Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own the Teen Titans, but by the time I'm through with them, they're going to be dead, so I don't see how much good this does….
()TLT()
Ten little Titans went out to dine;
One choked himself and then there were nine.
Nine little Titans stayed up very late;
One overslept and then there were eight.
Eight little Titans traveling in Devon;
One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.
Seven little Titans were chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in half and then there were six.
Six little Titans playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five little Titans going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were four.
Four little Titans going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little Titans walking in the Zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little Titans sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was one.
One little Titan left all alone;
He went and hanged himself and then there were none.
()TLT()
Beast Boy awoke with the utmost horror as his brain immediately reminded him that he was going on trial. He took care getting ready, not wanting to face the others for breakfast. Things were very awkward and yet tense, and he didn't want to be exposed to that atmosphere just yet.
Another thought registered in his head. Last night the lockdown had been dismarried. The murderer had left the tower for a few seconds, probably committed some heinous act, and then locked the tower again.
A sudden knock on his door startled the changeling. Beast Boy stared at his door for a moment before clearing his throat and saying loudly, "Yes?"
"BB?" Beast Boy froze—Terra. "Hey, they wanted me to come up and make sure you weren't skiving off the trial…."
Beast Boy's body, still refusing to move, only allowed his eyes to wander over to the clock next to his bed. In neon green letters, the time 12:08 shone brightly. He cursed. "I'll be right there."
"All right."
Beast Boy glanced in the mirror once more and made sure he looked decent before heading towards the door, throwing everything in his path to the side. He opened the door, and was surprised to not only see Terra still waiting for him, but to see her wearing a very strange outfit. It was a maroon robe of some kind, one that brushed against the floor whenever she moved, proof it was too long for her. Beast Boy was uneasy with the fact that it reminded him of something worn in a courtroom.
"What are you wearing?" They began walking down the hallway.
"Uh, just a robe we found this morning," Terra said. "I mentioned at breakfast that I'd been in a courtroom before—just a bit of trouble in different cities, before I came here, you know—and Robin asked me to be judge."
"Judge," Beast Boy repeated. It sounded so deadly. "So you're deciding my fate."
Terra didn't answer right away, but she seemed to tense. "If you word it like that."
"How else would you have me look at it?" Beast Boy said dejectedly. "Even you're turned against me."
"Beast Boy, I haven't turned against you," Terra said. "I would never do that."
"You liar," Beast Boy spat suddenly. All the anger he had been building up against Terra's betrayal yesterday came pouring out. "I needed you yesterday! Everyone else thought I murdered Speedy, but you! I thought I would have an ally in you, Terra! You sided with them like I was some dirt that was easily disposed of! You broke my heart, Terra! You broke it again!"
Terra didn't say anything for several moments, making sure Beast Boy was through ranting. "Beast Boy, I'm still here, and I'm still with you. You called me on the spot when everything was pointing at you. I had no time to think of how someone might've set you up. I mean, if there was hard evidence against me and you were asked as soon as you found out if you thought I did it, you would say yes."
"No, I wouldn't, Terra! I wouldn't abandon you! That's what you do when you love someone! You stick with them no matter what!" He was gone.
"Beast Boy!" Terra shouted at his retreating figure. "BEAST BOY!"
()TLT()
There was a flash of green, and then it was gone. There were hurried footsteps, but they stopped at the door. Robin, Starfire, and Bumblebee looked around in confusion. Beast Boy was sitting in the examination chair, his face furious, arms folded, refusing to look anywhere but the floor. Terra was holding herself up against her knees, breathing heavily, and looking only at Beast Boy. Not quite understanding what had just gone down, the prosecutor stood from his seat and motioned Terra to sit in the seat at the front.
"Let's hurry up and get this thing going," Robin said.
"That anxious to send me away, huh, Robin?" Beast Boy remarked snidely.
Robin stared at him, surprise written all over his face. "That anxious to discover the killer."
"Well, you're looking in the wrong place!"
"Why are you being so defensive about it?" Bumblebee asked.
"Because an innocent man is being accused of murder!" Beast Boy exclaimed.
"We'll see just how innocent you are," Bumblebee murmured in a low voice. Her eyes glazed over, and it was clear that her mind was suddenly elsewhere.
