I wanted to get this out Saturday, but I've been rather busy. School's in, and that's going to cut into my already-limited time.

Thanks for the feedback on the last chapter everyone, and extra thanks to those who checked out my new fic "Tearing Me Down".

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 24: Painful Reunion

Raven had anticipated his return ever since Beast Boy left. Once Calabos discovered Beast Boy was gone, he would almost certainly come to her. Surely enough, the male half-demon appeared through her doorway, looking angry enough to burst into flames.

"You…petulant, treacherous little succubus!" he hissed. "You knew about this, didn't you?"

"Knew about what?"

"Do not play dumb with me! Your little green elf-friend is gone, and you did not tell me!"

Raven's heart flared in her chest. Beast Boy had escaped!

"Really? That's interesting," Raven said, trying her best to act deadpan, although on the inside she was dancing for joy. "But just what makes you think I knew about it?"

"It is common sense! He would have let you know if he was leaving! You think I am that stupid, daughter of Trigon?" he shouted.

"Could have fooled me, oh son of Caldeon," Raven said smartly. Calabos glared at her with enough intensity to bore a hole through her stomach, but after a moment of silent fury, his expression softened.

"Why do you continue to betray your own race, Raven? I thought as the daughter of Trigon, you'd be different."

"Your own race?" Raven shot back furiously, her blood boiling. "You're a self-hating maniac, you know that? You're just as human as I am, even if only by blood! Unlike you, I don't revel in my dark side! My father does not control me, nor does he determine who I am! I am my own person! Therefore, I don't owe you or my father anything! You are not my family, and as far as I'm concerned, you sure as hell aren't my own race!"

The male demon let out an angry cackle. "How adorable! A demon pretending to be an angel! Do you honestly think you are any less 'evil' than I am?"

Raven paused, but slowly let a small grin formed on her face. "Actually, yes. I think I am." But even she had her doubts, sometimes. It seemed no matter how hard she tried, she just ended up being an instrument for evil. Why did she have to pay for the sins of her father?

Calabos's grin disappeared, leaving only an icy glare. "Let's have a look, shall we?" he said.

Raven instantly felt his presence trying to worm its way into her mind. Raven pushed back with all her might, trying to prevent him from accessing her memories, but it was a vein struggle. If her resistance wasn't evidence enough already of her involvement, her spirit was already weakened, and he broke through her defenses before long.

"I knew it," Calabos whispered in triumph after he was done. "Although, it seems I was only half-right. You sent him away, didn't you?"

"Yes," Raven admitted.

"Really? And just what did you hope to accomplish by convincing him to leave?" Calabos asked.

Raven didn't answer; instead she turned her head away.

"Did you think he actually had a chance out there, Raven?" He appeared next to her, so she was looking at him. "He will not last. My servants will find him, and that will be his end, whether he lives or dies. Suppose he does elude me, though. What then? Is he supposed to find your friends so they can come to your rescue? Do you honestly think he can find them? He will not last out there, Raven. If my servants do not kill him, I assure you something else out there will, and the same thing goes for your other friends!"

He stood over Raven with a sick, triumphant smile.

"The mission you sent him on will only end in his death, Raven. You know this."

Raven couldn't deny she had been worried from the start. She knew it was dangerous, and as soon as he'd left, she had felt guilty for making him leave in the first place. He was stuck in a strange place, with nobody he knew, and he was just supposed get by without a problem? She couldn't bear the thought of him getting hurt, or worse…

A gruesome image of a dead Beast Boy lying in an unknown field flashed in her mind, and she pushed it out as soon as she could. Still, it couldn't stop the guilt weighing her down like a wrecking ball. What if he was right? What if she had sent him to his death?

"He is as good as dead, Raven. Your friends will not come for you. Nobody will come to rescue you," he said triumphantly, deriving a sick pleasure from watching her anguish. She was starting to doubt, and he knew it. With a chuckle, Calabos turned face and exited the room.

He re-appeared moments later in his dark chambers, with the three dark Templar awaiting him.

"You summoned us hear, my lord?" Eutonos asked.

"Have they found him yet?" Calabos asked.

"I'm afraid not, master," Eutonos answered.

"Hmm. It seems he has already escaped and now searches for his friends. I want him caught. I will not have a bunch of children damage my plans. Speaking of which, how goes the preparations for my ritual?"

"Things are progressing well," Lekim replied. "By the way, how goes your progress with Raven, master?"

"She stubbornly clings to hope. I am not surprised. She is the daughter of Trigon, after all. Her spirit is strong."

