Chapter 3 is up! This is my last update before summer ends (well, before MY summer ends) so the rest of the story make come a bit slower. I'll try my best to keep it at one or two chapters a week, though. Thank you for you reviews, follows, and favorites. It really means a lot to me that I know how much you appreciate the story! :)

krikanalo - But but but... I wanted them to feel special. Maybe Titans East has always dreamed of having a 'The' before their name. D:

IshylovesGeorgeShelley - Thank you!

bluedog197 - LOL did you just make a Code Lyoko reference? I added a reference in here just for you! And interesting theory by the way... ;)

gabylokita41 - I see. Hope any of your problems get better, ya? I wouldn't say Beast Boy was 'hiding', more like he's been wandering around until he heard screams and fighting. By the time he arrived to join the battle it was nearly over. Good thing he came when he did, huh? As for Raven... you'll see ;)

tatsumarusmith - I'm not a fan of cliches, myself. I do love originality. Thankfully, this chapter... *wink*

TeamBBLoki - You're back! Hope you enjoy this story. I think it'll be my best yet!

titanfan45 - Yes, sir it will! (Or ma'am... whichever one goes for you haha)

Caleb Jones - Thanks!

Chapter III - Mysterious Garden

"Guys… Where's—where's Raven?"

The three Titans were silent as they stared uneasily at their friend.

"And why," he gulped. "Why am I… gray?"

"I think it's best we show you," Robin said as he helped Beast Boy up. The three Titans led the weak-legged Beast Boy into a hotel. Stumbling inside, they helped him walk towards a mirror, where he saw the horrible truth.

"Dude! What the freak happened to me?" Beast Boy shouted. "I'm—I'm—"

"Calm down, Beast Boy," Cyborg said.

"I'm—"

"Beast Boy…" Starfire said reassuringly.

"I'm—"

"Your head's burnt to a crisp. Deal with it!" Raven said from behind him. And indeed it was. Much of his hair was black and had a charcoal tint. His face was mostly black and most of his upper body was a scorched gray.

"How did this happen?" he cried.

"The Brain's machine thing must've been some kind of knock-out shock," Robin explained. "The shock was like an electrocution, but not enough to have killed you. It did burn your hair and skin though."

"Wait, how come Raven's not like this?"

"My hood and cloak protected me. It has magical properties that defends against fire and lightning," she said in her usual monotone. "Don't get too panicked about your new complexion. I'll work my magic and fix you up later." Turning towards the others, she told them, "I've magically examined the couple's bodies. They were shaken, but unharmed."

"Do you know why the Brotherhood targeted them?" Cyborg asked as Beast Boy whimpered at his own burned hair.

Raven shook her head. "No idea. Even the couple doesn't know." Turning back to glance at the couple, she continued, "Malcolm and Anna Crowe. Newly wedded. They thanked us and wanted us to stay here. They offered to pay for all five of us to stay at this resort for three days as a way of saying thanks."

"Tell him we refuse," Robin said immediately. "The five of us at a paradise resort as big as this? That's not cheap."

"He said he won't take no for an answer. And he also said he's very wealthy."

A smile cracked on Cyborg's face. "Aww, come on Bird-boy. You can't say no to that! Three-day paradise resort vay-cay? Count me in!"

"Oh yes, absolutely!" Starfire chimed in. "That sounds lovely!"

"Sweet. I'm in!" Beast Boy interjected. "…as long as my hair and face is fixed." He resumed picking at the ashes in his scalp.

"What about you, Raven?"

The sorceress sighed and answered monotonously, "Three days of loud, annoying people running around doing whatever they want, constantly bumping into me and interrupting my meditation all day and all night? How could I possibly resist…?"

"Then it's settled!" Robin exclaimed with a clap of his hands. "This may be a bit unorthodox for us but Titans, we're going on vacation!"

…

Beast Boy stared at the mirror in his new hotel room as he poked his face curiously. "Ow!" he said as he touched a particularly painful area. "Stupid Brain…" he grumbled. "I liked him better when he didn't have any weapons."

