Introducing the new, and improved Beast Boy!

I don't own anything.

Chapter Three

Voices came to her through a cloud of confusion, muffled and distorted. The voices were just too soft, too quiet for Raven to make out through the thick fog that surrounded her. Slowly, Raven realised she was in a bed. But this wasn't hers, the sheets were too thin, the smell too clinical. Straining her ears, she desperately tried to hear the words floating past her, find out what was happening. Two voices were hurried, a whispered argument. They slowly rose in volume, until a third joined, reminding them to be quiet. The higher of the first two voices faded, and the anger Raven sensed left with it.

A new voice joined the others now, unfamiliar, yet Raven felt like she knew it. It spoke in worried tones, panic ridging the edges of its words. This one was clearer than the others, piercing the fog surrounding her. A sudden moment of clarity washed over Raven, like the sun breaking through the clouds. She had been injured, she needed to meditate.

A dull ache rippled through her body, punctured by a sharp pain in her side. Raven tried to hold her hand to it, to heal herself, but she found her hand too heavy to move. Grunting slightly, Raven tried again. The voices all suddenly stopped, and then she heard it.

"Rae?"

The cotton wool Raven had been wading through disappeared. The heaviness in her limbs lifted, and Ravens eyes snapped open. Only one person had ever had the audacity and nerve to call her that and expect to get away with it. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sudden bright light, but she could recognise that bright green skin from miles away.

"Beast Boy?"

Except he was certainly not a boy anymore. The person that stood in front of her was not the immature child she remembered. He was no longer wearing his uniform, though she supposed he probably couldn't fit into it anymore. The black t-shirt he wore was stretched tight across his wide chest, the sleeves wrapped snugly around his large biceps. He was now easily taller than Raven, possibly taller than all except Cyborg. He had grown into a young man, Raven realised, and as she looked into his grinning face, she gulped. An exceptionally handsome young man, at that.

"Actually Rae, it's Changeling now." Raven swallowed again. His face had lost its puppy fat, the chin was squared, his cheekbones defined. A shadow of stubble dusted his chin and upper lip. Green hair fell into dark green eyes, darker than she remembered. But they still twinkled the same when he smiled, his one fang still poked out above the rest of his teeth when he grinned.

His signature cheeky grin faded into a soft absentminded smile as he walked toward the bed. His dark green eyes stared into Ravens own violet ones, and she dimly noted she was smiling too as he sat on the edge of her bed and extended a hand towards her. His huge hand cupped her face, holding her gently, as if she was a china doll that he could easily break. He probably could, Raven realised, but she wasn't scared of him. In fact, she had never felt safer.

"Garfield," she breathed, "You came back." The smile became a massive grin.

"Of course I did! You think I'd miss your eighteenth?" His voice had broken, he now spoke with a deep rumble. "If your sixteenth was anything to go by, this is bound to be awesome!"

Raven laughed, and Changelings face suddenly paled. He flinched instinctively, waiting for something to blow up. But nothing did. Changelings lifted his head, scanning the room slowly for any sign of damage. When he turned back, confusion was evident in his features.

"Rae?" He asked, "Did you just-"

"Laugh?" The empath interrupted, "Without blowing anything up?" Raven chuckled softly. "You're not the only one who's grown up, Garfield." The smile returned to Changelings face, wider than ever.

Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed at Raven, and she bolted upright, hissing through her teeth. Cyborg appeared from nowhere, suddenly beside her and pushing her back onto the bed.

"Woah there Raven, you need to slow down. Do you remember what happened?"

Raven stilled, a frown crossing her face. "Yes," she mumbled "I was stabbed." Cyborg fussed around the empath, checking her vitals on the bleeping moniters above her.

"There's something else," Cyborg frowned, "You're not healing like normal." At this Changeling stiffened, and Raven could feel Starfire's dread and worry emanating from the back of the room.

"Yeah," Raven glowered darkly at the wall, remembering her fight with Angel. "I realised."

"Friend please, do you have any idea what is the matter with your healing abilities?" Starfire walked forward, not floated, Raven noted, and she realised how worried her best friend must be. Like Raven, her powers stemmed from her emotions; she couldn't fly without Boundless Joy, or shoot starbolts without Righteous Fury.

Raven sighed and forced herself to remain calm. Getting angry at herself wouldn't help anyone. "I will need to meditate and then consult my books, but I believe this is all to do with Angel's heritage." With another heavy sigh, Raven carefully dragged herself into a sitting position, acutely aware of Changelings hands suddenly hovering over her back, gently helping her up. Azar, she thought, how badly must Angel have drained me if I can't even go into a healing trance?