"Friends, please," Starfire spoke at last. "Let us not fight. We must try to get along."
"A little difficult when you're being accused of murder," Beast Boy mumbled.
"A little difficult when you're in the presence of a murderer," Bumblebee muttered.
The two eyed each other as they spoke simultaneously. Both opened their mouths again to retaliate, but Robin intervened.
"Stop it." It was simple, but efficient. Both mouths shut. "Terra, are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Terra said dejectedly, already sitting in her chair, spinning slowly.
"Then let's begin," Robin said, stepping towards the accused.
It had taken the Titans the entirety of the morning to rearrange the training room. The breakfast table had been cleared off, and now served as resting place for Robin's notes. Terra's chair was leather and spinning; they had discovered it at the controls to the machines in the room. The others were hard and straight, not too uncomfortable, but certainly not their first choice. Two other tables had been acquired from places unknown and now served the will of Beast Boy and Terra. Presently Beast Boy was trying to use it as a barrier between himself and the serious looking Robin. A dark aura seemed to surround the room as Robin paused before the examination chair, papers from the table clutched tightly in his hand. He cleared his throat, and Terra suddenly stopped spinning.
"Garfield Logan," Robin began, but was immediately cut off.
"My name," the changling interrupted icily, "is Beast Boy."
Robin hesitated for a moment, but then continued as though nothing had happened. "You sit here today, June third, two thousand and five, accused of the murders of Raven Darth, Joto Seether, Garth Lantis, Victor Stone, and Roy Harper. You will be tried this day to discover if such accusations are falsely given." He suddenly glanced up at Terra and then back at his notes. After staring at them for several moments, he set them down on the table and returned before Beast Boy. "What were you doing during the twenty-ninth night of May, when the rest of us were having a party in the main room?"
"I was having a party in the main room," Beast Boy said in monotone, slouching into the seat a bit further.
"Oh? The whole time?"
"Yeah, the whole time."
Robin seemed to pause here, uncertain what to say. "And what of later that night, likely into the early hours of June first? What were you doing during the hours when Hot Spot, or Joto Seether, was murdered?"
"Sleeping."
"Can you prove that?"
"Can you prove I was walking around killing people?"
"There's a dead body as proof."
"But no proof that I killed the dead body."
Robin's face turned sour. "Well, what of the time Aqualad, or Garth Lantis, was murdered?"
"Running down to Cyborg, just like most of you."
Bumblebee's face suddenly turned pale, but she said nothing.
"Did you steal the Clock of Eternity?"
"As if I could get past Cyborg's security system."
Her face went even closer to white.
"Did you kill Cyborg?"
"Robin, you guys should know that I don't have the brains to kill anyone, nor the heart to murder my best friend."
"YOU LIAR!" Bumblebee shouted, and all were surprised to see that she had raised herself up from her seat. "STOP LYING! STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT! YOU LIAR! YOU MURDERED CYBORG, YOU HEARTLESS—!" Starfire gasped. "STOP LYING! I KNOW YOU DID IT, GARFIELD! STOP—!"
"MY NAME—" Beast Boy cut in angrily, "IS BEAST BOY!"
"GARFIELD, GARFIELD, GARFIELD!"
"BEAST BOY!"
"GARFIELD LOGAN! YOUR NAME IS GARFIELD LOGAN, AND THAT'S THE NAME THEY'LL HAVE YOU UNDER WHEN YOU'RE IN PRISON FOR THE MURDER OF FIVE PEOPLE!"
"I WON'T BE IN PRISON, NOT UNDER ANY NAME, AND CERTAINLY NOT UNDER ONE THAT ISN'T MY OWN! MY NAME IS BEAST BOY, NOW GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD, KAREN!"
Words were half formed out of Bumblebee's mouth when she realized just what Beast Boy said. "Excuse me?" she croaked.
"YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT!" Apparently Beast Boy wasn't done ranting. "KAREN SUMMERS! I KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU! MY ACCUSATIONS AREN'T UNFOUNDED, YOU FILTHY MURDERER!"
