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Disclaimer: Well after my last disclaimer the answering machine I used exploded so I will once again be doing this manually. Here it goes: I do not own the Teen Titans or any DC character. Now with that over and done I’m going to go get a new exploding answering machine.

Rated M: Mature situations, dialogue and just to be safe since I don’t want to get reported or banned.
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Chapter 12: Reflections and Banishments

The silence within the Tower’s Common Room was deafening. The Titan’s leader held an unchanging glare towards the green changeling. His masked eyes gave away no emotions yet his rigid posture and stern facial expression told the others that something was about to happen. His glare was not the only one within that room, a pair of violet eyes were fixed towards the masked teen in a menacing and icy glare that showed no intimidation. Raven reached out with her mind around the room, trying her best to get any clue as to what Robin was thinking. Though the masked teen’s mind was a fortress, probably from the many years of training with Batman, she could feel the others’ emotions clearly. Starfire was a steady stream of worry; her feelings of sadness and dread poured out of her like a river after a massive downpour, to Raven this meant that she was just as surprised as the others were about Robin’s current mood. Cyborg held his usual neutral stance; he was worried but not as much as Starfire. He seemed ready to interject if things got out of hand or to defend his green friend at a moment’s notice. A familiar warmth spread through her body as a pair of green arms wrapped around her waist.

“What the hell happened to you?” asked the changeling with a hint of humor in his voice. He knew Robin would not go back on his word. The worst he could do to him would be extra training and that wouldn’t last long.

“I healed all your wounds. There is no need for bandages.” added Raven in a softer tone of voice. Her hands rested softly on the changeling’s arms. She felt herself smile slightly, as she felt the confidence emanating from the changeling behind her.

“That is my fault.” replied a slightly embarrassed Starfire from her seat on one of the kitchen chairs. “I was overjoyed when Robin awoke.”

“So you hugged him so hard you bruised his ribs?” asked Beast Boy trying his best to suppress a chuckle. The alien princess nodded as another blush spread across her face.

“Enough! Everyone except Beast Boy, leave the room now!” ordered Robin, his eyes still fixed on the changeling.

“Sorry leader. This concerns everyone so we aren’t going anywhere.” replied Cyborg taking a seat next to the alien princess. He never liked to interfere with Robin’s decisions, but at times like these he needed to be the voice of reason and maturity. He knew he acted childish at times, obsessing over technology and video games but when push came to shove he took his role of second in command very seriously.

“Fine then everyone can be here for this.” said Robin without even glancing at Cyborg. “Beast Boy you are going to be transferred to the Titans East until further notice.”

“WHAT?!?” screamed the other four teens in unison.

“You cannot send our friend away!” Starfire was the first to protest due only to the fact that Raven was doing her best not to send the masked teen into a random dimension.

“Yeah man. You made a deal with BB before the match started.” added Cyborg with a hint of irritation in his voice.

“If you send him anywhere, you will wake up in the middle of the Outback with nothing but your underwear on.” warned Raven, her voice full of venom.

“Dude I thought we had a deal! Some trust worthy leader you are.” added Beast Boy angrily.

“Trust!? You are lecturing me on trust?!? You have to be fucking kidding me.” angrily shot back Robin. “You’ve been holding back for years! You’ve been lying about your abilities and your skills since day one! How the fuck can you lecture me on trust!?”

“Well what the hell to you want from me!? You want to know everything!? Every detail of what I can and can’t do?” spat out Beast Boy.

“That would be a start.” calmly replied Robin. His usual leader tone had return and his voice had calmed considerably.

“Fine.” replied Beast Boy with an exhausted look on his face. “Get comfortable cause it’s a long story.” he motioned towards the dinning table where Starfire and Cyborg were. As Robin made his way to the chair next to Starfire, Beast Boy leaned close to Raven’s ear. “I wanted you to be the first to hear all this. I’m sorry.” he whispered. The dark teen turned to face him and gently pressed her lips to his.

“Its ok.” she replied softly before breaking their embrace and taking a seat with the others. Starfire was beaming upon seeing her friends’ loving act; Cyborg had a face that screamed ‘about time’. Robin’s face never changed as he waited for the Changeling’s story. Beast Boy took a deep breath, he never liked to talk about his past, at least not forcefully. He wanted Raven to be the first person to hear what he was about to say, but if he wanted to stay close to her then he had to reveal everything to his friends.

