BB paused outside Raven's door. This was wrong, he knew it, but he really wanted some dirt on her. It was now or never. Raven was out with Cyborg somewhere, and Robin had finally plucked up the courage to ask Starfire out, and they were out on their first date. He was all alone in the tower.
He pressed the button that opened the door and gazed into the dark, shadowy room.
Finding her diary was hard work. Raven knew how to hide things and he had trouble getting into her head and knowing where she would have hidden it.
Getting into her head…
Cyborg had said that she would know when he was in Nevermore. But it was the best chance he would have, since he couldn't find the diary.
Finding the mirror was also hard. Lifting a book on her bedside table he saw it. Then he took a closer look at the book. She kept a scrapbook. He leafed through the pages and saw lots of photos of his friends, but a lot of him he noticed. Then he turned a page and there was a large photo of him. Drawn around it was a heart in gold and it looked like she had kissed the picture. Surely she couldn't be in love with him! That would be too good to be true!
He picked up the mirror and fell into Nevermore with the album in his arms.
He walked for a long time trying to find one of her emotions to talk to about this.
Happy bounced up and engulfed him in a hug. Ok that was a little weird. BB knew that Happy was one of the strangest emotions in Raven's head, but being hugged by anyone that looked like Raven was a startling experience.
"Hi!" she said brightly.
"Hello."
"Why are you here?"
"I need to talk to all of Raven's emotions. Well, not Rage. Can you call a meeting of all of them?"
"Sure. Go up to that ledge there and wait. It won't take a second."
BB watched her skip off and changed into a raven and flew up to the rocky ground. This looked like a meeting place alright.
Within a few seconds the emotions phased through the ground and perched delicately on rocks. Knowledge remained standing.
"Now, Beast Boy has called this meeting, illegally I might add. What seems to be the problem?"
"Raven's been acting strange recently, and I wondered if you could shed some light on the subject."
"How so?"
"I can't really explain it. There was a new emotion I saw before she sent you all back here. This one had a lilac cloak. Who is she?"
"Surely you must know. She is Love."
"See, here in Nevermore, Knowledge is like the king, but Love is like the queen. But she's a little new." Happy added cheerfully.
"I think I vaguely understand how her emotions work. Put me right if I go whizzing off track. When Raven feels something new another one of you emotions is formed, is that right?"
"Almost." Knowledge paused. "Raven's emotions have to be controlled almost all the time, mainly because she has more power than almost any super being in the universe and could destroy all of it in a second. That is why she spends all her spare time meditating. When she is meditating she is building barriers for all of us. When a new emotion is formed she has to work extra hard to control it. Love was the hardest. Any love is hard to control but her love…she very nearly didn't come through. If we weren't here, she couldn't have done."
"Do you know why though?" a voice called from the emotions. The emotion with the lilac cloak rose from her seat and glided over. She walked like a beauty queen and there was a beautiful smile on her face. She blushed as she got nearer BB.
"Hello. I am Love. Raven's love anyway. It was such a struggle to contain me, and she still hasn't succeeded as well as she could have done. Do you want to know why? Because she didn't want to. A part of her, a rather large part, wanted me to be free. She wants to feel love, but then Little Miss Rational here stopped her." Love stopped blushing and smiling and turned to glare at Knowledge.
Knowledge returned it. BB could feel the tension between them.
"For the good of everyone! I had to do it! No one wants her to be happy as much as I do, but you've seen all the damage that's already been done because of your promotion. You could be more dangerous than Rage, and we all know what that does to her."
"Rage is pure hatred, I am the opposite!"
"Not completely. Rage is one of your children." Knowledge turned to the other emotions. "Would all of her children please rise?"
Happy bobbed to her feet. Jealousy looked angrily at her before rising. Hesitantly Timid got up. Surprisingly Brave stood. Some others who BB hadn't yet met also got to their feet.
"Yeah, great, but I need to know one thing. Who is she in love with?" BB protested glaring at Knowledge and Love.
They shared a look and Knowledge shook her head while Love nodded.
"Love, you can't! Raven told us not to!"
"You're the geek here, Knowledge, in chess which is the more powerful? The king," she pointed at Knowledge. "Or the queen?" indicating herself.
"You want Raven to destroy you then fine. Go ahead. Blow her secret. Just remind me to put you down for a big I told you so."
"She won't destroy me, and we both know why. Without this love she would be pure rage. Without him she couldn't live."
"Who is it?"
Love looked at him and gave him a smile full of pity. He looked downcast. Oh.
"Oh."
"I see your heart, and it is strong. And what you feel is strong. I may not have been created until a year or so ago, but I still saw what happened. Malchior and how you reacted. How you react to her in everyday life. I also see how she reacts to you, and the pain behind the sarcasm."
"You mean…me?"
Love smiled sweetly and glided over to him and kissed him on the lips before sending him back out towards the forbidden door.
Before he left he turned to look back at the meeting rock and could plainly see Knowledge and Love arguing fiercely. Chuckling quietly he passed though the door.
Raven's room was dark and creepier than usual. Somehow it felt ominous.
"See anything interesting on your travels?" a cold voice said from the shadows.
BB closed his eyes and turned. At first he couldn't see anything. Then Raven's eyes loomed out closely followed by the rest of her. Her eyes were white and giving off sparks.
Oh bugger.