Chapter 35 – Destiny
Violet eyes... It was Raven, coming to punish her for all the harm she had caused.
But the eyes looked concerned… It wasn't Raven.
Beast Boy's image gradually formed in front of her. The face shape, the green skin, the… purple hair?
It wasn't Beast Boy.
"Are you okay?" the person asked. She looked in its eyes. It was Raven again.
She felt a great pressure leaving her chest. Whoever this was, it was taking a wooden column from the top of her, with powers that emanate a dark aura. She sighed, closing her eyes again. Then she felt a shadow over her. She opened her eyes.
"Try to stay awake until the ambulance gets here" said the image gently. She could see him clearly now. He had green skin and purple eyes and hair. He was Raven and Beast Boy's son. This must mean…
Before she could conclude the thought, she passed out.
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July 24th 2028, 4:32 am
Terra woke up, lying somewhere in a dim light. Looking around, she recognized a hospital bedroom. The bed she was lying on was warm and comfortable, and she noticed lights and mechanic beep next to her, indicating a vital sign monitor. Moving lightly she felt a discomfort mask covering her nose and mouth. When she moved her arm to take the mask off, she saw a catheter in her wrist. She coughed when she removed the mask, but felt relief to the touch of the cold air in her sensible airways. Suddenly she felt urgency for a cigarette. With this feeling she fell asleep.
July 24th 2028, 10:45 am
When she woke up again, she could see the sun through the window, lightening her room, and a doctor was ready to receive her.
"Good morning, Miss Markov" he greeted her smiling. He had gray hair and wrinkles around gentle eyes. She didn't smile back and only grunted.
"How are you feeling today?"
"…Sore"
"Would you like another analgesic?"
"I'd like to smoke" he laughed.
"I'm afraid you can't, at least until you leave the hospital" he informed, writing something in his clipboard "Now, about your condition…"
"Am I going to be arrested?" she asked directly, remembering all the facts that lead her to this state. He seemed honestly surprised.
"Arrested? I don't see why you would think that!"
She didn't answer, just staring at the doctor, confused.
"Do you remember what happened?" he asked curiously. She sighed.
"Can I go to the bathroom?"
"Certainly. Do you need any help?"
"No" she answered firmly, getting out of bed and walking slowly but determined to the little door on the back of the room.
When she returned, the doctor examined her in silence and then asked a few more questions about how she felt physically. He got out and the nurse brought her a meal that included oatmeal, cereal, toasts and orange juice. Terra realized she was hungry and eat all, although the nurse advice her not to eat so quickly.
She slept some more through the day, wondering what happened to the other timeline. Probably just disappeared, like nothing had happened.
Probably nothing had. Maybe it was just some sick dream of her disturbed mind.
The nurse came in with her dinner, distracting her from these thoughts.
"You have visitors" she informed, taking the empty tray. Terra freeze, thinking about saying she wasn't feeling well to receive visitors, but the nurse was already gone. Before the door could close, a green hand stopped it.
'Beast Boy!' she thought, panicking. However, it wasn't Beast Boy who crossed the door, but a teenager very much alike him, but with crucial differences.
His hair was purple, straight and falling to his chin. His eyes were deep violet. Terra had a weird feeling to notice this boy was, in essence, the same baby she save some time ago. Like she had stood up too fast and got dizzy.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, seeming concern, when she took her hand to her head and blinked. The blonde nodded and took a deep breath, until the dizziness was gone.
"Good. Can I take a seat?" she looked at him for a second before nodding again. He pulled a chair and sit next to her bed, smiling.
"My name is Caleb Logan"
"I know" she answered, letting out a little bitterness. But he didn't seem to notice that, since he kept smiling.
"You're Terra, right? I found you yesterday"
"I don't go by this name for a while" she said.
"Oh, sorry. How should I call you?"
"Terra is fine by now"
"Good! Nightwing, Cyborg and Starfire will be here soon" he informed, looking at the door for an instant "But I would like to talk to you first"
She remained silent, with absolutely no clue of what Beast Boy and Raven's son could want from her.
"The doctor told me you're afraid of being arrested" he started "You don't have to worry about that. You were found in an explosion spot, that's all. It's not against the law to walk at night"
"How about being found next to stolen objects?" she questioned, not understanding why they were ignoring that.
"We didn't find anything next to where you were" he shrugged.
"And nothing disappeared?"
"Not recently"
A thought crossed her mind.
"Do you… Have a calendar?" she asked. Caleb took a familiar yellow communicator of his pocket and put on the calendar, giving to her. They were in July 2028. For some reason, she traveled four years to the future, from the day she stole the hourglass. Well, that definitely proved it did happen. But then where was the clock…? She gave the communicator back to him, thinking.
