Chapter 6

He woke to the sound of a rhythmic pulse beeping by his side. He thought to move, but everything except his left pinky was hurting.

Actually…nope. That hurt too.

Beast Boy took a breath, and immediately, the bitter scent of antiseptic assaulted his nostrils. Underneath this offensive aroma was the undertones of old, dried blood and vomit. These rather horrible odors seemed to linger on the floors no matter how many times they had been sanitized.

He was in the infirmary. How the hell did he end up here?

Deciding to figure out what was going on, Beast Boy groaned and cracked an eye open. The bright light above him made him wince, and he struggled to move his aching muscles. His limbs screamed at him to lie back down, but he gritted his teeth against the discomfort and attempted to sit up.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty is awake! Though I don't know how- ain't nobody kissed your ugly ass!"

Beast Boy turned to his caretaker with a forced smile. "Saving a robot baby isn't enough for a make-out session? I'm gonna have to up my game." Every word took effort, but watching Cyborg laugh at his joke was worth it.

Still laughing, Cyborg started taking the readings from the monitors attached to Beast Boy. "Man, that was some next-level, epic crap you pulled. The way you took down those robots- I'm going to be replaying that for days. My jaw was on the floor the entire time!"

Beast Boy gave a light chuckle, "Had to get your wrenches out and screw it back on, Chrome Dome?"

Cyborg shook his head and sighed at his mechanically challenged best friend, "Dude, you need to come into the shop with me more often." He muttered under his breath for a full minute while he finished up with the machines. Beast Boy could understand only a few utterances of 'bolts' and 'gears,' but the rest could've been in Greek for all he knew.

After checking Beast Boy's heart rate, Cyborg sighed and seemed to have an air of complete seriousness about him that wasn't there before. Beast Boy knew what was coming next.

"B, I'm not gonna lie, that was really extreme, but you didn't have to do all that just for a training session. You got yourself into a bad shape, and for what, a computer simulation? Listen, Robin has had an ear-full from me and the girls, and Raven will have to meditate for days to get over all of the healing she had to do to you. I'm concerned, man. What on earth were you thinking of?" Cyborg's distress was like a melancholy cloud that had settled onto the ground.

Feeling incredibly guilty, Beast Boy leaned back onto the bed and eyed the ceiling, carefully constructing his words. "I wasn't thinking, Cy. I remember the baby crying, I remember shifting, and then the next thing I knew, I was laying by the feet of its robot mother. The middle bit is just a blur. It just happens … sometimes." His voice was quiet as he decided to be as honest as he could about the situation.

Cyborg stared hard at him and slowly nodded his head in acceptance.

Beast Boy knew that his animalistic instincts were often hard to explain, he also knew that Cyborg understood not only his abilities but also his privacy and wouldn't try to get anything out of him- for now. He fully expected the man to try his subtle (and not-so-subtle) interrogation while he was punching buttons on the GameStation. The joke was on him though, as Beast Boy was well aware of this tactic. Okay, so he only found out recently, and okay, he had let some secrets out even after that, but he was getting better at holding them in … honest he was!

Cyborg switched off the last of the machines before turning to his best friend, "At least you had the sense to get your butt to the infirmary." He removed the IV from Beast Boy's hand and cleaned away the bandages. "We were worried when you just ran off like that."

At this, Beast Boy laughed nervously. "Yeah, I had to check … something." He gave a fake cough and attempted to change the subject, "Ummm, how long have I been out?" He could almost feel Cyborg's internal system assessing him, picking up on his feeble attempt to distract him.

Eyeing him warily, Cyborg appeared to be generous. "Just a few hours. You were pretty bad, though. I think you might need to give your thanks to our resident hand-glowing healer. She pushed herself pretty hard for you."

Eager to leave the infirmary, Beast Boy grasped at the excuse for a getaway. "Better make my way there before she sends me to another dimension or something!"

Cyborg gave a curt reply, but Beast Boy didn't hear as he was already ignoring his aches and pains and racing towards the elevator, lost in thought.

