AN: No, I still don't bloody own Teen Titans so everyone stop asking me! (just kidding)

Chapter 4

Beast Boy couldn't believe how good he felt. He had been talking to Raven every day for a good month and a half now and every day he felt better and better. True, the first few days he had still been a little hesitant and standoffish when Raven brought up certain subjects. Like Terra's betrayal and her evil ways. He had nearly punched a wall by the end of that discussion, but a day later she had gotten through to him.

He whistled to himself as he walked down the hall, feeling quite pleasant. The other Titans couldn't believe the change in him. They weren't sure what was happening and Raven wasn't telling them anything. She simply said that they should be happy with the results and not ask how she was getting them.

"Hello dudes," he said in a cheery voice as he entered the common room.

"Hello friend Beast Boy," said Starfire who was always cheerful. "Please, do you wish to come with us to the park?"

"Sorry, I got plans," said Beast Boy.

"Oh yeah? Doing what?" asked Cyborg.

"That's none of your business," said Beast Boy. "But you guys go on and have a good time."

"Star, why don't you go ask Raven if she wants to come?" asked Robin.

"Naw, she's not gonna wanna go," said Beast Boy.

"How do you know?" asked Cyborg.

"Uh, cuz, just a gut feeling," he said. He and Raven were going to talk that afternoon and he still didn't want his friends to now Raven was practically being his therapist.

"I shall ask any how," said Starfire and she flew off.

Of course, Raven declined just as Beast Boy said. So the three other Titans decided to go and leave the two home alone once again. They desperately wanted to know what they did when the three of them were gone. It was clear that they were spending time together, but they weren't sure what they were doing exactly. Whatever it was, it was certainly changing Beast Boy's attitude.

"So how do you feel?" asked Raven as she sat down on the couch.

"Good," said Beast Boy with a smile.

"Anything you want to talk about today?" asked Raven.

"Well," said Beast Boy hesitantly.

"Yes?" asked Raven.

"Okay, a while ago I asked you how come you knew all of this stuff," said Beast Boy. "And you've yet to tell me. I mean, how is it that you know exactly what I'm going through? Have you read a book on how to handle this kind of stuff or what?"

"This time isn't about me," said Raven, avoiding the topic. "This is about helping you, so is there anything about you and your past that you want to discuss?

"No, I just want to know how you're so good at this," said Beast Boy.

"You don't need to know that," said Raven plainly. "So if you don't have anything you want to discuss that's about you, then I guess we'll just skip today."

"Come on, Raven," he begged before he could lose her. "Why can't you just tell me? Did you take a class or something? I promise I won't laugh or do anything you think I'm gonna do."

"Beast Boy, I just know, okay?" she said, growing upset. "Don't read into it."

Then something clicked in Beast Boy's brain. "You've been through this before, haven't you?" he asked. "What I'm going through now, you've been there."

"What makes you think that?" she snapped at him.

"Come on, that's gotta be it," said Beast Boy. "Why else would you refuse to tell me?"

"Perhaps because I don't want you to know how intelligent I really am," she said, putting her hood up. This conversation was not going in the way she had wanted it to.

"Raven, stop it!" said Beast Boy growing upset. "Why can't you just talk to me? You expect me to open up to you and tell you everything and yet you won't do the same for me? Please, just talk to me."

Raven let out a long sigh, feeling like the only way she could get out of this conversation was to teleport to her room, where she knew he'd follow her. Then she thought about it and realized that she did owe him this at least. She had been making him really open up to her and tell her things that he had probably never told anyone. She could give him this at least.

"Fine," she said defeated. "I know how to handle this because I went through a similar thing when Malchior tricked me. There, are you happy?"

"Malchior?" said Beast Boy. "That dragon from the book?"

"What other Malchior do you think I'd know?" she asked coldly.

"But you only knew him for like a week," Beast Boy half laughed. "How could he have done something like this to you?"

"You only knew Terra for a few months," said Raven. "And even then you really didn't know her."

Beast Boy stopped his slight chuckling, realizing he must have made her feel bad. "Alright, sorry," he said. "It's just, how could he have made you feel like I feel?"

"You mean betrayed and lied to?" she asked bitterly. "You mean how he made me feel like I was special and beautiful only to make me realize that I was neither? You mean how he was the first person I ever trusted immediately because he acted as if he understood me and accepted me? Yes, I think I have some idea of how you feel."