A knock on the door. "It's Raven," came soon after.

The changeling went over and opened the door, allowing his fellow Titan to walk inside. "Nice place," Raven muttered absentmindedly. "You guys have a balcony, too. Only one bed?" she said in a surprised tone. "I understand why Starfire and I only need one bed but three fully grown men?" Hastily, she added, "Or rather, two fully grown men and you."

"Ha ha, very funny," Beast Boy replied. "It has a nice view so one bed will be fine. Cyborg and I will sleep on it and Robin will sleep on the chair. He said Batman's trained him to sleep anywhere so he's perfectly comfortable."

"I see," she replied. "Speaking of Robin, he's contacted Batman. The Dark Knight asked us to pay close attention to the Crowe's. Protect them if anything happens to them."

"Really? Great. More work."

"Lie on the bed and I'll begin the healing process." He obeyed without delay. Standing next to his face, Raven told him to close his eyes and relax his face as she placed her hands above him. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she chanted. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." She moved her hands and intricately waved her fingers as if she was molding a clay pot, swaying them back and forth across Beast Boy's upper body from the top of his hair to his abdomen. Beast Boy felt a warm, soothing sensation flow across his body as he was being healed. Glancing down at his arm, he both felt and saw the grayness washing away. The burnt feeling in his hair evaporated as it felt soft and ruffled as it once was. Raven's hands stopped swaying and began a different motion, waving her hands back and forth in a line. The gentle heat on his body intensified and abruptly transformed into a cooling numbness. A wave of goosebumps rippled throughout his skin until finally the coolness disappeared.

"It's done," Raven said as she examined her work, evidently pleased as she wore a tiny smile on her face.

"Wow, that fast?" Beast Boy exclaimed. "That must've been only five minutes!"

"I placed an acute time-lapse spell on you. It was actually half an hour," Raven explained, but stopping once she saw that he paid no attention. Instead, the boy—green once again—jumped from the bed and rushed towards the nearest mirror. Examining his newly reformed skin, he felt it meticulously with his fingers as if he was caressing a newborn baby. A wide grin lit his face. "It's perfect! Absolutely amazing!"

Raven nodded a thanks and proceeded to wordlessly walk out of the room. "Hey wait!" Beast Boy said, grabbing her arm before she left. "You aren't going to just go back to your room are you?"

"Why not? I have to meditate. And there's nothing for me here anyway."

"Dude, it's a resort! We're on a vacation!" he protested. "Come on, there's a beach, a forest, a mountain—everything! There's gotta be something here you'd enjoy doing!"

"I'm not exactly a resort-y… or vacation-y person," she stated.

"Think of it as my way of repaying you. 'Beast Boy and Raven's Day of Fun'. How does that sound?"

"It sounds even more fun than a root canal."

"Trust me, you'll have a great time. And if you're too annoyed by me, you can always go somewhere with Starfire or the others. Point is you have to get outside!" Playfully, he added, "Sunlight is good for your skin. I don't know about you but that gray complexion isn't getting you noticed by any boys."

Raven glared at him. She relented, "Fine!" as she rolled her eyes. "But if you annoy me too much I will not hesitate to send you to another dimension for a while."

"Deal!" A large smile exploded on his face as he immediately grabbed Raven's arm and hauled her down the elevator and out the door of the hotel. As he dragged her towards the Andern theme park, she silently prayed to Azar to give her the strength to survive the day.

…

The Dark Knight sat on his chair as an enormous television screen inside the Batcave flashed to life. The words "Incoming Transmission" lit the screen before it flashed to the image of a young woman in a blue cloak. The woman nodded in respect. "Batman," she said.

"Raven," he nodded back. He heard a voice call from behind Raven, "Where are you?"

"I'm using the restroom!" she shouted back. Turning back towards Batman, she apologized. "This was the only way I could get in touch with you privately," she said.

"I see."

"Dick told me this was the best time to contact you. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"It's—my butler's birthday, but it's fine. The party hasn't started yet. What is it that you need, Raven?"

