Chapter 12: Unity.
As the crimson skies grew darker and darker and Trigon wiping out half of Jump city with his mere thoughts Raven grew impatient of waiting as Constantine covering her face and exposed arms with mystic runes as he began to weave his hands for a few moments until he spoke again.
'it's your turn….. I trust you know what to do…'
With that Raven gave a slight nod before going into a meditative state, lotus positioned she chanted the following words.
"Azarath… Metrion….. Zinthos…."
With that said and done she wound up back in Nevermore for a brief period of time as her various emotion clones drifted towards her absorbing into her one by one until she came face to face with her crimson clad emotion 'anger'.
"having second thoughts?"
At that 'anger' gave mock offense.
'hardly….. I'm making sure you'd keep your word.'
At that raven quipped.
"if you can't trust me who can you trust?"
At that 'anger' quietly gave a sigh as she was the last one to merge with Raven as Raven's cloak and attire became blindly white before she wound up back in the motel room with Constantine pointing out.
'right then….. now that you've got a neat new outfit it's time for both of us to get to work.'
With that both of them disappeared as Raven quietly snuck to Titans shore where once Titans tower stood while Trigon was making his way towards the residential areas and downtown. Entering the remains of the tower Raven prayed that her room was left intact as she crossed her threshold to find that some of her items and books survived Trigon's invasion, including her vanity mirror. Closing her eyes once again she was met with 'anger' and 'knowledge' as she asked.
" I have the mirror now what?"
With that 'anger' and 'knowledge' chanted a few choice incantations as her mirror began to glow black for a few seconds before returning to normal with 'anger' speaking.
' it is done…. next time you peer into the mirror it would teleport you directly to Trigon's mind…. but you have to act quickly unless you risk your life needlessly and you alert Trigon to your presence.'
At that Raven thanked her as she returned back to the tower as she contacted Constantine.
'it's your turn now'
With that Constantine just smirked as he walked directly in Trigon's path as the aforementioned demon took notice of him, his eyes filling with hatred.
"you…. I still owe you for the trickery you've pulled…"
At that Constantine looked unimpressed.
' take a number you old geezer…. I've pissed of a lot of blokes over the years'
At that Trigon tried to strike him down but he was stopped as a telekinetic force gathered a few large pieces of debris before being launched at Trigon as a projectile, just as a humanoid figure of black energy darted around Trigon's body launching concussive blasts at it to which Constantine replied.
'wasn't there supposed to be another member of the doom and gloom patrol?'
At that the being of black energy landed as Mento made his way through the battlefield with Robot-man carrying Negative-man's body around setting it down a bit roughly as the black mass reentered the limp body.
" actually it's just the Doom patrol… and ouch….."
At that Mento chose to intervene.
" do not start bickering you two, we have a world to save… and we could use your help Constantine…."
At that Constantine pulled out a cigarette from his pocket as he lit it up taking a swig before bothering to reply.
' actually we're here only as a diversion'
At that Robot-man cracked a few of his metallic joints as he said.
" who cares…. this asshole turned little barf stain into a garden gnome…. I'm kicking his ass all the way to next Sunday."
With that a few demonic servants of Trigon materialized from seemingly nothing as Robot-man started pummeling them to the ground one by one and a few groups at a time as Mento ordered.
"Negative-man, get in there and provide back up before Cliff kills himself."
With that Negative-man released his powers by detaching himself from his physical body as Mento addressed Constantine directly.
"since you said we're merely a distraction I'm assuming you have a plan A in motion… how solid is it?"
At that Constantine gave a wry smile.
' as solid as it gets.'
Hearing that Mento quickly used his telekinetic ability to try and distract Trigon as plan A went into action. Within Trigon's mind Raven passed through an abandoned ancient city made in fashion to remind an amalgamation of ancient Greek and Roman culture as she made her way to what looked like a coliseum as 'knowledge' asked.
' aren't we supposed to fight off Trigon?'
At that Raven answered.
"we are….. but I need to free my friends and family first…. just in case."
At that 'knowledge' nodded in agreement trying to hide the fact that Raven's logic alluded her momentarily as 'bravery' steeped in for a moment.
' mind if I cut in?… this kind of stuff is my specialty'
At that 'knowledge' gestured silently ' by all means' as Raven herself doubled timed her running making it to her destination in no time thinking to herself.
'if I was a vicious bastard…. where would I keep my captives?'
"it won't help you…. he's not gonna make it easy…. hell I know I won't"
Raven wasn't surprised one bit as she turned around to face the girl, if you could call her that, that has been at one point and time the bane of her existence Terra as she greeted her as such.
" I'd say it's a pleasure seeing you again but I'm not in the habit of lying"
At that Terra wasted no time as she manipulated the earth around her shaping it into sharp spikes before rapidly launching it towards Raven who quickly used her powers to deflect most of them as a few broke inside the barrier coming dangerously close to impaling the young heroine, a fact that did not escape Terra.
"what's the matter you little dyke?, I remember you being one of the most powerful among your group of retards…."
At that raven deadpanned.
" oh really? I haven't bothered to remember you at all."
At that Terra nonchalantly shrugged.
"so it seems but no matter how much you try you can't erase me from within your emotions…. and as I recall emotions are the source of your strength."
