Chapter 3:Explanation.

"Beast Boy, you need to tell me what happened."

Usurper. Challenge. Defeat.

"Dude, I'm telling you, I don't know! I can't remember anything!"

"Man, why did the Beast get loose? I mean, I gave you a cure…"

Weak.

"Please, friend, you must tell us what is wrong, otherwise we cannot help you."

Fool.

"Seriously, man, you need to remember!"

Discipline.

"Beast Boy-"

"Friend, why do you clutch your head in such a manner? Are you unwell?"

Show who Alpha.

"SHUT UP!" Beast Boy's voice carried enough of a bark to command the floor. "I can't think with you three shouting at me!" His team mates looked stunned, and he took this opportunity to speak, before Robin recovered his composure. "Look, guys, if you'll give me a minute, I can explain everything about him-"

"Him?"

"The Beast, Cyborg, but I can't if you keep interrupting me like that!"

"Alright man, so tell us."

Beast Boy took several deep breaths to calm down. "Alright, the first thing you need to get your heads around is this: the Beast is me. Not some demonic possession, not some Hulk-like alter ego, but me."

"Friend, I truly do not understand. If he is you, then why does he act so cruelly?"

"Because he's a…simplified…me. Kinda like, if I want something, I'll ask for it, and if I can't have it, I'll leave it. He just takes it."

"So he's basically Beast Boy's Id." Raven supplied from the corner she had occupied.

"Yeah, exactly."

"Hold up, little man. Where'd you find out what "Id" means?"

"Forbidden Planet. Great movie. But anyway, he's my subconscious. He's not 'evil', unless I am. The next thing you need to know, is that he's not new."

"But, the chemicals-"

"The chemicals, Robin, gave him a form, but his voice has been whispering in my ear ever since I got my powers. He's not something an injection can cure; he's the voice of my instincts."

Raven tried to process this information, and failed miserably.

"So…how often does he talk to you?"

"All the time."

"All the time being, like, every day?" Cyborg's voice held a tinge of desperation, and Raven could tell he felt way out of his depth.

"No, all the time being all the time."

"So, he's talking to you now?"

"Yes."

"What's he saying?"

"What?"

"If we know what sort of things he's saying, we can deal with it more easily."

"…Okay, right now he wants me to beat the crap out of you, Robin. And, to a lesser extent, Starfire and Cyborg."

The silence that followed his statement went on too long for Beast Boy's liking.

"Well, good thing that wasn't unexpected." Thankfully, and most unusually, Raven was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry, you want to attack me?"

"In a way."

"Do I get to know why?"

"Several reasons, I guess, but the main one is the fact that you're Alpha."

"…What does that mean?"

"You're the boss. Wolf metaphors work well in describing his way of thinking. Basically, he views this team as his 'pack', and in a pack, the strongest leads."

"And he believes he is the strongest?" Starfire's voice was laced with concern. She did not wish to see any of her friends fight, and Robin least of all.

"Care to argue with him on that one?"

"….Good point."

"So, to recap, Beast Boy's subconscious has been given a form powerful enough to do whatever the hell it wants."

"Yeah."

"And amongst the things it wants is to inflict serious pain on three fifths of the team?"

"Yeah."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"Whilst Cyborg's expression is crude, I share his sentiments. What are we gonna do about it?"

"We could, perhaps, try to give the Beast what it wants? Maybe we should allow it to lead on the next mission?"

"Not a good idea, Star."

"Why?"

"He doesn't get the whole 'prison' thing. To him, it's a hunt, and he never gets why we don't eat the criminal once we've beaten them."

"…Oh. So what would you suggest?"

"I really don't know. But until we've got this sorted out, I'm not going on missions."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm a little uncomfortable about going out there knowing that the instant he gets control I could attack any one of you, and kill whoever we're fighting!" Beast Boy sounded on the verge of mania, and Raven knew he couldn't take much more of this.

"I suppose that makes sense. But how are we going to deal with this?"

"I don't know. I just don't know."

"I suppose we'd better sleep on it. Beast, Boy, do you think you would be okay in here tonight?"

"Yeah, no problem, Rob."

As they filed out, Raven saw that Beast Boy had a distant look on his face, as though he were deliberating something in his mind. Unsurprising, really.

"Hey, Raven?"

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I talk to you for a bit?"

Strange. He never really went to her if there was something he wanted. "Sure." She turned and sat on the chair next to his bed.

"Before we talk, could you get these chains off me, please?" Seeing Raven hesitate, he continued. "Don't worry, he's calm now. He only gets aggravated around Robin, really."

"Why Robin?"

"That's what I want to talk to you about."

Raven internally shrugged, and freed him from his bonds.

"Thanks."

"So, what's the problem with Robin?"

"Raven…" Beast Boy looked decidedly nervous as he continued "what would you say if I told you that I wasn't completely truthful when I talked to Robin earlier?"

"Well-" Beast Boy gave a pre-emptive wince as she spoke "it depends. If you told me the truth immediately, and gave a good reason why you lied, then I might understand."

"It wasn't really lying, I just…you know…missed some bits out." Raven sat impassively, waiting for him to continue. "It mainly has to do with the incident that created the Beast's form in the first place." Raven's continued silence was the only response. "To speed this up, how much did the others tell you about what happened?"

"Not much, just that they found me in your teeth and you attacked them, but also saved them from Adonis."

"Who told you that?"

"Robin."

"That explains it."

"explains what?"

"Most of that is…well, lie is the wrong word, but it's a bit…what's the word where it's true for one person but not for another?"

Raven thought for a moment. "Subjective?"

"I'll take your word for it, but yeah, that." Raven rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I did fight them, but they struck the first blow. From the point of view of the Beast, he was defending himself from a challenger and a mutinous pack."

"How do you remember this?"

"I don't. He told me."

"And you trust him?"

"And you trust Robin?"

Raven was puzzled by the question. "Of course."

"Well, I'd believe myself over him anyday, especially when it's over something like this, when the Boy Wonder screwed up."

Raven indicated the conceded point with a nod of the head.

"The Beast thinks he's weak. That he's a poor Alpha. He also thinks Cyborg and Starfire need 'discipline'."

"What did they do?"

"They sided with Rob."

"Whilst we're going through the team, what's his opinion on you?"

Beast Boy looked nonplussed by the question. "What do you mean?"

Raven sighed, exasperated. "What is the Beast's opinion on Beast Boy?"

It was Beast Boy's turn to sigh. "I told you guys earlier, the Beast is me. From the point of view of his voice, there isn't a difference."

"Oh. So, what does it think of me?"

Beast Boy was silent for a moment, staring at nothing. "I'm not sure. He's quiet around you."

"Really?" Raven wasn't quite sure what to make of this.

"Yeah. As far as I can tell, he thinks you're the only 'loyal' pack member."

"Oh." Raven couldn't help but feel slightly flattered at this. "Well, if you're done talking, I'm gonna get some sleep. We'll figure this out in the morning."

"Okay." Raven turned to go. "And…thanks."

"It was nothing." Raven walked out the door, and Beast Boy slipped into dreams of the hunt.