'Azarath Metrion Zinthos!'

Raven hurled a mass of black telekinetic energy at the target moving along the far wall. As it hit, she manipulated the energy, wrapping it around the target and crushing it into the tiniest splinters. She called her power back and allowed the pieces to drop to the floor.

Raven had been training for hours. The Titans had had a reprieve recently. They had not been faced by Slade for weeks. However, forces were stirring. Their enemies were grouping underground. Robin had scheduled training sessions for all of the Titans, he felt they would need a lot of help when they next had to face Slade.

She could feel her powers had been weakened by the training session. It had been a hard one but she should not be feeling this tired. Maybe I need to meditate a little more today.

Raven thought about the retreat of her room. She had been living in the Titan Tower for two years now. Although she tried to keep herself to herself she could not help but like the others that she lived with. They were her surrogate family.

As she went to leave she walked straight into Cyborg.

'Sorry, Cyborg. I was just leaving.' She said her voice as monotonous as usual.

'Excuse me?'

Raven looked up at Cyborg. His mechanical eye seemed to flash red slightly. Raven was not sure. Perhaps it was a reflection from somewhere.

'You think I'm gonna let you just leave it like this?' Cyborg turned to her. He spoke in little more than a whisper, rage barely contained beneath a façade.

'What?'

'You heard me. You screwed the place up. Again.' He stared straight into her eyes. 'You'd think we'd be used to it by now.'

'Fine Cy, I'll clean up.' Raven turned to the pile of splinters at the back of the room.

'You don't get it do you?' Cyborg grabbed her shoulder and whirled her around to face him.

'Do not touch me,' Raven narrowed her eyes at Cyborg.

'What are you gonna do about it? I tell you what, why don't you screw me up too?' He took a step towards Raven. Their faces barely two inches apart. 'You've fucked everything up and you don't even know it. You pathetic bitch. Why don't you get it? No one wants you here. All you do is bring misery and pain. I wish that someone would show you pain.'

Cyborg turned away from her. His shoulders lowered. Something was wrong but Raven was not sure what. He had never spoken to her like this. She doubted that he had ever spoken to anybody like this.

'Cyborg?'

THWACK!

Before Raven knew what was happening she was flying through the air. When she smacked into the opposite wall and hit the floor, she realised- Cyborg had hit her. She felt a large hand around her throat. The rough wall scraped at her clothes as Cyborg dragged her up. She could feel the cold metal of his hand, harsh against her skin.

Raven tried to cry out for her powers but she had no breath. All she could do was watch as Cyborg lifted his fist and bought it down into her stomach. She tried to curl up against the pain but Cyborg still had her pinned against the wall.

He lifted his fist again and slammed it into the side of her face. He did it again. Raven felt sick. Her vision was swimming yet all she could hope for was unconsciousness, when it reached her she would not be able to feel her friends fists. She would not be able to see the pure hatred behind his eyes.

Starfire sat in the Tower's Infirmary. The room was large with white walls and stainless steel surfaces. A pile of used gauze sat on the cabinet beside Star. She had been cleaning the wounds that Raven had amassed.

Raven lay on one of the hospital style beds. Her skin matched her indigo clothes in places and where it did not it was as pale as the fresh, white sheets she lay on. Starfire had discovered Raven on the floor of the training room earlier in the day. After flying her to the infirmary she had progressed to nursing the other girl.

Raven stirred. Her eyelids flickering slightly. She managed to open her right eye. Her left was so swollen she would be lucky to be able to open it within the next few days. She released a small moan as she tried to sit up.

'Friend, do not move. You must stay lying down.' Starfire cried at her.

Raven turned her head slightly taking in her surroundings. She saw the large windows down the side of the room. It was dark outside. The lights spread out over the other side of the water. She must have been unconscious for at least two hours.

She smelt the tang of disinfectant and instantly knew where she was. It took her longer, however, to remember how she had gotten there. She knew she had been training and she had broken one of the targets. She had gone to leave and then…

'Cyborg.' Cyborg had done this to her.

