Quality Time - Chapter 16 Pt3

BeastBoy's ears perked up, detecting movement from behind him. He spun around, still on hands and knees. He was already alarmed.

Another figure moving towards him could be vaguely seen through the fog ahead.

It hardly made BeastBoy any less fearful. Still shaken he merely stood as firmly as he was able, plating one foot in front of him. He leaned forward slightly, gauging friend or foe. Making ready to either run or attack at a moments notice.
He watched as the figure drew closer, swallowing hard as its general shape began to take form through the fog.

It came out plainly into view, stopping just in front of him a few feet away.

"R-Raven" BeastBoy said plainly only able to state the obvious. His voice was still not without uncertainty.

Raven stood before him just staring. She looked away briefly, observing the other Titans or at least statues of the former.

BeastBoy looked as well, though not able to bear the sight for very long, quickly looking back at her.

Raven looked back at him, a hint of concern in her eyes.

BeastBoy lowered his head, searching for a way to explain any of this.

She took a step towards him.

"Whoa!" BeastBoy took a step back, holding out his hand as if to signal not to come any closer. "I-I don't think that's such a good idea." Though he still wasn't completely certain of what was happening he had an unwavering suspicion that he was somehow at the center of it.

Raven crooked her head slightly, studying his jittery face. She didn't speak, merely watching BeastBoy hesitantly look between her and the stone likenesses of their friends. She waited as BeastBoy lowered his arm. Then she took another step.

"Raven," he asked almost pleadingly, taking two quick steps backwards.

She took another step, holding up her hands to her shoulders as if trying to steady him, to show she meant no harm, and that everything was going to be all right.
But BeastBoy was far from convinced, stepping away again to keep a significant distance between them.

"Please, Raven…"

She took another step.

BeastBoy scanned his surroundings, a nervous twitch from his ear as the sound of her footstep gave him pause.

Raven took one more step, now only less than two feet away.

Suddenly BeastBoy turned and ran as if a starting pistol had gone off in his mind. He darted into the thicker woodland area whizzing between the trees, not looking back. He huffed with every step, determined to keep whatever was happening from happening again.
It felt like all he'd been doing since this whole debacle started was run. But as tired as he already was exhaustion just seemed to have little effect on the green boy. Seconds felt like minutes frozen in time. The muscles in his legs starting to burn, his breathing heavier, and his knees sore and yet he still just ran. But for all his efforts it didn't feel like he was getting anywhere.
It felt like he'd past the same trees for the third or fourth time already. Everything was starting to look similar as if he was going in circles even though he knew that just wasn't possible, having run in a straight path, never deviating. He skeptically looked back as if hoping to gauge any manner of distance he'd covered.

SMACK!

Even in his dreams it seemed BeastBoy still retained the kind of luck only he could possess, having run right into an obstacle the instant he looked away.

"Ow!" he sat up, holding the side of his head that had caught the brunt of the impact. He dabbed the side of his face quickly, inspecting his fingers for any sign of blood. Finding none, he quickly got to his feet only to trip himself up and fall back to the ground.
He looked up to find he had run right into a sizeable rock formation. Ironic how he could be running away from an imminent danger of being turned to stone only to collide with a rock.

Taking a more thorough moment to get to his feet more gradually, shaking off the prior daze of the impact he found himself in the midst of a small clearing. Short grass was half dead in patches all round him, encircled by tight groupings of tall trees. The previously dark clouds that had once blotted the sky had eerily receded, paving the way for the dim light of a moonless sky.
BeastBoy backed away slowly, cautious of the ominous atmosphere. His animal senses could detect a dead end when they saw one. And for such a confining area to exist in a wide open environment he couldn't shake the feeling like he would've ended up here even if he hadn't averted his eyes from where he was running. Like he was driven into a dead end.

He had hung around more than long enough. Even with no clear direction or thought of destination, it was time to get moving. He turned to hurry back the way he'd come when…

"Wagh!" BeastBoy yelled as he backpedaled several steps backward.

