So... not to confuse you guys but every once in awhile I will make a chapter that is not in Raven's Point of View... like this one. Hope that's cool with ya'll. :)

Chapter 11: Through Another's Eyes

~ Titan's Tower ~

Cyborg wandered around the tower and plopped down onto the couch with a heavy sigh. Life was so boring without his friend by his side. And it was the middle of the week, which meant he couldn't go see his girlfriend, Karen (better known as BumbleBee). Robin and Starfire were inseparable, as always, and though they tried to include Cyborg in their activities, constantly being the third-wheel was getting a little sickening. He was happy for them, of course, but seeing them together only made him miss his best friend and his girlfriend.

Cy lazily picked up the TV remote and turned on a random show. It happened to be a show about an epic battle between two monster trucks. BB usually watched shows like this, and the thought made the metal man sad. He quickly changed the channel. This one happened to be a cartoon channel, and the cartoon playing was some horse show featuring some Pegasus horses named SparkleFace and ButterBean. This show is so weird, Cyborg thought. How can Raven stand to watch this?

Raven... Cyborg wondered what his two friends were up to in Azarath. He hadn't heard much of anything from Beast Boy, just the standard updates to Robin. The silence was actually quite unusual. He hoped Raven hadn't decided to go all off-with-his-head yet. Or maybe things were actually going really well for them... They always were pretty close despite their fighting, Cyborg observed. But the thought was too absurd, even for him, and he quickly laughed it away.

As Cyborg resumed his channel flipping in search of a halfway decent show, Robin and Starfire entered the common room to join their friend. Cyborg greeted them with an enthusiastic smile. "Afternoon, lovebirds," he said cheerfully. It was after one and this was the first appearance the couple has made, not that it was entirely unusual for them to hole up in Robin's room for hours at a time. In fact, it had become a usual thing for the pair. It seemed like Star spent more nights in Robin's bed, than in her own. But they were happy together and so Cyborg was happy for them too, even if their bountiful amounts of PDA were at times unnecessary and unwanted.

Robin rolled his eyes at his friend's greeting, but smiled as he knew it was in good jest. "Hey Cy," he greeted his friend back. "Star and I were going to grab some lunch downtown, would you like to join us?" Cyborg seriously considered declining, not exactly up for an afternoon of watching the two of them being all lovey-dovey, but in the end his grumbling stomach won out and he agreed to go with the pair. After all, a guy has to eat and it would give him an excuse to test out some of the latest tweaks on his beloved T-car.

As the three friends sat at a table in wait of the arrival of their orders at a French themed bistro on Main Street, they made small talk about various subjects. Starfire, of course, begged Cy to tell her all about his relationship with BumbleBee, particularly how well they are handling the distance. Even though they had been a thing for over two years now, Starfire still felt the need to ask. Cyborg wasn't as forthcoming about his relationship statuses and rarely felt the need to gush about his girlfriend. But the alien teen had noticed her friend's moping and grew increasingly worried about the relationship between him and her friend, Bee.

As Cyborg craftily maneuvered his way around her prying questions, Starfire was struck with a wonderful idea. "Perhaps, since our Friend Beast Boy is in Azarath with Friend Raven, we can invite Bee to spend the week at the Tower to take Beast Boy's place in his absence." Cyborg was thrilled with this suggestion but knew that Robin wouldn't be quite as likely to agree.

"I'd hate to take a member away from Titans East," Robin said thoughtfully. "But seeing as their team has more members than ours anyway and crime has been so slow lately, I guess it couldn't hurt to ask. I'm sure Cyborg would love to be with her again." He sent Cyborg a suggestive wink with this last comment, which earned him a roll of the eyes.

"Thanks, man," Cy said with a smile. "These last few weeks have been hard not seeing her, but I know how important being here is. That Skyffer is one big pain in the ass."

"Hopefully Beast Boy and Raven come up with a way to get rid of him fast. Terra's been fairly safe these last few days in the safe room, but she can't stay there forever. Trigon's gonna figure out where she's gone eventually." Robin commented sourly.

