I think you guys officially hate me. I didn't want that to happen! But...I kinda expected that you guys would freak out. Kinda what I wanted...*ahem* What? I didn't say anything...
So, without further ado, here's the end of the battle, yada yada yada. Only a couple chapters left to go I believe...
Beast Boy opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a bright light. Which was white. And that was it. He sat up, observing his surroundings, blinking several times to see if he was dreaming. There were white walls on either side of him, but none behind him or in front of him. It was like a continuous hall of nothingness. And everything was so clean. Even cleaner than Robin's room-and that was saying something.
Wait a minute...Beast Boy thought, looking down at his chest. No blood, no wounds. Instead, he was wearing a white wife beater and matching pants. He wasn't in any pain. And his friends were nowhere in sight.
The changeling got to his feet.
"Raven?" he called, his voice causing a small echo as he walked forward. "Cyborg? Terra? Nightwing? Star?" He looked around. "Anybody?"
He gulped when no one responded, taking it for the worst.
"Holy shit..." he thought out loud. "Am I dead?"
"Depending on how you look at it," said a gentle, female voice, and Beast Boy whirled around. A woman that resembled him greatly approached him with a soft smile on her face. She had long brown hair, which was in a loose ponytail, blue eyes, and wore a white gown. Her feet were also bare.
"M-Mom?" Beast Boy gasped as his mother came closer to him. He almost cried as she embraced him, and he returned it in disbelief. With his enhanced senses, he knew that this was her. She was real in every way.
Marie Logan pulled back, appraised her son, her eyes traveling over him. "You've grown so much. Your father and I are so proud of you."
"We really are, Garfield," Mark Logan agreed, materializing out of nowhere. He resembled Beast Boy the most, before he was green, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore white robes, his feet bare also. "You're turning into a wonderful young man."
"D-Dad?!" Beast Boy nearly losted as he hugged his father, who was now only slightly taller than him. Mark stepped back to stand by his wife, hands behind his back. "Okay, I'm confused here. Where the hell am I?"
"Language, Garfield." Mark chuckled. "You don't wanna give your mother a heart attack, do you?"
"You're where he gets it from," Marie muttered with a roll of her eyes.
Beast Boy grinned, exchanging glances with Mark.
"So...this place...these clothes..." the changeling gestured about as he spoke. "Am I in heaven or something?"
"Not necessarily..." Mark said.
"But close," Marie added.
"I'm still confused." Beast Boy's eyebrows furrowed, and Marie smoothed them out with her thumb.
"We're in a state of oblivion where souls remain, not necessarily Heaven nor Hell," Marie explained.
Beast Boy blinked, looking back at Mark.
"We're in a limbo," Mark clarified.
"Oooohh, that makes sense!" Beast Boy said, but then he suddenly frowned. "Wait a sec. If I'm in a limbo, then that means that I...that I'm dead! No! I can't be dead! I can't! I can't do this! I can't leave her! I-"
"Shh..." Marie cupped his face. "It's alright, it's alright...-"
"No it's not! I can't leave my friends! I can't leave Raven!" Beast Boy ran his fingers through his hair in distress. "Oh no, Raven! I can't live without her...she can't live without...I just...and my friends..."
"Listen, Garfield," Mark said, stopping his son's rambling. "There's a reason why you were drawn here instead of to the gates of Heaven. Your half-demon, half-Azarathian girlfriend is still...attached to you, even in this life."
"Huh? Attached to me...?"
"She's still trying to get a hold of you, trying to heal you when it's too late," Marie murmured softly.
"You mean...I can go back? Like, go go back?"
"It's your choice, Gar..." Mark said.
"You can stay..." Marie added.
"Or you can go..."
Beast Boy looked down, deep in thought.
I...can go?
TT
Raven had managed to clean up the blood, but her hands were still red. Knowing that she had done all she could, she placed her hand on Beast Boy's cold cheek, burying her face in his neck.
"Cy..." Bumblebee touched Cyborg's shoulder, and the half-robot didn't turn. Instead, he tossed her the keys to the T-Car.
"Take your team and the rest of the Titans back to the Tower," he said in a monotone.