"Anyway, I came to ask you something" he leaned next to her "You lived as a civilian all these years, right?"
She diverted her look and nodded. She imagined now there will be personal questions.
"Do you have interest in teaching?"
Silence. She turned and stared at his violet eyes. Unlike his mother's, these eyes didn't give her any hostility. They only looked at her with inquiry. They didn't seem to know more about her than herself or look for hidden intentions.
"I'm sorry?"
"Right, sorry, I should explain" he shook his head, smiling "I study at Titans High, you know, the school the Titans created for special ability kids"
Terra kept staring at him without interruptions, extremely confused. She knew about the school, the Titans founded it some years before her little adventure.
"Well, it's relatively new, it still in progress when it comes to subjects and teachers…" he continued, taking her silent as consent.
"And I suggested a new subject of Self Control, you know, methods for those who have abilities too difficult to… well, to control"
"The headmaster told me if I could get a good teacher and enough students he would include the subject next semester" he finished, looking pretty satisfied "I already have the students, but we're missing a teacher. I was wondering if you would like to do it"
"What?" she asked with a laugher, after a shocking silence "Kid, I'm no teacher, I never taught my entire life, and if you ask any of your… well, any of the Titans, you'll discover I'm the last person someone should go to learn about power controlling"
"But… You are! You lived among the civilians without hurting anyone for what… twenty years?" he argued "Besides, someone to identify, someone who isn't scared of telling about fails is very important for an insecure student!"
She just laughed at him.
"Kid, you are a good comedian. That was great" she said looking around, avoiding those expectant eyes "Now why don't you go and ask Dr Light for strategy classes?"
They heard four knocks on the door.
"Okay, kid, you're time is up!" said Cyborg's voice, and Caleb got up quickly.
"You don't have to answer now" he said, taking a piece of paper of his pocket and giving it to her "Think about it. If you change your mind…"
"Caleb?" called Starfire's voice.
"Coming!" he answered in a loud voice and turned back to her "It was nice meeting you, anyway."
He was already across the room, his hand on the doorknob, when she called him. He turned, hopefully.
"Thank you for saving me from the explosion's wreckages" she said. He only gave her a warm smile and left.
Then three of her former friends and teammates came inside, all with curious looks. She sighed. This would be a pain.
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After some practical detective questions, Robin – now known as Nightwing – left to do all the paperwork, leaving the three of them alone.
"Terra? What did Caleb want from you?" asked Cyborg, now that their leader was gone, really curious. The blonde laughed.
"He came to offer me a teacher job at your school" the two Titans stared at her, surprised "Self Control classes! Can you believe it?"
But neither of them laughed. On the contrary, they looked at each other like they just saw something right under their nose the entire time.
"What? You don't think it is a good idea, do you?" she asked, ceasing the laughs.
"Actually, I think is a glorious idea!" answered Starfire, clapping her hands, her eyes sparkling.
"Man, I can't believe I didn't think of this!" the cybernetic Titan face palmed, frustrated.
"Okay, hello? Terra to Cyborg and Star, over?" she mocked them, speaking in an invisible communicator "How many time did I almost destroy the city? And, oh, there was the time I actually destroyed the city."
"Terra, at Titans High, we have a different philosophy" explained Starfire gently "The teachers should share their experiences, and even learn from their students!"
"What she means is: maybe you need this just as much as they do" said Cyborg "They don't need someone perfect, just… an orientation"
"And Caleb rarely makes wrong decisions" told the Tamaranean, seeming proud.
"Guys, this doesn't make any sense. Why would he choose me? The obvious choice would be Raven"
"Well, we know he didn't invite her" Cyborg shrugged "She already teaches other subject"
"Friend Terra, Caleb put a lot of effort to include this subject in the school grade, and he has treated it with the most seriousness" said Starfire, her hands in her lap "He recruited the students who need the most and already started a study group about it. The advisor's choice he has conducted with most care."
"It's true" confirmed Cyborg "We already suggested a lot of people, but he didn't think anyone was good enough."
Terra found herself at loss of words to these facts.
"You can trust Caleb, friend Terra" guaranteed Starfire "He is so wise for his age. He is… Well, I don't really know how to put in words. He has Raven's empathy ability and Beast Boy's will of doing something about it, do you understand?"
"Not really…"
"The kid will do great things, we know this much"
Terra sighed.
"I'll think about it, okay?"
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"I'm home" announced Caleb, entering his house and closing the door behind him. A shaggy dog came to meet him, excited. He kneeled down and petted him for a few minutes, before getting to his feet and entering the living room. A woman with purple hair wearing a blue shirt and white pants was reading on the couch, a teenager with green skin and long green hair was writing in a notebook sitting next to her and two girls were sat on the floor playing video games. The huge dog lay down between them.
