Chapter 8: The Pure, Simple Truth

With the Skyffer gone, we headed back to the Tower. It was nearing 3 in the morning and after all that has happened today, I am exhausted. All I want to do is take a long, hot shower and then crawl into bed. Thankfully, Beast Boy felt the same as he barely even spared me a second glance before heading into his own room (with Terra trailing behind him like a lost puppy), seemingly forgetting all about our earlier conversation. At least for right now. He will probably be knocking on my door demanding to talk again tomorrow morning.

Stepping into the shower, I began to dissect the details about tonight's mission. The Skyffer had in fact been one of Trigon's, but who had it been after? At first I figured the creature was sent here to attack me, or maybe my friends as an attempt to draw me out. But if this were the case, the Skyffer would have come to the Tower, not the middle of downtown Jump City.

So, who was it after? Who else does Trigon want dead?

For some reason, Terra comes to mind. Which is a long shot, considering, as far as I know, she's still Trigon's lackey. If she decided to quit, however, then I could see Trigon wanting her dead. But how do I prove that the Skyffer was in fact after Terra and not someone else?

Sure she was there at both attacks, helping us fight against it, but she acted surprised enough about it. And the creature did not exactly single her out either, well no more than anyone else. In fact, most of his blows seemed to fall near Beast Boy.

Was that the Skyffer's mission? To take out Beast Boy to get to me? Terra had mentioned something about using my friends to break me...

Finished with my shower, I slipped on a pair of yoga pants and a zip-up sweatshirt before heading back out of my room. My head was buzzing with questions and, as exhausted as I am, sleep won't come until at least some of them are answered. I found my way to Cyborg's room and knocked on his door, hoping that he wasn't already asleep.

Luckily, a few moments later the door was opened by the robotic-man himself. "Raven?" he asked, brows knitted in confusion. "It's like almost 4 in the morning, the hell you doin' up?"

"I need access to the video files from that last battle. And also from tonight's." I explained quickly.

"And this couldn't wait until later?" he said, bewildered. Then, seeing my serious expression, he sighed and walked over to the desk to get a pen and a piece of paper. "Here's the passcode for the drive and the location of the files."

I took the paper he held out to me and studied it. "You trust me with this?" I half-joked. It came out sarcastic, but there was a truth behind the words.

"Well, you can't screw it up any more than Beast Boy could," Cyborg joked, brushing over the matter of my betrayal. And for that, I thanked him with one of my rare smiles, before saying goodnight and walking away.

"Don't stay up too late." he called after me.

"Yeah, yeah." I said back, a silent smile on my face.

I headed for the main computer in the living room and quickly signed on with the passcode Cyborg had trusted me with. Opening the file specified by Cy, I immediately found the right video files and opened the first one, keeping my eye on the black dragon-like creature as he attacked Beast Boy time and time again. It did seem like the green shape-shifter was the creature's target, or at least he was the one who took the brutality of his blows.

As the clip showed the creature slashing his three claws across Beast Boy's chest, and I tried my hardest not to look away, I noticed the protectiveness in his position, protectiveness of the blonde head behind him. Clutching his wounds, bent over in pain, Beast Boy changed back into his human form before swaying into Terra's arms. A shocked, fearful, and maybe even guilty expression contorted her face as she looked down at the injured green boy and fought back a round of tears. Angry, she yelled something, maybe at the creature, maybe just in general, while the Skyffer reared up again with a roar before taking off into the sky, leaving my friends on the ground staring up at it in confusion.

So, Beast Boy had gotten injured while protecting Terra. Where was he standing at today's mission?

I clicked on one of the videos from tonight and watched Beast Boy's movements. There were a few moments where he stood in front of Terra, but since he was injured and weak, he mostly stayed toward the outskirts of the battlefield. The Skyffer, in the middle of the titan circle, did not seem to be trying to reach him either. In fact, with all six of us surrounding him, the creature did not know who to attack. I watched him vanish from his binding and then replayed the video, this time focusing closer on Terra.

She emerged from an alleyway, running East toward the main street. The Skyffer was traveling North down the main street. Doing a simple math equation in my head, estimating their distances and speeds, I guessed that the Skyffer and Terra were on a crash course with each other. Which might have been pure coincidence, or indicate that Terra was in fact the Skyffer's target.