Bumblebee nodded, reluctantly leaving his side. Titans North, South, and East left the scene, wishing they could help in some way. Blackfire and Red X remained; they weren't necessarily Titans anyway. Blackfire sat down, resting her head on Starfire's shoulder for comfort, rubbing her back in a soothing rhythm. Red X took off his mask, hanging his head, licking his cut lip.
Raven's eyes held no emotion, absentmindedly caressing Beast Boy's face.
"Raven, I..." Starfire began, and Raven's eyes settled on hers. Starfire almost felt her heart break. "Never the mind..."
Raven gazed back down at Beast Boy.
"Tut, tut, tut, you had that coming, sweetheart," Malchior murmured, emerging from behind the alley and approaching the Titans.
"You've got some nerve," Nightwing grumbled.
"Come any closer and you'll regret it for the rest of your life." Terra's voice cracked, much to her annoyance.
Malchior ignored her, coming even closer, his eyes only on Raven. The empath didn't raise her head.
"There's nothing you can do." Malchior chuckled. "The green little freak's dead. You're pathetic."
He was in front of Raven now.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Malchior spat.
That did it.
Raven's head snapped up, rage taking over her completely as her demon eyes came to view. This was it. This was the snap Knowledge had warned her about. But she didn't care. She was seeing red.
Raven flew forward, attacking Malchior; the force was so strong that she knocked him to the ground, causing him to grunt. She didn't care about her powers. She kicked. She punched. She bit. The sounds that were coming out of her mouth were not human at all, but sounding like her true nature. A demon. She wanted him dead. Not alive. But dead. She wanted him to stop breathing, and she'd do whatever it takes to make that happen. When Malchior got up, she knocked him back down. Twisted his neck. Kicked at his spine. Banged his head against the concrete, causing blood flow. The side of his head was now bleeding, his white hair stained red.
"Raven! Raven, stop!"
She ignored Nightwing's commands.
"You fucking monster!" Raven roared, watching Malchior crawl away as fast as he could, and she flew after him. Black tentacles sprouted from under her cloak, grabbing Malchior by the legs, and trapped him there, turning him around on his back. Raven extended her arm out, and the silver pole flew into her hand.
"No...NO!" Malchior roared as he fought, but he continued to be dragged towards Raven's dark cloak, and closer towards the bloodstained blade. She ignored her friends' protests, raising the pole in her hands up high.
"What's the matter, Malchior? You don't look so good!" Raven said darkly with a grin, laughing at Malchior's screams of stupidity. This was totally pointless. No one's gonna stop her. No one! Rage was pleased. Very very pleased...Every other emoticlone didn't matter. Even Love and Happy couldn't get to her. In fact, no other emotion existed except for rage. Bloodlust. Beast Boy would be avenged for what Malchior did.
"Raven! Please! Don't do this! Come back! You're better than that!" Starfire's voice rang in Raven's ears, sounding distant as if coming from a long tunnel.
"You'll regret it later!" Nightwing added.
"Let it go! Just let go!" Terra called.
"It's alright!" Cyborg called next.
"WE LOVE YOU!"
A tear ran down Raven's cheek, her teeth gritted. She closed her eyes, her lips pressed together. No...this isn't right. I can't...I can't do this...I want to...but I just can't...
Yes you can...Rage urged from back to Nevermore. Do it! Kill him!
Don't! Love, Knowledge, Happy, Timid, and even Lust begged in protest.
Do it, Raven...Kill and possess. It's in your nature. You can't deny that you're just as much of a monster as he is.
It will ruin you, focus on your heart, Knowledge advised. Find your spirit. Find the reason why you're a hero, and have that as your motivation.
Don't listen to Rage! Happy added.
Our f-friends are the ones who c-care about us the most, Timid sobbed.
Don't kill 'em, Sloth said and belched. That wastes energy and time. You should just let him run away like the little wuss he is.
We can take 'em, leave 'em crying to his mommy! Brave said. But don't kill 'em. That's not cool.
Think of Beast Boy, Raven...Love begged, sounding like she was close to tears. We all know he's an idiot, and he's childish and goofy, but he was the one who loved you the most. He loved all of us. He loved you past your heritage. He, along with the Titans, saw the good in you. Like Robin said, don't give up hoping.
