Hello everyone. the last chapter for this short story has arrived. A very short story, i know but i made this chapter extra long i hope you enjoy it. The very end of it is Raven's final point of view. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know.

Chapter 4. Truths.

Consciousness, the awareness realm of the mind can bring frustration and even pain, whether physical or otherwise when fully alert regardless of any stage of sobriety. Which brings me to my recent discovery a few hours ago and a realization of facts, for example, that unconsciousness can sometimes be a blessing, having no memory or even not be aware of what's going on sometimes is preferable than the cruel reality.

The moment my mind entered the awareness realm upon waking up, was something I regretted entirely as a pounding headache made itself known and I couldn't help but grunt the moment my eyes opened and were met with the brightness of the light sipping thru the curtains, casting a dim sun rays that at that moment, might have been a laser pointed at me.

I shied away from it and slowly turned the other way and thru squinted eyes I realized I was in my room which brought a slight sigh of relief, but what worried me was my current state. A dangerous feeling of vulnerability that, I had never experienced.

I had managed to prop myself on my elbows before I had to shut my eyes tight as another wave of pain accompanied by a spell of nausea made me reconsider that in fact it was better to stay down.

A few minutes had passed before I realized that I had little to no recollection of the night before but it hurt to even think and reprimanded myself wholeheartedly for my decision.

In my desperate attempt to seek relief from the strain that comes from trying to suppress my emotions enough to control my powers, I decided to cast a spell on myself. One that, in theory, would give me certain freedom while my mind was in a fog and limited to the confines of my room gave me certain peace of mind but… as I edged closer to my night stand, I found a glass of water, two aspirins and a note written in a gibberish that was hardly a language.

After taking the aspirins and finding the right spell to get myself back in a normal shape, I looked closely at my surroundings and the first thing I noticed were the holorings that Cyborg had given me after his mission in the HIVE, still on my fingers. My cloak was dirty and had grass and mud stains on it and that only meant one thing, I had gone out of my room after all.

Was I so far gone that one of my inner aspects was able to take over my body and run amok? If that was the case then this experiment resulted to be more dangerous than what I anticipated. I need to find another way. For now, I can only hope no damage was done. Tea… some tea would be helpful right about now.

…

…

Beast Boy was pacing like a madman. Something was extra wrong with Raven now and he didn't know what. Last night he had been on the roof, taking in the cool evening breeze and enjoying the soft light the full moon offered when suddenly, he heard the familiar humming of Raven's powers nearby. However, when he turned in its direction, what he saw perturbed him beyond reason.

The portal opened on the other corner of the roof and saw the empath walk out but when he was about to say something, he heard her mumbling to herself before a sinister laugh broke the silence which was stopped abruptly by a hiccup.

He dared not move and tried to observe her closely while she tried to walk straight.

"Rage shall consume you" she said in that other worldly voice and for a moment Beast Boy thought she had seen him until she started to talk to herself.

"Don't even…*hiccup* dare Red. Raven is…*hiccup*… trying to trust us…*hiccup* and herself . Do not ruin it… *hiccup* we'll do this my way… *hiccup* " her words came out slurred and the constant hiccup only meant one thing, she was drunk.

But before he could make a move, she tripped on her cloak but instead of falling on the solid ground, she fell thru a portal, living him more worried than before.

For a moment he looked around the roof hoping she would appear again but soon abandoned the idea and run as fast as he could towards her room and when he got no answer, he walked in, only to find it empty.

His heart sank, there was no telling what havoc a drunken empath with no control over her powers could do. He had to find her… but where? He run down the hallway towards the nearest window and turned into an owl before jumping into the night.

It took him almost all night to find her but when he did, not only was she not alone, but the company wasn't any better than her being drunk. Beast Boy was still too high up in the air but caught sight of the dim glow the holorings were giving away every time she changed appearance.

