Teen Titans: The Only Way
Chapter Fourteen: May the Gods and Goddesses of Azareth take heed upon both your souls
Disclaimer: The only thing I own of TT are the images that keep replaying over and over again in my sad, sorry little mind. Sigh
Robin looked over as his girlfriend was once more by his side, looking more content than she had in the past few days, making him feel somewhat happy again, if only for a moment before he remembered what lay ahead of her, of the both of them shortly. He looked up and smiled at his friend standing next to Raven before switching sides with her to talk to him.
"You did the right thing you know?" he said, patting him on the back. "She really needed it; Rae and I thought she would never come out of her funk. I'm sure Charlie thanks you as well."
Cyborg just chuckled and threw a quick glance out the window. "I know. Those two are crazy about each other and after him and I had our little talk, I knew I couldn't just leave him there while Cori went through all this alone. I might be made mostly out of metal, but I ain't heartless."
Raven looked from her surrogate big brother to her boyfriend, a warm loving smile plastered on her face, desperately trying to push the menacing thoughts threatening to overtake her happy facade. Raven couldn't help but obsess over her and her sister's upcoming mission and the disaster that was bound to happen.
She just didn't have a good feeling about the distant future and she feared she might never see any of those she loved and cared for dearly again. She finally mustered up the strength and pushed her depressing thoughts back into the dark recesses of her mind as she smiled wholeheartedly at her friends.
I'll be damned if I let this consume what could be the last moments I ever spend with my family, she thought determinedly. I'm just going to enjoy any and all time I can get with them, even Beast Boy.
Meanwhile, outside by the receding lake....
Cori held on for dear life as her tears fell freely onto his warm and familiar shoulder; she didn't even notice Cyborg smiling as he turned around and walked back into the room where all their friends were. She never wanted to let him go, but she finally relented when he moved to pull away to look at her face.
His fingers came up to brush her tear-stained face and she felt her face melt at his touch, something she had sorely missed this past week. She felt him staring so she opened her own midnight eyes to stare into his own mask-covered emerald gems, feeling disappointed at the lack of extreme proximity, but she quickly pushed it aside to see what her love had in store.
"Charlie," she started to say, before he placed a finger upon her lips, quieting her.
"Shh," he whispered. "Don't say anything right now Cori. This is my time to talk and all I want is for you to listen." Cori just nodded her head once and let him continue with whatever he needed to say.
"Okay then," he continued, leading her over to sit down on a small boulder that once was covered by the nonexistent lake. "Cori .....First off, I want to apologize for the way I reacted to your news; I understand that this is a difficult time for you and for Raven, but I want you to know that I am here for you and always will be.
"I love you more than anything, Cori, and I am ashamed that it took something as drastic as losing you to get me to realize it. By that night I was already regretting what I had said and done and all I wanted more than anything, was the chance to talk with you and sort everything out. I want to work at this and I am more than willing to do anything and everything to make sure we are okay."
He took a deep breath and continued on. "I just want you to know that I was angry Cori, not at you, but at the unfairness of the entire situation and at the fact that I know you were lying to me about hiding this next step in your freedom. I now understand that you didn't tell, not because you just felt like it, but because you have good reasons and I feel awful for ever even questioning your motives. All that matters now, is that I am here for you and I am going to continue to stand by your side for as long as you need me....
"I will totally understand, though, if I hurt you in our fight and if you don't want me here. And if it really comes down to it, I am more than willing to put our relationship on hold until this is all over and we can get back home to discuss this. Whatever you want, I will obey your wishes and do anything you ask of me. I am so sorry Cori, I never meant for any of this to happen, never."
Cori brought his head down and gave him a quick peck on his forehead, staying there for a moment before pulling him close to her in a tight, intimate hug.
"It's okay, Sweetie," she cooed against his neck, clinging to him as if this was the last time she would ever get to. "I know you're sorry and I am too; I'm sorry I lied to you about this battle, but I just wasn't ready to accept my fate, let alone have you share my burden with me. I am so glad that you are here with me, by my side through all of this and that is all I ever wanted from you.
"As long as you love me and I love you, then that is all I could ever want. I don't care about titles and I don't want to think about what lays ahead in our future; I just want to think about the here and now and treasure what we have today. This is my home, Charlie, and I will do anything to protect it, nothing is too great to keep Azareth safe from my father's rule. So let's just forget that last week never even happened and just enjoy the time we have left before I leave."
Charlie nodded into her shoulder as Cori brought herself away from him and cupped his face in her small, pale hands.
"I love you with all my soul," she vowed, kissing him passionately. "And I always will, no matter what."
"I love you more than anything," Charlie promised back, indulging in the very kiss he had been missing all this past week. "Forever and for an eternity."
