Welcome to chapter four of Titans Rising. There was a point where I didn't want to continue this story because I thought this chapter seemed much to cliché to be enjoyable. However, I continued to write, and I like how it turned out overall. There are a few points that weren't quite what I had in mind, but I'll fix those in a later edition of this chapter. To Hutchy: I am a Terra fan, as you'll see in this chapter. The section from the previous one was a buildup to the events in this one. There might be some errors in here from when it was uploading, so tell me in your reviews if something here and there is missing. Read on and enjoy.

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The sea splashed lazily on the shore, the melodious crash of its waves pounding the shore echoing around the coastal part of the city. The moonlight shone brightly on the water, making it seem as though it was covered in the finest silk. The stars twinkled in the sky, seeming to dance for anyone who happened to be watching. The mood in the air was serene, able to put even the most aggressive demeanor into a state of relaxation.

All this beauty was lost on Terra. She stared ahead, a blank expression on her face. The surf lapped at her ankles, seeming to attempt to pacify the distraught teen. Their efforts were in vain, for Terra could not be consolidated by mere water. If anything, it would have been Beast Boy, but he now hated her with every fiber of his being. He would be happy if she simply disappeared. And that is what she intended to do. The pain in her body was intense, but it paled to the agony her heart was in.

A slight breeze picked up, sending her hair flapping behind her like a golden flag. It had been perfect when she had been with the Titans. Yet she sold them out to their mortal enemy, and destroyed whatever relationship she had had with them. Especially the one she and Beast Boy had shared.

A tear found its way out of her eye, and it slid down her cheek, falling into the ocean below. She looked at the water for the last time. This was what needed to happen. No one would miss her; no one would even notice she was gone. Her thoughts turned to Beast Boy, the way he had always tried to keep her smiling, the festivities she and the other Titans had shared together coming back as though they had happened only a few hours ago.

She looked back toward the city. Returning the salute Beast Boy had given her as he left, she smiled, but even more tears came to her eyes, knowing he wouldn't ever know the reasons for what she was about to do. No one but herself would ever know.

It pained her to do it, but there was just no other solution. No more was she wanted, no more was she loved. She was just another problem in the world.

She intended to fix it herself.

She picked up a nearby rock with her powers and, using it as a platform, flew to the top of the once proud and sparkling Titans Tower. She flew even higher, wanting to be sure that the mistake that she was got corrected the first time through. She looked over the vast city, the devastation she had created with the help of the androids seeming to urge her on, to end it, to let the city recover from the wound that was Terra.

She continued her ascent until she was about a hundred feet above Titans Tower. She moved her rock until she was over the water around the Tower, water that was so shallow you could even get on your knees in it and not get your upper thighs wet.

She got into a fetal position, saying a small prayer of forgiveness to Beast Boy. Finishing it up with the hope that he had somehow heard her thoughts, she let herself fall from the rock, feeling the wind whip through her hair, caress her cheeks, and send her tears everywhere in her descent to Earth. Whispering a final good-bye, she closed her eyes and waited for the impact.

()()()

Beast Boy was beyond worn out from his mad dash across the city, but he continued on at a steady pace, not letting up an inch as he ran toward Titans Tower.

He didn't exactly know why, but he just felt something… was wrong. With Terra. She had seemed too upset for it to be only his words. The answer had hit him like a ton of bricks

She intended to kill herself.

If possible he ran even faster, desperate to reach her before she committed the act that ended all acts. Passing by their old hangouts without a glance, he soon reached the shore. He was in time to see Terra begin her plummet to the ground below.

"TERRA!!!"

She heard his shout, and looked at him, their eyes locking, even over the distance that separated the two. Terra felt even worse now that he had to watch her end the turmoil, but Beast Boy wasn't giving up without a fight.

Or a rescue, as the case may be.

He dashed across the water to where she was headed. Even as a cheetah, he knew he wouldn't make it. He simply couldn't continue on, having expended all his energy on the trip over here. But there must have been other forces at work, for he suddenly was bounding towards the falling girl with speeds that he never knew he could achieve. He leapt toward her, turning back into a human to soften the impact.