Now the only question is why Trigon would send a Skyffer after his own apprentice.

I shut down the computer and pulled out my communicator, using it to find Terra's location. A map of the tower appeared with colored dots representing each person's location. A purple dot, representing myself, showed that I was in the living room, alone. Cyborg's blue dot was in his room, as I figured. On the second level, a red and pink dot were both located in Robin's room. I tried hard to block out the thoughts of what might be happening there. Moving on to Beast Boy's room, I was surprised to find it empty of dots. Where could he be?

I scrolled through each of the next few levels before returning to the main one and making another sweep. I eventually found his green dot in the medical room, with a yellow dot that represented Terra. They were together, which would make confronting her even more difficult, but it still needed to be done. Without a second thought, I snapped my communicator shut and stormed off to the medical room.

* * *

"Why is Trigon sending Skyffers after you?" I blurted out as soon as I got to the medical room. The door slammed shut behind me, but I didn't care as I studied Terra's reaction. She was stood in front of Beast Boy, who was sat on a medical table, redressing one of the cuts on his stomach. My magic had healed them from the poison, but three shallow cuts had remained behind and were apparently reopened during the fight. At my entrance Terra had stiffened, freezing with the ball of cotton still in her hand. Meanwhile Beast Boy studied me with a surprised expression, his eyebrows raised, making his green eyes appear twice as big.

"I'm a little busy at the moment." Terra spit out between clenched teeth.

"Why does my father want you dead?" I tried again. She effortlessly ignored me, but Beast Boy was unable to hide the panic in his eyes.

"Terra, what is she talking about?" he asked his girlfriend, studying her face. Terra bit her lip.

"Nothing." she said quickly, slapping a bandage onto Beast Boy's wound.

"I'm talking about the fact that your involvement in the last two encounters with that creature, wasn't pure coincidence." I answered for her. "So what'd you do to piss him off? Run away?"

A confused expression appeared on Beast Boy's face as he tried to piece together the bigger picture behind my words. He already had some idea of Terra's involvement with Trigon from our earlier conversation, but how I knew about that was still a mystery. And one that I really hoped would stay a mystery.

"You know, Rae," Terra began, turning to face me with her best bitch-face on display, "I liked you much better in The Cage." she sneered, referencing my time as Trigon's captive. I had a special cell in the middle of the dungeon that was known as The Cage. It was reserved for the captives Trigon was most proud of, the ones he enjoyed toying with the most.

Blocking out the memory of that awful place, I masked my pain with a jeer of my own. "Yeah, and I really enjoyed seeing you in The Chair." I said with a smirk, as her face faltered.

Terra did not have many weaknesses, but The Chair was something that instilled fear in anyone that knew of it. For the poor souls lucky enough to work with Trigon, we knew of The Chair as a punishment and torture device that Trigon often uses to make his followers more cooperative. It's very similar to the primeval electrocution chairs, but slightly updated and much more powerful. And if the pain of the shock doesn't scare you, then the gleeful expression on Trigon's face as he presses the button and listens to your screams, watching your body contort and writhe in vain, will. The sight still haunts me.

I had only been in the chair once, as Trigon enjoyed other ways of breaking his daughter, but Terra had been a victim of the wretched instrument more than half a dozen times. And while a part of me did pity her for having gone through that, another part also remembered that joining my father had been her own stupid choice. Besides, this was just too good of an opportunity to throw that in her face.

"Cage? Chair? What the hell are you guys talking about?" Beast Boy piped up, obviously not following, and clearly frustrated by that.

"Nothing," Terra said again, clearly not wanting to reveal too much about her time with Trigon either. I guess that's one thing we have in common.

And suddenly I could see the vulnerability in her eyes, the fear that remained from her time with Trigon. She hadn't been a prisoner, at first, but the more she tried to pull away and get out, the tighter he reeled her in, punishing her for every time she failed to do exactly what he ordered. If he wanted someone shot in the center of the forehead, and she was half a centimeter off, that was 50 lashings. If she argued, it was 50 more. And if she still disagreed, then The Chair was brought out.

