Disclaimer: I own no part of the Teen Titans or their associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.
(A/N): Heroes protect the people, no matter the cost. But how much, is too much?
Chapter 10
Solace
Beast Boy started awake and opened his eyes. He was staring down past the edge of the bed to the floor. He had fallen asleep in his chair, resting his head on his arms again. Pushing himself away from the metal frame he sat up and looked around the medical bay. His eyes had seen little else for a week. Since arriving back at the tower, and helping the others get patched up, he hadn't really left. His place was here and save the occasion trip to the bathroom he hadn't left.
It was late night or early morning. He glanced over at the clock. Half past two. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. No one else was around…they were all asleep by now. Other than Cyborg bringing meals and the others dropping in for a quick minute to say hi, they had been good enough to leave him alone. He had heard bits and pieces of news that they had told him over the intervening days. Apparently the only evidence of the near holocaust that the city had so nearly avoided was a massive footprint burned into the ground where Trigon had stepped.
The outline itself was burned into the ground and surrounded by scorched earth for a couple yards in every direction. Speculation among the masses as to what it was raged everyday in the local papers. Robin had told the people who needed to know an abbreviated version of the events that had transpired. A decision had been made not to tell the public at large. It was currently being spun by the mayor as robotics experiment gone wrong. None of them knew how long that would play…but it seemed plausible enough to most people. Of course, there were the conspiracy theorists as well. Word was a representative of the JLA was going to be by within the week to find out first hand what had gone down.
The other Titans, Hunter and Terra had all been milling around the tower for the last several days. No one seemed to know what to do with themselves. They had only gone out to the grocery store for food and otherwise were sitting around. Beast Boy wondered if there was an attack now if they would be able to get up the energy to fight. Beast Boy knew he couldn't and he wouldn't leave this room. Not as long as she was here.
Raven. The love of his albeit short life lay unmoving on the bed he had so recently been asleep against. She had been right about her demonic side. It had kept her alive long enough to get her here. Her bloody uniform had been removed by Starfire and Terra and replaced with loose clothing after Cyborg had mended the bullet holes in her chest. The wounds had begun to heal, but Raven had yet to wake. As far as Cyborg had been able to determine, her body was healing fine. But for some reason, her vital stats had refused to rise above the bare minimum. It was as if her spirit was being drained off and she had only enough to survive in her current condition.
The IVs hooked into her arms gave her body sustenance, which she was consuming at an alarming rate considering her current state. She was generating plenty of energy, but none of it was staying within her. Beast Boy had no idea why she wouldn't wake, wouldn't come back to him. For the hundredth time he took hold of her hand in both of his and stared, lost, at her closed eyes, willing her to move.
It was going to be another long day of vigil.
Hunter was sitting at the table, flipping through a book when Robin came down for breakfast. With barely a cursory nod he headed to the fridge. Searching through the various bits and bobs left from their last trip to the store he pulled out a carton of eggs and some ham. Frying it all up he made a passable plate and headed for the table.
Sitting down he stared at the plate for several moments, fork poised to strike. For a full minute he stayed, trying to decide which part to attack first. Then his fork jinked to the right, then the left. Still he stared. After another minute Hunter broke away from his book and looked up.
"You gonna eat that or just stare it down all day?" Looking up sharply Robin turned back to the food and stabbed a too large piece of ham very decidedly. Shoving the piece in his mouth he struggled to chew as he worked around the fork. Hunter shook his head slowly. "Right…" He looked back down to his book and flipped a page for a moment before flipping back, looking between a pair of entries.
The doors slid open and Starfire floated in with a more subdued demeanor than usual. She was caught in the same funk as the rest of the tower. With Raven sitting on death's door and pain of wounds still very fresh, to the point Robin's arm was being unconsciously cradled, no one seemed to have much strength to do anything. "Morning friends."
"Morning."
"Good morning Star." Robin put far more into his words than he felt, but Star seemed to cheer up at them anyway. Searching through the food herself and not finding an appetite for anything, she floated over and sat beside Robin. She alone seemed completely able to accept Robin despite the fact he had shot Raven, an act they had been informed by Beast Boy was unnecessary. The others understood what he had done and on some level probably knew he had had no choice…but, consciously or not, they had been keeping their distance from him since they had made it back to the tower. The phrase 'unconditional love' passed through his mind. Even Robin hadn't accepted his own actions; Hunter could see it torturing him with every forced bite and every frozen stare.
