Alright, alright, numero cuatro for your reading enjoyment. I'm really sorry to everyone who took the time to review that i wasn't able to get back to. I've spent the past couple of days packing like crazy for college.

Disclaimer: I'm dissin' the claim that someone might say I have on the T, double E, N, Titans.

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Chapter Four - Be Still

The night it happened, they both knew instinctively that it would. Raven lay her head on Beast Boy's chest as he stretched his arms over his head.

"I can hear your heart," she whispered, taking in his scent. There was something so wonderful about it, intoxicating, sweet, deep, spicy - it encapsulated so many different moods and feelings, just like the former grass stain it belonged to. It never ceased to amaze her.

She had felt it for the past few weeks. She hadn't meant to probe his feelings, it had just kind of happened once in that stage between fully awake and fully asleep. She had felt it - the control, pulled taut after so many nights without anything more than a suggestive caress or frenzied grope. He had never let himself push her out of her comfort zone and she appreciated that he let her keep her boundaries. It had been so hard for him, though…

They had been dating for just shy of a year and a half. The two of them had been sleeping in the same room ever since the night Raven had come in seeking him for comfort, scared of some movie. Beast Boy had insisted that she sleep in his bed (he had traded the bunk beds in for a single queen-sized bed when he was 16) while he took up the couch. He waited until she was comfortable, then let himself give in to temptation and sneak back into her borrowed bed while she slept. She had gotten used to his late night visits.

But tonight was different. Tonight, the air felt different… charged, somehow.

"Are you cold?" Raven asked quietly, pulling the comforter higher over the two of them and moving closer to him. Beast Boy shook his head, not meeting her eyes and instead staring at the blankets on them. "But you're shaking." She said gently as she ran her hands up and down his arm, attempting to generate more heat for him. He shook his head.

"No, I'm not."

"Gar…" she said gently as she touched his forehead. She smirked at him. "I hope you're not getting sick. You're forehead's on fire."

"I just, I just need to breathe, don't worry about it." He said nervously. She stared at him, biting her bottom lip softly. He readjusted himself on the bed so they were face to face. He was still trembling, but it had mostly subsided. She leaned forward and they kissed. He gently stroked her waist as her hands traveled to his hair. She let them get tangled in the mass as the kiss became more passionate. He moved his hands up her back, holding her hard against him. The room started getting much too stuffy, so she threw the covers off them, then backed up to look at him.

She could feel it again. The restraint, how hard it was for Beast Boy to maintain it, and how much he wanted to for her comfort. She looked down at him, letting her fingers play across his chest. He had never been too good at growing hair on his face, let alone his chest. She let her hands run along the line from between his Pecs to the thin line of hair that disappeared into his shorts. His breath caught as she got closer, but she stopped before she got carried away.

"Garfield… maybe tonight… maybe tonight we can… we can see each other… fully." Raven said shyly. He gave her a hard look, searching to see if she was serious, if she was suggesting this of her own will. He sat up on his elbows.

"Rae.. Are you sure?" He asked cautiously. She was biting her bottom lip again. She nodded. He cupped her face in his hands. "If I do anything… and I mean anything that makes you uncomfortable or scared… you'll let me know, right?" Raven nodded.

He leaned in for another kiss.

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Beast Boy ran around the kitchen wearing a chef's hat and a white apron that read "Kiss the Cook," in huge black letters. He and Raven had been dating for two years, and he wanted to make sure that she knew just how special she was, so he was doing the unthinkable: he was cooking meat.

When he had approached Cyborg with the idea he'd had to deal with ten minutes straight of the partially robotic man simply staring at him. Later on, in the hallway, he noticed Cyborg grumble and pass a twenty dollar bill to a satisfied looking Robin.

After several minutes of explaining, Cyborg had (albeit with a very smug demeanor) agreed to help him. He had started by outlining everything that would be needed for the night, all the best cuts of meat, the proper way to prepare everything, how to keep from cross contaminating the flavors. He had told Beast Boy how to tell when the meat was cooked well-done as opposed to when it was done medium-rare. Then, for safety purposes, he had written down all the instructions he had given the changeling.

Even Beast Boy had to admit that the kitchen was smelling rather mouthwatering.

It's simple, really, he kept telling himself, I'll just never turn into a bull again.

He made mashed potatoes, pot roast, peas, and pasta salad with two individual servings of crème brulee ready to be broiled for dessert. When he finished cooking, he sat down on a stool by the oven, satisfied with his creations.

He had laid the food out over a small dinner table that had been covered with a burgundy table cloth. Two places were set neatly - one for him and one for her. There were two long candles on either side of the pot roast centerpiece, and the lights of the living room had been dimmed significantly. All that was missing was Raven.

He looked at his watch. She should be home any minute.

Two minutes later he heard the distinct ring of the elevator hitting its desired floor. He jumped up quickly, throwing off the hat and the apron to make sure that he looked unsuspicious and stowing them in their proper cabinets. He met Raven and Starfire before they could get a full view of the room. Starfire sent him a knowing look and left Raven to show off their latest purchases to the rest of the Titans. He sent her a thankful smile and she returned it, grabbing the few bags the empath had purchased and leaving the two alone.

"Hey, what's going on?" Raven asked as Beast Boy covered her eyes with his hands.

"Shhh, it's a surprise," he said quietly. "Just trust me. I promise not to send you walking into any walls."

Sighing, Raven followed obediently. As they neared the kitchen she started to softly sniff the air. She furrowed her brows.

