Quick A/N: Wow. Just wow. Here I am, throwing a pity party for myself, when I have 10 followers, 8 favorites, and another review! (Wait, should I count your reviews, N0raDrake.? IDK, cause you're my friend.) I am so oblivious. Sorry everyone for the wait. I haven't had any inspiration anyways. And I'm trying to work on rewriting the first three chappies (changing the format a little, making them longer/expanding on them, making them more fluid, etc.) (actually, not really, whoops! I revised BTW instead. LOL O.o).
Thank you so much! Having been on FanFiction for a while now, I finally get the stupidity of looking at reviews for support. Even though reviews would be much appreciated (hint, hint).
I hope this chapter somewhat makes up for the long absence.
N.B.- In this chapter, italics means a flashback. Bold still equals thoughts.
WARNING- This chapter contains mildly violent descriptions. If you are sensitive in regard to such things, please take caution if you proceed to read this chapter.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Titans. Never have, never will (probably).
For you!
. . .
Chapter Four: What Happened?
Beast Boy was in a fitful sleep ever since the moment he hit his pillow, his dreams plagued with visions of Terra.
There she was, eating pizza and laughing with all of them.
Dozens and dozens of pizza boxes stood in tall stacks around the table the Titans were sitting at. They were, of course empty. (I mean, what did you expect?)
Even though Raven had her nose buried in a book, the others were clearly enjoying themselves, laughing with each other. Cyborg stood victorious with one leg on the table as Starfire, giggling, lifted his arm above his head. Robin put his head on his arms wearily as he waved a white flag slowly back and forth, a sign of his surrender as he lost the pizza-eating contest.
Beast Boy, slumping as he sat on the bench, wearily gripped Terra's shoulder as she stood in front of him, looking like he was about to be sick from eating too much pizza. She used the hand on her other side to grasp his arm gently as she chuckled.
There she was, eating some of Star's Tamaranean food.
"Might you now wish to partake of my homemade glork?" asked Starfire innocently.
"NO!" shouted the others in horror, attempting to save Terra's stomach from whatever concoction Starfire had whipped up this time.
Terra paid no attention to their warning and gulped down the greenish, translucent, pink-root-filled, gelatinous dish all at once. She pondered it out loud.
"Tastes like sushi mixed with ice cream." She gave the plate a long lick before eagerly continuing. "Got any more?"
Starfire nodded, clearly delighted. "I shall go cultivate the fungus!" she said, nodding as she floated, then dashed away, the other Titans still freaking out all the while.
There she was, stopping Mumbo Jumbo all on her own (although it was mostly unplanned).
Mumbo Jumbo kicked open the doors to the bank, each of his hands gripping a sack of money. He cackled gleefully as Robin and Beast Boy chased after him.
Suddenly, however, he was hit by a giant stone fist rising out of the ground and he flew up into the air, some of the money he stole escaping his bags and fluttering down to the ground. The Titans looked up at him, surprised.
Terra looked up at him as well, surprised at what she had accomplished, when Robin let out an excited, "Yes!", punching his fists into the air.
Beside him, Beast Boy also punched the air, saying, "Go Terra!" as Robin waved back and forth in a celebratory dance. She laughed happily.
There she was, sitting by his side on the Ferris Wheel.
Beast Boy slid over on the seat to be at her side. "So. . . what made you change your mind?"
The smile on Terra's face disappeared. "Excuse me?" she asked in a high voice, turning around to face him.
"About going out with me," he replied with a small smile. Then he smirked devilishly, making his eyebrows go up and down. "It was the ears, wasn't it. Chicks looooove the pointy ears." To go along with that statement, he wiggled his ears playfully.
She chuckled. "Actually, it was because. . ." Her smile faded once more. "Of all the things I could've done today, I realized all I really wanted to do was spend time with you." A small smile came onto her face as she said it.
Beast Boy smiled back at her. "Lucky for me you didn't have any other plans."
She turned away and lost her smile a third time. "Beast Boy, if you knew something bad about me, would you still be my friend?" She turned her eyes in his direction.
"Of course." He grew serious as well.
"I mean, if you were really my friend, I could tell you anything. And no matter how horrible it was, you'd still like me, right?" Her voice faded off at the end 'till it was barely more than a whisper.
