Okay, so the Starfire thing went all wrong. I said I couldn't do bubbly. Anyway, let's just pretend I didn't fuck up one of the most important characters on Teen Titans. I'll make it better, I promise.

"Stand over there," Raven indicated with a nod of her head.

The sun was shining brightly overhead. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Beast Boy shuffled into the brightness with clear regret. They were out on the roof. Against Beast Boy's better judgment, he'd agreed to this. Hell, he suggested it. It hurt him to do it. He'd known it would. It went against his pride, his manhood… his survival instincts.

Raven, setting a stand up so her large, leather bound spell book could rest on, looked… perky.

When he'd approached her that morning, she nearly snarled.

"What do you want, Beast Boy?"

He'd taken a deep breath. Her eyes had stared icily at him.

"I'm getting the feeling…" he paused, looking around the kitchen as if the walls and buzzing appliances would give him the right words. They didn't. He let the words spill from his mouth, nothing else to lose. "Well… did I do something?"

Raven raised her eyebrows.

Launching in quickly, before he lost his nerve, Beast Boy leaned in, speaking earnestly. "I mean, I know the whole roof thing got you mad. And I'm really sorry. If that's it, you should know I'm really sorry. But… whatever it is. I will do anything Raven. Really. I'll do anything. Whatever I did, I didn't mean it. I would never do anything bad to you on purpose, Rae, you know that. And I'll make it up to you – I'll do whatever you want. Believe me, I'm yours, whatever you want. Just please don't be mad at me anymore. Please?"

Then he'd done it. He'd seen her eyes as he spoke, growing more furious as each word left his mouth. There was disgust there at the curl of her lip. She was going to explode. She was going to break him in half, scorch him with her fury, unleash almighty hell on his sorry ass.

So he'd ducked his head, staring up at her with his last-resort weapons.

First, the eyes. Big, green, puppy-dog eyes. When all else failed, he'd always stuck to his guns. It was a fail-safe. She always fell for the eyes. Weather she wanted to or not, he knew the eyes got to her. Like they were getting to her now.

She paused.

It was an uneasy pause, like being shot into the air and hitting zero-velocity before you fell back down to the earth, or teetering on the peak of a giant rollercoaster wave.

But he knew, that wouldn't be enough to cinch it. He had to go for it. The final blow.

"I'll work on spells with you."

And there it was:

His victory was sealed in the look of shock on her face.

She closed her mouth, her face impassive. It was a vast improvement over her look of anger. And the slight suspicion was better than pre-slaughter.

"Beast Boy… I can't make you do that."

He came around the table, "No, you can. You see, I'm giving you permission… I mean, I want to do it. It'd be good practice for the both of us, see, so it's mutually beneficial."

It didn't take much to convince her. She was always starved for a test dummy, and here was the lamb offering itself up to slaughter. She couldn't pass it up.

"Meet me on the roof in five minutes," she said, leaping out of her chair, forgetting her half-eaten cheerios on the counter in her haste.

Beast Boy bit his lip as he watched her cloak disappear through the doorframe.

This is better, right?

Raven threw back her sleeves, exposing her forearms.

"Wouldn't it just be easier if you took the whole damn thing off?"

She ignored him and turned back to the spell, double checking the wording. Her sleeves slid down her arms again, and she hiked them back into position.

"Alright, hold on." She shook her arms out, then peered closer at the book. "This should be very mild. You shouldn't worry. Like electricity – barely a static shock... I think."

"What was that last part?"

"Shh – I need to concentrate."

Beast Boy nodded. He started pacing, and muttering. "Yeah. No, you concentrate. You go ahead and concentrate. Nah, that's alright. That's alright. Concentrate. Breathe in, breath out – concentrate. You got this, man. Whooo!"

He started shaking out his shoulders, stretching his arms over his head, running in place for short bursts at a time – getting ready.

I'm a terrible person, she thought for the hundredth time as she watched him pace.

