First Fanfic =^.^=. Erm, no flames please, but constructive critism accepted. I also don't own Teen Titans (sadly...). BBxRaexT triangle. Character death? I'm not entirely sure.
Masked Trouble
1
Richard Grayson sat in his office, staring blankly at his computer monitor. His jet black hair was spiked in its usual style, making him look like a madman. If it weren't for his mask, his eyes would've revealed bags from a consistent lack of sleep, which would have further emphasized his crazy appearance. He took another big gulp of coffee from his mug before sighing and leaning back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head. He stared at the ceiling, which was a boring slate grey. I hate work, he thought. He sighed once again before returning to the façade that was his "leader mode", or as his friend and colleague Beast Boy would call it. Once he was finished filing the last of the new and honorary Titans' profiles, he stood up, turning off his monitor and turning away from his desk. Before the Boy Wonder could open the door, a cheery girl with red-orange hair and bright green eyes jumped onto him for a bone-crushing hug.
"Good morning, Boyfriend Robin!" she greeted him with a soft kiss. Robin smiled and returned her kiss. Once they let go, the redhead saw that he was tired. "Robin? Are you tired? Have you woken up earlier than usual?" she questioned. The spiky-haired male scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah. I just needed to update some files," he told her. The bright-eyed girl smiled. "Alright. If you are finished with the updating of the files, Cyborg has made some breakfast." Richard smiled at his girlfriend. "Thanks, Starfire. I'll be there in a sec."
Beast Boy waited outside of Raven's door, smiling at the small box he had in his hands. He'd gone out at the crack of dawn to the most expensive jewellery store to get his new girlfriend a gift for their three-week anniversary. He'd expected for everyone to be shocked that they'd finally gotten together, but in reality, they were relieved. It was as though everyone were waiting for them to fall in love. The green male jumped slightly when his love's door slid open to reveal herself in her usual blue cloak. She looked up at him and smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. He responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and returning the kiss, dropping the box in the process. Raven pulled away and examined her boyfriend's face. His hair had grown out to fall right above his eyes, which suited him a lot. His face looked the same, but it was apparent that he'd gotten older. He'd also managed to grow so much taller than she that she now needed her boots just to reach his lips. Without them, she would fit right underneath his chin.
Beast Boy nuzzled Raven's neck, smiling. Her now shoulder length hair smothered his nose, which provided him with the opportunity to inhale her wonderful and familiar scent of lavender. The love-struck changeling looked down and saw the small cobalt box lying on the ground. He gasped, releasing the sorceress and bending down to pick it up.
"What? What is it?" Raven asked with an eyebrow raised. Her boyfriend fumbled to keep the velvet cube within his grasp before looking up at her and grinning.
"Happy three-week anniversary, honey," he opened the box to reveal a gold and ruby charm bracelet that shined in the light. Raven gasped.
"Gar, you didn't have to get me anything. You already got me something yesterday," the empath giggled as her love stood up and hooked the accessory on her wrist.
"Yeah, but I couldn't resist," Beast Boy grinned again, wrapping his girlfriend in a passionate embrace and kissing her. Raven sighed and returned the kiss.
Cyborg was working on his car, as usual. He whistled to a song that he played on the radio, completely lost in his own thoughts.
"Hey, Sparky!" a familiar voice called. The half robot jumped, hitting his head on the front bumper. He carefully slid out from the bottom of his prized possession to view the love of his life walk towards him. He smiled.
"Hey, Bee," he greeted, sitting up. Bumblebee smiled back at him, bending over and lightly kissing his forehead. "How's my favourite tin man?" she asked. Cyborg shrugged.
"Fixing up my baby, Baby," he joked, rising his metallic shoulders with each chuckle. His girlfriend slid down so that she was sitting next to him and leaned back on the T-car, shaking her head. Her raven-coloured hair was tied up in its usual style in two puffs on her head. She wore civilian clothes which consisted of a yellow tank top, black baggy pants and white canvas sneakers. She looked at her boyfriend, who wore a simple grey hoodie and black sweats, all of it covered in grease. It had almost been a year since the two Titans had finally told the rest of their unison, but only a few months since Bumblebee had decided that she wanted to live with her boyfriend. Robin had protested at first, but the winged heroine had soon worn him down.
Cyborg had been, of course, thrilled to have his love stay with him instead of having to travel so far to see her. He always thought that his reuniting with his black-and-yellow wearing girlfriend was the inspiration for Beast Boy to pursue Raven, and smiled whenever he saw them together. Yeah, they're cute, he thought, looking at Bumblebee, but not as cute as us. He kissed his girlfriend's cheek and smiled.
"A banquet! That is what we shall hold!" Starfire exclaimed in joy, flying up in the air. Robin looked up at his girlfriend with a wondering expression on his masked face.
"What about a banquet?" Raven looked up from her book and past Beast Boy's arm, which was currently engaged in a video game of which the owner was losing. Since they'd started dating, the dark Titan had taken a liking to sitting in her boyfriend's lap whenever she was in the common room. Her feet sat right on top of his, and his chin sat right on top of her head. The rest liked to call them the "Seat" and "Sitter" for this. Starfire returned to eye level and clasped her hands together in excitement.
"A banquet! I have read that this is what is held when a large company or organization wishes for everyone to know each other." She looked at Richard, who seemed to be considering the idea.
"That's…not such a bad idea," he concluded. The orange-haired princess gasped in happiness and flew up again, this time twirling and flipping in the air.
"What's not a bad idea?" Cyborg asked, entering the room.
"A banquet," the Boy Wonder filled in. "Hardly any of the Titans know each other, even though we were all there when we fought the Brotherhood of Evil." The metallic being pondered this for a moment and then nodded.
"What if one was in trouble…" he started.
"In another's region without any sort of back-up plan," Robin finished. Raven's lips curled up into a speculative smirk.
"It can be a masquerade," she suggested. Everyone turned to her, making her blush slightly. "I think it adds mystery."
"But how will we tell who's who?" Beast Boy asked his love, looking down. Raven raised her chin so that she got a view of his eyes.