Time seemed to slow down as Beast Boy headed sideways while Terra headed straight down. The shape shifter hit her like a cannon ball, and time resumed its normal speed as they both headed toward the ground, but not at the lethal speed and angle Terra had been flying at. They landed in a heap. Quickly untangling himself, he grabbed the girl by the shoulders, and shook her hard.

"What were you thinking, Terra?! What on God's green Earth were you thinking?!!"

Terra looked away. She wouldn't look at him, couldn't look at him. She couldn't even face herself, much less Beast Boy. He shook her again.

"Answer me, dammit!!!"

Bowing her head, she tried her hardest not to cry. Even so, tears shot down her face, dripping into the ocean below. Beast Boy looked at her with the same rage he had been in before. Only this time, the main reason was fear, not hatred.

Terra tried to think of something to say, but her words wouldn't come out of her mouth. When she finally spoke, it was not the words she had been trying to say.

"I thought you hated me, so I was going to make you happy…"

"By killing yourself?! Terra, even if I did hate you, I wouldn't want you dead. Can't you understand that?"

"But you said…"

"To Hell with what I said! Tell me what made you think I wanted you dead."

"Well, you didn't say it outright, but…"

"But what, Terra?"

She tried to find something that would make sense, but there was nothing. She had tried to commit the irreversible act, and had been caught red-handed. Now that she had to face the consequences, she realized she couldn't.

"Umm… well…"

"Terra, nothing you say can ever justify what you just tried to do. There's no excuse for taking your own life. Ever! You understand me, Terra?"

She remained silent, his words seeming to crack open her very soul.

"Do you?!"

"Yes." She mumbled and, no longer able to hold it in, began to sob, her shoulders heaving, the quick gasps of air bringing sharp pain to her broken ribs. "Yes." she repeated, wishing with all she had that he hadn't found her.

"Good. Now look at me, Terra."

Giving in, she forced her head up and stared through the tears at the boy holding her shoulders. He was on the verge of crying too, but managed to keep it in.

"I don't want to ever catch you trying that again, got it?"

"Yes." She managed to say between sobs, as she felt all she had worked toward come crumbling down to mingle on the wet sand on which they now stood.

Suddenly, he pulled her in close, hugging her lightly, so as not to hurt her shattered ribcage. She laid her head on his shoulder, letting all the pain, all the sadness, and all the anger out of her system. Beast Boy held her close, as though she would try to do it again if he let her go.

"You better not." he growled at the lithe blonde, not to intimidate her, but to get his point across about how serious he was. "You better not."

The two stayed that way for a while, with Beast Boy holding the crying girl gently but firmly, while she tried to regain control over her aching body.

Control.

That was what got her here in the first place, what had driven her to this extreme. Reflecting on all she had done, she was sickened by the atrocities she had committed in the pursuit of it. Now that she thought about it, she would have rather not agreed to have gone with Slade. She wouldn't have the control she had now, and she would probably never be able to do the wonders she could do, but at least she had been happy. She pushed her head harder against his shoulder, as though she could hide from the evil she had done in the name of Slade.

Beast Boy helped her to her feet. Putting an arm around her shoulders, he led her back to the city. Terra leaned against him for support, and together they both hobbled out of the freezing water back to dry land. Terra shivered against the cold. The water had soaked through the suit and, to make matters worse, a wind started up, making it all the more miserable to the troubled teen. She moved closer to Beast Boy, who wrapped his arm further around her shoulders. They walked silently, both looking at the road ahead. Neither knew what they were going to do, but it would work out. Somehow, they would work it out.

Beast Boy heard them first. They were moving silently, but not quietly enough to bypass his acute sense of hearing. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he felt more than heard the many presences behind him, each with a weapon aiming at the lithe girl he was practically carrying down the street.

"Look out!" he shouted at Terra, knocking her to the side. Lasers cut through where her head had been only moments before. As both teens looked at the androids, they fired again, keeping Terra as their target. Beast Boy gathered her up and ran down the road away from the androids, only to find the way blocked by Elites. All with their cannons trained on Terra. He heard a voice behind him, and turned around, only to see the androids from the previous attack behind him, effectively trapping the two in a pincer maneuver. The voice belonged to Slade.

So, Terra." He began, his voice dangerously soft. "You've decided to go back with the Titans. There is a price to pay for treason, young lady."

