Hi Everyone! As you might have noticed, I finally have some time to work on my favorite project. I'd post this anyway, but any reviews are highly valuable. Let me know if you like this, or if you don't. I'm new at this, and any constructive criticism will help me write a better story.
As always, I do not own the Teen Titans.
Chapter Three: Hard Choices
Cyborg left the Pizzeria, scowling. First they toss me out of the Tower on an errand, and then they forget to call in the order! Cyborg shook his head as he walked back to the T-Car. All of this after they had deserted the Tower all day to give Beastboy space, and then the little green jerk had the gall to almost attack him! Cyborg shook his head again. There were days where he didn't know why he was a Titan anyway.
That's not right. All of the Titans are good friends. They'd do the same for me as they're doing for Beastboy. They already did, when my batteries failed. Robin did his best to send me home for repairs. He mentally sighed. He wished fixing Beastboy was as simple a matter as changing a battery. None of them was getting through to him. It was almost frightening to hear his outburst earlier today. He hadn't spoken in more than mumbles in the last few days, once he stopped skipping stones on the icy water of the bay.
As Cyborg sped along the road toward home. As he helped himself to the cinnamon sticks, He couldn't help thinking that something bad was going to happen. Beastboy seemed to have come to some sort of decision when he yelled about "Not thinking about it anymore." The fact that Beastboy had flipped at his comment about a girlfriend narrowed it down to three contestants.
He mentally scratched Starfire off the list. Beastboy would have been embarrassed by her fussing over him. Raven was a possibility, but then why had he gotten so upset? Both Raven and Beastboy had been looking at each other a certain way during the battle in Raven's mind, but since then neither had made more than cursory passes at each other.
Nope, as much as he didn't want it to be, Terra was the answer. Beastboy had decided he was serious about her, apparently. Nothing else warranted his action. Cyborg blew a long sigh. He felt better knowing the reason for BB's weird behavior, but it was like a Pandora's box had been opened. This is just the beginning…who knows what problems this will cause. Cyborg wasn't sure how Raven was going to take this. Hell, he didn't know how he was taking this either. It was ok in theory to take Terra in, but it was causing real problems in the dynamics of the group. We all depend on each other. We were growing closer after each battle. This may wreck all of that.
It would be wrong to deny Terra's need, though. Cyborg mentally pictured the gentle girl who had come to the Tower expecting at any moment to be thrown out. It made him sad to see how skittish she was. Sure, she was probably a wild freeloader- but that put her in good company with the Titans. Cyborg grinned. It had been too long since they had a party. They needed to have one as soon as things got better.
He had been driving on autopilot, and found himself in the garage. After some grumbling to himself about not having anyone to help bring the food in, he headed to the elevator.
Robin, Starfire and Raven silently walked back to the main room. Robin seemed remote, as if pondering a difficult question. The other two simply followed him, wondering what this was all about. The "ding" of the elevator cut through the silence.
"I have the pizza, Y'all!" Cyborg began in his usual cheerful voice "But you guys forgot to call it in! That's why I'm so late!"
As he stepped through the archway, he saw the others walking in from the side door. Robin's pensive expression and the uncharacteristically silent Starfire set alarm bells going off in Cyborg's head. Raven silently walked up and took the pizzas from him, and brought them to the kitchen. Robin took a seat, as did Starfire. As Raven divvied up the pizza and breadsticks on to plates, Cyborg just looked at them.
"What's going on? You guys look like you've been to a funeral. Where's BB?" Cyborg asked in puzzlement.
Robin still looked preoccupied, but his eyes focused for a moment. "We just put Beastboy to bed. He told me something disturbing after his episode with you. Consider this a general meeting."
Starfire looked like she wanted to say something, but she stifled it. Robin noticed, and looked at her reassuringly. "Let's wait for Raven to finish plating the food. Thank you for doing that for us, by the way!" Robin called to Raven.
Raven threw the hood of her cloak back, and blew a strand of hair out of her face. "It was the logical thing to do," She said casually. "I'm not bringing it to you guys, though. You can come get it from the bar."
The other three Titans walked over to the bar, and grabbed their plates. Robin had pepperoni, Cyborg had his super meat-lovers, and Star was trying out Raven's spinach and feta pizza. Robin headed back to the table, but Raven spoke up.
"I think we should have the meeting on the couch." The others looked at Raven as if she had grown a new head. She gave them a long-suffering look. "Look, we're already tense. We don't need to get any more emotional about this."