"Hey speaking of those two, you hear anything from them? All I've gotten is a few 'I'm alive' texts." Cy asked his leader.

"BB checked in with me last night, giving me a quick update on what's been happening. Apparently they had a meeting with some of the committee people earlier today. Actual negotiations will start tomorrow it sounds like. That's all he really said though." Robin explained. Cy and Star nodded in understanding.

"I also got a call from Raven last night." Star spoke up. "She told me the same things and- other things too." She managed to stop before spilling what was on the tip of her tongue, knowing that her best friend probably wouldn't appreciate her telling about the details of what their conversation had actually been about. Her two friends, knowing her far too well, had caught the slip however and narrowed their eyes on her, wanting more information.

"What kinds of 'other things'?" Cyborg pressed. Star bit her lip in nervousness. But she felt the pressure of their stares and knew that an answer had to be given. She couldn't lie to either of them, but she also didn't want to betray her best friend's confidence. In the end, she decided to spill on the more obvious, but still slightly embarrassing, secret: Beast Boy. The stuff about lawyers and contracts and general turmoil could stay buried, at least for a little while longer.

"Well, she may have mentioned Beast Boy in our conversation." The alien princess began, choosing her words carefully.

"Oh, she hasn't off'ed him yet, has she?" Cy asked, half joking half serious. Starfire let out a laugh.

"No, quite the opposite!" She said happily. Star boldly told her friends about Raven's mediocre second date with Tyler and how the emotionless teen had even gone so far as to admit how much better her times spent with Beast Boy were in comparison to her time with Tyler. The two boys were overjoyed with this news, though had suspected it long ago. They had always thought Beast Boy and Raven had something special between them, but to hear news of Raven practically admitting it to Star was a step they had never thought would actually happen. And now that it has been taken, they were sure that meant things were finally starting to work out between them. It only took two years, but they were happy with the progress all the same.

As their dinner wore on, Cyborg continued to think about his best friend. He wondered what he and Raven were doing in Azarath and if he had made any moves on her yet. He had always pegged them as a couple, with the way that they fight and argue like an old married couple, and learning about their long-forgotten kiss had only sealed his suspicions. He figures it is only a matter of time before they finally make things official.

Suddenly, the phone built into Cy's mechanical arm beeped, indicating that he had received a text message. Well speak of the devil, He thought as he saw the name of the sender. It was a short message: Yo Cy! What's up man?

"Just getting a late lunch with Star and Rob. How about you?" Cyborg replied, curious as to what his shape-shifting friend was up to. 24 hours really was too long to be apart with no communication.

~ New Haven Therapeutic Solutions ~

The green changeling was bored. It was clear that Raven would not be done talking to her therapist for some time and he was suddenly aware of how long it had been since he had had a conversation with his favorite robotic man. But as his friend replied to his message, Beast Boy realized how little he could reveal. There were some things (okay, many things) that he was sure Raven wouldn't want mentioned to the other members. This meeting in particular.

So, the green Titan merely supplied that he was waiting for Raven to get out of some meeting, and then quickly changed topic to gush about the scenery of Azarath's futuristic-looking skyscrapers in the heart of the city and the lush fields that bent off into the edges of the area that he could see. He knew there was much more to Raven's land than just this, but he was still impressed by what he had seen. He even wanted to see more. In the public visitation meeting this morning, Beast Boy had met people from all over Azarath. He had heard stories about where they live and what they do. The people he met had mentioned landmarks- lakes, rivers, plains, and hills, maybe even oceans for all he knew- and he found himself wanting to visit them, to see their beauty for himself. Or their disparity, depending on the situation.

These same people had not been his own, yet he felt a need to help them. He wanted to help them. They were Raven's people, so that warranted some amount of caring. But it goes beyond that. He is a Teen Titan, a good-guy. Helping is in his nature, it is what he was raised to do. Whether they are in Jump City, or an alternate dimension, if someone needs help, Beast Boy needs to be there. That is, after all, what being a Titan means.