"What is that?" She asked suspiciously. Beast Boy shushed her, pulling her chair out with his foot. He sat her down without taking his hands off her eyes.

"You have to promise not to peek until I say you can," he said as he started judging the distance between where he was standing and where he needed to be sitting. She nodded, furrowing her brows suspiciously.

"Alright."

Beast Boy let his hands leave her eyes, waving them in front of her a few times before he was satisfied that she wasn't going to look. He grabbed matches from the table and lit the two accent candles before sitting down.

"Alright… open your eyes."

He watched nervously as she did, her eyes alighting first on him, then on the feast before them. Her eyes widened and she gasped lightly, then her eyes narrowed again and she looked at Beast Boy.

"You're going to tell me that this is your new fantabulous tofu recipe, aren't you?"

"No, it's… it's really meat." He answered anxiously. She looked back to the food before a wide smile split her face.

"Wow…"

"Dig in."

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The dinner had been beyond perfect, as far as Raven was concerned. The food had been prepared to perfection, and she had playfully joked that if it were ever just the two of them, he would have to do all the cooking. They had both smiled somewhat bashfully at that.

"But, I don't get it. What made you decide to cook real meat?" She finally asked. "And, on second thought, how did you figure out how to cook it so well?"

"Heheh," Beast Boy scratched the back of his head absently, "I got a little help from Cy."

Raven shot him a grin, "figures."

Beast Boy's smile faded as he stared at Raven. She stared back at him, suddenly feeling nervous again. He reached across the table and gently placed her hand in his.

"I guess that the main reason I decided to do it was that… well… I guess I just wanted to let you know that even if I haven't had the courage to say it… I love you, Raven."

She was silent for a moment, staring at their joined hands. He suddenly felt butterflies make themselves known in his chest. Oh God. He thought frantically, she's going to have to tell me that she doesn't feel the same now. Beast Boy, you're such an idiot.

She finally looked up and offered him a small smile.

"I… I love you too," she said, "I guess I have for a while now."

She blushed brightly, embarrassed by how raw the words made her feel and bit her lip gently before taking a deep breath and looking into his eyes.

"I guess I was just scared that you'd… that you'd say that you didn't really feel the same. That you'd get creeped out and run away. I… I'm not really used to talking about my feelings. I just know that I don't want to be alone again."

Beast Boy let go of her hand and walked around the table, pulling her into a hug.

"I'll never let you be alone again. You don't ever have to worry about that, ever, again." He said gently into her hair. She clutched him to her and took a deep breath.

"I believe you."

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"I don't know what to tell you, man." Cyborg said softly. Beast Boy had just finished explaining his encounter with Raven to the metallic man.

"But… dude, she said that she wrote me, and she called me, and she even left a message… it doesn't make sense." He said as he rubbed a hand across his face.

"Did you check? Maybe go through some old fan mail or something?" Cyborg suggested. Beast Boy shook his head.

"It was so strange… sometimes I could've sworn that Marilyn smelt like her… I guess I thought that if they had that in common… maybe she could somehow replace Raven." He commented warily.

"Hey man, maybe you shouldn't do this. I mean, you'll be stuck with her for the rest of your life if you do." Cyborg pointed out, but Beast Boy immediately shook his head.

"No. No, this isn't just for me. It's for Marilyn. She's been so excited about this. I guess she's been planning her wedding since she was like… four years old."

"It's you're choice. But BB, do me one favor." Cyborg requested. Beast Boy nodded.

"Don't do anything that you already know you'll regret. No matter what the consequences are. You can't make everyone happy, so stop trying to. Worry about yourself first. Sometimes, you just have to."

"I know that… I just… I can't just leave Marilyn, and I can't just try running back to Raven. I doubt that she'd take me back after all this time, anyway, even if I begged her."

Cyborg was silent at that and Beast Boy averted his eyes from his friend, instead opting to stare at the world outside. The day had started off partly cloudy, but the weather had quickly deteriorated. Instead of the bright blue sky he longed for, Beast Boy faced the dark, swirling clouds of an oncoming storm.

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"It'sss ssset to happen today at five o'clock," a voice hissed from the dark. A slithering creature moved into the small shaft of light that penetrated the darkness of the room, but was again lost to the shadows as it passed to the other side of the lodging.

"Excellent," a deep voice echoed through the room, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

"But…" the hissing voice started hesitantly, "I worry that the Titansss will join together again. They're all here…"

"Silence," the voice boomed and the creature immediately acquiesced. "There is no chance for that. Their core has been fragmented for years, and I feel that a pivotal connection is under too much stress to participate effectively in combat. Do not speak of this again. Go back to your post."

"Yesss sssir," the creature briefly moved through the ray of light. A shadow scattered itself across the floor, indicating that a door had been opened and let the brightness of a hallway filter in before it was closed and all that remained was the beam of light.

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Alright, so there it is. I'm not sure when the next update will be, unfortunately. I'm moving into my college housing pretty soon, so things are going to be pretty hectic, but I'll try to update as soon as possible. My first day of school is coming up, too. Wish me luck! Hopefully I wont fall asleep in my classes. I have a feeling that my professors won't exactly love that…

So this is kind of hinting at a major plot point in the story that I'm sure no one will be able to figure out before my next post… uhm… yeah.

I welcome all reviews, comments, criticisms and questions with open arms, so feel free to leave anything you'd like. Thanks for reading, folks!