My father believed in tough love. The harder the heart, the stronger the fighter. The only acceptable emotions were anger and glee, but only at someone else's misery. Crying was a disgrace, begging was unacceptable, and smiling was for the weak. Kindness was a sin, Heaven didn't exist, and Hell was home. These were his values, his teachings. At one point, they almost broke me and I could see that they had taken a toll on Terra as well. And as much as I hated the bitch, I couldn't help but feel the need to help her.

"Terra, Trigon wants you dead. If it's because you finally left him, fine. But you're bringing my friends into danger by still being here." I tried to reason with her, hoping she would see the seriousness of her situation.

"Yeah, because you being back here isn't a danger to them at all." she countered sarcastically.

"Why do you think I stayed away until now?" I yelled, growing frustrated. "I only came back to help them with their problem. A problem brought upon them by you."

"Where else was I supposed to go?" she demanded, her voice edged with dispair.

"Well, as much as I dislike you, I might be able to help." I said carefully. "Money, protection- Azarath can provide it all. But I need to be able to trust you."

"And how do I know I can trust you?" she sneered. That hurt, and angered, me. I mean, I'm offering to help this bitch. What more does she want?

"Talk to Slade lately? He'll vouch for my services." I quipped cheekily, trying to ignore the still confused expression on BB's face as he tried to keep up with our conversation. Terra rolled her eyes. "Look, I have a council meeting later today. If I go, I can propose a plan to ensure your safety. Maybe we can arrange something with my father. But if you're going to continue being a bitch, then I won't even bother."

"Why would you even bother at all? I thought you couldn't stand me." she said snarkily, but her eyes were softer and I could tell that the toughness was all just an act. An act that I was done buying.

"You're a titan, and titans stick together. Even I can't deny that." I explained. Then, turning to leave, I continued, "But if you're not interested--"

"Wait!" she stopped me, stepping forward to catch my arm. She released it quickly though, and straightened herself, trying to look tough. "I guess... help... would be nice to have."

I ignored the way she choked out the word help, as if it were a dirty word. But under Trigon's teachings, it might as well have been. "I'll talk to the council about it then." I decided, turning to leave. Terra sent me a curt nod, but I noticed the relief in her eyes and knew that my gesture did mean something to her.

Leaving the hospital wing, I headed for my room, walking quickly to avoid the rush of questions that Beast Boy was holding back behind me. Thankfully, he was too concerned with talking to his girlfriend to follow after me. But not concerned enough to not fly ahead and corner me at my door a few minutes later.

"What was that about?" he asked when I met him.

"She's in trouble. It's our job as titans to help her." I replied simply.

"There's more," he argued. "You two are hiding something and I want to know. Now."

"Go ask your girlfriend, she'll probably tell you more than I will." I told him, the exhaustion induced crabbiness starting to take effect.

"First off, she's not my girlfriend. We ended things a long time ago."

"Okay, go ask your fuck-buddy. Is that better?" I corrected myself. Beast Boy scowled.

"No. I want to hear it from you." he insisted.

"Well that sucks," I said shoving him out of the way and heading into my room. The jerk followed after me.

"I'm seriously not telling you anything." I told him, moving toward my closet.

"Then I'll stay here until you do." he said defiantly, sitting on my bed and crossing his arms over his shirtless chest, the movement causing his muscles to flex. When did Beast Boy get so damn attractive?

Ignoring him, I entered my walk-in closet and quickly changed into a pair of black shorts and a random t-shirt for bed. Back in my room, I grabbed the brush on my vanity and ran it through my hair, smoothing it out before putting it up into a pony. I then moved over to the window, to open the blinds, ever so slightly, before switching off the light, leaving only the two bedside lamps and the tiny pool of moonlight to light my room. Beast Boy's eyes followed my every movement, but I tried not to notice the flutter in my stomach his gaze brought. Keeping my expression, indifferent, I crawled into bed, plugging my phone into the charger beside me.

"I'm serious, Rae. I won't leave until you tell me about the last two years." Beast Boy tried again, refusing to leave his spot.