"Yes," he replied, in an "of course" tone. "I promise, Terra. No matter what." He went over to her, and they both leaned in, closing their eyes, on the verge of a kiss. . .
There she was, crushing the giant scorpion with a smug smirk on her face.
Terra made a small noise in what seemed to be fear as she pressed against the rock face of the cliff, turning her head away from the beast above her.
Suddenly Robin appeared, ever ready to assist a person in need. But just as he shouted, "Titans, go!" and the others appeared behind him, the earth shook.
The girl who appeared to be the damsel in distress looked up with glowing yellow eyes, flying blond hair, and a sinister smile on her face.
The natural rock bridge slowly detached from the cliffsides and slowly floated up, before coming down with a crash on the giant black scorpion, poised to strike at the girl below. As Terra enacted this maneuver, she raised her arms and yelled out with effort, "Euuuuurghhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhuuuh!, then slammed her fists downwards.
As the Titans wondered at her, she raised herself on a boulder to meet them at the top of the cliff. As she jumped down, she put her hands on her hips, her yellow hair swinging as she turned her head from one side to the other. She questioned them sassily, "What? Haven't you guys ever seen a superhero before?"
There she was, heroically giving her life to save Jump City from the volcano.
"Terra!" He grabbed her shoulders. "Come on, we gotta go!"
She responded solemnly with her head bowed. "I have to stay." He helped her stand up.
"No . . ."
"I'm the only one who can stop it."
"Please, Terra, you can't! It's too late!" he tried to plead with her.
She smiled and brushed her hair from her eyes. "It's never too late."
His eyes watered, and Terra suddenly drew him into a hug.
Her eyes watered as well, losing her somewhat cheery disposition. "You were the best friend I ever had." She pressed her face into his shoulder for a moment, then broke away. And he stepped back, and she used her powers to break off the earth he was standing on and bring it to the entrance of the cave. He watched her sadly as he was moved away, and she stood straight on the rock in the center of it all. Soon, all the Titans ran out, and Terra's body began to glow a bright shade of yellow. Molten rock began to break out and flow more rapidly as she closed her eyes, looked down, and gathered her strength. Slade's mask melted along with the liquid rock.
Terra stretched out her arms and looked upwards, a beam of yellow light ascending from her. Then, as her hair began to flow out, she clenched her teeth, squeezed her eyes more tightly shut, and balled her hands into fists, letting out a scream of effort that echoed throughout the volcano.
"EUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
There she was, standing next to Slade, admitting to being his apprentice and having sought his aid.
Mirrors enclosed her on every side, all reflecting her terrified, anxious face. She turned in all directions, but could not escape the look of fear. She collapsed onto her knees and sobbed. "Beast Boy, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. . ." she whimpered. "I never meant for any of this to happen."
She looked up, wide-eyed, as he approached. "They why did you let it?"
"I don't know, okay?" she responded, rising shakily to her feet. She held one hand to her head, resting atop of her disheveled hair. "I don't know." She lowered her hand. "Slade- he helped me save me from myself." She extended her arm as her voice turned to a whisper. "He said I owed him, but-"
He cut her off coldly. "So it was all a game?! You were just pretending?" He pointed an accusing finger at her.
She replied, eyes still wide. "No," she whispered. Her voice rose. "You said you'd be my friend no matter what, remember?" she reminded him desperately. She reached out to him, but he scowled and turned away sharply, and she drew back her hand in shock.
He turned his head back to her as he said coldly, "Slade was right. You don't have any friends."
Her face showed shock and horror, the whites of her eyes swamping her blue irises and black pupils. Her hair still fell haphazardly over her face, and her mouth was open in a saddened frown, her eyebrows drawn together. She then backed up as Slade spoke. "Apprentice, come." When she was in front of him, she hung her head and closed her eyes. "We've had a change of plans." Then she looked up and opened her eyes, frowning angrily and just as sinister as Slade's voice, but with the undertone of revenge in it. The master and apprentice backed up and slipped into the shadows, leaving him to grieve and brood alone in the darkness.
There she was, destroying each of her friends, one by one, with absolutely no regrets.*
"My name is Terra. And I have done horrible things.
"I have sworn to serve a dark master.
"I have obeyed his every command and committed crimes in his name.
