A/N: I don't own the Teen Titans, Terra (in this case Tara), Markovia, the king, queen, Gregor, Brion (Geo-Force), or her mother. I do own this version of Terra's mother, Terra's step-father, her step-sister and brother by Terra's step-father, and the king and queen's third child. Enjoy the story!
Small Stones Make Big Ripples
Chapter One: The Move
"Hey, kids, wake up! Look where we are!" a forty-year-old woman with short, blonde hair and sky-blue eyes called to her children in the back seat of their small car.
Thirteen-year-old Tara, the oldest, stirred and squinted at the mid-day sun. She had her mother's sky-blue eyes and blonde hair. Seven-year-old Christie, the middle child, let out a yawn and stretched, her arm accidentally pressing against Tara's face as she gave an annoyed look. Christie had dirty-blonde hair and green eyes. Six-year-old James, the youngest, smirked with his messy brown hair and blue-green eyes.
"Uh, Christie, your arm is in my face," Tara remarked.
"Sorry, Tara," her sister grinned sheepishly. James snickered until Christie shot him a glare.
"What did you want us to see, Mom?" Tara asked.
"Take a look," said their mother.
The three children stared in awe at the Jump City bridge as they were about to cross it.
"Yes! We're finally here!" exclaimed James.
"We're all getting our own rooms, right?" Tara asked.
"Yes, you are," said her forty-two-year-old step-father. He had brown hair and green eyes.
"Finally!" the three kids said in unison with a relieved sigh. Their parents rolled their eyes.
As they drove across the bridge, the three children noticed a giant T on an island. "Hey, what's that building over there?" Tara asked.
Her mother turned and looked at the building. "That's Titans Tower," she said, "it's where the Teen Titans live."
"Do you think we'll see them?" James asked.
"I'm sure we'll see them at some point," said his father.
"Can we stop and get something to eat?" Christie asked.
"That sounds like a good idea. Greg, let's find a place to eat and use the restroom," said their mother. Her husband nodded as he began to look for a restaurant. Once they found a restaurant they could all agree upon, they parked the car and walked inside.
"Hey, Ashley, why don't you take the kids to the bathroom while I save us a table?" Greg asked.
"All right, Honey," Ashley smiled as she kissed her husband. The three kids made gagging noises. She smirked at them. "All right, you three, follow me."
Once they returned from the restroom, the family ordered their food. Greg ordered a steak done medium-well with steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, and a soda. Ashley ordered a chicken Cesar salad and a diet soda. Tara ordered a cheese burger with fries and a chocolate shake. Christie ordered a grilled cheese sandwich with fries and a chocolate milk. James ordered a hot dog with ketchup, mustard, and French fries, and an orange soda.
As soon as the food arrived, they began to eat. Tara dipped a few of her French fries into her chocolate shake and ate them. Her siblings made disgusted faces. "Hey, let me try that," said Greg. Tara handed him some fries and let him dip them into the shake.
"I can't watch this," Ashley giggled as she covered her eyes with her hand.
Greg chewed and swallowed the fries. "That's not bad."
Once they finished their meal, they paid the waiter and got back into the car. The family drove until they pulled up to the curb of a house and soon after a moving truck pulled up into the driveway. Once the movers opened the truck doors, they began to load the furniture into the house while Greg and Ashley told them where to place it. By the end of the day, the move was mostly complete minus the several labeled boxes stacked up in each room. The family decided to go out for pizza for dinner.
Greg ordered a meat-lovers pizza. Ashley ordered a margarita pizza. Tara ordered a supreme pizza without mushrooms and extra anchovies. Christie ordered a cheese pizza, and James ordered a pepperoni pizza.
"Anchovies on pizza? You're weird, Tara," said James.
"Shows what you know, pepperoni-breath," Tara smirked.
"Kids, be nice," sighed Ashley.
When they finished their meal, they drove back home and after they did a bit more organizing, they went to bed. In Tara's new room, she lay in her bed as she examined her old, plush bunny. There was a knock on her door before her mother entered her room.
"Hey, sweetie. How are you doing?" Ashley asked as she brushed away a stray lock of hair from Tara's face.
Tara gave her mother a tired, yet happy smile. "I'm good. Tired."
Her mother smiled. "Hey, I just wanted to thank you. I know it hasn't always been easy for us, but I wanted to thank you for staying strong through it all."
"No problem, Mom," Tara replied.
"I know you haven't had a lot of friends over the years." Tara's eyes shifted away. "But this is a new city with a new school," said Ashley. She gave a shrug. "Who knows what will happen?"
Tara turned her eyes to her mother's butterfly necklace and frowned slightly. She reached out and examined it. "Do you still talk to him?"
Her mother frowned. "No. We agreed it was best to stop communicating after you were born."
"...What was he like?" Tara asked, her eyes fixed on the necklace.
Ashley sighed. "He was kind, wise... stubborn," she said as she smirked at Tara. "And he cared very much about us." Her eyes shifted as she thought of a different topic. "Your birthday's coming up. Have anything in mind?"
Tara gave her a hopeful grin. "I wouldn't mind getting a dog."
Her mother gave her a smirk. "We'll see. Good night, sweetie."
"Good night, Mom." Tara smiled. Her mother turned off the light and shut the door as Tara curled up and fell asleep.
To Be Continued
A/N: Some time ago, I decided on my headcanon theory as to who Terra's mother was and why Terra lived in Markovia. Recently I thought of what would have happened if Terra had lived with her mother. This story starts in the early summer before season one of Teen Titans started. I also wanted to give a little backstory behind my choice of names for Terra's family.
Terra's mother in this version is Ashley Wolf, Wolf being her maiden name. Ashley is from the voice actress who voices Terra in Teen Titans and Wolf comes from Marv Wolfman, one of the creators of Terra from the comics. Terra's step-father is named Greg, fondly after Mr. Universe from Steven Universe. His last name is to be revealed later. Christie was mostly accidental, but I realized it reminded me of Chrisjen Avasarala, one of my favorite characters from the show The Expanse. James is the name of one of my brother-in-laws.
Special thanks to my husband for beta reading this story and coming up with the title.