'No friend, I am Starfire. Star-fire.' She spoke slowly to Raven as if to speak fast might hurt her friend more.

'I know Star.' Raven whispered. 'What I meant was…Cyborg did this.'

'No, you must be mistaken. Cyborg is one of us. He would never hurt you.' Starfire smiled to Raven. Surely her friend could not be right. Cyborg would not hurt one of his own.

'It was him Starfire. I know. He… he lost it.'

'But why? He would not'

'I don't know.' Raven closed her eyes trying to remember everything up to the point he hit her. She worried that the memory might hurt more than the act itself. How could he have done that to her?

'I was training. I broke one of the targets and…'

'Of course.' Smiled Starfire, 'I now know why he did it!'

'What? How?' Raven asked. She lifted her head slightly from the bed to look Starfire straight in the eyes. Her neck throbbed. She suddenly remembered the feel of his hand around her throat. An emotion flowed through her. Raven caught hold of herself suddenly. She could not lose control.

'You wrecked everything again.'

'What did you say?'

Starfire looked into her eyes. 'It is understandable why Cyborg would hurt you. You have ruined everything. You always do.'

'Cyborg said something like that.' Raven said with her eye wide. What was going on?

'You've ruined everything. You're ruined. We must be rid of you before you destroy all that you touch.'

A tear slid from Raven's eye. She tried to control her emotions but she felt like she was losing another friend. Another member of her family.

'Finally, a bit of the human emotion, a shame that it is as you might say- too little, too late.' Starfire looked at Raven once more with no sign of emotion. Putting down the piece of bloody gauze she had been using, she stood and left the infirmary.

Raven lay there. She needed to meditate. She needed to heal herself before anyone else would see her like this. Before she could get hurt again.

Robin walked along the corridor. He was hoping to see Raven before she left the Infirmary. She had been there for five hours by this time. He tried to give her plenty of time to heal but he needed to find out what had happened.

As he walked into the Infirmary he caught a glimpse of Raven. The bruises across her face that should have been dark purple were now yellow and red. Her left eye was still slightly shut and a deep cut on her lip stood stark red against her pale skin.

'Hi Raven,' Robin moved out of the doorway and closer to her. 'How are you?'

'Peachy.' Said Raven. If possible, her voice seemed even more monotonous at the moment. She sounded as if she struggled to keep her emotions in check. As if they could seep from the cuts on her face and hands. Raven was working hard to stay calm.

Raven looked at Robin, 'I'm going back to my room.'

'I'll walk you if you like,' Robin smiled at her, 'save you being alone.'

'Fine.'

Raven stood from the bed wincing a little at the movement. She picked up her cape from the chair beside her and draped it gently across her shoulders. Even the small movement seemed painful.

She seemed wary of Robin. Two of her friends had turned on her already. What was to stop another?

'Have you spoken to Cyborg yet?' Raven asked in barely more than a whisper.

'Yeah. He's pretty messed up really.'

'What?'

'Apparently you really touched a nerve with him. I've already told you that you need to watch your mouth.' Robin opened the Infirmary door so that Raven could step through. He followed behind her.

'I didn't say anything to him.' Raven proclaimed, disbelief tingeing her voice. 'How could you believe that?'

'Then what happened?' Robin had a slight smile on his face. Raven was not sure whether he was enjoying this, whether he did not believe her or if he was just trying to reassure her. 'I need to know what happened so I can make sure it doesn't happen again.'

'He lost it. I'd just finished training when…' Raven looked away from Robin. She wanted him to believe her but the memory of Cyborg was too much. 'I'd just finished training when he came in and started shouting. I don't know what I did.'

'He wouldn't have hurt you for nothing.'

'Well, he did. Please don't expect me to take the blame away from him. Don't expect me to make his life easier.'

'I don't.'

Robin reached the elevator before Raven. He pressed the call button and waited. A moment passed and the doors opened. He reached across to the buttons and pressed for Ravens floor. As the doors closed Robin turned to Raven again.

'Besides we wouldn't want to put anymore blame on you.'