"Well, if you're going to stay, then at least turn off your lamp." I said, with a 'sweet' smile. He scowled again, but I paid no mind as I shut off my own lamp and turned on my side, away from the green nuisance. A few moments later, the bed groaned as Beast Boy stood up and turned off the last lamp, enveloping the room in darkness. Finally, I thought, hoping he had given up.

But the door never opened and Beast Boy wasn't leaving. Nope, he was crawling into my bed with me. He was that determined for answers. I remained on my side as he pulled back the covers and slid under them. But as he scooted closer and wrapped his arms around my waist to pull me taut against his bare chest, I could no longer ignore him.

"Beast Boy, what are you doing?" I choked out, trying hard to keep my voice steady.

"I'm staying." he replied cheekily in a voice that was a little husky and a whole lot sexy. A memory of when I had kissed his soft lips earlier flashed through my mind, but I banished the thought and tried to keep my mind on anything but his touch, and instead tried to come up with a cheeky response of my own that would get him to leave. However, coherent thoughts were hard to form with him this close. Luckily I didn't have to come up with a witty response just yet as the green boy continued his explanation. "You're avoiding my question; I want answers. So, I'm going to give you a choice: tell me what I want to know, or, if you still want to be difficult, deal with me being here all night long. It's your choice."

I groaned. This was Beast Boy's worst game yet. Either option I chose put me in a terrible position. But which position was worse: sleeping next to Beast Boy all night or revealing the events of the last two years? Definitely revealing my secrets. I can handle sharing a bed with an annoying green changeling, as long as he doesn't find out about my time with daddy dearest.

"Fine. Stay." I said, making my decision. "Just don't hog the blankets."

"No problem, the only thing I need is a teddy bear." he quipped, a smile upon his lips. I rolled my eyes at his obvious reference to my being in his arms, and tried to fall asleep. Beast Boy however, wasn't quite as ready to call it a night. With my eyes closed, I couldn't see him, but I could almost feel his eyes on me, watching me. I could also feel one of his hands trailing down my side to caress my thigh. Whether that was intentional or not, I'm not really sure. But it was definitely not welcomed.

I turned myself around in his arms to face him. "Okay, a few rules about being in Raven's bed. Number one, hands to yourself." I seethed, grabbing his hands and pulling them off of me. A smirk crept upon Beast Boy's face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Rae Rae, did you not like that?"

"Jerk" I mumbled, struggling to turn back over to my side. Beast Boy just chuckled as he wrapped his arms back around me, preventing me from moving away.

"You know, you could just tell me what the big secret is. Then I'll leave and you can have the whole bed to yourself."

"Not happening." I muttered under my breath, but Beast Boy, being right next to me, still heard.

"What's the big deal?" he asked. "I'm your teammate, your friend. I know everything about you. Like the time you almost destroyed the earth, but then saved it. Or the night you got totally shit-faced and made out with me. Nothing you do could ever make me think any less of you. Even if you killed someone, I wouldn't care. You know that, don't you?"

"Beast Boy, I..." I sighed. "I really just don't want to talk about it right now."

His green eyes studied me for a moment, softening slightly as he caught the strain in my voice. "I just want to understand... to help you." He whispered.

"I don't. need. help." I said defensively, pulling away as much as possible.

"I didn't mean it like that..." he trailed off, reading my thoughts. "It's just you've changed a lot, and I can see that something is bothering you, and I just want you to know that I am here for you, you know, if you ever wanna talk."

"Talking about it doesn't make it better." I argued, turning away quickly so he couldn't see my face. Memories of those 18 months with my father flashed through my mind, and I could feel tears beginning to prick my eyes, tears that Beast Boy really did not need to see. But of course Beast Boy would have already felt my change in attitude and was probably thinking of a way to use this moment of weakness against me right now. So, before he could set his plan in motion, I managed to choke out, "Let's just go to sleep now," in as normal a voice as possible, hoping he would get the hint and drop the subject.

"Okay," he said softly. His fingers brushed away the hair from my neck, sending a tingle down my back as he then lightly pressed his lips to the nape of my neck. "I'm sorry I pushed so hard."