Raven could feel the curious gazes of her teammates boring into her. She gratefully accepted the cup of water Starfire handed her, finally able to rinse the metallic taste of blood from her mouth. She leaned back against the pillows Changeling had plumped up behind her, and couldn't help but thank whatever god had blessed her with such damn good friends.

"I believe Angel may be a blessed warrior."

"What exactly does that mean?" Nightwing's voice sounded from the doorway, causing all except Changeling to jump. His gaze never lifted from Raven's face. Breaking eye contact, Raven looked to her masked leader.

"It means we have a very serious problem." The mood in the room lowered even more, all four hero's worry spiking in Raven's chest, and she winced as the icy needles pierced her heart. Noticing her grimace, Changeling's voice now rang with authority.

"You can fill us all in later, Raven. You need to rest now." Nightwing opened his mouth, as if to disagree, but Changeling whipped round to face him and silenced him with a glare that told their leader that arguing was a very, very bad idea right now. The Boy Wonder closed his mouth, setting it into a firm line.

"Fine. Raven, rest for as long as you need. Starfire will stay here in case anything happens." Nightwing directed his gaze to his alien girlfriend, who nodded in agreement and understanding. She turned away, and only Raven saw the frown that crossed her beautiful face. "Beast Boy," the masked leader continued, his demeanour similar to that of an icicle. "May I have a word with you."

It was not a question. Nightwing turned on his heel and left the room, leaving no room for argument.

Changeling rose stiffly from his seat on Raven's bed. His gaze had returned to her, worry painfully clear in his features as he backed out of the room. Raven managed a weak smile at him, but she didn't feel the slightest bit of relief from him, despite the grin he instantly responded with.

Cyborg quietly excused himself, making an excuse about getting some dinner ready. That left Raven and Starfire, both sitting quietly in contemplation.

"Are you ok Starfire?" The Tameranian princess' head jerked upwards, towards her best friend. She blinked in surprise.

"I am not the one injured, friend Raven. It is I who should be asking you the question of wellness." Raven shook her head softly.

"You know what I mean Starfire." She pointed at herself. "Empath, remember?" Raven patted the spot where Changeling had sat before. "Come on, tell me what happened this time."

Starfire rose gracefully from her seat to the side of the bed, but shook her head.

"Later friend, you must rest now."

Raven watched her best friend carefully, assessing the damage. Over the past year, Starfire and Nightwings relationship had grown and grown, to the point where they now shared a room in the Tower. Nightwing kept his room as an office, but Starfire's had been redecorated from the gaudy pinks, purples, blues, greens and oranges her room had previously been adorned in. It was now a warm caramel, a mature colour to suit not just the couple, but a newly matured Starfire. It was true that while she remained enthusiastic and bubbly, she was no longer the wide-eyed naïve alien princess, who knew nothing of Earths customs or traditions. Her new calmer persona balanced out Nightwing's intense, and often obsessive traits.

Their relationship had not been without its bumps, however. Though Starfire was no longer completely oblivious to her surroundings, she was often not entirely aware of the effect she had on most men. In truth, she never intended to flirt back, she only meant to be friendly. NIghtwing, however, wasn't very understanding of this, and was quick to fly into jealous rages. After he had finished yelling, he would sulk, staying in his office until the alarm rang, and returning straight after. This period of sulking would normally last two to three days, followed by an apology from Nightwing, whole-hearted forgiveness from Starfire, and a few hours of very, very loud make-up sex. Raven normally made sure to schedule a trip to the bookstore during that time.

"Raven," Starfire said firmly. "Rest. Immediately."

"I need my-" Wordlessly, Starfire produced a bundle of cloths, unwrapping it to reveal Raven's ornate hand mirror. Careful not to look into it, she handed the mirror to the demoness, meeting her questioning look with one of authority and slight annoyance.

"You were not awaking, nor were you entering the trance of meditation. I retrieved your hand mirror from your room, and I did not touch anything else, nor did I linger. This is not the time to be upset about the breaking of a rule in a time of emergency." Raven nodded stiffly.

Oh well, she thought, at least she didn't send Nightwing. Starfire she could cope with being in her room. Nightwing – well, his detective instincts had led to some unwanted snooping around the Tower in previous years.

Although, we would never have known about Cyborg and Bumblebee if it weren't for his nosiness. She thought with a wry smile.

Feeling Starfire's eyes on her Raven closed her eyes, resigning herself to meditation. Raven pulled her legs into the lotus position, centred her mind, and held the mirror up to her face. Opening her eyes, she felt the familiar swooping sensation as her soul was drawn into Nevermore.

This took longer than expected to complete and upload due to prelim examinations and my complete incompetence when it comes to higher chemistry.

Hope you enjoyed!

Love,

Pixie xo