'What?' Raven had no idea what Robin was talking about but she had a feeling that she would not like it.

Robin reached to the buttons once again. This time, however, he pressed the emergency stop. Obviously he had something to say and did not want to be disturbed.

'We know what you did Raven.' Robin turned to look her straight in the eyes, 'What you need to know is that we hate you for it.'

Raven did not speak. There was nothing for her to say. She had no idea what she was supposed to have done.

'I think it's time you left the team.'

'No… I can't'

'Raven, you haven't got a choice. You ruined everything. It's all soiled because of you. What did you think would happen? Did you think you could stay here after what you did? Raven, you need to leave.'

'Please, I don't know what you're talking about. Tell me what I'm supposed to have done. Don't just tell me to leave.'

'Why are you so stupid Raven? We don't want you here.' Robin moved closer to her. 'You are just a pathetic, whiny bitch. If it was up to me Cyborg would've finished you off.'

'How can you say that?'

'Easily.' Robin smiled. Raven had only seen that smile once before. When he had been Slade's apprentice. It was pure evil. 'You're pathetic, disgusting. YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!!!'

Raven recoiled suddenly. It hit her that she was trapped. All she could do was back into the corner of the elevator and hope that he would calm down.

'PACK YOUR FUCKING BAGS AND GET OUT. I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR STUPID FUCKING FACE AGAIN. Or at least not until you're half rotted in your coffin.' Robin pulled back, 'Then I can look, I can look and laugh.'

He turned to the control panel. He pulled on the emergency stop button and the elevator jerked back to life. Raven huddled in the corner shaking. She had no idea what was going on. As soon as the door opened, she ran. She ran to her room as fast as she could. The only thing she could hear was the blood pounding in her ears and the faint sound of Robin laughing at her. He was laughing at her fear.

Raven sat alone in her room. Her violet eyes fixed on the wall. No matter how much she thought about it she could not figure out what had happened to her life. Yesterday had been normal, she had woken up and meditated. She had done her training. The titans had been called out to fight downtown. She had come home eaten with the others and then gone to bed.

But today, today she felt as if her life was falling apart. She had lost the majority of her friends, her family. Soon she would be alone and homeless. How had it got to this? Raven lay back on her bed and tried to fight the tears creeping into the corners of her eyes.

Raven heard a knock at the door. As she stood to go open it she wondered whether she should. For all she knew it could be Cyborg, come to finish what he started. It could be Starfire telling her what a failure she was and helping her to pack, wanting to be rid of her sooner. Or it could be Robin. He could just throw her out there and then.

Suddenly, Raven no longer wanted to open the door. She did not want to be at the receiving end of their problems anymore. She wanted to spend her last night at the Titans Tower alone.

'Rae? It's me.' Raven heard a familiar voice through the door. The one friend she had not spoken to all day. 'Look, I know you're in there Rae, please let me in.'

Raven was torn. Beast boy was her friend. But the others had been too.

'What do you want?' Raven asked, carefully keeping all traces of emotion from her voice.

'Raven. Please, I need to know you're ok.'

Raven could hear the pleading element in his voice. As much as she wanted to be alone she trusted Beast Boy. He would never purposely hurt her. She walked slowly to her door and unlocked it. Moving back across her room she waited for Beast Boy to follow her.

Beast Boy pushed the door open slightly. The room was filled with darkness. He reached for the light switch beside the door.

'No!' Raven cried. Beast Boy recoiled, moving away from the switch. 'I don't want you to see me like this.'

Beast Boy moved his hand closer to the light switch again. He needed to see Raven to know that she was alright. As he flicked the switch the room filled with a dull light. He turned to Raven and gasped. Her face was almost back to normal, the cut on her lip was still red and healing. Her arms were a mass of bruises. Purple stains against her ivory skin. Yet, even from here, he could tell that they were healing. The edges tinged with yellow.

What shocked Beast Boy the most though were her eyes. Her beautiful violet eyes shone with unshed tears. It broke his heart to see her this way. She was always so strong.