From all that he had gathered in the meetings he had been allowed to attend, he had learned that Azarath was still being threatened by Raven's low-life demon father. A guy who had also put his friend through who-knows-what kinds of tortures. Beast Boy could guess. Based on the long, clean, and (at one time) deep, half-faded scars running horizontally along her back, perpendicular with the line of her spine, he knew that whips had definitely been a part of Trigon's arsenal. He of course did not know why a father would want to whip his own daughter so violently, nor did he know of what other tortures she had endured while there. He only knew that for eighteen months she had lived in a special sort of hell that still haunted her, that still drove her to tears in her sleep.

And somehow Slade and Terra had been there too. Mocking and tormenting her as she struggled to keep her wits down there. Yet, despite their involvement in her demise, she found the strength to forgive them. No, even better, she had found it within herself to put aside their differences and their pasts, all to help them get free from the very monster that still tormented her mind at night. Her resilience really was a source of inspiration.

But Beast Boy was even more captivated by the few rare moments of weakness he had been allowed to witness. It was one thing to steel yourself a good, fake smile and go on pretending that everything is a-okay. But to allow yourself to break down into someone's arms, divulging all that had gone wrong through uncontrollable tears- well, there is a special kind of wild beauty in that. Not to say he enjoyed seeing his friend upset, oh no he hated it, but he also could not help but feel a certain sense of accomplishment at being the one chosen to see those sides of her. To be one of the select few to be able to dry her tears and calm her fears, to be the one to shelter her from the nightmares with his arms.

No, he did not know exactly what she had all been through while she was gone. He did not need to. He just knew that he needed to be there for her, even when she tries to push him away. He still got goosebumps when he remembered the first night she had let him in. Ever since that night he had forced his way into her bed and refused to leave, he had been playing her words back in his head. He had lied when she had asked why he had decided to stay. Her mumbling had formed more than just a gravelly 'no'. Very clearly Beast Boy had heard her say, "No, daddy, please, no," and a few seconds later, "don't go! Please, stop him. Please, daddy." She had been thrashing around, too, curled up as if in pain. Tears streaming down her cheeks.

The sight broke his heart. He did not know what was going through her mind. Surely it was a memory, but from when: months ago or years ago? She had called him 'daddy', indicating, in Beast Boy's mind, that the dream had come from a time when Raven was younger, a time when she still had some hope in her father. But with all of his new revelations lately, he was not entirely sure about that assertion. What he was sure of, though, was that somehow his touch and his presence made her pain better.

It was only when he had held her close in his arms, stroking her shoulders and whispering "it's alright", lightly shushing her sniffled cries, that the pleas had finally subsided, and the tears had finally dried. And, like magic, she was peaceful the rest of the night- happy even, it had seemed. When she awoke, Beast Boy had been sure that she would be furious, that she would be ready to throw his ass out the door. Instead, she had been surprised... maybe even just a little happy about his decision to stay. Which had floored Beast Boy. Surely she hadn't really enjoyed sharing a bed with him all night...

Yet again the other night she had fallen asleep on his chest, almost willingly. And Beast Boy was the one who had to carry her back to bed. Not that he minded. She was rather cute when she slept, not to mention it gave him free clearance to properly admire her beauty. And it was always in those rare, vulnerable moments that he could ascertain her true feelings for him. Raven wasn't one to let her guard down in front of others, but she would for him. And that was more than enough proof for him.

Beast Boy was suddenly drawn from his thoughts as the door to Dr. Carroll's office opened. He looked up to see his friend, who appeared to be slightly less stressed, walking out with the doctor. They exchanged a hug goodbye, showing that they were clearly closer than just client and doctor, before Raven joined back up with Beast Boy to head back to the castle. The lady who had led them up to the office, led them back down to where their driver was waiting patiently. Another goodbye and polite thank-you was given before the driver opened one door of the waiting black car for Raven to scoot in, quickly followed by Beast Boy. Only a moment or two later the driver was back in his seat and pulling the car away from the curb and on the road toward home.

* * *

The ride home took much longer than expected. A blockage at one of the main intersections had prevented them from taking the main route. Instead, the driver was forced to take the long way around the town, entering the castle from the backside. Not ideal, but just as well.