Bumblebee let out an angry cry and jumped over Robin's table of notes, rushing towards the table that hid her prey, her arms lashing out at any piece of his green scalp she could grasp in her hands. Robin immediately leaped into her path and tackled the angry woman onto the ground, trying to contain her. She was hissing and flaying about in any manner to get away from the Boy Wonder's grip, clawing her way inch by inch over to the changeling, who sat stunned in his chair, only able to watch the mountain of fury edge toward him. Starfire flew over and tried to soothe her friend with comforting words, but Bumblebee seemed to have gone deaf to them. She lashed even harder towards Beast Boy, a maniacal gleam in her eyes.
"YOU WANT ME TO BE A MURDERER?" Bumblebee asked in a tone that was very much unlike her own. "COME DOWN HERE AND THEN I WILL BE!"
"BUMBLEBEE!" There was a sudden loud crash and a cry, and the thrashing instantly desisted. "CALM DOWN!"
Terra raised her hands, and the weight-training bag lifted from Bumblebee's hands. Bumblebee looked at them pitifully, and indeed they looked slightly crushed. She glanced at Terra, then at her hands, and then gruffly said, "Get off me." Robin was extremely hesitant, but with a forceful, "NOW!" he stood up. She brushed herself off and went back to her seat without the slightest glance at Beast Boy. She cradled her hands against herself and sat in a bundle; she wasn't looking at the scene, but very clearly listening. Starfire uncertainly joined her friend next to her, looked at the hands that so obstinately held Bumblebee's attention, and then looked at Robin, which he supposed was the okay to continue on. Before he could, however, Beast Boy spoke.
"I may be able to help you figure out who's doing this, though," he said quietly.
The surprise was seen on everyone's face.
"How?" Robin asked.
"Well…" Beast Boy hesitated. "I didn't want to show you, because then the murderer will see it too. But if anything should happen to me, I guess I don't want it to be undiscovered. There's a, um, secret panel. In the elevator. I was just exploring through the tower because I couldn't stay locked up in my room, Robin." He shook his head. "This is so incriminating. But I was flying through the elevator shaft and I found a panel that opens up. It's, well, big enough for any one of us to fit in. Even Cyborg could comfortably fit. That might be a clue."
"Did any of you know about this panel?" Robin turned to the others in the room. When they shook their heads, he bowed his own slightly in concentration. It was lowered for almost a minute before he raised his head, a grim expression on his face. "Not all of us can fit in that elevator shaft. Three of us will go, and the other two will stay here. Beast Boy and I will go, of course, and Bumblebee. You can come too, so long as there are no more attempted murders."
Bumblebee, for the first time in several minutes, raised her head. A deep sadness was filling up her usually very pretty features. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I… don't know what came over me. I just… I just want this thing to end! All of it! I want it to stop! And most of all…" Her voice softened, and the tears that had begun to well up in her eyes fell, "… I want to see Cyborg again."
Her tender moment was rudely interrupted by lack of oxygen as two arms flew around her. "Do not cry, friend Bumblebee," Starfire gently consoled. "It is painful, I know, but you cannot look back on the past. You must only look ahead, to the future."
"And what, am I supposed to forget him?" Bumblebee whimpered.
"No, you will never forget Cyborg," Starfire said. "None of us will. You only may not dwell so that you live in the past and not in the present. I can remember the past, and I have been to the future. I may say then that the present is the one worth living."
Robin gently placed his hand on Starfire's shoulder. "Should we take Terra instead?"
"No," Bumblebee said suddenly, wiping her eyes. "No, I'm going. I want to. I will."
Robin hesitated, but nodded his consent. He motioned for Beast Boy to get up, and the changeling did so with the utmost caution, sparing every second to glance at Bumblebee and ensure she was not going to attack him. She stood, and he flinched, but she turned and headed towards the door, making certain she was the first to leave the room. Beast Boy goaded Robin forward, encouraging all distance between himself and the Wrath from Hell.
Starfire and Terra looked at each other.
"What now?" Starfire asked.
"I've got an idea…" Terra murmured.
()TLT()
Beast Boy transformed into the gorilla he was familiar with and, with an impressive show of strength, pulled back the elevator doors. He returned to his human form and pointed about half a floor down. The source of their journey was almost invisible unless being searched for, for it blended in so well to the surrounding wall. The secret panel wasn't exactly on the ninth or the tenth floor, but rather somewhere in the middle.
