How long has it been? Five months? I'm so sorry everyone, I really wanted to update earlier, but I have a legitimate excuse this time! (Gonna go on a bit of a rant here, so if you don't really care, just skip the bolded text.)

So I had the whole chapter written out and everything when my computer just decided, "Oh, you have Microsoft Word installed on your computer? You like to save all of your stuff in Microsoft Word? You think that was a good idea? Well not anymore!" The program would not open, would not work, and froze my computer for about ten minutes every single time I tried to open it. Several attempts to fix it later, the program was deleted entirely from my computer. Now I had everything saved on my flash drive, and the documents were still on my computer too, but they were saved as Microsoft Word documents, so I had nothing to open it with. And being the stubborn person that I am, I refused to rewrite the chapter in Google Docs because I already had it finished; it was just inaccessible. Fast forward a few months, and I discover that I do have another writing program on my computer... except it doesn't have any features including the all important spell check. But it allowed me to copy and paste my story into Google Docs, and here we are. So I am, again, extremely sorry for the lack of updates, and I'll try to update more frequently now that I have access to my story and my notes.

Oof. So here we go. I hope you all enjoy the chapter that you've all waited so long for.

That night Beast Boy once more appeared at Raven's doorstep, and they proceeded to talk for several hours. At first Raven reprimanded him for showing up in the store and possibly exposing her true identity, but when he apologized and promised to never ever do it again, she forgave him. Beast Boy then told her about the Titan's battle with Cinderblock and how the team had taken him down, afterwards going out for pizza to celebrate. Every so often he made sure to drop hints about her returning to the tower, hints that were declined or disregarded by Raven. The two friends chatted into the night, losing track of time until it was well past midnight.

Beast Boy was in the middle of explaining Cyborg's latest "shining the roof of the T-car until he could see his reflection from fifty feet away" obsession when he realized that Raven's eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling softly as she breathed. Beast Boy smiled and, slipping off of the couch, glanced around the room. A clock on the opposite wall read one thirty in the morning. He should probably head back to the tower now... but some certainly shiny objects underneath the clock had just flicked on his curiosity switch.

Upon reaching the shelf of colorful bottles, Beast Boy saw that each individual container was labeled with incantations and warnings written in different languages. He squinted at the words for a long, confused moment before his eyes started glazing over. "Ehh, I'm sure it's fine." With a yank, he popped the cap off of the closest bottle, its glass colored a shining crimson. Curious, he peeked a look in the top only to jump back when a tongue of flame leapt out from the neck of the bottle. Beast Boy shoved the cap back on, covering up the flailing fire as fast as he could, and then noticed that the sleeve of his uniform was on fire. With a shriek, he sprinted to the sink and soaked his arm with water from the faucet. The flames drowned quickly, and Beast Boy leaned over the sink gasping for breath. Several minutes passed before he realized he still was holding the fiery bottle in his hand.

"Why does Raven have a bottle that shoots fire in here?" Beast Boy muttered, placing the bottle back on the shelf with great care. Of course, he didn't think to question why he was looking through Raven's things, even moving on to the next mystery container without much thought as to what he had just experienced.

After a quick glance at Raven to see that she miraculously hadn't woken up, he picked up the next container. Leaning far away from the top of the bottle, he tugged the stopper off. When nothing sprang out or threatened to burn him alive, he warily moved closer to examine it. The edges of the bottle shone with purple particles as small as specks of sand, though the inside was too dark to see what the contents were. Beast Boy dipped his head, sniffing the top of it. A sweet, dizzying scent with the faintest trace of vanilla washed over the nosy shape-shifter, and as he blinked he swore that he saw the air sparkling. Trying to get a better idea of what existed inside, he ran a finger over the rim and examined the lavender specks. When nothing revealed itself, Beast Boy placed the bottle back on the shelf and yawned.

"I should… probably go back to the tower," he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes. He glanced at the clock; it was past two in the morning. He nodded, walking toward the door. "Yep, I should go…," -he interrupted himself with another yawn, pausing beside the couch-, "…back." His head sagged, and, fighting the sudden wave of exhaustion that claimed him, Beast Boy stumbled in reverse. He tripped backwards over the arm of the sofa and was fast asleep before he landed, his feet loosely hanging over the side of the couch.