He deduced that the older Raven must have dropped him in the infirmary once he'd passed out. If he'd been under for several hours and Cyborg didn't mention seeing any extra Azarathians in the tower, then he could guess she'd been holed up in his room for quite some time now.

His stomach rumbled as he pondered and he quickened his limp towards the kitchen. A snack was needed before any apologies to any Raven's were made.

He poked his head through the door of Ops but was happy to see it free of other Titans. Although he knew he would eventually have to talk to his team about his earlier performance, he wanted time to process it himself.

No, it wasn't the first time he'd blanked out while fighting but it was the first time it happened over a virtual simulation. It was also the first time it was triggered by such a bizarre emotional set-up. He knew that if he had undergone that particular course any other time, he probably would have not taken it so seriously, nor would he have gone into full instincts mode. But his Raven encounter last night and this morning had shifted his perspective, and even now, he couldn't regret his actions. How could it all change in such a small amount of time? It seemed illogical, and yet the proof was right there.

It was a lot to take in.

While reflecting on the last few hours, he mindlessly flicked the kettle on and rustled around the cupboards while eating some leftover pizza. He quickly made a green tea, grabbed fruit and granola bars, and hurried to his room.

Checking the corridor to ensure he was alone, he punched the code into his room and raced inside, firmly locking the door behind him.

He turned and blanched in surprise as he was greeted with the scents of lemon, rosemary, and vinegar. On those rare occasions when he did clean his room, this was the exact mix of natural cleaning products he used that didn't burn his sensitive nose. Cyborg was always going on and on about using bleach and powerful eye-watering disinfectants, but he could never abide the headaches that came with it. He made this blend after doing research and perfecting it over the years. Beast Boy had never shown anyone the recipe before, yet the combination was perfect. Actually- he lifted his nose again and could even detect the tiniest hint of orange by the windows- she had perfected the recipe.

"40 broken bones, 24 third-degree burns, one concussion, and what would have been around 850 stitches. Do you have a death wish?!"

Beast Boy's silent astonishment was interrupted by the cleaning culprit herself, who stood angrily near his bed. Arms awkwardly folded over her chest, lips in a thin, tight line; he comically thought of steam blowing out of her ears.

"You cleaned!" he squeaked. He quickly cleared his throat, "I mean, you know the recipe?"

Raven rolled her eyes in a dramatic display of her annoyance and stomped across the floor. "Yes! You taught me years ago! Don't change the subject! You could've gotten yourself killed! Over a training simulation? Are you insane?!" She snapped out the last question. The comics on the newly polished bookcase rumbled, and his furniture creaked as they became encased in her power. His ears drooped, and he felt himself cower under her satanic glare.

Beast Boy took a step back. An angry Raven was usually a violent one. By the red quickly flashing through her eyes, this Raven was about to commit murder.

He decided that he had two options: flight or fight. If he needed to flee, the best thing to do would be to make himself into an insect, able to squeeze under the door frame and race into the hall and towards freedom. On the other hand, being so small would make him vulnerable to being stepped on by the angry empath, thus ending his short life. If he chose to fight … Well, he wouldn't have placed any bets on himself winning that one. Her menacing power was no match for his own, especially as he was still healing. Either way, he was pretty sure that this was it. Death by being catapulted into hell by an angry, hungry…

Wait a second…

Slowly and gingerly, without taking his eyes off her wrathful ones, he stretched out his hands as if presenting a sacrifice to a vengeful deity.

The ravenous demi-demon warily eyed the offering.

A minute passed, but it felt like hours to Beast Boy as he started to quake from her heated gaze. Would a sharp pain and a bright, white light very shortly be his future? Did he have time to update his will?

Finally, the merciful cambion took the changeling away from contemplating life, death, and the number 42, and plucked the nourishment from his sweating palms. Still eyeing her devoted servant, she moved to sit on the chair by the desk to claim her prize.

Beast Boy loudly exhaled and turned to watch her as she ate. "You sure you don't want a Snickers with that?" he warily chuckled. He was going for a teasing mood lifter, but by the scowl she gave him as she chewed, it had fallen flat.

