Well, so you all know, I'm grounded at the moment, and thus have been unable to write on the computer. I found my mom's old laptop and am using that though. Anyways, that's why it's been so long since I have updated.

Ok, well, here goes. Time to see how the Titans react to Raven's problem.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Beast Boy and Raven stood alone in the living room of the tower. Robin had stormed out soon after Starfire left, and Cyborg had gone to try and calm him down.

Raven gazed in despair across the room. Her friends hated her now. They thought she had betrayed them… and maybe she had.

I'm so tired of being here;

Suppressed by all my childish fears.

"Why'd you tell them, Beast Boy?" she asked. All hope was gone from her voice.

"What choice did I have?" he shot back, "We're a team. Its important that we all know this kid of thing is happening.

"Well, now they'll never accept me," she moaned, tears rising in her eyes, "I might as well leave… or die."

"Don't hurt yourself anymore. Leaving is up to you," he said coldly.

And if you have to leave,

I wish that you would just leave,

'Cause your presence still lingers here,

And it won't leave me alone.

"Raven," he said, more kindly. He walked slowly to her and softly turned her head so she was looking into his eyes, "You have to understand. We aren't mad at you. We're mad at ourselves for not being able to help you."

She pushed him away slightly with her powers, turning away from him.

He sighed, "Raven, if you're going to leave, please do it. Don't taunt us with your being here."

Thoughts were careening wildly through the Goth's head. Her friends. Jump City. The Tower. And a sharp blade in the moonlight. Did she really want to leave?

"If you stay here, I'll help you," Beast Boy said, trying to comfort her, "I'll do anything I can."

"You don't understand," she shouted at him, "Nobody can possibly understand! Nobody can help me!"

These wounds won't seem to heal…

"My emotions, they're taking over!"

This pain is just too real…

"And every time you try to help, every time I get closer to you, they get stronger!" she collapsed, weeping bitterly. Now he knew.

There's just too much that time can not erase.

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears.

When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears.

Beast Boy rushed over to the sobbing girl and held her lose. She shook against him as her grief released itself.

"Raven," he whispered softly, "That's not true. I've helped you with your emotions before. Remember you're anger?"

"I nearly died that time…" she said sadly.

"But did you?"

"No… but that was just one time."

"And I was right trying to get you to say you were afraid. If you had, all of that madness wouldn't have broken out," he thought for a minute, "It was pretty cool, though."

"Lucky guess," she mumbled without conviction. She had stopped crying.

I held your hand through all of these years.

But you still have…

All of me…

"But still," he said, "I've always been there for you. And I always will be. And so will the others. Give them time."

Raven nodded, then looked up at him, smiling slightly. She stood and walked slowly to the door.

"Thanks… a lot," she said, looking back, "I'll see you in the morning," Then he disappeared into the darkness.

In Starfire's room, things weren't going to well. Raven, her best friend, had been hurting herself. Everything she had known about the girl had been destroyed.

You used to captivate me

By your resonating life.

Now I'm bound by the life you left behind.

Starfire had changed so much to be Raven's friend, and now it was all wasted.

I can never change back, she realized.

This wasn't the alien's first encounter with self-inflicted injuries. Slowly, she pulled her gloves off and looked at her wrists.

Many thin, light scars crossed the skin the gloves had hidden.

Back on Tamaran, the royal family was required to do some… sacred rituals. Most were normal, but some involved ritualized self-inflicted injuries.

As a child, she had done these rituals many times. Nothing had ever happened… until her father…

It had been on the most sacred holiday on the plant… akin to the Christian's Christmas.

The cuts he had made weren't anything overly bad. Starfire had made them herself several times before. But this time, her father cut a fraction of an inch too deep… he had died within minutes from loss of blood.

Her life changed that day. Blackfire had turned into the evil creature she now was that day. And her mother had died within days from grief. It was also the day Starfire had first made contact with earth… with a group of heroes starting a fledgling crime fighting force for teens.

But that had been for religion. Doing something like that for pleasure, or any other reason, was inconceivable to Starfire.

She closed her eyes, and images of her father rushed back to her.

Your face, it haunts

My once pleasant dreams.

Raven's words from several days before rushed back to her. Calm. Had that been a mask, covering her true self?

Your voice, it takes away

All the sanity in me.

These wounds won't seem to heal.

This pain is just too real.

There's just too much that time can not erase.

Starfire knew that this rift that had formed between her and Raven would never be repaired.

Her wrists twinged. All the thinking had brought the pain back.

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears.

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears.

I held your hand through all of these years.

But you still have…

All of me…

She had stuck with Raven through everything before… and she would now stick by her through this.

In the training room, Robin and Cyborg were arguing.

"Robin, we can't just leave her to fix this herself," Cyborg said, trying to stay calm.

Robin growled and threw a boomerang into the punching bag.

"What are we supposed to do? She's gone. She's by herself now, Cyborg!"

"You don't believe that," Cyborg said quietly.

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone.

"You're right," Robin said, hanging his head. Cyborg walked over and pulled the boomerang out, then he slowly walked back to Robin.

But though you're still with me,

I've been alone all along.

"Robin, you're the leader," he said, looking at the teen before him. Robin raised his eyes to look at him.

"You're alone like that," he continued, "but if you stick by Raven, if you lead us through this like you've led us through everything else, it'll all turn out fine."

He handed the boomerang back, then walked out.

He's right, Robin thought bitterly, She's an important part of the team… she's an important part of our family.

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears.

When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears.

I held your hand through all of these years.

But you still have…

All of me…

I've led the Titans through Slade, Terra, and the Hive. I'm going to do whatever I can to get us through this.

All of me…

He walked slowly out of the door, glancing at the security panel nearby.

All of me…

There was a red dot… but after a moment, it vanished off the screen. After several minutes of watching, Robin was sure it had just been a rat. So he went to bed.

Moments later, security picked up more movement… at the base of the tower. A shadow quietly slipped in, through a back entrance that only the Titans knew about…