Raven blinked her eyes open an hour later, her gaze habitually slipping to the antique clock that hung beside an antediluvian mask she'd picked up in an oddity shop. The hour hand pointed halfway between the numbers three and the four. She stared for a moment before jerking her head up. She didn't remember falling asleep, nor did she recall Beast Boy ever leaving her house.

"Beast Boy?" Was that strange fragrance sweetening the air earlier? She didn't remember it, nor did she remember such weight pressing on her arm before she drifted off. Raven glanced down. Beast Boy was leaning unconscious with his back against her, his head drooped to his chest and a dorky smile on his face. Raven fought the small blush that rose in her cheeks.

"Beast Boy," she said, nudging him with her shoulder. His response was to murmur something in his sleep and adjust his position, his soft hair tickling Raven's arm. "Wake up," Raven requested, this time elbowing him harder. When he didn't move, Raven cleared her throat. "Beast Boy." Getting annoyed, she tried to rise off of the sofa, but Beast Boy abruptly slid off of her shoulder and landed with his head in her lap, still slumbering. Raven froze, her face a shade redder, but before she could even clench her fists, Beast Boy groaned in his sleep and rolled off of her legs face-first onto the floor.

Raven paused for a moment, the scarlet fading from her cheeks, and knelt beside him, shocked to find that he was still sleeping. Shaking the shape-shifter did little to rouse him, and so Raven resorted to different tactics. She tried gently slapping his cheeks, and when that didn't do anything, she pulled him up into a sitting position. After throwing a cup of water onto his face without any result, Raven started to worry. Beast Boy was the heaviest sleeper she'd ever seen, but this was ridiculous. Even flipping him upside-down with her powers triggered no reaction. Unable to think of anything else, Raven was filling another cup of liquid from the sink -for while it hadn't awoken Beast Boy, it did make her almost smile- when she noticed a puddle of water at her feet. Pausing, Raven studied it. She knew that she hadn't spilled any water recently, so why was there a pool of liquid underneath her sink?

Frowning, she walked over to where Beast Boy was sprawled out on the floor. After a quick inspection, she found that one of his sleeves had a suspicious black streak on it. She looked at her shelves filled with potions. Two bottles were out of place. One container labeled "ignis potionem," or fire potion in Latin, was on the wrong side of the shelf, and the other marked as "somni dulcedine," or sleep spell, was on its side. Raven sighed, adjusting the potions back to their original positions. "Really, Beast Boy," she exhaled, "you should know better than to look through my things."

Raven checked the time. An hour had passed since finding Beast Boy asleep, and, knowing Robin, the Titans' leader would be getting up soon to work out or just enjoy the morning. Raven would have to get Beast Boy back to the tower before that happened. If she had six or seven hours, she could create an antidote, but the team would notice that their resident shape-shifter wasn't present if she waited that long. Kneeling down beside Beast Boy, she threw his arm over her shoulders and pulled him to his feet. "This is Mad Mod all over again," she muttered. At least he wasn't drooling. Yet. Raven conjured a ball of black and white magic that closed over her and her unconscious cargo, teleporting them into the Titans' Tower.

The sorceress walked out of the shadows, pulling Beast Boy along with her, and then paused in front of his bedroom door. ...There was a palm scanner. That was new. At least it was better security. Beast Boy mumbled something in his sleep and his head rolled to the side. Blushing for the second time that day, Raven grumbled to herself; Beast Boy's forehead was now pressed just above her ear, dangerously close to her cheek, his breath warm on her skin. She nudged him back into his original position and then froze at the sound of a door sliding open behind her.

She'd forgotten that Starfire's sleeping quarters was on the other end of the corridor. Raven stumbled backwards around a corner just as Starfire stuck her head out of her bedroom, rubbing her eyes.

"Hello?" the alien girl called, her voice heavy with sleep. Raven pressed back against the wall which suddenly moved and opened up behind her. She fell through, the entryway swallowing her in darkness before a door shut in front of her. Starfire blinked, glanced around, and then returned to her room.