And as if all that wasn't enough, he saw the thief take her hands and they disappeared together. His blood boiled, his heart rate accelerated and for a moment he thought the Beast would take over the moment he landed.

He was tired, frustrated and angry. Not only with himself for being such coward but with her for being so stubborn. How could she accept the company of that criminal when he has been more than willing to help her, if she only let him.

All this went thru his head as he landed across the street where Raven had been. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down before taking off again. It wasn't too long before he reached the shore facing the tower when he saw Raven lifting the thief with her powers. He could not make out the words but he did caught sight of the glowing red eyes under the hood.

He couldn't help but feel a little relieved. She didn't trust the thief after all, but that didn't make the anger to go away completely. When she finally let the thief go, he followed her at a safe distance until she reached her room and went thru the window. He perched himself just outside her window, still in his owl form to make sure she was safe before he left to his own room.

He couldn't sleep after that. And now, hours later, he was still feeling tired, frustrated and angry. What was she thinking?

Out of frustration he went down to the common room for something to eat. It was too early for the others to get up and most likely, Raven wouldn't either.

A couple of hours had passed and Robin, Starfire and Cyborg were already there. Cyborg's attempt to make him snap out of his brooding in the corner by the window failed and ceased after the changeling's only respond was a shrug of his shoulders. He was clearly upset and the others looked at each other and could only think of one reason and that reason was just now walking in, in a not so happy mood herself.

Beast Boy had been leaning on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, looking out the window when he heard Raven say "Morning" to no one in particular. He felt his anger rise up again as he pushed himself off the wall and walked towards the kitchen.

"Raven, we need to talk" he blurted out with such authority that left the others perplexed and anxious about Raven's reaction. Raven on the other hand, kept going and started to prepare her tea. She could sense his anger and his eyes burning the back of her neck as she kept ignoring him. What was wrong with him? What reason could he possibly have to be this mad at her and talk to her in such commanding tone.

"About?" was her only response but she was still facing the stove instead of him.

"Guys, can you please give us a minute"

"B… I don't think…" Cyborg tried to say but he was interrupted by a growl and a glare from the changeling.

"Friend, I think is time for them to have the conversation" said Starfire while placing a hand on Cyborg's arm.

Raven watched her friends leave the room but said nothing and returned her attention to the kettle in front of her. She could sense his anger but try as she might, she could not find a logical reason for him to be this upset, specially with her.

An uncomfortable silence remained for a short while, filled with tension that was less than bearable, until Beast Boy broke it.

"You. We need to talk about you" he said and his angry tone left no room for games. This was by all means, unprecedented but as curious as she was, she was more annoyed by his approach.

She took no orders from anyone outside the hero field so she decided to take her time before she acknowledged him with a stern "hmm" still with her back to him but that only enraged the changeling more and decided he was not having any of it and against better judgment, he closed the distance between them and to her surprise, he grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to face him.

For a moment her eyes locked on his and the rage she saw, not mentioning the rage she sensed emanating from him was overwhelming. His eyes were almost crystal green, the iris was almost invisible and he was breathing heavily as if controlling his anger was taking its toll on him.

But all this lasted but a couple of seconds before she too felt that rage of her own and as she narrowed her eyes, she said in a low, menacing voice that she managed to restrain thru her gritted teeth "What. Do you think… You're doing. Beast Boy?"

She didn't wait for an answer and with quick reflexes, Raven lifted her arms and pushed his away with enough force to make it hurt. He winced inwardly, she was stronger than looked and it hurt but he didn't let it show and he continued his advance.

"NO. What do you think you're doing, Raven?"

"You are no one to talk to me that way Beast Boy"

"No one?... wow, this is just… great. Here I am, thinking that after all this years, I could at least call myself your friend but apparently, you don't even think of me that way… do you? Or anyone else for that matter"

"You have no right to…"

"Oh but I do Raven"

"What the hell have I done to you that makes you feel like you have the right to talk to me this way?"