Raven was there. With no sound, no warning, not a word, Raven was there in front of him.

"Rae," BeastBoy started, hands up as before, "Please just… ya might wanna keep your distance."
Everyone who'd come into contact with him most recently was finding themselves met with being fitted for a stone coffin. Why he himself hadn't turned to stone was still a mystery, but all he could assume was that he was a carrier.

Raven slowly moved towards him.

"Raven, ya don't understand. I-I know this doesn't make a whole lotta' sense but… ya gotta stay away," he pleaded.

Raven didn't take her eyes off him, her expression all but empty though evident of concern and a willingness to help.

"Raven?" he said sadly, fearing the inevitable.

She reached out for him.

"Please…"

He shut his eyes tightly, turning his head away, arms stiff at his sides.

"…Don't."

Darkness. Only darkness under the green eyes of BeastBoy. He tried to shut them tighter, but his eyelids were down as far as they'd go. He couldn't hear a sound, which served to both relieve him and frighten him simultaneously. He bit the side of his lip as to help alleviate the low chattering of his teeth. But he dare not look. If he didn't look at her she wouldn't turn to stone. At least that was the hope he clung to.

A soft weight rested on the top of BeastBoy's head, easily identifiable as a hand.

He cringed, still worried what was going to happen next. But he still wasn't inclined to open his eyes.

"BeastBoy?"

"I can't see you," he said in a calm desperation, "If I can't see you, you can't turn into a rock."

"BeastBoy…"

He felt the weight of her hand shift downward, curving along the back of his head. Raven's fingers contoured along the back of his scalp as her palm slid halfway towards his neck.

"Dude," he thought, " I-Is she…"

He felt the slightest sensation of her hand pulling his head forward. As if she were drawing closer.

I think maybe she's… Yeah. Yeah, I-I think she's gonna kis…"

THWACK!

"Agh-Yee!" BeastBoy yelped as Raven slapped him upside the back of his head. "Dude!" he bellowed, pointing an accusatory finger to Raven's face. "What is wrong with you? I try to keep you from goin' all tomb-stoned and you jus…"

It suddenly donned on BeastBoy as he was making introductory remarks to his third degree that he was now looking dead in the eyes of Raven, having looked at her without even realizing it.
She in turn merely wore a somewhat satisfied smirk. BeastBoy never was much of a deterrent for her.

"Aahh!" BeastBoy spun around with his back to Raven and both hands shielding his eyes, still holding onto his 'Medusa' theory.

Raven gave an exasperated sigh. "BeastBoy…"

"Raven, I can't let ya turn to stone," he said defiantly, squatting to the ground.

"BeastBoy, will you look at me," she responded firmly as she looked down at his backside, which was practically wearing an invitation to her foot.

"No!" he shook his head, "I know ya don't believe me, I know it sounds nuts, but I'm like totally cursed. And you're gonna' be next if you don't…"

"BeastBoy! Turn around and look at me this instant or Azar help me I'm going to give you such a kick that the smack to your head will feel like a love tap," she reeled her leg back in soccer fashion as if she was going to take a penalty kick. Which incidentally she was.

BeastBoy spun back around, standing at attention. His eyes were open but looking up at the sky, missing Raven by a wide margin. Reflex action. Through past experience he had come to assume no matter what dangers he might encounter as a teen hero there was little chance they could rival any consequences at the hands of Raven.

After a momentary cleansing breath, she grabbed hold of BeastBoy's head, aiming his field of vision directly at her. She stared right into his eyes without another word.
He shook nervously for a few seconds. Still reluctant, still scared to a degree, but after a full minute of gazing deeply into Raven's eyes he gradually relaxed. At least as relaxed as possible in keeping with some of her earlier remarks.

At that point she finally felt he was calm enough to get through to.