The extra minutes seemed to be too much for the exhausted queen, however, who soon ended up falling asleep, finding a comfortable spot to rest her head on a certain green changeling's shoulder. The weight and stillness that which he kept his arm, so as not to wake his friend, had caused for the arm to fall asleep. But Beast Boy did not much care as he stared lovingly at her beautiful face. The pale glow of her soft skin, the curl of her long lashes, even the slight turn of her nose- it was all so... beautiful.

Beast Boy could not remember ever admiring a woman's features so much as he was now. He'd thought Terra was a pretty young thing- gorgeous, sexy, wild. But it was almost the sort of beautiful that was expected, that you could see every day. Raven... she was a special, unique kind of beautiful. You didn't walk down the street and see other girls like Raven. She always thought that made her a freak, but Beast Boy knew differently. And even if it did, what did it matter? He was green... not exactly the norm either.

To Beast Boy, only a fellow freak could understand a freak. Like with like, he figured. And even though their personalities are polar opposites, he had always found a sort of connection with Raven. He liked annoying her. If he could just get her to smile- just once, just a tiny, little sliver of a smile- then he would have done something worth while. It was hard, and it didn't always end pretty, but when it worked, it was worth it a thousand times over. Just seeing that smile, that light in her eyes... Beast Boy would do anything for that.

And he'd missed it, so much, while she was gone. For months he had been so angry at her---at himself. Part of him thought that maybe, just maybe, his jokes had been the cause of her going. He'd spent so many nights staring at his communicator, just waiting for the light to start blinking purple. "Maybe tonight she'll have service", "maybe tonight she'll need me", "maybe tonight she'll answer", he had reasoned with himself. But she never did, until it was almost too late.

When he had first seen her in the medical room, he was sure it was a dream. Surely he was still asleep, simply imaging that she had come back for him. But she was really there, she really had come for him. And ever since, he had been holding onto her. He was glad Robin had chosen to send him to Azarath with her. He wasn't sure if he could be sitting at the Tower still thinking about her, wondering what she was up to here. Even if she did distract him from some, okay many, of her meetings and events. But he was still here, he was always close by if anything were to happen and Raven was letting him get closer and closer with every passing day. Things were going fairly well for him.

He still had more than a few questions about Raven: where she's been, what she's endured, and what all of her secret hush-hush meetings are about. But every day he got closer to uncovering the answers, and every day Raven came closer to telling him her secrets. He just needed to have a little bit of patience.

* * *

The car eventually turned onto the castle road and Beast Boy was given the task of gently waking his companion, who was still very peacefully sleeping on his shoulder. He did not want to wake her up, fearing that the disturbance would provoke her wrath, but knew that it wouldn't be wise to risk carrying her into the castle, bridal style, in broad daylight. Who knows who they would run into. Gossip and press were clearly two things Raven intended on avoiding the most. Hell, she hardly wanted their friends to know about their interactions. But an entire kingdom? Nope. Waking her would be risky as well, but wiser in the end.

So, Beast Boy gently shook his friend's shoulder, praying she wouldn't punch him in any vulnerable places. "Rae, wake up," he whispered. Slowly her eyes began to open.

"W-what?" she mumbled sleepily. "Gar...?" The sound of his nickname tumbling out of her mouth was quite possibly the sexiest thing Beast Boy had ever heard. Hearing it, he wondered how he had ever found Terra's screech even remotely endearing. Raven's voice was soft but clear. It had an innocence to it that never failed to make you smile.

"We're here," he explained as she became more and more awake. This statement seemed to perk her up as she raised her head from his shoulder. She was almost fully awake by the time the driver had rounded the car to open the door for the pair.

Walking into the castle, they were almost immediately greeted by an excited Ezra. She had been impatiently awaiting the couple's return since they had left. And as they began to walk down the hall, Ezra began to bombard Raven with questions about the therapy session. Beast Boy quickly noticed that Ezra clearly did not fear Rae's aggression as she poked her nose into every inch of Raven's business. The questions she asked, and the tones she asked them with, would surely have provoked a great deal of rebuke, had they come from Beast Boy. However, with Ezra, Raven simply released an exasperated sigh and craftily dodged each bullet as the group made its way to the dining room.