Beast boy walked over to her and placed his hand on the side of her face. A tear escaped, tracing a line to Beast Boy's hand where it stopped at the tip of his finger.

'Raven, I will never let him hurt you again,' Beast Boy looked deep into her eyes, 'I'll die before I let him touch you.'

Raven turned her head, pulling away from Beast Boy's touch.

'I'm a big girl, Beast Boy, I can take care of myself. Trust me, I'll make sure he never gets the chance to do it again.'

'What is your problem Raven?'

'Excuse me?' Raven looked back up at him.

'You heard me. I don't see why you can't let me protect you,' Beast Boy moved closer to her, 'All I've ever done is try to be there for you, all I've ever done is love you. Why won't you let me?'

Beast Boy suddenly kissed Raven. He pulled her body closer to his. Raven pushed him away, moving back from him. She pushed him again trying to keep him away from her. The kiss broke. Beast Boy hung his head. Disappointment etched his features. He looked to turn away but raised his hand instead. He caught Raven unawares, punching her in the face.

Raven fell back, her bed catching her behind her knees. As she landed on the bed she tried to turn to crawl off the other side, but Beast Boy caught her. He grabbed her wrists and pinned her to the bed. Raven tried to push him off again but she was at a disadvantage.

'Azarath Met…' Raven was cut off by another punch to the face.

Pulling both of her hands above her head Beast Boy started to remove her leotard. Where he could not take it off her arms and where he could not reach properly he tore, leaving red welts on the skin below. He threw the leotard across to the other side of the bed.

He forced his hand between her legs, rubbing against her. A tear slipped from Raven's eye. Beast Boy removed his hand and put it in Raven's face.

'Look.' He said calmly looking straight at her face but not into her eyes. 'LOOK! You're wet for me. You want this. Why can't you just admit that?'

Beast boy reached back and unbuttoned his fly. Pulling the lower half of his uniform below his knees he moved between her legs. Raven kicked out trying to escape. He struck her across the face yet again. This time harder than the others. Raven closed her eyes.

Beast Boy turned Raven over, slamming her face down into the mattress. He reached across the bed for her leotard. He pulled her hands behind her and tied them with it. He reached down and thrust three fingers into her. Raven cried out in pain. Tears were streaming down her face.

Beast Boy removed his fingers and bit down on Ravens waist drawing another cry from her. Before she had finish calling out, he thrust into her as hard as he could. Raven's breath caught, winded by the assault. Before she had time to adjust to his size, he pounded into her again.

Raven could feel blood slowly trickling down her inner thigh. Her knees scraped against the carpet and she could barely breathe against the mattress.

Beast Boy sped up his assault on her, he thrust into her core harder and harder. His nails dug into her hips as he pulled her to meet him. Beast Boy fumbled at the back of her head grabbing a handful of hair. Her dragged her face off the bed and pulled her closer to him. He dug his teeth into her neck bringing blood to the skin. Raven screamed.

That was all Beast Boy needed. He hammered into her harder and harder with his climax. Raven cried out in pain as he spilled his seed deep in her calling out with elation.

Slade looked to the multiple screens in front of him. The scene played out before him. A boy in love with a girl, yet it was unrequited. So he tried to make her love him back. Slade's plan was working perfectly. He turned to the machine behind him, his red eye glowing brighter in the darkness.

He had developed this machine a year ago but had never really been sure how to put it to good use. Then he had met the Titans. Every move he made was thwarted by a group of teenagers. Until now.

Slade laughed. He could not believe how easy it would be to destroy the Titans. An already damaged girl mixed with a little mind manipulation and soon he would have his dream. They would all be dead.

It was easy to see that Raven's emotions were starting to take over. Her sleep was restless and soon she would awaken from her coma consumed by her Rage.

'Soon,' laughed Slade, 'soon she will be broken, the Titan's will be gone and she will destroy herself from the inside out!'

The Titans stood by her bedside in the Infirmary. She had been unconscious for a week now. Sometimes they would be more hopeful as she moved and muttered. Yet there were still no signs that she would be awake soon.