"That's just part of the fun," she smiled. Her boyfriend nodded seriously, causing her to chuckle to herself. Richard shrugged.
"Then it's settled. The Titans are having a masquerade banquet," he told his team.
2
It was the day of the banquet and everybody was preparing themselves. Robin was spiking his hair, Starfire was applying a fresh coat of lip gloss, Beast Boy was struggling with his tie, Cyborg was making sure that there wasn't any grease on his shirt, Raven inspected her freshly blown-out hair and Bumblebee smiled at her reflection, happy to get her normally unruly hair into something other than two puffballs. Once each Titan was finished, they all left their rooms and headed towards the bottom of their trademark T-shaped building. Starfire was the first to arrive, her pink sequined dress twinkling in the light. It was strapless and hugged her subtle curves until it reached her hips, where it fanned out until it touched the ground below. She wore silver-coloured heels and carried a matching clutch. Her hair was put up in an intricate hairstyle which consisted of a loose bun and lots of fresh curls. Her mask was also silver, only covering the top half of her face. She looked stunning. Suddenly, the doors to the ship room opened to reveal Cyborg in a light blue suit with a ruffled white shirt underneath. His mask was like Starfire's, only white.
"Hey, Star," he grinned and walked towards her, his metal feet echoing in the otherwise empty room. "You look great! Dick's really going to freak when he sees you." The alien smiled at her friend.
"Thank you, Friend Victor," she said. Soon after, Bumblebee and Raven stepped into the room, their dresses each making their own statements. Raven wore a black halter dress with no back that fitted her form until it reached her knees, where it flowed freely to the ground. She wore the bracelet that Garfield had given her a few weeks ago and accessorized it with her favourite broach, gold clutch and gold sandals. Her hair was parted down the middle as it usually was, but this time it flowed airily to her shoulders in a blow out that probably took hours. Her mask consisted of an embellished eye mask that was gold and covered in glitter. She held it to her face with a small metal rod.
Bumblebee wore a silky canary yellow dress with one strap. It puffed out from her hips and ended at her knees. She wore ankle-length black boots and carried a matching purse. Her hair was pulled into one neat bun right under her right ear, fastened with a yellow corsage. The mask she wore was similar to that of Raven's, only it was strapped to her face and black. Starfire gasped at her friends' outfits.
"Bumblebee! Raven! You are both looking most wonderful tonight!" she complimented. Raven smiled shyly and bowed her head, letting her hair fall in front of her face.
"Second," Cyborg grinned, taking Bumblebee's face and kissing her deeply.
"Third," Raven heard a voice by her ear and then felt arms wrap around her waist. Beast Boy grinned and playfully bit her ear. The empath blushed.
"Where's Robin?" Starfire asked everyone, who all shrugged.
"Probably applying more hair gel," Beast Boy joked. His girlfriend rolled her eyes.
"Or fixing his mask," Cyborg added.
"Or abusing caffeine," Bumblebee joined in.
"Or bitching about Slade," Beast Boy suggested again. Everyone laughed, which made the green Titan grin wider, only displaying his left fang, because of the mask he wore. It was a mask similar to the Phantom of the Opera, where it covered the right side of his face. In fact, his whole outfit seemed to fit the play. He wore a vintage-style black tux with a high collar and ruffled white shirt.
"Oh, I am hoping that he is not doing the bitching about Slade, for this is a night of fun," Starfire said worriedly. Cyborg rested a metal hand on her shoulder.
"It's fine, Star, he'll be here," he assured her while their leader walked in as if on cue.
"Sorry," he apologized, "Something…came up…" He was obviously lying, but nobody felt like calling him on it. Behind his own fancy mask, his eyes looked anywhere but at his teammates. He didn't want them to know that he was spending the better part of the hour fixing his hair. They would never let him live it down.
"Well, at least everyone's here now," Raven stated. Her pseudo-brother nodded.
"Then, let's get going," he announced. "Cy, where the T-car?" Cyborg's sole human eye widened as he remembered what had happened. Then, he grinned and took out a small red button from his coat pocket. He pressed the button, and as if from thin air, the T-car materialized in front of everyone. Only it didn't look like the T-car. This vehicle was black in colour and was as long as a limo. In fact, it was a limo.
"Complete with a built-in auto-pilot and mini-bar," said the metal being, grinning triumphantly. "Modified it myself."
"Cool," Beast Boy said admiringly, staring at the car in awe. Cyborg breathed on his hand and wiped it on his tuxedo.
"I know. I'm awesome," he said. Richard blinked behind his mask. "Well, let's get going then," he told everyone, who each slid into the long car.
The Boy Wonder had to call in a huge amount of favours to make the party happen. It was held on a Cliffside resort in a grand ball room. There were chefs who had to cater to everybody's restricted diets, decorators who'd spent the past week setting everything up just right, valet for every Titan with their own vehicle, live music, the works. He'd even consulted his old mentor on what to include in a banquet, seeing as how he'd never thrown one in his life. When it was all finished, Robin just hoped that everything would go as planned. It didn't.
Apparently, someone leaked the info on the masquerade to the press, who showed up right at the entrance of the resort. As soon as the limo got within eyeshot, the media pounced on the original Titans, cameras flashing. There seemed to be a red carpet with posts at the side laid out front. Starfire smiled.
"Are they here to attend the banquet?" she asked sweetly. Robin shook his head.
"If attend, you mean crash," he muttered, clearly annoyed. His love's face fell a bit before she leaned back in her seat. After a few beats, she shrugged.
"Well, if they must," she said simply, reaching over her boyfriend and opening the door, stepping outside. The crowd of paparazzi swarmed her, engulfing her in a tight circle of media-induced frenzy.
"Star!" Robin yelled. The crowd eased back to reveal the redhead untouched, posing for a picture. She turned back and grabbed her leader's arm, pulling him out of the limo. He stood awkwardly as his girlfriend posed beside him, linking her fingers with his. She waved her hand at the various cameras, forming a peace sign. Once the media was finished getting their shot, Starfire turned back to the open limo door and smiled at everyone.
"You must join us in the taking of pictures. It is most joyous and exciting," she insisted. Raven was just about to object, when Beast Boy took her hand.