Raven's hand released the top of his head and gently took hold of his face as a more tranquil and caring sentiment wove its way onto Raven's expression. "Listen, I don't know what's wrong. I don't know what you 'think' is wrong."

BeastBoy's pupils held her attention, though they would nervously break direct contact from time to time. Still the fact that she was very much still flesh and blood was a somewhat reassuring sign.

"But it'll be all right," she finished, allowing a brief silence for her words to sink in.

After a moments peace she watched as BeastBoy's shoulders slowly relaxed, as did the rest of his posture. It was hard to say for certain whether or not he believed her. But she could plainly tell he felt a little better.

"R-R-Raven, I…"

She studied his face and the confliction of emotions he must've been feeling. Trusting but worried. Annoyed but grateful. Afraid but willing. It was almost like a side-by-side comparison of at least a dozen emotions at one time. Like she was holding her meditation mirror up to him at an angle, unable to see one part of him without seeing the other.

"I couldn't… I mean, I-I didn't want ya to…" he trailed off, looking down at the ground.

"I know," she replied.

Slowly, BeastBoy gradually began to calm himself. Still the slightest tinge of worry in his eyes but no longer showing signs of immediate concern.


"Wow," Raven mused to herself, leaning against a tree, hidden from view, "He portrays me more accurately in his mind than I do in my own."

Raven, the 'real' Raven, stood from a safe unnoticeable distance watching the whole event take place. Initially she had been set on confronting BeastBoy and ending this nightmare herself. But just as she was about to intervene was when she caught sight of… well… herself. An uncanny resemblance, a Raven no doubt engineered as another element of BeastBoy's mind. This doppelganger fitting her likeness had flown past her to intercept BeastBoy, causing her reluctantly to continue to observe.
She was curious as to see what results her counterpart would yield given the circumstances.  At the very least her role in this dream might help explain more about the situation at hand. And she had honestly been curious as to her absence in this dream up until now when all the others had been recounted. She still had her doubts, feeling more confident had she stepped in herself but ultimately decided to remain neutral for just a bit longer. After all, this adaptation of her persona seemed quite capable. She even followed through with her forearm the same way Raven did when she smacked BeastBoy.

She watched as the Raven of BeastBoy's mind slowly extended her other arm, gently resting her other hand on his face, lowering her head to look deeply into his eyes. BeastBoy swallowed a little hard with an audible gulp.

Raven shared a look of nervousness matching BeastBoy's, suddenly having second thoughts about allowing this to continue with BeastBoy all alone with an admittedly realistic image of herself.

Her dream self's head leaned forward an inch or two.

"He… He wouldn't…" Raven murmured to herself, shaking her head. BeastBoy didn't know he was being watched, let alone by the real Raven. And he was a boy after all and boys will be boys. Especially in their dreams. "…Would he?"

BeastBoy's head pulled back slightly as if caught off guard. He parted his lips, but whether or not to speak remained to be seen.

Raven continued to watch, a brief giddy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Well, maybe 'giddy' wasn't the best word. It felt more like butterflies in her stomach, to which she was trying to douse them with gasoline and then light a match. It was such a confliction. Sure it wasn't real and BeastBoy's dreams were no one's business but his own. And if her presence here had somehow caused the danger to pass then she should leave him to his private thoughts. But yet she couldn't look away.

The dream Raven leaned closer towards BeastBoy. But BeastBoy himself was still stiff and unmoving.

Raven peered out from beside the tree just a little more.

Raven's doppelganger closed her eyes, resting her forehead lightly against BeastBoy's head.

"Umm…" he tried to think of what to say but was unable to form syllables, as he could hear nothing but the calming sounds of Raven breathing. BeastBoy remained still. His hands flat at his sides, his face deep in thought as if questioning the outcome of every action that might come next on his behalf. But he couldn't think straight. He couldn't think of what to say. He couldn't think of what to do. All he could think about was to stop thinking.
He closed his eyes, relaxing his head, letting it lean back against Raven's. After a brief moment, he peeked one eye open. Finding no resistance or change in her current demeanor, he closed his eye once more.