"Dick told me that you've asked us to keep a close watch on Malcolm and Anna Crowe, is that right?"

"It is. I've discreetly arranged for them to move to Jump City after their vacation. I need you five to watch over them continuously."

"If that's the case, sir, then I'd like to know what is so special about them."

"They are in danger," Batman replied simply. "They need to be protected."

"With all due respect, sir," she said firmly. "You know what I mean. What is special about them?"

"Excuse me?"

"When I examined them for injuries, my empathic powers sensed something different about them. I couldn't place exactly what it was or who it was. But there definitely was something very peculiar about the Crowe's. I didn't tell the other Titans yet because I wanted to inform you first. There is something very special about the Crowe's. I was going to tell you that. But then I figured… you already knew that, haven't you?" The masked man was silent. "Why would you have us protect them so closely like this? They were from Gotham City. If they were in any danger, you could've had Batgirl or the other Robin take care of them. Or if anything, you could've sent them to Titans East to watch and protect, since Steel City is so much closer to Gotham than Jump City. But you had sent them to us, all the way across the country. It makes me wonder, why would you send them to us? Because you know our capabilities. You know what I can do, what Beast Boy can do, what Starfire and Cyborg can do, and most importantly what Robin can do. You know that. You sent us to protect them because we are the only ones that can. Maybe even you had set up the Crowe's coming here, too. Maybe you know why Madame Rouge is missing. My point is there is something very special about them and you know what the Brotherhood wants. If you want us to protect them, we need to know what it is."

Batman stared at her with unblinking eyes. "You are much smarter than you appear, Raven," he said. "I only wish Robin was as keen as you." Sighing, he explained, "Here is the truth, Raven. Two years ago, they were involved in an accident near a nuclear reactor. Malcolm was struck in the head. After the accident, he was tested and placed in trauma care but was declared relatively unharmed. Anna, however, was not as lucky. She absorbed a heavy amount of radiation that caused cellular degeneration. Her body is slowly collapsing on itself, starting with her brain. The cellular degeneration courses through her veins like a disease and is slowly eating away at her brain like a tumor. As of now, it has been very slow. It's been two years since then and she has shown little damage, only a few instances of mental insanity."

"Insanity?"

"Only a few relapses. The Brotherhood of Evil, in my opinion, wish to capture her to somehow extract the cellular degeneration from her blood and mutate it to make it fast-acting. Somehow they wish to create a weapon from it. Imagine the possibilities—a weapon that can cause instant cellular degeneration."

"That sounds like the Brotherhood."

"That is why I need the Teen Titans to protect them. The Brotherhood of Evil cannot get their hands on her. I need you to watch over them until scientists are able to reverse the cellular degeneration. I am trying my best to find one as well. And as for Madame Rouge, I believe she may be working undercover. The ability to shape shift and take other people's form is incredibly dangerous so be careful, okay?"

"I see. Thank you for telling me."

"I am sorry, Raven. I should have told you five beforehand."

"We won't disappoint you, sir. We will protect the Crowe's."

The Dark Knight nodded. "Batman out."

The screen flickered to black.

Raven put her communicator back and walked out the bathroom. "What took you so long?" Beast Boy said.

"Whatever, let's just go," she said in a bored expression. Noticing that the Crowe's were at a hot dog stand nearby, Raven caught a glimpse of them. They were both happy. Smiling. Laughing. The sorceress cocked her head slightly to one side. Malcolm Crowe looked up and made eye contact with Raven. Anna looked up and followed her husband's line of sight. She, too, made eye contact with her.

Raven shuddered.

Beast Boy pulled her away.

For some odd reason, she felt as if there was something else about them, something that perhaps even Batman did not know. Some very strange.

…

The day proceeded with Beast Boy dragging Raven around the entirety of Andern Falls, from the mountains to the beach to the theme park. At one point in the theme park, Beast Boy won Raven a stuffed unicorn toy, to which she replied flatly, "It's so fluffy, I'm going to die."