"Awesome!" he stated, stepping out of the car and looking back at his girlfriend, who'd pulled away from him. He bent down so that they were nose to nose. "Come on, Raven, you look amazing tonight," he told her. The sorceress shook her head, clamping her mask back on her face.
"I-I shouldn't," she said, her hair shadowing her porcelain face. The changeling grinned slyly.
"Okay," he said non-chalantly. He waited a few seconds before quickly grabbing Raven and picking her up in his arms, carrying her out of the limo. She gasped, trying to fight to escape his grasp.
"Gar, no!" she hissed, feet kicking and arms flailing. Once the shape-shifter managed to get his girlfriend out of the vehicle, she was forced to calm down or look like a maniac. The paparazzi took a picture of Beast Boy nuzzling his love's neck while she frowned and held her mask to her face. She was set down to her feet, momentarily revealing her face to cross her arms across her chest. She frowned at her boyfriend, feeling more self-conscious than ever. Garfield just responded by kissing her softly, which the press instantly caught on tape. Raven blushed, but didn't fight back. A wave of awes escaped everybody's mouths. When they released, Beast Boy rested his forehead on hers.
"I love you," he whispered. The empath smiled and kissed him again.
"If you guys are finished with the lovey-dovey stuff, I believe we have yet to make an entrance," Cyborg interrupted, lightly pushing the kissing couple away from the door and stepping out with his own girlfriend. They proceeded to pose strangely at the many cameras that focused on them. Everyone laughed as Victor almost fell from his action pose. Once they were finished their photo shoot, Robin rubbed his hands together.
"Alright, everyone ready to make an entrance?" he asked. Every Titan nodded. Starfire beamed, taking her boyfriend's hand once again and pulling him towards the front door of the resort. After they were gone, Garfield looked down at his love, smiling.
"Ready to go?" he asked, holding out his hand. Raven looked from his face to his hand, sighing.
"I suppose," she wrapped her arms around his left and proceeded to walk down the red carpet and into the resort. Cyborg shrugged and closed the door of the limo, wrapping an arm around Bumblebee's shoulders. The valet walked towards them, holding his hand out to take the keys.
"Wreck my baby and die," the metal man warned the worried looking servant who gulped and walked to the front of the vehicle. Cyborg returned his gaze to his date.
"Let's give 'em Hell, Baby," he said, squeezing her shoulders and guiding her inside.
Everyone had made their entrances. Richard and Kory walked in hand-in-hand, flashing perfect smiles, as they were the Perfect Couple of the group. They stopped at the front of the ballroom entrance and searched the crowd for a group to join. They found some people and soon walked off to greet them.
Rachel and Garfield arrived second. The witch had her right arm linked with her boyfriend's left, while the other held her mask to her face. Raven leaned in and rested her head on Beast Boy's chest, surveying the crowd for any familiar faces. Once she'd found one, her eyes widened in delight as she lead her love to it.
Victor and Karen walked in together, doing a strange dance to the music. They were all oblivious to the many guests laughing and some had even joined in. They stopped at the door and looked around for people to talk to. Cyborg was just about to walk over to some familiar faces when Karen tugged on his arm.
"Vic, maybe we can hang alone?" she asked with an undertone of innuendo in her voice. Her metal man raised his eyebrows and grinned slyly, taking his lady's hand and wandering off to a secluded part of the resort.
Nobody had noticed a young lady with a full-faced cobalt mask and deep mahogany hair put in a high ponytail silently saunter into the room. She wore a long white empire-waist dress with a long train and deep blue accents. She entered without the scene that the Titans had created, so nobody had noticed that she'd come in. She drifted along the walls, careful not to touch anyone for fear of being found. Once she found a safe spot, she leaned against the wall and searched the room. Her eyes locked on a certain violet-haired girl and her green boyfriend and narrowed.
"Drink?" a waiter offered the girl as he made his way around the room. The girl pried her eyes away from the happy couple and smiled under her mask.
"Please," she accepted, taking a glass from the silver platter. The servant bowed and walked to a large group of people. The girl refocused on the couple across the room and felt the anger rise like bile in her throat. She gripped the crystal glass tighter and tighter until she heard a crack and felt the glass cut into her palm. Before anybody could notice her, she quickly put her injured hand behind her back and acted naturally. Don't go crazy now; she told herself, you'll soon have your revenge.
3
"Alright, listen up," Robin said into the microphone while standing at the podium. Everyone had already sat at their respective tables, waiting for their leader to continue. "As you may know, we've recruited a lot of new members to help us defeat the Brotherhood of Evil," he told everyone. In the back of his mind, he was dreading the entire speech. I hate speeches, I hate speeches, I hate speeches, he constantly thought. Shut up and continue your speech! He heard his bonded sister shout in his head. He gave her a mental death glare before continuing. "It has also come to my attention that you all need to know each other in case of emergencies. This is why we held this banquet. So, um…have fun and…stuff…" he murmured the last part before stepping down to the sound of applause. He walked over to Raven and bent down so that he was beside her ear.
"Next time, could you please not scream in my mind when I'm giving a speech?" he stressed. The witch turned to the Boy Wonder with innocent wide eyes and gasped.
"Oh, did I do something? You must be mistaken, because I was just sitting here like a good little girl," she smiled with fake sweetness dripping in her tone. Richard scowled and walked over to his seat next to Starfire.
"Robin, where are friends Victor and Karen? They are going to miss their meal," the alien princess asked worriedly. Beast Boy growled.
"I can smell them coming this way," he muttered, turning his head to his right and watching them approach the table despite his lack of peripheral vision on his right side. As they neared, the green boy was forced to breathe through his mouth. Raven and Robin snickered.
"Had fun?" the dark Titan teased, causing Wonder Boy to laugh harder. Karen blushed, taking a seat.
"Laugh it up," Cyborg told them, "I got lucky." Now Richard hit his head on the table from laughing so hard, causing his sister to burst out laughing as well despite her struggle to stifle it. Robin sat up, rubbing his forehead and forcing a serious face.
