Chapter 3 Long Overdue

The woodland on the outside of Jump City was nearly a large as the city itself. They say that, if you stood five yards inside the woods, you could not see out. Raven discovered that they were right. Her feet crunched dead leaves as she made her way through the thick, threatening trees.

Finally, she broke through the dark tree line and her feet touched uneven, rocky ground. She moved swiftly calling, "Guys? Guys?"

Her friends had disappeared during the night and, though she would never admit it, she was worried. As she approached a large rock, an overwhelming feeling of foreboding washed over her. She slowly rounded the rock and met a sight that made her heart stop.

Her friends, the Teen Titans, sprawled over the rocky terrain. "No…" she whispered to herself. She sped toward them, although she already knew what she would find. She darted from body to body checking pulses, and her worst fear was confirmed. Dead. All of them. Tears began to well up inside her and, although she tried to stop them, cam pouring over the out.

"How do you like my handiwork?" asked a voice from behind her. Raven turned around to see Terra standing on top of the gigantic rock Raven had passed earlier. "Now it's your turn."

"Go ahead," said Raven sadly, "I can't live without them anyway."

"Aw," replied Terra, "no fun? The challenge of killing you would have been the most fulfilling. Oh, and by the way. That was such a touching tribute to your pathetic friends."

The rock Terra stood on was surrounded by a yellow glow and rose into the air. It hovered for a second, and then crashed down on Raven's head.

"Ngaagh!" Raven sat bolt upright in bed, her wide indigo eyed full of fear. A couple of heavy, leather-bound books fell off their shelves and slammed onto the floor. She glanced around her dark room and jumped at her own reflection in a large mirror. A dream. It was only a dream.

It was strange though. This was the third time in as many days that she had had a dream like this, ever since Terra was brought back. Another book tumbled off its shelf.

Keep control. You have to keep control. She got out of bed and walked across the room, past her purple cloak and gold belt hanging off a chair, and toward the shower. She removed her black jumpsuit and stepped into the cubicle.

She let the hot water run onto her face and down her body as though it would wash away pain and fear like dirt. She knew it was a mistake to bring Terra back, but she had been overruled by Beast Boy's blind affection for the girl. Will they ever learn that we can't trust outsiders? Apparently not. But that's too late to change, she's back and there is nothing I can do about it.

Raven sat down and drew her knees up close to her chest. What if my dreams are more than just dreams? What if they're visions of things to com? Then it will be my fault they're dead.

A couple tears slid down her cheeks to mingle with the shower water. No, I have to keep control. If I lose it, I could destroy the entire tower. Suddenly, Raven made up her mind. She turned off the shower, hastily dried herself, dressed, and bolted out of the room. I won't let anyone die on my watch. If I confront her now, maybe I can prevent this from happening. Raven reached the door to the living room and burst in.

Cyborg was loudly bragging that he had beaten Robin again in XR Racer, Robin was fuming in a corner with an utterly confused Starfire, and Beast Boy was noisily eating at the table. However, the person Raven needed, Terra, was not there. "Where's Terra, Beast Boy?" she asked approaching the table.

"Imf er woom," he said through a mouth full of tofu.

"Thanks," said Raven. She turned and climbed the 8 flights of steps to Terra's room. She banged on the door with a small fist and heard movement inside. After a second, Terra opened the door. "Raven," she said in a surprised voice, "this is a surprise. Come on in."

Terra's room was large and circular and painted to look like a low mountain range with a starry sky. The entire east wall was a window with a breathtaking view of the city. There was a large bed in one corner and a circular table in the center. On the table was a partially open laptop. "Maybe you should change you clothes," said Terra, "you look like you got caught in the rain."

Raven looked down at the wet spots on her jumpsuit and hood and remembered how haphazardly she had dried after her shower. "At least I'm wearing clothes," she retorted. Terra seemed to slouch a little. "What do you want?" she asked.

"To give you a warning," replied Raven, "If you ever hurt any of my friends, I will kill you."

"What," asked Terra, perplexed, "I don't…?"

"Don't give me the dumb blonde routine. You know what I'm talking about."

"No, I…" began Terra but, before she could finish, Raven lifted her with her powers and slammed her into a wall. A drawer flew out of Terra's bureau and smashed, spewing its contents everywhere.

"Give it up bitch," growled Raven, "I'm onto you. You may have the others eating out of the palm of your hand, but not me. I only fall for that type of trick once."

It was at this point that Beast Boy decided to show himself. He had followed Raven from the kitchen and had heard everything. "What the hell are you doing?" he shouted. He rushed forward and knocked Raven's arm, breaking her bond with Terra. Terra clutched her chest and began to cough uncontrollably. Beast Boy ran over and rubbed her back, trying to ease her. "What are you trying to do, kill her?"

"If that's what it takes," replied Raven, "then yes." A shocked and hurt expression came over Beast Boy's face and he led Terra out of the room, leaving Raven to her thoughts.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe she really is good. Suddenly, Raven had a vision, the force of which drove her to her knees. She saw Beast Boy and Terra getting closer and closer to each other, Terra laughing malevolently, her, Raven on her knees, sharp rocks colliding with her friends, destruction. She screamed, and the flow of visions ceased. Or maybe Beast Boy's jokes are funny. She had to tell someone what she had seen. No, I can handle this myself. This is between me and Terra.

Beast Boy helped Terra into his room. His room was large and circular with animal posters covering the walls. His circular bed sat along the far wall under the window. They walked over to it and sat down. "I'm really sorry," said Beast Boy, "I don't know what's wrong with her. She's usually so, so," he struggled to find the right word, couldn't, and gave up. "Well, she's just not usually like that."

"I can't really say I blame her," replied Terra solemnly, "I haven't been the most trustworthy person in the world."

"Yeah, but still," he paused for a moment, and then said, "I believe in you."

Terra looked into his deep green eyes and asked, "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do," replied Beast Boy, "I love you." He leaned toward her and she leaned toward him. They both knew that this was what they wanted and were thrilled that it was finally happening. Beast Boy could feel her sweet breath on his face and became more anxious, causing him to speed up. They had known each other for only a few months, but it seemed like an eternity that they had waited for this moment. Finally, their lips connected sending jolts of pleasure down their bodies. The first kiss was brief, but the second one lasted for a long moment. They leaned back on Beast Boy's bed and continued their kissing, unaware that they were being watched.

Raven pulled her head back outside Beast Boy's door and stamped her foot. There you have it. I'm never going to get her to leave now that she's in a relationship with Beast Boy. This is exactly what I wanted to prevent, besides, she doesn't deserve him, the lying, cheating, pouting little… Wait, am I jealous? Do I have feelings for Beast Boy? Nah. She laughed at herself for thinking for one second that she might like Beast Boy. Deep down, however, the thought still tugged at the back of her mind.