Robin always was an obsessive person. Slade, Verge and now that. Without an enemy he had turned on himself... Wait a minute. 'Always?' He'd only known Robin for a couple weeks. So where had 'always' come from? And how did he know about Slade? Hazy memories he knew weren't his crossed his mind. None of them were familiar…yet he felt a familiarity with them. Shaking his head clear he headed back to his book.
It was his schools manuscript, which he had entrusted to Raven. Somehow he had known where to find it as soon as he arrived. He was currently paging through the faded writing for information he might have missed regarding the Sword. Whatever was keeping Raven in her current state, he was relatively sure it had to do with her extended contact with the cursed blade. He didn't know how it could still be affecting her from another dimension, but something was going on and he intended to find out what. Starfire spoke as he was flipping back and forth between entries.
"Friend Robin…can we…go out this evening." Robin looked up from his plate.
"Out?"
"Yes. Perhaps to the place of pizza? Or the theater of movies?"
"I don't know Star. It might not be a good idea."
"But…"
"We're not one hundred percent yet… I don't want us getting attacked before we're ready again."
"Please? We could…"
"She's right you know." They both looked to Hunter. Robin spoke first.
"What?"
"You should get out of here for the night. You, Star, Cyborg and Terra. You need a break and the people need to see the Titans out and about, ready for anything. With all the conspiracy theories floating around due to that footprint, people need reassurance."
"But…if something happens…"
"I'll stay behind. Anything happens, you'll be the first to know."
"Ok…so we go out for a couple hours…"
"Yay!" Star's face regained most of its usual joy in a spilt second. "I'll tell the others!" Before Robin could do anything about it she was tearing down the hallways, headed for the garage, where Cyborg had been spending most of his free time.
Arriving at the tower's ground level Starfire entered the large garage that housed the R-cycle, T-car and various other projects Cyborg had been working on. Glancing around she found his blue metallic frame hunched over a workbench that was covered in test tubes, beakers, scales, computers and various other scientific equipment. He was concentrating on the computer readout as he slowly added some liquid to a beaker on the table before him. Star floated over with a bright smile on her face.
"Friend Cyborg! I have wonderful news!"
"Just a minute Star." He continued to focus on the screen.
"Friend Robin has just decided-"
"I said 'Just a minute Star.'" The severity of his reproach stunned her to silence. Landing heavily she stared at him and waited. Slowly he continued adding liquids for several more seconds. He finished and watched the computer readout intently. After moment a smile began to cross his face. A moment later the computer began to beep frantically and Cyborg's face fell. Turning off the speakers he braced himself against the edge of the counter and leaned heavily. A sigh of frustration passed his lips and it took a moment before he seemed to remember Star was there. He turned and tried to put on a normal demeanor. "Sorry. What…uh…what did you need?"
"Oh…F-Friend Robin said…we are to go out of the tower this evening."
"Out?"
"Yes. Robin, you, me and…Terra. Hunter agreed with him. He believes it will be good for us to get away for a while."
"Might not be such a bad idea. What's Hunter going to be doing?"
"He volunteered to stay and watch the above of our home. And I believe, watch Beast Boy."
"Probably a good idea. No telling what state BB's in right now. He hasn't left Raven's side in days."
"He is very…dedicated to her."
"Yeah…I've got a sneaking suspicion it more than that. A lot more."
"They do claim to be boyfriend and girlfriend."
"I know…but I think it's even more than that."
"You mean…"
"Unless I'm wrong…they've become nearly as close as you and Robin." Starfire considered this for a moment and then blushed deeply as she worked out the full implications of what he had said.
"I…we…Robin…we didn't realize you knew…"
"It's kind of hard to hide it from people who know you as well as we do."
"We tried to be quiet when we-"
"WHOA! Whoa! Stop talking, stop talking! Don't wanna know. Do not want to know!"
"I…I'm sorry…"
"ANYway…where are we going tonight?"
