Remember Me
Author's Note: I really don't know why I wrote this one-shot, I've never really liked Terra (I started hating her at the beginning. Always had a feeling she'd betray them.) I still don't know why. Oh well, it's been written, and it's here. But be warned, it's a rare occurrence when I portray Terra as just a misunderstood girl, because I don't really believe her as such.
This might confuse some of you, but I'm going to have Terra recognize her previous teammates as 'Robin', 'Starfire', 'Raven', 'Cyborg', and 'Beast Boy', but have them refer to each other as their real names, you know, Richard, Starfire, Raven, Victor, and Garfield. (Calling Starfire Kori would be weird considering my names of choice for her children.)
The next chapter will be review replies, so if you have any questions at all, I'll answer them.
Summary: The Titans have moved on. It's thirteen years in the future, and Terra has emerged from her stone cocoon, un-aged, to find that the Titans have changed, and that she has been one of the changes.
No one had gone to the cavern for a long time. The plaque that been lovingly placed upon her statue was worn away; only a few letters were readable. She had waited forever for them to revive her. It felt like an eternity.
The cavern began to tremble, and an unearthly glow radiated from her cocoon. Several cracks severed the statue, the same blaze poured through them. In a mighty rumble, the effigy shattered, propelling the young girl forward. As the smoke cleared, she became used to breathing, and coughed, trying to clear the dust from her throat.
"Beast Boy! It worked! I'm out!" Terra yelled, but was only greeted by the echo of her own voice, resounding along the walls of the underground chamber.
Confused, Terra exited the chamber and used her elemental power of the earth to reach the surface. How had she been revived without her friends' help? She stared in fascination at the buildings that surrounded her, covered in snow. How long had she been entombed? Everything looked different, more advanced.
Using her power, Terra removed a large boulder from its position on the coast, and used it to fly towards the Teen Titans' Tower, eager to see her friends. When she reached the tower, she noticed the decorative strings of lights that hung outside, and there was even a perfectly crafted snowman outside the door. Terra placed her hand on the scanner beside the door, but wasn't surprised when a deniable tone that sounded curiously like 'Jingle Bells' greeted her.
She lifted up on her boulder and looked through the large bay windows in the main room, hoping to see Beast Boy's smiling face and have him run down to the door to invite her in. The main room was filled with Christmas decorations and a large tree, and several teens that Terra didn't recognize. Had there been new members added since she had been locked inside the statue? One of the boys had light blue skin and lips, giving him the look that he had been outside too long. His clothes were white and blue, and he was constantly closing his hand and creating ice cubes for his teammates' soda. A young girl wearing a black jumpsuit with flames crawling up the legs seemed to have actual fire for hair. There was an older girl with an air of authority who had black bat-like wings peeking out of a deep purple cape. Her hair was black with bold purple streaks. Terra didn't understand. Where were her friends?
Terra guided her boulder away from the Tower, glad that none of the 'new' Titans had seen her. Still, comprehension failed her. She flew off, watching the Tower fade in the distance. She was almost knocked free of the boulder when a newspaper slammed into her face. It was dated a few months ago, and a heading inside read: 'Local Heroes Nightwing and Starfire Give Birth to Second Bundle of Joy on May 18, 2017!' Terra gasped loudly, and the boulder she was standing upon dropped slightly before she regained control. It had been thirteen years. Terra could only guess Robin was this Nightwing; she knew that he and Starfire would end up together. But since it had been thirteen years, who had Beast Boy ended up with? Did he forget about her? Did he still like her as he did so many years ago? Only one way to find out.
She lowered the boulder to the ground beside a phone booth. It was more advanced than her time, and she had no idea how to use it.
"Please state your business at this machine," came a mechanical female voice from the phone.
"Umm, I need to find out an address," Terra answered nervously.
"Please state the name of the resident."
"Garfield Logan," she answered more confidently. Beast Boy had shared everything about himself around the same time she had.
"I'm sorry, but his information is classified. Please state the password needed for access to this information."
Terra was stumped. It had been over a decade since she had last seen Beast Boy. What would he have put for a password? She decided to try one of the last few words she said to him.
"It's never too late to change?" she asked the machine tentatively.
"Password Denied."
Terra tried again, with Robin's famous battle cry. Beast Boy would never be able to resist. "Titans Go?"
"Password Verified. Address is 1215 Rockway Avenue."
"Umm, thank you," Terra said before she headed off to the address.