Right.

He had been honest with Cyborg, so Beast Boy figured he might as well be honest with Raven. A tad more apologetic, though.

"Sorry, Raven. I didn't mean to worry you. I can't explain what happened during the simulation. I saw this robot baby, and all I could think about was… " He trailed off before he could confess anything. He gave a loud gulp before he continued, "Something just triggered me, and I don't remember the rest of the course. I came to the finish line with all of my bruises and broken bones, with no idea how they got there. It's not something that happens very often, but I'm sorry all the same," he finished, rubbing the back of his neck.

She watched him with her menacing stare as she devoured her food. While Beast Boy hadn't known this Raven for very long, the one thing about the woman that had not changed throughout the years was her ability to make him feel as if he was a book and she was reading every page of him. He usually wore his heart on his sleeve, yet he was surprisingly gifted at masking those negative emotions that often crept into his heart. Raven had always been the one to suss out these emotions and slyly call him out on it. It was not usually in words, often it was just a gesture like the rise of an eyebrow, the twitch of a finger, but Beast Boy could usually decipher her small signals and knew there was no hiding from her. It could be downright uncomfortable at times, like now, but he reminded himself that behind her gaze, she was feeling his emotions and assessing his sincerity.

"Humph," she uttered, her scrutiny over.

Knowing he was off the hook, Beast Boy sighed. Then, remembering where he had woken up and how he suspected he got there, he added, "Thanks for dropping me in the infirmary, too. I'm sorry I just kinda passed out like that." He added a forced chuckle.

"Humph," she said again, dusting some crumbs off her cloak. "I tried to heal your more serious wounds, but I didn't want Raven- or Cyborg- to know that someone else had already gotten to you, so I teleported you to the medical wing. They found you within five minutes, so you have had adequate care."

"Just adequate?" he couldn't help but snicker.

"Yes," she deadpanned. "You're still sore, right?"

He gawked at her. Was she seriously criticizing the level of care his friends had given him?

She rolled her eyes at him and put her hands together as if she were readying herself to explain simple math to a toddler. "She's powerful, and Cyborg is an excellent doctor, but she still has a lot to learn about her powers. Healing is not her strong suit yet. She still needs to master that aspect of her magic." She sat back and opened the last of the granola bars.

Beast Boy's eyebrows were lowered in a frown as he struggled to comprehend what she was talking about.

"And you," Raven interrupted his hectic thoughts.

"Me?! What about me?" Beast Boy asked.

"You also have powers you have yet to tap into," Raven cryptically told the puzzled teen.

Beast Boy was really confused now.

"Uhhhhh- like a…Healing…power?"

She only lifted an eyebrow in response.

"It doesn't matter." She stood, her black light engulfed her hands as she reached for Beast Boy's head. He could feel an instant cooling sensation throughout his body. It was as if he could feel his cells dividing, restoring, and rejuvenating his muscles. It was only a few seconds, but when she walked away, he felt like he had been in the cold shadows and had just stepped into the bright, warm sun. He took a breath in and exhaled with a smile. He hadn't felt this good in a long time.

He could see Raven smile, the first since his stint in the infirmary, and it made him beam at her in return.

"WOW! That was incredible!" He found his way to his bed and plunked down on the bottom bunk, now completely relaxed. "You heal me, you clean my room, you sure I can't convince you to stay in this time?"

Settling herself back into the desk chair, Raven gave her granola wrapper a longing look before crumbling the plastic and tossing it into the garbage bin. She scanned Beast Boy as if confirming that he had no extra food on him before she frowned, "Well, as I tried to tell you before you became unconscious, I have almost all of the ingredients I need to perform the ritual and make the portal. The issue is that I need a certain plant that can only be picked on a full moon."

Beast Boy nodded in thought. "Yeah, full moon. It's always the full moon. Animals act strange during a full moon, werewolves change on the full moon, and of course, the virgin has to light the candle on a full moon."

Raven gave a slight shrug. "Sometimes Hollywood gets it right."