"No." said the girl, putting her hands over her ears in an attempt to block him out.

"Yes, Terra. You paid a price for the Titans, and you will pay a price for me."

"Please…" She begged the notorious criminal, "Please, leave me alone."

"Sorry, Terra." said the villain, his tone dripping with contempt, "But I can't leave you alone. Can't have you telling my secrets, now can I?"

Please.." she repeated, but her words fell on deaf ears as Slade continued to talk, his voice full of malice.

"You betrayed me, Terra. After all I did for you, you betrayed me like you did him." He said, and an android pointed at Beast Boy.

"You can't be allowed to live, my child. You know far too much. I would say good-bye, but then, it's not that good for you, is it Terra? My my, killing yourself would solve all your problems, wouldn't it, my dear? Ah well. Teenagers can do the strangest things at times. Enjoy your last few seconds that you draw breath, though I dare say you'll be locking lips with him as you go down. Farewell, Terra, though you can't do that either."

Slade's voice switched off, and the whine of lasers charging could be heard all around the two as Beast Boy tried to think of a way out.

"Terra." He said out of the corner of his mouth. "I'll break through their lines. All you have to do is hang on. Ready?"

She nodded, and clung to him like a leech. Once again becoming a cheetah, he ran as fast as he could through the Elites, not stopping for anything. Lasers flared all around him, but he ignored them and continued down the street. As he increased the distance from their pursuers, the lasers became fewer in number and less accurate. Finally reaching a safe distance, he stopped his retreat. Turning back to his human form, he turned his attention to the blonde. "You okay?"

She nodded, and the two continued their walk down the street, although Beast Boy was more alert this time through. Finally they reached the burned out remains of the burned building. Cyborg and Raven were long gone, but they walked into the adjacent building and found an old tablecloth. Beast Boy sat down on the floor. Handing the tablecloth to Terra, it served as a workable blanket. Cross-legged, he leaned back against the wall, wishing he had a pillow. He felt Terra curl up against him, and he slid his arms around her. She shivered, trying to keep warm in the freezing building. They both heard the clanking of footsteps outside their building. Holding their breaths, they waited until the sounds had died down, then sighed with relief at the same time.

"Jeez, Terra, what made you want to work for that guy?"

"I dunno. I guess it just seemed right at the time."

"I know the feeling." He said, remembering back to his plan to soak Cyborg in motor oil.

"Terra laid her head on his shoulder, and was soon fast asleep. Beast Boy quickly followed suit, and eventually both teens were in a deep sleep, the recent events taking their toll on the two teens. Both slept peacefully, unaware of all around them as they tried to keep the cold at bay in the unforgiving darkness.

()()()

Robin threw another robot into the line of fire of one of its partners, the beam cutting into it like lightning. Two others headed for the sleeping girl, but Robin kicked them both back into the group that was also advancing on the vulnerable girl. An explosive disk tore others asunder, parts flying like birds in random directions.

Robin noticed too late that they had already won.

Turning with deliberate slowness, he watched as Slade paced him and that of the sleeping alien. "Now Robin," said the cold-hearted tactician, "don't you realize your mistake?" He gestured at Starfire. "You've left the spoils of battle unguarded. Now, what is there to stop me from taking her to wherever I please to do whatever I please, hmmm?" He asked mockingly, the question hanging in the air as though it was weighed down by the evilness of its creator. Robin reached for his bo staff. "There's ME!" He shouted, and charged, ready to swing his weapon at the others head.

"Tsk, tsk, Robin. You will have to learn the hard way, it seems." he said with mock sadness in his voice. Stepping out of the way of the charging boy, he grabbed the staff and aimed it lower.

Directly at Starfire's head.

Robin could not stop, his momentum to great, and could only watch on in horror as she woke up in time to see his staff crack onto her skull, ramming the cartilage of her nose into her brain.

Robin woke up with a terrified yell. Sitting bolt upright in the chair he had been sleeping in, he threw two birdirangs ahead of him. They sliced through the water bottle in front of him, sending the contents everywhere along the counter. Panting heavily, he looked around for Slade, and saw no one. Only he and Starfire were present in the small corner store. Looking at her, he saw that nothing was wrong; it had all been a dream. Or a nightmare, depending on whom you asked.