He inhaled slowly, holding the air in his chest briefly before exhaling just as slow.

"Aaaargh!"

"Raven?" BeastBoy's eyes opened at the sound of Raven in pain, watching her back away slow with both hands cradling her chest. "Raven, are you okay?"

She fell to her knees, falling forward, one hand holding her up against the ground. Her teeth were clenched, her eyes shut tightly almost as if fighting back tears.

"Raven!" BeastBoy rushed to her aid, kneeling beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder.  "Raven, what's wrong?"

Raven just cringed tighter, her breathing growing heavy.

"Rae, c'mon. Say somethin'."

Shakily, Raven drew her arm to BeastBoy's shoulder with a tight grip, slowly looking up at BeastBoy, her whole body almost convulsing. She opened her eyes.

"R-Raven?" he asked, concern growing more apparent, looking for any kind of response.

She met eyes with him once more. Suddenly…

"Hhghn-ph!"

Raven gasped, arching her back, throwing back her head as she shot straight up. Her cloak fanned out wildly, whipping and flailing around as if caught in an updraft. Yet there wasn't so much as a breeze in the air.
From just beneath the clasp of her cloak, dozens of gray veins began to seep onto her leotard, spreading and reaching across her in all directions. They curled around her arms, stretched along her waist, and rooted into her legs. For every inch they spread, the wider they expanded. They started to bulge and overlap one another, draping more and more of Raven's form in a thick veil of gray, starting to darken. Starting to solidify. Starting to harden.
Before long Raven's limbs were frozen into position, unable to move. From the shoulders down her entire body began to mineralize and set into stone.

"Raven!"

She met eyes with him as the last of the stone barbs crawled along her cheeks, encircling last features of her face. The once bright luster of her pupils faded, extinguishing the last trace of life in her stone figure.

A moment passed.

"Raven?" he took a step towards her.

Her stone face remained stiff and unmoving still frozen in place.

"Rae?" He poked her shoulder. "Raven? Come on!" He took hold of her shoulders, attempting to lightly shake her but unable to budge her sturdy rock exterior. "Please!"

No change. No movement. No hope.

The harsh reality began to sink in. BeastBoy shook his head as if trying to shed any kind of perception that this was happening. He ran his hands through his hair, combing his thoughts for an answer to what had transpired.

A drop of water struck his head. Then another. Slowly a steady rain began to come down.

He looked up as a flash of lightning streaked overhead. A booming crack of thunder shook the sky, BeastBoy taking a step back only to feel something bump into him. Alarmed, he turned around to find Terra, still frozen in stone as he'd left her before.

"Wagh!" BeasyBoy yelped, jumping back as another flash of lighting illuminated the horrified look on her face as if aimed solely at him. "W-Wha?" he looked back the way he'd come, trying to figure out how her statue had appeared out of thin air.

He turned, trying to gather his thoughts, to make some sense of all this. No sooner had his head turned had he came to sight of Cyborg's statue, now upright and only a foot in front of him.
Confused and frightened, he stepped to the side, uneasily trying to exit from his best friend's field of view as if its eyes were looking down on him. Judging him.

Thunder cracked again to the flash of lightning.

BeastBoy jolted in the other direction, quickly looking to find Starfire opposite of him, petrified and as before, eyes feeling as if focused solely at him.

"Aah!" he shrieked, mortified at the sight of another of his fallen friend suddenly appearing.
Another flash of lighting synced to the crack of thunder from behind, almost as if guiding his view to the sight of Robin to which he jumped backwards, startled.

He turned and turned, but no matter where he looked stood one of his friends, frozen in stone and barring his way. Terra, Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, all of them. He was surrounded.
BeastBoy's heart was growing heavier. His mind was grinding to a halt. So much shock, grief and sadness to process all at once it felt as though any second his sanity would simply be yanked out from under him. He shut his eyes, hands covering his ears, attempting to blot out everything around him, trying to get a grip on himself.

