A/N: I had to look back at my other stories and use some of the dialog and events to keep this story consistent with the others. I apologize in advance if my story sounds similar to anything that other people have written. I don't own Teen Titans or any songs mentioned. Please accept my apologies for deleting the other stories relating to this one, for they don't match up with what happens in this story. I might update them and put them back on, but if I don't then don't worry about it. Enjoy!
Terra's Journey
"Hey, Tara, what's up?" asked the red-headed girl. Her face was filled with concern. "Are you feeling okay?"
Tara looked up as she picked at the food on her tray. She had been quiet all day. "Yeah, Carmen, I'm okay," she said with a weak smile.
"Are you sure?" asked the African American girl. She looked concerned as well.
"I've just had a lot on my mind lately," said Tara. She continued to pick at her food; she wasn't hungry.
"Oh, you mean Brat Boy?" asked Carmen with disgust. Her friend next to her rolled her eyes.
"It's Beast Boy," Tara muttered sadly, but her friends didn't hear her.
The blonde haired girl frowned as she thought about the green Titan. She couldn't stop thinking about the last time they had talked. He had wanted so badly for her to be the person that he thought she was. She didn't want him to know that she was, in fact, Terra the former sixth member of the Teen Titans. Ever since she had been revived from her stony prison, she had given up being a superhero. She found a foster family that took her in and she was now attending school and had new friends. Terra wanted Beast Boy to forget about her and to move on. She believed that he deserved someone better; someone who wouldn't hurt him the way she had. Her friends noticed that she was upset and tried to get her mind off Beast Boy.
"Forget about him, Tara," said Grace, her African American friend.
"Yeah, he's a loser anyway," said Carmen.
"Maybe you guys are right," Tara sighed. "Then why can't I?" she thought to herself.
Meanwhile at Titans Tower, Beast Boy was laying on the top bunk of his bed in his room thinking about Terra. He thought about the last thing she said to him the last time he saw her:
"Things change, Beast Boy. The girl you want me to be is just a memory... You go. You're the Teen Titan. That's who you are. That's not me. I'm not a hero. I'm not out to save the world. I'm just a girl with a geometry test next period, and I haven't studied."
Beast Boy sighed as he replayed the memory over and over in his head. Did she really no longer care about him? Was she really willing to just forget about being a superhero, and everything that she had, just so she could live a normal life? Sure, there were some things that she obviously would never want to cross her mind again, but was he one of them? As much as Beast Boy hated to admit it, Slade had been right. She really didn't want to remember him, the Titans, or the fact that she had superpowers and was once a superhero. While Beast Boy was in his room thinking about Terra, the rest of the Titans were in the main room talking about their teammate. They talked about his behavior and how he hadn't been himself since the last time he allegedly saw Terra. He had been depressed for days and his friends were worried about him. Each had tried to cheer him up and get his mind off Terra, but they all had failed.
"Please, isn't there anything else we can do to help him?" asked Starfire with worry.
"I wish there was, Starfire," said Robin with a sigh, "but we've tried everything."
"How do we even know it was really her?" asked Cyborg. "I mean, the girl turned to stone."
"There's only one way to find out," said Robin determinedly.
The four Titans walked through the dark cavern that had once been Slade's lair and was now just a cave of memories. They reached the room where Terra's platform stood, and sure enough the statue was gone. The Titans gasped in shock and bewilderment.
"Terra's statue is gone," exclaimed Starfire.
"But the question is how," pondered Raven.
Robin studied the platform. The roses that they had left were gone, but the plague still remained. Cyborg scanned the area but came up with nothing. The Titans returned to the tower with more questions than answers. How had Terra been revived? Where was she now? Why didn't Terra want to be found? Who was responsible for her revival? They returned to the main room as they tried to solve their many unanswered questions. As they thought, Beast Boy came into the room and went to the fridge. He got out a root beer and nodded a "hello" to his teammates. As he left the kitchen, he accidentally bumped shoulders with Raven's. She suddenly saw visions of Terra in a school uniform and talking to Beast Boy.
"Sorry," said Beast Boy in a depressed tone.
"It's okay," said Raven softly as she and the other Titans watched Beast Boy leave the room.
Raven could sense the hurt that Beast Boy was going through. The others were right; they had to do something for Beast Boy, and soon. Raven thought about it until she had an idea. She decided it was worth a shot and silently went to her room. The next day Raven went to Murakami High School and stood on the other side of the street. There, she saw a girl with flowing blonde hair and big blue eyes, and a body that was almost too skinny to be healthy. Raven couldn't believe it. Terra was alive. Just then, the bell rang, and Terra and the other students went inside. Raven teleported herself into the school and kept an eye on the blonde girl as she followed her to her locker. Once the bell for class rang and everyone was gone, Raven slipped a letter into Tara's locker and left. After her first class was over, Tara went to her locker to get her books for her next class. As she opened her locker, a letter fell out. She noticed that the letter had the name Terra written on the front as she picked it up and opened it. Tara assumed that it must be a letter from Beast Boy. Her eyes widened with shock as she read the note.