“I won’t get into details about my childhood before the Doom Patrol. I have my limits and I don’t discuss that part of my life openly. Most of my past is on file in the Titan’s database so I won’t add anything to that.” Beast Boy’s voice was calm and mature, it was a side of him that was rarely seen by his friends before they met the Doom Patrol. The green teen faced his friends and took a deep breath. “I’m not the dumb kid everyone thinks I am. In the Doom Patrol I couldn’t afford to be one. Mento wasn’t one to allow goofing off under his command. Rita, Larry and Cliff were in charge of teaching me as much as they could about the real world but Mento was in charge of my academic studies. Rita was an actress; she taught me how to take on roles and how to act around others, she helped me to adapt to any situation I faced. Cliff wasn’t all that happy to be metallic at first he told me but he taught me how to accept myself for who I was, he helped me turn my outer appearance into a strength. Larry, or as you know him Negative Man, taught me about patience and how to work for what I wanted, his powers aren’t eternal he had to develop patience and he taught me how to hold my own. They all helped me gain confidence to face the outside world.” he paused momentarily, gazing at his friends before continuing. “Mento taught me everything he could in an academic sense. I was his son in a way and so he made sure I was prepared to face anything. By the time I joined the Titans I had the education of a High School graduate.”

The rest of the Titans stared at the green teen in shock. None of them could believe what they had just heard. Had the Beast Boy they had come to know and care about for years been just an act?

“So you have been deceiving us?” timidly asked Starfire.

“No Star. With all of you I was able to stop pretending to be someone else and finally be myself.” replied Beast Boy with a comforting smile.

“But you just said you weren’t the dumb kid we all thought you were.” added Cyborg with a confused look.

“I’m not a genius Cy. I’m just normal. I mean your brain is basically half a computer with who knows how much capacity, Robin was educated in everything imaginable from science to alchemy, Starfire is an Alien Princess who may not know everything about earth but she knows plenty about other planets and Raven has more book knowledge than I could ever hope to get.” replied Beast Boy in a tired tone. He took a seat next to Raven; he needed to be near her if he was going to continue. A wave of relief washed over him as Raven slid her hand below his and interlaced their fingers. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze to show her support.

“So you’ve been playing dumb for these past few years?” asked Robin in a monotone voice.

“Kinda. I have a normal education in every sense of the word. I know more about animals because I’ve been most of them at one time or another but other than that I know just the normal stuff. I’m not a computer whiz or a detective, I’m just me. Before I met all of you I had to be rigid and serious all the time. But around you guys I can be myself, I don’t have to worry about being serious all the time.” replied Beast Boy.

“What about your fighting style?” added Robin.

“You just don’t like the fact he beat you hand to hand.” interrupted Raven with a small smile spread on her face.

“Beat? Hell BB smacked him around like a rag doll.” added Cyborg trying his best to suppress his laughter.

“Well I learned to fight in the Doom Patrol. Mento would make me spar with everyone at least once a day.” replied Beast Boy with a nervous smile.

“But were you not a small child? Surely it would not have been an even match.” asked Starfire with a hint of surprise in her voice.

“You learn to fight when you are at a disadvantage.” replied Beast Boy in a serious tone. He seemed to daze off briefly before a gentle squeeze to his hand from Raven brought him out of his daze. “Mento always said that. To him I was a teammate…not a kid. My style is something I created on my own. It doesn’t have a name…I just made it up to be able to spar with everyone.”

A silence overtook the teens as the information they had just heard sunk in. They never asked about Beast Boy’s days in the Doom Patrol. Most of them assumed he had been the same carefree prankster he was with them. The silence within the room broke as Robin stood from his chair and made his way towards the hallway door. He stopped briefly as the door leading to the hallway opened.

“You leave first thing in the morning Beast Boy. I’ll make the arrangements with Bumble Bee.” replied Robin coldly.

“We had a deal.” snapped Beast Boy with a hint of irritation.

“We did. It said I had to find another punishment other than kicking you out of the team.” replied Robin casting a glare towards the green teen. “You are still a Titan. You are simply being relocated temporarily.” he added before exiting the room.

The rest of the titans stared blankly at each other. Starfire was in utter shock, she had never thought that the person she loved most could act so coldly towards his own friends. Beast Boy was a mixture of anger and pain, he had finally started the relationship he had hoped for with Raven and now he had to move to another city against his will. Raven’s reaction was not the expected one, she should have been furious at the stubbornness of their leader yet she stayed silent. She held Beast Boy’s hand tightly in hers and was doing her best to fight of a steady stream of tears that were about to flow. Cyborg’s face was unreadable. He held no emotion at the moment, no anger, resentment, no trace of anything. He carefully rose from his seat and exited the room. His destination was clear in his mind: The evidence room. Beast Boy had the rocks on the beach, Starfire had her garden, Raven had the roof, He had his car and Robin had that room. He would go there to think or to remember past battles. The metal man reached his destination quickly; the doors slid open silently and slid back closed as Cyborg entered. He did a quick survey of the room and found his target staring at one of the display cases. He approached the masked teen slowly, assessing the situation carefully.

“You were kinda hard on the little grass stain.” uttered Cyborg in a calm voice. He now stood next to the masked teen; his gaze followed that of Robin’s as he stared at the mask encased within the glass.

“It had to be done. He has been deceiving us since day one.” replied Robin calmly.

“Where you even listening to him? He hasn’t been lying to us. He had to be a different person with the Doom Patrol. With us he was able to be himself.” added Cyborg.

“He’s been holding back.” shot back Robin, his voice never losing its emotionless tone.