"Oh, so you throwing me out the window, treating me like I'm no one and insult me to your heart's desire, has meant nothing to you?"

"You deserved it because you were being a pest, just like you are being now. Either you have a point for this ridiculous argument or we end this right now before I make you feel…real…pain" she was barely containing herself and Rage was getting the upper hand. He could see it right before her eyes started to glow red but he was determined, this time she was not going to be the one with the last word.

"You're damn right I have a point. What the hell were you thinking last night?" he crossed his arms over his chest and for a moment, he thought he saw one of her eyebrows, twitch. But she was good and didn't show any sign of relentless.

"None of your business"

"Oh, but it is my business. Not only at a personal level, but I also speak for the team" his menacing tone was long enough for only her ears.

"What are you talking about? I don't owe you or anyone any explanations…" but to her surprise, he leaned in closer, with the confident, mocking smile of a predator.

"You might want to reconsider willingly before Robin finds out. How do you think he'll take it when he finds out you were drunk… out in the streets… making a fool of yourself?"

"What? ... How did you…"

"Ah, but that's not all. I bet he'll love to hear the next part and demand explanation"

"What part? Spit it out already" she yelled.

"You, fraternizing with the enemy… You, with that thief… You and Red X" the words were filled with so much venom and disgust that there was no doubt that was the main reason of his anger.

Raven's eyes stopped glowing, instead they were as wide as saucers while a gasp escaped her.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, Raven."

"I'm not…I didn't…" Raven knew she had gone out in her spellbound state but, including that thief in the mix, made it all the more complicated because she still had no memory of anything and regretfully, the headache that woke her up that morning was coming back full force.

Raven started to step away from him only to be stopped by the counter behind her. She was really distraught, he could see that much and deep, deep down, his anger waver.

"You didn't know?" he asked with a more pronounced frown and her answer was a shake of her head as she looked at everything but him.

"How can you not know what you did?"

"It was a… it was a spell. I didn't come out of it until this morning"

"A spell? How can you cast a drunken spell on yourself and have no memory afterwards?... wait… is that what you do every time you go out?"

She gave him a curious look "What are you talking about now?"

"Oh c'mon Raven, lets face it. The places you go, the things you see, even the people you watch… have no rhyme or rhythm, it makes no sense whatsoever… I swear I can't find the link to any of them and I don't know what you're looking for, because that's what it looks like" finally some of his anger had visibly receded and he started to sound more like himself, the whiney boy that couldn't understand beyond a video game themed conversation. Although he felt some relief because he was finally asking out loud the questions that had been burning him, he also realized that he could have left that little detail out of the main argument.

"What? You've been spying on me? For how long?" she asked, dangerously approaching him with renewed anger in her eyes.

He swallowed audibly but never backed away. "Yes, I have, since the very first time"

"Why?" she said almost as a growl.

"Why? Because you left me no choice, you've been brooding and depressed and melancholic for the longest time but don't let anyone close enough to try to help you no matter how much we try… how much I try. So I figured I'd follow you and find out but every time I ended up more confused and what I saw last night was the icing on the cake. You don't let friends in but you allow the company of a criminal? And even let him grab your hands? When have you ever let me get close to you other than right now? Tell me Raven, how can, all this make sense inside your head? Because sure as hell it doesn't outside of it"

"Of course you don't. None of you and no one ever will. You don't have to suppress your feelings and emotions other than to not embarrass yourself. You don't have to worry about something exploding if you get angry and you don't have to literally face your worse fears every time you're afraid."

"You're angry now and nothing has exploded" he tried to sound smug but she smiled maliciously while her eyes glowed red.

"Look around you" he frown at that, he didn't like how she said it but complied. For the first time since he started this argument, he looked away from her eyes. Everything around them was encased in her dark magic, dangerously shaking within.

"Look closely" she said, nodding behind him the moment his eyes returned to hers. When he turned around a second time, he couldn't help but gasp. Everything floating around them was in one way or another, an electronic device.