"I have betrayed and attacked everyone who used to be my friend.
"One by one, I have destroyed the Teen Titans.
"And with no one left to stop me- I have brought an entire city to its knees.
"My name is Terra. I have done horrible things.
"And I have absolutely no regrets."
There she was, denying her history as a Titan, slowly backing away from him, and retreating further into the hallway.
"Maybe you don't remember, but I do. You're my friend. You're a Teen Titan." As he stepped closer and extended his hand to her, she clutched her books to her chest and backed away.
She lowered her arms. "You're wrong."
"You don't belong here, Terra."
"Stop calling me that!" she interjected in frustration. Her face drew together with a look of annoyance as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
"It's who you are."
. . .
"Come with me . . ."
She shook her head. "You go. You're the Teen Titan. That's who you are. That's not me. I'm not a hero . . . to save the world." She looked down at her feet, then, after a pause, looked up and began backing away. "I'm just a girl with a geometry test next period, and I haven't studied."
The bell rang, and all the classroom doors opened. The flow of students broke free, and in a moment, she was gone.
There she was, saying, "Things change . . ."
"What do you want from me?" she asked
"Why can't things just go back to the way they were?" he begged. "You were so happy then."
A moment of silence.
"Things were never the way you remember. Now just leave me alone."
"Here. Take this." He grabbed his communicator from his belt. "In case you're in trouble. In case you need me." He held it out to her. "You can call me anytime."
"I don't need it."
"But-"
"Time's up." She turned away and began to walk down the hall.
"Terra. . ." he pleaded despondently.
She stopped walking and lowered her head, closing her eyes. "Things change Beast Boy." She turned back to him and looked him in the eye sadly. "The girl you want me to be is just a memory."
Things change . . . Things change . . . Things change . . .
Crash. A muffled sound like shattering ceramic cut through his restless sleep and jolted him fully awake, loud to his sensitive ears. Sitting up, he rubbed his neck and yawned. Swiveling his ears towards his door, he heard the sound of a hiss and soft muttering. Stupid fingers. I should have used my powers . . .
Deciding to investigate, he got up, stumbled out of bed, and walked through the hallway to the common room, nearly tripping twice before he arrived. Rubbing his eyes blearily as he entered, he said, "Raven?" He looked towards the kitchen, having guessed that Raven had dropped her tea mug.
The sorceress was currently at the sink, getting a wet paper towel. On the table near her were ceramic shards, sitting in a shallow pool of tea. She was using her powers to get a dustpan and broom to sweep up the broken mug. However, when she heard Beast Boy say her name, her head shot up, startled, and all her movements paused. Even her powers abruptly stopped.
"Oh, Beast Boy," she said after a moment, turning back and resuming her work. The quiet sound of the rushing sink water made the atmosphere a little more comfortable.
"Need any help?" he asked, walking over.
"I'm fine," she replied, walking over to the spill. She reached out a hand to pick up one of the larger pieces when Beast Boy suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist. Tugging it gently towards him, lifting it up to his face.
"You're hurt," he said with a frown, just the hint of a tiny growl in the back of his throat. Looking down at her hand, he observed the angry red covering her hand. It started at the middle of the back of her hand, then blossomed out to her fingertips, painting her hand in a sort of artistic flower, complete with a small piece of ceramic as the center.
"It's nothing." She tried to dismiss it, beginning to draw her hand back. "I can heal it later. It's just a burn, anyways."
"Heal it now," Beast Boy insisted as he held onto her wrist, preventing her from hiding it behind the folds of her cloak.
"Fine," she sighed, and she hovered her left hand over her burned one. A soft blue light emitted from her palm. Beast Boy watched as the little piece of mug floated over to the trash can, and the bright red on the back of her hand faded back to its normal pale gray.
"There. Happy?" she asked, sounding mildly annoyed.
"Yeah," he said.
"Now can you please let go of me?" She frowned at him.
"Oh! Yeah, sorry." He quickly released her wrist and rubbed his neck sheepishly. He then made use of his hands, and carefully began picking up some of the larger pieces of the mug.
"Thank you," she said quietly, using the wet paper towel to wipe the tea off the table. "What are you doing out so late, anyway?"
