Hey guys! Thanks again to everyone who's reading, especially those who favorited and followed!

I'll publish chapter 12 later today :)

Wherever You Will Go

On their fourth day at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, all Raven wanted to do was say goodbye to the most important people in her life. She began with Robin and Cyborg, who had been working out with Colossus – well, Robin was working out; the other two were engaged in a friendly weightlifting competition. She waved weakly at them and Robin immediately ran over to her.

"Is this the part where you tell me how we're gonna beat this thing?"

Robin's hopeful smile and positive attitude broke Raven's heart.

Dick noticed how her face fell. "What's wrong?"

She had prepared for this. But it was still an impossible task. "Can I talk to you and Cy in private?"

Robin nodded, with a serious expression on his face. He wasn't sure why, but he suddenly got a terrible knot in his gut. "Hey, Cy! Cut it out and come here!"

Victor reluctantly let Colossus win and walked over to Robin and Raven. "This better be important." And then he saw Raven's worried face and frowned. "What is it?"

The empath gestured for them to follow her and they went into an empty classroom. She pulled up a chair for herself. "You should sit down too."

They silently did as they were told.

"Raven, you're freaking me out. What's wrong?" Cyborg asked.

"Okay. So, I know how to beat this destructive almighty entity we're here to fight. Unfortunately…" She bit her lip as her eyes darted between the two boys. "...it's going to cost us my life."

Robin and Cyborg frowned and looked at each other, then back at Raven.

"Girl, what are you talking about?" Cyborg's exasperated voice cut the silence.

Raven inhaled and explained the plan to her friends.

"Unacceptable." Dick said plainly as soon as she was done.

"Yeah Rae, there's no way we're letting you do this." Cyborg nodded emphatically.

"No offense, but I'm not really asking for permission here." Raven said quietly, but firmly.

"Stop." Richard shook his head. "Enough, Raven. This isn't happening, okay?"

"Then what, Dick?" She looked at him intently. Anyone who knew Raven well enough could see desperation in her eyes, and Dick knew her well. "We just go home? We let these people die? I can't…" Her eyes welled up. "I couldn't live with that. Could you?"

Robin and Cyborg's hearts clenched when they realized she meant it and this wasn't some dramatic exaggeration. Victor panted as he started to despair, but Robin simply would not have this.

"Listen, we'll find another way." Richard reached out to take her hand. "Just like we always have. I've hoped enough for both of us before and I can do it again." He gave her hand a squeeze and smiled at her.

Raven's breathing became uneven and the glass windows blew up while she fought back tears. The two boys jumped slightly at the scare, but kept their focus on her.

"That's the thing though…there isn't one this time." Her voice came out strangled. "If you find a way, please tell me but…" She shook her head at her own thoughts. "We need a plan by tomorrow. It seems impossible. And I can't let hope keep me from saying goodbye." Raven looked up at them. "I just wanted to say thank you for everything. You're my family and you gave my life meaning. And you two, you've always defended me and tried to understand me. I'm really grateful." She gave them a broken smile.

Cyborg was crying at this point.

But Richard Grayson had his jaw clenched while fighting back tears. He closed his eyes and swallowed then looked at her, softly, but seriously. "I thought I told you no more suicide missions, Raven."

A tragic snort escaped her lips as she began to laugh and it turned into a quiet sob. A crack appeared on the wall, but no one cared. Her face was distorted with sorrow when she shrugged and tried to smile at him apologetically. "Sorry, boss."

"Maybe we should have ignored their call." Cyborg said in a low, regretful voice while he cradled his head in his hands.

"Don't say that." Raven whispered. "We can save them. There are innocent people in this world. Even only in this school, there are children. We can save them."

"But…" Victor trailed off.

"It's the world – or at least a world – versus me. Maybe it isn't easy, but it is a simple choice." She spoke firmly again. "But I'll…I'll miss you."

"Raven. I'm not shedding a tear over this. You know why?" Dick said bluntly.

"Because you're dead inside?" The empath frowned and folded her arms. She took offense at that.

"No." Robin shook his head and chuckled sadly, then hardened his face again. "Because I simply do not accept it."

She'd seen that coming.

"I knew you'd say that." Raven rolled her eyes fondly. "I need to prepare, Dick. I can't waste my last day on useless research."

"Okay, then don't. Prepare for the worst, but just know that I don't accept it and I'm going to find another way." Richard said confidently.