"Friend Robin did not say. We will most likely decide together." He nodded as he considered the options. "Do you truly believe Friend Raven and Beast Boy…"
"I don't know what to believe anymore Star. If they are, they're probably trying to hide it like you and Rob."
"I…I guess so…" She shook her head to clear her mind and glanced around at the equipment he had been working with. "What are you working on?"
"Oh…that's just something I've been toying with. Raven gave me the idea…I'm just trying to see if I can make it work."
"Oh…"
"You gonna go tell Terra now?"
"Oh! Yes…I should inform her immediately."
"I'll be up in a little while. I just want to try something here."
"Okay. I will see you then."
"Later Star." Starfire turned and floated out the doors, headed for the elevator. Making her way back up through the tower she reached the residential levels and headed for Terra's room. Approaching the sliding entrance she reminded herself, as she always did, not to knock too hard. Tapping lightly on the steel she waited for a response.
"Yes?"
"Friend Terra? It is Starfire." After a moment the door slid open to reveal the thin framed blond wearing a black shirt and shorts that bore a resemblance to her old uniform.
"Good morning Star. What do you need?"
"I came to tell you…Friend Robin has decided that we will go out for the evening."
"We?"
"You, Cyborg, Robin and I."
"Hunter's going to stay? Keep an eye on the place?"
"Uh…Yes."
"So…you guys actually trust me enough to let me go out with you?"
"…yes. At least…I do. I would like to believe Robin does as well."
"Thank you."
"You…saved our lives. That counts for much."
"Speaking of saved lives…how is Raven doing? I haven't had the nerve to go see her. Or Beast Boy."
"She is…the same. As is Beast Boy." Terra nodded slowly.
"And Robin?"
"Robin? He was not badly hurt."
"Not physically…I meant…how is he doing…mentally?"
"You mean…his mind?"
"Yeah. If I know Robin as well as I think I do…then he's beating himself up for doing exactly what he had to do. Even now he's probably trying to figure out what he could have done differently on that rooftop. That he had no other options isn't likely to effect that."
"I…I had not considered that."
"He's probably trying to hide it from you. For your own sake…and his…he needs to deal with it. Before it eats him up from the inside."
"Perhaps…you are right…"
"Perhaps…you should talk to Robin. I'll go with you…I could use some breakfast." Gently guiding Starfire they headed for the elevator.
The day passed in as close to a normal fashion as it had in the last week. No one seemed particularly interested in talking at length or doing much of anything. Even Robin was unable to work up the enthusiasm to participate in his usual passion of training. Cyborg again took lunch to Beast Boy and returned to report no change on either his or Raven's condition.
The team and their guests had studiously avoided the topic of Raven for days. Without resolution as to her condition, it was hard to speak of what she had done. So they watched and waited. When they finally left at half past three to the decided dinner and movie, there was a visible sense of relief in their faces. Each one felt a little lighter as they crossed the bay in the T-car.
Hunter watched them go from a window in his room. Moments later he resumed his seat on the bed and flipped open the manuscript he had been searching for days. He was sure the cause for what was happening to Raven was here somewhere, he just had to find it. The actual entry for the Soul Sword was relatively short, only three pages, but it referenced a number of other entries he had been sorting through.
The main problem was that one of the languages the entries were written in, the oldest, was completely unfamiliar to him. He had been trying to piece together how to read it, but as no Rosetta stone existed within the text, it had been slow going. Frustrated, after letting day turn to dusk while searching, he set the book aside and headed for the kitchen. He needed something to clear his mind.
Arriving at the common room he still had the text entries, formed as a mental picture, running through his mind. Scrounging through the fridge he came away with some cold cuts that had evaded destruction. Finding the bread he slapped together a sandwich and began boiling water for tea. Realizing he had left his mix in he room he glanced through the cupboard and discovered some of Raven's. Pouring some of the dried leaves in the steeper he waited. The tell tale whistle came quickly and he poured off the water and eventually filled a cup.
Leaning against the counted he took a bite of sandwich from one hand and a drink form the other. The tea was an uncommon blend that reminded him of something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Closing his eyes he took several deep breaths and cleared his mind. Unbidden the lines of text he had been studying began trailing through his mind. Unconsciously he began to read them. It took several moments of this before he realized what was going on. Mentally paging through the lines he found he could easily decipher them all.