Ezra must have informed the kitchen staff of the pair's arrival because they were already beginning to set the table for dinner. Beast Boy hadn't thought much of his stomach until now, but seeing the spread of fancy breads and appetizers made him realize how famished he was. He was also very excited to see what kinds of Azarath foods he'd get to try today. After all, that was the best part of traveling.

They took their seats as other members joined them in the dining hall. Beast Boy recognized many of them from yesterday's meeting. Around here, even dinner time was all business, he observed. Raven sat at the head of the table, as any queen should, and Beast Boy was directed to a chair just to her left. Ezra sat in the one to Raven's right, directly across from Beast Boy. Court members and their families filled in the other 20 or so chairs. Looking down the table, Beast Boy noticed that the end seat was occupied by the same old man that had held Raven back after yesterday's meeting. Although he did not know much about him, there had been something about his demeanor and his tone of voice that Beast Boy did not like. And he could sense that Raven and Ezra did not particularly care for him either. To the left of him was Raven's newest admirer, Tyler Dawson.

God, it sounded like the name some pretentious prick would have. What did Raven even see in him? Beast Boy wondered. Sure, he looked decent enough. Although, Beast Boy was clearly better cut than him. And okay, so he probably has tons of money, and he's from her home world, and he probably understands her powers and mood-swings better than Beast Boy ever could, and he probably doesn't annoy Raven every time he opens his mouth- but still. Beast Boy couldn't see what made him so desirable that she would choose to get drinks with him over hanging out with the friend she'd ignored for over two years.

Beast Boy was happy to be the one she turned to when she needed a friend in her darker hours, but he wished she would come to him more often than that. Stolen midnight kisses and hugs of comfort were the only treasures he got. Meanwhile Mr. High-and-mighty-suave-enough-to-bring-a-girl-roses-for-the-first-date, over there, gets the raunchy, push-her-up-against-the-wall make-out sessions after taking her out for drinks. It really was not fair, obviously Beast Boy cared about her more, probably knew more about her too. But what did it matter, there was not much he could do about it.

As servants, all dressed alike in black pants and white button-down shirts, came out to set a plate of food in front of each seated guest, Beast Boy was finally able to shift his mind to other thoughts. Listening in on the conversation between Raven, Ezra, and Slade, who had seated himself next to Ezra, also helped to distract the green changeling. His eyes were, for the most part, able to stay focused either forward or on the beautiful queen seated just to the right of him. It was rather hard to ignore the other pair of eyes trained on her, though. A certain weasel at the other end of the table did not know his manners all that well. Beast Boy could not quite tell how the attention was making Raven feel, but she remained fairly enthralled with Slade's account of some recon mission he had recently completed so Beast Boy determined that her attraction to the weasel was not as strong as he had first assumed.

Curious as to what his newest Azarathian meal was to be, Beast Boy looked down at the white china plate that the servant had just set down in front of him. It contained some familiar things: green beans, buttered and salted; a perfectly scooped mound of mashed potatoes with brown gravy drizzled over top of it; but then there was the slab of reddish-brown meat. At least that is what Beast Boy assumed it was. He poked it gently with his fork, noting that it was mushier than beef but tougher than tofu. And the striation of the substance was unlike that of chicken, or any other meat Beast Boy could think of. And the reddened juices it was bathed in looked an awful lot like blood.

He carefully cut off a small piece of the steak-like substance and inspected the inside more closely, being as inconspicuous as possible. He did not want to draw attention to his antics, but he also wanted to make sure he was not about to eat something he at one time was in the form of. He was pretty sure that would count as cannibalism. Despite his caution, however, Raven still noticed as she looked over to see him meticulously picking apart his meal.

"It's seitan. Completely meat free." she leaned over to whisper, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

"Oh, I knew that," Beast Boy fibbed, desperately attempting to sound cool. The smirk on his friend's face, told him it was pointless, however. "How?" he began to ask, curious as to how the cooks had known to give him a vegetarian meal.