Raven had been fine the day she collapsed. She had performed all of her usual tasks. She had eaten lunch with Starfire and Beast Boy, meditated and then she fell. Beast Boy caught her but she was unconscious. He had carried her to the infirmary as fast as he could. He was terrified that he might lose her. But there had been nothing they could do.

As exhaustion had kicked in the Titans had decided to take it in turns to watch her. Cyborg had volunteered to perform the first watch in the cycle. He sat back in his chair wondering when Raven would wake. He wondered if she even could wake.

He reached forward and took her temperature. So far she was showing no sign of infection but that only narrowed the field by a few hundred options. There were still thousands of possibilities and nowhere near enough resources to test for them all.

Cyborg looked at Raven. Her pale skin looked paler, she had lost more weight and her dark hair was limp. She looked a shell of her former self. Cyborg found himself thinking about what he knew of her. Barely anything. He felt as if he knew only what a passer-by on the street would know.

'You have to get through this Raven. We need a big chat. Long overdue.' Cyborg reached forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. 'I might not know you that well, but I'm gonna find out what's hurting you.

'I'm gonna make sure it never hurts you again.'

Starfire walked along the corridor. Her mind was whirling. She did not know enough about her new home. Her friend could be dying for all she knew and she had no idea what was causing it. How could this world be so different to her own?

Walking into the infirmary she saw Cyborg sitting next to Raven. He had a hand on her shoulder and was talking to her gently. Starfire did not know what sort of relationship Cyborg had with Raven. Yet another thing she felt she was missing.

'Cyborg?' Starfire asked.

'Oh, hey Star, your turn?'

'Yes. Cyborg, you are unhappy?' Starfire walked closer to Cyborg. He was now sitting back in his chair away from Raven but his eye's were still fixed on her.

'I just realised how little I know about her.' He looked to Starfire, 'If she… died, I know life would be different. I just don't know how.'

'Raven is very quiet, she is what is called a loner. I think it is hard for her living here.'

'But that doesn't excuse me. I should've made an effort.'

'There is still time, Cyborg. She will be fine!'

Cyborg looked to the floor as if all of life's answer's were written there. 'I'd better go. I need to get some sleep.'

'Ok, I will watch here until Robin comes.'

Starfire took the seat next to Raven's bed, watching as Cyborg left the room. Turning back to Raven she did not know what to think. She saw Raven as one of her favourite people. They may not have been as close as she would like but it was nice to have another girl around at times.

Starfire stood up again. She did not see how she could just sit around. The machines beeped consistently beside Raven. All of her vital signs were fine although her brain activity would spike at times. Starfire examined each of the screens thoroughly hoping to find the answer was staring her in the face. Eventually she sighed and sat back beside Raven.

'Please wake up friend. I cannot be the only girl here. I think I would go very much crazy.' Starfire looked at Raven expectantly. Yet still she did not move. There was barely a trace of life in the girl. Starfire's hope was fading.

'Please, Raven. You are my friend.'

Robin woke up in pain. The edge of the hard plastic seat was digging uncomfortably into his back. He had been sat in the infirmary for the last two hours and the previous six hours had been researching possible causes of Raven's illness.

He looked at Raven expectantly, as if his lapse in concentration would have been the time that she woke. He took her pulse again. Her skin felt colder than it had the last time but at least her heart was holding out. He reached down to the end of the bed and pulled an extra blanket over her.

'Sorry Raven, I didn't mean to let you get cold.' He liked talking to her in the infirmary, he felt almost as if she could hear him. Besides he knew as soon as she woke up it would be different. Communication would go back to a minimum as she kept herself to herself.

'You'd think I'd manage to be a good team-mate at the moment really, that I'd remember to look after you when it's just us.'

He brushed a lock of hair from her face and went back to reading the book in front of him. It was a medical journal on catatonic states. Between the rest of the team they felt they had exhausted the most important research on comas with no luck. They were clutching at straws looking into catatonia but it was all that they could do for their friend. Their ally.

He could not focus on the book, he felt he owed it to Raven to spend time with her whilst he was in her room. He felt her skin again to see whether she was warming. No change so far, he would have to fetch an electric blanket at this rate.