"The way I see it Beast Boy, for someone who thinks is my friend after all this years, like you so explicitly pointed out earlier, you still have not grasped the basic nature of my powers so let me enlighten you…" she said so chillingly calm that Beast Boy had to repress a shiver, especially when Raven started to walk around him like a predator does to its prey.

"Lets say I was to… let myself…feel… the way any of you do. Look around you, what do you see?"

"Your powers… getting out of control" he said above a whisper and her immediate answer was an unsettling chuckle.

"You haven't seen real out of control yet… no, I'll take that back, of course you have… in small amounts but, what if I was to do something worse than scaring the daylights out of Dr Light, say… getting upset because Cyborg and you are fighting over the food or the controller of your gamestation? Look around you and tell me what do you see"

"Electronic devices"

"Correct. Now, what happens to electronic devices when I'm upset?"

"They explode" he said after he swallowed with some difficulty.

"Exactly. My powers are attracted to fluent energy sources. What do you think would happen to a certain… cybernetic friend if I can't control myself?"

Beast Boy gasped "Cyborg" he breathed with his eyes so wide open, they threatened to come out of his sockets.

"Correct again"

"But you wouldn't…"

"Of course I wouldn't, but I'm not finished." Raven said as she resumed her slow walk around him with a detached and cold demeanor and the air of a scholar giving a complex presentation.

"You see, it wouldn't stop there because next thing would be Starfire. With her alien strength and the deadly starbolts she summons with her "righteous fury". Her strength and lasers would be no match for my righteous fury and she would cease to exist before she ever got the chance… to break me"

"Raven…"

"And, what of Robin? You know of the mental link we share, correct? An un breakable bond that links our minds into one. But remember, he's only human, and the moment I sense his intentions of attack, his mind would shatter, I could make him feel an unparallel pain that would break him and eventually… kill him"

"Raven…please stop" he whispered again.

"And you…" she said devoid of any emotion but very distinctive double set of red, glowing eyes that were piercing his very soul.

And thru his mind, memories were recovered and a specific one stood out. One that she had been the reason he had tried to bury within the recesses of his mind. The time she had tapped into the power of black magic and at her will, she had make him shift just to show him how powerful she was, making him feel vulnerable and scared.

She had spoken as if she was a cruel, calculating villain. One who knew how to break him. How to control him. How to… scare him. He painfully realized that he had been nowhere near the definition when he first called her "creepy" all those years ago.

His breathing was shaky and was trying to fight back the unshed tears that were burning his eyes. She was standing in front of him. Not smiling or expecting anything. Just there and he knew it was to let him see for himself what she could do if he wasn't careful, if he didn't stay away. But against all odds and to her astonishment, he closed the gap between them and he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, his face buried in the crook of her neck. He had seen the sadness and even disappointment in her unnatural eyes as if knowing he would run away.

"You are not this, Raven, you are not a monster. I know what you're trying to do but it wont work. I'm here Raven. I'm here with you, here for you. I know you're trying to scare me away but you have to know that I'm not going anywhere. You try to carry this burden on your own and its taking its toll on you. Let me help you, Raven, just… let me in"

He had spoken so softly and sounded so sincere. She knew he was telling the truth but still was afraid but as he lifted his head after he whispered the last few words, he did the unexpected. He kissed her. He kissed her in a way she would have never dreamed of he could. Slow and soft. Not scared but tasting, enjoying and letting her feel him and maybe make her understand he would never hurt her, he would never abandon her.

Raven shyly kissed him back and the moment she did, everything started to fall back in its place and the dark fog that they had not realized surrounded them, slowly faded until the bright sunlight illuminated their surroundings again.

Beast Boy pulled away only to rest his forehead on hers. Her eyes were closed but thankfully, the second set was gone and they both breathed easier. Finally Raven opened her eyes and couldn't help but lift her hand and with the tip of her fingers, she traced his lower lip unbeknownst to her the effect that simple gesture had on him.

