Author's Note: Full disclosure, I started this when I was just a little manic. And now we're on the other side of that and I've slowed down rather a lot. But I rather like this fiction and will coontinue to work on it at my plodding pace. Hope you're enjoying it! Reviews welcome!

Raven was chiding herself, telling herself that she didn't care, that it didn't matter, but was on her way to Beas Boy's room nevertheless. Her empathic abilities were well harnessed, she could suppress them, but they still let her know who was in the building. Like a feeling of… unease in her stomach. A little tension in her chest. Different variants for different people. Cyborg and Starfire were muted, Cyborg because half his brain was machine and Starfire because her mind was entirely alien while Raven's powers focused more on human physiology. Robin was like her, usually in control of his emotions, so he was constant and predictable. Like the sound of a fan or the dull hum of a current through a computer. And if we were comparing people to electricity, Beas Boy was like static. Often times he was just there like everyone else, and when he was being an animal it was as if he wasn't around at all. But when he got a hair in his brain his emotions were raw and powerful. Wild. Sometimes it was refreshing to have Beast Boy around. Other times it was jarring. But she'd gotten used to it, the feeling of having Beast Boy around.

He was not around now. He hadn't been around since she'd seen him last night. He'd said he was going out, which was a very Beast Boy-like thing to do. And he hadn't come back, which was not Beast Boy-like. He hadn't checked in or anything. He was just gone. Raven wasn't the boss of him; he could do what he liked. It wasn't like she cared. Right? Yet if that was true, why was she going to check on a room she already knew was empty. Why did she feel more unease at his absence than had ever been caused by his presence? What was she doing at 4:00 in the morning out in the halls and, now, standing in front of the bland door to Beast Boy's room? As the door slid open, a quick survey showed that she was not alone in her concern.

"He didn't come home last night," Cyborg stated, standing next to the bunk bed and looking over his shoulder at her. His cybernetic eye glowed red and the rest of his body put off a cyan aura.

"I know," she confirmed, staring at him from beneath a cloak that concealed her body and face. And hopefully her fear.

"It's not like him. I can't figure out what's going on."

"Did you try his communicator?"

"Not answering. I could track it, it's still in Jump, but he's only been gone the one night. I thought maybe he'd left a note?"

"I ran into him last night and he just said he was going out. Never said anything about staying out."

"Yeah… I didn't go with him because I was working on the T-Car. I didn't think it was a big deal."

"It's probably not. You know Beast Boy, he probably just fell asleep somewhere. You know he sleeps like the dead."

"Little man doesn't snore like them though," Cyborg forced out a little laugh at his own joke and turned to face her fully. "You're probably right. Everything's fine."

"Of course I'm right. He's just pushing boundaries, trying to get a rise out of Robin I imagine. Either that or he lost track of time. Everything's fine."

The pair jumped when the alarm sounded, flashing red lights and signaling that everything was, in fact, not fine. Cyborg checked his arm, eyes skimming across the report as it came in. Raven watched him intently, waiting for the status report she knew was coming.

"It's Dr. Light. He's attacking the powerplant."

"Fantastic," said Raven in a tone that suggested she did not think it was fantastic or even remotely good. "Better head over then. This early in the morning Robin's probably having kittens."

Dreams and reality merge on the edge of sleep, the brain making connections in unexpected and unpredictable ways. Processing events from days long past into visions of a world that didn't exist. Or maybe it did, just for a moment, just long enough to be glimpsed by the dreamer. And Beast Boy was dreaming. A funny dream of flashing lights and bitter punch. Of a pretty girl looking at him intently, seeing past his fangs and green skin to something desirable. It seemed an odd sort of dream, but that's what it had to be, right? Because in this dream he'd gotten really hot; he had been sweating even though outside it was so cold he could see his breath. And he'd been dizzy, hazy, the thrumming music and the flashing lights overwhelming. He'd lost control and she'd said it was normal. She'd expected it. Then he was in a room with walls made of flesh. The dream had become a nightmare and he couldn't escape the fact that his face was pressed into something hard. Something more like a floor than a pillow. His body was cold now. Freezing and uncomfortable.

"Uhg," he groaned, feeling his joints crack as he rolled over. His face had been smooshed into the floorboards and, as he relieved the pressure, a flood of pins and needles sprayed his cheek. "Where… where am I?"

The room didn't answer. It was a bland room, rough, filled with tall tables and storage crates. The walls were wooden, unpainted, butt the ceiling was laced with dormant lights. So that, at least, had been real. He'd gone to a party. They'd probably served punch. But what had happened after… A searing pain shot through his head, like a current spanning temple to temple, and he yelped, cradling his skull and bringing his knees up to his chest. It hurt to think about after, to remember the moist room where… Another stab into his cranium ceased that line of thinking. He knew he needed to remember. He knew it was important, that something had happened. But, it just, it hurt.

This is normal. Nothing has happened that was not expected. You are as you were meant to be.

"Who's there?"