"What kind of host doesn't inform their staff of their guests' dietary restrictions?" There was almost a flirtyness to her teasing, though Beast Boy was hesitant to read too much further into it.

"Thanks, Rae, that's actually pretty considerate of you." The green boy said earnestly, a smile upon his lips.

"It's not that big of a deal, Garfield." Lately she had taken to calling Beast Boy 'Garfield' around the other court members. It just fit better in the professional environment. And while Beast Boy normally hated his birth name, it suddenly didn't sound so bad coming out of her mouth, being pronounced in her sweet tone. It was just another thing that drew him to her.

"Still, thank you." He said again. Although the gesture was small, it still meant a lot to him. She had noted his aversion to animal products and made sure his preferences were acknowledged while he was here. Sure, he could handle a few days without tofu or any other meat substitutes, but it was nice to know that his friend had gone to such lengths to make him comfortable during his stay in Azarath, especially since she hadn't seemed too eager to bring him here in the first place.

* * *

By the time dinner was ended, it was nearing seven and Raven had to leave Beast Boy for another one of her secret, hush-hush meetings. This once again left Beast Boy to entertain himself. There were many options pushed his way, but in the end he decided to go for a run outside. There was a small forest extending down the castle property's hillside that was just begging to be explored. Besides, a run always helped him to clear his head.

Sure, it seemed strange- Beast Boy willingly going out to exercise, crazy! But in the past couple of years he had made it a point to focus on his physic a bit more: lifting weights, doing cardio, even following his workouts up with one of those disgusting protein shakes. Focusing his attention to better exercising and eating habits, allowed him to stop thinking about Raven's absence as much. And it made him even more popular among the ladies.

So, Beast Boy changed into a pair of black Nike basketball shorts and a white cutoff, laced up his tennis shoes, and maneuvered his way to the back yard and down one of the many paths through the woods.  It was quiet out here, the pounding of Beast Boy's feet on the hard black soil being the only sound in his ears. Occasionally a bird would flutter past, and leaves could be heard crunching under the foot of some animal, most probably a deer, some fair distance away, but otherwise Beast Boy was alone. With the setting sun and growing shadows, the temps began to drop, but regardless, Beast Boy's pace kept his forehead slicked with sweat.

Eventually after what he guessed to be about five miles of winding dirt path, Beast Boy called it a day and jogged his way back to the castle. Thankfully, his animal senses helped him to keep direction, otherwise he would be so lost in the thicket of trees. He emerged from the overgrown forest some minutes later and let himself into the castle through one of the side doors. He had only been here a couple days, but already he was beginning to learn the ins and outs of the large castle. He noticed that the grounds were fairly easy to navigate, but the inside could be tricky: especially since the halls all looked very similar to each other. Paintings, statues, and potted plants are really the only obvious landmarks to help guide your way.

Using these very things, Beast Boy attempted to find his way back to the entertainment room. It had become his favorite spot in the castle, mainly because it contained a gaming system and a really extensive collection of DVDs. It was also dark and solitary, perfect for a brooding mood. On his journey, Beast Boy passed by many familiar, yet also unfamiliar, doors and rooms. It seemed the castle had a knack for using the same doors for almost every room, making it rather difficult to distinguish between them. Somewhere along his journey, he stumbled upon a different set of double doors. They were heavy and decorated with an array of multi-colored stained glass pieces. There were no other markings to ascertain what the doors closed off, which only perked the green boy's curiosity further.

The empty hallway, lit only by torches that looked as though they were taken straight out of the 18th century, only made things eerier. Nonetheless, Beast Boy had a great urge to learn what was hidden behind those ornate doors. This was Raven's castle- who knew what kind of secrets she had hidden in this place. With a breath of courage, he slowly pulled the large door open. It creaked and groaned, loudly, like an old door in one of those horror movies Raven hates watching (or so she says she hates watching), and the sound echoed around the dark, empty hallway. Beast Boy grew worried that someone had heard and would be coming to stop him soon, but after a few moments of silence, he declared it safe to continue.