"Okay," he snickered a little between words, "Moving on." Raven silently laughed her head off, tears from stifled laughs running down her cheeks. He tried to glare at her, but it was only making him laugh. "R-Raven! S-Stop l-laugh – HAHAHAHA!" he burst out again. The Goth teen sat up and sniffled, dabbing her tears and returned to her neutral demeanour. There was an awkward silence before Richard spoke up.
"So, anyone um…Garfield!" he looked over at his gasping teammate, who was still trying not to breathe through his nose. "Any joke for us?" he asked. Beast Boy looked over at him, sucking in air through his teeth.
"Not" –gasp- "right" –gasp- "now" he struggled to say. Raven started to feel bad for her love, and rested her head on his arm.
Meanwhile, a certain red-haired girl in a blue mask had finished tending to her hand wound and took a seat at a table with a group of newly recruited Titans. She sat with her back to the corner and her face behind a large centerpiece so that nobody would know that she was there. She had a very good view of the couple she'd been watching earlier, and was watching them intensely. The girl leaned against her boyfriend while their friends chatting amongst each other and to them. This caused the masked girl to shake with rage. A large crack was heard in the large stone that was in the centerpiece, so the girl had to cool down. She flipped her hair, momentarily showing a bit a blond hair underneath the red. In due time, she reassured herself.
4
With the dinner finished, everyone was on the dance floor. Raven and Robin were trying not to dance, but it was apparent that the beat was getting to them. Garfield danced in a way that resembled a robot and a madman with a chainsaw. Starfire swayed from side to side, sometimes breaking the interval to twirl. Cyborg and his girlfriend danced together, laughing the whole time. Soon, Beast Boy felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Aqualad standing very awkwardly in the light looking back at him.
"Hey," he said a little stiffly. Garfield grinned evilly and wrapped his arms around Raven's waist for the millionth time that evening.
"Why, hello, Aqualad! Have you met my girlfriend Raven? Rae, honey, say hello to our good friend Aqualad," the jealous green boy exclaimed in fake glee as he hugged his love even closer. The girl shook her head.
"Hello, Josh," she greeted. The sea-loving hero smiled at her.
"Enjoying your evening?" he asked. The indigo girl nodded. "Good," he said, swallowing what seemed to be his urge to rip the live green blanket from around the half-demon's figure. "I'll let you get back to it." He stalked off to find his regional teammates as Beast Boy watched him with slicked back ears.
"I sense jealousy," Raven spoke up. "But I can't determine whether it was coming from you or from him." She took his arms from around her and spun to see him. She took his face in her hands and smiled. "Don't act like that," she whispered. "I love you, not him," She tilted her head up for a kiss. Garfield kissed back.
"Thanks, Rachel," he whispered on her lips. The witch smiled.
The mysterious girl clad in white stood in the control room and held the sprinkler system handle in her injured right hand. Her fingers drummed the handlebar, waiting for the right moment to spray the crowd. She had her eyes set on the blue-purple girl as she sweetly kissed her love, her eyes narrowing to little slits. She decided that that time was as good as any and pulled the lever, causing water to spray in every direction. There were screams of horror and outrage that came from the grand ballroom and powers from numerous livid Titans went off. The loudest scream was that of Starfire.
"Who has done this is surely going to pay!" the alien's eyes were glowing bright green, her used-to-be perfectly coiffed hair was now sticking to her skin. Her hands had developed bright green circles of light and were shaking.
The girl in the control room smiled at the spectacle, happy that it had brought the much needed distraction that she needed to move forward with her plan. She bolted out of the ajar door and into the ballroom of soaked superheroes. She darted along the walls, running the perimeter of the room until she found who she was looking for. She pulled out a small needle from her purse and shoved it through a head of soaking indigo hair. The unconscious girl fell backward, unnoticed by her boyfriend, and into the arms of the sadistic kidnapper, who dragged her out of the room without so much as a simple glance her way. Beast Boy turned and screamed.
"Raven? Where's Raven?" He frantically searched the room, but even with his incredibly good eyesight, he found nothing. The green teen started to get scared. "Okay, where the fuck is she?" he bore his fangs in anger and fear. Everyone looked around, but couldn't seem to find the dark girl.
"Shit," Robin cursed.
5
Raven woke up in the basement of the resort. She heard the boiler next to her rustle as it worked. She saw various holes either showcasing rats or dripping water on the floor. She smelt stale air coming from a vent above her head. She tasted metal. She also felt the worst headache in the entire world. The dark teen sat up, rubbing her temples. She felt a metal strip around her head, which scared her. I just need to calm down, she thought, closing her eyes.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she chanted over and over. She was almost in a meditative trance, but the door to the basement abruptly slammed open, revealing a red-headed girl in a white dress and blue mask. She held a butcher knife that was assumed to be taken from the kitchen.
"Hello, Raven," the voice greeted, her voice revealing her smile behind the mask. "Long time no see." The girl stepped in, the train of her dress following along.
"Who are you? Why am I here? What do you want with me?" Rachel blinked, keeping her gaze on the mystery dressed as an angel. The girl paused and turned to her hostage. She tilted her head, her red ponytail leaning with it.
"Oh, that's right. You have no clue who I am," the girl chuckled, pulling off her mask and wig, revealing a horrifyingly familiar blond. Raven gasped.
"T-Terra?" she stuttered. The mentioned girl stepped forward, smiling.
"Shocked?" she asked.
"H-How did you-"
"Oh, details, details. They're meaningless now. Although, I've noticed that you've gotten quite cozy with my boyfriend!" Terra shouted the last part, whacking the air with her knife. Raven jumped and then tried to summon a shield of dark energy, but nothing came. This caused the evil blond to laugh.
"You didn't think that I would try and kidnap you without taking your powers into consideration. Have you noticed the band around your head by the way?" she pointed at the metal on her prisoner's head, who gripped it again.
"You stopped my magic? B-But how?" Raven asked, desperately trying to free herself.
"Again, details. What is with you and details? Just chill out, Rae, it's okay," Terra whispered, walking over to the pale girl and caressing her face. Her eyes seemed to be examining her hostage as though contemplating something. The blonde's hand rested on Raven's right cheek and was joined by her left hand on her left cheek. The witch froze, wondering what Terra was trying to do. Terra tilted her head, still examining her specimen. Her long hair shadowed her face so that the only thing you could see were her lips. They curled up into a smile.