Robin looked around, and decided that things were hard enough already. He hopped onto the couch, and started eating a slice of pizza. The others glared at him. "I'm not stalling. Really. Let's eat a bit, then I'll tell you what happened." Robin took a few bites. "Personally, I'm starved!"
After a few slices of pizza, some garlic bread and a lot of soda, they were all feeling more relaxed. Robin put his plate down on the floor, and the others glanced at him expectantly.
"Alright, Titans. We have a big decision to make." Robin started, and then paused. "All of us know how Beastboy has been acting. We know that he's been depressive and moody."
"Today we had to leave because he was still on the couch, after staying awake there all night, thinking or simply blank-minded."
Raven raised an eyebrow. "What's the point of this restating, Robin? We've all been trying to help Beastboy."
Robin wasn't surprised by the interruption. "I know, Raven. But we have to know all of the facts in this case."
Cyborg looked at Robin as if he had turned into a monster. "We're not accusing BB of a crime are we?"
Robin looked at him in shock. Then he laughed. "No. Beastboy hasn't done anything yet. But he's asked me for something, and it concerns all of us."
The others seemed content to let him continue. "Probably due to his state of mind, Beastboy has been doing things that are strange, even for him. His lashing out at Cyborg was just one example." Robin continued. "From this standpoint, I am extremely reluctant to lend any credibility to him or let him out of our sight."
"But…?" Raven summed up the question on the other Titans' minds.
"But Beastboy told me about a disturbing revelation he had. I would have dismissed it as his mind trying to grab onto something, but it neatly explains a lot of questions that have gone unanswered for the last week." Robin paused "We never figured out what Slade was attempting to do in the mine. Nothing was stolen, and he didn't leave anything behind. If you don't count the damage, you'd never know he was there.
"Beastboy thinks that Terra was Slade's objective the whole time."
Cyborg's gut wrenched. This is what he was afraid of. That little green fuzz ball is planning on fighting Slade! No wonder he was so upset! Cyborg felt a rush of fear for his friend. Playing with Slade was like playing with a nuclear reactor. Cyborg looked at the two girls, and found similarly distressed expressions. Star, in particular, looked like she was going to be sick. No big surprise there. She almost lost Robin to Slade, and now She finds out that Terra might be a target, and that Beastboy might try and get in the way.
"We don't know what happened in the mine. Beastboy either doesn't know or won't tell us what he found when he went looking for Terra." Robin thoughtfully sipped his soda. "I'm of two minds about this."
Robin raised his index finger. "One, Beastboy is still lost in the depression, and is grasping at straws. We can't let him leave the tower if this is the case."
Robin raised his middle finger. "Two, Beastboy has figured out Slade's master-plan. If this is the case, we have to do everything we can to stop Slade."
Raven looked upset. "You said that Beastboy asked you for something. What was it?"
"Beastboy wants to go find Terra and bring her back, or at least warn her." Robin said. "I don't like that plan at all. There are too many things that could go wrong." Robin chewed thoughtfully on a breadstick. "One of the bigger problems we have to deal with is the problem of Beastboy not being able to help us. If he's still messed up emotionally, he can't help us on the streets. If he goes after Terra, Slade may kill him."
Cyborg looked reluctant to speak up, but eventually did. "We can close ranks until he's ready to fight again." Cyborg said doubtfully.
Starfire spoke up "Robin, did you not tell me that Beastboy might be recovered from his ailment?"
Robin looked at her, not knowing where this was going. "Yeah. He might be, but he could be even more sick than before."
Starfire's eyes dimmed momentarily, but she continued "Perhaps if you ask him to come with us when we must stop a criminal, you will have your answer when you see how well he performs."
Robin looked at her in admiration. This will neatly fix the problem if Slade watching us. He paused There are good reasons why Beastboy could be wrong, but I think He's is right about this. He paused again I'll have an answer as soon as we have to go to the city. "I like Star's idea. Does anyone object?"
Raven looked at him as if he was insane. "Robin, Beastboy is dangerous enough to us when he is his 'normal self.' It's not his fault that his tactics don't always work, but he invariably gets thrown at us when he makes a mistake." Raven visibly shuddered "I still remember when Cinderblock hit him and he landed on me. What will he be like if he's unstable?"
Cyborg was staring into space thoughtfully. "I have to agree with Raven. I've heard about how weird emotional states can affect how you see danger. He could freak out and hide, or he could be totally fearless and get hurt badly."
