighten up most of the time. He also had helped her before in her own moments of self-doubt. Who wouldn't want a friend like that? "I…" she stammered. "I really do like you, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy smiled one of his nervous grins. "Thanks. I like you, too, Rae."

"I know I've always been a distant person, especially around you. But just so you know, it's not because I hated you. I might act like it, but I think it's mostly because…" she paused. "I think it's because I'm still afraid of my own emotions. I try to be brave and act like I'm not afraid of anything. But truthfully, I think I'm always afraid. I'm afraid of my own feelings."

Beast Boy listened without saying a word, but he never broke eye contact.

"I, I guess I've always been afraid of being close to anyone, even my own friends."

"Rae, we've been over this before," he replied. "You don't have to be. We're your friends. You're never alone. We're always here for you."

Raven didn't show it, but his words sincerely touched her. She returned his smile. "Thanks."

"Hey, if you're afraid we'll reject you because of who you are, it's not gonna happen."

Raven shook her head. "It's not that, Beast Boy, it's just that…" she didn't know how to say what she felt. "I'm afraid of being closer than friends," she thought.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," he assured her. He had a wide grin she could clearly see even through the darkness. "You're never alone. I'll be here for ya."

The mage swallowed hard. It was good to have a friend like him. Raven was now aware that their faces were only inches apart. She wanted to turn away, but she was almost in a trance. "Beast Boy…" Her voice trailed off and whatever she was about to say got lost. She stared at him right in the eyes, and he returned her gaze with equal intensity. Their faces drew closer together. The mage suddenly felt closer to him than she'd ever felt to anyone. Her eyes started to close as her lips parted. Their lips were now a mere inch away from meeting, when...

CRASH! A loud noise from outside snapped them out of their moment. The two Titans' heads snapped in the direction of the disturbance at the same time.

"What was that?" Beast Boy asked. The two of them stood up and rushed over to the window to see what was happening. Outside they could see the massive machines moving about. One of them was standing on a now-crushed tree, which had undoubtedly caused the noise. With a loud foghorn blast, one of the tripod's scorpion head turned, and it started to stomp off toward the distance. The other two tripods followed close behind. They could hardly believe it. They were leaving!

"Rae, I think they're leaving!" Beast Boy said excitedly. The demonic mage continued to stare. Surely enough, the tripods' massive forms got gradually smaller and smaller, and their footsteps gradually grew more silent. Raven's heart leapt. They were gone!

"They're leaving, Rae!" Beast Boy repeated joyfully. He could hardly contain his excitement. "Yes! They're leaving! They're leaving!"

Raven smiled and let out the biggest sigh of relief she had in a long time. It felt as if someone had removed a weight off her shoulders. "Yes!"

"Now we can finally leave this dump!" the changeling said happily. He jumped up and down in excitement.

"Well we can't leave just yet," Raven said. "We don't know if they're coming back. We'll wait until morning. If they don't return, then it's a safe bet they're gone for good. We can't travel when it's this dark out, anyway."

Beast Boy calmed himself and leapt back to Raven's side. "We can take some of the food here with us. And that first-aid kit, too. That cut of yours still looks kinda nasty," he told her. Raven had actually forgotten about her cut, but it was still there. Almost as if on cue a dull pain passed through it again.

"Hey Rae, just out of curiosity, where are we going to go?" he asked her.

Raven paused. Actually, she hadn't given it much thought. "Hmm. That's a good question." She patted him on the shoulder. "But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Let's sleep on it, okay?"

Beast Boy's ears perked, and he nodded. "Agreed."

"If they're gone, we'll leave first thing tomorrow," she said.

"Okay." The shape-shifter yawned. By the time he looked at Raven again, she had already collapsed on the couch. She really was exhausted.

"Need some company?" he asked her, half-serious and half-jokingly.

Raven rolled her eyes and grinned. Her hood was drawn over her head again. "Please," she said.

Beast Boy was all too happy to oblige. He ran over there, and next thing Raven knew, a small green kitten curled up in her lap.

"Very cute, BB," she said as she stroked the purring kitten.

The kitten walked off her lap and mutated back into the normal Beast Boy, who leaned against her. His eyes started to close but they snapped back open. The memory of their very close "moment" came back. There was no point in denying it, they had almost kissed mere minutes ago. "Hey Rae, about that…" he started.

"We'll talk about that later, too," she said.

Beast Boy's eyes closed again. "Okay. G'night, Raven."

"Goodnight, Beast Boy," she whispered back. For the first time, they both felt safe as they drifted off to sleep together.


Please R&R! I hope you liked this chapter. This is one of the very few times where I'll say I liked it, too! The way things go right now, I might try to finish this story before I work on my other fic, since this one has only a few more chapters to go. The next update won't take very long. Adios.