"I heard you." He shrugged casually. "The mug breaking woke me up, so I came to investigate."
"Oh," she said quietly. "Sorry for waking you."
"Nah," he replied. "Wasn't really sleeping well, anyways."
An awkward silence presided over the room for a moment. Then Raven stood up straight and turned away, getting ready more hot water for her tea. She pulled up her hood and waited by the stove keeping her gaze away from him.
Beast Boy leaned awkwardly against the counter. Then he gathered up a small amount of courage and began to speak.
"Uh, about what happened today. . ."
She didn't yet turn to face him, but the small incline of her head towards him indicated that she was listening to what he had to say. She hovered her hand over the kettle as he continued, his words getting faster and faster and more emotional.
"When I saw her, all the memories just came flooding through my mind, ya know? But with each memory, I remembered the way she said, 'Things change, Beast Boy. The girl you want me to be is just a memory.' And it sure sounds like she remembers. And I tried so, so hard to get her to come back, but she's not going to, she's moved on from us, from me. I thought that she loved me, but I guess that she doesn't love me enough to be brave enough to come back to me-" His voice cracked harshly, and he paused to gasp for breath.
Raven turned towards him, and gently reached out to touch his shoulder in a rare display of care, when he continued.
"I mean, that night when we went out together and Slade attacked the tower, we literally were this close-" He held out his hand, thumb and pointer finger pinched together, before finishing the sentence, "-this close to kissing." And the tears he hadn't realized were building began to stream down his cheeks.
At the completion of this sentence, Raven froze, her hand inches away from him. They were going to kiss? How could she move on if she remembers? You don't just almost kiss someone flippantly. But then a silent sob racked his body and snapped her out of her shock. She brought her hand down the final few inches to his shoulder and squeezed gently.
At the touch, Beast Boy looked up at Raven. Her hood was down, and even though her face was stoic as usual, he could see the worry and care etched into her features. The way her eyebrows slightly dipped down, and her lips were pressed together, and the softness in her eyes told him what she was feeling as she spoke quietly.
"I'm sorry Beast Boy."
"What for?" His voice quivered.
"That she broke your heart. That you try to hide behind a mask of cheerfulness to fool everyone into thinking you're happy. You're not alone, Garfield. We're here for you, as your friends and your family."
Neither of them noticed that she used his real name, because then she wrapped him in a hug, her head leaning against his neck and her hands rubbing up and down his back. He then returned the hug and pressed his temple against the top of her head. (Wait, when did he get a little taller than her?)
After a moment, he began in a whisper. "My parents- my real parents- died when I was still a little kid. They were researchers in Africa. I- I always have blamed myself for their deaths."
(Scene break)
A little boy with blond hair and blue eyes ran around a little shack with his arms straight out on either side of him. He ran smack dab into a pair of legs. "Mama, Mama! Look at me!" he cried. "I'm a birdie!"
The legs belonged to a brunette haired woman, who looked down at her son affectionately. "Yes," she said, "You're just like a ndege mdogo."
The boy hugged her legs fiercely. "Can I go play outside? Can I? Can I?"
The woman sighed and smiled gently. "I'm sorry, mwanangu, but Baba and I are working on our experiments right now. We can't watch you."
"I'll be careful!" he insisted. "I always am! You and Baba let me out by myself yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, and-" He continued to repeat those five words over and over until he ran out of air and stopped to take a huge breath.
His mother sighed and pretended to frown thoughtfully. "I don't know. . ." she said, working hard to hide her smile.
He pouted. "Pleeeeaaaaase Mama?" he begged, his blue eyes wide.
She let her grin break through. "Okay," she said. "But be careful! You never know what kinds of creatures are around."
"Yay!" The boy grinned and squeezed tighter before letting go and hopping to the door. At the door, he turned back and waved cheerfully before skipping outside the hut.
The woman sighed and smiled at the door before turning back to her work.
Meanwhile, the boy's father was heading back to the small house with some new samples for their experiments. He passed by his son, and asked him, "Did Mama let you go outside?"
The little boy nodded excitedly. "Yes! She said that I could plaaay!"
The man grinned. "Well then, paka, have fun out here!"
He whined. "Baba, don't call me that. Just cuz I have the name of a cat doesn't mean that I'm a cat."