'So everything's quite on the enemy front. We haven't had a call out all week. I know it's probably a bad sign, that the villains are keeping themselves to themselves, planning, but it's worked out quite well. Timing wise I mean. We can watch over you, do what we can to help you. I wouldn't like to be without you in a fight, you're such a strong member of the team.'

He looked away from her. It hurt to think of having to fight without her. It made him think of the possibilities, of what they might face in the future.

'Don't die Raven. Whatever you do, don't give up. We'll find a way to save you. We're the Teen Titans- it's what we do. If you die… If you die we won't be a real team anymore. Not really. We won't be the same.

'We need you Raven.'

Beast Boy sat in his room. He knew it was time for him to go to the infirmary but he did not know whether he could face it. He should be strong for Raven. He should show her how much she means to him but he cannot bear to look at her broken form. He hates the way that her bones jut from her skin with the weight that she has lost, the circles under her eyes that make her look like she has lost the fight, like she is already-

No he could not think that word. If she were to cease to exist it would surely kill him too. She was his world and whilst he had tried to hide just how much she meant to him, he regretted it. He wished that he had taken the time to let her know. Even if she had rejected him, she would know how strongly he felt.

Beast Boy walked to the door. He would have to tell her. He did not know whether she would hear him but he had to tell her. He hoped she would know how he felt.

When he reached the infirmary, he saw Robin holding Raven's hand talking gently to her. Even though he knew they were only friends he could not help the jealous streak that shot through him. It was when he saw the tears in his friend's eyes that he knew why he was holding on to her. They were losing.

Raven did not have long left. Beast Boy took the seat on the opposite side of Raven. He took her hand as if his life depended on it.

'Robin, I need some time alone with her.' Beast Boy struggled to get the words out. He knew he needed to speak to her but he did not want to steal any of the little time she had left with her friends.

Robin understood. He had known for a while how Beast Boy felt. It was obvious from the way his eyes followed her around a room, from the way he would orient himself around her, as if to keep her out of danger. It was visible in the way his eyes lit up when he saw her and how he accepted her for exactly who she was. Robin wanted to give them what little time they could have.

Beast Boy stared into Ravens face, willing her to survive. He knew this was his last chance. He would use it.

'Hi Rae. I'd ask how you were but it's pretty obvious. I need to tell you something and I really need you to listen because I need you to hear it.'

He stroked her face, shocked by the coldness of her skin.

'I… I can't imagine a world without you in it. I don't see myself ever getting over losing you, Rae. Please…you have to listen to me- you have to live. You have to live so that we can make each others dreams come true.

'Do you know what I see Raven? Sometimes I'll think about us, about what we'll be, what we'll do when we get too old to keep fighting crime. We'll retire to a nice house just outside the city. It won't be quite as big as Titan Tower, that'd mean too much cleaning. But it'll be our house and we'll be happy.

'We're going to get married on the sunniest day in July and we'll have to keep the cake in the fridge to stop the icing from melting. We'll go somewhere new on our Honeymoon. You can choose, I want whatever makes you happiest. Seeing you happy makes me happier than I could ever have imagined.

'We'll have kids you know. My last count was three. 2 boys and beautiful girl who looks just like her beautiful mother. And when they've grown up and gone off to college it'll be just you and me. We'll grow old and sit together on the porch swing drinking cloudy lemonade. I know it sounds cheesy but it'll be our life.'

Beast Boy could not understand why Raven's face was blurred. He blinked trying to clear his vision. A tear fell from his eyes, it trailed down his face and fell to the floor. Beast Boy was crying for their future, the future they would lose and the happiness he had already lost.

'Rae, you're breaking the rules. You see, what I see when we die is, well, us. We're going to die on the same day, at the very same time. But we're going to be super old before that happens, we get to spend so much of our lives together and we die in each others arms. But you're breaking the rules. So I need you to get better Rae. I need you to wake up because I need you Raven, I really need you.'