"You should relax, Raven, you're too tense," she whispered, gently stroking the empath's hair. Raven brought her hand up to bat Terra away, but the blond simply grabbed it and placed it on her cheek.
"What are you doing?" the dark Titan hissed, trying to pull away. The traitor instantly pinned her to the floor, screaming in sudden rage.
"You little bitch! You stole him! You stole my Beast Boy from me! Give him back!" Terra sat up, straddling the indigo demon and slapping her.
"I didn't steal him! You left him! You didn't love him, but I do!" Raven screamed, trying to hit her back, but the girl in white just kept grabbing her wrists and re-pinning her to the floor. Terra bent down so that they were nose to nose.
"Why does he have to love you? Why can't I be you?" she rested her head on Raven's shoulder, suddenly sobbing. The Goth looked up at the ceiling, wondering what was wrong with the psycho that was on top of her. Terra sat back up, wiping away her tears and brushing her hair out of her face. She stared at the girl beneath her with narrowed eyes.
"Look at you," she said, "So pretty. So perfect. So in control. Why can't I just…take your face and put it on mine?" she grinned with her eyes wide. Raven found this unsettling.
"What do you mean?" she asked, a montage of terrifying thoughts running through her mind. Terra jumped off of the sorceress and out of the room, making sure to close and lock the door behind her.
"Terra?" Rachel called. "TERRA!" She ran to the metal door, banging her fists on the entrance, but gaining no attention. She thought of using her communicator, but then remembered that she'd left it in her purse with Garfield. She sunk down to the floor and leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes and willing for the situation to become only a nightmare.
Beast Boy ran around the entire resort, turning over countless rooms and scaring various employees. He morphed into a large bloodhound and started running down the hall, barking for everyone to get out of his way. Numerous Titans were still worrying about their appearances, while others followed the green dog in search of his girlfriend.
Robin was also scared for his sister. He worriedly paced the ballroom, trying to think of some sort of plan. Starfire sat at a table, watching her boyfriend pace in tight circles to distract herself from her own worries. It wasn't working. Cyborg returned with Bumblebee, shaking their heads at the Boy Wonder who'd turned his attention to them.
"Nothing. It's like she disappeared out of thin air," the half-robot told his leader, who grew even more stressed than before. He ran a shaky hand through his damp hair and breathed. He was just about to say something when a very happy Garfield ran in with his love in his arms.
"Guys! Guys, I found her! I found Raven! She was on the fourth floor in a closet!" the empath giggled as the changeling jumped for joy with her in his arms before letting her down. Everybody gasped.
"Friend Rachel!" Starfire ran over to her indigo teammate and engulfing her in a hug that could crack a person's spine.
"H-Hello," Raven gasped.
"What's wrong with your voice?" Robin asked as he approached her. The dark girl blinked before answering.
"M-My throat is sore…" she told him. He nodded, believing it. Starfire let go of her friend, who returned to her boyfriend and kissed him on the cheek. "I missed you the most, Gar," she whispered in his ear. Garfield blushed and grinned.
"I missed you too, Rae," he wrapped his arms around her. He nuzzled her neck, but was puzzled by her strange scent. He pulled away from her with a confused look on his face. "Raven, are you alright?" he asked.
"Um…I…" Raven stammered. She thought fast, and fell into his arms. "No, I'm not. I-I feel a little sick." She looked up at the worried green Titan. "Can you take me somewhere where we can be alone? I need some fresh air," she batted her eyelashes, causing Beast Boy to blush deeper.
"Oh, um, y-yeah. Of course, Rae," he picked his girlfriend back up and led her to the balconies.
"Well, at least that's over," Cyborg said, feeling relieved.
Raven sat in a white dress in the basement, wanting to scream. She contemplated hitting the wall again, but the hole she'd made earlier had hurt her hand, so she decided against it. That bitch, she thought angrily. She stared at her bare feet, too small for the shoes that Terra had "lent" her. Terra had taken her clothes and even stuffed her bra to look like Raven. She'd put on pale Halloween make-up and had worn a blue-purple wig that looked almost uncanny to the witch's hair. She'd also put in deep indigo contacts to hide her own natural eyes. Once she'd finished, she left the poor half-demon to dress herself and wait in the dingy basement for who knows how long.
"Damn it!" Raven shouted, her voice echoing off the walls. Who knows what that bitch could have in store, she thought. Suddenly, she saw a rat run out of the hole she'd made and scurry along the wall. When it reached her it stopped and sniffed the air. Raven watched it for a moment before it quickly ran back into the hole, which cracked a little more when the rodent entered it. The sorceress suddenly thought of something that might be able to save her, causing her lips to curl up slightly.
6
"So, what happened?" Beast Boy asked his girlfriend, who had her arms wrapped around him very possessively. She looked up at him and smiled.
"I tried to clean up a little. I didn't know that you would worry so much. You're so sweet, BB," the witch kissed his cheek again. The green Titan shook his head, chuckling.
"You could've told me," he said, forming a serious expression in his face. "I was worried. I thought I'd never see you again." Raven closed her eyes, letting her mind wander.
"I love you, Garfield," she told him. Beast Boy rested his chin on her head, grinning.
"I love you too…Raven," he finished in a sweet whisper. This caused the blue-purple contacted eyes of the imposter to spring open, remembering that it wasn't really her that he was addressing. She looked down at her porcelain-painted hands and saw her wig fall to the sides of her face, glinting in the moonlight. Terra scowled. Soon, I'll be able to make him love me and not that she-devil, she thought in anger.
Raven continued to scratch at the now bigger rat hole. It was now large enough to fit her head, but not her shoulders. She tried to tear at the dry wall, but her fingers were starting to bleed. She leaned away, taking a break.