"You see?" Beast Boy said, his arm still showing them the incredibly large square panel.
"Now how d'you get in it?" Bumblebee asked. She was just able to see the door, but it was closed, making it slightly more difficult to locate.
"I've done it before. Just watch."
The human transformed into a bird and then stepped forward and fell. Robin and Bumblebee quickly moved to the edge so they could watch the flying bird open the secret panel. He tapped on it with his beak three times, each knock reverberating off the walls. There was a pause where nothing happened, but then the panel slid open to reveal the cubicle beyond. Beast Boy landed inside and transformed back into his human form.
"See? And there's still plenty of room in here," Beast Boy said.
"Room enough for both of us to come down and join you?" Robin asked.
"Well… you could try," Beast Boy said uncertainly.
"Bee," Robin said, looking at her as her wings started flapping.
"Already on it." She lifted Robin up with bruised hands and jumped down the elevator shaft. Not having gone two feet before she stopped however, it was more a thrill and jolt. She held out her arms to get Robin closer, and he jumped in the opening, almost toppling over Beast Boy. He resituated himself, and Bumblebee climbed in after them. She pulled her knees against her, looked down the shaft, and then at the other two crammed next to her. "Well, I guess we can all fit."
"Not exactly comfortably," Robin said, "but it would be a generous amount of space for one killer."
"Now how would this have helped the killer?" Bumblebee asked.
Robin and Beast Boy glanced at each other and then back at her, shaking their heads. Could it have been a temporary hiding place? So far as they could see, it did nothing to help discover the murderer or how any murders actually took place. Beast Boy tried several different knocking combinations at the back of the box to try and find another secret panel beyond it, but they came up with nothing.
"Maybe there's no point to this compartment thingy," Beast Boy suggested after a while. "Maybe Cyborg just built it in to make the tower more interesting."
"I can't see Cyborg doing something so pointless," Robin said.
Beast Boy gave him a disbelieving look. "Dude, you wouldn't do something so pointless. Cyborg would."
There was suddenly a very sharp scream and an explosion.
"STARFIRE!" With his protective nature already kicking into effect, Robin crawled over Bumblebee and jumped up the half a story with immense speed and agility.
"TERRA!" Beast Boy was pouncing after him with the same adroitness as Robin himself.
Bumblebee followed without a word, but her face was white with fear.
The hallways were a blur of color; the yells of Beast Boy were faint and distant. His own footsteps were just sounds, just things happening. Nothing was real. His whole body was numb. All Robin could do was run. He had to run. He had to get to Starfire. She had to be all right. He'd thought that she would be safe with Terra, but she could be hurt. It would be his fault. No, Starfire had to be all right! He couldn't lose her! He couldn't handle losing her yet!
The doors burst open and made an enormous smacking noise as they hit the wall. A mixture of color flew through the doors as the three raced inside, one behind the other, but they immediately were pushed down onto the floor. Bumblebee and Beast Boy struggled to get up, but Robin knew that fragrance anywhere. He held the crying Starfire, inhaling her scent, never more delighted to see her. She was crying, yes, but she was alive…. Robin was blinking back tears himself, unable to do anything but hold the fragile girl. He had never experienced something so horrifying. Starfire's life had been threatened once before, but he'd been able to do something then. This time he'd thought he was too late. Such a feeling was so frightening, so terrifying. It was like his heart was being ripped out of his chest and held in front of him so that he couldn't miss it. Someone in Heaven liked him, Robin thought, as Starfire cried in his arms.
"TERRA!"
Robin was pulled from his world at Beast Boy's shout. He gently coaxed Starfire up and stood after her, almost thrust up in Beast Boy's haste to get to Terra. Bumblebee stood up, her face still that deathly white, as she watched Beast Boy cradle the unmoving form of Terra next to the judge's chair.