Robin stood up, shaken by the vividness of it. It had seemed so real…Starfire turned over in her sleep. The movement drew Robin's attention to her. She slept on, oblivious to Robin's awakening.

"Dang, she's a log when she falls asleep." He mumbled to himself, picking up the girl and heading back to the R-cycle. It no longer felt safe in the once cozy store.

The two sped off, passing by the building where Terra and Beast Boy continued to sleep, their dreams being nothing like the Boy Wonders had been.

()()()

Cyborg was taking a catnap while, ironically, his new pet zoomed between Raven's legs, trying to get her to play with him. Raven looked at the energetic feline, and settled to petting him when he came close. Eventually, he settled down in front of her, rubbing as much of her as he could reach. She scratched behind his ears, and the animal began to lick her hand, purring like a machine that never shut down.

All at once, he looked behind him, ears straight ahead. "What is it?" she asked the feline, as though he could answer.

It was then that she heard it. The sound was that of a motor, and only one of them that had a vehicle was Robin.

Shaking Cyborg awake, she told him the news. "Cyborg, wake up! It's Robin!"

Cyborg sat up with a groan. Man, Raven's livelier than I've ever seen. He thought, hoping she wouldn't read his mind. What's going on in her head?

Standing up, he followed Raven and Socks as they went outside to hail him down. Waving his gargantuan arms, he tried to get the attention of their leader. "Yo, Robin! Over here!"

Seeing the two Titans, Robin screeched to a halt. "Where's Beast Boy?"

"Dunno, he ran off looking for Terra not too long ago. Talkin' about she was gonna do somethin', then took off that way." He said, pointing towards the abandoned Tower. "You have any idea what he's after?"

To tell the truth, Robin did have an idea about what was going on. But he decided to let Beast Boy tell them. It would be better hearing it first-hand.

"No, I don't. You guys got a place to sleep?"

We did, but we lost the way to it after trying to find BB. Why?"

He pointed to the dozing form of Starfire. "She needs food, bad. Got anything?"

"We just ate the last of it. Sorry, dude."

Robin looked grim more a few seconds. Then his face became inquisitive. "You got a cat?"

Yeah, name's Socks. But that's not important right now. We gotta find some food."

They decided to split up and search for something to get the Tamaranian back on her feet. Cyborg headed towards the coast, while Robin took her in different directions, but stayed close to there meeting point, should one of the others return. Meanwhile, Raven had headed back to the now decimated store. Grabbing several food items with her powers, she sped off towards their rendezvous point, the food trailing behind her, like silent angels following the sorceress.

Arriving at her destination, she placed her cargo on the ground to the side of her, so they wouldn't get squished. Waiting for Robin's return, she sat Socks in her lap and began scratching down his back. He meowed with delight, arranging himself to lay down comfortably, his head coming to rest on her knee. In a few minutes, Robin passed by on one of his routine checks, and saw Raven continuing to pet the sleeping feline in her lap.

Stopping the R-cycle, he quickly got off the vehicle, taking Starfire with him. Placing her by the food, he gently patted her face. "Come on, Star, wake up." He murmured to himself, and soon the girl in question blinked sleepily. Seeing the food next to her, her hunger sprung like a leper out of the shadows, and she began to eat, but not too fast, for she didn't want to overload her shrunken stomach. Nevertheless, she finished it all, turning her attention towards the Titans that were watching her with shock written on their features.

"What happened?" she asked her teammates, and Raven recovered first.

"We were wondering if you could tell us that."

Starfire thought for a moment, then gave her reply.

"All I remember is looking for Beast Boy and being ambushed by Slade's robots. Everything else is blurry. Tell me, where exactly is Beast Boy?"

At that moment, Cyborg rounded the corner of the building they were crowded around.

"Sorry, couldn't find any…" at which point he stopped talking noticing Starfire and the empty containers surrounding her. "Oh."

Starfire reiterated her question. "So where is he?"

"We don't know. He took off after Terra not too long ago. We were hoping you had seen him, but it's obvious you don't know." Raven answered. She got thoughtful, as though trying to think of where they could have gone.