"Oh wait, I didn't know that was an option! I don't accept this either, Raven." Cyborg wiped his face and matched Dick's confident stare.

Raven sighed and smiled melancholically. "Okay, guys. Let me know if you have any brilliant ideas. Who knows? Maybe a machine-man and Boy Wonder are exactly what I need." Deep down she knew they wouldn't come up with anything, but she also knew she couldn't stop them. "Can I get a hug anyway?"

Raven usually wasn't the biggest fan of hugs, but considering this was her last day…

"Always. But don't go thinking that means we agree with this plan." Robin stood up.

"Yeah. It's like, a terrible plan." Victor stood up as well.

She hugged Cyborg first and nearly disappeared in his embrace. Then she hugged Dick, and it felt like hugging a twin.

Raven pulled away and took a deep breath. "I need to go talk to Kory."

Dick frowned. He thought about telling her not to, because he was going to fix this and there was no need to put Starfire through this. But somewhere deep down he knew he couldn't know that for sure and nothing would hurt his girlfriend more than not saying goodbye.

Cyborg's mind went to his green best friend. "You're talking to BB too, right? I know you made up last night but I'm guessing you didn't tell h-"

"Yes, of course I'm talking to him later." Raven said as she walked out of the empty classroom. Well I'm doing SOMETHING with him later.

When Raven found Starfire, the alien girl was in the hallway, staring at pictures of Jean Grey on the wall. "Hey, Star."

"Hey, Rae. It's sad, isn't it? She was so beautiful and she seems really nice and apparently everyone really liked her."

Raven took a minute to stare at the pictures too. Well, that's more than I could say about me for sure. "Yes, it's very sad."

Starfire turned to her friend and narrowed her eyes. "So what is wrong?"

The empath's eyebrows shot up. "How did you…" Then it was her turn to narrow her eyes. "When did you get this good at reading me?"

"I'm your best friend, remember?" Kory said smugly.

Raven stared at her fondly for a second. She was about to make her so sad. "You are. And I do need to talk to you. Alone."

"Oh?"

Starfire wasn't that good at reading Raven yet. She figured they would talk about the Beast Boy situation. So when Raven pulled her to an empty room, sat her down and told her about her plan, she felt like all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. She shook her head violently while her eyes welled up. "No. Noo! This will not do!"

"Kory I just need to say goodb-" Raven's voice broke. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Even with all her meditation and preparation, this had been a hard day. She could sense the fear and sadness irradiating from Starfire and she focused on her breathing. When she opened her eyes again, the Tamaranean was full out sobbing. "I'm sorry, Kor." Raven whispered sadly. "I don't want to; I want to go hom-"

Raven's voice broke again and this time a few lightbulbs exploded. Someone opened the door because of the noise, but Raven quickly controlled her face and dismissed them politely.

She turned to Starfire again. "I want to go home with you all. But I can't if that means letting a whole world die…" Raven hated seeing Starfire cry. It made her feel like nothing was safe in the Universe. "Kory, I want you to know that you're…" She took a few shaky, deep breaths. "You're the best friend anyone has ever had. Thank you for being my friend. You were the first Titan I got close to, back when our bodies were swapped." She chuckled at the memory.

Kory chuckled too, though it came out strangled because of all the crying and sobbing.

"I'm going to miss you so much." The empath whispered.

"Rav-" Starfire tried to calm her breathing so she could talk to her friend. "Raven, I still don't accept this."

"Yes, I know. No one does, apparently." Raven rolled her eyes. "I guess we can live in denial until tomorrow. But I wanted you to know I love you. Just in case." Raven sat down next to Starfire and hugged her.

The Tamaranean hugged her back as tightly as she could while still being careful not to hurt her with her strength. They stayed like that for a while. Neither of them knows how long. Raven waited until Kory stopped hurting so much.

"Are you hungry? Want to grab lunch together?" Raven eventually muttered.

Starfire pulled away and nodded at her. She decided to talk to Robin about this right after lunch. Raven said she already told him so he was probably already coming up with a plan. Yes, Robin will know what to do. "Oh, most definitely."

Beast Boy had woken up to butterflies in his stomach. He'd dreamed of Raven, obviously. He looked for her in the morning, but Wanda told him she was out telling their other friends what he already knew. Good, Dick will know what to do. Garfield spent the rest of his morning gathering information about the Dark Phoenix and taking it to the room he shared with Cyborg and Robin. He'd asked Wanda to help him, and she seemed glad to. She didn't like the sacrifice plan either. Unfortunately, she didn't seem hopeful. But Garfield couldn't afford to be realistic now. He had to believe they could save Raven. He had to.