Years later, Beast Boy had assumed Raven had thrown the toy away the day she got it. It wasn't until he found it next to her bed that he realized she had kept it all these years.

Another time, they were about to attend a magic show until Beast Boy recognized the magician as an ex-con whom he had encountered and fought while in the Doom Patrol. Realizing that he couldn't let the man see him, Raven cast a temporary spell on him, giving Beast Boy the appearance of a man with cream colored skin and dark red hair. When the magician picked Beast Boy as a volunteer, the changeling quickly made up a name to hide his identity as a former Doom Patrol member. Raven laughed slightly as she watched him make up a name on the spot. For the next hour until the spell wore off, she referred to Beast Boy as the name he had made—Mr. Jeremy Rousseau.

After several hours, Beast Boy pushed his way across a crowd of people, calling out Raven's name. "Raven? Raven? Where is she?" he grumbled. "She was just here... How'd I lose her?" Pushing through flocks of tourists, he eventually found a girl with short, dark hair. "Raven! There you are!" he exclaimed as he placed his hands on the girl. She turned around.

Beast Boy came face to face with a young Japanese girl around his age. "Whoops!" he said, blushing. "My bad."

She smiled warmly. "It's alright."

"Who's that, Yumi?" a shorter blonde haired boy with large glasses said as Beast Boy walked away.

"It's nothing, Jeremie. He had the wrong person. Where did you say Ulrich was?"

Beast Boy continued walking along until he bumped into his fellow Titans.

"Have you guys seen Raven?" Beast Boy asked them. The three Titans looked at him in surprise.

"She wasn't with you?" Cyborg said.

"No, I lost her. I have no idea where she is."

"We haven't seen her," Robin replied. "Have you tried checking her communicator?"

"I did," Beast Boy said. "There's no signal."

"No signal? That can't be—" he took out his own communicator and tried to contact Raven. There was nothing but static. "Raven! Raven!" He sighed and realized Beast Boy was telling the truth.

"Perhaps Raven had lost her communicator somehow?" Starfire wondered.

"Well this IS Raven we're talking about here," Cyborg muttered. "So what if she's lost? She can fly, can't she? AND have we forgotten all her other powers? She can make her way to Hell and back without a scratch. There's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, you're right," Beast Boy sighed. "Still I can't help but—" An ear-piercing scream from the communicator interrupted his sentence. His heart skipped a beat. "Raven?" he said as he fumbled open his communicator. "Raven, is that you? Are you okay?"

Another scream. Beast Boy looked up at the other Titans. Their eyes were wide open. "Raven's in trouble!" he said to them.

Robin opened his communicator and yelled into it. "Raven! Raven, is that you? Can you hear me? Raven!" There was no reply.

"Something is wrong," Starfire said. "We must find Raven!"

"It's almost dark, too!" Cyborg said as he rubbed his temples. This was the second time in two days that they had to search for a missing Titan. "I'll go inform the police that she's missing."

"I shall go search in the mountains," Starfire said before flying off.

"I'll check the theme park and the hotel," Robin said.

"Wait, where do I go?" Beast Boy said frantically.

"Uh, check in the forest," came the reply as Robin boarded his R-Cycle.

"The—the forest? You mean the creepy forest full of who-knows-what?"

"They're called animals, Grass Stain," Cyborg replied. "Surely you know of them."

"It's gonna be dark, too... Ugh, why me?" Beast Boy complained. Transforming into an eagle, he flew into the skies and soared towards the forest. "Stupid Raven," he thought. "How does a superhero get lost like that? Making me go in a forest. A dark and creepy forest." He suddenly recalled her scream and shuddered. Remembering that Raven might be in danger, he quickly forgot all his complaints and flew as fast as he could towards the forest.

Reverting back into human form near the edge of the dark forest, Beast Boy immediately felt a prick of fear trail down his spine. "R—Raven!" he called. There was no response except for a the rustling of leaves. "Raven! Where are you?" he called again. "Raven? Raven!" He continued calling her name as he went deeper and deeper into the woods. "Yo! Raven! Raven the Rockhead! Rockhead Raven?" he sighed in frustration. Where could she be?