"Master, I do not understand," Evad asked. "Why is it necessary to break her mind before the ritual?"

"Simple. Her spirit must be pure and unresisting for the connection to my own spirit to be made fully," Calabos explained. "Sleeping potions will not work, for they hurt the spell. Once the connection is made, her powers will then transfer to me regardless of whether she is awake or asleep."

"I see, so what will happen to her once it is complete?"

Calabos's trademark grin spread over his face. "Why, she will die, of course. Her body cannot exist without her spirit. I have not told her this, though, or else she would resist me even more. Still, it will be rather difficult to break her. Her spirit is strong, and I doubt she will succumb to physical torture."

"So, how do you plan to break her will, my lord?" Eutonos asked. Calabos turned around to face the three Templar.

"Why, destroy her hope, of course."

Beast Boy leapt to his feet and almost literally dove at his friends. He became a big green dog and frolicked amongst them, licking their faces one by one.

"Geez, Beast Boy, where have ya been?" Cyborg asked as he patted the dog's head.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Beast Boy replied after he morphed back into human form.

"It is great to see you again, Beast Boy," Starfire said joyfully as she pulled him into her trademark back-breaking hug.

"Star….." Beast Boy wheezed.

"Oh, I am sorry!" she apologized as she released him.

"Good to see you're okay, Beast Boy," Robin added warmly.

"Beast Boy, I thought you were a goner! What happened? How did you get here?" Cyborg asked.

"It's a long story," Beast Boy sighed. "A really long story. I escaped, and these guys here saved me." He gestured with his hand at the Zamoans around them.

"Wow. Thanks a lot, guys," Cyborg said to them.

"It was no problem," Genia said. "We first were going to kill him, but thankfully we reconsidered."

"Um, right…"

"So you're the shape shifter, eh?" Aalya asked as she surveyed him. "You're very…green."

"Chicks dig the green, baby," Beast Boy replied boastfully, not noticing the dirty look Phanos shot him.

Aalya's eyes widened. "Chicks again? What is it with you men and 'chicks'??"

"Okay, enough," Robin said. "We're glad you're okay, but we need to know, how did you get here?"

"Yeah, BB. Weren't you and Raven kidnapped?" Jinx asked.

"Like I said, I was able to escape, but we can't stay here. We have to go back," Beast Boy answered.

"Why?" Then, Robin asked the very question Beast Boy had been dreading. "Wait a minute, where's Raven?"

Beast Boy's lips formed a frown. "Um…Calabos still has her." Robin was in his face in an instant.

"You just left her behind?!"

"Robin, please-" Starfire began.

"I didn't leave her behind!" Beast Boy shot back.

"Then why isn't she here?"

"Robin please! Can you not tell he is upset?" Starfire yelled, shocking everyone including herself.

"You're right, I'm sorry," Robin said, not sounding sorry at all.

"Go easy on him, dude," Cyborg said. "He wouldn't just abandon Raven unless he had a damn good reason. Right, BB?"

"Yes," Beast Boy growled.

"Silence! You are still in our company; I will be asking the questions here," the Zamoan leader interrupted. All voices ceased, and the Titans turned their heads in her direction. She paused as she surveyed the Titans. "So you are the ones Talia told us about? I must say, you really are the strangest group of children I think I've ever seen. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"We're the Teen Titans," Robin answered. "We came here through a portal that an enemy of yours opened up. He did it to get them." Robin pointed out Worek and Phanos. "But he dragged us in as well. So these two escaped, but two of our friends ended up being kidnapped. We were trying to get them back."

"I see," Genia answered suspiciously. She turned to the two Templar. "Is this true?"

Worek nodded. "Yes, it is as he says. Eutonos, Evad, and Lekim are gone. They are most likely being controlled by Calabos now."

A slight gasp went through the crowd of female warriors.

"Not 'likely'," Beast Boy answered. "They are being controlled. I saw them myself."

Both the Templar's heads fell. "I feared so," Phanos said.

"I see," Genia said. "You were right, Kaily. This is very grave."

"Look, we don't want to trouble you," Beast Boy interjected. "But I'm sure you all know how serious this is, and we could really use some help. Will you help us?"

Genia cocked her head. "That is still left for us to decide."

"But we don't have forever!" Beast Boy shouted. "I'll go by myself if I have to!"

"I know, but it is not wise to go leaping into the fray without first thinking it through."

"She is right, Beast Boy," Starfire said. "We must plan our moves first."

Beast Boy let out what may have been a low growl. "Fine."

"In the meantime, perhaps you should catch up with each other while we reach our decision."