"When I get out of here, Terra is going to regret the day she returned from her statue form," the witch promised, sighing. She turned her stare away from her project and saw something shine in the dim light of the basement. She quickly crawled over to the object and noticed that it was metallic. When she reached it, she realized that it was the butcher knife that Terra had brought in with her. Maybe she was saving it for when she was going to kill me, Raven thought. Her eyes widened at a new idea that occurred in her mind. She took the knife and ran over to the rat hole. She raised the blade over her head and swiftly brought to the wall, cracking it near the hole. When she saw the damage that she'd done, she smiled to herself, and then started hacking away.
"Are you sure that's all Raven was doing after she disappeared?" Robin asked Beast Boy doubtfully. "Because we had someone check the bathrooms on each floor." Beast Boy shrugged. "Maybe she'd slipped out before anybody went in there."
"Then, shouldn't someone have seen her down the hall," Robin countered. Garfield just shrugged again.
"Maybe she was walking through a part that nobody had come to yet," he told his leader. Richard thought for a moment. When Raven returned, her clothes weren't soaking anymore. Her hair was fixed and her make-up was virtually gone, so the story probably might have stood a chance, but…
"But didn't you say you found her in a closet on the fourth floor?" Robin asked. Beast Boy looked at him thoughtfully.
"Hey…Yeah! I did! She was in the closet," he said. "B-But then why would she be in a closet if she only left to fix herself up?" Robin nodded.
"That's exactly what I was trying to tell you. Something's wrong with your girlfriend," he told his teammate. Cyborg came in just then, waving at them.
"Hey, guys! Check this out," he held out his arm, which displayed a small screen on a little compartment. It showcased some footage of the resort's washroom surveillance videos. Beast Boy winced, missing the entire point.
"Ew! Why would someone want to watch people use the toilet?" he gripped his stomach in disgust. Robin shot him a look.
"That's not it! Look at the footage," he instructed, turning his attention back to the screen.
"You see Rachel?" Victor asked them. Both boys shook their heads in shock.
"B-But that can't be! Rae said she was in the washroom! She would never lie to us, would she?" he looked at his leader with a worried expression on his face. Robin leaned away, shaking his head.
"I don't know what to say. I guess we'll just have to ask her," he said, walking out of the room. Beast Boy's ears fell in sadness as he took a seat on a stray chair, looking at the floor. Raven couldn't lie to me, he thought, she must not be feeling well. Yeah, that's it! She's just stressed, so she can't remember much. The green boy swallowed and tried to make himself believe his thoughts.
Raven/Terra leaned against the wall with Starfire, humming something to herself. She had a feeling that the others were getting suspicious of her, but as long as she had Beast Boy on her side, they couldn't accuse anything of her. Or so she thought.
"Hey, Raven," Richard called, approaching her. The witch imposter looked up to find the black-haired male standing in front of her. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" he suggested. Raven/Terra eyed him for a moment before agreeing.
"What is it, Robin?" Starfire asked innocently.
"Just want to ask Raven a few things," he told his girlfriend, who nodded and returned her mind to whatever it was she was thinking about before. Robin motioned for the pseudo-Titan to lead the way down the hall. Once they were out of ear shot of everyone, the leader spoke up.
"Raven, is there something wrong? Something you're not telling me? You know you can tell me anything, right?" he asked with a worried expression on his face. Raven/Terra cleared her throat and nodded.
"O-Of course, Robin. I'm fine," she told him. Robin pressed his lips into a very fine line.
"You know, your story doesn't quite make sense," he said. The fake empath widened her eyes.
"How? I was in the washroom trying to get myself dry," she stuck to her story. The Boy Wonder shook his head.
"Then, why was there no sign of you in the surveillance footage," he asked accusingly. Terra silently gasped.
"What footage?" she asked incredulously.
"They have security cameras all over this place. There weren't any shots of you in the bathroom, Rachel," he said. "Now, if you can't really remember what happened to you, we can have Cyborg take a look at your head," he suggested.
"No!" fake-Raven almost-shouted, startling the leader.
"Look, Raven, we know something's up, so it's either you cooperate with us and seek help, or we'll have to force you," he stood over her, his shadow darkening the area around the painted-phony. She gulped, feeling as though he already knew she wasn't his sister. Her eyes gleamed with a sudden unreadable emotion in her eyes.
"I-I can't!" she cried, darting past the spiky-haired hero and down the hall. Raven/Terra passed Starfire, who straightened as she watched her friend run down farther and farther away from her.
"Where is friend Raven going?" she asked her boyfriend, who was now in pursuit of the running indigo girl.
"I don't know, but we need to catch her," he shouted over his shoulder, prompting the red-haired alien to follow him by flight.
Robin picked up some speed, carefully cutting corners as closely as possible to keep from losing momentum. He kept his sister in his sight, pulling out his communicator.
"Beast Boy! Cyborg! Raven is running away. I don't know where and I don't know why. I think something's very wrong. You guys get the rest of the Titans to search the place. Contact me if you hear anything. Robin out," he slipped the device back into his pocket before turning another corner and losing his target. Goddamnit! He mentally cursed.
7
Raven walked through the crawlspace of the lower floor of the resort. She yelped a little when she encountered some rats gnawing on something she'd rather not know the origin of, but otherwise kept calm. She gratefully thanked her half-demon decent for leaving her the gift of night vision, seeing it as the only gift it had left her. She saw a steeply-slanted platform that seemed to carry to the floor above her. The witch managed to get her bare feet steady on the platform and proceeded to climb up to the next floor.
Once she reached her destination, she sat and contemplated what she was going to do next. She suddenly heard voices coming from the other side of the wall that she leaned on. The dark girl gasped, turning towards it and banging on it.
"Hey! Hello? Someone help! Please, I'm stuck in here," for a moment, there was silence, and Raven thought that the people had simply passed without acknowledging her pleas.
"Move away from the wall!" a familiar voice commanded on the other side. Rachel gasped again.
"Argent!" she yelled.
"Raven?" the voice called back. "Raven, move away from the wall! Wildebeest is going to ram it!" The empath quickly moved away just in time to escape the impact of the animal-resembling being's assault on the wall. He had its head in the wall and looked around to see the dark girl sitting far away from him. He smiled.
"Hello," he greeted. The Goth waved before the beast pulled his head out of the hole, making a big enough exit for her. Argent peered through, smiling.