Raven took a deep breath, still somehow holding onto Beast Boy, and waited for her eyes to adjust. The air smelled stale, and the ground was stiff. The blackness around her began to fade, and the dull light from a nearby window outlined the few shapes in the room. ...Her room.

Raven felt cold. She was on the floor in the corner of her old bedroom, the skeleton of her bedframe untouched just as she'd left it. The Titans hadn't cleaned it out to make a game den or storage space like she'd expected. Light dust had settled on top of the shelves, and the walls were empty, having been bare for months. Someone had messed with her bed sheets, but it had been a while ago. The communicator she'd deserted back then was also untouched, and now Raven grasped the small object in her hand, feeling the familiar ridges and weight.

Her insides ached, but she placed the device back on her sheets and returned to where Beast Boy was still sleeping in the corner. Her room didn't have a scanner installed, and the door was motion activated. She'd leaned up against it without realizing. Choosing to ignore the memories leaking into her mind, Raven picked Beast Boy up again and cautiously looked out into the hallway. Starfire's presence was resting behind her closed door. Raven pulled Beast Boy out and approached his sleeping quarters again.

Shifting the Titan forward, she pressed her hand over his against the scanning device. A red light ran over his palm and fingers, and then blinked green, the door gliding open a moment later. Dragging the shape-shifter into his room, she dropped him on the bottom bunk of his bed and then sank onto the other end of his mattress, breathing hard. She covered her face with her hands for a long moment, swallowed, murmured her mantra, and then stood.

Beast Boy was known for sleeping in, so no one would wonder why he wasn't awake for a few hours. Knowing him, the green teen would likely stir when the spell wore off around ten o'clock, turn over, and then choose to sleep until noon. Raven shifted her gaze to the boy sprawled out on his mattress. The whole situation was his fault really. If he hadn't gone snooping through her things, he wouldn't have opened the sleeping spell, and she wouldn't have ended up seeing her old room again. Raven pressed her lips together, tugging a blanket off of the top bunk and laying it over her friend. Beast Boy mumbled nonsense, rolling over. Raven watched him for a moment and then glanced out the window. The sun was peeking over the horizon.

It was time to leave. She checked that no one was in the hall before walking out of Beast Boy's room. The door hissed, closing behind her, and Raven teleported back to her house.

Over the next few days, Raven and Beast Boy decided to change their meetings to once every other night, but earlier in the day so to avoid falling asleep during their talks, and to avoid any more trips back to the tower. Raven also appreciated their agreement because she wanted some time to "Beast Boy-proof" her house.

She'd summarized the trip to the tower for him, skipping over what she deemed unnecessary details, such as accidentally visiting her room, but leaving out that specific fact hadn't stopped Beast Boy from talking about her returning to the team. Actually, knowing that Raven had been in the tower recently seemed to have rekindled Beast Boy's attempts. Every other day, he would hint that everyone missed her very much and they would all have so much more fun with her there, but Raven would briskly refuse and then change the subject. But that didn't stop the idea from nestling itself into her brain, and the notion nagged at her like an insect flying about her head. The week following the sleeping potion incident, Raven voiced her thoughts.

They were walking through the neighborhood around ten at night. Beast Boy had been casually suggesting that a surprise visit to the other Titans would be absolutely fantastic when she abruptly cut him off with glowing eyes. "Beast Boy!" she snapped, and his mouth clamped shut. Raven sighed, her magic fading so she could make better eye contact with the shape-shifter. "Do you really want me to come back to the tower that badly?"

Beast Boy nodded at once. "Yes!"

Raven breathed out, dropping her gaze to a patch of grass beside the pavement. It looked a little less stiff than the carpet in her room. "I had a thought." Beast Boy watched her hopefully. "But I haven't said anything because it's too dangerous."

"What is it?"

Raven continued focusing on the ground. "I left because you couldn't control The Beast when I was in danger." Beast Boy's face fell, and he looked away. "That's not your fault, Beast Boy," she assured, stopping so he had to look at her, "but the only way I'll come back is if you can control The Beast when you get angry. ...Or when I'm in danger."