His father grinned again and rumpled the boy's blond hair. "I know, I was just teasing you, Garfield." His son stuck out his tongue. "Now go play."
The boy scampered off as the man ran a hand through his own blond hair and continued towards their dwelling.
As he entered, his wife greeted him. "Back so soon, Mark?" She finished writing a note in her lab journal and closed it to walk over to the door."
Mark smiled. "I was able to find the materials we needed for the new serum. I'm thinking this one may actually work well with animal and human DNA. Can you believe it, Marie? I think we're getting close to what we've been trying to accomplish."
Marie smiled back at him excitedly. "I just finished writing some notes, and I think that if we-"
A child's scream pierced the air. The parents were wide-eyed with worry. "Gar!" they both cried out, and ran out the door.
Garfield was scared. The big green monkey didn't look friendly. It had suddenly jumped out at him while he was skipping down the path, and screeched at him loudly.
He stared at it anxiously and began to slowly back away, when it lunged at him. He scrambled backward and fell onto his back with a scream, the strange creature just barely missing him. Tears began falling down the like boy's cheeks as he sat up, crawling backward. The green simian crept closer, when-
"GARFIELD!" He turned to see his parents running down the path towards him.
"MAMA! BABA!" he cried out, getting up to run to them.
But the monkey had other plans. It lunged a second time at him and clamped down onto his arm, drawing blood, then scampered off into the trees as the child stumbled while screaming in pain.
The two adults quickened their pace, reaching Garfield in an instant. Mark scooped the crying boy into his arms.
"That was a Sakutia monkey!" Marie cried, gently grabbing Gar's arm. She turned it to look at the wound. "No. . ." she gasped.
A sickly green color was beginning to spread out across his arm from the bite area. His sobs quieted as he began to drift into unconsciousness.
"Gar, honey," his mother began as the ran back down the path. "You have to stay awake, okay? You have to stay awake."
"But I'm so tired, Mama, and it hurts so bad. It hurts," he mumbled sleepily.
"Garfield?" No response. "GARFIELD!" She shrieked frantically.
Mark jostled the boy in his arms. "I know it hurts, and I know you're tired, but you need to keep your eyes open." He repeated this more loudly. "You need to keep your eyes open, paka!"
Garfield sluggishly opened his eyes halfway. "Don't call me that, Baba. I'm not a kitty cat," he answered half-heartedly. His eyes began to drop once more. By this time, they were half of the way back to their home.
Abruptly, his mother spoke in a sing-songy voice. "Gar-field! If you stay awake, I'll make you your favorite dinner tonight!" she attempted to persuade him.
"Really?" he asked, eyes opening once more.
"Mmmhmm," she replied, seeing the house ahead. "We're almost there, honey. You just need to hold on for a little bit longer, okay?"
"Okay." He struggled to keep his eyelids open, tempted by the promise of his favorite dinner.
As soon as they entered the house, Mark set down Garfield on an empty table before looking around the house for certain items. Marie immediately went to her son's side, taking his hand and squeezing, both comfortingly and to keep him awake. When Mark returned, he was holding a small jar in one hand, and a syringe in the other. He began to fill the syringe with cautious, practiced hands.
Marie gasped and tightened her grip even further, her eyes widening. "The serum? But it's untested! Are you sure it's safe?"
Mark replied grimly. "This is our only hope. The only other choice we have is to let him die." His jaw tightened as he finished, and he carefully set the jar aside without thinking.
Marie still looked frightened, but nodded. She reached down and gently brushed some hair off of Garfield's face. "It's going to hurt, mwanangu, but you'll be okay, alright?"
He mumbled something unintelligible back under his breath, losing against the foggy pain clouding his head despite his best efforts. Marie became frantic. "Do it! Before it's too late!" Tears streaked down her cheeks.
Mark's hand trembled for a moment, before he gathered his strength, and, bracing himself, plunged the needle into his little boy's arm. It took all of his willpower to completely empty the syringe, before setting it aside and standing by his wife.
The haze in Garfield's mind suddenly turned into a splitting agony that felt as if it was ripping him into a thousand pieces. He screamed and cried out in pain as tears ran down his cheeks, and his shaking body thrashed and convulsed from its place on the table. Marie squeezed his hand tightly, and covered her mouth with her other hand as she watched her son suffer, tears overflowing from her own eyes. Mark wrapped an arm around her, his eyes bringing and his brow drawn together. Mark and Marie Logan trembled as they saw their child undergoing what would change his life forever.