They all jumped as a noise came from around the corner. Robin reached for his staff as Cyborg armed his cannon for combat.

"Starfire, stay here. You two come with me." He said, pointing to Cyborg and Raven. The three crept up to the corner, Robin in the lead, Cyborg behind and Raven in the middle. Robin held up three fingers. Dropping one in a silent countdown, the other two prepared themselves for battle.

When all of Robin's fingers dropped, they bounded around the side, each preparing to strike out at whatever was around the corner. Rocks were sent hurtling at Robin and Raven, which the telekinetic caught before hitting them in the face, Cyborg aimed his weapon at one, and soon found claws on his neck, about to rip out his jugular. Robin's staff stopped halfway to its target. Realizing who it was, he backed down, telling the others to follow his example. Doing as they were instructed, they saw who it was and smiled.

It was Beast Boy, keeping Terra balanced with an arm around her waist.

Beast Boy's look of surprise faded as he remembered Terra's plight. "She's been hurt bad. Got anything for broken ribs?"

"How'd that happen?" Cyborg inquired, and got an elbow to his side from Robin, letting his friend know to not push the matter. "No, we don't." he answered. "We've just finally met up. Star's around the corner. Got any bangs of your own?"

"Only in my leg." Pointing to a burn on the back of his thigh where a lucky shot had hit him. "Its fine. We need to get something for her ribs."

"We'll find what we can. Right now, we need to make a plan. Any ideas?" Robin asked the others. When none answered, he interrogated Terra. "You worked for Slade, so you must know where he is. Where is it?"

Terra shook her head. "I couldn't find my bearings, and my communicator got destroyed. I can't find him, although," she pointed at the burn on Beast Boys leg. "he can find me."

Robin put some thought into this. If Slade could find them as his leisure, that would mean that he had another tracking device on Terra, which meant there had to be receiving end to the transmission it was sending out. Which in turn meant it had a frequency, which could be tracked…

He was trying to find a way to use this to their advantage, when the sounds of battle could be heard around the corner. Tearing back towards Starfire, the initial three hurled themselves around the corner, throwing themselves into the middle of them as the other two brought up the rear.

Raven sent one robot spinning head over heels into an Elite, Cutting through the heads of several more with her powers.

Cyborg smashed his fists through the heads of two androids that happened to be in his path. Slamming the bodies into another, he quickly moved on to the next target, sonic cannon hitting those out of his reach.

Robin was like a typhoon of destruction, his staff seeming to take a life of its own as he lay waste to the masses of Slade's creations.

Starfire had begun the fight, and now that she had her strength back, she was rivaling Robin in ferocity of their assaults. A starbolt took an Elites upper body off, while she kicked the head of an android, sending the body flying from her with another starbolt. Charging into the next group, her eyes blazed green with her alien abilities, as she annihilated the overwhelming masses of robots.

Beast Boy left Terra on the outskirts of the battlefield, and became a lion, an unearthly screech flying over his lips as he slowly swiped and clawed his way through the army of androids, transforming as his situation changed, his antagonists never able to gain the upper-hand over the changeling who was destroying the foes by the dozens. Becoming a horse, he trampled through to a group that had Cyborg hemmed in. the two put themselves back into action, ripping at their numbers as fast as they could, knowing their survival depended on it.

Terra knew she could not enter the battle with the others, so she contended with sending rocks by the dozens into the fray, making sure not to hit any of the Titans as her missiles shredded through the alloy of the robots like it was paper.

What was left of the once invincible army of robots began an all-out retreat. The Titans gave no quarter, continuing to attack them without mercy. Even with their efforts, some managed to slip through. After it was over. The Titans gathered to have a meeting concerning the alliance of Terra.

She stood away from the huddled group, knowing that they were talking about her, even though she couldn't hear what they were saying. Looking at the ground, she waited for their verdict like a criminal awaiting the jury's decision.

Robin started the discussion. "Alright. I'm sure you all know what we're going to talk about, so I'll go straight to the meat and potatoes. Is she faking this time around, or is she sincere?"

The others talked amongst each other about what to do about the blonde that was standing silently as a ghost a little ways away.

"Personally," Beast Boy began, "I think it's obvious where my votes going. But this has to be a unanimous decision, so discuss amongst yourselves." That said, he left the circle and headed back to Terra who he noted seemed quite depressed at the moment.

