Chapter 1 The News

Cyborg and Raven sat at the Teen Titans' huge dining room table. Cyborg, a 6 ft. 5 in. hulk, shoveled tons of eggs down his throat and making loud snorting noises. Raven, clad in her usual purple hooded cloak, widened her grimace at Cyborg's gobbling. When Cyborg capped off his eating spectacle with a huge "Boo-yah!" Raven lost it.

"Cyborg!" yelled Raven, "do you not see that I am trying to concentrate." Her herbal tea cup was enveloped in black and thrown against the ceiling. "Soooorrrrrryyyyy," shouted Cyborg sarcastically, coming out of the shocked state Raven's outburst put him in. "I happen to have just broken the world record for the fastest eating of 100 eggs," he said, rising to his feet, his red eye flashing dangerously

"Guys," complained a higher voice from the doorway, "Stop the yelling. I can hear it all the way from Robin's room."

"What were you doing in Robin's room?" asked Raven accusingly, glaring at Beast Boy. "Well…I…um," he stammered, quailing under Raven's piercing stare.

"Where you spying on Robin and Starfire again?" asked Raven. "Um…yes," admitted Beast Boy sheepishly.

"Have you no…," began Raven, but Cyborg cut her off. "What were they doing in there?" he asked with curiosity. His human eye widened in anticipation. "The same thing they've been doing since that close call with Star." He paused for a moment, remembering his friend's near death experience. (There you have it, my Vanishing Act reference!) Shaking it off, he reiterated his point by pursing his lips and making annoying slurping noises.

"Ew," said Raven in disgust. "What?" asked Beast Boy, taken aback, "It's not like its 'R' rated or anything.

"No, it's not that," explained Raven, "It's the drool all over your jumpsuit from your slurping."

"Oh, sorry," said Beast Boy, embarrassed. He didn't notice Raven smile to herself.

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Robin tenderly pulled his lips off of Starfire's and smiled at her lovingly. She giggled to herself and looked down at his gloved hand on the bed. She kept glancing around the room. "You OK Star?" asked Robin, noticing the look in her eyes.

"Everything is wonderful," exclaimed Starfire unconvincingly. "You can't fool me," said Robin, "What are you thinking about?"

Starfire sighed and admitted "I am thinking about Beast Boy." Robin drew back from her, a million questions racing through his mind. What did I do wrong? Am I not good enough? What does Beast Boy have over me? What...

His horror evidently showed, because Starfire down turned her palms and waved them in front of her chest saying, "No, no, no. Not like that. I was wondering if he would have wanted, with Terra, what we have with each other."

"You mean as a girlfriend?" he asked, his racing mind easing. "Yes, I think he would have wanted that." He sighed and, the moment ruined, leaned back on his bed as Starfire walked to his desk. He knew that Starfire hadn't meant to ruin the moment and he blamed himself. Idiot, he thought furiously, why did you have to press the subject? If you hadn't you could be...

His musings were interrupted by a ring tone from his bedside table. He turned to see a small, round communicator engraved with a yellow "T" dancing across the smooth surface. Both Robin and Starfire flipped open their communicators to see Cyborg's expectant face.

"Hey y'all," he exploded, "I got one hell of a news break for you. Come down to the living room." Confused, Robin led an equally confused Starfire out the door to hear the news.

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Robin, Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy sat on the Titans' huge sofa waiting for Cyborg. The Titans' living room was like the sofa inside it, huge, and semicircular. Large 12 foot high windows stretched from floor to ceiling an all around the room. These windows gave the teens a beautiful view of the city beyond the walls. The room also contained a jumbo-screen TV equipped with a GameStation console and DVD player.

"What the heck is taking him so long?" complained Beast Boy for the fifth time, "We've been waiting here for 10 minutes."

"Stop you're wining Beast Boy," said Raven in her dull voice, her sallow skin tingeing pink a bit, "you're giving me a headache."

"Don't blame me," he said, "blame…" Before he could finish, Cyborg came bounding into the room, a broad smile pasted on his face.

"What the hell took you so long," fumed Beast Boy

"Never mind that," said Cyborg, brushing him aside, "My news is about Terra." Raven's eyes widened, Robin clenched his fists, and Starfire nearly fell out of her chair. Beast Boy, who had jumped out of his chair, rushed over to Cyborg demanding "What's the news?"

"I've found a way to bring her…" Before he could finish, the TV screen flashed on. A face appeared on the screen. A face half black and half brass with one glaring eye. It was a face the Titans knew all too well. The face of their mortal enemy. The face of Slade.