Before he could wonder how he was doing this, the answers he had been searching for appeared out of the previously unreadable texts. In moments he understood and knew what he had to do. Finishing the sandwich and taking a long last sip of tea he set the cup in the sink and headed for the infirmary, checking to make sure his blades were strapped to his legs.
Cyborg and Robin were seated at a table near the back of the pizza restaurant. The building was bustling with Saturday evening customers. They sat over four half eaten pizzas and glanced around. The girls had headed over to the video games in the corner and were taking turns on the machines. It was odd to both of them to see Terra, nearly unchanged in a year and a half, standing next to Starfire, who had aged along with the rest of them. For days they had been occupied by other matters and unable to really see her. But now, it had become unavoidable. Cyborg turned to the Boy Wonder.
"So…what do we do with her?" Robin drew his eyes from Starfire and refocused on Cyborg.
"I've been trying to figure that out for days. Any ideas?"
"Well…she did save our lives. And through us, the world. I think maybe it's time to let her past…be past. She's suffered more than any of us can imagine."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it Rob. She was ripped out of time, a year and a half was stolen form her. And in that time, she's lost more than she will ever know."
"Sounds like a fair trade. She did-"
"Betray us? Yes, she did. But she's done her time. So she's off the team. Fine. But let her go. She's punished herself more than we ever could."
:"You always have to be the voice of reason?"
"Someone around her has to be. So…what are you going to do?"
"Find out what she wants. From there…we'll see."
"Good. Now that we've got that settled…on to you."
"Me?"
"Yeah."
"What about me?"
"I want to make sue you're not still beating yourself up over what happened on the roof top with…Raven." Robin's voice turned dead flat as he responded.
"You mean…when I shot her?"
"Uh…yeah." Robin nodded thoughtfully for a moment.
"Thanks for the concern…but Star beat you to it."
"She did?"
"Yeah…rest assured I've put that demon as much to rest as I can."
"Oh…well…good. So…anything else we should talk about?"
"Raven and Beast Boy?"
"No."
"I guess…that's it." Robin glanced at his watch and noted the time. Motioning to the waitress he had her box up the leftovers and dug some cash out of his wallet. Cyborg collected the girls and the turned to leave.
The trip home was far more pleasant than the trip away had been. Hunter had been right. The evening away was just what they had needed. The T-car crossed the bay and reclaimed it position in the garage. The knowledge of what was still going on in the med bay dampened their spirits a little, but they were far better off than they had been. Splitting up after disembarking from the elevator, Star, Rob and Terra headed for the main room while Cyborg went to the medical wing to check on his patient.
Striding through the halls he had a sudden flash of inspiration regarding the experiment he had been conducting earlier. Typing a few quick notes into his arm console he reached the elevator and continued on his way. Upon reaching the medical bay he found from the computer that Hunter was also in the room. Stepping through he glanced over the scene. "So…Beast Boy…how's it…" he took in everything before him. His hand instantly hit the panic button on his communicator. "Robin! Get down to the Med bay! Quick!" He rushed the fallen form of Hunter, blood already congealing around the sword wound in his chest.
Hunter strode through the doors to the medical bay and quietly approached the steel bed near the end of the room. Beast Boy looked up from his chair as the warrior approached. Hunter scanned the monitors, Raven and finally settled his eyes on the changeling.
"How is she?" Hunter could see the lack of sleep and mental anguish taking its heavy toll on the green titan. He looked as if he had barely slept in days and Hunter was fairly certain he hadn't.
"She's…the same. I don't understand. It's like she got just well enough to survive…and then stopped. The wound in her chest keeps healing…but she won't wake up."
"I…I think I know why." Beast Boy was on his feet instantly. His eyes immediately gained a piercing lucidity and bore into Hunter's.
"Why? Tell me! What do you know!"
"I was paging through the manuscript of my master and trying to make out the oldest passages. They were in a language that I couldn't understand. When I went to take a break I began to recall the words, only this time, I could read them. I got that ability from somewhere. I got it from Raven."
"What? How?"
"You remember that I was trapped within the Sword? When Trigon's…Raven's power began to overwhelm me, I was expelled. I arrived here neither alive nor truly dead. Since then I've been on the brink. I may have been expelled from the sword, but I was still tied to it and it was siphoning off a very small amount of that energy to keep me alive."
