Well, here's chapter three of "Resurrection:Phoenix Ascending." As before, I don't own any of these characters. Please read and review, and thank you all so very much!

Resurrection: Phoenix Ascending, chapter3: Regrets and Restoration

A collaboration between OobluebubblesoO and Nitebreaker

"OW, OWOWOWOWOWOW!" Beast Boy screeched as he ran in circles holding his backside. Terra sat on the boulder laughing away at his display as a crab dangled from his pants. They had been sitting, watching the ocean like they used to, skipping rocks and just talking. Beast Boy was ecstatic to fill her in on their adventures he had been on and some of his heroic and/or funny moments as well and she happily sat and listened, pleasing him with laughing at the appropriate times and comforting him when the conversation got dark.

But then he got this wacky idea to pull out a rare blue and yellow starfish for her to see, and ended up becoming a victim of a crab.

Tears budded in her eyes from the continuous giggles until finally she stood up and held his shoulders.

"S-sit still." She said, calming her breathing and making him freeze in surprise. With expert fingers she scratched the crab between its eyes and it released its grip, falling into her hand.

"There you go, little guy, Beast Boy won't hurt you anymore." She told the delicate little shelled creature. It huddled closer to her in response and she smiled as Beast Boy stuck his lower lip out in a pout.

"Go on home." She encouraged it and let it back in the ocean with a smile.

"Hey, Terra."

"Ye-UWAAAHHH!" she screamed only to have laughter follow it as she felt herself being tickled on her waist. She flailed about wildly trying to get away from her attacker.

"Stohahahahaha-hop! Beast Boy!" she laughed and squealed, she fell to the floor both of them in a laughing heap. Grasping the earth below her, she was prepared to shift a small amount of it into his face but, as she tried to use her power, a massive headache hit her, making her feel like her head was splitting in half, and she gasped, her laughter ceasing and making the blonde grasp her head in pain.

"Terra, I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Beast Boy asked in panic, she shook her head, the pain subsiding as she powered down and sat up.

"No, it's just. . . I can't use my power without getting this horrible migraine," she explained, rubbing where it had hurt a few seconds ago.

"Oh. . ." he answered, the breeze blew, adding to the awkward silence that followed afterwards. Terra blushed when she realized how close they were and she squirmed a bit to get out of his line of sight. Her heart thudded quickly in her chest and she felt butterflies inside her stomach.

'Woah. . .when did this start happening. . . ?' she asked herself, feeling the sudden self-consciousness in regards to her green friend and the need to brush her hair and check her face.

"So, uhm. . . what now?" Beast Boy asked curiously, sitting on the rock beside her and purposely looking away from her, trying to look natural.

"I'm not sure." She said, thinking of anything they could do. They had talked and had fun, ate and now they were watching the sunset together but the awkward silence. . well, it pretty much killed the mood; the happy-go-lucky aura they had about five minutes ago was gone. Or was it? Something had changed…

Her blue eyes flickered to the wild colors in the sunset, the bright pinks, the flaming oranges the deep reds and the daisy yellows that blended and reflected off the ocean blue surfaces in nature's beautiful show.

Subconsciously she scooted closer to her green friend as a chilly breeze brushed them; causing goose bumps to rise on her skin. She didn't even realize they were that close until their shoulders touched and both jolted in their spots as if they were electrocuted. Both stared at each other wide eyed; blushes crawled onto their cheeks.

But Terra broke it first. She began to giggle, which caused Beast Boy to smile then laugh as well. With a hefty sigh, she leaned against him full force and rested her head in the crook of his neck, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around him. She could feel his rapid heartbeat and her own mix together in a strange yet soothing rhythm, his arms awkwardly placed around her shoulders in a warm embrace. With a sigh of contentment, she wrapped her arms around his waist and continued to watch the sunset. The light humming of the ocean waves was like a sweet lullaby and their heartbeats and breathing had a soothing effect she hadn't had in so long.

Not too long afterwards she fell asleep.

Raven felt worn out, her head was pounding with a massive migraine and her limbs ached from being thrown in what seemed like every nook and cranny of the city.