Cautiously, he poked his head into the room. It was dimly lit by torches along the walls. The first thing Beast Boy noticed was the stretch of bookcases that seemed to go on forever. There had to be over a million books in this place. The shelves had labels on the side, numbers, indicating which books those sections contained. Beast Boy did not understand the system, but someone who came here frequently most likely would. In front of the shelves, slightly to his right, was a cluster of tables, many of them covered in piles of books of all shapes, sizes, and colors. And in the corner to his left was a cozy fireplace, already lit, with big comfy couches arranged in front of it. End tables separated the couches and a coffee table was positioned in front of them.

With the dim lighting and the calm flickering of the flames, it seemed like a good place to take a nap. Besides, the rest of the room seemed to be bookshelves, which didn't interest him much. Beast Boy made his way over and flopped himself over the back of one of the couches. His hip landing on something hard. It was a book, he soon realized. Slippery Slopes, the title read. Definitely sounded like a book Raven would read. He tossed it aside, watching it land on the ground next to another book- Hold Onto Me. There was picture of a couple hugging on the cover, strengthening Beast Boy's theory of it being a romance novel. Clearly it, too, had been cast aside by Raven some days ago. He chuckled at the thought of Raven lounging here in this very place, going through books while in one of her 'moods'.

Suddenly, his thoughts were broken as he picked up the sound of voices. He hadn't noticed them before but now he could distinguish the echoed whispers. One of the voices was obviously Raven, he'd recognize her soft tenor anywhere. Another sounded an awful lot like Ezra, but the third was one that Beast Boy had never heard before. His English, however, was a bit broken as he spoke- similar to how Starfire talks. Perhaps he too is from Tamaran?

Beast Boy decided to investigate and find out for himself who this guy talking to Raven is. After all, Robin had told him to keep a close eye on Raven, and this totally fit those orders, or so he reasoned. Turning into a mouse, he scurried toward the voices, keeping in the shadows as much as possible. He came to a back corner section of the library. This area was well lit by a hanging chandelier over a single round table. Three figures sat around this table, discussing some urgent matter. Beast Boy recognized Raven and Ezra right away, but the third guy was someone he was sure he had never before seen. He was definitely Tamaranian, though, that much he could tell. He must have been the friend Star had recommended to Raven. But why would she consult someone outside of her council?

They were each examining a stapled document with highlighters in hand. Beast Boy could pick up some of their mumbled words (contract, stupid, not fair) but not enough to understand the full conversation. Obviously, his creeping game needed to get stronger. He turned into a fly, one of the smallest creatures he could think of, and flew toward the table. Hovering above Raven's head, he managed to sneak a glance at the paper in her hand. It was a contract, that much he could tell. One of the clauses was highlighted in yellow. Knowing that must mean it is important, Beast Boy focused harder on reading what it said, unfortunately fly eyes are not the greatest. One sentence was able to come clear, however: a female descendant must have a male partner by her side to permanently take the throne.

A partner? Like marriage? No way Rae would agree to that!

What's that guy saying about this? "I have found no way around this last clause... marriage is simply a stipulation for the contract. However, there is no restriction on who you marry. It need only be someone of the council's approval."

"So, I can pick anyone that I want?" Raven clarified.

"Essentially, yes. But the council is able to reject the engagement, with the vote of majority, of course." The guy explained. Raven thought of this, before speaking.

"Ezra, can you compile a list of suitors? If this is happening, it needs to happen soon." She was actually considering this?!

"Of course. And after going through it, we can invite some of the better options to a ball." Ezra chimed happily. Raven scowled at the idea of a ball.

"At least I can meet them before deciding on anything officially." She sighed in annoyance. "Thank you for all of your help, Rynoc."

"Anything for a friend of Princess Koriand'r." The man replied, taking Raven's outstretched hand in his.

"I'll lead you out," Ezra offered kindly. Rae stayed in her chair, deep in thought as she continued to look over the contract, until the two had exited through the two extravagantly ornate doors that Beast Boy had entered through some minutes ago. As soon as the door had closed behind Ezra, Raven looked up from her paper- directly at Beast Boy.

