Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Departure

Dear Beast boy,

I am sorry. I really am.

There is a force out there, bigger than anything imaginable. It's after me. It's haunting my dreams. So, I must leave to find the answers. I swore to myself to protect you and the rest of the Titans. I meant to keep that promise. This is the only way I know how to do that. Please forgive me. This is the only way. Hopefully one day soon… we'll meet each other again. If not in this life, but in paradise. Love you always.

- Raven

It should have been their happy ending. It was meant to be their happy ending. Who can take away that fabulous dream from the two? Because, as Beast boy stood in front of Raven's desk, bare naked, eyes on the folded paper in front of him, all he could think of was that dream shattering to pieces to the floor at his feet.

His fingers touched the words, tracing them as if trying to convince his eyes that they exist. His eyes welled up with tears that spilled over his cheeks. He was shocked, to say the least as he began to dress himself. Finishing in what seemed to take hours; he clenched the folder paper in his hand and left the room.

"What could this mean?" Starfire inquired as Robin had finished reading the note. Her hand ventured to rest on Robin's shoulder. He didn't meet her gaze. His eyes focused on the words, he shook his head.

"Something's been up," Robin finally observed. "And, I don't like it."

"Are you okay, man?" Cyborg asked in concern as he looked over at Beast boy.

The green Titan sat, slumped over with his gaze to the floor. He shook his head slightly before looking up at his team mate. "She ran away. Instead of staying and letting me know what was going on… she left… how would you feel?"

Before Cyborg could answer, Robin stepped forward. "Raven has always been difficult to get close to. You of all people should know that."

"But, what do we do now?" Cyborg asked, worriedly.

Robin kept his gaze on Beast boy. "It's up to you, Beast boy," he said, firmly. "Raven left this note for you. She left to protect us, but ultimately, it's up to you."

Beast boy's eyes furrowed in, concentrating. "I… she left. She must not want my help," he sighed before getting up. "I don't know…"

The Titans watched as he dragged himself out of the room. Starfire clenched her hands together in worry and turned to Robin. "We must find friend Raven!"

Robin shook his head. "I am not going to follow her unless Beast boy asks," he muttered, sternly.

"So, we're just going to abandon Raven after everything that's happened?" Cyborg demanded, almost angrily. "We can't do that!"

"She left to protect us," Robin reminded him. "So, obviously something has gotten into her skin and afraid that something bad will happen to us. I will respect that wish for her to leave. What I won't do is sit around."

Cyborg took a step back. A smile crept to his lips. "What do you have in mind?"

"We're going to investigate," he answered. "I want to know what may be coming our way." He turned to the red headed alien beside him. "Starfire, put a tab on Raven. I want to know where she's going."

"But, I thought you said we weren't go follow…" Starfire began to protest.

"Follow, no," Robin shook his head. "That part is up to Beast boy. We can't convince her to come home, but he can. The only part I want is to know where she plans to find the answers she's talking about."

Raven's hands trembled as she sat down in a seat in the far back of the bus. In her own mind, she still could not believe she had left her home and her friends, but most of all Beast boy.

Gazing out the window, she sighed. It looked gloomy out which seemed to match the mood inside of her. As the train sputtered to life and began to roll down the tracks, she felt her eyelids become heavy. Soon, she drifted off to the sleep.

"It's been a long time, Raven…" a dark voice echoed from behind.

Raven shuddered at the feel of a cold hand on her bare shoulder. That voice was unmistakable. She knew it belonged to. The name she wished to erase from her memory. A name belonging to someone she knew quite well and had every intention of forgetting that he even existed.

She stood in a dark room with the tall young man hovering beside her. The air was cold and her breathe escaped her lips in a white cloud before disappearing.

"Why are you here?" the only question she could think to ask.

"To reclaim what is mine, my dear," he whispered into her ear.

Raven awoke with a small gasp. Glancing around, she found she was not in the dark, cold room she had dreamt of for so many nights. Instead, she sat in her seat on the train. People began taking their luggage down.

'We must have arrived,' Raven assumed as she stood up. The effects of the dream still lingered. She could still feel his hand on her shoulder. His voice was still in her ear. Why was he there? She began to wonder. Why him of all people?

Raven shook away her worries as she grabbed her bag and headed for the door. It was time to find some answers to some questions that plagued her as dreams. This was the only place she could think to start.

A man stood greeting people as they stood off bus. Raven nodded as she came down the last step. He waved her on with a bright smile. "Hi, welcome to New York City."

Author's note

Oh my lord! It has certainly been a long while since I updated. I'm sorry for the long wait everyone. College is a hectic ride. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm kind of taking it a step at a time. In all honestly, I'm not really sure where this is going. However, I didn't know where my past stories were going either. I will try to bring the 4th chapter up as soon as I can while it's still fresh in my mind. I hope you also check out my other stores! : Thanks! Take care and God Bless.