With that said Terra conjured up the earth around her to make a giant serpent made out of the very earth itself as it lunged onto Raven trying to swallow her whole as Raven blocked with one arm while trying to strike with her remaining one shooting beams of black energy at its master as many of them missed but one that shot close enough to her cheek to draw blood.
"surrender Terra it's over and you already lost."
At that Terra shot her a look of defiance as Raven wrapped Terra's arms behind her back using her powers.
" it doesn't matter if you try and beat me over a thousand times Trigon will never restore you to what you were…. you'll never get to be resurrected or enjoy your precious freedom."
That didn't dissuade Terra as she spat back.
"why should I believe you… of all people you were out to get me from the start!"
At that Raven simply answered.
" a daughter should be aware of what her father is capable of…."
That left Terra speechless for a few moments before realizing that Raven wasn't bullshitting before asking the following.
"if I agree to help you what will you do for me in return?"
Raven answered without reservations.
"nothing, I'll let you rest in peace unlike some asshole I know."
At that Terra started to laugh, replying before she rapidly started disappearing.
" you dumb desperate dyke….. even if I did know I wouldn't have told you shit…"
At that Raven had no reaction as she muttered.
"so what else is new?"
With that she scoured the coliseum from top to bottom finding nothing helpful as she closed her eyes contacting 'knowledge'.
'you had the right idea all along'
At that 'knowledge' kept quiet for a few moments as she said.
'technically we both had the right idea….. and thank you.'
At that Raven started running towards the palace within the ancient city as 'anger' of all emotions contacted Raven.
'after seeing her again… are you okay?'
Raven was a little surprised by the question as she answered candidly.
'of all people I should be asking you that'
'anger' scoffed at the idea.
'believe me or not it would have enraged me more seeing her smug face knowing that she got the better of me….. and all of us I should say'
Understanding where she came from Raven agreed with 'anger' as she made it closer and closer to the palace as she encountered some demonic guards and statues without a second thought she let 'bravery' take over as said emotion charged trough the opposition leaving them unconscious in a matter of seconds as 'happiness' asked.
'gee….. didn't she took it a bit too far….. I mean I know they were demons and all but…..'
At that remark 'bravery' countered with.
'well they did declare war on all of us…. besides I did the most tame thing possible'
With that said and done Raven scoured the palace from top to bottom only to still find nothing as she came across an empty throne room alerting her that something might be up as Trigon appeared behind her surprising her.
"looking for your dear little friends or perhaps me?
At that Trigon appeared in the form of the man from her nightmares as he wasted no time drawing a sword trying to slash and stab Raven. Raven however dodged his attack as she tried to disarm him. Trigon however wasn't phased or even moved as he quickly made a counter of his own by letting go of the sword and attacking Raven with a head on punch right as Raven delivered one of her own. Drawing blood for a second time Trigon responded with.
"for a supposed young lady you sure have no manners"
Raven deadpanned.
" I have….. I'm just not wasting them on you."
At that Trigon darkly chuckled as Raven gestured for an explanation.
" I'm laughing because at the end I'm the only one powerful enough to reinstate your friends to what they were….. and there's nothing you can do about it."
At that Raven gave a small dry laugh of her own as she replied.
"you're overselling your importance."
With that both continued fighting neither of them truly relenting as Beast boy from his own prison tried desperately to escape.
"hey Trigon you great big dope…. come out here and fight me like a man…. come on you chickenshit…."
Seeing that he's taunting went unnoticed Beast boy plopped down on his back trying to regain as much energy as he could before he got an idea as he closed his eyes, breathed deeply and started concentrating.
'Raven… Rachel?…. are you there?….. if you can here me say something….. I'm in deep shit…..'
At first he didn't hear a response which depressed him until he heard the following voice say the following.
'something…. sorry I didn't get back to you….. I've got a lot on my plate… where are you exactly?'
At that Beast boy replied.
'that's the thing…..I'm not sure… all that I do know is that fucker Trigon trapped me and the rest inside our own minds.
At that the conversation went quiet for a few seconds as Raven eventually answered.
'can you sit tight for a moment?, I may have a way to get you out of there.'
With that Beast boy replied to her as she expected while in the meantime she was dodging Trigon who materialized a sword and was now trying to stab her, almost succeeding drawing blood as he narrowingly missed her ribs as she in turn found an opening to disarm him as both panted.
"you're persistence is becoming something of a nuisance…."
At that Raven said nothing as she breathed deeply before disappearing all together leaving nothing but her cloak as Trigon was left confused for a solid moment before gritting his teeth having some idea on where she could've gone before disappearing himself. As Beast boy regained some of his energy back he attempted to escape yet again until he was stopped by a familiar set of hands hugging him from behind.
" please don't tell me Trigon got to you too"
From behind him a figure clad in a purple cloak smiled at him softly as she said.
' I am not technically her sorry… and no Trigon didn't get to her, but I suspect he's not far behind….. so mind if we get out of here?'
At that Beast boy gave a smirk as he said.
"ladies first."
At that the figure clad in purple gave a smirk of her own as she replied in kind.
"my what a gentleman…."
With that both of them disappeared as the next time Beast boy reappeared he was being freed from his statue prison with the rest of the core Titans followed suit as the rest of them were seemingly still trapped with Beast boy being the first to respond.