He took a deep breath, shaking his head as if trying one last time to convince himself this wasn't for real. That he was going to look up and none of this would have ever transpired. "Not happening. This… this is NOT happening." He steadied his nerves and looked up.

Two stone glazed eyes met his own.

Raven's solidified body was now right in front of him, not a breath of life to her, only her suffering and scared mineralized expression frozen on her face. The spattering rain drops rolled down her face like tears.

BeastBoy's face went blank.

He was all alone. His friends, immortalized as stone statues all around him, each one projecting a different message that only he could seem to hear. How he couldn't save them. How he let them down. How he failed them.

BeastBoy's head started pounding. Clutching his head tightly, wincing from the pain. His breathing became faster, more erratic. He hunched over, shaking his head every which way.
Prying his hands away from his still throbbing head. He looked down at his hands, squinting, hardly able to keep his eyes open through such intense pain. He could feel something growing inside of him. Grief turned to frustration. Frustration turned to anger. Anger turned to…

"AARRRRGGHH!!"

The fingertips of BeastBoy's gloves burst wide open, razor sharp claws bulging from his fingers. Thick patches of dark green fur began to swell under his uniform, starting to tear at the seams. His forearms grew thicker, his biceps doubled in size. His spinal cord echoed thick popping sounds of each vertebrae realigning itself as his shoulders bulked outwards to match the massive muscular overhaul taking shape over his back.
His legs tightened as his thighs and calf muscles expanded, more and more fur uprooting through his outfit. His shoes split right in half revealing clawed feet. His small body began to drastically expand, both in mass and with muscle.

His head lurched forward as a thick mane of green fur sprouted up from his neckline. His teeth sharpened, his pupils vanished, as did the last remaining trace of humanity. Cold white eyes narrowing as a low growl rumbled from his throat.

Drawing back for an instant, drawing air to his chest, it swung its head upwards.

"ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" it cut loose a savage roar.

BeastBoy had reverted to his feral form. A form more animal than any of his other transformations. Because unlike the others, which allowed BeastBoy to assume animal form while maintaining his human state of mind, this form was closer to that of a human beast with an animal's state of mind. A primal and vicious looking hulk of a creature.

The beast took sight of the statues surrounding him. He dropped low to the ground, bearing his claws before leaping into the air and landing with a mighty slash of his arm. Crumbling the statue of Terra to rubble.
It turned, rabidly pouncing on another statue, letting both arms slam down to break off the arms of Robin before body slamming the remaining stone figure against the ground into pieces.

It grabbed hold of Starfire with both arms, squeezing the statue with such forceful pressure that the torso imploded, letting Starfire's head fall to the ground.

From there it lunged at Cyborg, driving his shoulder dead center into the statue's base, knocking it over. The beast then squatted, building strength in his legs before leaping high into the air and crashing down on the stone figure with a bone crushing stomp that sent stone fragments scattering in all directions.  
One of the larger pieces made impact with Raven, chipping a portion of her face.

The beast's head snapped to the side at the sound of the impact, narrowing its eyes at the last remaining target. It charged right for Raven's stone likeness.
The beast leaped forward, landing right in front of its prey. Teeth bared, claws at the ready, it swung its arm forward but only to pull back its strike to an abrupt halt just beneath the stone figures chin, the tips of its claws just barely within contact.

The beast's eyes narrowed with a low growl under his breath as if struck by a lingering sense of recognition. As if the tiniest remnants something familiar lingered in its mind.
It crooked its head to the side. Then to the other, seemingly studying the face of the statue.
Slowly it raised its clawed hand to the statue's cheek, tracing the jaw line. It's breathing slowed but still not absent of the faintest snarl. As if caught between instinct and memory. It moved its head closer looking deeper into the statue's face, it's nose twitching as if trying to place a scent, which faded with every drop of rain. The briefest look of sadness dawned on the creature's eyes before shutting them tightly with another growl.

