Disclaimer: If I owned Teen Titans, there would be a much more fluffier scene between Beast Boy and Raven in "The Prophecy:"

I'll Be

Chapter 17 Raven Puts her Foot Down

Raven

I wake up to loud knocking at my door. I glance at the clock. 2:30 am. The knocking continues. I groan and get out of bed prepared to yell at whoever is outside my door. It's Cyborg with an extremely worried expression on his face.

I glare at him "Cyborg it's 2:30 in the morning-."

Cyborg interrupts me. "BB's leaving the tower for good. Since you are the closest person to him, we need your help to convince him to stay."

My face drains of color. "He's WHAT!" I shriek, my lamp exploding. Is this some kind of joke? I glance at the serious look on Cyborg's face and can tell it's not by his expression. "Why!" I ask in desperation.

"He thinks he's dangerous. He thinks we're much better without him. We need your help right now. We don't know when he's going to leave."

My heart is pounding against my chest as Cyborg's words sink in. I feel my heart breaking. He's leaving me. My Beast Boy is leaving me. I feel tears starting to run down my face. Cyborg wipes some off with one of his robotic fingers. "Don't cry, Rae. If you let me in, I will tell you our plan."

I mutely let him enter my room. The door closes behind us. I listen to Cyborg closely, hoping that this will get my Beast Boy to stay. If not I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

A half hour later, I am standing in the hallway waiting for Cyborg's signal. The others are going to try and distract Beast Boy in effort to keep him at the tower. If that doesn't work, I'll have to unlock my secret weapon: guilt trip. I watch in the hallway as Beast Boy hands Robin his communicator. "Give this to Raven as something she could remember me by."

As Beast Boy heads towards the elevator, Cyborg gives me the signal. I step into the living room. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos," I chant quietly, making the suitcase he's holding get heavier and heavier with each step he takes.

At first I fear that he'll transform so he could carry it without any trouble. I sigh in relief when he drops the suitcase. I stand quietly in the room, my eyes watching every move he makes. I watch as he glances at the suitcase, realizing it's me. He turns around his green eyes meeting my violet ones.

Stick to the plan. Ask him to tell you a joke. I open my mouth, but my thoughts come tumbling out.

"Gar why are you leaving me?"

Beast Boy

I drop my head. I wanted so much to be able to sneak out without anyone catching me, especially Raven. I knew she would be the hardest person to get away from. I don't want to break her heart. It's the last thing I'd ever want to do. Damnit! I should've transformed. Her words keep ringing in my head. I'm not sure of what to say. After a moment, I speak. "I have to protect you, Rae." I say quietly.

"Protect me from what?" Raven asks.

"From myself." I want to turn and go, but the look on her face keeps me rooted to the spot. Extreme sadness.

She takes a step towards me. I try to look away, but I can't. "Beast Boy, you are not dangerous!" she says firmly.

"You don't know that! I still feel the Beast inside of me. How do you know it's not going to try and take over again? What makes you so sure that you are safe when you're around me?"

"I am certain, because I love you. I trust you. You know how hard it is for me to trust people, but I trust you. You took the antidote. That time of your life with the Beast inside you is over with. It's not coming back. Cyborg's antidote proves that."

She takes another step forward. I can almost feel her body heat. I try to leave, but find I still can't move. I can't tear my eyes away from her pleading violet ones. I feel myself shaking. "Rae, don't do this to me. The closer you get, the harder it is for me to leave. I need to get out of here, before you get hurt. Please, let me leave." I just gave her an advantage. Hopefully she won't notice.

She takes another step forward. We're inches apart from each other, our lips almost touching. "That's why I keep on coming closer-to prevent you from leaving." she whispers, before meeting her lips with mine. I try to protest, but she opens her mouth, deepening the kiss. I feel tears slide down my face as my dream pops back into my mind. Her torn up body, everything. I try to pull away, but find I can't. She wraps her arms around my neck. I reluctantly wrap mine around her waist, allowing myself to kiss her back. I shouldn't be doing this. I should be leaving now. I can't stop. After a moment we pull apart.

My heart pounds. Raven runs her hand gently against my face. I feel my whole body shiver. "I love you, Beast Boy. Please don't leave me." She buries her head into my chest, trying to hold the sobs back.

I am still overwhelmed by the kiss. She's so close to me, and I never want to be away from her again. I pull up her chin gently with one of my gloved fingers. I look into her eyes. "Thank you, Raven." I whisper, hugging her tightly. I shut my eyes, concentrating on her heartbeat.

"For what?" she asks.

"For loving me so much." I answer, kissing her again.

"So you are staying?" Raven asks.

I think about it. At first I remember the Beast within me, then about the antidote. How can I leave when she kisses me like that? How can I leave when she loves me so much? I decide to do what she wishes for. To stay and let things go back to the way they were. And if the Beast within me decides to come back, I know she'll stay by my side to help me face it. "Try and stop me."

Raven breaks down completely and starts sobbing on my chest. "Thank you." she manages to choke out.

I suddenly feel arms wrap around both Raven and I. "Glorious! You are staying!"

I let Starfire hug me. I continue to hold Raven, enjoying her warmth. The next thing I know Robin and Cyborg join the embrace. Tears continue rolling down my face, but this time they're tears of pure happiness. I've finally found my place in this world. Right here in the tower with my friends.

After a moment we pull apart. I've never felt happier. Cyborg ruffles my hair affectionately. "Now I believe there's a certain changeling I must beat on game station."

"You're on!" I say in enthusiasm. I start to run towards the couch, but end up falling back into Raven's arms. I look at my feet and see they're surrounded by black aura. I look at Raven

"Sorry," she says, helping me back on my feet and ridding of her hold on them. "I had to keep you from leaving me somehow." she says quietly.

I grab her around the waist and twirl her around. "Thanks, Rae." I whisper, realizing that leaving her would've been the biggest mistake of my life.

She gives me a soft kiss. "Anything for you, babe. Now let's go beat Cyborg's sorry butt on the game station."

I raise my eyebrow. "Us?"

She nods. As all of us head towards the couch, I am truly thankful that I'm alive.

The End