Hoping...
NO. Hope is pointless! Assassinate him! He deserves death! Rage spat.
Raven had to make a decision, her head spinning as her emoticlones' voices began to overlap each other, and her friends were blending in. The more she hesitated, the louder Rage's voice gotten, and the anger began building up inside her again. She had to do it. It would feel right when it's over.
But wait...
She thought about the fans. She thought about the little children who looked up to her as a role model. She thought about Melvin, Timmy Tantrum, and Teether; what would they say if they saw her now? They'd be protesting too. And commiting murder would break their small, fragile hearts. She thought about Trigon, in contrast with Arella, and what she was as a person and a young woman. She thought about each and every Titan, and her team. How they still loved her and appreciated her throughout the years they've been together. They saved the world. They put enemies away in jail.
They were there for her when she was the most vulnerable. They were there for her when the world ended, when she became that portal and was supposed to die. Nightwing had taught her what hope really meant. Starfire had taught her the true meaning of friendship. Cyborg had taught her that it was awesome being different, because they all were. Terra had taught her to trust even though every fiber in Raven's body didn't want to.
And Beast Boy had taught her how to love. He taught her that it was okay to be like a teenage girl for once and show her emotions. He taught her how to be goofy, how to have fun. How to even have maximum couch time, lay back, and eat without a care in the world.
The pole dropped to the ground, and the black tentacles retreated underneath her cloak. Her grip on Malchior was gone, and she rose higher in the air. Malchior was frozen in place, unable to move. Raven's eyes opened, and then there was a white explosion. It was brief, making the others shield their eyes.
Instead of the dark, demonic Raven, it was the White Raven in her place.
"What the...?" Malchior squinted his eyes as Raven's lips pulled up at the corners, wind blowing through her robes and her hair dramatically.
Raven closed her eyes, lowering her head, and pressed her hands together as if she was about to pray.
"Exhibito Malum Mitti ad Etiam Exhibito Dimensionum...Aldruon Enlenthranel Vosolen Lirus-nor..."
Raven's eyes snapped open, glowing white now as she continued.
"Azarath Vi Et Hoc Numquam Excidet...Meterex Vasanon...Zinthos...Metrion...AZARATH!"
A white raven emerged, sprouting from her body. Her soul self grew larger and larger, and Malchior cowered back. But he was too late. The white raven opened its wings, letting out a powerful, loud and long caw. Wind blew stronger, sucking Malchior towards itself.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Malchior roared, his fingernails digging into the earth. His body flew off the ground, flying backwards, and disappeared in the brightness.
There was another white, blinding explosion, lasting for a long moment. When the Titans could see again, they saw their friend slowly float back towards the ground, her back facing them. The wind stopped blowing, and all was still.
Raven opened her eyes, and they were back to her purple orbs. She turned around to face her friends, and they were gazing at her with pure amazement. Her own gaze drifted down to where Beast Boy lay.
She drifted over to him, getting back down to her knees.
"Raven..." Starfire said, and Raven managed a soft smile to her before looking back down at the fallen changeling.
Raven pulled him into her lap again, placing her hand over Beast Boy's heart and closed her eyes.
"Wait a sec..." Terra said, and all heads turned to her direction. She was pointing up to the sky. "What is that?"
Raven looked up. There was a sudden brightness in the clouds, in the shape of a ball the size of a tennis ball. It drifted down towards the city in a slow motion. When Raven could get a closer look at it, her eyes narrowed. It resembled a star almost, having a bright blue color to it. Its trail was straight, heading right for them.
Everybody was still, their heads only moving down as the bright orb did and came closer; it seeped straight through Beast Boy's chest, disappearing completely. The aftershock was a little glow.
Raven's eyes went wide, suddenly feeling a barely noticeable thumping against the palm of her hand. She gasped and looked at Cyborg, who looked at his arm.
"Is he...?" Starfire asked with a gasp.
"There it is..." Cyborg muttered before his eye brightened. "There it is! I see his heartbeat!"
The Titans cried out in joy and relief, and Raven wanted to start crying in the literal sense.