"i don't know about you guys but I'm gonna be stiff for weeks…"
At that Night-wing replied next.
"um thanks…. we really needed this image in our heads…. any ideas on how to restore the rest of our friends and family?"
Cyborg interjected into the conversation.
" I'm guessing by stopping Trigon, so who's with me on kicking his ass once and for all?"
To that Beast boy said enthusiastically.
"are you kidding?! what are we standing around here for?"
With that the Titans followed Trigon's destruction until they arrived to his last known location when Beast boy noticed the Doom Patrol.
"nice of you to join in…. what the hell happened, you got stuck in traffic?"
Robot-man was the first to answer.
"something like that…. now would you quit being a wise ass and lift a finger to help?"
With that Beast boy morphed into an ankylosaur as he started ramming and trampling Trigon's armies as he cleared the way for Robot- man leaving him to mutter.
"show off…"
With that the rest of the Titans entered the fray as Negative-man brought Beast boy and Robot-man back into focus.
"hey knuckleheads in case you didn't notice we still got bogies trying to crawl up our asses…"
With that Beast boy grinned as Robot-man gave a slight tilt of his head.
"just like old times?"
Robot-man's reply was.
"sure if you haven't forgotten…"
With that Beast boy charged at the stone warriors leaving Robot-man to deal with the demons as Cyborg and Starfire joined in taking shots at Trigon while Night-wing kept the remaining demons at bay away from Mento and Constantine noticing that Mento used telekinesis.
"say… how powerful are you soldier?"
At that Mento replied as follows.
"strong enough to carry out what you're planning…."
At that Night-wing enlisted Mento's and Constantine's help debriefing them in great details as to what he was planning as Raven in the meantime materialized back in another part of Trigon's mind, this part felt damp in particular as it was dark, almost pitch black as there was nothing in sight as Raven began to wonder curiously after making sure she recreated her white cloak as well. As she began wondering the air grew cold as Trigon made his presence notice.
"welcome daughter… this realm is were my first conscious thought materialized…. it is the place where I was born in essence…. it will be the place where you… will finally die…."
To that Raven's response was.
"many have tried to kill me yet I survived…. you are nothing special."
With that Trigon grew quiet as Raven anticipated him to attack her at any second, though nothing had happened which got Raven on edge and alert. As Raven roamed around Trigon's realm her emotions began to spike, especially 'fear' who voiced her concern.
'do we have some sort of plan here?, please someone tell me we have a plan here….'
At that Rave assured her by answering.
' I do….. but I can't risk revealing it too soon…'
With that a swift strike landed in Raven's stomach as she collapsed forward gasping for air as a sharp pain pinned Raven's right hand to the ground as Trigon materialized with a sharp dagger reappearing as it was piercing her palm.
"trust me little one…. I knew of your plan all along….."
As he approached Raven he swiftly searched her until he fished out the same chakra stone she carried on her forehead as he addressed her once more.
"whatever made you think you can trap my mind in this little trinket?"
With that statement out of the way Trigon began twisting the Dagger currently lodged in Raven's right hand, with that torturing his daughter by sending excruciating pain through out her body as she willed herself to stomach the pain for as long as possible as Trigon deliberately slowed the torture further and further, sadistically enjoying the pain until Raven's body went limp as he heard Raven mutter as she barely took any breath. With that Trigon pulled sharply the dagger as he kicked her backwards with her face now facing his.
" I expected more of you….. then again you were always a disappointment…."
With that he was about to slit her throat with the same dagger however the world around them began to tremble as he sighed deeply.
"excuse me while I take care of those pests you foolishly call friends….."
With that he stabbed her yet again, this time in her shoulder as he vanished yet again as Raven screamed out in pain as she tried removing the dagger with her uninjured hand as 'anger' quietly asked.
' please tell me I'll get to exact my revenge on him'
At that Raven nodded as she quietly responded.
'you shall….. now let's do our part quickly before he grows suspicious….'
With that Raven got into a lotus position as she quietly began to chant while back in Jump city both Constantine and Mento tried to mind control Trigon as both the demonic minions and demonic soldiers began to thin out, however at this point Cyborg's power cell began to run low.
"hey how're you guys doing?….. any progress yet?… I'm beginning to feel drained…"
At that Starfire added.
"the same with me as well….."
At this point Constantine gritted through his teeth.
"tell that to this wanker….. this bastard of a devil just wouldn't budge"
At this point Night-wing made his way towards Beast boy as he took out a few more demons.
" Beast boy we need a distraction now…."
With that Beast boy nodded morphing into a stegosaurus as he charged at Trigon striking him with his spiked tail right at the demon's Achilles heel. As the demon felt this sharp pain of an annoyance it gave Mento and Constantine the opening they needed to cease mind control over Trigon, however the demon roared as he tried opening the earth down below swallowing those pests in the progress.
" scatter…."
With that Trigon's plan failed as the Titans, Doom Patrol and Constantine retreated to a safer place as Trigon tried to locate them.
"everyone's here in one piece?"
Everyone nodded a yes to Night-wing's question as Constantine pointed out.
'anyone has a plan b over here?'
At that Beast boy answered.
" I didn't realize we had a plan a to begin with…. Raven does I bet…"
At that Constantine clarified.