He saw her at lunch. She was sitting across from Starfire and they were talking and smiling, but Kory's eyes and nose were red. Raven had definitely told her already. I wonder if she still wants to…He walked up to them and sat next to Raven, hoping she would somehow let him know where they stood. Kory smiled sadly and the empath gave him a quick nod, without looking up from her plate.

"Hey, Illyana? I have an idea." Raven said casually. "I wanted to try and help Garfield control his Beast form one more time. It could be useful. It's completely immune to magic." She made a pause for Magik's intrigued humming. "And I think we should do it in Limbo. Could you take us there? We'd be back in a few hours. It could make a difference."

Beast Boy's muscles stiffened. Is this part of it? He wondered if this had anything to do with the idea she mentioned last night or if she forgot all about that and was just trying to make battle plans. Starfire on the other hand, was wondering if Raven was planning this endeavor for before or after she broke the news of her scheduled untimely death to the boy who was crazy about her.

"Yeah, sure. Why Limbo?" Magik asked.

"It's crowded with demons and monsters, right? I think it could help him get in touch with that side of him. It's worth a shot." The empath answered stoically.

"Makes sense." Illyana pondered. "I'll take you after lunch. Take as long as you need. I'd like to see this Beast." She smirked.

Garfield blushed and muttered. "It's not really a big deal..."

"He's being modest." Raven stated pointedly.

Beast Boy felt a little ego boost from that before he remembered it was a big deal to Raven because it almost killed her. He wasn't sure if this had anything to do with the moment they shared on the roof and Raven's proposition or if she even remembered that. Maybe she changed her mind again. Do I even want to go to Limbo? It sounds terrifying. He was so confused he decided to eat his food in silence. But then he remembered Raven telling him to just follow her lead. Guess I'm going to Limbo.

About an hour later, Illyana took them. "Reach out to me when you're done, Raven. Good luck." She smiled confidently and left. Usually she wouldn't leave people in there on their own, but Raven was half-demon herself. She would be fine.

The empath relaxed. She'd said her goodbyes. And now she was going to enjoy something for a change. She had her back turned to Beast Boy while she gazed at the magical kingdom ahead. "You don't need to be scared." She whispered.

He was scared. This dimension felt…evil. The air, the smells, the noises, it all freaked him out. He was trying to hide it because he didn't want her to sense it, but apparently he'd failed.

"I…I'm not…I mean, I j-just…" Beast Boy looked around nervously as if waiting for something to attack them.

Then Raven turned around and his heart soared. Maybe this place was creepy, but she looked amazing under the orange glow of Limbo's sky. There was a glint in her eyes. He'd never seen it before. Well, except in his dreams. Wait, is that lust in her gaze? His insides twirled with excitement. He gulped when she walked to him slowly locking him in the trap that was her eyes again.

"No one's going to mess with Trigon's first born here." Raven whispered once she was very close to his face.

It's happening. Garfield tried to clear his thoughts. "So…we're not here to meditate or something?" He asked lamely.

"Well, we can do that if you want. Or we can have sex." She smiled.

This time he was sure he saw lust in her eyes. It drove him insane.

"I d-don't understand."

"There's nothing mortal here but us. No one I can kill."

Everything Raven said was a seductive whisper and it was making him shudder. His eyes widened at the geniality of this plan. She was free here. She didn't need to hold back.

"There you go, you got it." Raven teased him.

"T-That…you…" Garfield felt hypnotized by the playfulness in her eyes.

"And don't worry about the demons." Raven continued whispering. "You're with me."

She smirked sensually and confidently, making him feel completely safe and unbothered in this demonic world. Garfield's heart pounded in his ears and he felt weak at the knees. He smiled idiotically at her and leaned in to kiss her, but she stopped him with a finger to his lips.

"First…" Raven pulled something out of her pocket.

It was a necklace of sorts, with an intrinsic symbol as a pendant. She gently brought it over his head, placing it around his neck while looking into his eyes. Her fingers brushed his skin and he shivered. Beast Boy felt he was going to burst with anticipation.

"I made it for you. It's a magical amulet. It'll protect you."

"I thought the demons wouldn't mess with us?"

Her eyes got darker and her voice, lower. "It'll protect you from me."

