AUTHOR'S NOTE: Could it be? Is it back? Maybe, don't get your hopes up. It's been a while, I've changed, my writing style has changed, and a few other things which I'll explain in the note at the bottom. But for now, here it is. The return of DayDreams. Hope you like it!

CHAPTER 8

Beast Boy paced back and forth inside his room, droplets of water dropping from his soaked mess of hair. After his close and oh-so unexpected encounter with Raven, a cold shower hadn't been optional. He hadn't missed a single detail, and he blamed his animalistic instincts for that.

She'd been just as shocked as he was, he was certain of it. Raven would never have waltzed into the common room in her sleepwear if she'd known she wasn't alone. That had been the first detail to raise suspicions. But his mind couldn't focus on that right now. Images of her standing there wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt and a surprised expression on her face flooded his mind, taunting him. That, mixed with the unmistakable scent that had wafted from the laundry in her arms had forced him into a hasty retreat.

Now, he was calmer, but not by much. Knowing he was no longer alone, he opted for his uniform, now curiously aware of how tight it seemed. He'd need an upgrade, and soon. He was also pretty confident that he'd given her more than enough time to get dressed and deal with her laundry.

Which meant he no longer had any excuse for being locked up in his room. But could he go back to the common room? What if she was there? Or what if she wasn't? Which would be worse?

He froze mid-step, and sighed, slumping his shoulders. Running his palms down his face, he forced his mind to still, urging all those conflicting primal instincts within him to quiet down and let him think for once. Maybe this was exactly what he needed. A chance to change tactics, like Star had recommended. They had the tower to themselves, no villains to track down, and literally nothing to do but enjoy their day off before the inevitable training Robin would put them through the next morning.

If anything, it would give him a chance to talk to her, and at least try to get things back to the way they'd once been. Not great, but back on friendlier terms. No awkwardness and hostility, simply a tolerable mix of annoyance and amusement from both parties. The memories of younger days brought a small smile to his face, and from somewhere deep within, he felt a surge of confidence rising up through his chest.

Let it never be said that Gar Logan didn't at least try. Maybe not in the most orthodox of ways, but he was anything if not unorthodox. And besides, if there was one thing he knew how to do well, it was bury the bad things deep down inside and cover it up with humor. That little backup of his hadn't failed him yet, and there was no reason to start doubting it now.

With a new sense of confidence filling him, slightly impaired by his own low expectations, he strode out of his room and made his way back upstairs.

By the time the elevator had reached the common room, he'd mentally rehearsed every possible conversation starter he could have possibly thought of. He marched out of the elevator with every intention of walking up to Raven and opening up with a quick joke and a smile, only…

Only to falter when he found the common room as deserted as it'd been when he'd woken up earlier that morning. His ears drooped and his smile vanished, every pre-rehearsed phrase fading from his mind. As he made his way towards the kitchen, he silently cursed his own stupid hopes. It was Raven. What else could he expect? She'd probably locked herself up in her room again, and if she knew they were alone, which she undoubtedly did, she probably wouldn't appear until Cy or Robin or Star came back later that day.

He rounded the counter and leaned against the cold marble top, rubbing his temple with his free hand. He supposed, on the cynical bright side, it meant he technically did have the tower all to himself.

His train of thought was promptly derailed as the sound of the elevator descending caught his sensitive ears, which perked at the unexpected sound. He watched as the numbers changed, until it stopped exactly where he secretly hoped it would. Raven's room.

Still, he didn't want to get his hopes up just yet. She could be taking the elevator to any other part of the tower, and he wouldn't blame her. But she knew he'd been coming back to the common room. So maybe, just maybe…

He paid careful attention to the sound of the elevator, focusing his hearing and noticing the subtle change as it slowed down. He knew it would stop on his floor when it was still two floors away, and with a stupid grin on his face and a stomach full of butterflies, he turned around and set to work on another of his brilliant ideas. Or at least, he hoped it was brilliant.

Raven wasn't sure what to expect when the elevator doors slid open. Partly because she wasn't used to the elevator, and with her powers refusing to cooperate, she had little choice in the matter. But mostly, she wondered if she'd be alone when she returned to the common room.

She had resorted to logic, squashing down all other emotions that seemed to all of a sudden be running haphazard through her mind. After she'd taken care of her laundry, the next logical step would be to make herself a cup of tea. It was only rational; she did it every morning, after all.

She was not, in any way, returning to the common room to see if Beast Boy was there. Not at all. Her one and only intention was to make herself a cup of tea. If Beast Boy happened to be in the common room, well… it was the Common Room, after all, was it not?