'yes she does… she tries to trap his mind…. so that's why she needs you to distract him for as long as possible…..'
While the rest tried to come up with a better plan then before to trap Trigon Beast boy thought to himself out loud.
"say guys…. this might sound like a stupid idea but…. do you think we could try and lure him into a really narrow spot and kick his ass over there?"
At that Mento gave him the full attention.
"explain yourself soldier….. and mind your colorful language."
At that Beast boy nodded as he said.
"Sir yes sir….. Trigon over there is as big as the Chrysler building right?, so I was thinking we should lure him into a narrow enough place so he wouldn't be able to move his arms and legs making it easier to whoop his butt… sir."
At that Cyborg and Negative-man responded in unison.
"what's to stop him from making us primordial soup before we could ever get near him let alone lure him?"
At that Beast boy said confidently.
"not to worry I have an idea for that as well."
At this point Robot-man spoke up.
"permission to talk freely sir?"
At that Mento gave a simple not saying 'yes' as Robot-man just blurted.
"we're fucked…."
At that Beast boy shot daggers at his former teammate as he sarcastically added.
"gee thanks for the vote of confidence…. I don't see you coming up with ideas….."
At that Beast boy ran off into battle as he yelled.
"wait for my signal….. trust me you won't miss it either way"
With that said and done Robot-man turned to Negative-man as he whispered.
"how much you wanna bet he'll do something really stupid?"
At that Negative-man's only reply was a heavy sigh as he said.
" I'm putting on him annoying the bastard with stupid jokes."
At that Mento scolded them.
"really?!, this is conduct unbecoming….. besides you know full well he'll do warm ups first."
As Mento stated Beast boy did start with a few warm ups before going full ham on Trigon trying anything in the books but to no avail he didn't take the bite as Beast boy tried harder and harder until the demon spoke up.
"you can stop at your leisure…. I can read your mind, I know what you're going to do even before you can think it."
At that Beast boy got really pissed off as he asked.
"then why in the hell didn't you say something?…. what the fuck are you?!….some kind of a sadist?"
At that Trigon looked at him darkly as he said.
"watch your tone you pest…."
At that Beast boy noticed he got a rise out of Trigon as a small grin formed on his face as he continued.
"oh yeah?…. what are you gonna do about it tough guy?!….. rain all hell upon us?….. news flash you're already doing that and still we're mopping the floor with your sorry ass…."
If that didn't set off Trigon nothing would and luckily the big demon tried to swipe at Beast boy as he turned into a cheetah and began running towards the group, however before Trigon could continue further he stepped backwards now clutching his head in pain as Beast boy morphed back into human form flabbergasted.
"what the actual fuck did you do to him?"
At that Beast boy answered Robot-man's blunt question.
" I wish I could Cliffy but kill me I have no idea…."
Back in Trigon's mind a few moments earlier to where Beast boy was trying to get Trigon's attention Raven managed to make a drop on her father as she tried multiple times to stab him with the dagger only to narrowingly escape throwing her to the ground, now sporting an injured arm and back.
" I commend you on your devious mind…. but its still not enough to defeat me…"
With that Raven smirked as she cut him a few more times with precise movements.
"save your compliments….. besides whoever said I was trying to defeat you?"
At that Trigon looked confused until a troubling thought crossed his mind, a thought that Raven's keen observation caught as she began to chant her mantra over and over again as the cuts on her father's body began to glow in a red hue as beams of energy began to shoot out as they began to concentrate on the dagger. A few minutes past as the energy leaking out started to glow crimson as the energy stream began to act more violent until all of the energy got trapped in the dagger as the body of Trigon stood still like a statue as it began to disintegrate into dust with his realm starting to shake soon after. Raven wasting no time conjured a portal out of Trigon's mind as she stepped trough it winding up meeting with the freed Titans face to face with a confused yet excited Beast boy.
" what!?…. never saw a girl coming out of her father's mind before?"
At that Beast boy shook his head as he got a grip on himself.
"can't say that I have….. more importantly is it finally over?"
At that raven answered plainly.
"not quite…. Constantine I need your help…."
At that Constantine smirked as he said.
'way ahead of you luv….'
With that they both left as Robot-man was the first to respond.
"okay can someone explain what the hell just happened?"
Negative-man replied as such.
"your guess is as good as any at this point…"
With that out of the way all the Titans and Doom Patrol could do is wait patiently as Raven returned to the ruined tower as she searched her room one last time for her chakra stone this time, finding it Constantine asked.
' I trust you have everything you need.'
At that Raven shook her head as she sat on the ground outside the tower with Constantine drawing a pentagram shaped rune as Raven placed the dagger on the left and the Chakra stone on the right as she began chanting an ancient spell thought to be lost to civilization except for a select few as both items began to glow the remaining of Trigon's army began to vanish as the tear in the sky slowly restored itself, in the meantime the heroes who turned into stone began to move as the souls red their bodies as Superman was the first to speak.
" does this means what I suspect this means?"
With that both Batman and Wonder Woman said in unison.
" it does…."
As the glowing from one item to the next subsided the Chakra stone levitated as it lodged itself on Raven's forehead once more with Raven opening her eyes as they glowed pure white and with a last chant of her mantra she released the energy building up as the crimson skies slowly but surely evaporated revealing the night sky once again as Raven levitated back to earth with Constantine standing near by to offer her a shoulder to lean on.