Killer Moth finally went down, thanks to a very tiring use of one of her and Starfire's combo attacks. Robin was exhausted, and Cyborg was chipped and damaged in a few areas.

She hated to think it, REALLY hated to say it, but she wished Beast Boy had been there, to help them in that fight, but he was too busy caring for Terra as of now.

This seemed to intensify her headache as she thought of her and she tried to keep her emotions in check. She looked up and realized they had made it to the front of the tower and Cyborg punched in the code for entry.

All Raven wanted to do was shower and go to sleep, to end this day that was exhausting and full of never-ending surprises.

"Man, I'm starving." Cyborg mused, his stomach growled obnoxiously and Robin chuckled, agreeing with him. Starfire smiled beside them.

"I, too, am hungry, but what of our friend Terra?"

"I'm sure Beast Boy's-. . . hello." Robin said, his voice going surprisingly devious and Starfire giggled while Cyborg whistled.

Raven dared to turn her head in the direction they were directing their attention and then wasn't surprised to find Terra with Beast Boy. She was asleep on his lap, her hands on his chest, clinging softly as she slept as if to keep him there and her hair was hanging loosely around her porcelain face; said face was nuzzled into the crook of his neck. Beast Boy looked so out of place with his stiff positioning, blushing face and wide eyes while his hands kept on her shoulders.

"Any stupid comments and I swear I will bite you so hard," Beast Boy replied, turning his head to them and showing his anger and embarrassment through his green eyes.

"Yeah, but it's so tempting." Cyborg grinned and lumbered off towards the kitchen for his food. Starfire merely squealed with glee at the scene and a blush formed on her cheeks; Raven could tell what she was seeing rather than her green friend and Terra. Robin gave him a "thumbs up" and a grin, then went off to the kitchen with Cyborg.

"I don't want to wake her, but I need to get her to a bed, my legs are falling asleep." He whispered aloud and gave Raven a pleading look. But Raven's headache intensified almost to the point where she groaned. The dark Titan just turned her head and rapidly strode to the double doors and walked through, doing what she had planned earlier.

Beast Boy looked at the pretty blonde girl in his arms one more time before he decided to risk it and take her to her room to sleep. First taking her fully in his arms he got her firmly, then picking her up using his leg muscles. He'd been sitting there so long, his legs had gone to sleep, which made matters a bit harder. She was actually pretty easy to carry, he realized; she couldn't weigh a full hundred pounds, and probably less. Still, with his legs still half-asleep it would be a bit difficult.

"Uhm, I'm gonna take her to bed, then I'm hitting the sack myself," he told the two Titans stuffing their faces in the kitchen, Robin waved since his mouth was full and Cyborg just made kissing faces to the pair, which got him a childish flicking of Beast Boy's tongue at him.

Walking into her room he set her down on her bed and covered her with the comforter. She didn't even twitch at his movement and he smiled at that idea.

'She looks so cute.'

He sat down next to her, brushing stray locks out of her face and caressing her skin with his fingertips. He felt his heart speed up again, like it always did when she was last with them and he felt the urge to just kiss her.

Lying down next to her he just watched her face, listened to her breathing and reminisced on the good times.

He wondered what new adventures they would have now that she was back, and, yes, how he would win her heart. The teen deeply loved her, and he wanted nothing more than to know she felt the same.

As his thoughts wandered he didn't notice how heavy his eyelids felt, and how his breathing became slow until finally he was seeing his favorite foods floating on clouds in his dreams.

Waking up with a start, Terra's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when she saw a familiar green tint nuzzled into her, his face just a few inches from hers, and his breath warming her already hot face.

'Oh my gosh,ohmygosh,ohmygosh!' she panicked in her mind and frantically pulled away, more like tried only to realize that he had a grip on her like a vise. She held still and stopped her breathing, just sticking to her strange position and feeling a radiating heat from his hands on her hips.

"I think my heart's gonna drop outta my butt. . " she mumbled as it felt like her heart did somersaults and loop-dee-loops inside her chest. With a quick huff, she snaked herself back to her previous position and locked her eyes on the green boy.