Or at least, that's what she kept telling herself in her head while trying to fight back the queasiness that had developed in her stomach. All the more reason to make some tea.

When the elevator chimed its arrival, and its doors slid open, she felt her powers extending across the room as if on their own accord, sensing for any occupants. Her heart skipped a beat when within seconds, she sensed his presence. It was unique, bright and strong, yet with a deep darkness stuffed within. She had memorized the auras of every one of her friends, able to find them in a crowd almost instantly. But Beast Boy's aura was always easier to spot, even when in animal form.

He would have heard the elevator by now. Beast Boy was a lot of things, but he wasn't stupid. Well, he was a bit stupid at times, but not in that way. Deciding that the best way to proceed would be as if nothing was wrong, she smoothed out her cloak and stepped into the common room, heading for the kitchen.

He had his back to her, facing the stove and messing around with something metal as was apparent by the telltale clinking noises. Usually, she'd simply ignore his presence and go about making her tea. But that would mean joining him on the other side of the kitchen, actually being near him. She no longer felt the uncontrollable urge to strangle him, but she also didn't trust herself to be too close to him. Not with her mind in chaos and her emotions rebelling against her.

So she sat at her usual seat, the one she'd been sitting on when this had all started, and waited. And while she waited she watched. She watched his graceful movements around the kitchen, no longer the clumsy goblin he'd once been. She watched the way his shoulders and back moved beneath that skin-tight suit of his. What she hadn't been watching was what he'd been doing, and it took her by surprise when he turned around to face her with a nervous smile, those huge, green, pleading eyes, and a cup of tea cradled in his hands.

"Cyborg told me I was last Titan before he left…" Beast Boy said quietly as he placed the cup of tea on the counter and slid it towards her hands. She watched his movements, transfixed. "Sorry if I startled you earlier. I just wasn't expecting anyone to be home."

His hands withdrew from the cup just as the scent of her usual herbal tea wafted up towards her, comforting her with its earthy tones. It certainly smelled better than his last attempt at tea, and it was nice of him. As she reached out towards the cup, she looked up at him to see him watching her, biting his lip in a way that made his fang stick out even more, and scratching at the back of his neck. He was nervous. But why? Was he nervous about the tea? Was this somehow another one of his jokes?

Before she decided whether or not to drink the tea, she realized she should probably say something. Responses were usually expected in a conversation, though he should have known by now that any conversation with her was bound to be one-sided. Especially conversation from him.

But she'd made a promise to herself, or rather her emotions (boy, she'd be any therapist's field day) to try. So she looked up at him with her usual icy gaze and spoke with a carefully-controlled monotone that didn't betray the turmoil of emotions raging within.

"Starfire left me a note saying I was Last Titan."

Her eyes watched him for his reaction, doubly so as she brought the tea up to her lips. He seemed confused, his nose scrunching up like he was actually trying to use that brain of his to think. She also didn't miss the little sideways glance he cast at her when she took the first sip of tea.

Her first thought was that she'd been right, and it had been a prank. But as she tasted the liquid in her mouth tentatively, she found that it tasted just like any other tea she usually brewed herself. A little bitter, probably due to leaving the tea bag a bit too long, or boiling the water too much. So he hadn't poisoned her, intentionally or not. Looking down into the cup, she realized there was nothing odd about its appearance.

So either Beast Boy had actually prepared a decent cup of tea for her, out of the kindness of his heart, or this was his most elaborate and complex prank yet. She didn't know which of the two scenarios she preferred.

"Well? Did I get it right this time?" Beast Boy asked, a hint of anxiousness edging his words. She looked up at him again, and this time let loose a bit of her powers. What good was it being an empath if you couldn't use it to figure out someone's intentions? Especially when said intentions might be to humiliate her in some unknown way, shape, or form.

Yet, all she could glean from a cursory inspection with her powers was doubt, fear, and a dash of hope. He honestly cared if he'd done it right. Suddenly feeling ashamed for doubting his intentions, and doubly so for invading his feelings with her powers that way, she quickly nodded while her mouth tried to come up with some words.

"It's… good."

His apprehension seemed to dissipate, a large smile growing on his face, a smile she knew was genuine. When he turned around to continue with his breakfast preparations, she felt a little smile tugging at her lips.

"So… did Star say where she was going?" He asked.

Raven froze for a split second, her mouth opening but no words escaping. She realized she'd been about to say something depreciative, like 'none of your business', or 'what do you care?' But she suddenly found she couldn't. She didn't want to. Besides, she'd promised herself, and Starfire, that she'd at least. And Cyborg had asked her to cut him some slack. And to top it all off, Beast Boy actually seemed to be making an effort not to be an immature, impertinent jerk.