"Hello again," she said in her accent. Raven ran out and hugged her friend.
"Holy shit!" she exclaimed. They pulled away.
"Who put you in there?" Argent asked, tilting her head.
"Terra," the indigo-haired demoness confided. The Australian Goth's eyes widened.
"That crazy traitor?" she asked. Rachel nodded.
"Uh-huh," she said. "I woke up in the basement. She stole my dress, my shoes and then left me there." Argent stepped back, taking a look at Raven's dress for the first time.
"Well, it does suit you. Wear white more often," the empath rolled her eyes at her friend's joke.
"Let's get serious. I have no idea what that bitch has in store, but it's going to end," she declared. Just then, Wildebeest's communicator went off. He answered it. Beast Boy's voice filled the now silent hall, making Raven's heart flutter.
"Wildebeest, have you seen any sign of Raven?" he asked with obvious worry in his voice.
"We have her here, if that's what you mean," Argent spoke up before the beastly teen could respond. Beast Boy gasped.
"No way! W-What, did you have to c-contain her?" he strained to asked. He clearly hated thinking of his girlfriend being held anywhere.
"No, we found her trapped in the crawl space of the first floor at the back of the building. Meet us here," she told him.
"Alright. We'll be there," Beast Boy shut off his communicator with a somewhat hopeful feeling in his gut.
"What did they say?" Cyborg asked his anxious friend.
"They have her," Beast Boy sighed, walking down the hall, leaving Victor and Karen to follow him.
Robin ran down the hall, Starfire flying above him. Raven was once again in their sight. She looked back occasionally before picking up speed and turning swift corners.
"Friend Rachel, please! We wish to help you!" Starfire pleaded.
"Raven, I really don't want to hurt you. Just stop and we can help you with anything. I swear," Robin also pleaded. The blue-purple being just ignored them and continued to run. What the fuck? The leader asked himself as he picked up speed. Then, his communicator went off.
"Yeah?" he answered. A very happy Beast Boy appeared on the screen.
"Dude, I found Raven! Well, Argent and Wildebeest found her, but that's beside the point. The point is that she's here!" he grinned. Richard stopped dead in his tracks, eye bulging underneath his mask.
"What?" he scream-asked. Starfire was starting to slow down, but Robin motioned for her to keep moving. Once the alien was off to retrieve the half-demon, Robin returned to his communicator.
"I'm like serious now! I really found her! She was in the crawlspace," Beast Boy's grin widened impossibly further. Robin blinked, still confused.
"B-But Star and I were just running after Raven. Starfire just turned the corner. H-How did she-" before the leader could finish his question, the little screen on the communicator sparked, sending little bursts of electricity out to its holder. "Shit!" Robin cursed, throwing it to the ground. It snapped in two and seized to spark. The Boy Wonder just looked at the little device, blinking in shock.
"TERRA?" Garfield exclaimed, eyes bulging out at his girlfriend. She nodded.
"Yes. She stole my dress and all my clothes. I don't know what she's doing with them though," the dark Titan told him. She watched as the green boy paced the hall, frantically trying to think of some other explanation.
"No, no. It can't be her. Wasn't it you? I saw you. Everyone saw you. You said you were just fixing yourself up after the sprinkler fiasco," Beast Boy said. Raven furrowed her eyebrows.
"No, you were probably with Terra at the time, which would explain her running from Robin and Starfire when they tried to help her, er, I mean, me," she said. Beast Boy looked at her again and then remembered something. He quickly walked up to her and hugged her, breathing deeply into her hair. He smelt the familiar lavender scent caress his nostrils. The changeling pulled away, gasping.
"It was her!" he stated. "You smell like lavender. When I hugged you slash Terra, I didn't smell the lavender." He ran a hand through his hair. "How the Hell did she break free from that statue?"
"I don't know, guys, but look here," Cyborg spoke up, motioning for everyone to come closer.
"What is it?" Raven asked.
"Check the footage of the grand ballroom," he pointed to a figure clad in white with a long red ponytail dangling from her head that stood on a wall far from the Titans. "Rae, isn't that the dress you're wearing?" Raven took a closer look at the somewhat small screen.
"Hey, yeah! That is the dress! How did she get into the banquet in the first place?" she hissed.
"She just walked right in and ran along the walls. Nobody noticed her. That's strange," Cyborg played more of the footage. It showed Terra slipping through the entrance of a room.
"Wait, where'd she go?" Beast Boy asked what everybody was thinking. After a while, the sprinklers went off, so everything was a bit blurry. Various light beams and weapons were thrown in every direction, making it nearly impossible to see anything. Screeches from Titans were also heard in the footage. All of a sudden, a white blur appeared from a dark space. It darted back across the walls and seemed to hit something black. The black thing fell and was pulled away by the white thing. Beast Boy's voice was heard screaming Raven's name before a green light beam hit the camera, prematurely ending the video. Everybody stared at the blank screen in horror.
"What…" Raven started.
"The…" Cyborg continued.
"Fuck," Beast Boy finished. Argent whistled.
"Wow. That chick is nuts," she concluded. Wildebeest and Bumblebee huffed behind her.
"Where is she now?" Cyborg asked.
"Well, Robin said that he and Starfire were chasing her, but then his communicator died," Beast Boy said sadly. Cyborg pressed some of the buttons in his arms. There was a pulsating tone emanating from his metal appendage.
"Okay, I got Star's signal. She's on the west wing on one of the balconies," he told everyone.
"Well then," Bumblebee said, "Let's go catch us a psycho."
8
"Raven," Starfire called out with her arms out in front of her. The dark girl stood on the rail of the balcony, looking down at the alien. "You do not have to do this. We only want to help you."
"You can't help me," she said softly. "Nobody can help me. Just leave me alone."
"Please, friend," Starfire pleaded again. "You must seek help! This is not a solution!" She took a careful step forward. The indigo girl lifted one foot off of the rail, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't you dare come any closer," she said with ice. The alien princess froze.
"Okay, Raven. That is alright. Please, take heed though. This is not right," she tried again. Raven shook her head.
"What does it matter? The guy I love is in love with another girl," she sniffled.