And it was then that she realized the boy had grown a bit, his round face was now a bit longer, the baby fat gone and showing his cheek bones, his hair was still spiky and wild but just a little bit longer; he'd somehow fixed or outgrown the under bite a little, it wasn't as prominent. His lanky form was also no more; he had more muscle now, making his shoulders look broad and his torso show through the slightly tight fabric. Slightly? Hmmm, yes, it was deliciously tight…

In short, he was handsome; cute, yes, but he had grown into a handsome young man indeed, and she looked like a little girl next to him. She may be chronologically 18 now, but her body was still the same as it was two years ago and she was worried her growth would be affected by that. Would she ever fill out? Would she ever get the curves and the height?

"Mmmm, Terra. . . "the teen mumbled in his sleep, hugging her tighter to himself. The blonde girl blushed even deeper and realized after all this confusion:

She liked him.

She had always liked him, liked the extra attention he gave her, his small yet meaningful gestures and his constant encouragement when she was upset, but she was just now realizing that she liked him liked him.

Terra placed a hand on his cheek, her index fingers brushing under his eye and her nose brushing his softly.

She held her breath, she closed her eyes, and made her lips contact with his, just like she had wanted them to, on their first date, so long ago.

At first, he was unresponsive, he was ASLEEP, but after a few moments, his lips pursed up to meet hers, and the sensation made her insides skitter and her face heat up to fever temperature. She pulled away gasping; his grip had loosened a bit so she took that initiative to jump off her bed, run for the bathroom and lock the door.

Little did she know that while she was freaking out on the cool tile floor, a certain green Teen Titan had immediately sat up in bed and felt his lips, blushing all the while and staring at the wall in open mouthed shock. He'd just had the most awesome dream. Or…..was it a dream?

In the bathroom, Terra gripped the sink, fighting for self-control. Yes, she liked Beast Boy. Okay, she told herself, that's established. Nothing abnormal there; he'd been there for her so often before, and he was there for her now. Abnormal would be not liking him.

But….what was this strange feeling welling up inside her, seeming to come from every part of her being? The feeling of…of….wholeness when he was around, like she'd lost something vitally important and just now found it again. What was it?

And how could she make it last forever?

That last thought almost knocked her down. Last forever? Nothing lasted forever in her life. It was a miracle if something made it past five weeks.

Surely, the thing to do was to tell him that she appreciated him, liked him…but to go no further with that. It would only hurt him, and she wouldn't do that for the world. So, yeah, keep things on a friendship level, but, but nothing else. Besides. It wouldn't do to pass on her genes to the next generation anyhow.

Briefly, the image flashed through her mind, unbidden, of her and Beast Boy making love in his bed. She blushed crimson at the thought….

"And just who are you REALLY protecting, Terra?" Terra looked up in amazement. In the mirror over the sink, her reflection gazed at her accusingly, hands on hips. "Are you REALLY trying to protect Beast Boy, or are you just avoiding a situation you don't know how to deal with? In other words, running away. Again."

"I am not!" she responded, heatedly. "He deserves better! Look at me! My whole life is a train wreck, f'goshakes!"

"So. Gonna remain a train wreck, are we?" That brought her up short. Could she….was it possible to actually change?

Beast Boy was still sitting on Terra's bed when she emerged from the bathroom. He looked up in surprise. She looked like she'd been crying. "Terra? Are you alright?"

She sniffled, wiping her nose and brushing her hair back. "Yeah, I'm okay. Yes, I've been crying. I..I hope you understand..I've got a lot of crying to do. Don't let it throw you, Gar. It's, like, a girl thing. I've done a lot of horrible things, and they're catching up with me."

He went up to her and took her in his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder. "Terra. You don't need to cry. You're home, you're safe, and everything's okay."

"But that's just it. Everything's not okay. I've got this enormous load of guilt to work through. I have to do that; otherwise, I'll be stuck in the past. And my past is not a pleasant place." She looked up at him. "And now I have something to do. Something I have to do alone. So, will you bear with me?"

"You know I'd do anything for you."

"Then wait for me. I have to go see Raven."