Dear Terra,
I know who you really are, but you don't need to worry; I'm not going to tell anyone. I just wanted to let you know that I know why you didn't want Beast Boy to recognize you. You were afraid and ashamed of the person you once were, and you were upset that you couldn't control your powers. But, Terra, please, don't force Beast Boy to move on and to look for someone else, because there is nobody else. Nobody else completes him the way you do. You are the one he needs.
Signed, a friend
Once she finished reading, she put the letter safely in her locker, took out a book, and locked the door. She decided to keep it safe until she could take it home and deal with it later. At the end of the day she got the note out of her locker and slipped it into one of her books. She walked home from school with her two friends until they went their separate ways. Tara got 'home' and grabbed a snack from the refrigerator as she went to her room. She studied the letter as she tried to think of who could have written it. It couldn't have been from Beast Boy since it didn't come from his point of view. After an hour of trying to figure out who the writer was, she still had nothing. She gave up on it and focused on homework. The next day, Tara was hanging out with her friends in the front of the high school after school was over when she saw Beast Boy on the other side of the street. She remembered the letter and wondered what would happen if she went over and talked to him. Tara cringed and said good bye to her friends as she walked across the street toward the green changeling.
"Hi," said Tara unsure of how he would react.
"Hi," said Beast Boy. "Sure you want to be seen with me?" he asked in an icy tone.
"Okay, I probably deserved that," Tara said to herself. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for being so hard on you. And I'm sorry for making you get your hopes up about me being that girl."
Beast Boy shrugged as if it was no big deal. "Do you want to walk to the park, or do you have to go home?" he asked trying to change the subject.
Tara decided to give him a chance. "I guess a walk would be nice," she said with a shrug.
They walked to the park as the sun started to set. Beast Boy mostly talked about Terra and all the good times he had had with her. Terra's heart filled with guilt and shame. To her, the Terra he knew was a lie.
"Terra isn't good enough for you, Beast Boy," Tara tried to tell him. "You need to move on."
"But I can't move on," Beast Boy argued. "Terra is the only girl for me. You have to be her."
"You don't understand. Terra caused nearly hundreds of natural disasters costing nearly thousands of people their lives. She was more trouble than she was worth. Besides, she betrayed the Titans to Slade. They would never accept that traitor," Tara said with her back towards him.
"Terra, you're not a traitor, you're a hero. And I know you didn't mean to cause all those accidents. We've all made mistakes. Why can't you just accept that?" exclaimed Beast Boy.
Terra became angry as she turned around and yelled at him, "Listen, I've told you before, you've got the wrong girl! Now just LEAVE ME ALONE!"
At that moment, the ground shook violently for about a minute. Once the ground stopped shaking, Beast Boy stared at Tara flabbergasted. "Wrong girl, huh?" he growled. Terra's eyes widened with fear and she started to run as fast as she could. Beast Boy realized his mistake and ran after her. "Terra, wait!" he cried as he struggled to catch up with her, "I promise I'll listen to what you have to say! Just stop running and talk to me!" Terra came to a halt. They sat down on a rock as Terra told Beast Boy about everything had happened and why she didn't want to be a hero.
"But why, Terra?" asked Beast Boy feeling hurt and confused. "It's who you are. Why did you want to give it up?"
"I felt horrible about what I had done to you. And I was just sick of fighting. That's why I was so willing to stop the volcano no matter what the cost. I just wanted to make things right and to end the fighting. After I was revived, I realized that I couldn't face you. You don't know what I've been through. I have destroyed so many lives and I've hurt the five best friends I've ever had." She looked at Beast Boy sadly as he gave her the same look. Terra stood up and closed her eyes. "You deserve someone better, Beast Boy. It's for the best." She raised her hand and summoned a piece of earth. Beast Boy grabbed her other hand.
"No, Terra, wait," Beast Boy pleaded.
Terra looked over her shoulder solemnly. "I'm sorry, Beast Boy." She pulled her hand away from him and jumped on the piece of earth. Beast Boy sadly watched her leave and resisted the urge to follow her, for it would only drive her away even more.