She knew the city well, from her reign as Slade's apprentice when they ruled the city. Rockway Avenue was just off the main road, in a small residential area with modest houses. She found the correct address, but decided not to knock on the door. What would Beast Boy think? What would he say? Was he already married? Did he have a family? She dropped her boulder by the window and stood beside it, peeking into the room.
A young girl, of about four or five years of age, sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor, struggling to string popcorn. Her skin was a pale green, a shade or two lighter than what Terra remembered Beast Boy's to be. Her long, dark green hair had subtle lavender strands and was tightly braided in two French braids. Her pale lavender eyes brimmed with tears as the piece of popcorn she had been trying to string broke, littering the floor with pieces of it. She let out a small sniffle before starting to work on another, but when that, too, broke, she began to cry, tears drying on her black sweater. Her father came to her aid, and Terra gulped loudly when she realized who it was.
Beast Boy was no longer the shrimpy, high-pitched voiced changeling. He was a father that held his small child securely in strong arms. He lifted her up and rested her head on his shoulder, soothing her. "Shh, shh. It's okay Peyton, you can try again."
The small girl named Peyton smiled a bright toothy grin, exposing a pair of elongated eyeteeth that she had received from her father. She tucked a strand of loose hair behind what appeared to be pointed ears. "Rowan has to help me, too, doesn't he?"
"Your brother's helping your mother with the dinner, but I'll help you," he smiled as he placed Peyton gently on the ground. "Let's hurry and get this popcorn strung so we can sneak some whipped cream off the pie before everybody else gets here."
Peyton giggled as she handed her father one piece at a time of popcorn to string. One by one Peyton gave Beast Boy a kernel of popcorn, and he strung them accurately and quickly.
"All gone!" she laughed as her father placed the empty bowl over her head. He beamed as she removed the bowl from her own head and placed it on his.
"Gar, come on in here, I need some help with this before the others get here," said a voice from the kitchen. Beast Boy gave his daughter an even bigger grin as he lifted her into his arms and rocketed towards the kitchen, the plastic popcorn bowl still perched on his head.
Terra's body slowly slid down until she was in a sitting position underneath the holiday decorated window. He was married, with two or more children. How could she even have thought that if she waltzed up to his door, still appearing 15, that he would welcome her with open arms like nothing had ever changed? A doorbell that sounded like 'Deck the Halls' diverted Terra from her pity party, and she looked toward the door. A pale young boy, a few years older than Peyton walked slowly to the door, his nose positioned in a book. He had short hair that was a dark purple, almost black, and had emerald eyes that scanned the book he was reading.
"Hey little dude, we the first ones here?" asked a large man as his robotic hand attempted to give the young boy a noogie. A spark of ebony energy sent Cyborg's hand retreating back to his side. The young boy shut the door after Cyborg and his other guests and proceeded to return to reading his book.
The woman Cyborg had entered with had long black hair that was straight as a board and had incredibly tan skin. Her hand was latched onto that of a young boy that wore a blue knit sweater with a reindeer on it. He seemed scared, but Peyton ran into the room, dragging a hovering train and inviting him to chase after her. He smiled and turned toward his mother.
"Go on Junior, have fun," she beamed.
The hovering train stopped and clattered to the floor, its batteries dead. Peyton groaned and looked longingly at the train before smiling at Junior. He looked to his mother, who nodded. Reaching his dark hands forward, Junior sent a bolt of electricity at the small train, recharging its batteries and causing it to hover once more. Peyton smiled her toothy smile and hugged Junior tightly before gesturing for him to chase after her again. The boy that had answered the door settled into an armchair, his eyes never leaving his book. The African-American woman sat across from him, her small frame almost collapsing into the sofa.
"So, Rowan, how's school doing?" she asked pleasantly, trying to make conversation.
"It's fine, Mrs. Stone, thank you for asking," Rowan answered without looking from his book. The response seemed mechanical, as if he had trained himself to say it.
"How about your Power Control class?"
"Once again, everything is fine, Mrs. Stone," the boy answered, one of his emerald eyes leaving the page he was reading. It was then that Beast Boy entered the room with a Santa hat tipped on his green head, and placed an armful of colorfully wrapped gifts under the tree.
"I thought Rich and the others were coming with you," he asked as he sank into the couch.
"Last minute thing, Starfire said that they kept forgetting the baby's things," Cyborg answered before he addressed his wife. "Isn't that what she said, Wynn?"