He lowered his face to hers and kissed her forehead. Placing his head on the pillow beside her he whispered.

'Raven… I Love You.'

Raven quietly wept as Beast Boy climbed off her. As soon as his weight was removed she fell to the floor. Sobs wracked her body, but she was silent. After all, who would come to her aid?

All of her friends had betrayed her, had left her. And for what? For some made up excuse. Because she had ruined something. It seemed to her that they were the ones ruining things- They had ruined her.

The numbness was starting to recede, the shell that had taken her years to build was cracking and her emotions were leaking through. Beast Boy sat on the bed beside her. She dared not look into his face for fear of provoking him.

Fear. Fear? She should not feel fear. She should not be able to. She could feel other emotions bubbling to the surface, seeping through the cracks. Betrayal. How could her friends do this to her? Relief. Finally her ordeal was through. But there was one stronger than the rest. She needed to control it. She needed to meditate. She dared not move to reach for her meditation mirror lest she be attacked again.

Rage bubbled to the surface. How dare they attack her like this? They would feel her wrath.

No. She must control it. They had hurt her but she would not destroy them. She would not destroy the people that she loved.

Her forehead tingled. It felt strange, she wondered if it was the after effects of the bruises she was healing. It seemed even stranger though that these effects would feel oddly pleasant.

Beast Boy stood from the bed. He walked over to the window, facing away from her.

'Raven…I love you.' He whispered.

Beast Boy's voice sounded wrong. It did not come from the right direction. Instead of coming from in front of her it seemed to come from…

It seemed to be in her head. Suddenly her vision shifted. She saw the image of a white room. She was lying on a bed with Beast Boy sitting next to her. The room was so different to the one she was in. Her dark room contrasted easily with the brightness of the other room. For once in her life she did not want to be in the dark anymore she wanted to be in this white room.

As soon as she thought this her vision shifted again. She tried to call out to catch Beast Boy's attention. Perhaps he could help her. She would not wish too hard though. After what he had done to her…

But that room- it was completely different, maybe Beast Boy was different too. Maybe it was the Beast Boy that she loved.

She tried to call out again. The effort hurt her throat, Why was it so dry? She would try once more, she would force herself through the pain and she would get him to help her. She knew that he would do everything he could.

She screamed. Yet all that escaped her lips was a dry moan…

But it was enough. Beast Boy's head snapped up. He grabbed her face with both of his hands and stared at her. Yet, that was all he could do. He could only hold her, he could not drag her from the dark room. She was stranded, alone but for the people who wished to hurt her.

'Raven… I love you.'

Beast Boy continued to rest his head by her face. He knew the end must be near. Her breathing sounded laboured and her heart was racing. He heard her gasp, perhaps the end would be sooner than he had thought. He clenched his fists desperate for some relief.

'Ungh…'

A moan escaped Raven's lips. Beast Boy was alert straight away. He sat straight up in his chair and grabbed her face. This was different from her previous state. Even when the phantom bruises had appeared on her skin and when tears had escaped her eyes, she had not made a single noise. Something was different. Was she more awake? Was this her last chance? He had to help her.

'Raven, Rae, honey, speak to me please? I need you to wake up, wake up? For me?'

The way he spoke to her. This was the Beast Boy she knew and loved.

She was unconscious, stuck in a nightmare world, surrounded by the thoughts that haunted her. The thoughts that her friends were not really her friends, that the team did not need her, that the man she loved did not truly love her.

She needed to escape. But how? She needed an anchor to the real world, something that she would feel, even here in her own dark room. She screamed again. She needed him to know she could hear him.

'Ungh…'

A louder noise this time. Beast Boy smiled. She could hear him. How could he wake her up. All of their medical research had been in vain. They had not found a single way to wake her.

He had only one idea, it was the last straw he could clutch at because her body did not have enough time left for them to read every medical book and journal it would take. She would probably slap him to death if she woke. Or more likely suffocate him in a telekinetic bubble.

But he had to give it a try.

