Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

Author's Comments: Firstly let me apologize for how long it's taken for me to update this. Life happened, and is still happening. Please understand that I will not be able to update as often as you, my wonderful readers, or I would like. Thank-you for your continued patience. I hope this chapter is worth the four year wait it's taken. Enjoy.

Chapter 11 – Chaos Theory

Jinx sat shivering in a cage. She was so weak, and tired, she could barely keep her eyes open. She had lost all sense of time. She knew Kid Flash was looking for her, as were all of the Titans. The only reason she was still here was because they didn't know where to look. She didn't allow herself to think of the other reason why Kid Flash hadn't already run in to rescue her. The alternative that would make her skin crawl, a hole to consume her stomach, and her head to spin. The other alternative that she couldn't bear to consider was that he wasn't coming because he was dead. That Raven, on orders from Slade, had killed her love.

The dark sorceress had to stop this train of thought before she vomited. She couldn't help it though, all she could see was Kid Flash lying in a puddle of his own blood. Not just him either, all of Titan's West. Red X huddled over Argent in the throes of death. Pantha on the floor, a look of pure terror on her strong face. Even the new recruit, Red Star, his muscular body crumpled with every limb facing the wrong way.

All of a sudden she felt the temperature in the room drop dramatically. The hair on the back of her neck stood straight up, and goose pimples covered her body. Her stomach began to churn terribly, and Jinx's head began to spin. She didn't want to turn around. Every nerve in her body screamed at her not to turn around. Yet she wanted to. Wanted to face the horror that had invaded her life. Invaded the body of a woman she had almost considered a friend.

"Did we ever used to be friends?" the question was so innocent, and yet the innocence of it terrified Jinx beyond reason. The dual voices chilled the sorceress to the bone, and she had to fight back bile when she spoke.

"I don't have to answer that," Jinx muttered. She looked up and froze in place as the two sets of blazing red eyes bore down at her.

"We were friends," it was a statement. The dual voices were softer, closer in pitch to each other. "Weren't we?"

"Well I don't know if I'd go so far as calling us 'friends,'" Jinx replied, jutting her chin out. There was a long period of silence before anyone spoke again.

"You once worked for Slade right?" Jinx was taken aback by the question, but nodded. "How did you get out?" Jinx was so shocked she couldn't speak.

"What are they going to do with me?" Jinx asked finally.

"They want you to perform a spell on me," the dual voices were more separate again. "I'm not sure what it's supposed to do."

"And after that?" Jinx was afraid to ask. Raven was silent, she wasn't sure. She imagined it wouldn't be good. The more she thought about it, the more she didn't like it. She had no idea what Slade was going to do with this woman once had no more use for her. "I can't believe you're with Slade now." Jinx was talking again. "You really are your father's daughter." Trigon. That's who Jinx was referring to. Trigon the Terrible. Trigon, the Destroyer of Worlds. Trigon, the demon. The demon who raped her Mother, Arella. Her maker, her Father.

"He may have created me," the voice was quiet, the head bowed. "But he was never my Father."

"You keep telling yourself that," Jinx spat out. "If it makes you feel better." Raven had no response to this. She just stood there with her head bowed. "Why are you here anyway?" It was a good question. The answer was that she had come here for answers. Although answers to what, she wasn't sure. She looked at Jinx, looked at the cage door, then back at Jinx. She looked at the cage door, and focused on it. She focused her energy on the lock, and the lock broke. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"Run," the voice almost sounded like Raven again. Then the black-cloaked ex-Titan sank through the floor. Jinx didn't need to be told twice, she fled. Even though she had next to no energy, she ran because her life depended on it.

– Scene Break –

"She is out of control!" Nightwing grimaced as Kid Flash yelled at the screen. "I only just got Jinx back, and now because of Raven she's been taken again!"

"Try to calm down," the Titan's leader spoke softly. "This is a difficult time for all of us." Kid Flash immediately backed down. Starfire was still in the hospital after all. "Now tell us, what's happened."

"All I know is that Slade attacked Titan's West and took Jinx again," Kid Flash recited.

"You sit tight," Nightwing tried to smile reassuringly at him. "I'll get right back to you." Then he hung up.

"I'll go get Garfield," Nightwing turned to see Cyborg in the doorway. The Titan's leader nodded, it was probably a better idea for the cybernetic Titan to tell the shape-shifter.