Deeper and deeper into the forest he went, continuously calling out her name until his throat hurt. After about fifteen minutes, Beast Boy began shivering, not from the cold air but from the creepiness of the forest. He jumped every time an owl hooted or a bird flew towards him or a rabbit grazed his foot. Beast Boy's brisk walk slowed down into fearful lurch as he felt a shadow approach him. He had the prickly sensation that he was being watched, that there was something—or someone—behind him. Shivering and sweating in fear, he slowly turned around, eyes forcibly shut. Facing the shadow, he slowly opened his eyes, ready to face death.

"Raven!" he shouted as he instantly bounced forth and hugged her. "Dude you scared me so much! Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you!" Shaking off his fear and laughing that he felt scared at all, Beast Boy looked up at her to see a red rock of a face glaring at him.

"Get. Off. Of. Me."

He gulped. "Yes ma'am." He instantly obeyed and dusted off his outfit. "Phew! It's a good thing you're safe and sound." His smile suddenly turned into a frown. "Wait a sec! You're fine!" Pointing an accusatory finger at Raven, he said, "How come you're here? We were all worried sick about you! We thought you were in danger!"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "There's no signal here. I couldn't contact you guys."

"Why are you here in the first place?"

"Well you were latched on to me like a little parasite so I decided to walk into the forest a bit. I got off the trail and I got lost."

"Yeah, right. Why did you stay here? You could've just flown out. You're a superhero!"

"I sensed a presence here so I stayed. I figured maybe one of the tourists got lost. I stayed in here to try to find anyone who was lost and help them. Eventually I did find a lost tourist. He turned out to be you."

Beast Boy raised his finger as if to bring up another point. "Wait, so why did you scream into your communicator? We thought you were in danger."

"Scream?" Raven raised an eyebrow from under her hood. "I never screamed."

"Yeah, you did! We all heard a scream—two screams!—come from our communicators. And it was your voice."

"Beast Boy," she replied calmly. "Look at me. Am I a scream-y person? At all?"

He opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it as he realized how right she was. Raven never screamed. "But then… who was that?" he wondered aloud. Raven taciturnly began walking and was followed by an anxious Beast Boy. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"The guide said there was a small restaurant inside the forest, right? A rest stop for tourists. I can sense it nearby. If we find it, we'll be able to find a trail leading back outside."

"Why don't we just fly out now?" he asked.

"I'm hungry. Aren't you?" she said simply. "Why don't we stop and eat before we leave?"

"Uh, alright sure. I'm starving!" Beast Boy smiled as he walked alongside his blue-cloaked friend.

Raven rolled her eyes. It was almost pitiful how gullible Beast Boy was. That was one of the worst lies she had ever crafted and yet he still bought it. When she and Beast Boy had been walking down a nearby trail with the other tourists, she had slipped away and walked into the forest. She had seen the Crowe's walk into the forest and followed them but eventually lost their track. After about an hour of searching for the Crowe's, she had given up and was prepared to leave. But something else was drawing her deeper into the forest. She couldn't tell what it was but she felt like she wanted to stay longer. She decided to go just a little bit further before giving up and flying back outside.

Then she had bumped into Beast Boy. Now, the feeling that made her stay was still there, and she wanted to stay just a bit longer to find out what it was. Eventually the two came to an area filled with smoke. Beast Boy coughed as he waved the smoke away, revealing a rabbit skull hanging from a tree branch by a string. He jumped back in shock. Raven ignored him and kept on walking. The smoky fog started to clear, revealing to them a small, wooden house. It seemed dilapidated and falling apart; the paint on its wood was chipped and old. There were many animal carcasses hanging from the trees and scattered on the ground, not to mention live chickens and a stray black cat clucking and hissing as they walked around the area. There were bells that clinked rather than chimed and a great black pot boiling just outside the house. There was a large sign crudely written with white paint—"WELC ME TO MYST RIOUS GARDEN"—with the 'O' and the 'E' faded and gone.