Understanding dawned on Beast Boy. His concern quickly overshadowed it. "Oh… but doesn't that mean-?"

"If you are able to keep The Beast under control no matter the circumstances, then I will be able to return to the tower." Raven looked at him, her violet eyes serious. "You know what I'm saying, don't you?"

Beast Boy dropped his shoulders. "I don't want you to put yourself in danger..." No matter the circumstances. If he and Raven tried triggering The Beast, the sorceress would need to put herself in threatening situations. That would a problem even without involving The Beast. Yeah, she'd been able to calm The Beast down in the past, but there was no guarantee she would be able to do it again. And who knew what lengths they would have to go to in order to cause The Beast's appearance? Then came the problem of controlling The Beast once he'd transformed! It was too much. No matter how badly Beast Boy wanted Raven back in the tower, it wasn't worth risking her life. He shook his head. "I just… couldn't do that to you, Rae," he sighed. "You could get killed."

Part of him hoped she would argue, and, for the second that she hesitated, Beast Boy thought she might. But Raven just nodded, and they had continued walking down the street together in silence when Raven suddenly grabbed Beast Boy's shoulders and jerked him back, the crack of a gun shattering the still night air.

A darkly-dressed figure in a black sweatshirt and ski mask jumped out of the shadows and shoved Raven back onto the pavement. The shadowed person crouched on top of her, a black gun pressed to the sorceress's stomach, but before their trigger finger could even twitch, Beast Boy hauled the attacker away. A bullet whizzed over his head, and he leapt onto the aggressor as a tiger, knocking the pistol out of their hand and sending it skidding across the pavement. Beast Boy pounced on top of the downed assailant and roared. Shaken beyond belief, the attacker wheezed twice and then went still.

Raven checked the unconscious man as Beast Boy reverted into his human form. "You scared the breath out of him." She pulled off the crook's mask. Just a common criminal with a gun. "A three hundred pound tiger on his chest probably didn't help his case either."

Beast Boy looked at her, regulating his breathing. "Are you okay?" Raven glanced at him, dipping her head, and then went back to examining the man on the ground. Beast Boy ran his hand through his hair and laughed. "Déjà vu, huh?" he said. "You really should live in a better neighborhood, Rae."

Standing, Raven held her hand out above the man, who was washed over by a wave of black and teleported to the nearby jail. Beast Boy had turned around, ready to continue their walk when a soft hand touched his arm. Raven gave him a small smile. "I'll do it."

Beast Boy was confused. "Do what?"

"Go back to the tower. I'll do it."

"Really?! You-!" Beast Boy's eyes widened and he faced her completely. "Wait, that means we'd have to try the-the thing! With The Beast and all the danger! That's bad! You don't need to be in danger!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine."
"But-!"

"That man attacked us, and you protected me. And you're trying to keep me from danger now. I don't think you could let me come to harm, and I doubt The Beast could either."

"B-but," Beast Boy protested, the heating rising in his cheeks, "you could get hurt! I might not be able to protect you! I don't know how to control The Beast! If you're gonna to put yourself in life or death situations to draw him out, I might not-!"

"I'm completely capable of taking care of myself too." Raven frowned now, cutting him off. "I know the risks, and I'm willing to take them. Do you want me to come back to the tower or not?" She crossed her arms, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well, of course I do, but-." Beast Boy stopped himself this time, shifting his weight and staring at the ground. "I just don't want you to get hurt," he mumbled.

"Simple. Then I won't."

"I don't think it'll be that easy, Raven."

"Sure it will." Raven made him look at her. "I won't be an idiot and you will dial down on your occasional lack of common sense. As long as we are sensible about this, then there's nothing to worry about. Beast Boy!" she snapped, again stopping him from watching his feet. She softened when she saw the sincere concern in his expression, and she placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. "This way I can live in the tower with everyone again," she reminded him.

Beast Boy bit his lip. He wanted Raven to come back, but the whole idea made him nervous. "You promise you won't get hurt?"

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes again, Raven nodded. "Yes, I promise."