"She went with Robin somewhere. Didn't say where."

"Gotham." He said casually. Her eyebrows lifted of their own accord, admittedly surprised that Beast Boy had that information, or even cared enough to pay attention. When he turned around with a plate stacked high with toaster waffles, he had the courtesy to look sheepish at her stunned expression.

"Cyborg told me. Apparently, Batman got news about something going on in Jump City, Robin was headed there to get the full briefing." Beast Boy said, settling down on a chair directly across from her and pushing the plate of waffled closer to her.

Taking another carefully controlled sip of her tea, lest she explode yet another cup, she focused on her powers and managed to lift the bottle of syrup from the table and slather on a healthy serving on top of the steaming waffles. At least her powers weren't completely gone; they were just working at random, apparently.

The thought of her powers had her thinking back to the day before, and her little accident. But even more so, she thought back to when she'd gotten out of her head, literally, and found Beast Boy in her room. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that she'd maybe overreacted. Maybe. Just a bit. Especially if he'd really been only trying to help, misguided as his efforts were.

She wanted to apologize, to tell him that it had been an overreaction. But then, as her thoughts grew ever-more convoluted, she realized that wasn't the only thing she wanted to apologize for. Images of Beast Boy's hurt expression after her witty remarks, the ways he'd sometimes flinch as she hovered over him menacingly…

With all those thoughts in her head, she was suddenly worrying that she might accidentally explode. She needed to leave, to get as far away from him as possible, at least until she got her emotions back under control. But just as she was about to lean forward on her stool, Beast Boy's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Listen, Rae, I just wanted to… I'm sorry, about yesterday, you know?" He asked. His pointy ears were drooped, his shoulders hunched, and his eyes were darting all over the table, except in her general direction. Something made her stay, made her listen to his words. "I shouldn't have gone in your room, and I shouldn't have read your book…"

She noticed his words faltered near the end, and something told her he was probably remembering what he'd read in said book. She didn't need to remember that particularly embarrassing detail either, so she quietly interrupted him.

"It's okay."

When she said it, Beast Boy fell silent, his wide, disbelieving eyes turning to face her and give her his undivided attention. While she felt relieved with his apology, and even more so at having been able to, rather surprisingly, accept it and forgive him, the way he was looking at her now only made her want to dig deeper into her cloak until she disappeared in it. She did the next best thing and raised her cup of tea to try and hide the slight tinge of pink in her cheeks.

"Um, really? Wow, that's, um… thanks…" He petered off, once again rubbing the back of his neck and he leaned on the counter. He mirrored her action and grabbed one of the waffles from the plate, quickly taking a bite and focusing his attention on the sugary confection.

In the awkward silence, she found that her doubts and fears about apologies and guilt had seemingly vanished. She knew they were still in there somewhere, but for now, her mind seemed clearer. Even her usual troubling thoughts seemed to have strayed, leaving her with nothing but the present to occupy her mind. And she was feeling braver too. So far, things were going better than she'd expected. Granted, she'd expected to either have blown something up, or thrown him out of the window again by this point. So she did something she usually didn't do, not with Beast Boy anyways. She sked him a question.

"Yesterday you said you'd come to my room to apologize…" She said, watching carefully as he froze, biting down on his waffle and looking at her like a deer caught in headlights. It might have been comical had it not made her slightly suspicious. Raven narrowed her eyes. "What exactly did you think you had to apologize for?"

"Oh." He said, swallowing the piece of waffle in his mouth before almost choking on it. Once it dislodged from his throat, he stood up a bit straighter, more at ease. "I don't know, the usual? Everyone thought you were upset with me, and let's face it Rae, that's usually a pretty safe bet."

She said nothing, but she still felt a sharp sting in her chest at his words. The truth tended to hurt, even without meaning to.

"I figured you'd tell me what I'd done, and I'd apologize, as usual." Beast Boy continued, looking more relaxed, yet she noticed he was still avoiding looking directly at her. "But then you weren't there, and then I saw the book…"

"Right…" She said quietly, hoping her cheeks weren't as red as she felt them. At least he had the decency to be embarrassed about it as well.

"Yeah, sorry… Not my brightest move…"

Once more, she felt the usual instinct to throw a sharp barb at him, keep his ego grounded, and tell him that that was an understatement. But she didn't. She wasn't sure if it was because he truly seemed to regret his actions, and he seemed genuinely apologetic… or if it was something else.

She pondered this for a bit, but eventually resigned herself to the awkward silence, broken only by Beast Boy's munching on his waffle and her delicate sips of tea.