"thank you…. but I'll need you to construct a secure place to store this in…"
Showing him the dagger Constantine gave a nod as he said.
'consider it done…. now move along, you still need to decide what you're going to do with Trigon's physical remains….'
With that Raven gave Constantine a slight nod before securing the dagger in her person as she vanished once more with the rest of the Titans and heroes assembled, minus the Doom Patrol anxiously waiting for her to return.
"sorry I'm late…. I had urgent family matters to attend to."
With that Beast boy quipped.
"you don't say…."
At that Beast boy got a stern squeeze of his shoulders by Cyborg as he said.
" quit being an asshole and try saying something nice…."
At that Raven gave him a small smile replying.
" that's okay…. I don't mind one bit, in fact it almost feels like normal already."
With that conversation ending Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman bit their goodbyes teleporting themselves and Trigon's body off world as Beast boy asked.
"where do you think they're taking him?"
At that Night-wing ventured a guess.
" The phantom zone most likely…. what worries me is his mind."
At that remark Raven provided an answer.
" already taken care of thanks to Constantine."
True to his word Constantine came back one final time a few days later with a novelty item, a mystical chest with runes carved on it designed to be opened by Raven and Raven alone with the Titans paying close attention to how the box functions so they would be aware of it as well and with that out of the way Constantine bid them farewell as life resumed as usual in Titans tower.
"can you believe it's been two weeks already and it's like Trigon wasn't even here?"
At that Beast boy answered while eating his breakfast next to Raven.
"gee….. when you say it like that it seems like you miss him or something…."
At that raven deadpanned.
"don't be ridiculous…. it's just that….."
At that Beast boy finished for her between bites.
" you think somewhere in your mind that it went too smooth to actually be true?….. that he could try to escape one day and start this mess all over again?"
At that Raven/Rachel smirked as she said.
"you know… being sharp minded suits you…"
At that Comment Beast boy smirked as he shot back.
"not much as you wearing white….."
Before he could try and continue flattering his girlfriend further a realization dawned on him one that made him choke on his breakfast, luckily for him Raven/Rachel didn't panic as she made him spit out his last bite before saying.
"holly fucking shit balls…. I forgot about it all together…."
At that Raven/Rachel quirked an eyebrow as he continued.
"the suit I rented….. I forgot to return it….."
At that Beast boy leapt up to his room as he frenetically tried to search for it as Raven pointed out.
" you do know that it probably got destroyed in the battle with Trigon right?"
At this point Beast boy shouted in sheer fear.
"that's even worse…"
At this point Raven teleported into Beast boy's room offering him moral support and practical one as she offered to go along with him to smooth things out with the Men shop's owners as Beast boy went to his bathroom, curiously Raven/Rachel asked.
"what are you doing?"
At that Beast boy answered.
"finding aspirin for you…. trust me you'll need it."
At this point and time Raven/Rachel replied with slight worry and sarcasm in her voice.
" oh joy…."
With that both of them left just as Night-wing and Starfire came back from their morning jog.
" you forgot about the suit didn't you?"
At that Beast boy nodded in both shame and irritation as Night-wing finished with.
"good now run along now… I expect you just before noon cause we're starting a brand new training plan."
With that both teens gave a nod before they left leaving Starfire and Night-wing seemingly alone in the tower.
"say have you seen Cyborg lately?"
Night-wing answered as follows.
"he said he needed some time with his dad so I gave him the all clear…."
With that Night-wing smirked as he started covering Starfire with passionate kisses as she replied in between kisses.
"Richard….. conserve some of your stamina….. for…. our … honeymoon…"
Night-wing returned the favor.
"my dear….. future…. Mrs…..Grayson….. I'll have you… know….. that stamina… isn't something… I'm lacking of…."
With that both retired to Night-wing's room for the next couple of hours as Raven and Beast boy returned to the tower with Beast boy clutching his heart comically.
"Gar… Barnett's made you pay for a replacement…. not caused you a heart attack."
At this point Beast boy pointed out.
"with their kind of price range they just straight up ripped it out of my chest…"
At that Raven/Rachel rolled her eyes as she pointed out.
"should we bother them…..?"
At this point Beast boy/Gar pointed out.
"let them have their fun…. it means Night-wing won't be harsh on us during training."
Raven scoffed at the notion but agreed to let Night-wing and Starfire finish their business out of mutual respect as another 30 minutes went by with Night-wing and Starfire entering the living room instructing the younger Titans to follow their lead as Beast boy and Starfire went ahead as Night-wing whispered towards Raven.
"thank you."
To that Raven smiled in kind.
" you're welcome."
With that the Titans went to their training course outside spending the better half of the day training as Wonder Girl dropped off to say hi with the request to help her find a venue for her's and Terry's wedding as Beast boy suggested.
"hey why not the Dayton estate?….. it's got more than enough room for the wedding of the century…."
At that Donna Troy had to admit that the suggestion was a solid one as Raven scolded.
"you're overreacting….. stop it."
At that Beast boy jokingly threw his hands in defeat.
