FOUR

Back to X Land

" …three, two, one," Terra finished. There was a delay of maybe another two seconds, then the sphere of energy reappeared as suddenly as it had vanished. It collapsed to reveal David standing at its center.

"Did you miss me?" he asked with a grin.

Terra just laughed, and the Professor asked, "How long were you just gone?"

"Only a couple of hours, actually. A brief visit with the Titans, then a brief visit with B.B. He lives in San Francisco now." Terra looked confused, and he quickly explained his current situation, on hiatus from the Titans and living the college life. Terra looked relieved.

"That's good," she said. "Actually, I think that's excellent. As much as I want to see him, I'm really not sure about seeing the rest of them."

The Professor put in, "Terra, you know you must face these demons eventually. The question …" He paused and turned to David. " … is are they ready to face her?"

David looked at Terra thoughtfully for a moment. "Raven says she is prepared to accept your apology, but that might be it. The other's seemed more willing to give you another chance."

"Well …" she started softly. "I can deal with them later. Right now …" she paused and flashed a big smile. "I'm off to San Francisco! When can we leave?"

"Just to avoid jetlag and other such bothers, let's leave this evening, seven o'clock." He paused and looked around the room. "Where's a clock? What time is it here? Should be a little after one o'clock if I stuck the landing."

Terra looked a little confused as she glanced at her watch. "A little after one, yeah. Stuck the landing?"

David just laughed. "Teleportation-speak. Actually, there's something I ought to take care of first. Shall I pick you up here at, say, six-thirty?"

Terra clasped her hands and squealed with excitement. "I'm going to see B.B.!" she exclaimed. "Oh, my God, wow." She suddenly looked concerned. "What am I gonna wear? My God, what am I gonna say to him? Um …" She looked to David. "How long am I staying?"

"That's up to you. Through the weekend, if you like."

"Wow. Three days with B.B. That's … what should I pack? Where will I stay? What am I gonna wear when I meet him?"

David couldn't help laughing. "I don't think he'll care what you're wearing. He's really excited to see you again, too. And I'll give you some cash for a hotel room, if you need it. And it's two days, by the way. We'll be arriving Friday night."

Terra looked confused. "Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, it'd actually be better if we left here tomorrow, too. But we don't have to, if you want to leave tonight." Terra still looked confused, and he continued, "See, it causes all sorts of temporal confusion, jetlag being a big one, if I don't stick to a synchronous time-cycle between worlds. But we don't have to stick to the same day. We can leave here tonight and arrive there tomorrow night, you'll just need to reset the date on your watch, 'cause you'll be gone from here for three days, but only there for two."

"Weird," Terra muttered.

"Yeah, time travel's hard to get used to. So should we plan on doing that, then?"

"What, tomorrow? No, I'd like to leave as soon as possible. I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if we put it off."

David just said, "All right."

"So you're picking me up again at six-thirty? Where are you going?"

"I want to go talk to Ray again. I didn't really get any alone time with her before."

Terra nodded. "You two are close, huh?"

"We were eight years ago. We reconnected briefly when I met you seven years ago, and I'd like to go reconnect again now."

"Right. Tell her …" she started. "Tell her …"

"I think there are a few things you need to tell her yourself, Terra. I think I've done all I can. And right now, I'd like us to talk about us, ya know?" he finished with a grin.

She smiled, too. "Right. You two were … 'close,' before …"

David shook his head. "Not quite, Terra. She was still a kid at the time. But she's not anymore, and … well … we'll see what happens."

Terra started to reply, then looked to the Professor, who was behind his desk, listening to them while flipping through paperwork. "I'm so sorry, Professor," she started. "We're just standing here chatting in your office."

He just smiled. "I haven't kicked you out."

"Well, anyway, I'm going to go," David said, fishing out his magic pen again.

"Wait, um …" Terra started. "Where are we meeting B.B.? What are we doing?"

"Dinner at seven, at a restaurant in downtown San Francisco. You like seafood?"

She laughed. "I love it. So we'll start with your basic dinner date, and go from there. Good. What should I bring?"

"Just pack a change of clothes. I'll help set you up with a hotel room for the weekend."

She shook her head. "I can't see B.B. letting me stay in a hotel if he's got his own place."

David looked at her more seriously for a moment. "Don't rush into this too foolishly. It's been seven years, he's grown up a lot. He may not be the same sweet little B.B. you remember. Give this time, let yourselves get to know each other again."

"David is right," the Professor put in. "Don't set your expectations too high. You can't count on this being love at first sight all over again."

Terra was thoughtfully silent for a moment. "I guess you're right. We'll just have to see what happens."

David continued, "And I need to take my own advice, too. I'm about to go try to start something with a girl I haven't seen in seven years, either. Got to take it slowly."

"Good luck with that," she said with a smile. "I hope you two hit it off. Again."

"You, too, Terra," he replied, returning her smile. "Right, then. I'm off." His pen quickly enlarged into a staff, then the head exploded into a glowing green sphere. "See you in a few hours," he said over the energy sphere's hum.

"David," Terra started. "Um … thank you. For everything."

"My pleasure, kid. See ya." The sphere imploded and David was gone.

"Wow," she muttered, turning to the Professor. She re-processed everything that had just happened for a moment, then exploded with a much more enthusiastic, "Wow! I'm seeing B.B. again! Oh my God, wow!"

The Professor couldn't help laughing at her exuberance. "I am happy for you, my dear, but do please remember that you've both changed a lot over the years. Don't rush this."

"No, you're right. Of course, you're right. But still … wow! I've got to go pack! Oh God, I've got to go tell Kitty! She's gonna freak!"

The Professor laughed again. "Go on now, Terra. Let me know before you leave."

"Right. Thank you, Professor," she said as she started out of the office. As she closed the door, he heard, "Kitty! You're not gonna believe this!" as she ran off down the hallway. He again laughed gently as he turned his attention back to his paperwork.