"What do we do?" Raven asked him.
"We take him back to Titans Tower. Now!"
"I can teleport us all," Raven offered quickly.
"You all go," Nightwing said, getting to his feet the same time Red X did.
"Where are you going?" Starfire asked in confusion.
"Jason and I have to...stop by somewhere. I'll be back soon," Nightwing said, and Red X nodded, putting on his mask.
I need to let everyone know that I'm still alive...Nightwing thought. As well as someone that shouldn't be...
"Um...okay. Be careful." Starfire played with her fingers in her lap. Nightwing leaned down and kissed her forehead.
A small figure peeked out from behind a smoothie place. She had remained behind, unnoticed the entire time.
Or at least she thought she was.
"Hello, Ravager," Nightwing said before looking at her, and Rose gasped. Man, he was good. "Mind tagging along?"
TT
There was a knock at Bruce's door. He was sitting in his office, busying himself with reading a book. His son and step-children were all in bed, either sleeping or trying to get some sleep.
"Come in," Bruce said, closing his book shut and getting to his feet.
The door opened, and Richard slowly walked in the room.
"Dick." Bruce sighed.
"Hi, Bruce." Richard came further in the room; he was still in costume, however maskless now. "Did everyone...make it back okay?"
"They're just fine. However, Cassidy had taken a nasty beating. Nothing too bad."
"Nothing's broken?"
"No."
"That's good."
"And you?"
"We're all fine. Beast Boy is in critical condition, but he should be getting taken care of by now back at the Tower. Slade, or Deathstroke now I guess, fell to his death during the final battle. He tried to get his daughter to help in getting rid of us. The major problem I had with that is that she's younger than all of us."
"And what happened to her?"
"She found out that her brother, Jericho, was still alive so we took her to him."
"Hmm...interesting. How old did you say she was?"
"I didn't. She never told me." Richard took a deep breath. "Actually...she's right outside. I thought I'd like you to meet her."
"I see. Bring her in then."
"But first, ah..." Richard ran his fingers through his hair. "There's someone more important that I want you to see."
Bruce arched an eyebrow. "Alright..."
Richard cleared his throat, turning his head towards the door. "Jason?"
Bruce's eyes widened and narrowed at the name. He watched as the young man walked in with his head hung, wearing a black suit with a red X on it, and holding a mask with a skull and another red X on the forehead area. His hair was shaggy and jet black, and had a white streak coming down across his face.
"Hey, Bruce..." Jason lifted his head so their eyes could meet, and Bruce took a step back in disbelief at what he was seeing. This was impossible! "It's been a while."
Meanwhile, Rose sat on the couch in the den, swinging her legs back and forth. She looked around, surprising that a simple den could be so huge. There was just so much space. In front of her was a burning fireplace, followed by a very large flat screen hanging on the wall above it. Bookshelves nearly covered every wall and corner, and coffee tables sat on each side of the couch she was currently sitting on. A loveseat was to her left, and a recliner on her right. The coffee tables had lamps on them, and random magazines, going from business magazines, to sports, to fashion, to anime.
She was told that the famous Batman lived here, and that his identity was Bruce Wayne. But she had a feeling that someone else might live here too. What man kept a fashion magazine?
Footsteps were heard suddenly, coming down the stairs from behind her. She froze but didn't turn. The footsteps weren't as heavy as Nightwing's or Red X's, but at the same time it wasn't as quite as hers.
A male looking slightly older than her came around the couch, heading for the kitchen, when he stopped and looked at her. He too beared the shaggy jet black hair and blue eyes, but was more long and lanky looking with hints of muscle along his bare arms. He was wearing a white tank top and grey sweats.
"Who are you?" he asked. His voice was lighter like she had expected, and it was so different that Nightwing's deeper tone.
"Rosalie Wilson," Rose blurted out, then stopped herself. "Well, my real name is Rosalie, but I prefer Rose."
"Oh...alright. Hi, Rose. My name's Tim."
"Nice to meet you, Tim."
Tim looked around before looking back at her. "So...what're you doing here?"
"Nightwing wanted to meet Batm-I-I mean Bruce. I don't know why though."