"This must be the restaurant," Raven said calmly. She was a little disgusted with the sight. What kind of resort has a restaurant like this? It was strange—she half-expected some kind of magical sight. Shrugging it off, she decided to go eat inside the restaurant anyway, as Beast Boy looked famished and she was a bit hungry, herself. She led Beast Boy inside. He had resumed his fearful shivering once again.

"This place is creepy with a capital 'C'," he said as they walked into the restaurant. It was more a vacant cabin with tables and chairs than a restaurant. "Hello?" he called. "Anyone here?" There was no response. He saw that Raven was casually walking around the room, examining the strange items that were strewn around the shelves—mounted animals that were the victims of taxidermy, strange contraptions, record-players and clocks that looked like they were created in the eighteenth century, talismans, voo-doo dolls, among other things. Most appealing to the two Titans were strangely shaped bottles of various colors. Raven carefully reached up, wrapped her fingers delicately around a red bottle with a mouth shaped like a bird's beak, and pulled it down. "Rosé wine?" she mumbled. "How nice. It must taste great."

"Rose Petal wine," a voice called. The two Titans instantly turned around and saw a dark man with a sullen face. He had smooth black but graying hair with a receding hairline, and eyes that squinted under twin bushy eyebrows. He had small lips that rested above a stubble on his chin and bore a scar across his left cheek. He was dressed as a chef, but his clothes were brown rather than white due undoubtedly to years of hard work. His arms were large with a few strands of hair on his forearm and his legs were equally as strong. He spoke with a slight French accent with a deep voice reminiscent of a cello. "Not rosé," he repeated. "Rose Petal wine."

"Rose Petal?" Raven said. "Sounds interesting."

"Oh, it is," the man said simply.

"Um… Actually we were just leaving! Hehe…" Beast Boy said. Nudging towards Raven, he whispered, "Let's get outta here, Rae. We can eat at the hotel. I don't really want to—"

"Boiled chicken soup is $10. Braised is $15," the cook said sternly as if he hadn't heard a thing.

"Chicken?" Beast Boy said worriedly. "Sorry, but I don't really eat—I mean unless you have something else, then I'm afraid we'll have to go—"

The chef threw a large butcher knife he was holding onto the ground, causing both Titans to jump. It stuck out of the ground in an unsightly manner. "You can also do half and half," he said curtly before walking back out.

Raven and Beast Boy looked at each other with the same disconcerted expression. "We're in for some dinner," she said monotonously. He agreed as they sat down together.

…

Moments after they ordered, the cook returned with a pot of boiling chicken and two bowls. He placed the bowls before the two customers and the pot in between them. Beast Boy looked down into his bowl as the cook poured some soup into it. It was a yellow-ish soup with a couple vegetables—he spotted a slice of carrot, a few beans here and there, an asparagus, and some seaweed. The cook then placed a serving of chicken into the bowl. He grimaced, silently praying for the soul of the chicken that lay before him. Raven semi-eagerly raised her bowl as she anticipated the same treatment, but was surprised to see the cook give Beast Boy another serving of chicken. Then another. Finally it was Raven's turn as she said politely, "It looks delicious." She only got one serving.

Before the cook left, he began curiously examining Beast Boy. "You… why are you green?" he asked unceremoniously.

"Oh…" Beast Boy said. "It's because I had this virus in me when I was a little boy. It's a life-threatening one called Sakutia. My parents managed to develop a cure that caused me to be green."

"Is it… dangerous?"

"It's dormant."

"Oh good," the cook said. "You… you're not sick or anything, are you? No cancer? No leukemia?"

"Um… no." He eyed the chef suspiciously and saw that Raven was doing the same.

"Of course not. You're a superhero after all." This elicited a surprised look on both Titans' faces. "Eat well," the chef said. "That's from my heart."

He then turned towards Raven. "Miss…?"

"Raven," she answered.

"Raven, ah what a nice name," the chef said. He gave her a hint of a warm smile. "Raven… It's nice to see you."

"Uh… Nice to meet you," Raven said, trying her best to sound natural. "You—uh—you must like making wine."