"What's got you in such a low mood?" he asked the blue-eyed girl that stood before him.

"You think they'll want me back?" she asked, not looking up at him, her voice strangely blank, with the same tone that Raven always had.

Beast Boy stared at her with guilt that they had been so secretive about it, but he cast it aside, answering her question with as much optimism as he could muster. "I don't know, Terra. I'm all for it, but there can't be a split vote. It has to be a unanimous agreement." Terra's head fell even lower, and Beast Boy did his best to cheer her up. "Come on, it can't go that wrong. I'll bet they'll all want you back. It's gonna work out, I promise."

Terra finally raised her head, looking at him with hope faintly piercing through the clouds of doubt in her eyes. "Really?" she asked, the same amount of hope that had been in her eyes being portrayed in her tone. Beast Boy placed a hand on her shoulder. It was at that moment that the rest of the team adjourned their meeting. Walking toward the two, Beast Boy stepped to the side of Terra, whose head once again turned toward the ground after seeing the expression on Robin's face. The four Titans stood in front of the blonde, all turned toward her, there faces not giving any sign of what their decision had been. Robin spoke for them, his voice revealing as much as their faces had.

"Terra." He said, a business like quality about him. "As Beast Boy probably told you, a decision has to be agreed upon by all members of the team concerning important matters, such as whether or not you should be let back on the team or not." He continued on with his explanation, with Terra getting less confident with every word he spoke, almost certain that they had voted not to let her back on the team. "Which is what we have been discussing." He continued on, ignoring her obvious discomfort. "We've debated the issue, making sure everyone had the chance to put their two cents in about it. Our decision is final. Terra…"

The girl in question now seemed glummer than ever, waiting for Robin to say they didn't want her back. Beast Boy clasped her hand in his, squeezing it gently. Terra smiled, suddenly finding the courage to face whatever they had agreed to do about her.

Robin's words hit like a knell. "… we've decided to let you have another chance at proving yourself."

Terra stood stalk still with shock, as she stared at the leader of the Teen Titans, her mouth agape at what he had said.

Robin smiled at the girl. "Welcome back to the team, Terra."

She couldn't believe it. They wanted her back. She looked at them all, then finally Beast Boy. He had a large grin on his face. She turned back to the Titans who were looking at her with kindness toward the geo-user. Cyborg was the one who broke the silence. "So how's the little rock-and-roller ready for some action?"

The others came toward the girl, patting her back and congratulating her for becoming a member again. Starfire gave her a hug, remembering this time to watch her strength so as not to hurt her ribs, for which Terra was extremely grateful. Beast Boy looked on as the other members chatted away with the blonde, who had a look of pure joy on her features. With a small smile of contentment on his face, he followed the other Titans, who were beginning to walk toward the old Tower. He stayed behind the others, wrapped in his own thoughts. Terra was now a Teen Titan, and this time, there was no deception, no planned betrayal, no one pulling strings. This was the real deal. She was not leaving this time. Beast Boy's smile disappeared, and his uncharacteristic serious demeanor returned to the surface.

He would make sure that no one would ever force her to leave again.

()()()

Slade watched as the Titans flocked over his former apprentice. Smiling to himself, he watched as they fell into the trap he had began setting with his employment of the H.I.V.E. Not even Terra knew that she had a part to play in this scheme.

The masked man smiled, seeing how perfectly everything was falling into place.

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That's all for chapter four. Personally, I was surprised with this chapter. I had expected Terra's attempted suicide, but not the detail I put into what was going on between her and Beast Boy. Slade's assassination attempt of her was a bit of bad writing, but necessary for the plotline of the story I have in mind. I don't know if I should end the story in the next chapter or to make it longer, so tell me what you want in your reviews. And what really surprised me was how long it was. As of the point in time I'm writing this, it's over five thousand words. Until next chapter.

This chapter was written in loving memory of my father, who took his life this past February. May he rest in peace.

"Suicide. The permanent solution to a temporary problem."

-David, father of Daniel, a.k.a. Hoodman.

"I leave loving each of you by name…"

-A line from his final note to the family.

So long, dad. You were a matchless parent and friend.