Chapter 4: A cheap alternative to therapy.

Raven was up early the next day, an unusual occurrence for her; as she had once revealed to Robin, she was not at her best in the early mornings. However, her sleep had been fitful, and she had found herself jerked into wakefulness by a particularly vivid nightmare. As she sat nursing her fifth cup of tea, she was interrupted by the Tower's resident dawn riser, Robin.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Raven nodded, feeling strangely uncomfortable around Robin after the events of last night, and Beast Boy's startling revelations.

As if sensing her unease, Robin took control of the conversation, something that came naturally to him.

"I've had an idea about how we can resolve Beast Boy's problem, but I thought you should know about it first, it being kinda your field." Robin poured a black coffee with practised ease as he spoke, his back to her.

"What would it involve?" Raven asked, her mind flashing through all the various things that could be deemed her 'field', telekinesis (unlikely), dream interpretation (possible), necromancy (please dear God no)…

"Well, as strange as it may sound, I think that the best way to deal with this would be for each of us to try to reconcile with the Beast."

"And how would you do that?"

"Well…I kinda hoped you could read its mind…"

"You're asking me to delve into the subconscious desires of a teenage boy? Do you know what might be lurking there?"

Robin grinned to himself, pleased that Raven had not been so rattled by the whole situation to lose her sardonic touch.

"Well, not exactly read its mind, just, you know, translate for us." Raven nodded, reassured, but Robin wasn't finished. "However, I don't know how to keep the Beast calm while we're talking. Maybe Beast Boy has some ideas."

'He's quiet around you' Raven recalled Beast Boy's closing words last night, and smiled inwardly, in spite of herself. "I have a feeling he might know."

Robin nodded, businesslike as ever. "Good." Just then Cyborg walked in, a gargantuan yawn announcing his prescence.

"Mornin' y'all."

"So, who should go first? I don't think it should be you, before you volunteer."

"Why not?" Robin tried not to be put out. How was it that everyone seemed to be able to anticipate his reactions lately?

"…Let's just say the Beast's problems with you are more complicated than you thought." Raven cryptically revealed, reluctant to tell Robin what Beast Boy had confided in her.

"Alright, then I think Cyborg should go first."

"Say what? What do you want me to do now?" Cyborg advanced on them, waving a frying pan he had just taken out of the cupboards, no doubt intending to cook up one of his carnivorous breakfasts.

"Robin, do you think you could wake Starfire? I think we should all be there when we do this, and I can explain what we're going to do to Cyborg."

"Okay." Robin tried to maintain a level walk, and to his credit, managed it. There was no trace at all of the excitement in his mind as he went off to wake Starfire. Too bad for him that Raven was empathetic.

"What you gonna do to me?"

Raven smirked to herself at her predictable leader as she outlined the plan- such as it was- to Cyborg.

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"So, your master plan is basically me in a room with that thing, with only you sitting in the corner as backup, in case it tries to kill me?"

Raven nodded, although she was certain that Cyborg was in no real danger. A pity he did not share her confidence.

"Raven, do you know what that thing is capable of?" Cyborg sounded almost hysterical.

"Well, it is a strong fighter, and-"

"It took down me, Star and Rob in about thirty seconds! If it's pissed at me, like B says it is, then it's gonna jump me the moment it gets the chance!"

Raven, although surprised at the clarification of how strong the Beast was, had had enough. She had been talking for nearly ten minutes, trying to persuade Cyborg to go along with the plan, but he had been far from cooperative. And Robin still hadn't got back from Starfire's room. Not that she was making implications or anything, but Starfire's room was a thirty second walk from the Common Room. Seriously, what was he doing?

Shaking her head to expel an unexpected and certainly unwelcome mental image, Raven decided to go for Cyborg's jugular. Figuratively, at least.

"Cyborg, if you don't stop your pointless whining and go along with this, I'll tell Beast Boy about a certain thought file I found from your time with the HIVE when I was healing you…"

Cyborg's face drained of colour, as far as it was able, being semi-robotic. Raven nodded, satisfied that there would be no more problems from him at least.

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Starfire was having a crisis of conscience. In truth, she did not like this unpleasant situation with 'the Beast', and she wished for her friends to resolve their problems as quickly as possible, and she felt that anything that could repair their relationships was worth attempting. But, as she sat behind the two-way mirror that allowed her to witness the events unfolding in the interrogation room, she could not quash the feeling that this was a monumental error of judgment.

When Robin had outlined the plan to her not half an hour ago, she had been unconvinced, but had reluctantly agreed, as she knew that she could not hope to dissuade Robin on her own. She had hoped to find camaraderie with Raven, who she felt sure would not approve of such a foolhardy plan. But no, Raven seemed convinced it was the right course of action, and even Cyborg was strangely silent. The only person who had the courage of their convictions to speak out against this plan was Beast Boy, but it had been a futile struggle. And so she sat, watching two of her dear friends sit within five feet of a creature that could lacerate both of them within three seconds, if it were so inclined.

And, at first, it seemed to be so inclined. It had taken all of her faith in Robin's faculties as a leader to prevent her from smashing through the glass and doing battle with the green behemoth as it had reared up and bared its impressive fangs at Cyborg, who, strangely, had not reacted. Then Starfire had been flabbergasted, as she watched the Beast suddenly stop his violent display, padded over to the corner of the room, and lay down, the picture of confident repose, as if he was aware that the two mostly-humans before him were not here to threaten him. Or that they were no threat at all, and the Beast was merely replete. Starfire had mentally shaking herself, cursing her over reactive imagination.

As Starfire turned back to the scene before her, she noticed that Cyborg had his head bowed, and Raven appeared to be saying something, but the glass prevented her words from reaching the observers. Whatever it was, it seemed to have resonated within Cyborg, because now he was looking at the Beast with an unreadable expression. After a few moments, the Beast shifted back into Beast Boy. However, the interview did not appear to be over, and Beast Boy started talking. Starfire observed that Beast Boy seemed in a much better mood than he had been previously, and had even cracked a joke, as evidenced by the fact that Raven had grabbed her face and seemingly attempted to pull it off, something Starfire had noticed her doing often when Beast Boy was telling jokes. Taking both this and the fact that both her friends had managed to avoid razor-edged death as a positive sign, she looked up hopefully as Cyborg left the room, looking strangely tired for the time of day.

"Friend Cyborg, please, how went your conversation with 'the Beast'?"

"Not now, Star. Let's just say that li'l son-of-a-monkey gave me a lot to think about. Later."

As Starfire watched Cyborg's retreating form, she wondered if that had been a good or bad thing.

"Okay, Star, we'll get you to talk to him tomorrow. Okay?...Star?"

Star snapped out of her contemplations to listen to her leader.

"Tomorrow ..ummm…very well, I believe that will be acceptable." Starfire was unable to conceal the worry in her tone, and she found herself slowly edging away from an emergent Beast Boy.