Beast Boy tilted his head in puzzlement, "Wait, how… candle…virgin…you…" he pointed his fingers in different directions as each word passed his lips.

"Oh, Azar!" Raven pinched the bridge of her nose, "I just meant that magic is most powerful during a full moon."

"Oh. I mean- ya! That makes, uhh, sense," he awkwardly chuckled.

The room was silent for a moment as Raven massaged her temples.

"So… When's the next full moon then?" he asked.

She stopped rubbing her forehead and looked out the window where the sun was starting its descent into the horizon. "The moon won't be at its fullest for another six days," she sighed.

"Six days, eh? Well, that's not too bad! It could be worse, right? The full moon could've been yesterday- then you'd be stuck here for a full month! Six days is hardly anything, and then you'll be home sweet home."

Raven's eyes gleamed as if thanking him for his optimism. "You're right. It's not that long. But..." she hesitated as she looked back out the window. Something about the picturesque coastline must have triggered her as one minute she had a serene look on her face, and the next, there was a determined steel to her gaze. She whipped her head back at him, "But it's long enough that I can't stay locked in this room. We are going to have to get Raven out of the Tower."


One hour and another kitchen run later, Beast Boy walked toward his teammate's door with a cunning plan up his sleeve. Well, it wasn't a plan per se, but Raven had insisted that anything devious or suggestive would be seen through in a hot minute. She had shot down his offer of tickets to the new water park in Arizona, and they don't do overnight camps in any European libraries (he checked), so he was stuck with her original suggestion. He seriously doubted the idea, but as she was the expert in - well… herself - he was going to take her word for it. He took a breath and silently braced himself before tentatively knocking on Raven's door and calling her name.

"Go away." Her usual monotone seemed a little more on the icy side than usual.

Yikes. And she wonders why people call her the Ice Queen, Beast Boy thought. He had known the rebuff was coming, but the rejection still stung just a little.

"I just wanted to say thank you for healing me earlier. Can I- can I come in?" Beast Boy asked, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

Gearing up for another dismissal, Beast Boy was surprised when waiting for a moment, he heard her whisper, "You're welcome."

The ice is cracking! Now is the time for -

"Now go away." The venom in her tone was unmistakable.

It was then he got out his secret weapon."C'mon Raven, I've got a thank you tea all ready for you! It's Earl Grey, steeped for precisely five minutes. A quarter-inch thick slice of lemon - not squeezed- is in it along with half a teaspoon of organic honey, and I stirred it for exactly 45 seconds in your favorite blue mug- just the way you like it!" He had squeezed his one eye shut and tilted his head to the side as if he had copied the recipe on the inside of his eyelid and was struggling to read the handwriting.

The door slid open so quickly that it was almost as if Raven had been only inches away on the other side.

"That's… that's perfect, Beast Boy. How did you know I like it like that?" Her eyes were wide in bewilderment.

Beast Boy took a secret delight in seeing such an uncommon look on the empath's face. "It's your evening tea. I've seen you make it a thousand times."

It helped that a future version of her told him exactly how to make it.

She plucked it from his outstretched hands and gave it a sniff as if to test it. She must have found it satisfying as she took a quick sip, eyeing the changeling. A tiny rise to her eyebrows was the only indication that she was impressed and Beast Boy could feel himself swell with pride.

"Just don't touch anything," she grumbled as she stepped back and allowed Beast Boy to enter her room.

Strolling past her, Beast Boy clapped his hands together and gave her his biggest grin. "Wouldn't dream of it, Raven." He meant that as well. Poking about her bedroom had proven detrimental in the past, and while wandering around her mind had been enlightening, to say the least, it was not an adventure he wanted to repeat anytime soon.

Cautiously, he made his way toward her bed and sat down once she gave him a slight nod in approval. She stood near her overflowing bookcase, hands palming her tea, and they both watched each other in silent consideration.