"Okay…but that still doesn't explain…" Beast Boy resumed his seat and focused on him.
"When the Sword was banished to another dimension along with Trigon and Verge, the connection between it and myself was snapped. My body still needed energy to survive though. Somehow, the connection moved from the blade…to Raven."
"You mean…you're the reason…?"
"Yes. I've been siphoning off the energy Raven is creating, unconsciously, to feed my own existence. I've become a living version of the Sword. That's why I could read that text. I'm slowly absorbing Raven's abilities." Beast Boy looked shocked, between Raven and Hunter.
"How…how do we stop it?"
"Do you love her?" Beast Boy was surprised by the sudden shift. Having no recourse, he answered honestly.
"More than anything."
"You are fortunate. The only way to save her is to snap the connection." Before Beast Boy could blink Hunter had drawn a blade from his leg and held it poised, tip against his chest.
"What are you…"
"It's better this way. I was never supposed to come back. All my people, all my friends, all my family…they're all dead. Now I'll be free to join them. Time for Raven to have back what is hers."
"No!" The blade slipped home and protruded a couple inches out Hunter's back. As he fell backwards, arms flying to the sides, Beast Boy dashed around the bed and kneeled at his side. "Hunter? Hunter? Say something." A small line of blood began to creep out of the corner of Hunter's mouth as he spoke in pained breaths.
"My…my real name…is…Alex…Keystone. I'd like that…on my grave."
"Mine…mine's Garfield."
"Good bye Garfield. Take care of her."
"Good bye Hu- Alex. I will." Alex smiled a little as his eyes slipped shut and his head fell back to the floor. He took one last shuddering breath, and then his whole body relaxed in the stillness of death. A single tear dropped from Beast Boy and splashed against the other man's shirt. As it fell a light shimmering of blue light seemed to rise from the body.
Falling back on his hands the changeling watched as the sparks of light assembled itself into a form he could only just recognize as a shadowy specter of Raven. It floated over to the bed and slowly settled into her. The response was immediate. As if pulled up by a line hooked to her chest she rose to a sitting position, shock painting her suddenly very awake face. Beast Boy was to her in a heartbeat, wrapping her in his arms. And burying tear stained cheeks in her shoulder.
"Raven! Thank god…I thought…"
"Where…what…Beast Boy?"
"Yes…it's me." Slowly memories returned. After a moment she managed to rebuild her recollection of the last several days.
"I'm…I'm alive?" Beast Boy pulled back, nodding furiously.
"Yes. Barely. We got you back to the tower just in time." Her hand flew to her chest. "It's healing. You've been out for seven days."
"I…have?"
"Yes. You only came back because Hunter realized what was wrong with you."
"Hunter? Where is he?" She followed his hand to see the body lying on the floor, impaled. At that very moment, the door opened and Cyborg strode in.
"So…Beast Boy…how's it…" he took in everything before him. His hand instantly hit the panic button on his communicator. "Robin! Get down to the med bay! Quick!" His eyes flashed to Beast Boy and the surprisingly awake Raven. "You're awake? What the hell happened here!" They could only stare at each other for several moments. Beast Boy cleared his throat.
"I…I can explain."
"I certainly hope so." Robin had entered followed by Terra and Star. Star and Terra looked shocked at the body on the floor while Robin's face was unreadable behind his mask.
A half-hour later Beast Boy had managed to explain the circumstances of Raven's miraculous recovery and Alex's death. The corpse had been moved to a vacant bed and covered in a white sheet. Beast Boy and Raven sat on the edge of her bed while the rest stood around, mulling over what he had told them. Robin was the first to speak.
"I'm going to make some calls. He deserves a proper burial." Starfire trailing, he walked out, throwing occasional glances at Raven and the sheet. "Good to have you back Raven."
"Glad you're back." Cyborg left with Terra in tow, headed for the garage, leaving Raven and Beast Boy alone again. After a moment he leaned in and kissed her gently.
"It is good to have you back. I don't think I've ever been so afraid to lose something in my life. I love you so much."
"I love you too." Raven slid off the bed onto her feet. "Can we get out of here?" Beast Boy slid down beside her.