"Hey Caleb. You're late" said Raven, raising her eyes from the book.
"I had to do something. Where's dad?" he asked, looking around.
"In the kitchen" she answered, going back to her reading.
"Hi Caleb!" exclaimed a man with green skin, showing up in the door that connected the living room to the kitchen. He had a little flour on his face and was mixing something in a bowl "We'll have spinach lasagna and breaded tofu for dinner… But Raven bought chicken fingers for those who don't have a heart"
"Thanks, mom" said the two girls in the floor, their eyes still on screen.
"Sounds great, dad" said Caleb, rubbing his hands "But anyway, I have some good news!"
His family only nodded to indicate they were listening, not taking their eyes of their tasks.
"I found a teacher for the Self Control class!"
"That's great!" exclaimed Raven with a smile.
"Awesome, son! You were working really hard on it!" said Beast Boy, also smiling.
"Really?" asked Marie from the ground with a hopeful voice. She had blond hair falling to her shoulders and her eyes were somewhere between blue and green. Her distraction made her lose.
"I won!" yelled her twin sister, Arella, who had violet eyes and purple hair falling to her chin. Although they had different colors of hair and eyes, the twins had the same face features, which were very alike Raven's.
"Who is it?" questioned Emerald, staring at him with her deep green eyes "Someone we know?"
"Well, mom and dad know her…" he told, taking off his coat and hanging it in a hook by the door "She was an old teammate as aunt Kory told me"
"Really?" Raven raised an eyebrow, and Beast Boy seemed equally intrigued "Who is it?"
"Terra"
"What?" they both seemed shocked.
"Wow, that was the same face they did when they saw her yesterday" Caleb laughed.
"How did you find Terra?" questioned Raven "She was missing!"
"I told you she was living as a civilian, Rae" said Beast Boy in a tone 'I-was-right' he rarely got the chance to use.
"I found her in that explosion yesterday" Caleb explained, sitting on a cushion next to his sisters "So I went to the hospital ask her today"
"And she just said yes?" asked Emerald.
"Well… No. She said she'll think about it" Caleb said as Pearl, Emerald's white cat, hopped to his lap "But I'm optimistic"
"You're just like your father…" sighed Raven.
"Never mind that…" said Beast Boy "Why did you ask her? You know, she had some issues"
"Yes, she dated you father" informed Raven ironically. The twins laughed while Beast Boy glared at his wife.
"Really? You dated?" Caleb blinked, serious.
"Yeah, we went in like one date" he explained "Then she… well, she quitted"
"Why?"
"I don't know, maybe it was because your mother hated her" he said, getting revenge for the previous teasing, making the girls laugh again. Then he got his mortal glare "Oops, I think there's something burning"
"You don't like her, mom?" asked Caleb, petting the cat's head with his fingers.
"I was just a little jealous" she confessed, shrugging "She caused some damage, but supposedly had a change of heart in the end"
"I see… Well, I was impressed that she lived as a civilian for twenty years!" he looked honestly surprised "Uncle Vic told me about the control issues she had when she was younger, and I thought a lot of people could identify"
"That is true" agreed Raven.
"Guys, dinner's ready" called Beast Boy, and the family got up to go to the dining room.
"Emerald, could you please not text while we're eating?" asked Raven, seeing her daughter holding a piece of lasagna in the air to look at the little screen.
"Sorry" she said, putting her phone down and going back to eat "Aunt Kory is just sending me some pictures of you guys at the beginning of the team"
"Why?" questioned Beast Boy with the mouth full of tofu.
"I'd like to write an article about the Titans history" she explained, sipping her ice tea "You know, for the school paper. Oh, here they are!"
"Can I see it?" Arella stretched herself to see the screen, and they both started to laugh "You were little, dad"
"I guess this settles who's washing the dishes tonight" answered Beast Boy.
"What? Mom doesn't do it in like forever!" she protested.
"Well, that's what you have children for" the empath shrugged, getting up and looking above her daughter's shoulder, who was sliding through the pictures "Look at this, Gar"
"Oh, I hate this picture" he grunted, observing it. It was a picture of an eighteen-years-old Raven reading a book distracted on the couch, and Beast Boy was closer to the camera, with an annoyed and embarrassed look on his face. "I was about to ask your mother out for the first time when Kory came out of nowhere and took this picture! It was several weeks until I gather courage again"
"Maybe it was for the best. I was going to say no" told Raven "I was still in denial about liking you"
"I suppose…" sighed the changeling "Arella, you're not getting away from the dishes!"
After all the dishes were washed by the twins, the family watched a little TV and got ready to sleep. Raven left the bathroom and went to check on her children while Beast Boy took a shower. She got to the bedroom most far from her own and looked through the open door.