"O-oh." The shapeshifter gulped. He couldn't remember ever wanting someone this much.

She finally released him from her gaze by looking down slightly and biting her lip. "It will keep you safe from my powers."

"C-cool." Garfield smiled idiotically again. "Thanks."

Raven looked up at him again and cupped his face in her hands. Anticipation, excitement and longing were emanating wildly from the boy in front of her. She pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. Dark energy caused havoc around them, but if anything flew their way a force-field would immediately shield them because of Beast Boy's amulet. Raven lazily wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer pressing her body to his. Garfield deepened the kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist tightly – as if he was scared she would just disappear or suddenly pull away from him any second.

"I'm kissing Raven." He whispered incredulously. Wait, did I say that out loud?

"I know. I'm her." She whispered back before chuckling against his lips.

Beast Boy smiled into the kiss and they kissed for several minutes, soothing the accumulated repressed desire that had been eating away at them. Then Raven finally broke the kiss and took his hand to guide him towards an abandoned empty building. He followed her with a dreamy look on his flushed face. He didn't mind the demons anymore. In fact, he wouldn't care if this was Hell itself, he would follow her anywhere. Inside the building, Raven pulled some ripped curtains, dropping them on the floor. She looked up at him again and removed Rogue's hooded sweatshirt.

"You know that when you look at me like that I can't look away, right?" Garfield said softly while keeping his hypnotized eyes locked with hers. "It's like I'm trapped or something."

Raven walked up to him. "You can stop being cute, you already got me." She eagerly started removing his clothes.

Garfield smiled and felt his cheeks burn. Everything she said gave him butterflies. She called me cute. She said I got her. He wasn't even trying to be cute, he was just being transparent, but now she had him all flustered. He complied while she took his clothes off and then hesitated when he went to remove hers.

"Go on." Raven nodded at him.

He smiled and worked on her clothes and within seconds, he was seeing her naked for the first time. She stood tall and smirked as he admired her curves with lustful eyes and his mouth hanging open.

"Are you just going to stare or are you planning to do something to me?" Raven teased.

That lit up a spark in him. He shot her a greedy grin and went to pick her up. She instantly understood and put her hands on his shoulders to jump onto his lap and wrap her legs around his waist while he held onto her thighs, kissing her deeply. She moaned into the kiss and Beast Boy stumbled over to a wall and pressed her back against it so he could deepen the kiss even more. Raven moaning was his new favorite sound. Even better than Raven giggling.

She smiled into the kiss and softly ran a lazy finger up his spine, making him shiver and arch his back. It was the cutest thing she had ever seen. Then she tangled her fingers in his hair and messed with it. I've always wanted to do this. Raven started planting kisses along his jawline all the way up to the tip of his ears. It was Beast Boy's turn to moan deliciously. And this. She went back to kissing his lips but kept teasing his ears, brushing her fingers against the tips.

"I had a feeling these were sensitive." She whispered provocatively against his lips.

"You're a demon." Garfield teased blissfully, squeezing her thighs.

The building around them shook and crumbled and large portions of it were falling down around them, but they didn't care. They didn't care about anything but each other. Raven brought her legs down and pulled him to where the curtains were laid on the floor. They never stopped kissing, even though it got a little clumsy while they were moving. They didn't care. It was fun. Then she gently pushed him until he was lying on his back and leaned down to keep kissing him. He spun them around so he was on top of her and began tracing a lustful trail of kisses down her neck. Raven leaned her head back slightly and enjoyed it, but as soon as she could sense he was battling for dominance, she switched them again and got on top of him.

"No you don't." The sorcerer smiled seductively at him as she sat down on his stomach with a knee on each side of him.

Beast Boy smiled up at her and complied. He didn't care who was on top, as long as he could touch her. "Whatever you want." He said in a drawling, peaceful voice.

On their first time, Raven felt pain. She expected this though, because just because she thought she'd never do it that didn't mean she didn't know how it worked. So she had planned for this. Raven had been absentmindedly running her fingers through a snoring Beast Boy's hair while he lay on her chest for a few minutes now, as she worked on healing herself. She was done. Finally. Raven smiled wickedly and shook him lightly.

"Gar, wake up." She whispered excitedly.

He nuzzled her breasts merrily. "Yeah?"

Garfield lazily started to suck on her right breast.

"Don't you dare give me a hickey." Raven said in a warning tone.

He stopped, planted a sweet kiss on her breast instead and lifted his head to look at her. "You called me?"