"You can change back now," she said in her usual deadpan voice. He did as told and stood in front of her with a nervous smile, scratching the back of his head.

"Um... hi?"

"Not cool, Beast Boy. What the hell are you doing here? Following me around, checking up on me for Robin?" she cut him off coldly, more than just a little bit angered by his showing up here and spying on her.

"What? No!" He immediately denied, raising his hands in front of him in defense. "I was wandering the castle... I saw the library doors... I swear I had no idea you were here until I saw you... and then I did and I probably should've left, since this is a private meeting... but I was curious... and this seemed really important to you... I'm sorry Rae, please don't kill me!"

The words fell out of Beast Boy's mouth in a jumble. Raven released a sigh of annoyance and pinched her brow. "Whatever," she mumbled. Her headache was starting to come back after the stressful events of this meeting and now the tangle with Beast Boy. She needed a Zentax pill, and maybe a Tylenol too, while she was at it.

"I didn't hear much!" Beast Boy continued to babble on. Meanwhile Raven was collecting her papers, shoving them into a manila folder, and standing up from the table to head out of the room. "I mean, I was a fly- I couldn't see or hear for shit!" He continued, unaware of Raven's growing head pain.

"Beast Boy, shut up." she finally snapped as they left through the library doors and entered the dim hallway. Beast Boy chuckled nervously, and made a zipping motion over his lips, signalling that he was going to try to follow her wishes. After all, he was already on the shit-list, another wrong move and he'd be thrown out of a window by her raging powers. And that was never a fun situation.

Walking in silence, Raven somehow navigated her way through the hallway and to the wing of the castle that contained both her room and the guest room Beast Boy was staying in. This wing happened to be much closer than he had thought it would be, and for the life of him, he could not quite remember the route that they had taken to get here. He remembered some village fountain tapestry by one of the staircases, but the other decorations he had tried so hard to keep track of now fell into a sort of jumble. Was the dog second, or did the leprechaun looking guy come before him? Beast Boy just couldn't remember.

He really needed a map of this place to find his way. The only rooms he could find completely on his own were the kitchen (obviously), the entertainment room (duh), and his and Raven's bedrooms, well from the other two locations, at least. Mostly he just followed Raven or one of the servants around in hopes that he will eventually figure out where he is and where he needs to be going. Anyway, they came first to the guest room Ezra had put Beast Boy into. It was a simple room, very hotel suite-like. Good enough, he figured. But it was as they both came to a pause here that things really became awkward- more awkward than they probably should have.

"Well, I suppose I should be going to bed," Raven said, finding a way to politely excuse herself and avoid confronting the large elephant in the room. Although the watch on Beast Boy's wrist indicated that it was just after 8, he also knew that today had been taxing for her and she was probably really tired. So instead of fighting, he just nodded his head.

"Yeah, sure, we can talk in the morning?" It'd been a question, but they both knew that whether it happened at 10 or 2, the events of tonight needed to be discussed. Raven was considering marriage, for crying out loud! This was not something to just sweep under a rug and forget.

Raven nodded her head in reply, offered a weak smile, and then turned to head to her own room. Beast Boy watched her go, one hand lingering on the doorknob. He could tell she was unhappy, about a lot of things, and she had a lot of things to think about. He wished he could go with her, hold her in his arms and make everything okay, but that wasn't his place. If things pan out like she plans, she'll be marrying someone in less than a month, all to take a throne she hardly wants. And as much as Beast Boy hated to admit it, the future husband of Raven isn't him. He can pretend all he wants, love her with all of his heart, but this isn't his world. And Rae would never let him into it, anyway.

With a heavy sigh, he shoved into his room, kicked off his shoes, and trudged off to bed. Tomorrow would be another long day.

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Long delay, but finally finished! Hope you guys enjoyed! Next chapter will have some fun surprises and definitely a lot more BBRae feels!! I have some great plans to come! Stay tuned!!

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- Rain