Beast Boy couldn't believe he had forgotten the whole Malchior incident. Well, not forgot as much as it really didn't affect him as severely as it did her. The reason he couldn't forget it was because it was after they had defeated Malchior that Raven had given him a hug. A real hug too, one that begged for comfort and at the same time showed gratitude. How could he forget that?

"Raven, I'm sorry," he said looking away.

"Why are you sorry now?" she asked.

"For making you bring back all of those painful memories and stuff," he said, feeling bad. "I just, I never knew that he affected you like that."

"No one does," said Raven. "But I can tell you right now that after him I felt an immense amount of anger inside of me. Something that can be dangerous and possibly deadly when it comes to me. And I did my best to push it all out of my mind, as I do with everything else. And then I began to take my pain out on criminals. It was so hard for me to give them a warning before I attacked. Especially if it was a man or men, which it usually was and is. I wanted to teach men a lesson. I wanted them to know that they would never hurt me again."

Beast Boy took all of this in and thought about it. He was amazed at how well she had hid all of this. "Raven?" he asked.

"Yes?" she answered.

"You know that I would never hurt you, right?" he said.

"I suppose," said Raven.

"You suppose?" he asked. "Raven, I'm your friend. Of course I would never hurt or betray you."

"Well, as much as I appreciate you telling me that, I can't really give you a definite 'I believe you' or anything," said Raven.

"Why not?" asked Beast Boy.

"Because the truth is that I don't trust you," said Raven. "And don't take it personally. I don't really trust any men."

"But why not me?" asked Beast Boy.

"I told you, don't take it personally," said Raven.

"But I'm different from other guys," said Beast Boy.

"And how's that?" asked Raven.

"Well… I'm green!" he said with a half smile.

"If you're not going to talk to me seriously, then I'm going to my room," said Raven standing up.

"No, wait!" he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her back down. "I'm sorry. But, I promise you, I am different. I will never betray your trust."

"Beast Boy, you're taking it personally," said Raven. "And, um, you're still holding my hand."

"Huh?" he asked. He looked down and saw that he was, indeed, holding her hand. "Oh, uh, sorry," he said letting go of it. He didn't know why but he felt his cheeks burn for a moment. And she felt similar symptoms.

An awkward silence built up between them. Raven felt very stupid for giving this much information about herself away. She knew that he would bother her about it from now on. Beast Boy still couldn't believe that Raven didn't trust him. After all of the years they had known each other, Malchior had warped her view on men so horribly that she couldn't even trust him, her friend and teammate.

"Well, if we're done here, then I'm going to go to my room," said Raven again and she stood up once more.

"Yeah, I guess we are," said Beast Boy.

Raven nodded and headed for her room. She was glad to get out of there and away from him. She thought she might have a fever for a moment, but the burning in her cheeks had gone away. She found this odd. What could cause burning cheeks?

Beast Boy sat on the couch silently, thinking over their session that day. He had been trying to get Raven to open up instead of him for a change for a week or two and he was glad to have finally of done it. Of course, now that he had, he felt horrible about it. She was obviously still in pain from what Malchior did to her. Did that mean that he would carry the pain that Terra gave him for five more years? If Raven was, apparently, cured of her problem with Malchior, then why did she still seem to have an issue with him and with men for that matter? Something didn't make sense.

The rest of team returned a few hours later, telling the two that they should have gone along. Both gave their reasons for why they hadn't, but Beast Boy promised to go the next time. It wasn't long before he initiated a videogame challenge between he and Cyborg and the two were booked for the rest of the evening. Raven was glad for this because it would keep him away from her.

"Raven, I met a most curious man today in the park," said Starfire.

"Oh?" said Raven. "He wasn't wearing a trench coat and nothing else was he?"

"Pardon?" asked Starfire.

"Never mind," sighed Raven, who had forgotten that Starfire didn't know how to pick out a flasher.

"Well, he is apparently a large fan of yours," she said with a smile.

"A fan of mine?" asked Raven, not really believing her.

"Yes," said Starfire nodding. "He asked me if I could get your autograph and something you own. He said that he is a very big fan."

"An autograph I can understand," said Raven. "But I'm not giving away any of my personal stuff."

"He did ask for something specific, though," said Starfire. "But I can not remember exactly what it was."

"Well, either way, he's not getting anything of mine," said Raven. "Do you have his address so I can send him an autograph?"

"No, I do not," said Starfire. "It was quite strange. He afford to do anything for me if I could get him that item I can not remember. When I refused him he somehow disappeared. I only looked away for a moment and he was gone."

"That is strange," said Raven. "Well now I really am glad I didn't go to the park."