She didn't understand. She had taken it easy on Beast Boy, like Cyborg had asked. She'd forgiven him for his intrusion, which was totally unlike her, yet she'd done it. And she'd kept herself from being intentionally cruel. She was trying to change, but so far she didn't feel it was making much of a difference. Things were still wrong. They were still avoiding each other's glances while stealing glances when they could. They both knew that. So why was it so hard?

They'd started off pretty good. Hell, things had gone ten times as smoothly s he'd expected them to go. She'd liked the tea, she hadn't been mean or harsh or angry or anything like what she'd usually been like the past few years. He was certainly grateful for that. And she'd accepted his apology! That was a first in many ways, but he figured a victory dance might take away some, if not all, of the progress he'd made so far.

But now they were back where they'd started.

Beast Boy admitted he wasn't the sharpest fang in the jaw, but he was smarter than most people gave him credit for. People like Cyborg, apparently. Last Titan? That had been just cruel, in and of itself, but lying to him like that, just to set him up with Raven? And how had he managed to make Star a participant?

Those were questions that circled his mind, but there was another thought that bugged him even more. Cyborg had a point.

Now that the two of them were alone, something which usually rarely happened unless ordered to by Robin, or under extreme circumstances, he noticed that they were lacking the connection they shared with their other teammates. Talking to each other seemed impossible, as was evident by the awkward silence still hanging heavily over their heads as they sat across from each other at the kitchen table.

But it shouldn't be.

Except, what was he supposed to talk about with Raven? Cyborg he could talk to about video games, cars, pretty much anything. Starfire was special in her own way. Their conversations were rare, but held a deep connection when they happened. She was as much a sister to him as Cyborg was a brother. And even Robin, despite their differences at times, was someone he considered a good friend. He'd helped him loosen up a bit over the years, and he'd helped toughen him up, given him a bit more discipline and order in his life. And ever since he'd come back from that god-forsaken mission two years back, they'd formed a sort of bond, the way only two people affected by tragedy could bond.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. It was new, it was interesting, but he knew it was dangerous, if only to himself. But maybe it would work. After all, Raven wasn't the most talkative person in the team, and she'd never shown any interest in his past before, so maybe she'd let it slide. Gathering up courage he didn't know he had, he blurted out the question that was bouncing around in his mind.

"Why is a Raven like a writing desk?"

He wanted to smack himself, if not for the totally un-smooth delivery, for Raven's face when he said it. She looked at him as though he'd grown another head, which really, shouldn't have been all that surprising by now. But then he felt that cold stare of hers sizing him up, and he knew she was trying to figure out if he was somehow pulling her chain.

"Sorry, it's a…" Beast Boy chuckled nervously, unable to find a comfortable position for his hands. "It's a riddle from a book I read. My favorite book, actually…"

Raven blinked in surprise. "You read?"

Beast Boy offered a tentative smile, but when he looked up at her, he noticed that she was lacking her usual cruel smirk, and instead seemed to be watching him curiously, as if expecting an answer. Well, so far so good.

"Not usually, no. But it's a book about talking animals, so, you know…"

They once more fell into silence, but this time it wasn't as awkward anymore. Raven seemed to be contemplating something, watching her tea with fierce concentration, and for once, Beast Boy simply felt calm (or at least calmer) in her presence as he finished off his waffle.

"So what's the answer?" Raven finally asked, breaking the silence. He hadn't really expected for her to play along, but rather hoped she did. And now she was. Maybe Star was right, maybe just talking was the way to go.

"I don't know." He said, leaning forward on the table. "It's sort of an inside joke, I guess. It doesn't really have an answer."

"So what's the point, then?" She asked, her tone a mixture of curiosity and frustration. He couldn't help a smile, knowing how she hated problems she couldn't solve. But as he was about to answer, his smile faded, tempered by the memories that riddle brought forth. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything…

"That is the point, I guess. It's just nonsense…" He said. Raven rolled her eyes, and he knew she probably thought it had been just another one of his lame attempts at a joke. And he realized he didn't want that. Swallowing back the twinge of doubt and regret, he told her the truth.

"When I was with the Doom Patrol, Rita and I sort of made a game out of it, you know?" He said, focusing to try and keep his voice from shaking. "We'd take turns trying to come up with answers that made sense… or didn't."

Beast Boy chuckled as he recalled some of the more nonsensical answers both he and Rita had come up with, prompting bouts of laughter and glares from Mento.

"Like what?" Raven asked, her voice interrupting his meandering thoughts. He smiled, the fact that Raven was actively engaging in conversation with him far outweighed the pain associated with certain memories.

