Hiyehs! And now for Chapter Threemarundun!

superdork398: Thanks!

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MysteriousJedi: Okay!

Velvet Panther: Yeah...maybe retinal scans or something. Wonder how they get the cats to sit still. Probably injections.

Chapter 3: Meeting Them

"Beast Boy, how exactly did three kids end up on the third floor?"

Everyone was now fully in the basement as Hurricane Destiny raged onward. Rose, Grant and Joey were looking around, eyes wide, frightened out of their wits. Starfire was gushing over how cute the children were (which they desprately tried to ignore). Beast Boy was trying to play with a flashlight and listen at the same time. Robin was pacing. He was confused.

"Isn't it obvious?" Beast Boy said, spinning the flashlight on the ground. "The hurricane?"

"Yeah," Grant said. "We needed shelter. And your tower was the only one that wasn't locked. The door was wide open, practically."

Robin's eyes went wide. "Okay, who forgot to lock the door?"

"Who else?" Raven's eyes shifted to BB.

"Why do you always blame me?" he said. "Okay, it was me, but, really-"

Joey smiled. Rose and Grant giggled a little bit.

"We get it," Robin said. "So, kids, I hope you liked it here, but once the storm is over we need to get you guys back to your mom and dad. They're probably worried sick."

Rose's eyes did that thing where they go all wide. "Uh...yeah...y'see... do you guys have the patience for sob stories?"

"If they're intresting."

"Okay." She took a deep breath.

"We don't really have a home. Or...parents, really. They were killed...by a madman. We had no choice but to run. That was three years ago. Since then, we've sort of been street kids. Taking shelter in other people's homes, stealing their food...it all seems wrong, but it's how we survive. We're okay this way, we never go hungry or anything. But I can barely support myself...or Grant...or Joey. Especially Joey." She looked sadly over at her younger sibling, who smiled at her.

"Y'know, he's been a little quiet," Cyborg said. "Little guy's shy, eh?" He tried to ruffle Joey's hair, but he backed away. Grant grabbed his shirt collar.

"Actually, he's...uh...he's mute." Grant pulled down Joey's collar, revealing a small scar by his throat.

The Titans gasped. Raven bowed her head.

"That is horrible!" Starfire said. Then, rethinking, she added,"Please, what is 'mute'?"

"It's when a person is unable to talk because of an injury," Robin said, "like an unsucessful throat slitting. Not when they never learn to talk, that's called dumb. How did this happen?" His voice changed from mellow and explanatory to angry and sharp in an instant.

"Like you said, an unsucessful throat slitting, by the same madman that killed our parents. Grant gave him a wedgie while I grabbed Joey away from him." She tossed in that last sentence as an afterthought.

"So...we can't talk to the little guy?" Beast Boy said. His voice was hurt, he obviosly liked the little guy.

Joey began making signs with his hands. BB recognized it as some sort of sign language, but he didn't know sign language, so he couldn't understand.

"He uses sign language to communicate. What he just said is that he thinks this basement is the ugliest place he's ever seen, and that he liked the third floor main room better."

"Yeah, it is pretty ugly. Smart kid." Robin smiled. (Note: From now on, roughtranslations of Joey's signings will be put in underlined italics.)

"So, as I was saying," Rose continued, "We'll be leaving when the storm lets up. We're sorry to bother you."

"Bother us?" BB said. "You're the most exciting thing that's happened in the past hour!"

"And you're welcome to stay as long as you need to," Robin said. "You aren't exactly teens and have no discernable powers, so you can't join the team, but heck, it's okay."

"THANK YOU!" Grant said.

"Heck, it's nothing," BB said. "The guys could stay in my room, dunno about Rose..."

"I'll stay in the living room," Rose said. "It's no trouble. Really...this isn't nessessary. We didn't do anything for you."

"We're the Teen Titans," Cyborg said. "Our job is to enforce the laws. And one law under this roofis that everyone gets a good roof."

Uh, yeah, what he said. Joey nodded rapidly.

"And as the hurricaine has not stopped, we shall wile away on a game of Spanish One!" Starfire held up the Uno cards.

Joey and Roseshifted right on over, but Grant stayed. He knew that this was going to end badly. It always did for his little family. The Teen Titans would shun them...and they would be lost once more.

But not right now, at least. That was good.

Teh end! Of the chapter, I mean.