" yeah I know but a century does sounds better than a decade…"
At that Raven rolled her eyes as Beast boy was about to make yet another comment as Night-wing's communicator sprung to life and as Night-wing picked up Cyborg appeared on the other line.
"hey…. how everything went with the old man?"
Cyborg answered rather awkwardly.
"could be better… considering….. but that's not what I called about."
With that Cyborg informed the rest of the Titans that some of Brother Blood's acolytes have taken one of Jump City's bridges hostage using heavy artillery as Night-wing stated.
"thanks for the update man, meet us there as soon as possible."
At that Cyborg gave an uneasy smile.
"yeah….. here's the thing…."
At that Night-wing finished off for him.
"you're already there are you?"
At that Cyborg gave a goofy thumbs up as Night-wing continued.
"okay wait there backup's on its way"
True to their word the Titans made it to the hostage scene in less than 15 minutes as Beast boy asked in route.
"excuse my french but how the fuck can you take a bridge hostage?"
At that Night-wing gave a direct answer.
" I learned from experience that if you have the means and motive nothing can be out of reach…."
At first Beast boy didn't get it but as they got closer to the crime scene he saw Brother Blood's acolytes blocking off the bridge with a fleet of trucks, military and civilian, with RPG's being targeted at the bridge's supports with other members wearing explosive vests.
" I stand corrected…."
With that statement out of the way the Titans tried to sneak by the acolytes however one of the kidnappers spotted them.
"don't make another move or we'll blow the bridge sky high…"
At that Night-wing didn't flinch as he responded back.
" we're heroes not fools okay?….. let us evacuate the ones who're at least are in route to the hospital okay….. then we can all sit here and talk about your demands."
At that the acolyte released his grip on his weapon a little when he answered.
"we only have one demand….. surrender Trigon's daughter to Brother Blood and we'll leave without harming a single soul….. otherwise everyone of us here will plunge into a watery grave….. you have five minutes to comply…."
At that Beast boy tensed up as he walked slowly towards Night-wing whispering.
"tell me you got a plan….."
At that Night-wing gave the following answer.
"oh yeah sure."
At that Beast boy continued the conversation with.
" and….. you know mind reading isn't my speciality…"
With that Night-wing answered under his breath.''
" it's pretty simple actually, Raven's gonna pretend like she surrenders while I and Wonder Girl distract the guys with the rockets while you and Star take care of the guys with the vests."
With that Beast boy nodded as he waited for Night-wing's signal as Raven made her way towards the acolytes getting nearer and nearer. Once close enough Raven encased some of the acolytes in her black sphere as Cyborg took his chance to get out of the T car landing a hand or in this case an arm cannon to Night-wing and Wonder Girl as Beast boy morphed into a falcon as he swooped underneath the bridge getting rid of one vest as Starfire did the same as one of the trapped acolytes addressed Raven.
" your attempts at heroism are misguided…. you are destined to destroy the world and destroy the world you shall….only through the….."
Before he could finish his rant/sermon Raven let the sphere drop as she punched him square in the jaw as she said.
" I'll take my chances with the Titans over Blood any day…."
With that said and done the Titans secured the bridge as traffic resumed as normal until they witnessed some cars pulling over with citizens getting out staring mysteriously at Raven, unable to detect their exact moods Raven was about to ask if they could leave until the civilians started clapping and cheering for her until Beast boy quipped.
" why not stay longer….. who knows….. maybe they'll ask for your autograph?"
At that Raven quipped back.
"well if you see me turning into a rock star next that's on you then….."
At that Beast boy joked with a grin plastered on his face.
"rock star huh?… that's oddly specific."
At that Raven had no answer for so she chose to enjoy the moment in silence as the rest of the acolytes were taken into custody as Brother Blood from an undisclosed location was patiently waiting for an update from Mother Mayhem as he seated in an office overlooking some files regarding potential 'acolytes' to recruit into his 'holy' church as said woman arrived entering briskly with little to no expression on her face.
" well….. has our 'guest' arrived yet?"
At that Mother Mayhem answered.
" no…. the ones sent to collect her have failed miserably."
At that Brother Blood sighed deeply as he stated.
" I guess this is partly my fault….. I've relied too much on sheepdogs to handle the responsibilities of the shepherd… Mayhem ready my plane, it's time I shall grace Jump city once again with my presence."
At that Mother Mayhem gave a nod in acknowledgement before leaving as Brother Blood called her back.
"make sure my dogs are still loyal….. by any means necessary"
With that Mayhem left with Brother Blood soon after as the Titans later in the same day were enjoying dinner, discussing Donna's wedding as Night-wing's communicator went off as a message appeared, excusing himself the young man quickly checked the message as a troubled expression appeared on his face as Starfire hovered next to him.
"what's the matter you look upset…"
At that Night-wing answered.
"Brother Blood is on the move again."
Cyborg overhearing between bites asked.
"oh yeah?….. how can you tell?"
Night-wing answered absentmindedly as he focused on the message.
" the guys we stopped earlier have all died during transport."
At that Beast boy bemoaned.
" we saved the world from an inter dimensional demon… now we have to deal with a megalomaniac voodoo priest… great….."
At that everyone agreed with the sentiment as Night-wing concluded the conversation with.
" occupational hazard…. now me and Star are going to investigate the deaths further as the rest of you stay on alert and on the lookout for Brother Blood."