"Dick's here?" Tim wondered outloud, feeling relief wash through him.
"Yep."
Tim cocked his head to the side, studying her some more. For some reason, she looked really nervous and scared. He sat down next to her, leaving a good amount of space between them.
"How old are you?" Rose asked him out of curiosity.
"Fourteen," Tim said. "You?"
"I just turned thirteen about a week ago."
"Oh. Well happy belated birthday then." Tim smiled.
Rose smiled back. "Thanks."
TT
While Bruce and Jason were in a deep conversation, Richard had left them alone and started to head upstairs. He saw Tim, who had hugged him tight when he saw him, talking to Rose and was pleased that she had someone to talk to.
"We'll be leaving soon," Richard told Rose, and she nodded.
"C'mon, everyone's got to see you!" Tim whispered, nearly yanking Richard upstairs.
"Uh, I don't think-"
"Oh shut up." He knocked on Cassidy's door and opened it. "Everyone decided to crash here."
Tim flicked the light on.
"HEY! EVERYBODY WAKE UP! LOOK WHO'S HERE!"
"Ugh...turn the light off!" Damian rolled over on his stomach, burying his face in the bed.
"This better be a damn emergency!" Stephanie sat up grumpily, straightening out the scarf on her head. Barbara and Cassidy sat up at the same time.
And then they all saw him.
"RICHARD!" Stephanie jumped out of bed, wide awake now, and Barbara tried to beat her to it. They attacked their step-brother in sisterly and loving hugs and kisses. Damian was next, nearly suffocating him.
He sniffed.
"Damian...are you crying?" Cassidy asked, getting out of bed. Her head was wrapped up in gauze, as well as her wrist, and she held an ice pack to her eye.
"Shut up! I'm not crying! This is eye sweat! Blinking is a work-out ya know!" Damian denied, pulling away and hiding his face from everyone's sight.
Richard chuckled. "It's good to see all of you." When Cassidy approached him, he gently removed the ice pack from her face, wincing when he saw her black eye. "Oooh, that looks bad. How are you feeling?"
"Better now," Cassidy said, wrapping an arm around him for a side hug. "We were all worried."
"And we're so glad you came back!" Stephanie clapped her hands together.
"Guess who's also back?" Richard asked with a mischievous grin, rocking back and forth on his heels.
"Oh no, my mom's not here, is she?" Damian asked with a deep frown.
"Selina's not here, you dipthong!" Tim said, then paused. He turned to Richard. "Is she?"
"Haha, you wish," Richard said. He paused for dramatic effect and continued. "It's Jason."
"WHAT?!"
Raven sat in silence two days later. She sat on the changeling's bed, with her knees up, and her book resting on her lap. It was sunset, and she hadn't left since sunrise. Starfire would bring her breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and Cyborg would come in to check up on how Beast Boy's doing. Raven had strongly requested for the rest of the Titans to stay out (excluding Dr. Cyborg). She wanted to be alone with Beast Boy, and never wanted to leave his side unless it was very necessary, like using the bathroom or taking a quick shower. Currently, she was wearing a plain black hoodie unzipped, black cami, black shorts, and her mood necklace and ring.
Occasionally, her eyes would flicker back and forth between her book, Beast Boy's face, and the monitor that showed the heartbeat line, life line, and others that Cyborg had explained to her but she hadn't been listening at the time. Nightwing and Cyborg kept him clean, and right now they just had him in boxers and a pair of sweats. That way, it would've been easier for Raven to have easier access to Beast Boy's chest and backside if she needed to tend to him.
The empath sighed, looking at Beast Boy once more. She longed to see his green orbs, to hear his voice, his laugh. Things just weren't the same anymore...
And then all of a sudden, she saw his fingers twitch. It was in the slightest, first his index finger then his middle finger.
She tossed her book to the side, forgetting about it completely, and scooted up closer to him; she sat by his legs, taking his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her dead eyes had brightened with some hope left in her. The only hope she had left; and it had been lacking ever since that night.
A soft groan emitted from his throat.
"Beast Boy?" Her thumb traced back and forth across the back of his hand as she leaned closer to his face. "Gar? Can you hear me?"
