A/N: And this is how the story ends. Wow, it's taken me forever to write this. Anyway, thanks to all that reviewed all this time. Hope you enjoy it and expect a lot of one shots from me in the near future.
"You better not be lying. Are you sure this is where Slade's headquarters is?" Robin glared, running through the dark underground. The tunnels even had the weird orange tint I remembered from the first time.
"Positive. It should be right ahead," I yelled, running forward on my feet. Robin and Speedy were both directly behind me, sprinting. Pure adrenalin was the thing making me seem like a track star. Usually I suck at running.
As I had insisted, we came to the large underground cavern with orange windows and lights. The room was filled with misplaced rocks and computer screens in a corner. The only out of place thing was a giant chair, like a throne. Sitting in it and smirking was Slade.
"Ah, so my apprentice has led you all here," Slade announced, getting out of his throne. "Good. I was growing impatient as to when you would find me."
"I'm not your apprentice," I Screamed, Speedy looking at me reassuringly. At least someone believed in me. "I led them here so they could help me fight you."
"So tell me, when did you realize the clip was merely a decoy to get control over you?" Slade purred, stepping towards the line of Titans that I was currently leading. How'd this happen? And why wasn't Robin acting all Slade-I-hate-you-and-you-should-die? Usually that was his game plan. But not tonight I guess.
"You don't control me," the last part came out separated due to the fact that Slade suddenly lifted his hand and mine went up too, along with a giant rock. Somehow he did have control over me! The next thing I knew, I was thrown up against the wall. What surprised me was who did it.
"Nice work, apprentice," Slade stood behind Speedy a hand on his shoulder. My brain suddenly went numb. Speedy… how could… no… this wasn't possible… he wouldn't… how? My brain no longer functioned anymore.
Now I knew how hurt Beast Boy was the first time around. He had told me everything, like I had done to Speedy, and then I used it against him. Speedy hadn't really stolen the clip from Slade, he had the decoy one to give to me. When I thought Slade was talking about me as his "apprentice", he had really been talking about Speedy. Poor Beast Boy, this was true pain.
The other titans had different reactions. Starfire looked just as shocked as I was. Both Raven and Cyborg were scowling, as if they had known something had been up. Beast Boy read no emotion, he looked sort of numb too. As for our leader, he seemed to be piecing together the clues that led to this in his head.
Another wave of Slade's hand brought up dozens of Sladebots, which most of the Titans decided to attack. Robin and I had other things to worry about.
I no longer cared about Slade. He was an asshole alright, but he wasn't the one who kissed me, the one who I spilled my guts to, the on I thought I loved. My target had changed. I would take down Speedy with me.
"Apprentice, kill her. Now, little Robin, we can fight alone," Slade instructed, beginning his usual battle against Robin. Speedy came towards where I saw with my back against the wall, his mask narrowed to slits.
I now understood why Slade wanted Speedy. Orange Boy was just like Robin. If Slade could not have the Boy Wonder, why not have his look alike? The difference was that Speedy probably wanted this. He seemed to enjoy conniving me into falling for him and believing I could trust him.
"Hello, Terra," Speedy smirked, pulling an arrow from his quiver and aiming at me. A new wave of courage came over me. I had to get up, had to fight. I'll let myself die only when I knew that Speedy and Slade got what they deserved.
"Speedy," I smiled, wincing, trying to stand up. I think I cracked a rib or something but oh well. I had to fight.
"Scared to hurt me?" Speedy taunted. This seemed so familiar. I had taunted the Titans like this. Speedy had become me.
"Why would I be, you're not," I smiled, running at him and pulling up rocks to throw. An arrow came speeding at me and I used a rock to block the attack. He dodged the oncoming boulders heading his way.
"Oh, I forgot. I have a story for you. About a family. A mother, a father, their daughter, and their son. On the daughter's birthday, an earthquake happened. And whose worms were on a rampage underneath their city that killed her family but not her. He always wanted you as his apprentice, even then. So he got rid of your family, Terra, hoping you would come to him. And you still won't. I truly liked you, Terra. Just, you should have worked for Slade. We could have been together until your time is up. But you chose the Titans," Speedy explained, attacking me through the whole story. I had kicked and punched at him, but my brain was numb.
I didn't kill my parents. Slade had. Slade killed Trent, and Mom, and Dad. It wasn't my fault. It was Slade's. And Speedy… why would he believe Slade's theories and ideas were right when all Slade cared about was destruction.
"I would never join you now," a punch finally struck him, square in the jaw, sending him keeling over. The boy recovered quickly, wiping the blood off his now split lip. Around me, Robin and Slade were still going at it, fighting in hand to hand combat. Star, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven were almost done eliminating the Sladebots, Raven and Starfire ready to run and help Robin if necessary.
"Too bad," Speedy kicked me in the stomach, then adding to the already growing pain there. I almost thought of having to go to the hospital when I realized I wasn't going to live past this fight anyway.
We continued fighting, oblivious to the other battles raging around us. I kicked him, he punched me, it didn't vary. But each blow hurt less as he began to fell the pain setting in. I felt it too, but he probably had never been exposed to this kind of pain like I had. A kick to the knees finally knocked him to the ground. Perfect. In the background, it sounded like Robin was about to either keel over or kill Slade. Time to act.