The Beast's hand faltered abruptly, it's sharp finger tips accidentally breaking off the slightest bit of frail stone, chipping away a lock of Raven's mineralized hair.
Ferocity returned to the beast's eyes, memory and whatever lingering humanity remained cut off by overpowering instinct and aggression. It swung back its arms, swiping forward with a deadly crisscrossing strike, breaking apart the statue from above the shoulders. Chunks of stone crumbled to the ground as the beast reeled back its leg before lunging its knee into the center of the now headless figure. The remnants of the torso shattered apart.

The beast breathed heavily, huffing at the ground with one last look at the debris strewn about. Friends, statues, victims, all broken into heaps of splintered granite at its feet. It swung its head upward with a primal howl. A fleeting sadness and boundless anger echoed through the bleak sky, momentarily quieting the thunder overhead, which seemed to cease at the beast cry.

Raven stared in shock. She'd only seen this form once before, but she was unaware if this was just a manifestation of the dream overshadowing BeastBoy or if in fact he was perhaps suffering a lapse of control. Either way, it began to explain the strong emotional emanation she detected earlier. Such a feral state would easily overwhelm BeastBoy's mind almost to the point of overload.
It was a part of BeastBoy she related to. Where as she had her dark side to keep in check, BeastBoy had this inner animal inside of him. It was still an extension of BeastBoy to a degree, not some mindless monster. But to be brought on so suddenly and in a heightened emotional state made it far more difficult to control. Instinct over rationality as it were.

The beast steadied itself, sinking its head between his shoulders, resting its fists squarely on the ground.
Suddenly it's animal instincts went on alert, its head jolting back up. It quickly turned, looking over its shoulder to find Raven.

She stood barely ten feet from the hulking creature. A blank stare as the rain continued to fall, pooling drops to drip from her damp hair.

Slowly the Beast turned the rest of its body towards her. A single fist unfurled to bare its claws and one leg stepping backwards as if prone to pounce on her in an instant. Her deadpan expression doing little to pacify the creature.

Raven didn't speak a word, merely continuing to stare deep into the cold eyes of the beast.

The beast in turn stood unchanged, patiently in position. Not flinching from its stance. Still at the ready to attack but seemingly biding its time to learn her intent.

The rain began to die down to a light sprinkle but the sky still remained bleak as ever. An occasional rumbling of thunder overhead continued to highlight the dismal atmosphere around them.

Raven raised her arm towards the beast.

The beast shot forward, taking the gesture as a challenge as it leapt high into the air, bearing down on Raven with both hands out in striking fashion as it cut loose a ferocious snarl.

Not flinching from the spot Raven merely looked up at the airborne behemoth coming straight for her. With the slightest of effort she thrust her palm forward, spreading out her fingers as a field of black energy surrounded her hand.
A solid ring of energy encircled the beast's torso, yanking him swiftly to the ground with a splat as he landed in a thick layer of freshly wet mud.

A small spattering of mud landed short of Raven's feet to which she just looked down with a sigh. "Impetuous as ever," she took a step towards the beast. It hadn't been her intent to attack, merely to show she meant no harm. Of course BeastBoy wasn't exactly in his most rational state of mind either.
The beast thrashed in the mud anchored to the ground by the still constricting energy around his waist, attempting to pull and pry apart the mystic energy that had ensnared him.

She moved closer, steadily but cautiously.

The beast instantly ceased its efforts upon noticing Raven drawing closer. To which it roared and growled, clawing and swiping at her even without the faintest indication of being able to advance any closer.

Raven came to a stop in front of the creature just out of reach of it still straining arms trying to get hold of her. She stared without a word as the beast still attempted to reach for her, letting him wear himself out a bit more. He might be more susceptible to reasoning if he burned off a little of that aggressive energy that seemed to be flowing through him.
"BeastBoy," she spoke, kneeling down to eye level.