Wynn smiled as she turned her attention from Rowan, which gave him the perfect moment to slip away undetected before Beast Boy looked at him sternly. Rowan decided that it would be best to stay downstairs.
"Rowan, whatcha reading?" Peyton asked her brother as she leaned her green head over his shoulder. The book snapped shut quickly, closing one of Peyton's braids in with it. She scowled for a moment before pulling it out and sticking her tongue out at her brother.
"Nothing," he answered smugly before he opened the book again.
The doorbell rang once more, but Peyton was the one that rose to answer it. A young boy flew, literally flew, into the room, his blue eyes glowing.
"Drake, come on down," a deep voice said as a hand reached up and brought the young boy to the ground.
"Hello Dragonfire," Peyton smiled as she grabbed the boy's hand and dragged him to where she and Junior were playing. Dragonfire seemed to be a year or two older than Rowan, with raven hair and brilliant blue eyes.
A man and woman stepped through the door, the woman carrying a small infant dressed in a satin red dress. The woman was unmistakably Starfire, her ruby red hair and bottle green eyes giving away her identity, and Terra could only assume the ebony haired, blue eyed man she was with was Robin, though she had never seen him without his mask.
"Hello Starfire! How's little Phoenixfire doing?" Wynn asked as she walked over to the alien and child. Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg had briefly disappeared and returned with their arms full of miscellaneous items. Robin seemed to lug a large diaper bag; Beast Boy carried a box filled with presents with the help of Cyborg.
"Did you bring enough presents, Uncle Richie?" Peyton asked as she looked in awe at the box that her father and Cyborg were carrying.
"Yeah, did you?" Beast Boy groaned as he set the box down.
Dragonfire remarked as he walked over to the box, "Mom, can we open them yet?"
"Not yet Drake," Starfire answered quickly as she gave Phoenixfire to Robin. "She wishes to have her diaper changed." Starfire moved towards the box filled with presents and emptied its contents underneath the tree.
"Let's play tag!" Peyton smiled as she touched Dragonfire's arm. "You're it!"
Dragonfire's eyes glowed blue as he floated to the sky, and Terra was unsurprised when Peyton levitated into the air as well. It was the missing piece the confirmed her suspicions. The only Titan she hadn't seen had to be the one in the kitchen, cooking a dinner for her husband and friends. Raven had married Beast Boy. Terra had no idea why she was still watching, the Titans had moved on, forgotten her even. But her curiosity was peaked, what else had changed in the other Titans' lives?
Dragonfire easily tagged Peyton, who started laughing and fell gently from the air, still giggling. He took this as an opportunity to tickle her.
"Stop!" Peyton choked through her giggles, tears coming to her eyes.
"Okay. The turkeys have twenty minutes left and everything else is on low, so we can each open one present," a woman said as she walked into the living room. Terra knew it was Raven, even though the pale lilac eyes and violet hair would have jogged her memory anyway. There were some differences about Raven though, differences that were drastic. Instead of merely shoulder-length, Raven's hair had to be at least to her mid-back, but was held into a French braid. Her stomach bulged, indicating she was at least five months pregnant. She still had a small frame, and sat down slowly on the floor next to Beast Boy, resting her back against the couch.
"Just one?" Peyton asked incredulously, her eyes widening, as she lifted herself from the floor with the help of Dragonfire.
"Your Secret Santa presents," Beast Boy smiled.
All faces lit up, grins reflecting off every visage. Dragonfire and Peyton exchanged gifts, laughing as they did so. Junior handed Starfire a pink wrapped present with silver lightning bolts for Phoenixfire. Beast Boy and Cyborg swapped presents, each twitching from excitement. Robin placed a large gift on the floor near Raven, and she handed him a small, but carefully wrapped package. Wynn and Starfire each traded gifts and Rowan handed his mother a darkly wrapped present for his unborn sibling while Raven handed him one that was from the child she was pregnant with. All the children dove into their gifts, including Rowan.
"It's so beautiful," Peyton said in awe as she lifted a silver chain with a charm on it. The charm looked to be a character, but apparently in another language. "What does it mean?" she asked as she turned to Dragonfire.
"It's Tamaranian for 'courage'," he smiled as he opened his gift, a Jr. Detective's Kit. "Thanks for the kit!"
Peyton blushed before she smiled wider and placed a quick kiss on Dragonfire's cheek. His tan face grew red as he blushed as well.