Beast Boy could feel the strange ambiance of the room capture him, and he started to relax despite the weight of her glare. Candles were burning throughout the dark room, and they seemed to make the shadows on the walls dance an eerie, hypnotic dance. The darkness made her violet hair look almost black, and the chakra on her forehead twinkled as it reflected light from a tiny gap in between the closed curtains. Her long cloak was pulled over her shoulders, and her shapely legs were on display. The red gems along her hips seemed to wink at him, and his eyes roamed over her tiny waist and up to her-

Uh oh.

He felt his cheeks grow hot.

He cleared his throat and hoped that she didn't pick up on that particular emotion.

"So I just wanted to say thank you, Rae. I was beat up pretty bad, eh? Guess I better be more careful next time." He attempted a laugh, but it came out as an awkward squeak, and Beast Boy silently cursed himself. Why was he such a fool around this Raven?

"Humph," she huffed, her glare back to making him feel only two inches tall. "20 broken bones, 12 third-degree burns, one concussion, and what would have been around 425 stitches. So yes, next time you feel like acting like a patriarchal chauvinist, please refrain from injuring yourself to that extent. I will be meditating for days to make up for all the energy I spent healing you." She took a long sip of her tea, scowling at Beast Boy. "And it's Raven. Not Rae."

Beast Boy's lip twisted in amusement. He fought it, he did, but as much as Beast Boy tried to hold it in, it bubbled to the surface. Despite clasping his hand over his mouth, despite knowing she'd probably add another broken bone to the tally, a barking laugh escaped his lips, and its sound rebounded through her dark bedroom.

This seemed to make the enchantress mad. Go figure.

"Is there something funny about me healing you, Beast Boy? Because next time, I will not bother," she growled through gritted teeth.

His howls continued, and he slapped his hand on his knee and shook his head. "Nope! Nope! Not laughing at you Rae … ven." He wiped away a tear that had formed under his eye. "Not laughing at you. Just having MAJOR déjà vu over here!"

He looked up to see Raven's nose wrinkled in confusion.

He held in another outburst as he composed himself and settled on smiling at her instead. "I am very, very grateful that you healed me, and I hope you didn't put any stress on yourself for it. I appreciate you and your friendship, you know. It just wouldn't be the same without you here." He focused on all his positive emotions and attempted to channel them towards her.

Raven's lips parted in surprise, and her eyes went wide. The sincerity of his statement was evidently not lost on her. She looked to the floor, seemingly embarrassed. "Umm, it was a pretty weird scenario Robin gave you. It was also kind of … nice seeing you so protective of that baby robot … thing."

Did Raven say the word nice? About something he had done? Nice?

Beast Boy felt like pinching himself. Has hell frozen over? Did pigs learn to fly? He was so blindsided by Raven, his present-day Raven giving him a sort of compliment that he almost missed her cheeks flushing red.

As if reading his thoughts, Raven blinked away any apparent feelings and put a frown back on her face, "Don't let it happen again. Robin has assured us that any simulation involving children or babies has been wiped from the system so it shouldn't happen again."

Beast Boy nodded and silently put aside that praise from the elusive empath. He would take time to dissect and savor it at a later date.

As a thought occurred to him, he found himself frowning. "Sometimes, in real life, we do have to save babies and children in desperate situations. Maybe the computer simulation should keep it in as I guess you could argue that we shouldn't shield ourselves from the reality we face." He finished his thought with a shrug and looked at Raven, whose arms were crossed, and her head tilted to the side as if she was studying him.

Her gaze didn't falter, and Beast Boy could feel himself get hot under his collar.

"Uhhhhh, Raven?" He asked after a whole minute had gone by. She didn't seem to blink once.

The silent awkwardness continued to grow, and Beast Boy was getting antsy. He willed himself to stay as still as he could.

Another uncomfortable minute passed, and he couldn't take it anymore. He stood from her bed, completely ready to abandon his whole mission…when she stepped towards him.

"You're…different." She said, closing the space between them.

"Huh?" was all the startled changeling could say.

Now only a foot apart, Raven reached out as if to touch Beast Boy's cheek. "Something is different about you." She put her hand down as green eyes met purple. "I can't quite put my finger on it."