Charlie and Cori just sat there holding onto each other, reveling in their love for each other as they gazed over the horizons, taking in the site of the now dilapidated Azareth. They stayed there for what seemed like forever, just being there for each other and letting their silent love speak volumes to anyone who happened to be passing.
Finally after about 45 minutes, Cori opened her eyes to see her sister and the rest of the Titans walking across the grounds, toward the couple, intent on talking to them. Before she could say anything to Charlie, he had sensed their friends and had turned around, his arm quickly finding a resting place wrapped around her petite waist. Cori chuckled inwardly as she noticed, for some strange reason, her twin and her boyfriend mirroring their exact position as they walked over to them.
"Hey you two!" Beast Boy yelled when they got closer. "We were starting to wonder where you had gotten off to."
"We've been here the entire time," Charlie said casually, looking down at Cori with so much love that it made her want to break down and cry once more from extreme happiness.
"Yeah," she said playfully, breaking his gaze and looking back at the group. "Haven't moved an inch since Cy brought me down here."
Cy threw her a discreet wink and she chuckled softly as Starfire and Aqualad finally caught up with the rest of them and were staring wide-eyed at the clones of two of her beloved teammates.
"Friend Cori, Friend Charlie?" she asked, innocence dripping from her voice like water. "I see you two look as you did before the breaking of the up, does this mean you have put the patch on your torn relationship and are now, how do you say.....frozen with it?"
Everyone laughed, including Star once she realized what she had said, and Aqualad gave her a peck on the cheek as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Yeah Star," Charlie said, still laughing. "I guess you could say that. We are going to work things out and hopefully after all this nonsense is over, I'll be back in her good graces before you can say Glurneskal Hupponwox!" Everyone chuckled yet again and BB had to restrain himself as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
"I honestly don't know what's funnier," Aqualad said over the dying down laughter. "Seeing Beast Boy cry or the fact that I actually understood what Speedy here just said!"
There was another, albeit quieter and more controlled, bout of laughter as the teens began to compose themselves and get back to their original plans.
"Whoo boy," Terra wheezed out, holding her stomach. "Alright I think it's time everyone stops cracking the jokes. We came down here for an actual reason and I think we're getting just a smidge off track."
"You mean to tell me you guys didn't come down here just to be near our greatness?" Charlie asked, throwing a hand over his heart and feigning mock horror. Everyone chuckled again as Cori smacked him playfully on the chest and he immediately stopped laughing and threw his hands up in surrender.
"I swear sister," Raven droned, a hint of humor in her voice. "You really need to push him off a cliff or something. Evil little instigator that he is."
She said this last part, glaring at Charlie and smirking. Everyone stifled their laughs once more and so Raven just rolled her eyes and let out a breathless laugh that only Robin could hear because he was close enough. Finally after about five more minutes of guffawing and rolling on the floor laughing, Cori straightened herself out and cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention.
"Alright then," she said breathlessly. "So why did you guys really come out here? I know it wasn't to just sit here and laugh for the better part of an hour."
Starfire finished the last of her giggles and turned toward the new goth empath that had become a big part of her life recently. "We truly did not come down here by the water that is fading so we could laugh on the ground while rolling," Star said as everyone rolled their eyes at her painfully obvious statment. "We did, though, venture down here to find you and Friend Charlie and invite you to find some edible nourishment and have a wondrous group meal!"
"Mmm, Food does sound kinda good," Charlie said, rubbing his stomach with the free hand. "I haven't really eaten anything since last night. I'm in."
"Me too," Cori agreed, nodding at the other Titans as they began to move toward the older building where the twins and Robin had been stationed for the past week. When they arrived at the matronly old house, their noses were overwhelmed with incredible smells and they found Azar had ordered the chefs to create a fantastic feast for their young visitors. Murmuring their amazement at the abundant courses in front of them, they all took a seat at the large table and began eating and talking about the mundane as if this was just any other normal day back at the Tower.
There were multiple courses, including a few desserts, and none of the Titans could ever remember such a wonderful and magnificent feast; even Beast Boy and Cyborg had been satisfied and sated by the meal. After they were all full and felt too sick to move, they all just sat there talking some more before finally moving into the living room to sit by a large fireplace and get comfortable.
Charlie lay stretched out on an antique loveseat with Cori on top of him, her back against his chest as he held her close to him. Terra was sitting on BB's lap in the giant leather armchair next to the couch with Charlie and Cori on it. Aqualad and Starfire were sitting next to Cyborg on the longer couch across from them, with Star resting her head on her boyfriend's shoulder while he held her hand. The last armchair by the fire was occupied by Robin as he sat upon the edge of the chair, with Raven's head laying slightly atop his leg while he ran his fingers through her hair and she stared into the never-ending blaze in front of her.
