Ta da! More depressing stuff! And the Rob/Rae lovers should ADORE Love now.

Disclaimer: if it changes, please tell me

Chapter 3

Raven sighed as she examined her wounds. She still walked with a limp, so she had been levitating everywhere. Unfortunately, that was taking away from her precious energy, so it was quite a relief to sit down for a while.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. And thought about Robin. She had been too hard on him, she knew, and now he needed her, but she couldn't be there for him. She wondered what he was doing with himself now that he was alone. He had sounded so...sad when he had talked to her. She'd never heard him so emotional before.

Sometimes when she closed her eyes, she could still see his surprised expression when she had blasted him off of the roof of the Tower. Now more than ever she regretted that. She had caused him to be stuck in the hospital, and prevented him from getting to Starfire in time. But he thought that it was her fault she was this way, poor thing. She could tell by the way he had been talking to her, he was a broken man.

At least now when she thought about him, there was no hatred in her mind. Now she only knew guilt and sadness when his name came up. She had let her own feelings get in the way, and perhaps caused the destruction of her best friend. And all because she had let herself open up enough to love. She feared she would never love again.

"Raven?" Beast Boy's voice interrupted her thoughts. She opened her eyes to see his concerned face in front of him. She tried to fake a smile, but it didn't work. "What's wrong?" the changeling asked, concern edged in his voice.

She sighed. "I was just thinking about everything that's happened. It's all my fault, Beast Boy, and I can't keep going on like this!" she choked back her tears.

"Oh, Raven," he sighed, sitting down beside her and smiling encouragingly. "It's not your fault. You couldn't help it that the xinothium got into your system!"

"But that's just it! I lost control when Doctor Light was trying to hurt Starfire, and I only made the problem worse! If I hadn't been so wrapped up in my own feelings, this never would have happened!" she shouted, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Don't say that!' he reprimanded. "You had no control over the situation, and nothing that happened was your fault! Stop blaming yourself, Rae!"

She knew he didn't mean anything with that nickname, but it still stung her heart just the same. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed, "I pushed Robin off the cliff, and he was only trying to protect me when he got captured. If I hadn't been there, none of this would have happened, and everything would have been just fine. We'd all be sitting in the Tower together. Starfire..." she choked. "Starfire would be cooking something Tamaranean, and we'd all try to find an excuse not to eat it..." She burst into tears, burrying her face into his chest and letting all her emotions flow out.

He gently stroked her hair, and she felt a little bit better as he whispered, "It's okay, Raven. Just let it all out. It's okay to cry."

She rested her head against his warm embrace. It just felt so right to be here with him. "Beast Boy?"

He looked down lovingly at her. "Yeah, Rae?"

Whatever she had been about to say was lost at the pain that overwhelmed her heart at that name. She turned her head to the other side, silent tears pouring down her cheeks as she tried not to think about the memories that the nickname held for her.

"What's wrong? What did I say?" he asked, concerned.

She sighed. "Nothing," she replied, wiping her tears and sitting up straight. "Thanks for being my pillow," she laughed, trying to change the subject.

He grinned and his eyes sparkled. "Anytime," he replied.

She looked away so that he couldn't see her blushing. "Beast Boy?" she asked.

"Yes?" he replied, eyes shining with anticipation.

As she stared at the ground, she said, "Thanks for being there for me." She heard him give a small squeal, and she laughed slightly. "I know I acted like I hated you, but I only did that so you wouldn't know how I felt, and, well, now that you're here, I'm starting to feel that way again." She sighed. "It's getting confusing again. I thought Robin was the one for me, but you're here too..." She trailed off. But when she looked up, Beast Boy wasn't there.

"What did you do that for!" he shouted as soon as whichever Raven it was had set him down. He shivered; he hated being covered in dark energy, especially when it tore him away from Raven.

"I told you to leave Raven alone!" growled a voice in the trees.

He recognized the tone. "Love? I wasn't doing anything, I promise! Raven was just having a meltdown, and I just happened to be there," he stammered.

Love stepped out into the light, her eyes blazing. "If I ever see you caressing her like that again, you can say goodbye to all your internal organs!" she shouted angrily.

He backed away, but tripped over a root in the forest and landed on his back. "But-"

Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Let me make this as clear as I can. Raven likes Robin. End of story. I can't have you messing up my plans, alright? I hope you understand me when I say that I am the most powerful emotion in here right now besides Anger, and I could take you out right now, but Raven would kill me if I did, so I won't for now, but maybe during battle I may just slip!"

His eyes widened in fear, and he had to keep his voice from faltering. "Okay, I get it," he answered.

As if she had completely changed into a different person, Love grinned broadly. "I'm glad we understand each other!" she laughed, then walked off.

He shook his head in confusion. "I'll never understand girls," he sighed.

TTTTTTTT

A flash of red and white alerted him to Kid Flash's presence, and she turned quickly so that the speedy hero would not have a chance to see what she had been doing. With one hand, she hid the poem from sight, and with the other, she wiped the tears. She would never forgive herself if he knew how badly shaken she was.