Time slowed to a standstill as their gazes focused on one another. "What could have changed within so short a time?" she whispered. To herself, to Beast Boy, he wasn't quite sure.

Before he could ask for an explanation, the moment was gone, and she quickly stepped away from him and was back to cradling her mug of tea.

"Youth is precious," she deadpanned to Beast Boy, completely ignoring what had happened in the last few seconds.

"What?!" Beast Boy tried not to look like a dog that had gotten wet as he physically shook himself. He had felt a strange fluttering in his gut just a moment before when their eyes had locked, and he felt the need to shake off the bizarre feeling.

"Childhood is a precious thing to most people," Raven said, her eyes now on her mug. "Seeing a child in danger can be triggering as we like to think the young are invulnerable to such things as death." She waited a moment before continuing. "Perhaps you are right, perhaps we shouldn't hide away from it. Life is not fair, and that is not just restricted to adulthood. Things happen that we have no control over, and to gloss it over would imply that we think it is always sunshine and rainbows when in fact, it can often be the opposite. Accidents happen, children get sick, and-"

"-Not all childhoods are happy." He said, finishing her sentence.

Raven's eyes found his own again. "Yes," she whispered.

The weird flutterings were happening in his stomach again, and Beast Boy didn't know what to make of it. His first instinct was to toss it away and tell a joke as this was becoming dangerously personal for both of them. His mouth opened, but he realized with a start that he was okay with being vulnerable with Raven. Even this Raven. Yes, it was as scary as hell, and he knew it could potentially crash and burn up in his face, but it was also … nice. The same word she had used earlier seemed fitting for this strange, new feeling he had. Scary, new, complicated, and … nice.

Beast Boy had a habit of ruining moments, and he knew that this particular moment was a deciding one. He could take a step forward, carry on the conversation, put himself out there, and be vulnerable with her in the hope she'd be vulnerable back. They could talk, find comfort in one another, and maybe, just maybe, the flutterings would continue. Or, he could take a step back and do what he came to do and help future Raven get back to her time.

With an inward sigh, he plastered a grin on his face and willed his feet to take a step behind him.

"Speaking of kids, how are yours? Melvin, Timmy, and Teether? How long since you've seen them last? Four, five months now?"

Although the expression on her face never wavered, Beast Boy swore he saw her eyes flash for just a second. He would tell himself later that he had just imagined it, but in the moment, he thought it was a look of disappointment.

"You know it was four months. You gave them pony rides around the island, and Teether chewed through half the evidence on one of Robin's cases." A hint of a smile played upon her lips, "I don't think Robin is keen on having them back anytime soon."

"Oh yeah! Robin's face was priceless! I should have Cyborg check the tower's cameras to see if we got a good shot of it somewhere!" he smiled. "You're real good with those little guys, Raven. If the computer ever tried to use a simulation with a robot baby on you, you'd totally go all Mama Bear on it."

"But I'd do it without almost killing myself." She raised a single eyebrow at him.

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry about again for healing me. I should probably leave you to your meditation now. I guess you'll need a few days to recover, and I'll try not to bug you too much." He dismissed himself, walked past the empath, and was heading out the door when he heard her softly say his name.

"Beast Boy?"

Turning around, he was treated to one of her rare smiles that seemed to soften her face, and that damned feeling shot through his stomach again. This time, it was accompanied by his heart, which had decided to beat out a tattoo against his ribs.

"Yeah?" he managed to yelp.

"Thanks for the tea."

His shoulders relaxed, and he softly smiled back. "No problem, Raven."

As he walked through the door and down the hall, he could say without a shadow of a doubt that although in the last 24 hours, he had come across time travel, been knocked unconscious, been healed by two separate women (who also bizarrely happened to be the same person), this meeting with this Raven was the most confused he'd been in a long time.


Author's note:

I went a little trigger-happy with the ellipses on this one…Sorry.

Next week, more Beast Boy, more Raven, more shenanigans in the tower! Thank you so much for reading!