It wasn't his fault like he'd claimed in the kitchen. As always, he was a dope, but he was purely innocent. She couldn't blame him for being… attractive… sometimes.

As he'd spoken, taking all the blame for her anger, she'd felt a distressing stab of guilt. All that anger he saw in the kitchen. That wasn't for him. It was for her.

Raven coughed, turning so she didn't have to see him so agitated in front of her.

And then he'd offered to help her practice her spells. Damn if there had been anything for him to offer- that of all things.

There was only so much meditating you could do, but when it came down to it, practicing was the only way to really learn something. But how had he known that this, above all things would guarantee him passage out of the fire. He could have committed murder and if he'd asked her to practice her spells on him, she'd have sprung a spell book form thin air to make it happen.

She'd furiously debated with herself as she rushed through the halls of the tower to get to her room weather this was right. Obviously he'd used this as a last resort. She should have told him it wasn't his fault-

Well… it kind of is. Kind of.

She should have told him that she was just being stupid and was only angry because…

Because…?

You can't admit it, can you? It's better this way. Just practice with him. He won't get hurt. There's nothing to worry about. He'll think he's making up for something he did, and you'll get the experience. Afterwards you won't be so angry, and he'll think he's done his duty. And it'll all be settled.

It seemed perfectly reasonable. And after all, he'd offered to do it. He knew what he was getting into. It wasn't like she was forcing him to do it. He wanted it.

Yes, he wanted this. It would make him feel better, knowing he did something.

So it was okay.

Raven's sleeves slid once more down her arms. Gritting her teeth, she fought to keep a strangle-hold on her last nerve.

"Goddamn, stupid little…"

With a jerk, she unclasped her cloak and swung it around her shoulders.

A wonderful stream of wind brushed against her skin, calming her immensely. She dropped the heavy fabric on the roof and took a deep breath. The wind brushed against her cheek and she turned her head into the sky as it skimmed through her hair. The sun's heat warmed her exposed skin.

Behind her, Beast Boy paused in his agitated pacing to watch her.

Her short hair lifted slightly off her neck in the wind and she stretched her arms back, fingertips meeting behind her back as she silently reveled in the feel of it. For a moment she was calm and still – not terrifying. She was a girl.

A girl with long legs. A girl with smooth skin. A girl in a one-piece that exposed both in abundance.

Quietly, without meaning to, Beast Boy exhaled. "Wow."

Raven looked over her shoulder. "What?"

Beast Boy shook his head. "Nothing."

With a raised eyebrow, Raven briskly went to stand near her book again, took a breath and began muttering the words in short even little phrases.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy was trying to be inconspicuous as he stared at her out of the corner of his eye. He resumed his pacing, his mind occupied.

There was something wrong, here. Something above and beyond what was already wrong, tipping the scale of wrongness so that Beast Boy could hardly conceive the sheer lunacy of it all.

When had Raven grown up?

It had happened without any warning. There should have been a warning.

There had to be warnings about these things, hadn't there? A small sign? Anything.

Like maybe a tiny fairy would pop out of the air and go, "Uh, hey, yeah. Know that girl over there, who you've known for forever? She's starting to get boobs now. And they're gonna be nice ones. And she's gonna get some killer curves. Oh, Did I mention the nice legs? Just wait, they'll go for forever. Yeah. Just to let you know. As a warning. Because, now… now you're fucked. And not the good fucked. The bad fucked. As in rue-the-day fucked. Okay… goodbye."

And then poof. The fairy is gone. But you know. A fair warning. That's all.

"I've almost got it," she said, slightly distracted. "It's just this one pronunciation…"

"Hmm?"

He wasn't concentrating. He was stuck looking at her shoulders. How her head was tilted slightly to the left. Her neck was slender and sloped gently into the curve of her back, and how her back dipped into her waist and flared out to for her round hips. Her butt. Her legs. Her ankles. Hell, her knees.

She turned her head for a moment to consider him.