To anyone who had seen my first time around in this battle, this part would seem very familiar. The familiar pointed rock, about to go in someone's throat. Just this time, the rock was at Speedy's neck and not Beast Boy's. This was my own powers too, not Slade controlling me.
Speedy's mask was wide now, his mouth open. He seemed speechless that I was beating him. And that's the moment when a chain of flashbacks went through my head. I saw the two of us on together on the beach today, us kissing, the first night where we had stayed up talking, the haunted house… why did I feel so bad about wanting to kill him?
"Speedy, please don't make me do this," I growled. Why was I not killing him? Why did my conscience try to kick in now? I knew the second I put the rock down he was going to hop up and kill me. Then I knew how to end this battle. If Speedy survived, he survived. I wouldn't and Slade wouldn't so it was my only option.
I moved the rock off Speedy's neck and pounded it into the ground beside him. Using the very little strength I had left, I began to start the earthquake/volcano that would have taken out the whole city had I not stopped it. The familiar rumbling of the ground let me know I was succeeding.
"Terra!" Beast Boy yelled, glaring at me and understanding I was letting my powers out of control purposely. Speedy was staring at me too, amazed I had let him live. Yeah, yeah, I can be nice person. I ran towards Robin then, going to instruct him of the best way to kill a psycho villain.
"Robin, throw Slade into the lava!" I cried. Robin looked at me funny, as did the other Titans. Speedy had disappeared but I could hear his footsteps. The ground beneath all of us was beginning to split, showing us the lava underneath. Only then did Robin understand my meaning. The other Titans fled out of the cavern too.
Now it was just me and Robin versus Slade. An equal fight considering we were all worn out. Robin's blows at Slade were hardly making any effect, so I stepped in. The rock ceiling was falling, our battle moving every few moments to get out of the way.
"Are you happy, Terra. Being with them? There is so much more to your powers," Slade began to rant, but Robin and I interrupted him with two kicks to the stomach. This sent him toppling over the edge and into one of the numerous lava pits I had created.
"Yeah, I'm happy and I don't need you to make me that way," I retorted as his body disappeared beneath the fiery lava.
"Let's get out of here," Robin muttered, running in a jagged path to avoid the rocks and giant pits.
"I need to stop this. Tell the Titans I said goodbye," I smiled, freezing in place and concentrating all my power. The last thing I remember was hearing myself scream.
Footsteps echoed down the dark tunnels, a boy with bows and arrows making his way down the corridor of stone and dirt. A mask shielded his eyes from the world, hiding the trace of tears underneath it.
"Terra?" His voice choked as he entered the place his master once used. It was just stones now, no more orange windows that scared him or master that punished severely. What remained however was Slade's throne, and what was lying beside it. "No, no, please don't be dead."
Speedy ran to her body, flipping her onto her back so he could see her face. There were bruises and cuts everywhere. Blood smeared down her cheeks like tears. The girl now in Speedy's arms had no pulse, no life, not even a spirit to her.
"Terra, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ever joined Slade. I'm sorry, I betrayed you. I should have changed. I should have… been more like you," he whispered, letting his tears fall off his face.
Now he could hear more footsteps, no doubt the Titans. Quickly, he set Terra's body back against the hard earth. A last glance at Terra made him notice something. There, beside where her left hand had been was the blue butterfly clip. In a quick swipe, he grabbed it and hid behind some tall boulders as the Titans entered.
"Do you think friend Terra is alright?" Starfire asked, walking in one of the underground tunnels leading to Slade's old hide-outs.
"I don't know. She never came out," Robin muttered, holding Star's hand. Secretly, he hoped she had survived it. Terra was the reason he and Star were even together.
"Let's hope everything's okay then," Cyborg assured as the five Titans reached the cave. What they saw amazed them all.
On the ground, right beside Slade's throne lay Terra. Her body was stiff, her straw blonde hair streaked with dried blood. From the eyes of the Titans, Terra was dead.
Starfire gasped and began crying into Robin's shoulder while Beast Boy's eyes just sort of glazed over. Raven bowed her head, as did Cyborg. As for Robin, he just held onto Starfire and hoped what he saw wasn't true.
Cyborg went to her body, hooking up his sensors and gadgets to Terra to get a reading on her. It seemed so hopeless. Their friend had died trying to save the city.
"She's dead alright. The effort of stopping everything must have killed her," the half-robot deducted, unhooking his scanners.
"We should take her body up to the surface and give her a proper burial. I'll transport us all out of here," Raven suggested. Robin nodded and Raven began to encase them in her aura. They were back on the streets of Jump City, carrying Terra's corpse.
The on-again/off-again hero watched the Titans leave with Terra's body. She deserved better than to sit in this stupid cave and rot. She deserved to be alive.
Now the question began to haunt him. How had Terra managed to get back her clip? It was without doubt the real one, there were no microchips anywhere on it. Slade had always kept it with him, knowing he couldn't trust his apprentice with the real one. Had she stole it back from him before either of them died, or had it just been magic? Whatever it was, it didn't matter now. She was dead and it was partially his fault. Though he never could have killed her anyway.
A/N 2: The end! Please review! No flames. Thank you, thank you, thank you!