Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans and or the song "Fade Away" by Cipes and the People. Both are properties of their respective owners. I do – however – claim the right to fan girl over this song.
The sun's bright rays filtered down on Jump City's park. The Teen Titans, having celebrating their friend's return, gathered in the grassy field for a day of relaxation. Cyborg sat at the grill's side, flipping a combination of meaty burgers and tofu dogs on the charcoal heated iron rods. Raven sat under the giant oak, her book of dark poetry open but her mind locked within the pages. On the spread out cloth Robin tried to explain to Starfire about the alien traditions of a picnic that she had never experienced. While the Titans were enjoying their day without crime, two were missing from this peaceful scene.
"Where are you taking me?" Terra asked, wiping the rebelling strands of hair from her face.
The green shape shifter laughed, his high pitched chuckle filling the summer air. "Just a little farther!" he urged from his bird form. Jumping from branch to branch, he led Terra away from their friends into a small area of seclusion. Terra grunted in frustration. He really didn't seem to realize just how hard it was on her to keep up with a tiny bird while fighting her way through the undergrowth. More than once, she thought she had lost him or became stuck in the tangled branches.
Losing sight of a green bird once again, Terra sighed in frustration. "Where are you!?"
"Over here!" Beast Boy called out, the direction of the sound saying he had stopped. Terra tore through another branch. She tripped as she stepped out of the brush, nearly toppling over the green titan who waited for her just at the exit.
"AH!" she screamed, catching herself before she threw him to the ground. "Sorry 'bout that," she apologized. Pulling the stray leaves from her hair, Terra took a quick look around, ultimately confused. "What is this place?" the blonde titan questioned, curious as to Beast Boy's 'important something' he needed to show her.
The green titan just smiled. "This is nothing," he said, completely brushing off the fact that they were in the middle of the park, probably lost in the trees, far from anyone being able to hear them should they try to return. But that was his entire plan. He would probably die if Cyborg heard what he was about to do. "I wanted to show you something."
Terra sighed. She was slightly annoyed that he had dragged her away from civilization. But the irritation was cast aside, as she knew Beast Boy had good intentions. Sitting down on the grass, avoiding the sharp twigs, Terra looked up at him. "What is it?"
"Don't laugh," Beast Boy pleaded, pulling a guitar from behind a rock. A blush formed across his green cheeks as he sat down on said rock, putting the guitar in his lap. "It's not finished, but I still wanted you to hear it. It's a song I wrote," their gaze met and silence hung for a moment, "for you."
Catching his embarrassment, the blood rushed to Terra's face making her blush bright and vibrant. "Beast Boy, that's so—" The geomancer was stopped as Beast Boy began to strum the guitar.
"You can't fade away, the way I feel for you. There ain't no word I can say, that I'd do for you," Beast Boy began, his voice in perfect harmony to the guitar. The quick and staccato rhythm complimented his pubescent, inexperienced, voice. One well trained in the art of music could tell that he had no formal training, his voice being far from perfection. But that didn't matter as the fact he wrote the song was far more important than his ability to perform it.
"And every single day, I make it through this game called life. It's always filled with pain and strife. Reality will cut you like a knife. It ain't right." Terra flinched slightly at the words he spoke. Beast Boy could never understand the foreshadowing of the words he had sung. "But with you by my side, we will win the fight in the battle of dark and light," One day he would find out, but for now, she chose to ignore that. It would hurt him the most, but that too was pushed aside, and she forgot her pacts with a dark master.
Completely unaware of the confusion that spread through her, Beast Boy continued to sing. "Take my hand hold it tight. When we dance I feel alright."
"By your side is where I'll be, Endless love won't fade you'll see.
When I walk you walk with me. Together let the light shine.
By Your side is where I'll be, Endless love won't fade you'll see,
When I walk you walk with me. Together let the light shine."
Weeks later, ignorance was no longer an issue. In one night, the deed had been done, and in that same moment Terra had torn his heart into pieces. He would never get to tell her that he had written another fragment of the song—of her song. So for a second time, he looked for seclusion amongst his friends, yet this time the privacy was so much darker. Even with her betrayal, Terra's room had not changed. The desert still surrounded him as he walked in, her bed still sat in a familiar corner. It even still smelled like her. It took everything in his power to hold back the tears that formed in his eyes.
Even with her betrayal – that didn't mean he didn't love her. No, Beast Boy knew he would always care about her. What hurt was that they could never be together. That she had changed. The Terra he knew wouldn't hurt the Titans. She could hardly hurt a fly, unless of course said fly was a villain in disguise. Terra was, by far, the best friend he ever had. He told her everything. Trusted her with everything.
And to have that trust betrayed nearly killed him.
Beast Boy slowly walked over to the bed, sitting on the violet fabric which covered it. He fell back into the covers, burying his head in the soft white pillows. Heh. Cinnamon. It still smelled like her. As if that wasn't enough to break down the last remaining pieces of his shattered heart, Beast Boy turned his head to find his guitar still lay next to the window.
Pulling himself up, Beast Boy got off the bed and walked over to the forsaken guitar. Just the a few nights ago, he had sat there strumming away. Terra had seemed disturbed, upset even. He knew she wouldn't tell her – he assumed it was a girl thing – but none the less, Beast Boy sat there, thinking that the gentle melody of his guitar could soothe her disrupted nerves. He wanted to help. If only he had known.
A knock on the door brought the green titan back to the present.
"Hey B," Cyborg's voice called from the other side. "Me and Star are going to go get some Pizza. Want to come with?"
The changeling didn't respond. He just wanted to be alone. It was rather unusual for the hyperactive comic relief of the Titans to seclude himself in a room without so much as a word to his team mates and that had shocked the others. All throughout the day, he had random encounters with the other titans, each one with their own attempts to cheer them up. He had let out a laugh, or a high pitched squeal, but it had all been fake. The group had realized this too, as their pitying glances didn't vanish.
