REVISED (4-05-14)

Raven stirred in her bed, fighting in vain to stay asleep. Finally, she admitted that she had lost the battle and groggily sat up.

Pulling her journal out from her secret hiding place, she began describing yesterday's battle with Gizmo and his new battle robot. The reason for her restless night came rushing back to the front of her mind, and she paused in her writing. Her eyes closed as she relived the moment, lips pursed with thought. What she had not experienced for herself, the others had told her later.

The rest of the team were nowhere in sight, so she had Gizmo all to herself. That was fine with her. She needed to release some of her pent-up aggression.

Gizmo laughed his annoying, high-pitched laugh and blew a raspberry at her. "Ha Ha! Why don't you barf-breaths just go home to your fat mommies and accept that I control this city now? With the help of my new toy over there, I'm so gonna take you snot-nosed freaks down!"

The villain's threat did not faze Raven. Muttering her manta, she sent a wave of black energy crashing forward and watched as it hit him smack in the face, knocking him off the car he was standing on. She nodded in satisfaction.

That'll teach you.

Suddenly, heat and pain exploded in her back, and she grunted as she slammed into the pavement. Looking over her shoulder, she saw another robot lifting its foot. Its shadow loomed over her as metal debris from an exploded missile rained down on the pavement.

She hurriedly dredged up the last reserves of strength she had in her and pushed outward, forming a thin shield of black energy. It wobbled before collapsing, despite her attempt to hold it together. The energy dissipated into the air, leaving her defenseless.

Okay, she thought, bracing herself for the impact, this might hurt a bit.

Then her eyes widened in shock as a familiar streak of green hurtled towards her. Shifting from a cheetah back to his human form, he bent over her protectively and glared at the robot's descending foot.

"Stay away from her, you big piece of junk!" Beast Boy shouted.

After shifting into a gorilla, he gathered Raven in his arms and hastily jumped out of the way. The robot's foot crashed down where she had been mere seconds ago. Once he laid her down a safe distance away, he turned back to Gizmo, who had finally gotten up from the pavement.

Raven gathered her strength while Beast Boy and the rest of the Titans made quick work of the villain and his robot. Once she saw them stuff Gizmo in a police car, she stood up, rubbing her side as pain lanced through her muscles.

"You're gonna regret this, you bug-eyed brats!" Gizmo shrieked at the four Titans as the car door slammed in his face.

"Speaking of brats, turn the volume down won't you?" Beast Boy called, sticking his finger in his ear and wiggling it experimentally.

Robin promptly dusted his hands off and proclaimed it a job well done for everyone. While he debriefed the cops, the others checked each other over for injuries.

"A most glorious victory indeed!" Starfire proclaimed, clasping her hands and floating into the air with a giggle.

Grinning, Beast Boy flexed his arms at the gaggle of girls hanging by the crime scene tape.

One of the girls gushed, "Oh, Beast Boy, the way you saved Raven was so amazing. You were really brave!"

At the mention of his fallen teammate, Beast Boy smacked his forehead in sudden realization and turned toward Cyborg and Starfire. "Dudes! I totally forgot about Raven! One of Gizmo's missile thingies hit her. I grabbed her and sat her down a safe distance away, but I haven't seen her since."

In the distance, a cloaked figure floated toward them, her expression hidden by her hood.

"Look! There she is. Aww, man. She's so gonna kill me for tossing her aside like that," he groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Friend Raven! Are you injured?" Starfire exclaimed worriedly, rushing over to her friend. The other two Titans hurried after her, Beast Boy lagging behind Cyborg.

"I'm fine. One of his missiles slipped past me, and I didn't notice it until it exploded behind me. All it did was knock me to the ground," Raven replied flatly. "Can we go now?"

Ignoring her protests, Cyborg gently lifted her arm and examined her side. He frowned when he touched a tender spot and she hissed in pain. "You should let me take a look at that back at the Tower. You might have really bruised the muscles."