With that both leaders left as Beast boy got up from the table and into the kitchen with Wonder Girl, Raven and Cyborg watching him curiously with a puzzled expression on their faces.
"mind telling what you're looking for little man?"
At first Beast boy didn't answer as he found what he was looking for until Cyborg asked again as Beast boy refocused himself.
"sorry I was looking for a dogie bag."
At that Cyborg felt even more confused as he asked.
" you do know this isn't a restaurant right?… plus not to mention we have a fridge right?"
At that Beast boy rolled his eyes.
"sure but you know very well I can't carry a fridge around me on patrol right?"
At that Cyborg pointed out in hopes that this discussion wouldn't carry on too long.
" are you kidding me?…. you can't wait for a little while after you're done patrolling?"
At this point Wonder Girl got up smacking both young men upside on the head.
"focus you two, we have a villain to deal with."
With that Beast boy packed something light to eat as he and Raven went outside together on patrolling as Cyborg and Wonder Girl stayed behind to man the monitors back in ops room as Beast boy morphed into a falcon with his bag between his talons as he flew over the city looking for any signs of either Brother blood or his followers as Raven floated right next to him. About half an hour later Beast boy landed near the park morphing back into human form as he sat himself on a nearby bench as he started opening his dogie bag.
"Gar I don't think this is such a good idea."
At this point Beast boy sighed in frustration saying.
"not you too Rachel….. I'm still hungry…"
At that Raven sat herself next to him as she patted his hands with her own.
"that's not what I meant."
Before he could ask what she meant he felt a few eyes staring intently on him as he turned around to see a few stray cats converging on his lunch as Raven tried to stifle her laugh as realization dawned on Beast boy.
" I see what you mean…."
Before both could continue the conversation though Beast boy picked up muffled screaming being abruptly silenced further and deeper into the park as he sighed deeply saying.
"to be continued…."
With that both teens got up running towards the screaming as Beast boy fished out his communicator updating Cyborg not noticing that he loosed his dogie bag as he witnessed Brother Blood himself commanding an army of acolytes as said acolytes were attacking civilians at random killing them indiscriminately.
"hey assholes….. pick on someone who'll fight back…."
At that Brother Blood acknowledged Beast boy by saying.
"gladly….. and thank you for delivering me the one called Raven…. that's most considerate of you young man….."
At that Beast boy got deathly quiet as he morphed into a Bengal tiger as he lunged at Brother Blood only for him to keep dodging his attacks again and again until he found an opening hitting him with the hilt of his saber in Beast boy's gut so hard it forced him to morph back as he was violently coughing.
"please child you are hardly worth drawing blood let alone being a worthy match for me…"
At that Beast boy started grinning between coughs.
" I'm aware… I was just biding my time until someone who does gets here…."
With that said Brother Blood couldn't give a reply before being hit with Cyborg's white noise cannon as helped Beast boy up with the villain clutching his shoulder at the point of impact.
" looks like I made it just in time…"
At that Beast boy jokingly stated.
"actually 5 minutes earlier would've been better….."
At that Cyborg gave Beast boy a friendly tap on the back as he stated.
"knowing you…. you'll walk it off just fine, now go and help Raven Blood is mine….."
With that Beast boy did what Cyborg suggested as Brother Blood wasted no time trying to impale him with his saber as Cyborg dodged the blade as he broke the blade with his right elbow as he blasted the villain at point blank range hitting him square in he stomach sending him back a few feet as he tried to remain conscious.
"if you think this is enough to stop me you are sorely mistaken….."
With that Brother Blood charged Cyborg yet again with his broken saber as Cyborg lunged at him in return knowing he couldn't waste time recharging his cannon as the villain stated.
"even with a dull blade I shall take great pleasure stabbing you."
At that Cyborg taunted back.
"talk is cheap…."
With that both combatants continued their stalemate as Beast boy was busy covering Raven. With Raven both defending some of the victims that survived the attack and defending herself from Brother Blood's zealots Beast boy morphed into a ram taking them all by surprise as he was ramming them from the sides as a few moments later he morphed back clutching the sides of his head.
"geez….. didn't realize that would turn out to be such a headache…. did I get all of them?…."
At that Raven's only response was.
"let's hope so."
With that Beast boy got a grip on himself as he did a small gesture of 'knock on wood' before readying himself for an attack as Raven tried to heal some of the survivors being unaware that on a rooftop just across the park an acolyte with a sniper rifle was locking in on them with his scope as he felt a small tap on his shoulder before a shock ran through his system as he collapsed only to reveal a charged up escrima stick.
"Starfire rooftops are secured would you be a dear and give me a lift?"
At that Starfire quickly descended as Night-wing grabbed her arms quickly nestling himself between her arms as she asked.
"are you sure it was absolutely necessary to hit your enemy while he wasn't looking?"
At that Night-wing shrugged as he answered.
"considering he was about to basically do the same to our friends…. I'd say it was a turn of fair play."
Giving him a knowing smirk both of them got quickly to the park as the Titans began to surround Brother Blood.
"stand down….. we have you outnumbered…"
To their surprise Brother Blood surrendered, with that the Titans quickly subdued him as the police arrived soon to arrest him.