– Scene Break –

Changeling lay on Raven's bed. He breathed in her scent, and tried to forget that the woman he loved was working for Slade. He rolled to the edge of the bed, his hand touched the floor, and something else. Changeling frowned, and rooted around under the bed. His fingers brushed something. He grabbed at whatever it was, and pulled it out. A sob caught in his throat as he saw what it was. It was the chicken he had given to the telekinetic Titan ages ago.

"Sweet!" he high-fived Cyborg and lifted the giant plush chicken from the game stand. "Told you we'd win you a prize." He handed the chicken to Raven, full of pride that he had won her something.

"A giant chicken," she growled. "I must be the luckiest girl in the world.

"She kept it," Changeling clutched the chicken to his chest. Violet squeaked crossly at him. "After all her fuss, she actually kept it." He was distracted from his reverie by a knock on the door. Changeling cuddled the chicken to his chest, walked over to the door and opened it. Cyborg stood in the doorway.

"Hey man," he smiled sadly down at the shape-shifter. Then he saw the chicken. "Hey! Isn't that the chicken you got Raven before Starfire's crazy sister showed up? I thought she hated it!"

"It's the same one," Changeling replied, holding it close to his body. Cyborg smiled sadly. "More bad news?" The shape-shifter muttered. The robotic Titan nodded. Changeling sighed, crushed the chicken against his chest and shuffled down the hall, and into the control room.

"Changeling, thanks for…" Nightwing turned and was unable to finish his sentence. The green Titan stood with his shoulders slumped, the giant chicken clutched in his arms. The life was gone from his dark green eyes, and the Titan's leader couldn't even remember the last time he had seen the shape-shifter smile. Changeling looked as though he had aged ten years, and the only thing keeping him from completely falling apart was this giant chicken he was grasping. The remnants of a Titan lost. "Coming." Nightwing's words fell flat.

"What's she done now?" there was so much pain in his voice that Nightwing didn't have the heart to say anything. Despite the fact that his own love was in the hospital, he couldn't bring himself to destroy the green Titan again. Instead he pushed the button, and Kid Flash's face came into view.

"She took Jinx again!" Kid Flash flailed his arms on the screen.

"Maybe Raven has a crush on her," Changeling mumbled bitterly. Cyborg blinked at him.

"Was that a joke?" he asked. "Did you just try to make a joke?" His question was met with hostile silence, and the robotic Titan went back to staring intently at his feet. Sarasim placed her hand reassuringly on his shoulder.

"We have to do something!" Kid Flash demanded.

"And what exactly do you suggest?" Nightwing finally snapped. "We've already tried to face her. I think we all remember how well that went!" Kid Flash winced.

"You're also forgetting something," Changeling sighed. "I don't care what you people say. Raven is our friend, and she's still in there somewhere…" His ears drooped. "I can feel it." His voice was just barely above a whisper.

"Excuse me if I'm hesitant to agree with you," Kid Flash growled. "Raven hasn't done anything but hurt us all since she came back."

"Well my friend," Red Star's voice could be heard off-screen. "That is not entirely true."

"What do you mean?" Nightwing demanded.

"Raven could have easily killed me," the captain made his way on-screen. "She had the opportunity, but did not take it. Instead, she let me go. She let me live."

- Scene Break -

"You did what?" Slade's voice echoed terribly through the lair. Raven stared silently at him. Slade's fists were clenched, and his body quivered with rage.

"It looks like she let Jinx go," Terra spoke for the dark sorceress. "And after I worked so hard to capture her." She sighed dramatically. "I suppose I'll just have to capture her again."

"Go back to the part where you thought it was a good idea to let Jinx go," Slade hissed. Terra grinned with delight. However, Raven remained silent. "Speak!" Slade bellowed.

"It didn't seem right," the dark sorceress replied, her dual voices soft.

"Really?" Slade stalked up to her, and bent down so he was eye to eyes with her. "It didn't seem right? You are my apprentice, you exist to serve me."

"Then why is she here?" Raven pointed at Terra.

"What's wrong?" the blonde grinned horribly at her. "You jealous?" Raven didn't want to know what she was implying.

"I'm afraid Terra isn't going anywhere my dear," Slade now turned and walked over to the blonde, and put his hand on her shoulder. "She is my companion. You are my apprentice."

"Then why did she ask for her powers back?" Raven hissed.

"If something should happen to you," Slade narrowed his eye at her, insinuating a threat instead of a scenario. "Then I need to make sure that I have an apprentice to take your place."

"You can choose who you want for your apprentice," Raven's voices were dark. "Why did you choose me?"