His hair was all disheveled and it made her heart skip a beat. She smiled cheekily. "Yes. I'm healed. We're going again."

The shapeshifter's eyes grew wide as he understood what she meant and stared at her with a lovely mix of admiration, amazement and longing. "You're perfect."

It got better each time. Raven's bursts of pleasure sent waves of destruction across the entire length of Limbo. She felt pleasure enough on her own but his pleasure kept feeding her too. The demons weren't sure where it was coming from but they knew it had something to do with Trigon's only daughter so they just tried to handle the damage. Demons in Limbo were mostly loyal to Illyana, like servants. Not only was Raven demon legacy but she was friends with their ruler. Nobody dared to look for her and ask her to stop, even though her power waves caused them pain. Some of them even liked the pain. Raven knew in the back of her mind she would have to spend some of her power repairing the damage later or Illyana would be upset, but that was a small price to pay for a few hours of absolute freedom with this boy. She deserved it. She was going to die, after all.

They explored each other's bodies in mutual adoration, moaning, giggling and shouting, licking, kissing, scratching and squeezing, not caring about anything else, until they were both too tired to go on. They were in a blissful half-asleep state when Beast Boy moved slightly to pull her closer. Raven was lying on her back and he had his arms and legs wrapped around her while her hands rested on his hair and shoulder. She opened her eyes and stretched when she felt him move, folding her arms behind her neck and looking up at the orange sky.

Raven sighed contently. "Okay. I see what all the fuss is about."

Beast Boy laughed light-heartedly and nuzzled her neck. Her skin was so warm and smooth and it smelled so nice. Okay so maybe she doesn't like me AS MUCH as I like her. Probably. Definitely, since I'm in love with her and everything. But still, I made her feel good.

"Thanks." Raven said quietly.

Beast Boy lazily lifted his head to shoot her a questioning look. "You're not seriously thanking me for sleeping with you, right?" His tone was amused. She's so weird. I love it so much.

She just shrugged and smiled a little, noticing how flushed his cheeks were. "I'm very pleased. So, yes."

That made him blush even more. "Oh, it was absolutely my pleasure and privilege."

Raven giggled freely and Beast Boy's heart fluttered. I made her giggle again!

Garfield shot her his huge, signature grin. "I mean, seriously. Anytime. Just say the word."

Raven's laughter got a little sad. "Gar, there isn't going to be another time…"

Realization hit him and sucked all of the bliss and joy away. His heart sank, his insides felt hollow and he couldn't remember how to breathe. She can't die. I think I love her. Sure, he had accepted he was in love with her, but that was code for passion. Now this felt like love.

"Raven, wait." Beast Boy shook his head violently, with desperate, pleading eyes. "You can't do this to me now. You can't. You can't die."

"Garfield…" Raven sighed. Time to return to reality, I guess.

"NO, just…please, listen." His voice cracked. "You're like the most important person in my life, okay? You're like my favorite person. And I know you only did this because you thought you were going to die so it can never ever happen again; I know that, I'm not that dumb. It's just that I don't care; I mean obviously I care but I don't need this to happen again. I…I do need you to live."

Raven stared at him with sorrow-filled eyes and bit her lip. What the fuck did I do?

"Rae I'm begging you, please don't make me go home without you. Please don't die on me, please. If you die I'll die too." He was nearly crying at this point.

He had her until that last part. Raven rolled her eyes and huffed. "No, you won't. Nobody dies from a broken heart."

"I will! Or at least this version of me will. I think…" He grabbed his chest, helplessly trying to ease the ache, and looked her in the eyes. "The best part of me is going to die with you." The shapeshifter couldn't hold it in anymore. He started crying; or rather sobbing desperately. "I know it's selfish to ask you to live for me but I don't think I can be the same if this happens, Rae. I'm not going to surv-"

"Shit, okay!" Raven interrupted him, firmly cradling his face in her hands.

She had been watching him in agony while he begged her to live and she was terrified to find out she believed him. Maybe it was a mistake to sleep with him. If this was going to be difficult before…now it would destroy him. It would kill his joy, his laughter, his hope, his childish bliss. A part of her wanted to just cry with him.

"Okay." Raven repeated in a calmer, more soothing tone. "I…I don't know how to…but okay. We'll try more. We'll try to think of something. We have all night. Okay?" She wiped his tears.

Beast Boy sniffled and nodded. "O-okay."