"enjoy your small victory….. I'll be out in a short while…"
At that Night-wing asked.
"really?…. what was your point in all this?"
At that Brother Blood laughed sinisterly as he said.
"you'll find out over time…."
With that Brother Blood was taken into custody as the MT's arrived on the scene as Beast boy asked.
"what do you think he meant by that?"
At that Night-wing answered.
"probably to either make us look bad or influence new 'recruits' to join him, speaking of any volunteers to escort him back?, make sure he's sent to prison?"
At that Cyborg stepped up.
"good as for the rest of us let's go back home."
With that the Titans left except for Raven who stated.
" I'm staying behind…. making sure Cyborg has backup."
With that the Titans agreed as they returned to Titans tower around early to late evening as everyone felt fatigued as Beast boy exclaimed.
" I don't know about you but I'm too tired to eat…. I'll see you all in the morning."
With the that the rest of the Titans said goodnight as Beast boy retired to his room collapsing into his bed not bothering to even change as he fell soundly asleep. As a few hours passed Beast boy felt the presence of Rachel Roth walking into his room with a few boiled eggs laying nicely in a bowl as she whispered.
" sorry didn't mean to wake you…."
At that Beast boy dismissed.
" don't worry about it…. it was time for a midnight snack anyway…."
At that Rachel/Raven smiled softly as she continued gesturing to the bowl.
"Bon appetite…."
At that Beast boy replied as follows as he began eating.
"mercy mon cheri "
As he ate along one became two until he finished the entire bowl as Raven watched intently as Beast boy paused for an awkward moment as he finished his last bite before asking.
"what?…"
At that Raven/Rachel deadpanned.
"nothing I just wanted to make sure you're being honest….. you know since last time I tried to cook."
At that Beast boy started to sweat nervously as he stated.
"gee last time….. can you remind me what I said…. apparently according to Cyborg I say a lot of stupid shit so…."
At that Raven got a lot closer to his face as she began to grin.
"that's okay….. you can talk freely with me….. I just love seeing you get hot and bothered…."
At that Beast boy returned a grin of his own as he said.
"well you've improved….. though you kinda went overboard with the salt…."
At this point Beast boy was about to go into further details however Raven/Rachel playfully rested her finger over his mouth as she kissed him lightly.
"let's go to sleep first….. we'll have a long day ahead of us…."
With that Raven/Rachel got into Beast boy's/Gar's bed leaving him a little slack jawed with a tent pitching into his uniform as he muttered.
"easy for you to say…."
With that he quickly went into the bathroom before coming out with a proper bedtime attire as he gently got into bed with Raven/Rachel as he whispered.
"correction…. it's just bothered… I'm constantly hot."
At that comment Raven rolled her eyes in her sleep as she commented.
" goodnight Beast boy."
With that both teens fell asleep as Raven gently got carried off into a dream state winding up in her old grandparents home, similar to her dream when she was eight years old, this time however the feeling and atmosphere felt relaxed and welcoming as Raven sat herself on the porch soaking in the nice weather asher mother came out to greet her.
"welcome home dear."
At that Raven gave a slight nod as she quietly invited the woman to sit next to her as both enjoyed the quiet atmosphere, as seconds became into minutes and minutes became into hours both enjoyed the silence until Raven asked a question.
"mom….. are you keeping close watch from Azarath?"
At that Arella/Angela gave a small smirk replying.
"you could say that…."
Out of habit Raven/Rachel deadpanned.
"how close is close?"
At this point Arella paid the same courtesy.
" not that close….. you still have your privacy don't worry about it."
At this point both began to quietly laugh until Raven recovered first.
"sorry to cut and run but it's almost time for me to wake up"
At that Arella gave a nod of understanding as a small smirk etched across her face as Raven quietly asked what was it about.
"oh nothing… just make sure to give your regards to your husband…. as well that I'm expecting grand kids in the near future…."
Turning around quickly Raven hoped to god that her mother didn't see that furious blush creeping up on her face as she woke up rapidly back in Beast boy's bed with the clock now showing it's early morning with Beast boy waking up besides her. Still a little shaky Raven heard him asking.
"is everything okay?…."
At that Raven composed herself as she answered with a whisper.
" yes that was just mom saying hi… also she wants grandchildren, now go back to sleep….."
At that Beast boy went back to sleep as Raven quietly exited the room before Beast boy shot up like a jack in the box as he asked.
" did I just hear you right?… your mom wants grand kids?"
At that Raven tried to answer while stifling a laugh.
"yes…. now go back to sleep….."
Just as Raven left she heard Beast boy say.
"easy for you to say….. couldn't she ask for something less pressuring like a house of our own or a mortgage at least?…"
As Raven returned to her room she immediately fished out her vanity mirror as she transported herself to Nevermore to keep her promise to 'anger' as she came out a little while later to see the Titans all gathered up in the living room with a pleasant thought coming through her mind.
'well…. a new start….. a new day…..'
With that she sat around the breakfast table as she asked her friends.
"what's on the agenda today?"
At that Night-wing answered.
"well provided we don't have interruptions there's still Donna's wedding in question."
With that Raven nodded in agreement as she served herself breakfast as Beast boy snuck a few glances her way with a pleasant smile on his face.
Author's note: story concluded in the next and final chapter, thanks to my readers.