Beast Boy's head turned slightly in the direction of her beautiful voice. The sound he had been longing to hear.
His eyes fluttered open, his lidded gaze settling on hers.
"Hey." He smiled tiredly at her.
"Hey..." Raven released his hand, her arm resting on the side of his head so her fingers could run through his messy green locks.
Beast Boy managed to look around, relieved that he recognized his surroundings. Her fingers soothed him. "How long was I out?"
"It's been a couple of days."
They both looked at the monitor screen. Raven was the first to look away, placing her hand on his bare chest.
"We were all worried about you."
"You were?"
"How could we not be? Gar, you don't understand how I felt when your heart stopped beating. I thought I had lost you forever. Malchior came around and I..." she gulped, closing her eyes in deep thought. Beast Boy noticed the pause, his eyebrows scrunching down.
"And you...what?" Beast Boy wanted to know.
"I almost killed him. I wanted to, but...then I thought of you and our friends and..." Raven sighed. "And..."
"What did you do?"
Raven let a smirk come through. "I might've...sorta sent him in a dark dimension where he'll be trapped there forever."
Beast Boy grinned wide. "Sweet. Too bad I missed all the action."
If Beast Boy was in better condition, she would've slapped his arm. So instead, she just gave him a look. This made Beast Boy's grin widen even more, and he started to sit up, balancing himself on his elbows; this brought their faces closer.
"Look...there's something I need to tell ya. It's gonna sound a little crazy."
"What?"
Beast Boy bit his lip. "I died." When Raven arched an eyebrow, he added, "I mean dead, dead. Like I thought I was deeeead d-"
"Can you get to the point?" Raven interjected quietly.
"Right, right. But instead, I was Harry Potter dead. Please tell me you get that metaphor."
"You died and was able to come back?"
Beast Boy nodded. "The thing is..." His tone grew serious. "I saw my parents, Rae."
"You...saw your...?"
"Yes. I talked to them and everything. It was an amazing feeling. I never thought that I'd get to talk to them again..." He shook his head slowly, meeting her gaze again. "But then they told me that I had a choice-I could either come back...or I could stay."
"So...you were able to choose whether or not you...?" Raven was amazed and curious. "But how?"
"Well, they said that you were still emotionally attached to me, and you being half-demon, half-Azarathian...and, um...I don't know the technicalities of it, okay? But I came back. Yep. Don't know how...but I did. Yep."
Raven was silent, deep in thought again. Beast Boy reached out, cradling the side of her face with his hand. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again, biting her lip. His hand slid down to her mouth, his index finger and thumb gently pulling down on her bottom lip to relieve it from her teeth's pressure.
"Don't do that..." he murmured. "'S a bad habit..."
"Sorry..." she murmured back. With the same hand, he caressed her jawline, and her eyes started to droop. He took the opportunity to lean in, and she met him halfway. Their lips met, and Raven sighed against his mouth. As soon as they parted, their lips joined again with more force; simutaneously, she moved closer to him, her body brushing up against his and her arms wrapping around his neck. Beast Boy's hands ran down her back, roaming and marveling her hips and pressed her tighter against him. He tilted his head the opposite direction for air, and she twisted hers the opposite direction as well. Her fingers trailed along his cheek bones, down his chest, then back up again.
"I love you," she breathed against his mouth, her heart feeling like it was going to explode out of her chest.
"I love you too..." he whispered, gently biting down on her lower lip, and she moaned quietly.
"'Thought you said that was a bad habit?" Raven managed between kisses.
Beast Boy chuckled, and she gasped when he flipped them over, with her back against the sheets and him towering over her.
"Bad habits are hard to break," he pointed out, and he leaned down to kiss her again.
"We shouldn't be doing this..." Raven gasped as he started kissing down her neck. "Not...not while you're...-"
"Shh..." He kissed her shoulder blade, bringing himself up to her face, running his fingers through her hair and along her face. "We're having a moment here. Don't ruin it."
Raven giggled.
So...is anybody still mad at me? ;D
BB TOTALLY STOLE RAVEN'S QUOTE! (Referenced to 'The Beast Within'). Haha xD
Review!