The beast merely growled louder, continuing to grab for her. It's clawed hands skimming and digging into the damp ground trying to pull himself towards her. But he didn't budge an inch.

"BeastBoy," she repeated a bit more firmly.

Realizing his efforts to be for naught he swiped at the ground sending a glob of mud at her, catching Raven in the side of the face. The beast continued to attempt to break free, as Raven merely remained motionless with a sour look on her face as the soggy muck dribbled down her cheek. "Once again BeastBoy's maturity shines through," she huffed as she wiped the mud from her face.

The beast gave one more incessant roar of aggravation. Just then its hands and feet became engulfed by black spheres of energy, dropping and anchoring themselves to the ground. He pulled and twisted his shoulders trying to break free but to no avail. Save for his head, he was now completely immobilized. He looked up at Raven just as the glow dissipated from her hands. She looked back at the beast, folding her arms with a slim manner of satisfaction on her face. As if saying, 'serves you right'.
However this new development did little to hamper his efforts, fiercely jerking and tugging whatever muscles he could. Confinement of any measure seemed not to be an acceptable option. For several minutes he struggled a substantial effort attempting to break free. But it wasn't long before soreness and fatigue started to grow on his face.  Popping and creaking sounds faintly echoed from his joints. He was either going to tire himself out or dislocate something. Whichever came first.

Finally after a few minutes of straining, his head dropped against the ground, his chin sinking into the mud with one last growl under his breath as if conceding bitter defeat.

"BeastBoy, I know you're in there somewhere," she began. "It's just a dream. All of it."

The beast merely narrowed its eyes at her, giving the coldest of stares.

"Everyone is fine. I'm fine." She paused to study the beast's face, but it remained unchanged. It was difficult to determine if any of this was getting through to him. "Whatever it is that you're afraid of, it's all in your head. I won't let anything like that happen. None of us will."

The beast continued to just look coldly at her.

"I want to help you. But you have to let me."

She leaned forward.

The beast's eyes went wide. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. His head lurched towards her, snapping at her with his sharp teeth as if trying to bite her.
But Raven quickly shifted to the side, dodging the beast's jaws clamping down on her. Swiftly she took firm hold of the beast's head, her fingers crackling with energy. Her chakra too sparked with a similar effect.

"Alright, BeastBoy. This is your wakeup call," she exclaimed, pressing her forehead against the beast's, her red gemstone lighting up.

A jolt of energy surged through the beast, eyes going wide. It shook its head vigorously to shake her off, but Raven held firm. It squirmed. It twisted. It gave one last roar with everything ounce of strength it had left.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAARRWWWWWWRRRRRRRRGGHHH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

BeastBoy sprang up in bed drenched in a cold sweat. The look on his face said it all. Confusion and terror. He rubbed his head, panting to catch his breath. Somewhat in a daze he woozily shook off the cringing feeling in the back of his mind as if able to recall with vivid detail the terrible dream that had preceded him.
He studied the room for anything out of place, trying to distinguish if this too were a continuation of the dream and if any of it had truly been real and. Fairly certain he was indeed awake, he looked to the side to find Raven kneeling at his bedside.

They stared at one another, BeastBoy clearly at a loss for words. Who wouldn't be? BeastBoy had played out a scenario in his mind of himself or at least a part of himself loosing and eventually destroying everything that he held dear. Raven herself was no stranger to horrific nightmares, but all of her visions were of destruction at the will and influence of her father, not by her own hand. She could only imagine what he must've been feeling.
Raven didn't expect him to say much, at least not right away. No doubt an explanation was in order as to her presence in his room among the least of things to discuss. But only a tense stillness followed, neither of them taking eyes off one another. So Raven opted to break the silence the best way she knew how, placing a comforting hand on BeastBoy's shoulder.

"Tea?" she said plainly.


To Be Concluded on Pt 4 --->