"Ok, we'll throw that one out. Any other ways of telling what's going on in his head?" Robin asked.
Raven looked uncomfortable. "I have a way, and if we really need to know, I'll do it." Raven said hesitantly.
The others looked at her in concern. "What will be your method?" Starfire asked worriedly.
Raven's face turned mask-like. She realized that the events of the day and the fact that she hadn't meditated in almost twenty-four hours were making her normal control slip. It wasn't just her powers that she was concerned about. It was good to be inscrutable, especially in this case. "It won't hurt Beastboy, but he may be angry with me afterwards." The chill words slipped from her mouth. She had regained her icy control. "The question is, do we need to know if he is stable?"
Robin blew a long sigh. "We do need to know. If Beastboy's come out of his depression, We need to consider the validity of Beastboy's assertion. If Slade's objective is Terra, we need do something to help Her. If Beastboy is still messed up, we need to get some professional help for him before he runs off and gets himself killed on a fool's errand."
Raven was glad that her face was a mask. She really didn't want to use her power on Beastboy, but it looked like this was too important not to. Damn Terra to the fires of Azarath! She thought furiously. That girl causes me nothing but trouble! One of the nearby view screens cracked. "I'll do it in the morning when he wakes up. I won't be able to help you for the rest of the day, though." Raven saw the questions coming, and she held her hand up. "No questions, and Starfire stands guard while I do it." Raven's voice hardened "And no one else will be there to watch, is that clear?"
Robin nodded, and turned to her. "If this wasn't so important, I wouldn't ask you to do it. Star, Cyborg? What do you think?"
Starfire's eyes were still dim. "I am concerned about Beastboy, but I am now also concerned about Terra. If Slade has plans for her, what will we do about them?"
Cyborg looked glum, but spoke up. "We can't be sure until Raven tests BB. He might be way off. I hope."
Robin looked slightly relieved, but he knew this wasn't over yet. Either way, hard choices were ahead. You can't just check a super-hero into a psych ward, and if Slade is after Terra, he's got a huge lead on us. Robin sighed. He didn't know which option he hoped it would be. I want Beastboy to be ok, but I want him to be wrong about Slade.
"Too bad wishes don't always come true." He could almost hear Bruce saying. It was an ominous quote. Bruce had said it after Robin had asked about Catwoman.
"Alright, Titans. We have a big day tomorrow. Raven, make any preparations you need to, and drop the shield on Beastboy's room. We can't have you being a walking zombie tomorrow. Cyborg and I will patrol the city in the morning, so don't worry about us being around." Cyborg didn't look thrilled about the prospect, but nodded anyway. Raven looked gratefully. Starfire stood up.
"I must attend to Beastboy." She said quietly.
Robin also stood up. "That's not necessary, Star. He finally ate something, and I gave him something to make him sleep. He won't wake up until mid-morning tomorrow. You and Raven should get some sleep." He smiled tenderly at her. "You've been up way too much this week watching Beastboy. Take some time out."
Raven headed to the roof access. It was just sunset, and the outside air was still warm. "I'll be on the roof, meditating. Anyone who interrupts me gets my dish duty for the week."
Star flew to her room, massively yawning. "Thank you, Robin. I shall go to 'sew logs' as you say." Her flight was unsteady, and she brushed against to doorframe as she left.
Cyborg looked a Robin. "Why didn't you tell her it was 'Sawing logs'? She hates it when you don't correct her."
Robin looked at him closely to see if he was joking. "I'm assuming you're serious, right?" Cy nodded. "Star has slept about as much as Beastboy in the last few days. Her heart is bigger than her need to tend to herself." Robin said the last in a strange mixture or admiration and frustration.
Cy looked at him closely. "Aren't you jealous of all of the attention she's been giving Beastboy?"
Robin looked at him. "Why should I be? Beastboy's been dead to the world until today. He probably didn't notice, except on some deeper level. Besides, he's never really gotten along with her well, and vice-versa. I'm kinda glad to see some kind of acceptance of the other in each of them."
"Enough with the psychoanalysis. Care to play?" Robin asked, making an inviting gesture at the gamestation. Cy's eyes brightened, and he nodded enthusiastically. He went back into the kitchen for more pizza, and brought the two boxes with their pizzas back to the couch along with a bottle of soda.
"You're on, but you know you're up against the best, right?" Cy asked slyly
"Bring it on, Tin Man!" Robin playfully taunted.
The night watch passed without incident.