"Oh this?" the cook looked behind her and examined the differently colored bottles. "It's more of a necessity than a hobby," he said. Pointing towards each one, he named them out loud. "Rose Petal wine, White Crystal wine, Emerald Water wine, Lotus Flower wine…"

"Strange names," she muttered.

"They're… medicinal wines," the man said with a lowered voice. "Medicinal wines… for my daughter."

"Your daughter? Is she sick?"

The man looked down at Raven, locking their eyes together. Looking straight at Raven's face, almost through her face, the man said with a cold voice, "That seems to be her fate."

Raven blinked. The man left them wordlessly. Raven and Beast Boy shared a glance before they began eating their food.

…

"Yeah, we just arrived at the hotel. We'll be up there any second now," Beast Boy said to his communicator. "Alright, Robin." He placed the communicator back into his pocket as he and Raven walked out of the taxi, which had brought them to the hotel after they left the forest. "Why'd you accept those?" he asked, pointing to two red bottles of wine in Raven's hands.

"They were a gift," she said. "An adult offered them so I took it. It's called manners. Something you clearly lack."

"How do I lack manners?"

"You didn't even touch your chicken. Didn't you see that look the chef gave you when he saw you only eating soup and vegetables?"

"I don't eat meat, you know that! I've been chickens before!"

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. She handed one bottle to Beast Boy. "Here," she said. "A thank-you gift."

"'Thank-you gift'?" he asked as he took the red bottle. "Thank you for what?"

"For coming to save me," Raven said simply. "I wasn't in any danger, but thanks anyway. And thanks for dragging me out of the hotel to have some… fun."

He smiled. "Sure thing, but I'd rather not drink anything with unknown origins."

"Beast Boy, just go and grow a pair. It's not every day I give you a thank-you gift so just take it."

"Fine!" he stuck out his tongue. "Rose Petal wine. Wonder what it tastes like…?" His eyebrows shot up. "Wait a second, this is alcohol! We're not allowed to have alcohol!"

"We're eighteen," Raven replied as they entered the hotel and entered the elevator. "We're legally adults. Isn't that enough?"

"You're supposed to be twenty-one, Raven!"

"Unless you've forgotten, we're in France," Raven said. "The legal drinking age is eighteen. Which is why the chef sold it to us because he knew we were eighteen. And besides, it's medicinal wine. It's good for you."

"Good to know you enjoy buffing yourself up with alcohol…" he muttered as the elevator doors closed and began its trek up.

"All I'm saying is," she said as she left. "Take the present and go, okay? Don't be such a—such a "Beast Boy" and take it. Drink it or not, it's your choice. But you've never had alcohol before so might as well try it now, right?"

"I guess…" he said. "Wait, you've had alcohol?"

"I'm Azarathean. We drink wine like it's water."

"You are some girl…"

"Strangely, I'm more of a man than you."

"Come on…"

"Hey, not my fault you're… a Beast Boy."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's nothing," she said.

"No really… what does that mean?"

"Well, you—you're Beast Boy. You're the quirky, weird, immature kid of the team."

"What?" he said, his hurt eyes betraying his calm expression.

"You're like our Steve Urkel," she said, not realizing she was insulting him. "Or our Joey Tribbiani."

Beast Boy's eyebrows lowered. "Well, it's better than being the creepy witch everyone's scared of," he fired back. "That's like—like Ursula or the Wicked Witch of the West."

Raven glared at him horribly and slapped him across the face. "I'm a what?" she cried as the elevator door opened. "A—a witch?" Beast Boy was silent. "You know who else called me a witch?" she demanded. "Terra. When she betrayed us to Slade she called me a witch." She immediately walked out, but not before giving him a cold stare and saying, "It's funny. You two must be meant for each other. You two think the exact same way."

"What's Terra got to do with this?" he said. "That's what you always do, isn't it? Every time I get close to you, you have to insult me and walk away! It's always like this!"