"I said I'm fine," she stressed, shrugging off Cyborg's hand. "Let's go already. I'll just heal myself in my room. Now come on, I want to meditate."

Raven shook her head as her mind slowly came back from remembering. She still didn't understand Beast Boy's reaction to her near death. Had that been true terror in his eyes or merely concern for a fallen teammate?

Putting the matter out of her mind, she finished writing in her journal for the day and put on her cloak. Like a ghost, she slipped into the Operations room to brew some herbal tea.

"Mmmm," she breathed into the steam a few minutes later. "This is just what I need after a restless night."

Grateful no one else was up yet, the Titan eased on the couch. She leaned back and raised her cup to her lips. Just as she took a sip, a snore broke the silence. It startled her, and she bit back a hiss as the hot tea sloshed on her uniform.

Sighing, she looked down and spotted Beast Boy slumped back against the couch in front of the television, a controller in his hands. Raven narrowed her eyes and considered waking him up by dangling him from the ceiling. However, when she looked closer, she saw that his mouth was open slightly, drool hanging down his chin and a single fang poking out.

The sight brought a half-smile to her lips. Though she would never admit it, Beast Boy looked positively adorable in his sleep. He was so peaceful, as if he hadn't a care in the world; she wished she was as lucky.

Enough! Just wake him up so we can drink some tea and go back to bed without feeling like we're watching him in his sleep. The grasstain has a big enough ego as it is.

Technically, we are watching him in his sleep.

Shut up, Knowledge, before I make you shut up.

Oh, Anger, why are you always so mean all the time?

Yeah, just chill out. You're making me tried just watching you stomp around like that.

Raven clenched her fists as she fought to suppress the voices in her head. Azarath...Metrion...Zinthos...

Once she was calm again, she leaned back over the edge of the couch to check on Beast Boy. He was still there, slumped over and snoring.

Now what? Should I wake him up or let him sleep? If I let him sleep like that, he'll wake up with the worst crick in his neck. On the other hand, if I wake him up, he'll ask me what I'm doing up so late—or early, I guess, she added, glancing at the clock on the wall.

As she was pondering the dilemma, Beast Boy murmured something in his sleep and turned over on his side, releasing the controller. Raven frowned as he sunk deeper into sleep. The way he was situated now, his head lolled sideways, nearly touching his left shoulder.

Yeah, he's going to have a definite ache in his neck later.

Sighing, her mind made up, she slid off the couch to kneel beside him. "Beast Boy," she whispered, gently shaking his shoulder. It failed to wake him. "Beast Boy, wake up. You need to get in bed. It's four in the morning."

In her frustration, she yanked him straight, digging her fingers in his thin shirt, feeling her fingernails press into his skin and leave imprints.

Mumbling a groggy protest, Beast Boy shrugged off her grip with surprising strength and curled against her leg.

Stiffening at the unexpected touch, Raven stared at the wall as she pondered what to do. If he woke up and found her like this, he would never let her live it down.

A vase in her room shattered. The released energy startled her into action. Her knee accidentally bumped Beast Boy's head, and he let out a low grumble.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," Raven quietly hissed, her hands flying to her face as the pressure built up in her head.

Suddenly, Beast Boy's hand reached out, snagged the end of her cloak, and pulled it over him like a blanket. His eyes remained closed, while hers widened in shock.

Muscles quivering, she slowly unclasped the brooch pinned at her shoulder. The cloak soundlessly slipped off and fell across Beast Boy. That done, Raven hastily stood up.

"If anyone sees this, I'll never leave my room again," she muttered to herself.

After checking once more that her teammate was asleep, she curled up on the couch with her teacup. Beside her was the book she had begun reading the day before. Shrugging in resignation, she picked it up and flipped to the last earmarked page. When she took a sip of her tea, she found that it had grown cold while she was pondering what to do about Beast Boy.

She sighed and continued reading.