He swallowed, looking at the space directly over her head, then at her breasts. Then her forehead. Then her breasts again. And then finally he turned away altogether.

Oh, god. I'm a pervert. If she catches me looking at her like that, she'll kill me.

"Ready?"

Beast Boy let out a breath and turned to face her. "Yeah. I'm ready."

Cyborg and Robin sat beside each other on the couch. The television was off. Everything was silent.

"Hey." Cyborg tapped Robin's shoulder and pointed out the large windows looking out over the bay. Large black clouds were rolling in. Fast.

"I guess the fireworks have started."

Robin sighed. "I'm going to head up there already. You coming?"

Cyborg shook his head but still got to his feet. "Nope. I think I'm gonna head for the electrical unit. There's no way the T-Tower isn't going to take a hit on this one."

"Right. See you later."

Thunder rolled overhead. The floor trembled just slightly. "Yup."

Starfire chewed her lip, staring wordlessly into the abyss of an angry cloud forming just over her head. The fierce wind jostled her body and whipped her hair around in a wild frenzy.

She looked down as Raven finished her incantation.

Beast Boy was braced against the wind, shielding himself from the worst of it with his arms.

Starfire had gone up to spy on the two, choosing to do some recon from up above. Of course, she had assumed Raven would work on something big, as she was outside, but the enormity of the situation was distressing. Starfire wondered if she had everything under control. Of course, she must have. Raven was nothing if not responsible. She had to trust that this was all according to plan.

Raven looked up.

There was stark terror in her face.

"Oh." Starfire wimpered as her hair struck painfully against her own face. "that's not good."

The sky darkened quickly. She could hear the cracks on energy in the air, but so far no lightning. It was coming too fast, too strong. It wasn't in her control. From the moment she'd uttered the first syllable, it hadn't been in her control. Like a leech, a parasite, it bleed her power from her to feed it's evil intent. She could do nothing.

The words were pulled from her lips by a strong force.

When it was over, her whole body felt spent and weak. She clutched her hands to her chest to feel the reassuring thumping of her heart.

"Raven!"

She looked up. Starfire was high up in the air, looking at a loss. "What's going on?"

Raven took another look at the roiling clouds and muttered a sharp, angry, "Fuck!"

In a second things turned from bad to worse. Lightening, razor winds, deafening thunder. Everything funneled in to a pinpoint of fury – and it was all aimed straight at Beast Boy's head. He was watching all of nature's wrath descend on him, frozen still, awaiting his doom.

Robin burst through the door, a millisecond later and hurled his staff at Beast Boy's chest. It hit him squarely and knocked him out of the way.

The attack of wind and lightening bored into the tower. But another was building high up in the sky. Starfire lurched into action as the next strike went for Beast Boy, breathless and floundering on the floor.

"Starfire, no, get back!" Robin yelled. She wasn't going to make it to him in time.

She had her arms around Beast Boy's head as the lightning struck her back.

Starfire winced, but felt no pain.

"Wha…? Ah!"

A chord of wind tugged her forcefully off of Beast Boy and flung her into the approaching Robin. They both fell to the ground.

Beast Boy gasped as he finally regained his ability to breath. But he knew it did him little good. The clouds overhead, roiled, ready for the next strike.

So this was it.

No more video games. No more tv marathons. No more junk food. No more Teen Titans. No more Beast Boy.

Bright energy built up into a single point. He could see his final moments flitting away, and closed his eyes to cherish them.

Oh, god I hope it doesn't hurt. Please, please – no pain. Give me instant death.

Something landed hard on his chest. The lightning? No, wait –

"Azarath Metrion Sinthos!"

He opened his eyes. Everything was muted and dark.

The lightning struck against Raven's force-field. It shook but didn't shatter.

"Raven?"

She sighed, "Yeah."

Above them, they could hear the wind hiss in fury, the thunder roar in anger. Lightning struck again and again.