"Oh, I dunno, it's been… years…" Beast Boy lied, pretending that he didn't remember every day. But he wasn't about to ruin what little conversation he'd managed to get out of her. "I think one of the easy ones was that they both stand on legs."

Raven's only reply was an unimpressed lifting of an eyebrow. He barked out a short laugh.

"Yeah, I know, but I was like, nine, when I came up with that one." He said. For a moment, he hesitated, wondering whether or not he should share one of Rita's answers. A quick glance at Raven provided the confirmation he needed. "One of Rita's guesses was because Poe wrote on both."

That got a reaction, as unexpected as that was. He'd almost forgotten what it was like to see Raven smile, even that tiny, microscopic grin of hers. But it made him feel warmth and relief that at least they weren't headed towards the end of their friendship. Maybe, just maybe, this crazy plan of Starfire's might actually work.

"That's actually pretty clever." Raven said, and he thought her voice seemed to waver out of that droning monotone. But maybe that had just been his imagination.

"Yeah, Rita was always better at coming up with answers that made sense."

"Rita… Elasti-Girl?"

Beast Boy found that he could no longer form words, so he settled for a quick nod. The conversation was dangerously close to subjects that he had no intention of revisiting. So with a trembling smile, he got up from the chair and tilted his head towards the tv.

"Anyways, I was just going to watch some TV until the guys came back."

"Oh. Okay."

And just like that, things were once again awkward. Raven was staring into her cup of tea, and he was standing just opposite her, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as his mind tried to figure out what exactly he was supposed to do.

They'd been making headway, but he wasn't ready to talk about Rita or his past yet. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be ready. But at the same time, he didn't want to risk losing what little progress he'd made with Raven.

"You, uh… what were you gonna do?" Beast Boy asked impulsively, hastily trying to explain himself when Raven looked at him with a questioning look. "I mean, you know, with your day off…"

She seemed to hesitate as well before finally answering in a droll tone. "Read."

"Oh… Okay…" He was losing this battle, but there had to be some way to recover. Without making him look awkward and twitchy. "You know, you could read up here… if you want... I'll keep the volume low…"

Was that too desperate? It seemed too desperate. He almost flinched when he looked back at Raven, but she didn't seem to be smirking or laughing at him for his discomfort. If anything, she seemed a bit… surprised...

He wasn't sure how long he was supposed to wait before giving up on receiving a response from Raven. Especially since it was Raven, and a response was never guaranteed. But he remained rooted to the spot, watching her as she apparently resolved some inner conflict. Probably which window to throw him out of this time.

"Okay." Raven said. With a sharp pop, a book appeared from thin air beside her, and she reached out to grab it before it fell. Getting up from her chair, she used her powers to clear the table, and left him staring at her chair as she made her way over to the couch, book in hand.

Beast Boy frowned, trying to somehow make sense of the world again. But she was Raven. And he was green. So with a shrug, he figured making sense probably wasn't as important as it seemed. After locating Raven, who was now sitting curled up against one end of the couch, he quickly vaulted over the back of the couch and landed gracefully on the other hand, making sure his landing wouldn't disrupt Raven. He knew it would only take one mistake from his part to revert everything back to the usual routine. So from now on, he pledged to be more careful, if only to try to preserve some sense of camaraderie between them.

And as he settled in to watch one of his favorite nature documentaries with a reasonable volume, he figured now more than ever, maybe Star's idea could actually work.

Beast Boy smiled to himself as he allowed himself one more shimmer of hope.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So? What did you think? Honestly, this was the first draft, I barely edited it, but I was anxious to get back into the story, so I decided what the hell. I'll just go for it. That being said, if anyone would be interested in Beta-Reading the future chapters, I'd be very grateful.

But anyways, some of you may want to know if I'm back, if the story will be finished this time, if I'll be updating more regularly, etc, etc. The honest answer is I don't know. Eight months ago, I was sure that the story was dead and I'd never write it again. Eight months from now, the story might be finished, or it might once again be abandoned. I honestly don't know.

But what I DO know, is that for the time being, I'm once again invested in the story. Things might have changed, especially my writing style, and maybe even the characters themselves. I've lost the initial connection I had with the story and the characters, so it might feel as though it's a bit of a different story now, or the characters themselves might seem different, but hopefully that's a good thing.

In any case, I long to hear what you thought of this latest chapter, particularly any differences you might have noticed, positive and/or negative.

And fear not, I AM going to keep writing, for now at least. The next chapter is the later-half of this day, and then after that we get to see a little action Monday morning with the entire team... and maybe something citrus-y? I don't know, you'll have to wait to find out... ;)

Cheers, everyone, and glad to be back,

-Word