"I found a few nuts and bolts, as well as a hand," Kid Flash said, his tone solemn as he laid the parts down. She stared up at him wonderingly, and he sighed. "It just feels weird to be carrying around...someone's body parts."

She winced at the words. Now that he mentioned it... "Yeah, I guess it would be pretty akward. Anything that might fit together yet?" She peered at him and noticed that his hair had flopped over his face. He wouldn't show it, but he was exhausted.

He shook his head. "Nothing yet. Should I go back?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No! You're too tired!" she admonished, sitting him down in the chair forcefully. With a grin and a snap of her fingers, she opened the refrigerator door. Strolling that way, she grabbed a large water bottle and handed it to him. "Drink up; you're going to need your strength."

He grinned cockily at her, that same cocky grin that had pulled her in in the first place. "So you're worried about me?"

She rolled her eyes. "That not what I-"

He laughed happily. "You were worried about me. YES!" Just for show, he did a few laps, but when he was done, he was gasping for breath.

"Well, this worried girlfriend says that you should lay down, alright?" she reprimanded laughingly, practically pushing him back down into the chair.

That's when he saw the poem. "What's that?" he asked, grabbing for it.

"Nothing," she said quickly, grabbing it before he could get to it and hiding it behind her back.

"Come on, don't hide things from me!" he teased, ducking this way and that, trying to get around her to get to the paper. Finally, he rushed behind her faster than she could react and grabbed it from her.

"Hey!" she shouted, actually annoyed.

He laughed. "I'll give it back. Why do you have a crumpled up piece of paper anyway?" he asked as he unfolded it. His eyes widened when he saw the bloody, tear-stained photo. "oh."

She sighed, coming up behind him. "If you really want to know what it is, flip it over," she suggested, reaching around his waist and doing so so that he could see the scrawl on the back.

As he read the poem, his eyes widened, and his mouth made a small "o" shape. He whistled finally, and he whispered, "The kid's really gone off the deep end, hasn't he?"

She nodded. "He really, deeply cared for her. Think about it; how would you feel if right after you and I hooked up I died?"

He stepped back as if an invisible weight had been placed on him. "Don't even joke like that! I'd hate it if you left me! We've been through so much together that..."

She nodded as realization dawned on him. "Don't be too hard on him. He's had to go through a lot lately, and it's only natural," she whispered sadly.

He whistled again. "This is a lot to take in. It all changed so fast," he muttered, sinking farther into the chair.

"Just drink your water, okay?" she suggested, sticking her head out into the hallway and looking both ways, as if expecting something.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

She blushed furiously as she came back inside. "I was just wondering where he went. Red X. He was just here five minutes ago. He must have left when I started crying," she admitted ruefully.

"It's a lot to take in, huh?" he muttered.

She sighed. "When I was in the Hive Five, I never would have cried like this, or even cared about it if I lost someone. But with you guys, you made such good friends and took me in so easily and quickly..." She gulped. "Starfire especially. She was the one who accepted me the easiest, besides you."

"How's that?"

"When I first told the others that I was good, they had a hard time believing it, but not Starfire. She came right up to me and gave me one of her bear hugs..." She sniffed a bit, then continued, "and the others accepted me after much persuasion on her part."

He laughed. "I guess they figured that if you would endure one of those killer hugs, then you were on their side."

She laughed as well, gently ruffling his hair. A sudden, forceful cough at the doorway alerted them to another presence, and she spun around. "How long have you been standing there?" she asked, blushing, as she realized that it was Red X.

He gave a low, short, bark of laughter. "I seem to always walk in at the worst times. But I've learned my lesson; I won't say anything if you two promise not to kill each other by the end of the day," he said sarcastically.

She was a bit shocked at the sardonic manner that X discussed the manner with. "Don't you feel the least bit guilty?" she asked accusingly.

He sighed, turning on his heel and walking towards her with heavy footsteps. "I thought I told you that already. I'd rather not discuss it right now, but please, don't. Bring. It. Up." he said harshly, eyes narrowed.

She was taken aback, but then her eyes glowed angrily. "I can't believe you! You had a part in this whole thing and you're not even sad about it!"

He whirled on her, grabbing her by the arms. Silencing a cry from Kid Flash, he said, "Chill, kid, I'm just having a word with her."

She glared up at him. "It's true, and I'm not going to take it back," she persisted defiantly.

He sighed, his head drooping a bit before snapping back up to meet her eyes. "Listen, kid. I try not to let people know how I feel. There's nothing wrong with that," he said.

"Except that it's what got Robin into this mess in the first place!" she snapped back.

He growled, but still refrained from hurting her. "Look. I know that, okay? Even I'm not that closed. I just deal with grief differently than most people. I've been a lot of places, and seen a lot of things I wish I hadn't, and after a while, the best I can do in this kind of situation is to just keep working and treat it as if it was just another part of life."

He let her go, and she dropped her gaze. Finally, she voiced her fears. "Are any of them really going to make it?"

He sighed in response. "I don't know, but I feel partially responsible, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I fix it," he replied, determination etched into his voice.