"Terra?" Beast Boy asked feebly. "Terra? Terra, get up. Terra, move." He shook her. "C'mon, I need you to get up. Terra, please. Please, please get up. I'm so sorry for everything I said earlier. I'm so sorry! Terra, I didn't mean it! C'mon, wake up! I have to apologize! TERRA, GET UP!" He pulled her close to him and buried his face into her. He was silent except for his sniffles until suddenly he spoke again, only a whisper. "Terra, get up. I… I can't. I can't go on without you. I can't lose you and Raven. When Raven was gone, it felt like my life was over, and then you walked into my room and made it worth living again. Terra, if you leave…" He paused, and then his voice rose to a shout, "… IF YOU LEAVE I'LL HAVE NO REASON LEFT TO LIVE!"
Terra didn't move.
Beast Boy gently laid her down and turned slowly, his face staring at the ground. He jerked it up suddenly to reveal the tears streaming down his face. "YOU!" His icy glare and hateful words were directed towards the Tamaranian princess. "YOU KILLED HER, DIDN'T YOU? DIDN'T YOU, STARFIRE? YOU'RE A MURDERER, AREN'T YOU?"
Starfire buried her face farther into Robin's shoulder, but he gently forced her to pull away. He looked straight into her emerald green eyes and waited for her to look into his. When she did not, however, he said, "Starfire. Look at me." When this was done, he continued in a very soft tone. "What happened?"
Starfire's body weight suddenly became too heavy for her to carry as she collapsed into Robin's arms, as though he hadn't been supporting her enough before. He picked her up and carried her over to a chair. When she was comfortable, he bent down so he was eyelevel with her and repeated his question.
"I… I did not mean to," Starfire said in a quiet voice, though audible enough for all three to hear. "Terra had told me that she was going to catch her sleep. I did not understand how she could catch her sleep, but when she cuddled up in the chair, I assumed she was trying to find it."
Robin nodded to her encouragingly.
Starfire sniffled and went on. "I had turned around so that I could await your return. After a long while I heard a squeak and thought Terra had given up finding it. When I turned around…" Here Starfire paused, and Robin had to urge her forward with her name. Starfire swallowed and continued. "When I turned around, there was no one in the chair. I looked around, uncertain what had happened to frien—Terra, but I could not see her. I… I did not know what to do, so I thought she might have gone to the room of rests. I looked back at the door again for your return, but she was in front of me."
Beast Boy was still seething, but he seemed calm enough to listen to Starfire's explanation. Bumblebee had neither moved nor changed color, and had any of the others noticed, they might have been rather worried. Robin's face was one of concentration as he tried to remain supportive of Starfire so she could continue while still processing all she was saying.
"She… she tried to hit me." Starfire paused, as though letting this fact sink in to herself more than to anyone else. "I moved away on the impulse and flew into the air. Terra… she tried to hit me again." Starfire's hands flew to the opposite arms in an effort to comfort herself for the information she was about to divulge. "When she could not, she used her powers to summon the bag of demolishing and thrust it at me. I did not dodge this and fell to the floor. When I opened my eyes, she was next to me with the bag of demolishing about to come down on me." Starfire couldn't help herself as she whimpered. "I did not mean to hurt her. It just happened."
"You hit her with a starbolt," Robin finished.
Starfire nodded. "I did not mean to harm her, and I definitely did not mean to… to…"
"TO KILL HER?" Beast Boy had clearly not forgiven Starfire. "OH, I BET YOU DIDN'T! YOU KNOCK OUT BAD GUYS EVERY DAY, BUT YOU JUST HAPPENED TO USE A LITTLE TOO MUCH POWER ON TERRA? YEAH, I BELIEVE THAT STAR!" He turned to Robin. "YOUR GIRLFRIEND DOESN'T SEEM SO INNOCENT NOW, DOES SHE?"
Robin stood up, his eyes blazing, his tone hard. "If that's what Starfire says happened, that's what happened."
"WHY DO YOU BELIEVE EVERYTHING SHE SAYS, AS IF SHE'S NOT CAPABLE OF LYING?"
"You assume that she is."
"TERRA WOULD NEVER DO THAT!"
"Starfire would never lie."
"HOW DO YOU KNOW?"
"How do you know Terra wouldn't do what Starfire says she did?"
"BECAUSE I KNOW TERRA!"
"AND I KNOW STARFIRE!"