(Scene break)
Garfield slowly woke from unconsciousness to the gentle sound of dripping water. From behind his eyelids, he could tell that the sun was shining. A cool cloth was lowered onto his forehead, and he enjoyed the comforting feeling of it for a moment, before deciding to slowly open his eyes. He cracked then open the slightest bit, squinting at the sunshine before attempting to open his eyes fully.
His mother, who was sitting beside him, gasped as she saw him awaken. She called out to her husband earnestly. "Mark! He's awake!" She warily brushed his hair off of his forehead and gently spread out the damp cloth that she had placed there.
Mark appeared by Marie's side in an instant, and intertwined their hands, looking down at Garfield. "How do you feel, mwanangu? Does it hurt anywhere?" he asked, a hesitant smile on his worried face. He grabbed the cloth and put it back in the bowl of water.
Garfield grinned lazily. "I'm kinda sleepy. But I don't hurt anywhere."
Marie smiled comfortingly. "That's good, honey." She paused as she looked at her husband, then looked back at her son. "Do you think you can sit up?"
He nodded and propped himself on his pillows. "Can I get out of bed, Mama?" he asked eagerly. His eyes sparkled.
She hesitated, but gave her consent. "Alright, but be careful. You'll probably be unsteady still." She wrapped her arms around him and lifted him down, supporting him as he wobbled for a moment on the floor while looking at her. Then he regained his balance and smiled.
"I'm gonna use the bathroom," he grinned, then scampered off. Marie looked after him anxiously. Mark pulled her into a side embrace. "He seems okay," he murmured into her ear. "He's as bright-spirited as ever."
She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm still afraid though," she said softly. "Because of-" She was cut off by a scream of horror coming from another part of the house. Her eyes widened, and she rushed off to the bathroom, Mark following right behind her.
When the worried parents rushed into the room, they saw Garfield, staring at the small mirror on the wall, eyes flicking between his image and his hand raised in front of him. Marie gasped in realization, and hastened to his side, pulling him tight against her, trying to pull his face away from the sight before him. Mark pressed his lips together grimly, knowing that this moment was inevitable.
For though the boy had once been a little blond-haired blue-eyed angel, the bite from the Sakutia monkey had drastically changed him. His hair was now green, as well as all his skin, even what was hidden beneath his clothing and the bandage on his arm. His eyes had changed from their wonder-filled blue to a deep green hue. The tops of his ears were no longer in a normal rounded form but were shaped into points, much like an elf's. He had a strange wildness about him, not like the freeness of before, but instead with a more primal feel to it.
The little boy couldn't draw his eyes away from the terrible sight before him. His horror and shock came streaming in salty water down his cheeks as he took in his new body, terrified by what he saw. Marie could hardly look herself as she rubbed circles on his back. She murmured softly to him. "Oh, Garfield, honey, I'm so sorry. It'll be okay. We were going to tell you, but it slipped out of our minds. Hush, shhh, I'm so sorry." Mark's jaw tightened, but then he came over and also wrapped Garfield into an embrace. The boy finally could bear his reflection no longer, and buried his face it his mother's chest, shoulders shaking.
And the three anguished souls knelt there in horror and sorrow, sobbing and clutching each other tightly. The firmness of his parents' embrace reassured Garfield that they would always love him, and that they would be there, no matter what. It silently promised that his family would always support him through each trial in his life. Their words did too; they whispered these things to him, that they would always be by his side, to love him and to give him strength.
"But they lied," Beast Boy said, his voice not bitter, but broken. "They lied."
(Scene break)
. . .
CLIFFHANGER! But you guys know the story, so, it's not really a cliffhanger, but, still- anyways . . . never mind.
Whooh, looong chapter I cranked out there (at least, for me it was long XD).
Hope you enjoyed this nice, long update (well, long for me to write, anyway.) I was actually planning on making this chapter waaay longer, but this seemed like a perfect place to stop, so I'm breaking it up into two parts. And the next update will come out quicker. Hopefully.
ITNOJ- SHB 😉