"Insult you?" Raven hissed. "I was just trying to make a joke. I didn't realize that you'd be offended by the fact that you're always the one who's never serious! If you were maybe a tiny bit responsible or adult-like, you'd get some respect. It was just a joke so forget it!"

"You think it's funny to make fun of me? Fine. But just remember you're the one who's always locked up inside your room thinking you're better than everyone. You're the one who always yells at me when I take something and then refuse to explain to me why that's so important because 'I wouldn't understand'. Even the one time I tried to understand you, you still screamed at me." His blood was boiling. "You know what's the difference between you and everyone else? If it weren't for the Teen Titans, I'd still have the Doom Patrol, Starfire'd still have Tamaran, Cyborg would still have his dad, and Robin would still have Batman. And you? You have no one. If it weren't for the Teen Titans, you wouldn't even have any friends!" The doors closed before him as Raven marched furiously down the hall.

Angrily kicking the elevator, he cursed under his breath. "That Raven…" he muttered. As the doors slid open on the floor above, he walked out, clutching the Rose Petal wine in his hand. Opening the door to his room, he walked inside. Cyborg was fast asleep on the bed while Robin was sitting on the chair with his head down. The latter raised his hand and waved slightly as Beast Boy walked towards him. He was probably going to be asleep within a few minutes, Beast Boy thought.

The changeling walked out onto the balcony of his hotel room, sitting peacefully on a chair and placing the wine on the table. "You want me to grow a pair?" he said to no one in particular. "Fine, I'll drink it. I'll drink the whole thing and show you how much of a man I can be." He unscrewed the bird-shaped top and smelled the wine warily. It smelled just like fresh roses.

On the balcony of the room just below his own sat Raven. "That little Beast Boy," she grumbled. "Freaking… annoying little worm. How dare he say those things about me? She eyed her wine. "Rose Petal wine," she said to herself. "Maybe you'll help me forget today. I wonder if you're as good as the wine on Azarath." She unscrewed the top and smelled the delicious liquor.

Both Titans slowly brought the bottles to their lips and drank the wine.

…

That night as they slept, a mysterious thunder roared and a gust of wind howled though no lightning could be seen. Beast Boy's loud snoring and awkward body position suddenly ceased as he slowly moved himself into a regular sleeping position. In the room under him, Raven's body slowly spread to odd positions and she started snoring with one of her feet poking out from the blanket.

The next morning, Raven slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a large mechanical man snoring before her. "C—Cyborg?" she thought, not yet fully awake. "What's Cyborg doing on my bed?" Closing her eyes once again, she thought, "What a weird dream."

Beast Boy's eyes peeled open as he felt an arm wrapped around his midsection. "What the?" he thought, peering through the mess of red hair. "Is that Starfire? Why is Starfire hugging me? Whoa, this is some sweet dream."

Raven opened her eyes once again. "This dream feels so real," she thought. "Better wake up and meditate now." She closed her eyes and opened them. Nothing happened. She tried again. She couldn't wake up. She tried pinching her nose and mouth shut. She still didn't wake. "What the…?" Raven thought. "Am I—"

Beast Boy placed his hands on Starfire's arm and carefully placed it off his body. "Whoa…" he thought. "My pecs are huge! Finally my workouts paid off." Gently placing his hands on them, he noticed how soft they were. "Wait…" he thought. "Am I—"

Raven jumped up off the bed and bumped into a nightstand. "What the?" she said as she looked around and saw Cyborg and Robin in her room. She looked at her green arms and felt her body, making her way down to her groin section. Her eyes widened.

Beast Boy jumped off his bed and examined his clothes and gray skin. He felt his waist, his face, and his chest. His eyes widened.

Two screams filled the hotel. "AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

NOW they're switched, nice and proper. Sorry about tricking you guys into they were switched in the last chapter. I couldn't resist ;) Please don't kill me... Some of the questions from the last chapter were answered only for more to appear! Who was that mysterious chef in the woods? The world may never know... Well, it will eventually.

REVIEW and tell me who YOU think it is! Hint: He's not an original character... Hint Hint: He may be in disguise...