The light was on and her two younger daughters were in the bottom bed of the bunk bed, talking in low voice.
"No more talking, go to sleep" she ordered, coming in. They separated quickly and Arella climbed to the top bed, lying down. Raven kissed her forehead and leaned to Marie, who had an anxious look.
"Do you think this Terra will be a good teacher mom?" she asked as her mother kissed her.
"I can't say, honey, she didn't even accepted yet" she answered, turning the lights off "Good night, girls"
"Night mom" they said in unison, what always made her smile.
She closed the door and went to the next door. She knocked and entered a room all painted in pink. Emerald closed her laptop quickly, sat on the bed.
"You must be the only girl in the world who keeps awake to write something that's due in two months" she commented with a smile.
"I was talking to James too" she argued, pulling the covers and turning the lamp off. Pearl jumped in her bed and snuggled against her legs. Raven smiled and turned to leave. "Mom?"
"Yes?" she turned, staring at her daughter's shape in the dark.
"Do you think you and dad were destined to be together?"
Raven took a second to process this question. Then she smiled.
"No, honey. No one is destined to anything" she explained calmly "Relationships are hard to keep. Your father and I are together because we love each other and work very hard every day."
"I see… Thanks, mom. Good night."
The empath wished her daughter good night and closed the door, walking and still considering her answer. She passed by Caleb's door. He was still talking to his girlfriend on the phone. She pointed to the wrist with her finger, indicating it was late, and he gave her the thumbs up and smiled.
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Caleb waved to her mother when she pointed to the watch and finished his conversation with Tinuviel, still missing her. He turned his lamp on and projected a portal to let Flame in. The dog ran around his bedroom and then started to sniff his pocket. He stopped in front of him, staring at him with a suspicious look.
"What?" the boy asked, raising his eyebrow. The dog kept looking at his pants, seeming afraid of getting too close. Then Caleb remembered.
"Oh, yeah" he exclaimed, putting his hand on his pocket and taking off a brown paper. It was wrapped around a shard of thick glass a little bigger than a coin. It had smooth waves and it was a little dirt. He had found this on the same place of the explosion where he found Terra, in the middle of a bunch of sand. Which was weird, because they were far from the beach. He completely forgot to tell Nightwing, Terra or even his parents about it. In fact, not for Flame, he probably would get it washed with his pants.
He ran his fingers through the smooth surface, trying to see well. It looked like part of a rune…
A bark startled him.
"Quiet, Flame!" he whispered, fearing his mother would wake up. The dog growled to the grains falling on the carpet. "It's just sand…"
But Caleb knew better than to ignore an animal's instinct. He sighed and wrapped the shard again, keeping it in his desk's drawer.
"There, I won't touch it" he assured the dog, that at least relaxed and went to his cushion, spinning until he found a good spot to laid down. Caleb also lay down, the exhaustion getting to his body.
"I'll throw it out first thing in the morning" he said with a yawn, falling asleep. He wouldn't remember it by the morning. The shard glow with a yellow light in the darkness of its new cell, grains of sand projected of nothing falling around it. It would be stored in that drawer for a long time…
But time wasn't a problem to it.
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When she arrived in her room, Beast Boy was in sweat pants and shaking his head, trying to get some water off his ear. She smiled lightly and sat on the bed, leaning her back against a pillow and opening her book.
"Are you okay?" he asked, lying down. She nodded. A bark echoed through the house. Raven frowned, but wouldn't get up just to expel Flame out of Caleb's room. She closed her book without reading a single word and stared at her husband.
"Are you thinking about something?" she asked, staring at his tired face.
"Hm? Oh, yeah. I was thinking about Kory's picture" he said, and Raven raised a questioning eyebrow "I mean, if she hadn't shown up, and I had asked you out and you had said 'no'… What could be different?"
"Probably nothing" she shrugged "You wouldn't give up so easily"
"Yeah, I really wouldn't…" he mumbled, making her smile. She saw the big smile he always opened whenever he managed to do that "I love you"
Raven thought about her daughter's question again. All her life, she hated the destiny's concept. She had been destined to a terrible fate, not only to her, but to everyone around her, and she believed in it ever since she was a kid, for sixteen sad years. When, in the end, she defeated her father and turned around fate, she was determined to make her own decisions in life, and not be lead by some kind of great power.
Now she considered if the life she had now – this happy life, married to the man she loved, powers under control and four healthy and wonderful children – was a part of her destiny. Watching Beast Boy fall asleep she came to the conclusion it didn't matter. She stretched her hand to hold his and closed her eyes.
"I love you too"
She fell asleep with a comforting feeling.
Everything was the way it was suppose to be.
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A/N: So we came to the final chapter... Wait, what's this? An Epilogue! My favorite part! ;D