It was a stupid question because, for one, there was no one in the room with him. He could feel the emptiness like prey senses the absence of a predator in the clearing. Not a 100% assessment, but the hairs on his skin were relaxed and he couldn't smell anyone close by. That meaty smell of human flesh… The other thing that indicated he was alone was the cold fact that he hadn't actually heard a voice. It was more like a sensation in his mind, a current in who's wake the pain dissolved. Whispers. It was pure truth and believing it was true felt… good. It felt good to believe the voice. It felt amazing. He groaned and sat up, pressing a hand to his forehead and wondering who, if anyone, he should tell. His gut said something had happened, something had been done. To him. But the whispers…

He jumped when the alarm on his communicator went off, then sighed heavily, pulling it out. The screen told him two things: that Dr. Light was attacking the power plant and that it was roughly 4:00 in the morning. He felt tired. And angry. Angry that he was out in the cold, on the floor, and he'd been woken up before the sun. It wasn't normal, the intensity of his anger, but the whispers said it was. They told him everything was normal even though it wasn't and he didn't have time to argue. The anger simmered in his chest, then boiled into a rage. Fortunately, he knew who he could take it out on. Shedding his street cloths and vowing to come back for them, he shifted into a golden eagle and took off towards the nearest window, breaking it on his way out.

"Your shadows cannot consume my brilliance! Not with the entire city's power coursing through my suit!"

"Don't test me," Raven shot back, levitating before him and scowling. "I woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

He didn't answer her with words, but with a whip made of pure light, white at its core and radiating yellow. It made a crackling noise like thunder when it cut through the air and smelled like ozone as it clipped Raven's cloak. She dodged out of the way in time, but did feel duly chastised. He wasn't playing this time. Robin threw a few small balls that exploded into clouds of smoke which refracted the light, sparkling, almost beautiful. Then he tore through the smoke like a phantom and clocked Dr. Light in the jaw with a fist like a tiny steel ball. Starfire followed up with a starbolt to the chest, but his suit had been upgraded to not only withstand directed energy, but consume it. His whip sizzled and he struck Starfire across her exposed stomach with enough force to redirect her flight backwards. Robin had to make a choice: get in another hit or go catch Starfire. He chose Starfire and Dr. Light howled with laughter.

"I trust that was an illuminating display! My technology has only improved since we last fought! You cannot hope to defeat me!"

"Where is Beast Boy," Robin snapped, directing the comment towards Cyborg like I was his fault and cradling Starfire to his chest.

"I dunno man," Cyborg answered with a shrug, frowning and shaking his head. "He didn't come home last night."

"You're saying he's just out in the city somewhere?"

"Like I said," Cyborg added emphasis this time, evaluating Dr. Light and calculating what kind of yield he would need from his sonic cannon to overload that suit. "I dunno. He said he wanted to go out."

"Alone?"

"I'm sure friend Beast Boy will be here soon," soothed Starfire, placing a hand on Robin's shoulder and smiling. "He may be further away than our tower was."

Robin opened his mouth to say something to denote that, though admirable, her attempts to assuage his wrath towards the negligent changeling had been unsuccessful, but at that moment the piercing cry of an eagle cut the air. They all looked up to see an emerald green raptor soaring between the power cables and down towards them. It dodged in towards Dr. Light, nimbly maneuvering around the whip made of light. Then, nearing his position, there was a blur of green and instead of an eagle an armored ankylosaurus smashed into the ground with a deafening thud. Dr. Light pulled back his whip in preparation for what was surely meant to be a devastating blow, but the ankylosaurus was already in motion. With a decisiveness that suggested he'd flown in with this plan, a tail like a sledgehammer collided with Dr. Light's chest and sent him flying back. He collided with the side of the power plant, suit sparking and hissing, and did not get up.

When he didn't move at all after a few moments concern started to spread among the Titans. Raven levitated in to check the villain and Cyborg dialed the paramedics on his arm. It was not unusual for someone to get scuffed up during one of these encounters, but this time it seemed… excessive. Starfire flew to Raven's side and Robin approached the dinosaur, fuming. But Beast Boy, apparently, didn't want to hear it. Without ever turning into a human to speak, he shifted back into an eagle and took flight. His trajectory suggested he was heading back to the tower. Raven watched him go and, though her face remained picturesque, she was frowning. It wasn't like him to stay out all night and not tell anyone, and it wasn't like him to be so forceful. She couldn't sense much of anything from his animal form, but in her gut the seeds of worry began to sprout.

Robin was annoyed. Being raised by Batman imbues one with a certain expectation of professionalism and being late to a fight did not qualify. He'd done his share of shady stuff (Red X jumps too mind), could get hyper focused (maybe a little obsessive), but when that alarm went off Robin was on it. He got out there and fought until the job was done and the bad guy was in custody. He took pride in the efficiency of his own actions and the prowess of his team. Like a well-oiled machine. But today a wheel had squeaked. Today something had thrown a wrench into an otherwise perfectly choreographed takedown. And Robin was… annoyed.

When the Titans entered their living room, just four of them, and found Beast Boy in the kitchen downing electrolytes in his boxers, Robin was livid.