"I'm not anxious to die, you know? I'll miss you all too much."

"I think we'd miss you more." Garfield's breathing was still a little shaky.

"But you'll all have each other – even after we're all gone. I mean, I'm not sure what Heaven is like, but…you're all going there. You won't be alone. I think. I hope."

Garfield frowned. "Well, you're going to Heaven too! Just not yet, please."

She smiled sadly at him. "I won't. I can't get in."

His face distorted into a look of horror.

"It's okay, Gar. I've always known that as Trigon's daughter I couldn't go to Heaven. I mean, maybe I won't go somewhere that bad. I think I've done enough to spare me from Hell, so probably one of the various places in between. Maybe I'll fit right in; I mean I am a little creepy in case you've forgotten." She tried her best to sound reassuring. "I'll just miss you, that's all."

"Well…" Beast Boy pondered about that for a second. "Well then if that's final I'm not going to Heaven either, I'll go where you go."

Raven chuckled light-heartedly. "I don't think it works like that. But…that's sweet of you."

"I'm serious Raven! I'll cause havoc in Heaven and then they'll have to demote me. And I'll go be with you. I won't leave you alone, I promise."

She could tell he was being serious and it scared her a little, so she gently pushed him off of her. "Don't be ridiculous. You're not getting kicked out of Heaven for me. That's a sweet, but entirely absurd idea. Now c'mon, we need to go back."

Beast Boy didn't want to leave. Like, ever. But they had to, because he still had to find a way to solve this and go home with the girl he loved. "Okay so you call Illyana and then the first thing we'll do is go find that older guy and ask him if-"

"The first thing we're going to do will be taking a shower. Separate showers." Raven quickly clarified. "If anyone sees us all…icky like this, they'll want to know why."

"Right. And I assume it's a secret?"

"Please."

Garfield was a little hurt by that. Obviously she's embarrassed to admit she slept with you.

She read his emotions. "No, I…it's just that things are complicated enough. And then if I do live and they know…things would get weird. I'd kind of like it if this was just ours, you know? But if I die you can tell them. You should tell Kory, actually."

"Not going to happen." Beast Boy said confidently after deciding her explanation made sense. If it was a one-time thing, telling everyone would make it harder on her.

He tried not to feel sad about the fact that it was a one-time thing since the very specific circumstances that led up to it would most likely never repeat. As long as she lived, he'd be okay, because then he could always look at her and remember this moment.

"By the way, do you have my drawing?" Raven asked as she put her clothes back on.

"In the right pocket."

Garfield watched as she grabbed his borrowed jeans from the floor and took the sheet of paper, smiled at it and then placed it in her – or rather Rogue's – sweatshirt's pocket instead. She could feel his gaze on her, but she was surprised to find out it wasn't making her uncomfortable.

"You look like a painting." Beast Boy blurted out with a passionate look on his face.

Raven blushed and rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly. Get up; I need to fix what I can here before I call her."

It was his turn to put his clothes back on and Raven's turn to watch. She had a half-smile on her face the whole time.

"So, what do you want me to say when they ask how our endeavor went?" The empath asked him.

That's right; in theory we're like, meditating and stuff. "Send me back there."

"Huh?"

"Let's just do it. The concentration inducing thing. Let's actually do it. If I can get a hold of that Werebeast I can be more useful, right? Maybe that will help us find an answer where you don't die." If she's brave enough to sacrifice herself I can at least be brave enough to face my own mind.

Raven tilted her head. "You mean the thing you begged me not to do again? You want to do that again?"

"Absolutely." He sat down on the floor with his legs crossed. "It will work this time. I feel like I can do anything right now!"

Raven laughed slightly at that and sat down across from him. "Okay…"

Garfield found out he could do anything, at least for the moment. He faced all his demons without even flinching. Whatever insecurities his mind came up with, he felt confident enough to at least chase them away. For the first time, he felt like he was in control of his emotions and not the other way around. Well, at least of his negative emotions. He was not in control of how he felt about Raven, but he decided that was okay since his feelings for her were what helped him regain control before. He just needed to tame his anger and fears. And for once, he did.

"Try it now." Raven said confidently.

"Are you sure? Even without any drugs, that monster has gotten so much harder to control...I mean, I don't think it would ever attack you, but-"

"Yes. You can do it. Don't worry." She smiled reassuringly.

Raven knew how much he needed reassurance, but she actually meant it too. She was genuinely impressed this time.