“He isn’t the only one.” replied Cyborg. He looked at the teen next to him and saw his face contort into a curious expression. “Think about it man. Starfire could probably blast half the city apart, Raven could probably send every villain we’ve ever faced into another dimension or worse, I could create weapons that would annihilate thousands and you have the resources to get anything or buy off anyone. Yet we don’t. We aren’t like that; we have morals and the knowledge of how to use our abilities for the good of the team and the good of those we defend.” Cyborg gave Robin a small smile before he started to walk away from the masked teen. “Think about it leader. If Beast Boy wasn’t the goof ball he has been we might not be the team we are today. He helped Starfire a lot with her earth customs when we first became a team, he made sure Raven was always included in everything we did so she wouldn’t feel excluded or unwanted, he helped me see that what I look like doesn’t reflect who I am and whenever you are going on an obsessive rant he always has a way of breaking the tension.” With one last glance over his shoulder he smiled at the masked teen. “I know you will think about it and make things right.” he added before exiting the room and leaving the masked teen alone with his thoughts.

The masked teen looked around the room inspecting every piece of evidence they had ever collected. Some items were harmless, usually a piece of a costume or a gadget too broken to pose any real threat. He picked up that habit from his former mentor, keeping a piece of the enemy to remind himself of what he could have done better in each fight. ‘How can I trust him? He could have done so much more yet he held back.’ the teen thought before reaching a newly added section of the room, it was a shrine of sorts that he had agreed to build after the incident with the Brotherhood of Evil. They had just returned to the Tower and Beast Boy had suggested that they have a big party with all the Titans. The masked teen smiled remembering how one hopeful look from his alien love had convinced him to follow the changeling’s suggestion. The shrine was simple: a golden plaque placed under a picture taken of all the Titans celebrating, the inscription on it read: “Titans Together, always.”

“He was a real leader when push came to shove.” whispered Robin as he remembered the praise Herald, Pantha and Mas had given Beast Boy during the celebration at the Tower. ‘Taking him off the team would do more harm than good.’ the masked teen admitted. ‘I’ve been a hypocrite…great. Raven will hold this over me for the rest of my natural life.’ The masked teen smiled as he made his way back towards the common room. His trek was cut short by a blaring alarm across the Tower. The teen sighed heavily as he recognized the alarm. ‘It’s not my day.’ he thought before exiting the evidence room and hurrying towards the Ops Room. He was relieved when he arrived and found he was the first one there. Taking a seat at the main computer the masked teen scanned the city trying to pin point the source of the alarm. The door to the Ops Room opened as the other Titans quickly joined their leader. Personal feelings aside they still had a job to do and would always be ready to act, Robin was grateful for that.

“Well what is it?” asked Raven in an irritated voice. She was not happy with the masked teen and wasn’t about to hide her anger.

“There is a hostage situation downtown.” calmly replied Robin. He faced his team with his trademark unreadable face. He wouldn’t mix personal matters with their job.

“Who’s the villain?” asked Cyborg calmly.

“No villain. It’s just some guy who took a hostage.” replied Robin.

“Is that not a matter for the police officers?” asked a very nervous Starfire.

“Normally yes but the criminal warned the police that he would only negotiate with us.” replied Robin. “If we don’t get there soon he is willing to shoot his hostage.”

“Then what are we doing standing around here? Let’s go.” added Beast Boy. The teens quickly agreed and left the tower quickly, Cyborg and Robin sped off in their respective vehicles while a green hawk followed Raven and Starfire through the air.

Downtown Jump City

A large crowd had formed around the police barricade in front of the large apartment building where the hostage negotiations were taking place. A cheer erupted from the crowd as the city’s resident superheroes arrived at the scene and quickly made their way towards the police negotiator. The elderly man looked at the teens grimly. One look at him and Robin knew things weren’t going as well as he had expected. The man looked to be in his sixties, most likely an old veteran of the force about ready to retire. His white hair and rough facial features gave him an air of command. He smiled briefly at the teens as they approached him and the team’s leader shook his hand briefly.

“What’s the situation?” asked Robin wasting no time.

“We got a call about a Caucasian male, probably in his late teens, pale complexion seen entering an apartment in this building in the company of a red headed teen girl most likely a minor. A neighbor voiced her concern and when we investigated we found the teens engaged in sex. When we questioned the girl about her age we discovered she was fourteen. Before we could place the male under arrest he pulled out a concealed weapon and took the girl hostage.” reported the officer in a serious tone. His detailed retelling of the past events showed his years of experience within the police force, before the teens could press further the officer continued. “I was called on the scene to negotiate the release of the hostage but upon my arrival the teen male stated he would only talk to the Titans. Specifically to the Titan called Raven.” he added glancing casually at the goth girl.

“Why would he only speak to Raven?” asked Robin.

“What is his name?” asked Raven rather nervously as if already knowing what the answer would be.

“The teen was identified as Joseph Adrian.” replied the officer calmly.

End of Chapter 12
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