Raven gripped Beast Boy tighter, gasping as every hit struck her shield, expecting it to break at every one. She held it together firmly, teeth clenched tightly.

"Hold it together, Rae." Beast Boy pleaded. "C'mon, you can do this."

Raven shook with her concentration.

The storm bashed at them. The wind clawed and scratched, gouging holes into the tower around them, trying to force its way in.

"C'mon, Rae…"

Another lightning struck. Energy sizzled against the field.

Raven groaned. "Oh, that was stronger. But I think it's getting weaker. Just a little more. Just a little…"

Beast Boy cradled her closer, holding her tightly in his arms. "It's okay," he whispered into her ear.

Raven sank her nails into his skin, but he didn't flinch. "No," she whispered back. "It's not okay."

There was another hit. It broke against the shield with so much force it made their bones rattle. A crack formed in the dome and Raven screamed against Beast Boy's shoulder as she fought to keep it from shattering.

The energy behind the blow built, sensing the weakness.

But she didn't let it in.

The lightning flittered across the shield.

Then finally, taking in one last, resentful parting blow, it retreated into the clouds. The storm grumbled and spat, but gradually died down and finally disappeared, leaving the sky the same peaceful blue as ever.

Beast Boy sat, dumbstruck. They were still in the bubble. Raven was still in his arms, holding tightly onto him. It looked peaceful outside, but he didn't trust it. What if the storm was being sneaky, waiting for them to let their guard down? What if the second Raven let down her forcefield, it struck?

Raven breathed in, a long calming breath. "Don't worry. It's gone now. I know. I can feel it."

"Oh." Beast Boy still felt dumbstruck and suspicious. "That's good."

"Yeah." Raven pushed herself out of Beast Boy's arms, taking great care not to touch him again. "We should be good now."

The shield, however, still remained.

Beast Boy felt he ought to ignore the sudden distance Raven had put between herself and him. "So, then, why are we still in the bubble?"

She paused and licked her lips nervously. "What's the rush?"

Beast Boy's brain did a total flip-flop. He was no longer dumbstruck, he was damn near flabbergasted.

Did this mean…

No, what did this mean?

Wait, wait, wait – backtrack.

She's just been in my arms. Holding me tightly. Protecting me.

Now she's acting weird. In fact she's been acting weird for a while.

But she saved me… after she almost killed me.

But we're here now, together. And she won't let down the shield.

We've just been in some big danger. She's not touching me now, but she licked her lips. Does that mean anything. She's not looking at me but…

And she's pink now. There's a lot of pink in her cheeks.

It's quiet. Tense.

I don't know what to do. Does she want me to….

No!

But… maybe, yes.

Wait, does she really? Wha –

*Tap, tap, tap*

"You can't stay in there forever!"

Beast Boy whipped his head around and found Robin looming over the barrier, an expression of the utmost calm on his face. The calm was the worst. It was that white-hot anger. And it was aimed right over his shoulder at raven, who was trying to be nonchalant about sitting in the middle of a bubble, around which destruction was heaped like an ocean of water around a lone, sandy island.

Robin tapped again on the barrier.

"Come out!"

"I don't think he's going to just go away," Beast Boy said to Raven. She closed her eyes, and crossed her legs.

"Of course not."

"We'll have to come out sooner or later."

"Yes," Raven said, and this time she had the decency to look a little sheepish. "But I sure as hell am not going out there now. Look at his face. I'm not suicidal."

Okay, it's been a long, long time since I've updated anything. I just want this up and gone already. So, here you are. I'm sorry if it wasn't all that good. I'm pretty sure I've got something figured out for Starfire later on.

I'm open to any suggestions as per the Raven and Beast Boy situation. I really just want Raven to rip off Beast Boy's shirt and kiss him already – because lets face it, Raven would be the dominator in that relationship – but I can't bring myself to do it. It just doesn't seem all that likely. Even though I fear I've strayed far above and beyond all of their characters already. I don't want to do something so radical. Although I might. Just for finality's sake.