"Because my dear," Slade walked back over to her, and put his hand under her chin. "You are the most powerful apprentice I've had."

"Excuse me?" Terra placed her hands indignantly on her hips.

"It's true my dear," Slade replied. "As precious as you are to me Terra, you can't possibly match the power Raven has lurking inside her." Raven frowned. Hadn't Slade said something like that to her before?

Everything around her was frozen. Starfire in midflight, Beast Boy in mid-morph, Cyborg in mid-run, and Robin about to be flattened. Above her a levitating Slade was frozen in the air. The Mark of Scath burning on his forehead. The Mark of her Father, the Mark of Trigon.

"How did I…?" Raven exclaimed, no dual voices, only a singular scared voice.

"You might be able to stop time Birthday Girl," Slade's voice startled her, and she turned to see that he was no longer frozen. "You can't stop any of it really." He advanced towards her, and she pulled away until her back pressed against the wall. "I have to say, Raven, when I found out the truth, I was very impressed." He moved rubble out of his way using his new powers that Trigon, her Father, had given him. "All this time, I had no idea. The power lurking inside you." He was now face to face with her, leering down at her. "The glorious destiny that awaits. It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?"

Raven clapped her hands over her ears, trying to shut out his words. She didn't want to believe it. She was more than that. She was more than her Father's Daughter. She was more than a Prophecy. She was more than The Gem. She was more than a Portal. She turned from Slade and ran.

"Honestly though, did you think you could just blow out the candles and wish it all away?" Slade strolled leisurely after her. "Today is the day it begins." Raven was trapped now, with nowhere to go. Her back against the wall. "You've known this all your life." Slade leaned down, his face level with hers. "It is going to happen. And no matter what you wish, no matter where you go, no matter how you squirm, there is nothing you can do to stop it."

"Apprentice!" Slade barked, jarring her out of her reverie. She looked up at him.

"What?" Slade's eye narrowed at her, and he leaned down toward her.

"You dare speak back to me apprentice?" he hissed, and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I do not tolerate this sort of behaviour."

"What are you going to do?" Raven rebuked.

"Teach you a lesson you'll never forget," Slade raised his fist, but before he could strike her a jolt of fiery energy pulsed through him. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that!" Slade growled. The jolt had brought him to his hands and knees. Raven stood before him, her four glowing red eyes glaring down at him. Then there was a loud crash, and the dark sorceress fell to the ground. "You do have impeccable timing my dear." Slade stood up and dusted himself off.

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time," Terra replied, her hair obscuring her right eye.

- Scene Break -

"I ask again," Nightwing crossed his arms across his chest. "Do you have a plan?"

"Yeah," Kid Flash replied. "We take her down!"

"You make that sound so easy," Sarasim spoke up, sarcastically.

"I didn't say it would be easy," Kid Flash countered.

"Good!" Nightwing barked. "Because facing Raven will be nearly impossible. Starfire's still in the hospital, and Jinx is in Slade's custody."

"Actually," the Titans turned to see Starfire standing in the doorway. "I was released this morning. I heal much faster than your Earth-doctors are accustomed." Nightwing raced to his lover, and threw his arms around her.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he murmured.

"How nice for you," Kid Flash grumbled. "Now can we get back to the fact that Slade has Jinx?"

"Actually," Kid Flash's head turned in surprise as Jinx's voice came off-screen. "That's not true."

"Jinx!" Kid Flash ran off screen, and was back almost instantly, the sorceress in his arms. She looked horrible.

"What happened to you?" Sarasim asked.

"Aren't your ears working?" Kid Flash glared at her. "Raven attacked and captured her!" Cyborg growled, and clenched his fists.

"Actually," Jinx interrupted. "That's not true either." Everyone was taken aback. "It was Terra."

"Terra?" Changeling frowned. "How?"

"She has her powers back," Jinx replied.

"Again the question is how?" Cyborg crossed his arms.

"I'm not sure exactly," Jinx admitted.

"Raven took away Terra's powers ages ago," Changeling mused. "Slade must have tricked her into giving the powers back using a spell."

"See!" Kid Flash piped up. "We need to take her down."

"Oh give it a rest!" Changeling barked. "We get it, Raven's evil and beyond saving so we should just bring her down."

"If you boys are finished yelling," Jinx frowned. "It was Raven who let me go."

"Really?" Starfire asked. "What happened?"

"She seemed really confused," the sorceress replied. "She was asking questions about her past. Then she opened the lock and told me to run. So I did."