"Yeah. Come on." Taking her hand they slowly left the med bay. After several steps she began to stumble and fell against him. Supporting her with his arms he helped her down the halls. Without asking for a destination he led her to her room. Reaching her bed he helped her in. She pulled him in after her and they were both asleep before his head hit the pillow.
A day and a half later the Titans and Terra were gathered around a lowering casket, encased in black energy, in Jump City Memorial Cemetery. They stood near the back wall made of massive granite blocks. The only other person present was an elderly priest who was just finishing a short service. When the casket reached the bottom, the pile of dirt began to refill the hole at Terra's command. Moments later the hole was filled and grass replaced in front of the simple granite headstone that Terra had also carved. The priest had a difficult time not staring in awe at the extremely unorthodox ceremony as he finished. Blessed with the instinct his profession taught him, he turned and stepped away to leave the titan's alone with their fallen ally.
Dressed in their uniforms, the Titans all stood perfectly still, staring at the grave. None of them were sure what they should do next. The same violent breeze that seemed to inhabit all cemeteries blew through and whipped cloaks and capes around their owners. Knowing there was nothing else to do Robin took Starfire's hand and led her to the R-cycle. Moments later Cyborg turned away and was followed by Terra, headed for the T-car. They waited silently while Raven and Beast Boy remained.
From somewhere under her cloak Raven pulled out a pair of flowers. One was a red geranium, the other a white lily. Laying them crossed over Alex's chest she stepped back and turned away. Beast Boy took her hand and they both climbed into the back seats of the T-Car. Lead by the R-cycle the three vehicle procession slowly made its way out of the cemetery through the massive wrought iron gates. The black sedan bearing the priest was the last to depart.
When the breeze passed again, it found only the headstone and the freshly filled grave. The flowers on the mound fluttered very slightly, but the rest was silence. All that remained of the once mighty warrior who had made the trip the other side and back was the round topped, freshly carved granite marker standing just over three feet from the earth.
Alex 'Hunter'
Keystone
Died Free
19?-2005
That afternoon the team had gathered with Terra, deciding to put the question of what she was to do to rest. They sat around the kitchen table in much the same way they had when interrogating her, but the mood was materially different. She met not suspicion, but acceptance this time. A feeling she was, in some ways, less able to deal with. Robin, as usual, was the first to ask.
"So Terra…what do you plan to do now?" She considered the question for several moments before giving the same answer she had started with.
"I don't know. For so long, one thing has led to another. But now…I have no idea."
"I see. Well, we talked it over, and you are welcome to stay here for a while." She looked up, surprised.
"I…I can?"
"Yes. It's not like we ever have enough guests to need all the rooms."
"Th…thank you. But…I don't really think I belong here. You guys have an incredible team dynamic and I don't want to mess with that. Besides, it's really kind of weird…it's like I jumped forward in time…and I really can't deal with that."
"Then…perhaps you'd consider a position in Titan's East?"
"East?"
"Yeah…we didn't tell you about that, did we? Titan's east is was formed nearly a year ago. It's our Steel City branch. They might be willing to take you. Cy? You think you can talk Bumble Bee into it?"
"Me? Why me? You're the leader. And I think this qualifies as a leader to leader type of thing."
"But you know them better. Please?"
"Fine. I'll go talk to Bee." Cyborg pressed him self up from the table and headed for the door.
"What? No. No way. Not gonna happen." Bumble Bee's face was incredulous on the screen.
"Come on Bee, please?"
"Are you nuts? You want me to take in the girl that nearly destroyed Jump City?"
"But she's changed! Really! She saved our lives."
"She did it once, she can do it again."
"Come on Bee…she wants to try. She just needs somewhere to make a fresh start. Besides…you're outnumbered what? Four to one? I think you'd appreciate a female ally." Cyborg could see her considering the possibilities.
"You owe me so big."
"Fair enough. How about dinner tomorrow? I can drop off Terra and we can go out. Just get away from it all."
"That sounds reasonable. See you then."
"Okay." The screen clicked of and he rose to deliver the news to his teammates. When he arrived back at the common room Robin was rising from the computer, an uncharacteristic grin splayed across his face. It was so unusual Cyborg stopped cold at seeing it. "What…?" The others turned and also froze, staring at him.