"I'm sorry about earlier, I'm sorry about what I said… what I did… I just…"

"Shhh, you don't have to apologize, I understand. Just, promise me we'll never fight like that again. Promise me that if and when something bothers you, you'll tell me and not try to deal with it on your own. You have me Raven, you always have. You only need to say my name, or take my hand or… kiss me anytime you want"

She chuckled at that "You pretend to be that close to me all the time?"

"As close as you let me" he said with a smile and to his surprise, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked him on the lips before pulling him into a hug . "This close is good" she whispered in his ear sending shivers down his spine and his response was pulling her closer to him, his arms tightly wrapped around her waist.

"You're right, being this close is good but to me is better than awesome" he said with a smile before pulling her chin and place a soft, lingering kiss on her lips for a brief moment… or until a nearby light bulb exploded. They chuckled at the little incident before walking towards the sofa. They sat very close to each other with Raven leaning her head against his chest and both looked out the big window in a comfortable silence for a while. She was finding his heart beat soothing and he couldn't help but run his fingers thru her soft hair.

After a few minutes however, he broke the silence as there was something that still nagged at his curiosity.

"Raven?" he said in her ear.

"Yes Garfield."

"Can I ask you something, I swear I don't want to fight, I'm just… I'm still curious about something... well, two things to be honest."

"Go ahead, ask" she said after a moment.

"The spell. What was the purpose of it."

Raven sighed in his arms but made no attempt to get up.

"It was meant to keep my mind unfocussed. It takes certain control and a connection between mind and body in order for my powers to present themselves , so, my theory was that if I'm under some kind of influence that can make me lose that connection for a short while, I could actually… feel free, but… I didn't expect it to not work. My emotions took over and that's how I ended up outside."

"So, that last night wasn't you per se"

"Correct. But earlier, when I was… telling you all those awful things, I was able to make a connection with my mind again and finally was able to remember. Rage wanted to get loose but Happy was… stronger and she took over instead. You were right, I did make a fool of myself, I attempted a cartwheel while drunk…"

Beast Boy laughed.

"And before you ask, because I know that'll be your next question, nothing happened with Red X. He actually tried to… protect me from another thief with a knife that wanted to take the holorings but Rage took over for a slight moment and that scared the mugger off."

"But I saw him taking your hands and both disappeared before I had a chance to land"

Now it was Raven's turn to chuckle. "Happy was playing with the holorings and he took us away before we were able to attract anyone's attention but at the shore, Rage took over again but she had some sense and instead she threatened him if he said anything to anyone, even if he tried to blackmail me"

"Really? Was he that scared that you would send him to another dimension?"

"Something better. I now know what he looks like without the mask"

"You what? No way, wait until Robin finds out"

"He will not find out because I am not going to tell him and you wont either. I promised Red X I wouldn't say anything if he promised to not breath a word that he saw me drunk"

"And you think he'll hold his end of that bargain?"

"Yes. He values his freedom more than anything… but I don't want to talk about him anymore"

"What would you like to talk about?" Beast Boy asked with a smile, Raven looked up into his eyes and with a barely there smile and a shaky hand on his cheek she whispered " Nothing, absolutely nothing" and pulled his face down until their lips met and both man and woman, demon and beast, held each other in an embrace of hope and kisses of love.

…

…

As clichéd as that sounds, it's the truth. Thanks to Garfield, I can now have some kind of peace. I still have to control my powers and can't show as much emotion as I would like but, I have to admit, it feels good. It feels good to finally not feel alone and lonely. He made me realize that, instead of asking myself "Why can't I?" I should be asking myself "Why not?" and why not? Because even though control is a must, I can now enjoy a hug and a kiss without anything exploding, but I wonder… what would happen if we did more… (microwave explodes) … oops, better take it slow. Don't you think?

The end.