"Sounds fine. Okay team, let's go," Robin ordered. All turned to leave.

"Ah! You two stay right here," Genia ordered the two templar. The two paused nervously then reluctantly obeyed.

After a moment of deliberation, the Titans took residence under a large tree a little further from the camp while the Zamoans and the Templar discussed the decision.

"So Beast Boy, care to start from the beginning and tell us what happened?" Robin asked.

"Look," Beast Boy said, sighing. "I didn't abandon her. She told me I had to leave, and she was right. Calabos has these…things…that take away your powers, and he

had them on me and Raven. They didn't work on me, but Raven couldn't use her powers at all. That's why she told me to escape, because she the two of us wouldn't make it out together – it'd be too dangerous. So she sent me out alone to find you guys and get help."

"So she just sent you off alone?" Cyborg asked.

"Look, I know it sounds really crazy," Beast Boy said. "But it was the only shot we had. What else were we supposed to do?"

"Still Beast Boy, that was rather irresponsible of you," Robin said. "You shouldn't have just let her go like that. What if she had gotten hurt while you were away?"

Beast Boy threw his arms up. Did he have to spell it out for him??

"You think I didn't think of that already?" he shouted. "Raven and I went over that! But what if I had waited? You think you could have found his lair all by yourself?"

"We may have. We had someone who could have tracked you there."

"And how was I supposed to know that?"

"Enough, please!" Starfire interrupted. "We must not be arguing like this!"

"No! I'm sick of this!" Beast Boy shouted. "Nothing I ever do is good enough for you Robin! I know why you're being so difficult – it's cause you don't want anyone taking the spotlight from you! That's right! You just want to be the center of attention and the hero every time, and I'm sick of it!"

Robin paused, looking quite taken aback, before he finally replied, "Why? Just because you can't be one when it matters?"

Beast Boy's fist connected with his cheek so fast, Robin could have sworn he felt saliva fly out of his mouth. Before he could respond, Beast Boy had tackled him to the ground and sent a flurry of punches. It took Cyborg and Jinx to pull him off and Starfire to hold Robin back from retaliating.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Beast Boy commanded, but Cyborg kept an iron grip. Beast Boy continued to thrash for a while before finally giving up, panting from exhaustion and fury.

"You've got some nerve, Robin. You know that?" he growled. "Every time we screw up, you never hesitate to rub it in our face. Anytime you screw up, it's somehow our fault. I'm tired of it, and I'm not putting up with it! Do you hear me?!"

"Enough! ENOUGH!" Starfire finally shouted. All heads turned toward the alien princess. "Please, everyone calm down! Fighting amongst ourselves will not help our friend Raven!"

She paused, allowing herself to catch her breath.

"We will get Raven back, Beast Boy, but we must be wise. I know you are angry, and I know you somehow blame yourself. I too blame myself, and so does Robin. We all feel guilty in a way, but we must not let our anger at ourselves get in the way of saving our friend. If we fight each other, how can we even expect to defeat our enemies?"

"She's right," Cyborg said. "Robin dude, lay off. Beast Boy made the right decision, and you probably would have done the same thing. And Beast Boy dude, just cool it. I know you're upset, but getting angry at each other's not going to help at all."

Beast Boy sighed in defeat. "You're right. Sorry, Robin." The boy wonder didn't reply.

"Perhaps we should discuss this later when everyone has done the calming down? I think it would be best if Robin and Beast Boy had some time away from each other?" Starfire suggested.

"Yeah, that'd be best I think," Cyborg agreed. Starfire pulled Robin to the side, and the two talked in low whispers, while Beast Boy remained behind with Cyborg and Jinx.

"You okay, BB?" Jinx asked. It was a dumb question she knew, but she might as well let him know she cared.

"Not really," he answered. "As long as Raven's in the clutches of that psycho. But…thanks anyway."

"No problem," she replied.

"We'll get her back, BB. I promise," Cyborg said encouragingly. It pained him to see his friend this upset. Then again, he had a very good reason to be.

The Titans remained in that spot for a while, talking amongst themselves, until…

"Friends!" a voice called. Beast Boy looked to see Kaily approaching them. "You must come back! Our leader has made her decision."

Beast Boy and the others eagerly followed her back to the camp, where the others were waiting for them.

"So, what is your answer?" Beast Boy asked hopefully. The black-haired woman paused and eyed the Titans with a piercing gaze before finally giving her answer.

"We will help you."

Yay, right? Well, will Raven hold out, or not? Only time will tell…

Talk about a painful reunion, huh? Well, for Robin at least… (laughs mischievously) Thanks everyone for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.