'Raven, I need you to understand something, I'm doing this for a reason. It's probably the stupidest reason you've ever heard but it might work.' Beast Boy blushed the colour underneath his green skin tinged his skin brown. 'I mean, well, it works in all the fairytales.'

He leaned his face towards her and placed his lips upon hers gently.

Raven felt the tingling sensation again, it spread warmth through her cold lips. As soon as he kissed her she knew that it was what she needed. It was different to the way in which the evil Beast Boy had kissed her. It was so filled with love.

The love filled her head and for a moment the white room surrounded her. It was more than just a tingling sensation on her lips. She lay on the soft mattress, her head rested on the pillow and, more importantly, Beast boy was kissing her. But before she knew it she was back. Trapped once again in the dark. She whimpered. How would she get out of here? How could she get back to him?

Tears fell from her eyes as she gave up. She was trapped. Was she being punished for some heinous crime? Was this why she was tortured, trapped and kept away from the one person she needed to be with?

Am I such a terrible person? Is this truly what I deserve?

As the tears fell, she felt the last piece of the shell she had built fall away. All precautions she had put up against her emotions, against her mind broke down. She relinquished her control and her emotions flooded out.

A whimper stole from Raven's lips. Was this the key? Was this the way to break her free. It had not worked the first time but it was such a gentle kiss.

What if I was more passionate? Beast Boy wondered. He had shown her not even a tenth of the love he held for her. What if the love he felt would set her free. This time there was no hesitation. He would not be too late to save her, he would not let her die.

His warm lips brushed against her icy skin. He kissed her with renewed energy. He ran his tongue against her lips and tasted her flavours. He lifted her head slightly to bring her closer. Beast Boy wrapped his arms around her hoping and praying she would come back to him.

He was about to pull back as her lips parted gently. He ran his tongue along the inside of her lower lip slightly shock as he felt her tongue against his own. Perhaps it was a trick of the angle at which he held her. It must be gravity pushing her body to his, the warmth of his lips must have seeped into hers, that must be why she felt so much more alive now.

However, he could find no rationale for the hand that had snaked its way up his back and was now tangled in his hair. He could find no reason for her lips to be moving in synchronisation with his.

He pulled back to look at her. Her eyes were lidded with passion but filled with tears, her cheeks held a rosy glow from the blush spreading beneath her skin and her lips were slightly swollen from the way that he had kissed her.

Suddenly the tears in her eyes overflowed, she sat up on the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest.

'Don't…' She croaked, trying to find her voice.

Beast Boy was hurt, but he knew it seemed too good to be true. He turned to leave. He would have to be happy knowing that he had saved her life even if that was all he would ever be able to do for her.

Raven's small hand grabbed his wrist, she was shaking with fear and panic flooded her eyes.

'Don't stop,' she finished. 'If you stop I'll have to go back there. I want to stay here… with you.'

Beast Boy kissed her fervently, he never wanted to let her go. She kissed him back just as passionately, desperate to have him close. He was happy to have her in his arms, to kiss away the nightmares and the horrors that she had faced. He was happy to hold her until she knew she was safe and then he would be happy to hold her safe for the rest of their lives.

He broke the kiss for just a moment, just long enough to whisper;

'Raven… I love you.'

'Beast Boy…' Raven replied, tears still filling her eyes, 'I love you too. I really do'

Epilogue-

'No!' Slade screamed, 'No, this cannot be!'

His temper got the best of him as she smashed his fist through one of the many televisions lining the wall in front of him.

'This should have worked! They should be dead!' He picked up one of the televisions and threw it across the room where it shattered in a shower of sparks.

Slade seemed more calmed by his outburst of violence. His plan should have worked. The Rage should have taken over her frail mind. He knew that he had planned well. But he had not counted on one thing.

He had not know that the love she would feel would be a stronger force than her Rage. It was time to plan again. This time the Teen Titans would not escape him. They would not escape their fate. Next time, he would be sure to kill each and everyone of them.

Thank you for reading my story, I really hope that you enoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It took me a long time to write this story, so I would really appreciate it if you could please just take a couple of minutes to leave me a review. I really love receiving them, they make my day :)