Chapter 4: Fight of Flight

"Don't you worry Aqualad, we'll find her," Cyborg said as he drove in the direction that Terra was last headed in. With both the jet and the car, there was enough room for ten of the eleven adult heroes and today, all ten places were filled.

"I should never have gone…I should have told her right away that she meant more to me than the stupid throne!" Aqualad muttered.

"Stop blaming yourself," Robin said through the communication system that linked them to the microphones in the jet.

"Yes, Terra chose to run away from home," Starfire added.

"Do you think the kids are okay at home with a sitter?" Jinx asked. She had never been away from Reese for more than an hour or two since the minute he was born.

"With two sitters, and yes, they're fine," Torque replied. The T-Car hovered effortlessly over the terrain as it became rocky and rough, and the T-ship soared above them, suddenly surging ahead and barrel-rolling in the air. Robin and Speedy's voices roared with laughter and whoops of joy as the plane cruised over the car. Jinx shook her head, Torque rolled her eyes, and Cyborg chuckled as he said, "I'll bet Raven's wishin' she'd have ridden in the car about now."

"No, I'm not," Raven replied. "But I'm guessing Beast Boy is." Several members of the team groaned or laughed out loud as Beast Boy started to groan and then his microphone suddenly cut out.

"That's really not a mental image I needed, guys!" Torque shouted through the intercom.

"You two are gonna be scrubbing out the cockpits!" Beast Boy whimpered weakly when his microphone came back on.

Far away, Terra finally stopped running. She was still crying, and the tears were blurring her vision to the point where she could no longer see clearly enough to continue. When Terra wiped away her tears, she noticed that she was far beyond the city limits of anywhere she had been before. This desert-like valley was littered with boulders of varying sizes, from basketballs to Buicks, but beyond her, just a quarter mile run, was an even larger one. This one was nearly the size of the T-ship, and Terra took a deep breath before running toward it. It was exactly what she needed.

The Titans landed the vehicles several miles from their target. "She's still moving! Hurry, Titans!" Robin cried. "Raven! Help us out here!"

"Thought you'd never ask!" Raven said, gathering her breath. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven encircled her friends in a bubble of dark energy and carried them up the tall hill ahead of them. When they reached the top, Raven released them and the Titans spotted their target. Terra was at the top of the next hill and quickly vanished behind it.

"Terra! Wait!" Robin cried. The team broke into a run, trying to catch up to her, but a deep rumble of the ground seconds later shook several Titans to their knees. The others proceeded and reached the crest of the next hill, where what they saw nearly make their hearts skip a beat. Terra was down at the bottom of the hill, a massive boulder held just a few feet over her head. It was plain that she intended to drop it and end her life. She spotted the Titans and screamed for them to stay away. Her powers were beginning to weaken, and she was having a hard time keeping the boulder above her.

"Don't do this, Terra!" Beast Boy shouted.

"Why? I've alienated my friends again! I've lost the man I love…I've beaten an innocent child! I beat your daughter! Give me one good reason I shouldn't drop this right now!" Terra shrieked.

"Let us help you!" Torque begged.

"If we didn't love you we wouldn't be here!" Jinx cried.

"Yes! The entire team is here, Terra! We need you with us!" Starfire added. Terra seemed to at least be considering it. She looked at the Titans, their eyes pleading for her to reconsider this deadly choice. They were all there? The whole team? For her? Just then, the rest of the team bounded over the hill. Terra looked up and her heart nearly broke.

"Aqualad!" she cried. Terra gasped as she lost her grip on the boulder. The other Titans screamed as the rock came crashing to the ground, even Raven and Torque, though they had tried, had not been fast enough to catch the boulder. It easily could have weighed two tons. The heroes stood silent, none of them able to move. It had all happened so quickly that none of them could react.

"Terra…" Beast Boy murmured, his eyes wide with tears. He turned to Raven and buried his head in her shoulder. Aqualad collapsed to his knees. The coldest of oceans never deadened his senses the way this sudden event had just now. He stared at the rock, suddenly certain that his heart was with her under the rock.

"I can't believe it…we were so close," wept Torque, leaning back into Speedy's arms as he wrapped them around her shoulders.

"There's no way she could have survived it…it happened so fast!" Jinx murmured, hanging her head. Cyborg came forward and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"There was nothing we could do," he added. Robin remained on his knees before them, leaning forward to pound his fists down into the dirt. He pressed his forehead against the hot ground and wept. They had lost her again.

More than a full minute passed before any of the Titans could bring themselves to move. The dust settled, and Raven was the first to move, gently turning to shepherd her husband away from the scene. The wind gusted gently, howling softly over their heads. Something in this breeze echoed with what sounded, to the Titans, like the voice of their fallen comrade and several more released their tears. Starfire helped Robin to his feet, but no one knew if they should go near Aqualad. His powerful shoulders still shook with grief, and more than anything, his friends wanted to allow him to mourn. Suddenly, the marine Titan's head jerked upright and looked penetratingly at the boulder.

"What is it, Aqualad?" asked Mammoth.

"I heard something," Aqualad replied, his voice trembling.

"It's the wind, Garth," Raven said gently. "…her soul calling back to us from the earth."

"No—I heard it!" Aqualad cried. Even Raven was crying now.

"Man, there's no way she lived through that. My sensors aren't even picking up—"

Cyborg suddenly interrupted himself as he checked the scanner in his arm again.

"What is it, Cyborg?" Jinx asked gently.

"I don't believe it…" Cyborg stammered. A cough, more pronounced than the wind, punctured the air seconds later, followed by a soft gasp and a definite voice.