The next day, Tara went to school feeling miserable about what had happened the night before. She kept getting strange looks from her friends and teachers for her odd behavior. Tara looked depressed, distracted, and out of sync. She couldn't stop thinking about Beast Boy and what to do now that he knew who she really was. Every so often she looked around to see if Beast Boy was there, but he wasn't. Tara knew that she couldn't live this way, and that she had to make a choice. She could stay at school, forget that the whole incident with Beast Boy ever happened, and live life without him. Or she could go back to the Titans and try to become a hero again and lose two great friends and the chance to live a normal life. However, with everything that was going on at school, she couldn't think straight. She decided that after school she would find a quiet place to think. Finally, the last bell rang as the students hurried out from their classes and headed home.
Tara let out a sigh of relief and went to go put her books in her locker. She walked outside, said good bye to her friends, and went in search for a quiet place to think about her choices. Tara walked to many different areas trying to find some place she could be alone, but couldn't find one. Then the thought of Titans Tower came to mind. She knew that she would have to be careful and very quiet to avoid drawing attention to herself. Tara decided that she had no other option, and summoned a rock and headed towards Titans Tower while making sure that she went unnoticed. As she headed towards the tower, she hadn't counted on Beast Boy being in his room. He was looking for something in his room while listening to "Where'd You Go" by Fort Minor on the radio.
At last he found what he was looking for: Terra's silver butterfly hair clip. He had held onto it after Terra had left it behind. Memories of the day they first met flooded his mind as he stared at the clip in his hand. Beast Boy continued to stare at the hair clip as he leaned against the window. As he glanced out the window to look at the ocean, he noticed what appeared to be a young blonde haired school girl flying on a rock and heading towards Titans Tower. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief as he saw Terra head for the roof of the tower. Beast Boy put down the clip and headed for the roof. Once Terra reached the roof, she set the rock down on the rocky shore below and sat on the edge where she became lost in thought.
"I can't run away again." she thought to herself, "That would only hurt the people that have cared about me: my friends, my family, the Titans... and especially Beast Boy." Suddenly, the thought of Beast Boy brought a flood of tears to her eyes. She thought about all the hurtful things she had said and done to him. Terra pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she started to cry. "Oh, gosh, Beast Boy, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. How can you forget everything I've said and done to you? How can you not hate me? Oh, Beast Boy, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I... I love you, Beast Boy. I've always loved you, and I still do. I can't believe how STUPID I was for not realizing it sooner. I guess I was just too scared to admit it. I don't know what to do. If I return to the Titans, I'd lose my two best friends, and the family that took me in. However, I stay at school and live a normal life and forget that this whole this ever happened, I'd lose five of the greatest friends I've ever had, especially Beast Boy."
Then suddenly, the door to the roof of the tower creaked open, as Terra lifted her head and turned around. She froze as she saw Beast Boy standing by the doorway with a bewildered look on his face.
"Terra, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"I wanted to be alone so I could think," said Terra. "And this was the only place I could think of."
"Mind if I join you?" Beast Boy asked.
Terra shook her head as he sat down beside her and she explained her dilemma. "I don't know what to do, Beast Boy. If I stay with you and the Titans, I would lose my two best friends and my family. Yet if I go back to living a normal life, I'd lose the Titans… and you." She sighed with discouragement as she covered her face with her hands. "Beast Boy, I don't know what to do and I can't decide."
"All I want is what's best for you and what makes you happy," Beast Boy told her, "even if it means me having to let you go. It's your choice, Terra. Only you can decide."
Then at that moment, Terra realized that she didn't want to let go of Beast Boy, and she kissed him on the lips. At first, Beast Boy was startled by Terra's spontaneous action, but then he relaxed. Terra pulled away and looked into his eyes with love.
"You make me happy, Beast Boy," she said with a soft smile, "and the truth is… I love you. I don't want to hurt you anymore."
Beast Boy could see the hurt and guilt in her eyes as he leaned in and kissed her back. Now it was Terra's turn to be surprised. He looked her in the eye, her big, blue, beautiful eyes.
"I love you too, Terra," said Beast Boy. Tears filled Terra's eyes and she wrapped her arms around him. They hugged for a few minutes until Beast Boy gently pulled her away and looked into her eyes. "Now, what do you decide? Do you want to stay with the Titans, or do you want to go back to living a normal life?"
Terra thought about it until she finally came to her decision and looked Beast Boy straight in the eye. She had a confident look on her face. "I want to be a Titan again."
"Are you sure?" Beast Boy asked, wanting to make sure that this was really what Terra wanted.
"Yes, I'm sure," said Terra with a smile.
Beast Boy hugged her with excitement and they went to announce the good news to the other Titans. In the main room, the Titans were wondering where Beast Boy was. Suddenly, the sliding doors opened and Beast Boy and Terra walked it. Everyone froze as they stared at Terra. Starfire was the one to make the first move.