It was the first time in their conversation Robin had raised his voice. His tone had been frozen before, but now he seemed to be fighting back. Beast Boy had been brought to silence.
"I… I suppose she is dead?" It was the first time Bumblebee had spoken since they first heard the scream.
Starfire nodded. "I checked."
"Bumblebee, you believe me." It was a statement that pleaded agreement as the changeling gave the girl a hard stare.
"It… well…" Bumblebee's speech temporarily faltered. She looked at the floor in concentration before raising her head, the look unwavering. "If Terra really is the murderer, then Starfire's story is believable. If Terra wasn't, though, it would seem Starfire had to have killed her."
"Then it really all depends on if you think Terra was the murderer," Robin said.
There was silence, but then Beast Boy suddenly picked Terra up bridal-style. "I'm going to Terra's room. I can't believe this. Starfire murdered her, and that's final. Especially after Aqualad mysteriously dying after accusing her. It's ridiculous how you can still stand by her when so much evidence points to her!"
"She has a good alibi! Terra's death was self-defense on her part!" Robin argued.
"I'm not going to stand for this," Beast Boy snarled. He walked from one end of the room to the other and out the door with silence and Robin's glare behind him.
The uneasy silence stayed behind him as Robin's stare turned to Bumblebee, as though waiting for her to declare allegiance with one of the two.
"I'm going to bed," she said instead, and quietly left the room.
Last Robin's gaze turned to Starfire, his beautiful Starfire. The tears still glistened on her eyes as they did not cease flow, and it made her look even more beautiful in his eyes. He gently raised a gloved hand to wipe them away, and Starfire grasped his hand with hers as he touched her cheek. She held his hand to her skin with her eyes closed, savoring how close he was to her. The only thing separating them was his glove….
"Robin?" Starfire asked tentatively.
"Hmm?"
"You believe me?"
"Of course." He was surprised she even needed to ask.
"Robin?"
"Yes, Starfire?"
"Might you remove your glove?"
At his silence, she opened her eyes. He was staring at her, his eyes masked both literally and figuratively. She could usually tell even through his mask what he was feeling, but now it was not so. She suddenly let go of his hand and looked away.
"Forgive me. I did not wish to ask you to do something you do not want to."
Robin still didn't say anything for several seconds, but moments later had touched her cheek again. Starfire jumped at the warmth. She turned to look at him, surprise written all over her face. His green glove was placed in his hand, and he caressed her cheek with his bare hand. Starfire again grabbed his hand and smiled.
"Your hand is so warm."
"I'm always wearing a glove over it. It gets hot."
"Then why do you wear it?"
Robin didn't answer her right away. "I guess… it makes me feel more secure." Starfire's questioning look made him continue. "It makes me feel like I'm invincible, like no one can touch me."
Starfire didn't do anything for a moment, but then she took her right arm and extended it forward until it now touched Robin's cheek. "I can touch you."
Shivers ran down Robin's spine. "And you alone."
"Why?"
Thoughts suddenly raced through Robin's mind. Tell her! Tell her, you idiot, tell her! Then, No! She'd hate me! There's no way someone so gorgeous and perfect could ever love me. I'm lucky enough just to be her friend. Don't push it. But again he argued, But I have to try… if there's even that small chance she feels anything like I do, it would be worth it.
"Because… I care for you." That was a start, but suddenly he couldn't find any more words. His voice got caught in his throat, and along with it the poetic words of seduction.
"Robin?"
"Hmm?" He cleared his throat hurriedly.
"Might you remove your mask as well?"
Again that veil appeared over his face so that Starfire couldn't read him. After his assent to her previous request, however, Starfire had hopes that he would agree to this one, too. Robin could see that, and despite his every urge to please this girl, a sudden necessity of discretion had come over him.
Robin slowly shook his head, leaning in to her touch. "Another day, Star. Another day."
He could see the disappointment in her face. Her hand fell back to her side, and he longed once again for her touch. She stood up, lowering her hand as she did so that she still grasped his, but her arms were at her side.
"I believe it is time for us to go. Today has made me tired, and I wish to 'turn in' early today."
Robin slowly stood up and nodded. "I'll walk you to your room."
The two walked out of the courtroom and Robin took care in shutting the doors behind them.