"They were cutting a new shaft for the subway…when they came across an underground facility. They opened it with faith and found…Slade's hideout!" The others answered in unison.
"No way!"
"It's true. They're sending me all the data they can pull off the computers; they've already transmitted the most recent stuff. And I found something terrible interesting." Raven's monotone cut through the room.
"Okay Bird Boy, what is it?"
"Glad you asked. I know…who brought Terra back." The whole room went dead silent before Terra spoke.
"You do?"
"Yep."
"Who?"
"The person who brought Terra back…was…Terra. Sort of. And Slade." They looked at him, confused.
"Uh…what?"
"According to Slade's records, Terra's body was begining to produce that chemical formula itself, but it was a slow process. So he produced it synthetically and forced the process."
"Okay…but why?"
"Because…he intended her to do, exactly what she did."
"What?"
"Yeah. He wanted you to save us from the fossilization process. Once Trigon gave him back his humanity, he planned to have us defeat the demon."
"So…he was trying to double cross my father?"
"Looks that way."
"And then Trigon double crossed him."
"Yeah."
"That's unbelievable. But speaking of that chemical…Raven…I think I've found the formula you mentioned. If you'll come down to the lab, I'll show you."
"Sure Cy." Turning, they passed through the doors and headed out. Cyborg turned back for a second.
"Oh, yeah…sorry I forgot…Bumble Bee said she'd be happy to have Terra join her team." As they left the others turned to Terra, who had a small smile on her face. Beast Boy was the first to find words.
"Congratulation."
"Thank you."
Terra and Cyborg took off in the T-car early the next morning. Cy had a bag packed and leave from Robin to stay a couple days. The mood that evening was upbeat in the tower for the first time in weeks as it looked like their latest episode of drama had finally come to an end. Robin was back in the training room beating the hell out of a bag while Star sat on one the benches holding and intermittent conversation with him. Raven sat on the ledge of the roof meditating in the cool evening air. This is where Beast Boy found her after searching much of the tower. Sitting beside her he waited for her to open her eyes. After a few moments, she did.
"Hi."
"Hey Gar."
"Been looking all over for you."
"Where else would I be?"
"Well…considering the last few weeks…I didn't know. I just…" He leaned in and kissed her passionately, an act she mimicked immediately. After several seconds he pulled back. "…really wanted to do that."
"Good to know you care."
"Was there ever a doubt?"
"No…which is why I know you'll carry me down to my room."
"Say what?"
"I think I twisted my ankle. I can't walk."
"Uh…Raven? You can fly. And pass through the floor."
"Oh…so you're saying I'm too much of a burden for you? That something so simple is more than you're willing to do?"
"What? I…no…but…aw…never mind. Fine, let's go!" With feigned aggression he lifted her from the ledge across his arms and headed for the door. Transporting her through the hallways with her arms around his neck reminded him of another time he had carried her. Wiping that thought from his mind before it could start to affect him, he concentrated on taking the next step until they reached her door. Brazenly stepping through he carried her to the center of the room and made to drop her.
"What? You can't even make it to the bed?" With anther burst of feigned exertion he crossed the dozen steps to her bed and leaned to lay her down. With surprising speed and strength he found himself on top of her and his shirt off in a blink. With a flick of her wrist her cloak flew off the side of the bed to join his shirt. After a moment he regained his senses enough to speak.
"Raven…what are you doing? We can't…" She smiled at him in a way that he had seen on only one previous occasion. Gently taking his hand she rolled back her left sleeve and showed him a small fabric patch stuck to her skin. "And this is?"
"Cyborg found a way to isolate the power surpressing properties of the chemical in those patches. Completely effective. So actually…"
"You mean…"
"Yep. We can."
"So…you're completely powerless?"
"Yeah."
"How long?"
"About twelve hours."
"Some people go there whole lives without hearing news that good." A mischievous smile crossed his face. "Oh…this is going to be fun."
"Uh…Gar? Gar? What are you…"
(A/N): Another one bites the dust. Thus finishes Making Peace. Read the coming Author's note for the full wrap up. Thanks for reading.
(A/N): If you feel it is warranted feel free to review. I welcome any and all opinions.