I chose not to reply. Obviously it wasn't okay, and although his apology was nice to hear, that doesn't mean I forgive him for being a nosy jerk. But at the same time, telling him that I can't forgive the apology would only stir up another argument. And I really do not have the energy for that right now. Instead, I simply closed my eyes and allowed myself to succumb to the comfort of Beast Boy's embrace, letting his steady breaths match my own and lull me into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

The next morning I woke up to a message from Ezra informing me that the council meeting had been pushed back from 10 to 1, which was just fine by me. Beast Boy was still asleep, curled up next to me with an arm draped across my waist, preventing me from leaving. Not that I entirely minded. His arms were rather comfortable and I had slept really well last night- probably the best I've slept in months. There was a certain comfort in the feel of someone else's warm body wrapped around my own, sheltering me from the cruelties of the outside world.

Since it was still only a little after nine, I allowed myself to snuggle back into Beast Boy's embrace and fall back asleep, at least for a couple more hours. I was awoken again near eleven by a light brush on my upper arm. As my eyes fluttered open, I saw that my head was resting on a warm, green chest and Beast Boy's arms were wrapped around me, one hand brushing my arm with his thumb. The touch should have been unwelcome, being this close to Beast Boy should have felt wrong; yet it didn't.

It felt right.

"Hey," he whispered, noticing that I was awake. I risked a glance up at his face only to be captured by his intense green eyes.

"Hi," I managed to respond. Then, realizing that something had to be said about our situation, I cleared my throat and continued, "You stayed? All night?"

"Well, yeah," he replied, a confused look crossing his features. "I said I would. Are you angry?"

"No," I assured him. "It's fine, I'm just... surprised."

Beast Boy chuckled. "Well, okay, I did try to sneak out once."

"What made you come back?" I asked, genuinely curious and hoping it wasn't because I had done something stupidly embarrassing, like mumble his name in my sleep.

"I was just about to leave the bed, but just as my foot hit the floor, you rolled over and reached your hand out to touch the bed where I had been. You made a noise, kinda sounded like a no, and then you curled up into this cute little ball. I couldn't just leave you like that, so, I stayed."

A blush had crept up my cheeks. How had I let him see me so weak? At least I hadn't done anything too embarrassing, like talk in my sleep. The things he might have heard...

"It's almost eleven, were you still going to meet those Council members?" I was a little surprised he remembered, but part of me wondered if it was only because of the situation with Terra.

"The meeting was pushed back to one." I explained.

"Yeah, I know." He said. Then, with a sheepish grin, added, "I, uh, saw the message when it came in."

I narrowed my gaze on him. How dare he violate my privacy.

"I swear I wasn't snooping!" He quickly defended himself. "The vibration woke me up and I saw it was a message from Ezra. I thought it might've been important." I sighed in defeat. At least he had good intentions.

"Did you see any other messages on my phone?" I asked him, almost fearing the answer.

"Well, not on purpose, but I did, kind of, sort of, catch a glimpse of your message from Tyler." I managed to swallow back my irritation.

"And what did it say?"

"Just good morning." He said. "And that he'd be at the meeting with his father- in case you happened to go too."

I could hear the distaste and irritation in his voice but I decided to ignore it. So what if Beast Boy was jealous over Ty, sharing a bed for one night doesn't make us a thing. We're friends, close friends who sometimes take things too far, but still only friends- nothing more. We could never be more; it'd never last.

"I should probably start getting ready." I said, pulling away. Fleeing to my closet, I was able to avoid his hurt expression. His words, however, were much harder to ignore.

"So, you're gonna go meet up with him then?" He asked. I pushed apart the clothes on a rack in my closet, trying to sort through my thoughts.

"I don't know, Beast Boy." I finally sighed. "I suppose I'll probably see him, but I'm going there to take care of business. That's my priority right now."

"But, suppose he asks you out on another date," he pressed. "Would you say yes?"

I froze. Would I say yes? Could I say no? What would I do?

"I don't know, maybe." I said, growing frustrated. I had larger concerns to worry about than who my heart was beating for.

"Maybe? What does maybe mean?" He had gotten up from the bed and now stood in the closet doorway, leaning in and studying me. I kept my gaze on the rack in front of me that held an array of blouses and business skirts- my meeting clothes. I hated them all, but they were better to look at than whatever emotion Beast Boy was sporting.