"Okay…" He closed his eyes and focused.

Beast Boy turned into the gigantic and powerful Werebeast. Raven sensed him. It was Garfield. He was in control. He came closer to her and she playfully caressed his fur.

"So all I had to do this whole time was sleep with you, huh?" The empath chuckled softly.

He turned human again and grinned blissfully at her because of both the pride he felt at his success and her cute little joke. "Couldn't hurt!"

"It could, actually." Raven gestured towards their surroundings. The building was gone.

Garfield shrugged. "So you're a little dangerous, so what? It's hot."

He kept giving her butterflies. Get it together, Raven. You still need to fight the Dark Phoenix. "Anyway, congratulations, you did it." She said plainly.

"Yeah now maybe I can be a little more useful..." Beast Boy looked down. For some reason his confidence boost was starting to fade now; maybe because she suddenly looked stoic and unattainable again.

Raven grunted in annoyance.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing, it's just…stop feeling sorry for yourself. You have this amazing power and you act like you're the team's underdog or something."

"I am the team's underdog."

"But you don't have to be."

"But then who would be-"

"We don't have to have an underdog, Beast Boy."

"Oh. Right. Wait! You think my power is amazing?" Garfield grinned smugly.

"Everyone does. It is. But you don't use it very well."

He frowned and folded his arms, nearly pouting. "Hey!"

"I'm not taking it back."

"But…but I use it well! I can change really fast now!"

"That's not what I mean. You've barely scratched the surface of what you could do."

Now Garfield just felt confused. "What I could do…?"

"You do get creative, like when you were an amoeba inside Cyborg. That was smart. But you can turn into any animal from any world and time period. You turned into a Tamaranean beast once and you never tried that again. I don't think you need to be in the animals' world to transform into them. That means you could potentially become a dragon. And probably some of the more animalistic demons, too. Basically if it exists somewhere, I think you can be it. Maybe even create hybrids. Or control which separate body par-"

"I could be a dragon!?" He squeaked in a high-pitched, excited voice. Beast Boy's mind was racing with all this information. "Why did you never tell me that!?"

Raven just shrugged. "Why should I? It's not my power."

"But…like…I didn't…you should have!"

She sighed. "Okay. Why don't you start by turning into something from Limbo right now? You know, since we're here…"

"Uh…but how?"

"I don't know, how do you usually do it? Do you need to visualize them or is it instinctive?"

"It depends, I…okay!" Garfield closed his eyes and focused on becoming anything animalistic from this creepy but now very dear to his heart world, but nothing happened.

"When it happened in Tamaran you didn't think, your body just reacted. Maybe that's how it works with new species? But now your brain knows you're not in danger. You just need to learn how to activate certain responses at will."

"You say that like it's easy." He rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure it's not easy, Garfield, but that doesn't mean you can't do it. I know you can do it and when you know it too, you will."

Beast Boy bit his lip unsurely at first, but then he thought of something and smirked. "That's true. I didn't think I could make love to you."

She flinched. "Can we not call it that?"

"Why not?"

"It's so…cheesy. Also, are you comparing sex with me to turning into a dragon?" She raised an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips.

"I am cheesy. And of course not." Beast Boy smiled breezily. "Actually, the dragon thing sounds easy now that I think about it!"

Raven grunted, but she wasn't mad. She couldn't be mad at him now. "Let's go see the damage so I can repair it before reaching out to Illyana."

When they walked back to where Magik had dropped them off, their mouths hung open. There wasn't much left. It was completely devastated. The demons were still hiding out and the ground had enormous cracks everywhere. The constructions were gone.

"She's going to kill me." Raven whispered. There was no time to repair this much damage. So not even Limbo can handle my freedom, then. Good to know.

Garfield worked on containing the size of his grin, but Raven could sense how proud he was.

"Can you stop loving this?"

"Nope. It's proof that you felt intensely too, I'm happy, okay? Sue me." He beamed at her.

Raven's cheeks burned and she pulled the sweatshirt's hood over her head. "Whatever."

Then she reached out to Magik.

"What the…?" Illyana Rasputin frowned as she looked around in shock.

"I'm…sorry?" Raven's hood was down again and she had her arms behind her back, trying to imitate Beast Boy's cute coyness – the one that kept making her forgive him.

It wasn't quite the same but it worked well enough for her.