"Her memories must be coming back," Changeling hugged the chicken.

"Changeling," Nightwing hated to burst the shape-shifter's bubble, but he had no choice. "Even if that's the truth, how long is it going to take for her memories to come back in full? Are we supposed to just sit and wait while she and Slade…"

"And Terra," Jinx interrupted.

"And Terra," Nightwing ground his teeth. "Destroy the city?"

"So explain to me how we went from getting Raven back to taking her out because of property damage," Changeling bellowed.

"Changeling we're the Titans!" Nightwing bellowed. "It's our job to protect the city! We can't put that on hold just because Raven's our friend and we don't want to fight her."

"I would say can't," Cyborg muttered. "Y'all seem to forget that she took us down pretty easily."

"We weren't ready then," Nightwing punched his fist into his other hand. "We are now."

"Are we?" Cyborg asked.

"We have to be," Starfire replied. "As much as it pains me, we have to stop Raven before she does any more damage."

"We're going to need a plan of attack," Sarasim crossed her arms. "If Terra has her powers back that means that Slade has two apprentices now."

"Taking Terra out isn't the problem," Changeling rebuked.

"Slade will have a strategy that uses both of them," Nightwing replied.

"How do you know that?" Kid Flash asked.

"That's what I would do," the Titan's leader replied in a dry voice.

"Just Raven is bad enough," Sarasim placed her hands on her hips. "In order to save the city we have to defeat Raven, Terra, and Slade."

"Not necessarily," Starfire replied. "Of the three, Raven is the most powerful. She poses the biggest threat. We need to focus on taking her out. Slade and Terra we've defeated before, and we can do it again. If we can't take Raven out, then our city is doomed."

"The problem is that we can't just defeat Raven," Nightwing sighed. "If we put her in jail, she can just phase out."

"So we're talking about killing her now?" Changeling bellowed.

"I'm sorry Changeling," Nightwing rebuked. "However, there isn't another way."

"That's not true," Starfire realised. "Remember Mad Mod? He was able to restrain us all. Once we defeat Raven, we use his technology to restrain her."

"There's still the problem of defeating her," Sarasim pointed out. "All things considered, we've been pretty lucky up to this point, and all we've done is run away."

"You are not alone my friends," Red Star came back on screen. Titans West will come to your aid."

"Thanks Red Star," Nightwing smiled. "However, I think it would be better if you and Titans East focussed on Slade and Terra. Once they're in custody, you can help us with Raven."

"Sounds like a plan," Kid Flash said, and hung up.

"Yeah," muttered Changeling. "A stupid plan."

"Changeling if we're going to save the city, we're going to need your help." Nightwing crossed his arms. "You need to make a choice. Us or Raven."

"How can you ask me that?" Changeling's eyes filled with angry tears. He clutched the chicken to his chest, as though it would fill the abyss that was consuming his soul. He advanced on the Titan's leader, his teeth bared.

"We cannot hope to defeat Raven with your help," Starfire stepped between the two Titans.

"Come on man," Cyborg moved to stand beside Starfire. "We need you."

Sarasim moved to stand next to her robotic boyfriend, "The rest of us are ready." She said softly. "Are you?"

"I'll never be ready to take out the woman I love," Changeling growled.

"Then don't think of it as taking out Raven," Nightwing stepped forward. "Your friends need you Changeling. Are you with us?"

The green Titan crumbled. He hunched over the chicken, his body quivering. He couldn't fight Raven. He just couldn't. He could feel emptiness consuming him, hopelessness overwhelming him. His life was over. The woman he loved was under the influence of Slade, again. The other Titans were insistent on taking her down, again. Only this time it was so much worse. He had only thought he loved Terra. Raven however was his mate. He could feel his primal side howling in agony at the thought of losing her.

He couldn't let his friends face Raven alone though. They would lose, he knew it. He couldn't bare that either. He could picture it. Cyborg, with all of his circuits fried. Sarasim, crumpled over top of him, her body a useless shield. Starfire's face stuck in a permanent scream, her body contorted in agony. Nightwing, gone, nothing remaining of him but ashes. Flames engulfing their lifeless bodies, and above them hovered Raven. Her four red eyes burning, and her terrible voices laughing. His primal side gave one final agonized howl, then disappeared. With it, Changeling felt his body go numb.

He looked up at the Titans with dead eyes, and with a voice completely devoid of any emotion he spoke. "I'm with you."