"It means," I began, "that I'm not sure what I'd say."

"Well, do you like him?"

The question was so straight-forward it startled me, and I had to take a moment to sort my thoughts because underlying his voiced question was another: do you like me more? My response to this question would seal our fates. This was the defining moment. But I don't even know how I feel.

Obviously I do have some feelings for Beast Boy, it's impossible to deny that much. But how far can those feelings take us? And what about Tyler? I mean, I wouldn't call it love, but he seems pretty nice. In time I could maybe see myself growing to like him more. But is that enough?

"He's nice." I finally said.

"But...?" Beast Boy pressed, sensing that there was more.

"But nothing. He's a good guy, and I had a nice time on our date." I responded turning to face Beast Boy, crossing my arms over my chest. He raised a skeptical eyebrow at my response.

"He took you to a sappy romance movie. Clearly the guy doesn't know a thing about you!" He argued.

"We've only just met!" I reasoned. "And the movie wasn't that horrible."

"Right, you keep telling yourself that."

"Alright, if you think you're such an expert, what would you have done?" He stared at me a moment, as if trying to decide whether or not he should actually answer.

"See, it depends on the season," he started. I gave him a confused look, but he continued. "Because if it was winter, I'd teach you how to ice skate."

"How do you know I can't skate?"

"I know," he smirked. "After skating, we'd come back to the tower and cuddle on the couch, a cup of your favorite herbal tea in your hand, hot chocolate in mine, and then we would watch a scary movie."

"I hate scary movies," I argued.

"No, you don't. You say you do, but I saw the thrill being scared gave you. Besides, no one really watches the movie on a date anyway." A suggestive smile tugged at his lips.

"And you think that's the sort of date I'd enjoy?"

"I know it is. But why take my word for it? How about we try it sometime and then you can give the final verdict?" I hadn't noticed how near he had gotten until now, as he stood right in front of me, eyes boring into my own. A step nearer and my nose would be flush with his chest.

"Is that your way of asking me out on a date?"

"Only if your answer's yes."

"And just when would this date take place?" I asked. "You said winter; it's only October."

"There's an indoor rink, and we can grab some pizza afterwards." He shrugged.

"But that doesn't follow your plan." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's the best part. Sometimes just going with it makes for the best date. Who knows, maybe we'll sing karaoke and get drunk off our asses again." I rolled my eyes at his reference to that drunken night.

"I thought we established that night had been a mistake." I retorted, turning back to the rack of clothes so he couldn't see my face. Controlling my voice was easy, but hiding the guilt and sadness in my eyes was much harder. Missing the light, joking tone of earlier, however, I added, "Might I remind you of the fact that we were both drunk."

"So what about last night then? Was that a mistake too?" He asked. I couldn't see his face, but I could hear a twinge of disappointment in his voice.

"Beast Boy, it was late, we were tired and angry and we said things that we probably shouldn't have said." I sighed, fixing my gaze on a dark blue blazer hanging on the rack.

"Alright, fine," Beast Boy growled, obviously upset and hurt by my harsh dismissal of last night's events. "Hide behind your excuses all you want, Rae. Lie to me if you must, but don't lie to yourself as well."

The words struck a chord in my heart that reverberated down to my knees. They buckled in protest but my grip on the clothing rack held me up. I faintly heard Beast Boy's retreating footsteps and the closing of the door to my room. It was only once I was sure that he was gone that I allowed myself to collapse to the floor, drawing in my knees and hugging them close.

How did things get so messed up? Why can't my feelings for him be simply platonic? It seems no matter what I say, we still end up arguing. Will it ever get easier? Will we ever be able to confess the pure, simple truths of our hearts? To admit to our true feelings, buried beneath the lies and fronts?

We seem to go around in circles, making no progress in either direction. We're friends, close friends, who care very deeply for each other and sometimes get caught up in moments that take things a little bit too far. But that's us.

A hot, drunken make-out session with no strings attached? Fine, I can let that slide. But a relationship with dates and feelings and commitments? That's a bit harder for me.