Outside, the robotic teenager sighed. "Don't beat yourself up over it, B," he said quietly. Beast Boy was just silent. "There wasn't anything you can do. She wasn't the girl we thought she was." Cyborg waited a moment, but eventually footsteps echoed as his presence disappeared.
Beast Boy picked up the wooden guitar from its place. He sat on the window sill, placing the guitar on his lap. The moon was his only audience tonight, as he sang the song she'd never get to hear.
"You can't fade away, everything we got. I'm talking about what's inside, yes the connection with the heart." The words left his mouth, but his heart wasn't there. The blonde girl had taken it with her when she left them. But she didn't take everything. No matter what had happened, he still loved her, and no matter what she did, she couldn't change that. There was still some hope that it was all just a joke. A horrible, horrible joke.
But he'd woken up the next morning. The tower was a mess… and she was still gone.
"You know it's true, ain't nothing stronger than the power of the youth, and everything I do it just for you…"
There was still hope, wasn't there? Robin had done the same thing, become Slade's dark apprentice that is. Robin had even betrayed the titans before. The dark mastermind was controlling enough. Surely that's what it was. Slade was controlling her. How else could she betray them, her best friends? How else could she betray him?
"I'd move the mountains, and then I'd stand up and shout. The earth is out there, never in my doubt."
"The ability, stability, agility almost high. You let me grow, you let me know that this feels right." Hope suddenly grew in his chest. That's what it was! Terra was being controlled. He blackmailed her. Now all he had to do was find Robin and let him know! Surely the boy wonder could figure out how to free Terra from his clutches before it was too late and she really did hate them.
"By your side is where I'll be, Endless love won't fade you'll see.
When I walk you walk with me. Together let the light shine.
By Your side is where I'll be, Endless love won't fade you'll see,
When I walk you walk with me. Together let the light shine."
"Sky is our blanket, this earth is our bed." Beast Boy leaned against the car, strumming away at his guitar. He didn't want to go in there. He'd prefer just to stand outside, singing this song. Her song. The other titans had already walked in. They had stopped by to say their last respects to their worst enemy, and their best friend. "Well if you don't know, I guess we'll never be dead."
Raven closed the door of the T-car, holding a silver plaque in her hands. Her blue eyes watched as the green titan strummed his guitar. Unlike the other titans, she knew better than to interrupt them. It was hard for all of them, seeing her stone body. But no one was going to have a harder time that Beast Boy.
"Oh ska la la la la la, yeah yeah. Oh ska la la la la la, yeah yeah."
Suddenly realizing the other presence around him, Beast Boy stopped singing and turned to the girl behind him. Raven just tilted her head. Beast Boy set his guitar on the hood of the car, walking over to greet his friend. "You ready?" she asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Taking the plaque from Raven, Beast Boy joined the other titans. With a slight nod from the green titan, the five set out down the dark tunnel that led to a secret tomb.
Quick! Destroy me!
He still couldn't believe it had happened just yesterday. Terra had done her damage, thrown her one chance into the ground. She had tried to assassinate each and every one of them, dropping him in a cleft for dead. Beast Boy had followed her, to stop her. He didn't want to. But as the changeling walked into the cave, he discovered the truth. She wanted out, but she couldn't. Her dark master controlled her every move, literally. The young girl was no longer in control of her own body.
But she had fought back, and gained control of her powers by herself and with one quick movement Terra destroyed Slade, throwing him into the lava.
You were the best friend I ever had…
Terra stood before them, incased her stony grave. It was too much. The volcano was going to blow. Beast Boy said she had a choice, and she had made hers. He couldn't change her mind. Terra knew she wasn't coming back. With her arms outstretched, Terra locked herself in stone in order to save them. She had sacrificed herself to save the very people she had betrayed.
Starfire was the first to speak. "I miss you so, friend…" she said, the sadness in her voice not masked. Beast Boy opened his mouth to say something, he felt that he had to, but the words just wouldn't come out. Too much, it had been too much on him.
"We'll bring her back…" Robin vowed, his eyebrows furrowing. Slade was finally gone, but not without a price. "…someday."
Beast Boy placed the silver plaque below her petrified form. "I'll never forget you, Terra…"
Feeling his need to be alone, Raven suggested that the others leave. Beast Boy remained, staring at her stony figure. Robin said that he'd ask Batman for a cure, but the look in his eyes said that one wasn't likely. No one has ever been brought back before.
A shadow of a smile formed on his lips, as the lyrics of her song played in his head. "By your side is where I'll be, endless love won't fade you'll see. When I walk, you walk with me…Together let the light shine," Beast Boy sang under his breath.
But he wasn't just going to leave her. They'd been through too much for what they had to just fade away. He knew that no matter how long he waited or what happened between now and forever, he'd always love her. He'd move the mountains, if that would just bring her back. But until then, he'd be right here…waiting.
"By your side is where I'll be, endless love won't fade you'll see. When I walk you walk with me…
"Together let the light shine"
A/N: Ok, so the end to my first songfic ever! Must say, I'm quite proud of myself, though the ending wasn't quite as good as I had imagined it, but it's better than I thought it would be, considering I had no idea what I was doing. I had to write a song fic once I heard Greg Cipes (BB's Voice Actor) since this song in Beast Boy's voice. My only wish: The first and second verses were switched, but alas.
Terra: Hey! What about me!? You've got a whole other depressing fic to write! Stop getting sappy here!
TehDono: Ugh, this was a break until I could get my problems with Lost Ground finished… and what do you mean!? This was DEVOTED TO YOU.
Terra: About my death...
TehDono: But... Raaagh. Forget it.