"Court adjourned."
()TLT()
Beast Boy walked into the room, an overwhelming sadness flowing through him. He took care in walking over to Terra's bed, pausing next to it. He didn't want to put her down. When she was alive, Beast Boy had longed to hold her. He'd had visions of them sitting in front of a fireplace—or a TV, whichever happened to be available—and falling asleep together. All he had wanted was to be accepted, to be cared for. Now he saw no way either would be happening. Everyone was against him, perhaps with the exception of Bumblebee if he could convince her otherwise. Things didn't seem to be turning out so well.
Finally conceding to the inevitable, Beast Boy set the blonde girl down. He sat down next to her and simply stared at her beautiful face. He'd lost everyone now. Why was he still alive?
No, he knew. He may end up killing himself, especially if the despair he felt now continued, but first he was going to show everyone Starfire was Terra's murderer. He would not let her innocent appearance fool everyone. He was going to prove it some way, somehow.
Beast Boy bent down and kissed Terra's forehead. "Don't worry. I won't let her get away with this."
()TLT()
Starfire released Robin's hand as they reached her door. "This is my room, Robin."
"So it is." He was rather upset she had let go of his hand. It was still ungloved, and he had hoped that would be incentive to keep them locked for eternity.
The door opened and Starfire stepped inside. "I shall see you in the morning then."
"You promise?" Robin asked. He mentally smacked himself. Of course he would see her in the morning. He was being ridiculous.
Starfire giggled slightly, but it was very weak. It was clear she was still emotionally unstable. "I promise."
"Then… goodnight."
"Goodnight, Robin."
The door started to close, but Robin's hand suddenly stopped it.
"Robin?" Starfire asked as it was opened.
Robin's mouth opened, but no words came out. Kiss her… just kiss her, idiot! You know you want to! He argued, But what if she doesn't want to? She isn't ready for this!
"Robin?" Starfire repeated.
Robin argued with himself for a moment longer, but then backed away several steps so as to prevent any more interruptions. "Goodnight, Starfire."
Slightly confused, Starfire replied, "Goodnight, Robin."
The door shut again. Robin walked away, inwardly berating himself. Stupid, stupid, STUPID!
()TLT()
Bumblebee paced her room. This was serious, and she didn't know what to believe. Her fingers irritably tapped against her lips, but she had to keep her entire body moving. With so many deaths, it felt as though she was becoming numb to the pain quicker each time. When Raven was murdered she had been furious, and it had hurt even until the next death. Now it hadn't been an hour and she was immune to the pain. It was frightening.
But that wasn't the reason she was pacing the room, distressing as that was. Was Starfire telling the truth, or did she really murder Terra? Was everything really over? Was it possible that Terra had been behind it all, and that they were all safe now? The four of them had gotten out alive? She wanted to think so, more than anything. She wanted this nightmare to end. Was it really all over?
The only way to find out was to go another twenty-four hours without someone dying. If that could be achieved, they could ensure the murderer was Terra. For now she had no way of getting hard evidence against either Starfire or Terra. Time would tell.
She just hoped she had that much time left.
()TLT()
Robin entered his room. His glove was now back on his hand, and his mask had remained on his face. The Boy Wonder walked over to his bed and sat down, uncertain of what to do. He wasn't tired yet, though there was always the option of forcing himself to lie down. That, however, didn't sound appealing. On the other hand, it would stop that annoying voice in his head from chastising him about not kissing Starfire. Of course he'd wanted to, he just didn't think he should've. Starfire would've taken it the wrong way, or not liked him as he did her. There were so many different bad scenario endings it made his head hurt, and he didn't want to risk any of those coming true.
Robin walked over to his mirror and stared at himself critically. Why would Starfire ever like him? He was this short, gangly kid with an obsessive nature and a frequent bad attitude. That likely wouldn't be on Starfire's list of what she wanted in her ideal guy. How he wanted to be her dream guy, though. He was the type that didn't believe in changing yourself for someone, but there was a dreamer in him. Somehow he knew, however, that Starfire's ideal guy would be a strong Tamaranian, likely with flaming red hair like her own, perfect green eyes to match hers, a strong and handsome complexion, and someone kind like herself. Robin was none of these things. He admired them, loved them, about her. They were exactly the things he wasn't. He had jet black hair, masked eyes, was not strong and handsome, and was a hothead. What could she ever see in him?