Illyana noticed Raven's flushed cheeks, how sweaty they both were, and the way Beast Boy kept his gaze fixed on a lifeless rock on the floor. She smirked, crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. "What were you two doing in here?"

They weren't that young, but they sure looked like teenagers to Magik right now, blushing and tripping over their words, avoiding her eyes and looking all guilty. She thought about what Raven was about to do for her world and decided this was more than fair.

"I see. This is a last meal situation, isn't it?" Illyana Rasputin chuckled, but it sounded sad.

Beast Boy's heart ached. He was very aware Raven still planned to sacrifice herself, so he couldn't really appreciate the joke.

Raven tucked some sweaty hair behind her ear and blushed deeper. "I…mm…maybe?" She pulled the hood over her head again. Illyana had seen how sorry she was already. "But he did control the Beast. So…we did do that." She added as if that made any of it less embarrassing.

"I see. So we were very productive today." Magik laughed again. When they both just bit their lips she decided to stop teasing. "It's okay you two, relax. I'll clean this up later. Also, Raven, impressive destructive power. I wish you were my little sister, I really do." She looked around. "You two ready to go?"

Raven gave her a grateful, extremely relieved smile. "Yes."

Not really but also we have to. I need to save her. Garfield just nodded.

"I hope my realm treated you nicely." The Soulsword wielder said as the two Titans walked up to her.

"Oh I'll cherish it forever." Beast Boy blurted out before he could think. Wait, that was a loud thought. His eyes widened a little.

Raven was grateful for Rogue's hoodie.

Illyana was just extremely amused at this point. "Wonderful."

The empath cleared her throat. "Magik, do you think maybe you could…you know…not mention this to anyo-"

"My lips are sealed." Limbo's ruler smiled fondly at both of them. She thought they were an odd pairing, but maybe those were the best ones. Unfortunately, this one wouldn't last if Raven died tomorrow. Her smile turned sad and she took them back to the school.

The magical dream team wanted to help find a desperate alternative to Raven's plan, but the empath told them they had to prepare to take down a Trigon-powered her if they had to. They didn't know much about Trigon and they should focus on that. The Titans would try to find another way. And they did try.

After Beast Boy and Raven both took showers in her room – separately, of course, because Raven didn't need one more thing to make her powers go rogue right now – they went to his room, where all the other Titans had been all afternoon, trying to come up with something.

"Where have you two been?" Cyborg squeaked as soon as the pair walked in, with dripping wet hair and mysterious looks on their faces. He frowned. "Did you stop for a bath on your way back!?"

"Limbo, helping Beast Boy manage the Beast. And yes. It was quite exhausting." Raven stated blankly.

Beast Boy choked at that and Raven glared discreetly at him. Starfire raised an eyebrow.

"Are you okay there, dude?" Cyborg asked his green, flustered friend.

"Ahh…yeah! Anyway, like Raven said, long afternoon, but we're here now. Let's find a better plan than this one, meaning any plan! Okay?" Garfield said cheerfully.

Robin never looked up from the books and notes scattered across the floor. It was right in front of him, right under his nose. It had to be. He had to be so close. There had to be an answer. "On it. But you're welcome to help."

Beast Boy sat down next to Cyborg and Raven sat between him and Starfire. They all stayed in the boys' room all night, plotting and reading and planning and wondering.

Eventually Raven got tired and sighed heavily. "Guys, I really appreciate this but if I do need to fight this thing tomorrow I need to rest a bit."

"Go to sleep Rae, we'll keep working on it. I'm close. I know I am." Robin said.

"Can you look up just for one second, Dick? I want to say something." Raven said quietly, but firmly.

Richard looked up at her with tired eyes.

The empath glanced at all her friends. Her team. Her family. "I love you all."

And then she curled up on Robin's bed, facing the wall, and closed her eyes.

"We love you too." They all whispered sadly.

Richard nodded at his girlfriend. He knew what she was thinking and he felt that she was right. Starfire was smart, but they didn't need her to continue. She was tired too and worried about Raven. Dick's own mind was still sharp and Cyborg could run probabilities. Beast Boy was surprisingly focused too. Kory should just comfort her friend right now.

Raven was deeply sorry she didn't bring her plush turtle with her to this strange world. She wished that she had it now, to hold onto while she fell asleep for the last time in her short life. But then a pair of orange, lean, long arms embraced her. Starfire. She cuddled with her friend and drifted off to sleep. None of the boys rested that night. But they didn't find a solution either.

Wherever You Will Go (The Calling)