"What was that," he demanded, advancing on the green teen and gesturing behind him, to the windows and out into the city. Like the entire populace had been witness to some great failure.

"What was what," sighed Beast Boy, bringing the glass of cloudy liquid up and pressing it to the side of his face.

"That," Robin specified, reiterating his grand gesture. "With Dr. Light. You could've killed him!"

"I barely touched him, Rob. Stop freaking out."

"The paramedics think you broke three of his ribs."

"Don't lecture me," Beast Boy mumbled, closing his eyes and leaning heavily on the counter. "Like you're above breaking a few bones to get the job done."

"Only when necessary. We don't use excessive force, or did you forget that?"

"Guess I forgot."

"This is serious Beast Boy! Where were you last night! Why were you late to the fight!"

"Stop yelling," he finally snapped, setting the glass down on the counter so hard some of the liquid sloshed out and giving Robin a hot look of his own. "My head hurts."

There was a tightly wound moment of silence like a wire. It went on for long enough that the other three Titans thought about saying something. Cooling things down a little. It wasn't irregular for Beast Boy to push boundaries, bend rules, and generally get under someone else's skin. But Robin was right, what they had here wasn't garden variety carelessness. It was a serious oversight. Cyborg stepped forward and opened his mouth, but wasn't fast enough to defuse the situation.

"Are you hungover?"

It was a low, dangerous accusation. Robin crossed his arms and scowled. Beast Boy narrowed his gaze and stared back, looking indignant and… angry. Beast Boy didn't tend to look angry, he was a relaxed jokester seemingly incapable of serious emotion. He knew when he'd taken things too far and accepted his punishment without letting his feelings suffer any harm. He'd be right back at it tomorrow. Anger didn't look right on his features. It looked unsettling.

"Yes Robin," he replied in an uncharacteristically sarcastic tone. "I went out and got totally trashed last night. You got me."

"Then where were you?

"I went to a party downtown, okay? No one wanted to go out so I did it myself! Is that a crime? Do you control my off time too?"

The outburst softened Robin a little and he sighed, looking over to the kitchen wall for council.

"Beast Boy, I don't control your life. But it's 4:45 in the morning. You were out all night. Can't you see that that's a problem? What were you even doing?"

Raven, who had been focusing very hard on not letting herself be influenced by the wild tempers that were circling the room like winds in a hurricane, felt something very strange at that moment. Coming from Beast Boy. At first there was confusion, so intense that it quieted his rage and made his heart sink. She could feel it in her own chest, that sinking feeling. He didn't know what he'd been doing all night, or where, or with whom. Her own concern welled up at that, at the intensity of his fear, and she looked around to Cyborg, then back at Beast Boy, frowning. He didn't notice her, picking up his electrolyte water and downing it in one go. Buying time to process, because he couldn't admit to Robin that he didn't know. Because he knew that would be bad. Then something came… through Beast Boy. Inside him but not him. Whispers so brief she wasn't sure she'd felt them at all, but they stilled the storm inside the changeling.

"I lost track of time," he answered coolly, setting the glass intentionally back into the puddle of water he'd made earlier. "I lost track of time and crashed on their couch. That's all."

"That's all," probed Robin, unconvinced. It was a pretty serious oversight, even for Beast Boy. Especially for the Beast Boy before him now, refusing to meet his gaze and speaking to the refrigerator. His instincts told him there was more, but he didn't want to accuse his friend of lying. Not so soon after he'd accused him of being drunk. And negligent.

"That's all," affirmed Beast Boy, but he sounded very detached, in sharp contrast to the rage from just moments before. He closed his brilliantly green eyes and frowned, tilting his head like he was listening to something quiet. "So if that's it I'm going back to bed."

Robin could think of no further objections, at least none he thought appropriate to voice. He was rather a lot softer than his mentor, and to be honest Beast Boy, standing there with messed hair in nothing but his boxers, looked like he needed the rest. He stepped aside as the green changeling moved towards the door, not even mentioning that he'd left his dirty glass for someone else to clean up. Starfire opened her arms and mouth in preparation for something that would no doubt be a glorious and uplifting display, but Cyborg placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Little man needed the rest, he looked like death warmed over and Cyborg's scans were showing his blood pressure was already up.

Raven, though, moved towards him, grabbing his arm above the elbow and halting his progress. His green skin felt soft and very warm, despite being exposed to the cool coastal morning air, and her grip was so tight she could feel his racing pulse in his brachial artery. She hadn't meant to be so rough, but his fear moments before had ignited her own. His rage which felt far too wild to belong to the passive person she'd come to know and respect. She'd only felt this volatility from him twice before: after Terra had betrayed them and when he'd lost control of his DNA and become a monster. Both times it had unsettled her to see him like that, like an animal, and it unsettled her now. She searched his face for the whispers she'd thought she'd heard, but now there was only quiet.

"Are you okay," she asked in her monotone, a practiced cadence that didn't betray any of her concern.

Beast Boy looked at her and for a moment the confusion was back, like he wasn't sure. Then he snarled at her and pulled free roughly, turning his back.

"What do you care?"