Starfire's question had, however, brought up some memories and some wishes. Robin once again removed his gloves and then hesitantly proceeded to removing the mask. It had been so long since he'd seen his own eyes. Seeing them made him feel so vulnerable, and when trying to be someone's knight in shining armor, this was not a good feeling to have. As the mask fell to the floor, Robin looked into the mirror. Crystal blue eyes looked at each other. Robin stared at himself a moment more, and then bent down and hurriedly picked up the mask. He'd almost forgotten what his eyes looked like. Now he'd seen them, they were once again imprinted in his mind, and he wanted his mask back. Once that was securely tied to his head, he proceeded to replace the gloves on his hands. There was the Robin he knew.
The Robin that CAN'T EVEN KISS A GIRL, his mind reminded him.
Now it was definitely time for sleep. That voice had to shut up. Robin climbed onto his bed and searched for the blankets, which were scattered over his sleeping spot. He pulled them to the top of the said vicinity and flipped the light switch that was conveniently placed next to the bed. He lay down on it, pulled the blankets over himself, and tried not to feel too much like an idiot as visions of his own dream girl passed before his eyes.
For some reason, she looked extraordinarily like Starfire.
A/N:
I'm sorry! I haven't updated in forever! With the end of softball and finals, I was completely swamped. I am partially lucky, however. I was so worried we were going to have a Spanish final. If we did, I'd have died. I don't pay attention in that class. Our Spanish teacher can't keep my attention for five seconds. If I didn't do other things in her class, I would fall asleep. Not my fault they gave me Spanish first period. Stupid scheduler person. Anyone put in her class first period would fall asleep. And they do. Or did. Because guess what, you guys? IT'S SUMMER BREAK! -throws confetti into the air- CONFETTI FOR ALL!
I hoped you liked the chappie. I wrote two pages of it before my life got swamped, and when I returned I was like, "Now why did I write this?" So hopefully this makes sense to everyone. I still have to edit the chapter, so we'll both find out, I guess! But as it is one in the morning, I'll edit it tomorrow. The earlier in the morning I edit, the more mistakes I miss. Don't get me wrong, I'm a night owl all the way, I'm just more awake at, say, four in the afternoon. Then I've been awake for three or four hours. ; )
Does anyone else like manga? Has anyone read Marmalade Boy? Does anyone live in Orlando and would volunteer to give me a ride to Borders? My mother thinks I'm spending too much money on manga and should save my money, so she's stopped taking me to bookstores. -.- It's like a sin. I mean, I do have 53 manga, but I've only spent $490 on manga because there was a sale at Borders two times I went! SO MWAHA! At least I didn't spend $530 on manga…. Not saying that won't change somehow in the immediate future, but…. -rolls eyes innocently-
Next chappie! What do I know? Someone is going to die. Obviously it can't be over because not everyone's dead yet! Just when Bumblebee's hoping it's over, she's proven wrong. So… someone dies. And… I have no other plot bunnies that I can reveal. I know one thing that is going to happen in relation to the death, but it's a secret until next chapter!
Oh, does anyone like Utada? Oh, wow, I'm being random. ANYWAY! ON TO THE REVIEWERS!
Coolcatjas- It wasn't a typo, I did it so you couldn't tell the gender of the killer…. xD
Digital-Dragon-Master- Maybe you should just stop guessing…. I'll tell you this: You're right on both. And, wild guess in the blue, I'd say you know who's going to die from here on out. It shouldn't be that difficult to figure out really, except maybe the third-to-last and second-to-last… but anyway! TWO cookies for you because you're right for this one and next! Oops, spilled my secret! ; )
Lazy Yamihawkeye- Cookie to you, too! Terra died this time around. Guess again and see if you're right!
Hints on the code (314332), to make this incredibly simple: check your phone. Now I'm not sure if I'll tell you something vital, though—it's really easy with that hint.
Thank you everyone for reading! Do me a fav and review okay? Guess who dies next and I'll give you a cookie!
Riles