For one, I have my kingdom, Azarath, to think about. Having a relationship with Beast Boy would only ground me to earth even more, potentially keeping me from my duties as Queen. I don't think he would appreciate the week-long absences I'd have to take from the team to handle Azarath business. I can already picture the arguments we would have over my leaving or his staying. It wouldn't be pretty. And even if Beast Boy did come to live in Azarath with me, it doesn't seem fair to make him choose between the team and me. If only I didn't have to take over the kingdom so soon, but there is no way I am letting the Council take control.

No, I have no other choice. It might suck, for both of us, but it's what must be done. As soon as this Skyffer business is sorted, I will return back to Azarath and cut my ties with the Teen Titans- for good. It is the only solution. Hopefully they can understand that.

* * *

I dressed quickly in a pair of dark washed skinny jeans, a white tank top, and a navy blue blazer. I then slipped on a pair of simple black heels and added a small pendant necklace and some earrings. Moving into the bathroom, I washed my face and curled the ends of my hair, brushing them out into soft, wavy curls. I then applied a minimal amount of makeup: foundation, mascara, and just a touch of lipgloss. It was enough to make me look professional without also making it seem as though I had tried too hard. It also helped to erase all signs of my sadness.

Ready for the day, I exited my room and headed for the common room- I was in desperate need of a cup of herbal tea. My only hope was that I wouldn't run into Beast Boy while there. I knew I'd have to talk to Robin, explain to him where I was going and that I would be coming back. But dealing with Beast Boy is a feat I am not mentally prepared for- not after this morning's argument.

When I got to the common room, the others were already there. Cyborg was manning the stove, preparing a late brunch of waffles, bacon, and eggs. Robin and Starfire were sitting at the table talking. The Boy Wonder was fiddling with a cup of coffee in his hands and Star was fingering a glass of orange juice. I could make out the top of Beast Boy's head behind the back of the couch, and the TV screen that changed from one show to the next as Beast Boy flicked through the channels. I couldn't find Terra, but she was probably around here somewhere.

I joined Cyborg in the kitchen and began to prepare myself a pot of herbal tea. While I poured the water into the pot, I could feel Cy's eyes on me as he acknowledged my presence. "You look nice, another date today?" He teased, a jovial smile tugging at his lips. I smirked.

"Council meeting, actually," I corrected him.

"Aw, damn, and here I thought our little Raven was going to get her first boyfriend." I shook my head, holding back a laugh. I could handle Cyborg's teasing, he was like an older brother. When he did it, it was fine. But somehow when Beast Boy tries to make the same joke, it upsets me. He could say the exact same thing and it'd still make me angry. Why it matters, I'm not quite sure. Maybe it's because of the way Beast Boy says it, or maybe it's that irritating smirk he always has around me.

"What's this about a council meeting?" Robin asked. He and Star had heard our conversation and came over to join us. Robin was leaned over the island counter, waiting for my response.

"I was just going to tell you," I began turning to him and leaning my back against the counter top behind me. "There's a council meeting in Azarath at one. It should be done by five, at the latest."

"What's on the agenda?" He questioned, trying to gauge the importance of my leaving. No doubt he hated the idea of being short a member while the Skyffer is still at large. And I'm sure another part was itching to gain some greater understanding of what I've been up to the last two years.

"Renewing of contracts, important fountain placement decisions- you know, the usual." I replied, not exactly lying but not giving the full truth either. Robin nodded, seemingly accepting this and the fact that he was not going to deter me from leaving.

"So, what'd you find on those videos last night?" Cyborg cut in, transferring the bacon from the pan to a plate. At this same time, Beast Boy had began to grow curious of our conversation and was making his way over to us, Terra trailing behind him. I glanced over at them, trying to gauge if it was okay for me to tell them, or if Terra was going to explain it all herself. She made no move to speak and Beast Boy only gazed curiously back at me, waiting to hear my own twist of the story.

"I think I know who sent the Skyffer here," I began carefully. "And what it wants." Robin raised his eyes at this, waiting for me to explain further. I sent another gaze at Terra, waiting for her to stop me or give me some hint at how she wanted this handled. She gave none. I took in a deep breath before continuing again.