Beast Boy finally gave in, smiling at her a little. "Okay." He stepped forward and gave Raven a quick hug. She stiffened. "I can't wait for you to come back," he admitted, his arms around her.

"Only if this works," Raven said, waiting for him to let her go. "You'll have to be able to control The Beast entirely in any situation for me to move into the tower again." When he didn't draw away, she cleared her throat. "You know that I still don't like hugs, right?"

"I know," Beast Boy murmured, smirking into her shoulder. Raven pushed him away, smacking him over the head affectionately as she did so. He grinned, the light catching his canine tooth, and then they continued down the street, constructing a plan.

"We have to try the simplest and safest way first," Raven said, crossing her arms as she looked at Beast Boy. "Try to summon anger to yourself without any provocation."

The teenagers were standing in Raven's house, though not in the basement. They were located in the abandoned family room above her living space; a precaution in case Beast Boy did transform and go berserk. Then none of Raven's possessions would be around to be pointlessly destroyed.

Beast Boy shifted his weight back and forth, wiggling his toes and tugging at his gloves. "What, just like that? For no reason?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "That's what 'without any provocation' means."

"Is it?" Beast Boy scratched his head, and Raven glared. He expected her to be fully aware that he was stalling. Though he'd agreed to try Raven's idea, and he really wanted her to come back to the tower, he always felt unsteady when The Beast stirred within him. Raven always did understand that more than any of the Titans had.

"Yes," Raven sighed. "Are you going to stop wasting time now or should I just leave? I don't have to return to the tower." She always knew how to read right into his emotions. Not that he was trying very hard to hide his nerves at the moment.

"No, no, wait! I'll try it," he said, and Raven faced him. Taking a deep breath, Beast Boy stepped back and closed his eyes. "So just try to get mad?"

Raven nodded. "Think about things that cause your anger."

Beast Boy swallowed, chewing his lip as he focused. When was the last time he was angry? ...Well, the first thing that came to mind was when Cyborg had totally thrown him under the bus in Super Ninja Six! Sure, it wasn't very aggravating, but it was really rude. A familiar twinge of frustration sparked in his chest. Now that wouldn't be angry enough to trigger The Beast, but wasn't the point to work his way up to a high level of rage? He called up a few other incidents. Robin's early morning practices always sucked, and Starfire accidentally feeding Silky the copy of a super rare video game he'd gotten his hands on gave him a sour feeling in his stomach.

Despite those frustrations, Beast Boy realized that he hardly felt any different from when he'd started. He pictured The Beast in his head. Big, green, wild, angry. In a hazy blur, he remembered when Adonis had attacked him and his teammates. Raven had been hurt. He'd gotten angry, furious...

...But that anger wasn't there now.

Beast Boy opened his eyes. "I don't think that thinking about being angry is gonna work..."

"If that's so, then we are going to have to stop playing this safe," Raven said softly. She was sitting on the floor in front of him with a book in her hand, and she slipped a bookmark between the pages as she spoke. She'd gone through about half the novel in the time he had been concentrating. He'd been focusing for longer than he'd realized. His head kinda hurt now that he thought about it. Raven stood. "We'll need to have actual danger for our plan to work."

Beast Boy grimaced. He had been hoping to avoid any situations that could put either of them at potential risk. If Raven got hurt because of these tests-. He couldn't think like that, or the worry would eat him from the inside out.

Raven got to her feet as Beast Boy rubbed his eyes. "I think that's enough for now. It's getting late." She turned around to face the door to the basement. "I'll see you in two days."

"Yeah." Beast Boy noticed the book that Raven had left lying on the ground, and, quickly stooping down, snatched it up and hopped over to her. "Hey, Rae?"

Raven glanced over her shoulder and saw him holding the novel. "Oh." She reached out to take it from the shape-shifter, her fingers brushing his as she lifted the book. "Thank you."

He grinned. "No problem! Night, Rae!" Beaming, Beast Boy stepped back, morphing into a hawk, and flew out of the hole in the side of the building.

Raven watched him go with a ghost of a smile on her lips. "Goodnight," she said.