A/N: Geez! 6 new reviews! Wow, that's the most I've ever gotten from posting a single chapter. Four of those were from beautifully-evil (thanks for that - I appreciate how you reviewed each chapter separately :) ). Also, a special thanks to Grumbumble. That was exactly the sort of review I needed; you gave some nice compliments, but the majority of the review was constructive criticism. Thank you so much, I'll definitely follow your suggestions.
Also, sorry about having such a depressing chapter last time, but...well, death is pretty depressing. Hopefully this next chapter will be more uplifting. Thank you to all my reviewers! I love you all!
Oh, also I know chapter 4 was abnormally long by my standards, so don't expect that every time. Quality over quantity.
Disclaimer: Not sure why I need to do this every chapter. Ok, this is turning into Random Quote.
Random Quote: "One man's pornogrophy is another man's art." -My history teacher (no joke!)
(right where chapter 3 leaves off, I'll give you a recap so you remember)
Beast Boy turned to go, but Lana gently placed her hand on his arm. He stopped.
"I think I'd feel better if you stayed."
Robin looked uncomfortable. "Uh..." he cleared his throat. "I'm not sure we've even been properly introduced. Plus, you'll need a tour of the tower."
Beast Boy blushed at Lana's touch, but she soon removed her hand. "I'm Lana. I think I actually know everyone's name already, but it's nice to finally meet you guys in person."
Starfire looked delighted. "Glorious! The introductions have been concluded so that I may begin the welcoming feast! Robin, would you assist me in the preparation of the food?"
"Oh...well, actually, I was going to show Lana around."
"Don't worry, I can handle that," said Beast Boy hopefully. "You can go help Starfire cook. Please," he added, knowing Starfire's penchant for strange alien foods.
"Yes, Robin! Permit Beast Boy to give the tour to our new friend! We can prepare the food together, can we not?"
"Uh, sure." Robin followed Starfire into the kitchen, glancing backward as Beast Boy smirked at him.
"Actually, I really can't stay. I should be getting home now, I've got lots to do...homework and stuff." Everyone turned to stare at Lana.
Cyborg was the first to speak. "Don't you realize? None of that matters now," he said gently. "This is serious, and we need your help."
"We do have an idea of what happened today," added Robin, "but we still need you to give us more answers."
"And if our suspicions are correct, you can never go back," finished Raven darkly.
"To what? I don't understand," said Lana densely.
"To your old life. To anything you ever knew before. Your school, your friends, even your home."
Lana wandered over to the couch in a daze and sat down. She promptly stood back up.
"Hold the phone. I don't personally know any of you. Why should I believe a word you're saying? You think you know from whom I was running, but for all I know, you might be the bad guys. In fact, I should be running away from you." She turned toward the door and took a step forward. "I'm leaving now," she announced rather pompously. She took a few more steps and placed her hand on the door handle. Nobody tried to stop her. Finally Lana swung the door open and took a step out. Still nobody moved.
"So what's going on?" she asked. "Why aren't you stopping me?" Lana still stood with her back to the Titans.
"Because we have no right to. You're free to go." There was a note of sadness in Cyborg's voice. He knew, along with everyone else, that they needed Lana. They needed to know exactly what had happened, but that didn't mean they could hold her there against her will.
"Dude, trust me: if we were the bad guys, we wouldn't let you leave." The Titans noticed that Beast Boy wasn't his usual cheery self, a fact which they attributed to his broken wrist.
Lana actually appeared to hesitate. She turned around and took a deep breath. "Let me explain. There's someone following me. I don't know who it is, but he or she is after me. I can't stay here and put you guys in danger, too. So if you'll excuse me, I've got a life to get back to."
Robin stepped forward. "He's already after us. We're already in danger, just like you are. But we can protect each other. If you stay, at least for a little while, we can fill each other in on some details."
Something in the back of Lana's mind urged her to stay. Perhaps it was instinct, or perhaps it was her subconcious telling her that she liked the feeling of security she got from standing inside Titans Tower with five teenaged superheroes to protect her. Besides, once the rational part of her brain kicked in, she realized that these were the famous, talked-about Teen Titans. Their leader, the sought-after kung fu master, was standing before her, metaphorically on his knees, begging her for help.
And she would help. She could change her fate. Sarah's death was something she could not have controlled. She saw it happening, but could not have stopped it no matter what. But this thing, this whole experience, the opportunity to help out a fellow human, was something she could change. This was her chance to do something worth doing and not regret it later. No longer would Lana make the rain, then stand outside and say "Shit, it's raining!" (A/N: the thing about the rain is supposed to be very serious. It's from cold Mountain. i.e. people comlain, but usually what they're complaining about is something that either they caused or could've prevented.)
She could do it. For years, people had been telling her that she brought chaos when she could not handle her emotions. At the worst, she was shunned for what she was, and at best she was ignored;she eventually stopped telling people, leading them to think she was normal. Finally, these five people were willing to accept her both because of and in spite of what she was.
They were just like her...
"I'll stay."
A/N: Wow, that was long. I apologize for how long it took to finish this. I had to actually begin my homework. So I'll post this as soon as it's finished. Please review and tell me what you thought. Thanks to all my lovely reviewers from previous chapters!
Also, for a week, and on a previous story I had about two years ago on another pen name, I gave my chapters actual titles besides "chapter 1," etc. I'd appreciate it if after your review you could tell me whether I should start using titles again, or if you think it's fine the way it is. Thanks!