Resolutions pt. 1: Who's Your Daddy?

Author's note: Like many of you, I was VERY disappointed in "Things Change". What follows is the first chapter of my way of "correcting" that episode. This also forms part of the backstory for my other TT fic, "Home Fires Burning", which is stalled until I finish this.

"Terra! Come on! We gotta go!"

" I have to stay."

"No!"

"I'm the only one who can stop it."

"Please, Terra, you can't! It's too late!"

"It's never too late."

"Miss Wilson?"

"Wha?"

Tara's eyes snapped open. Everyone in class was staring at her. "Well, nice to have you back with us, Miss Wilson." the teacher said, as everyone tried to stifle giggles. "I know pre-calc isn't the most exciting way to spend the afternoon. However, daydreams won't be getting you into the Ivy League, will they."

"Uh, no, ma'am, Tara acknowledged. "I'm sorry."

"'Sorry' won't get you into the Ivy League either. However, what WILL is the ability to demonstrate this proof for the rest of the class. And I'd like to see you afterwards to discuss these attention problems of yours."

Sighing, Tara ignored the muffled snickers of the rest of the class and approached the board.

The goatee'd man with the light bulb on his chest floated in mid-air, his feet perched on a solid platform. Next to him, a small bald-headed boy with a spider-legged backpack was slicing through the wall of the First National Bank.

"Excellent, Gizmo," Dr. Light said, rubbing his hands together. "Soon, I'll be richer than Bruce Wayne, Lex Luthor, and Bill Gates combined!"

"'I', Dr Light?" the floating dome-brained man in the purple robe said, eyebrow raised.

"Ah, yes," Light said nervously. "'We.' I meant 'we.'"

"Don't care about the money," said a figure in orange-and-gold armor. "I jus' wanna blow somethin' up."

"Sorry, Neutron," said a voice from above. "The only thing getting blown is..."

"Let's... not go there," another, female voice deadpanned.

"Ah..." Light said. "The Titans have arrived. But this time... you'll find the advantage mine. Fearsome Five... ATTACK!"

The massive giant known as Mammoth tackled Cyborg. Neutron, a human atomic warhead, targeted Starfire. Raven found herself once again locked in a battle of wills with the mentalist Psimon. And Robin himself was waylaid by Gizmo.

"That's it!" cackled the Five's leader. "Show them they're no match for Doctor Light and his Fearsome Five!"

"This is nuts," muttered Raven. "Normally I'd have already kicked his butt by now."

"We wouldn't be having this problem if Beast Boy didn't keep flaking like this," reminded Cyborg "Where is the little grass stain?"

"You haven't touched your pie, hon," the waitress told the green boy.

"I'm not really hungry," Beast Boy answered. "I just... like to look at it."

"Huh. Whatever," the waitress answered.

Beast Boy had been coming here a lot ever since that day. The day he'd been rejected by the first girl he'd ever really loved. This place was the only one where he could still feel close to her. But sometimes, those memories grated like an annoying electronic beeping noise... oh, wait, that was his communicator.

"Uh... hi?"

"Yo, Beast Boy, where the hell are you? We're gettin' our butts handed to us!"

"Sorry... I, uh, kinda lost track here."

"Well, get your lime-green ass over here 'cause I ain't about to lose to a buncha guys who work for Doctor Light!" Off-screen, someone knocked the comm away. The next one to pick it up was a grinning bald kid with goggles. "Don't bother gettin' up, Beast Boob," Gizmo razzed, "We can handle these kludgeheads just fine without you." With that, the pint-sized genius cut communications.

Great... now everyone thinks I'm a flake, thought Beast Boy. I'd better go help them... maybe that way, they won't kick me off the team.

"That's it, struggle, fools!" bellowed Doctor Light as the Titans grappled with his teammates. "It will all be in vain, for you are nothing compared to—"

He was cut off as a green rhino charged onto the scene, plowing into Mammoth and knocking him into the wall. The rhino quickly morphed back into a green-skinned human in black and violet. "Uh, sorry I'm late," he said sheepishly.

"We'll talk later, Beast Boy," Robin scolded as Gizmo was knocked off by the freed Cyborg's sonic blast. "Right now, help the others."

"Please," Starfire interrupted. "I could very much use some of the help, yes?" she requested as she dodged Neutron's radiation blasts. Robin quickly hurled a birdarang at the flying figure, which froze him solid upon detonation.

"Help... right.." muttered BB. He morphed himself into a peregrine falcon, launched himself into the air, and, mid flight, switched to the form of a starfish, clamping down tightly on Psimon's face.

'Thanks," Raven said, her gaze turning towards the instigator of the battle. "Well... wanna try this again, Doc?" she asked, a rare grin marking her features.

"You... uh... you're all on your own!" was his answer, as he bolted.

"So much for our 'fearless leader'" groaned Psimon as Beast Boy and Starfire restrained him.

"Okay... so, Beast Boy," began Robin, "Mind telling us what's going on?"

"Please, sit down, Miss Wilson," began the teacher. "We can begin as soon as... ah,"

In walked a distinguished-looking, well-dressed man in his fifties. He had snow-white hair and a goatee, and there was a patch over his right eye (an old war injury, he said). Oh, no, thought Tara. They called in Daddy.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Wilson," the teacher said. "Please, have a seat."

"Thank you," he answered, smiling. "And please... call me Slade."