Rowan's pale features twisted slowly into a smile as he eyed his gift. It was a large leather-bound volume of the collected works of Edgar Allen Poe. Raven smiled when she saw her son's joy, and her grin widened when she saw the gift Rowan had given his unborn sibling. It was a simple framed poem, written in Azarathean, the language Raven had just begun to teach Rowan.
Dark energy swirls around in protection,
Sheltering this family from the evils of perfection.
No one can be perfect, though many seem to try,
I prefer the faults I find within the family I call mine.
Too few to count, not enough to be ashamed,
Are the number of faults of all who share my last name.
Their imperfections make them who they are,
Nothing can make my love for them mar.
Perfection deserves no place here,
A love so eternal, nothing can compare.
Raven's gift from Robin was a small computer, obviously expensive and top-of-the-line.
"I can't accept this…" the Azarathean started before Robin interrupted her.
"You can, and you will. It'll make it easier to manage the café."
Beast Boy grinned at the gift he had received. A video game, and coincidently, the same game he had purchased for Cyborg.
Starfire placed the frilly pink dress Junior had given Phoenixfire next to the small child to see how it looked as her husband quietly and gently placed a silver wrapping bow on her head. Her present from Wynn had been a spa day, as Terra had heard and seen her jumping up and down as Raven read the poem Rowan had written.
Robin's blue eyes gleamed as he eyed the watch that Raven had given him.
"It's not really a gift from me, everybody chipped in."
He turned it, and Terra could barely see what was inscribed on its underside.
'You'll be Robin forever.
Your teammates: Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, and forever in our hearts:
Terra.'
He placed the watch on his wrist, and the Titan logo was visible on its face, two 'T's making the hands on it.
Terra's heart ached. They hadn't forgotten her; they had kept her memory alive, but had given up hope on her revival.
"You put Terra's name on here?" Robin asked as he raised his brow. Raven smiled sheepishly, and the girl that was eavesdropping outside the window listened intently.
"She was a Titan…"
"But it was obvious you did not care much for our old friend," Starfire reminded half-heartedly as she removed the bow from her hair and scowled at Robin.
"She came out for us in the end, even though she was unsure of her loyalties during the entire experience. Terra taught me about loyalty and trust, and even though the circumstances surrounding my lesson were not to my liking, I respect her for teaching all of us the importance of friendship," Raven replied, her sheepish smile gone.
"You always know what to say," Beast Boy smiled as he kissed his wife briefly. The sight made Terra sick to her stomach, and the feeling that she should be the one sitting there with Beast Boy and Raven should be the person eavesdropping surfaced.
It was then that Rowan walked up to the window and stared at Terra. The teen paled. How had the young boy known she was there? She suddenly had a blinding headache, and a voice echoed throughout the confines of her tortured mind.
Your time is gone. Sadly, you do not belong with your old friends, and you never will again. They have their own lives now that revolve around their families and each other. You must find your own path.
Terra recognized it as Rowan's voice, but it seemed stronger and more mature than the voice she had heard behind the window. And unfortunately, the eight-year-old was right.
"What are you looking at, Rowan?" Peyton asked innocently as she looked towards her brother.
"Nothing, it's just snowing. Frostbite must be outside with the other Teen Titans," the boy remarked as he closed the curtains, locking Terra away from the world her friends lived in now.
Terra turned from the window and slid down to the snowy ground. She wrapped her arms around her chest for warmth as her tears froze to her face.
"My child, do not cry. You are not alone," said a deep and somewhat familiar voice from the shadows not far from where Terra sat.
"Who are you?" the young girl asked as backed away from where the voice had come from.
"My name is Tarr Wilson, and I am here to ask you to help me continue the noble work of my father, Slade," a figure said as it appeared from the shadows.
Terra shivered from the severity of the voice. Just by his speech, Terra could tell that this man was definitely Slade's child.
The newly revived teen brought her hands to her head, contemplating the decision she would make…
Another Author's Note: Ta da! Yes, that's it. You get to decide what path Terra chose. Your perception of Terra's character can definitely play into your decision. I tried to lead up to either decision…
The next chapter will be review replies, so ask anything you want. Why did I pick a certain character name? What's Tarr's appearance? Why do I hate Terra so much? All questions will be answered, just as long as you REVIEW! Go on, click the little button that says review! Come on, you know you can do it!