"Friend Beast Boy is in love with someone else?" Starfire gasped. "How do you know? Who is it?" Terra realized her mistake and cleared her throat.
"N-No one," she said.
"Friend Rachel, please do not hide it. Is this why you are attempting the suicide?" Starfire took a few more careful steps towards the imposter.
"I told you not to come any closer!" Terra screamed. Soon, rocks from the cliff started to rise. Starfire took a step back.
"R-Raven?" she tried.
"Stop calling me that!" the pseudo-sorceress screeched. The rocks were above her head now, floating menacingly. "I hate it when everybody calls me Raven. Raven, Raven, Raven! Is that all you people care about? I look up at the guy I love and does he say my name? No! He says Raven! That she-devil hardly even smiles, let alone pays him any attention. The last time I was here, all she did was hit him. Now she's sunk her demonic claws into his skull and brainwashed him! Why can't he love me? WHY?" By the time Terra was finished her speech, the rocks had already come down. On Starfire. The alien girl was pinned under a rather large grey stone, coughing.
Robin had finally managed to find them. He yelled when he saw his girlfriend injured.
"Star!" he ran over to her and started to lift the boulder.
"I am alright," she told him. "I am just…winded?"
"Yeah, you got it," he said as he pushed the rock off of her. He looked up at the girl who stood on the railing and widened his eyes.
"Holy shit…Raven, what are you doing?" he screamed.
"Leave me alone!" she screamed back at him. Richard stood and tried to approach the witch, but she just did the same thing as before and lifted a foot off of the bar. He froze.
"Rachel, listen to me. We can help you," he said soothingly.
"I'M NOT RACHEL!" the dark girl screamed again. Just then, a green blur ran past the door, and then turned back and entered the balcony.
"Terra!" Beast Boy yelled upon entrance. Robin and Starfire whipped their heads to look at him.
"What?" they screeched in unison. Raven ran in next, holding her long white dress in her hands. She came to a halt beside her boyfriend, panting.
"You bitch!" she screamed.
"Raven?" Robin screamed. He looked back and forth from Terra to Raven, completely confused. The rest of the search party ran in, all of them panting.
"Okay, what the fuck is going on here?" the leader asked.
"That's not Raven!" Beast Boy stated, pointing at the girl on the railing. "It's Terra!" Everyone turned to look at the fake demoness in shock and horror.
"T-Terra?" Starfire repeated. The afore-mentioned traitor lifted a hand to take off the blue wig, revealing long blond strands. Each Titan gasped.
"Fine," Terra whispered. "It is me."
"How did you do it?" Robin asked.
"She set off the sprinklers," Cyborg answered. "Once we were distracted, she shot a needle full of anaesthetic into Raven's skull. Rae fell back and Terra pulled her away, unnoticed."
"She also put a metal brace on my head so my powers wouldn't work," Raven scowled, touching the headband that handicapped her.
"Well, there's only one thing left to do," Robin said. He looked up. "Titans, Go!" All the heroes raced towards the blond girl with full force. "Beast Boy, take Raven somewhere safe." Beast Boy nodded and picked his girlfriend up in his arms, quickly exiting the balcony.
Terra looked at the group of angry people that were rushing up to her. Then, she closed her eyes. She took one last breath, and then leaned back, falling off of the rail.
"Star! Grab her!" Robin instructed. The red-haired girl nodded, flying over the edge and swooping down to catch the fallen traitor. Terra saw Starfire coming and shifted in her position, pointing her head down and falling vertically. Before Starfire could catch up to her, she fell into the mist of the water at the bottom of the waterfall near the cliff. The alien stopped just short of the watery fog, gasping. She closed her eyes, a sole tear of pity running down her cheek, and flew back up to meet the others. When she arrived on the balcony, the others were awaiting her result.
"The traitor Terra is no more," she said in dismay.
"Okay. One, two, three!" Cyborg pulled on the metal brace on Raven's head for the fourth time that day.
"Ow! You're pulling my skin!" Raven screeched at him. Victor released.
"Sorry. Let's try this again," he said.
"Hurry! My arms are hurting," Beast Boy whined, gripping the empath's right arm.
"Shut up, Beast Boy!" Robin hissed, holding the left arm. "We have to get this thing off of her. If not, she'll be useless in missions."
"Thanks for your concern, Richard!" Raven said sarcastically. The Boy Wonder ignored the jab, nodding at Cyborg to try pulling again. He pulled the brace, while the other two males pulled on her arms, trying to separate the brace from its prisoner.
"Hey! I think it's loosening!" the metallic man announced.
"Good! Now pull harder!" Robin ordered. A snapping sound was heard, and everyone went sprawling in opposite directions. Beast Boy, Raven and Robin all rolled to the far wall and hitting their heads, ending up in a sitting position. Cyborg slid towards the entrance of the common room, the brace in his hands. All four groaned in pain.
"Are you victorious in the removal of Raven's head brace?" Starfire asked from where she and Bumblebee were seated on the couch.
"Yeah," Robin said, wincing at the throbbing pain coming from his head.
"Ugh! I think I have whiplash! Not to mention a concussion," Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head, feeling sorry for himself.
"At least it's off," Raven said in her famously monotonous voice, her fingers rubbing her temples. Cyborg stood up and looked at the thing that had caused everyone so much trouble. He shook his head.
"Well, let's get this thing into the lab for further testing," he said, walking through the door and into the hall. Raven stood up, staggering a bit due to her recent head injury. She wandered over to the kitchen to make herself some tea. She felt her head pound in tune with her heartbeat, her vision blurring. The pain soon stopped, and the dark Titan saw some of the mugs in the cupboard shake with black magic. She willed for them to stop and they did. She smiled softly, realizing that her powers had returned to her. She finished making her beverage and sat at the breakfast table instead of joining the others on the couch. She was greeted by her boyfriend, who was still rubbing his head.
"Hey," he smiled. She smiled back at him.
"Hey," she said. He took a seat next to her and took her into his arms, inhaling deeply. When they pulled away, he grinned at her.
"Just making sure that it was you this time," he told her. Raven laughed and kissed her love on the cheek.
The End