"After following the path that the Skyffer had been taking, I realized that it was heading toward one specific person." I paused, giving Terra the chance to cut in if she wished. Again she remained silent. Beast Boy's eyes drilled into the side of my head as he anticipated my next move. "Terra." I finally breathed, shifting my gaze onto the floor. All eyes locked onto Terra, who hung her head in shame, accepting their judging, silent questions. Even though she more than deserved it, a small part of me still felt bad for her. I knew how those gazes felt.

"What does the Skyffer want with Terra?" Robin asked, curious. Starfire, standing beside him, of course knew all about Terra's involvement with Trigon and had been able to piece together the rest of the story behind why Trigon would be sending Skyffers after her. She sent me a curious glance as well, but her curiosity was at the fact that I had revealed so much to the team and was waiting to see where I was going to take this next.

"It seems Terra was indebted to someone," I explained vaguely, not wanting to disclose too many details. "Now they're coming after her to make her pay up.

"So if Terra's the target, how do we eliminate the threat?" Cyborg asked.

"We keep going at him with everything we have." Robin replied.

"If you have a death wish," I muttered. "Skyffers are nearly impossible to take down. You need to go after the man who sent it here."

"Great! So let's find him and stick it to him- nobody messes with a titan!" Cyborg declared, bringing the plate of bacon and a plate of eggs to the table.

"I was going to bring this up at the meeting," I interjected. "Negotiating is safer than a frontal attack." Robin seemed to consider this, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Do we know who sent the Skyffer?" he asked. I hesitated a moment, before nodding.

"I can set up negotations in Azarath. It'll be more prominent coming from court, rather than just our team." I said, 'forgetting' to provide a name.

"No," Beast Boy finally spoke up. He had been studying me all throughout the conversation, his eyes burning into my side. I had been able to ignore him, however, at least until now. I turned to look at him, raising my eyebrows at his refusal. "I don't want you anywhere near that psycho making deals!"

"Beast Boy, I'll be fine." I argued. He shook his head.

"You all know who she's gonna 'negotiate' with, right?" He asked the others, ignoring my last statement. "Trigon, that's who!" Robin and Cyborg shot me surprised looks.

"I agree with Beast Boy- you're not going anywhere near that psycho!" Cyborg exclaimed.

"I also agree. Trigon is too big of a risk for you to take on alone. Let us be there too." Robin said. Star stayed silent, but I could see in her eyes that she too agreed with Robin and Cyborg.

"It's a negotiation," I argued. "I won't be meeting him in person, I won't be putting myself in any danger, and I'll be protected by the Azarath court. I'll be perfectly safe. Besides, my father wouldn't kill me- he needs me too much."

"I still don't like the thought of you going alone," Robin grumbled. "But negotiating is the safest way to handle this." I smiled, sure that this meant he was going to allow me to go. "Beast Boy, you'll go with her."

My jaw hit the floor, it dropped so low. Was he serious? He couldn't be serious.

"Uh, Robin, I can take care of myself; I don't need a babysitter." I scoffed. Surely he couldn't be serious.

"I know, but I'm not taking any chances against Trigon. You'll go to Azarath with Beast Boy and you'll stick together until negotiations have been finalized." I groaned.

"Negotiations could take days- weeks if he feels like making things difficult." I argued. "Being short one titan is detrimental enough, but taking out Beast Boy too is just stupidity."

"We'll manage without him," Robin declared. "He'll be of better use helping with negotiations in Azarath."

How? I wondered. But it was clear that Robin wasn't going to change his mind on this. I released a huffy sigh, turning around to finish my herbal tea. The others dispanded, heading toward the table to eat Cyborg's brunch. Everyone except Beast Boy, that is. The green changeling bypassed the table to sidle up next to me, grabbing a glass from the cupboard above us as an excuse for our proximity.

"So," he whispered, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I guess I get to see Azarath after all."

I glared at him, picked up my cup of tea, and huffed off to my room, trying to ignore the smug smile on his face. We haven't even left yet, and I could already tell that the next few days are going to be killer.

* * *

Another Chapter!!! I hope you enjoyed it!!

Beast Boy and Raven going to Azarath together? What's gonna happen there? And why the hell is Raven helping Terra? (Please do not shoot me for that)

VOTE, COMMENT, FAN!!! :D

~ Rain