"cough Help me! Are…are you still there? Anyone?"

Aqualad and Beast Boy had never moved so fast. Raven, Starfire and Torque soared overhead and the others ran just a few steps behind them. There, behind the boulder and with her foot pinned beneath it, was Terra—very much alive. The dust was sticking to her face where her tears were falling, and it only took seconds of combined effort for the Titans to lift the boulder and destroy it.

As soon as she was loose, Aqualad yanked Terra into his arms and clasped her close to him. Terra, sobbing once again, clutched her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt.

"You…you came back for me!" Terra wept.

"Terra, I told you, I love you! You mean more to me than any throne of any world, on this side of the ocean or otherwise!" Aqualad replied, stroking Terra's hair.

"You gave up your throne to be with me?" Terra whimpered.

"I wouldn't want to be any place on earth where you couldn't be with me. I thought my heart stopped when that rock fell. Please, don't ever do that to me again!" Aqualad replied.

"Do you really love me so much?" Terra whispered, tears flowing freely from her shining blue eyes.

"Terra, I would die for you!" Aqualad replied, kissing Terra's mouth. Raven took advantage of this distraction and quickly mended Terra's broken foot with her powers.

"I healed most of the damage, but she should still stay off it for a while," Raven reported when she turned to Robin.

"No problem," Aqualad smiled, lifting Terra into his arms. Terra smiled gratefully.

"I don't deserve you guys, you know that?" Terra sniffled.

"I think that's the point, Terra," said Torque, patting Terra's arm as Aqualad held her. "None of us actually 'deserve' each other. We've all messed up at one point or another, but that's what friends are for—they defend your ass when it needs defending, and cover it when it needs covering, and they really don't care where you've been and what you've done, but they care that you are there with them in that moment-that you're there when they need you the most…for instance…when your foot is caught under a three ton boulder?"

The other Titans indulged in a long, hearty laugh. After the day they'd had, it felt great.

"Let's go home, Titans," Robin said proudly. After some reshuffling of the seating arrangements, the Titans headed home. Beast Boy soared along side the jet on the way back to Titans Tower, screeching out in joy in the form of a hawk.

Back at the Tower, Olivia's head perked up at the sound of a bird of prey outside. She looked around and then got up from the game she was playing with Toby and Jason.

"What is it, Livie?" Toby asked.

"I hear a bird," Olivia said. Just then, a rumble broke the air.

"I hear a plane!" said Jason. Olivia ran to the living room and pressed herself up against the window.

"THEY'RE BACK!" Olivia squealed, running for the stairs. Toby was right behind her as they ran. Two flights down, Olivia grabbed her brother under the arms and lifted him into the air, carrying him down the rest of the stairs. When they got to the bottom, Toby was laughing.

"Great trick, sis!" he giggled.

"No problem," Olivia replied with a smile. The twins waited until they heard the hangar doors and the garage overhead doors closing and the voices of their family emerging from the vehicles. The two bounced anxiously until the warning light above the door turned green, and then bolted into the garage and threw themselves into their parents' arms.

"Daddy!" Toby cried, leaping into Beast Boy's open arms.

"Mommy, we missed you!" Olivia cried as Raven lifted her up spinning her in a circle as she hugged her. The Titans processed up to the living area: this occasion called for pizza—and lots of it. While the others got settled, Terra sat with her foot up on the couch. Olivia saw her and, despite the events of the past weekend, Olivia climbed up onto the couch and into Auntie Terra's arms.

"What's this for?" Terra asked softly. "I know I sure don't deserve it."

"Daddy told me a story last night," Olivia said, snuggling down a bit. "He said... Jesus had lots of friends that went everywhere with him, just like the Titans. There were bad guys for Jesus too. The bad guys got a hold of Jesus and were hurting him and some of his friends wouldn't even help him but he…but Jesus told…he said to his daddy that he should forgive them because they didn't know they were hurting him. They didn't know what they were doing." Terra was overwhelmed. She was sure that in telling his daughter this timeless story of forgiveness, that he was reinforcing it as much in himself.

"So…what are you saying, Olivia?" Terra asked, her voice beginning to choke up with emotion. Olivia wrapped her arms around Terra's neck and hugged her.

"I love you, Auntie, and I forgive you," Olivia said, smiling as Terra slowly hugged the little one against her and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm so sorry, Olivia! You're absolutely right—I had no idea what I was doing! I love you, Olivia! Thank you so much!" Terra wept. Olivia snuggled down into Terra's arms, wedging herself between Terra and the couch cushions. With Terra's arms around her, Olivia—and Terra too—were soon fast asleep. Terra had never been so grateful for the innocent love of the children in her life.

Later that night, Aqualad carried Terra to her room and insisted upon tucking her into bed. He kissed her over and over in this process, from helping her change her clothes to placing her in bed and pulling the covers up. Terra pulled back from one of these kisses and looked at her beloved with a thankful smile.

"What are you thinking?" Aqualad asked in mild concern.

"I've made a decision," Terra said simply.

"Oh?"

"Yes."

"What's that?"

"I'm ready."

"…"

Stunned speechless, Aqualad let Terra pull him to her again and kiss him more passionately than she ever had before.

"Are you sure it's not going to aggravate your injury?" Aqualad asked.

"I'm sure we're fine," Terra said, scooting over as he slipped beneath the covers and covered her mouth with his again.

"I've waited too long for this," Aqualad whispered.

"I know," Terra murmured. "I'll never make you wait again!"