"TERRA! Oh, we have missed you! You remember us, yes?" she exclaimed excitedly as she flew up to her and embraced her old friend.
Terra choked on a laugh. "Of course, Starfire," she coughed, "how could I forget?"
"It's good to see you again. So, what's up with the uniform?" asked Robin.
Terra had them sit down on the couch as she explained her story to them. She told them everything that she had told Beast Boy and more. Terra told them about where she came from, how she got her powers, all the accidents and natural disasters she had causes, what had happened between her and Slade, and how she was revived. She also told them about her foster family and her friends at school and how difficult it was to make her decision. After she had finished telling her story, the Titans literally welcomed her back with open arms. They told her that they were honored to have her back as a team member, and that they would work as hard as they could to help her control her powers. As the Titans celebrated Terra's return, Raven pulled her aside.
"Terra, could I talk to you for a moment?" asked Raven.
"Sure," said Terra.
The two girls went to the hallway to talk. "I wanted to let you know… I wrote that letter to you. And I meant every word of what I said," Raven told her.
"Really, you did?" asked Terra feeling teary-eyed. Raven nodded. Terra was at a loss for words. Then she hugged Raven without warning.
Raven looked startled. "What was that for?" asked Raven.
Terra smiled sheepishly. "For being such a good friend and for reminding me of what was really important to me. Thanks."
"Don't mention it," smiled Raven. The two friends went back to the main room to join the others.
The night was filled with stories, apologies, tears of sadness and joy, food, and laughter. As the Titans started to wind down, Beast Boy remembered that he had something that belonged to Terra. He went up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and gave him a smile.
"Hey, Terra, could I talk to you for a sec?" asked Beast Boy.
"Sure," replied Terra and she followed him to his room. "Wow, your room hasn't changed a bit," she said with a joking smile as she looked around.
Beast Boy found the hair clip and held it behind his back. "Okay, close your eyes and open your hands." Terra did as she was told. Beast Boy held the clip in front of him. "Ta-da!" he exclaimed as Terra opened her eyes.
She stared at the hair clip with astonishment. "Beast Boy, how did you ever…?"
"I found it after you left it behind the night you ran away," explained Beast Boy.
"And you've kept it… for all these years?" asked Terra.
"Yeah, I was going to give it to you, but I lost it and almost completely forgot about it. I'm sorry I hadn't given it to you sooner."
Terra shook her head. "No, I'm glad you kept it. It was something for you to remember me by. This really means a lot to me," she said as she pulled him into a hug, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," he said as he received the hug.
That night, Terra called her foster family and told them that she was spending the night at a friend's house. She spent at least an hour looking around her old room before she went to bed. Terra found her heart-shaped box that Beast Boy had given her on the night of her betrayal. She placed her butterfly clip inside the box to keep it safe before she went to sleep. The next day Terra decided to have a meeting with her two best friends and her foster family. She told them about who she really was and that she had decided to rejoin the Teen Titans. At first, her family and friends were shocked, surprised, and a little sour that Terra had lied to them.
"So, basically all this time you've been lying to us?" asked Carmen coldly.
Terra lowered her head with shame. "Yes," she replied sadly.
"Is there anything about you that we thought we knew was true?" asked Grace harshly.
"Well, I was telling the truth when I said my name was Tara. It was the name I had before I became Terra." The two girls looked at each other with their arms crossed. They were pretty mad that Tara or Terra had lied about who she was. Terra let out a sigh. "Look, I don't blame you for being mad at me for lying to you. It's just I didn't want the Titans finding me or anybody knowing who I was. I wasn't exactly a hero last time the city saw me. But I'm willing to start over and let you get to know the real me if you're willing to give me the chance. So will you forgive me?"
Carmen and Grace looked at each other again and nodded. They turned to Terra. "Okay, we forgive you," said Carmen.
Terra smiled and hugged them. "Thanks, you guys, this really means a lot to me."
She thanked them for all that they had done for her and promised to visit them. As the days went by, Terra trained almost every day to control her powers. Sometimes she lost control, but every time she did she got better at controlling them. Terra was introduced to the other Titans and she quickly became friends with them. She had nightmares about Slade and her betrayal once and a while, but Beast Boy was there to help her. Shortly after her return, Terra and Beast Boy started dating. Terra realized that Raven was right; she was really the only one for Beast Boy. Just as Beast Boy was the only one for her. And she knew that she was finally where she belonged.
The End
Special thanks to my co-writer ELIE101 and my beta readers ComixFan1224 and teentitan'sgirl for helping me with this story and to all the people who inspired me. Thank you so much! Hope you liked it.