Cori noticed her sister, so lost in thought, as she stared into the dancing flame wishing this was all just one bad dream; Raven and Cori knew that the feast tonight was not just to welcome their friends to their home, but to say goodbye as well. Cori closed her eyes for a moment, forgetting for just a second, that anytime soon someone would be at her door to lead her to the biggest battle she would ever be in.
Suddenly Cori felt the weight of everything that was riding on the success of her and her sister: Azareth, their friends, their family, their lovers, their lives.... Raven shifted to look back at her twin, as if reading her thoughts, mirroring her own image of worry, doubt, bravery, and fear. Terra yawned quietly, bringing Cori out of her pessimistic reverie, making everyone else finally realize how tired and drained they all were.
Starfire and Aqualad said their goodnights and headed upstairs to the bedroom they would be sharing while Terra and BB slipped away quietly into their own room for the night. Cyborg yawned loudly too and lumbered upstairs into his own room, completely equipped with all the technology he needed for his stay.
The last two couples stayed downstairs in the silence for a little while longer before Cori and Charlie finally said goodnight and went upstairs to her room to fall asleep. Raven was not at all tired but she felt Robin's aura slowly falling asleep so she faked a yawn and said she was tired to get him upstairs and into bed. They got changed and curled up in each other's arms, content to stay that way forever and Robin fell asleep almost instantly. Raven, on the other hand just laid there, waiting in the dark for someone to come and fetch her for their task.
Raven hated not being able to say goodbye properly to her love, but she knew in the end it would only make things harder for everyone and so she silently admitted defeat and waited for the imminent knock of doom to come. Finally, somewhere around three in the morning, a soft knock came at the door and Raven quietly slipped away from Robin and got dressed in her uniform quickly and went out into the hallway. She was met by four guards and her uniformed sister whose midnight blue eyes were yet again rimmed with red as she had been crying for the past few hours.
The guards lead them back down to the temple where their mother and Azar lay waiting for Azareth's two most beloved citizens. The guards stood at the entrance while Azar stepped forward and gave each of the twins a warm, heartfelt hug; she then stepped back a bit and began to explain their mission.
"I cannot express how terribly sorry I am that this task is falling upon your young shoulders, and I wish I could have done more to help you to defeat the demon lord Trigon. You girls have always been in my heart and it pains me to have to send you to complete this most awful battle. But I know, deep down, both of you still regard Azareth as your true home even though you have been on Earth for most of your life, and you would so anything to make it safe once more. In just a matter of moments, your mother will relinquish her magical hold on the portal to your father's lair and you will be able to slip inside quickly and undetected for a short while.
"Once in, you are to locate your father and do whatever it takes to bring him down; my guards will be standing here and will enter the alternate dimension to bring you back here should you two not be able to bring yourselves back here. Just simply utter my name and I will send them to your rescue; as for your friends, I will inform them personally if you are still there when they wake up. I know they will not be pleased with our way of handling this, but I was afraid if we planned this out completely, then Trigon would have found a way to interfere and at least this way we have a chance of catching him off-guard."
Azar took a deep breath and held back her emotions as she continued on. "Now, I will let you say goodbye to your mother quickly before she lets her gate down. I hate to think that one or both of you may not return from this mission, but we all know the consequences of such a hasty adventure. May the Gods and Goddesses of Azareth take heed upon both your souls and protect you until the very end. You two have always been like daughters to me and I would hate to not see both of you emerge victorious from that portal."
Azar turned and left the room so Raven and Cori could say goodbye to their mother and get their focus in check. It was harder for Raven to say goodbye because she felt it wasn't fair that she hadn't even known her mother was still alive and here she was, having to say goodbye all over again. Cori made her goodbye short and sweet but her mother felt all the emotions running through her and understood deeply what one of her daughters was going through.
Arella closed her eyes, muttered an ancient spell and suddenly the portal to the demon world was open for the dark girls to enter and begin their greatest battle ever. Cori held back tears as she followed Raven into the hole, saying goodbye to everything and everyone she would sorely miss once in there. Raven's hand shot out from her side as she gripped Cori's own and the two walked into the biggest war they would ever fight together.
A/N: Okay, now I know I didn't exactly update when I said I would, but I got hit with major ass homework and then major writer's block (which surprisingly sucked more). I hope everyone liked this chapter, but once again, I was not entirely satisfied with it because I think I am officially stuck. I know how I want this to end, it's just the stuff in between I'm having trouble with. And I apologize ahead of time for the next chapter; I have never really written any big- scale-type battles and so they might kind of suck. So don't shoot me once I decide to get my next chapter up. Who knows? Maybe I'll even get a chance to update another story this week too! Now wouldn't that just be grand?