Final Words

She couldn't believe it. She saw him fall. Saw in slow motion as he hit the pavement, the hard floor of reality. And even over the sounds of people screaming, Cinderblock roaring in pain, explosions, battle cries, Robin yelling orders, and the rest of the team yelling expletives whenever they got hit, she could still hear the snap as al of the bones in his body shattered. She heard him cry out, saw the blood on him lips as he coughed, felt the pain through her empathetic link, and yet she still didn't believe it. She was in a state of total shock when Beast Boy broke into a million pieces. Then all of a sudden something snapped; she did believe it, Beast Boy was lying there on the ground. Then suddenly it was her heart that shattered into a million pieces, not Beast Boy's bones.

A wild cry left her lips as she rushed to his side. Cinderblock was still fighting, but that seemed muffled, as if through a layer of plastic. She wasn't exactly on the same wavelength as the rest of the world. Her emotions took complete control; there was a flash of light and Cinderblock found himself twenty feet under the bay. But no, none of this mattered; she was by his side now, her hand glowing blue as she pumped healing energy into him, letting him have everything she had. All the time words were flying past her lips. "Beast Boy, come on, stay with me, oh god, Beast Boy, don't die, we need you, I need you, oh god oh god, don't die Beast Boy…"The green changeling was slipping away, she could feel him growing weaker. All the energy she was giving him, it just wasn't enough, it almost seemed like it was leaking out of him. "No!" Raven growled. "Damn it! Beast Boy, don't go, come on, stay, you got to fight, look at me, come on look at me!" His unfocused, green eyes found her green ones. "Good," Raven growled, "Now stay with me Beast Boy! Robin, damn it, get the team over here now!" Raven herd three cries of shock somewhere behind her, but her eyes never left the green changelings. The green eyes focused on hers, some awareness seemed to flicker within them. His lips moved soundlessly, mouthing three words to the dark empathy above him. And with that, the eyes closed, the light behind them snuffed.

"No," whispered Raven. She gently shook him. "No. Beast Boy, don't leave me. Please. Stay here." There was no response. She could feel nothing from him. The fun-loving presence that had been a light in her life was gone forever. "Oh, Beast Boy…" she breathed, tears filling her eyes. She leaned down, kissing his lips, pulling his face to hers. She took his hand gently, holding it with both of hers as a river of tears sprung down her face. Dimly, she was aware that she was kneeling in a pool of blood, that Starfire was hugging her, crying also, that Robin was kneeling by Beast Boy with his face in his hands, that Cyborg had taken Beast Boy's other hand and wassobbing wretchedly, that around them she was causing buildings to explode, but they were all phantoms. All she knew was pain, pain made all the deeper by Beast Boy's final, revealed secret. She cried of a broken heart, all the time saying the words she never got to tell him.

"I love you, too, Beast Boy, I love you, too."