Part 24

" I don't think your leader would like it very much if I joined the team," Jinx ripped of the crust of her toast, and threw the crust onto the table.

"That's not where that goes," Cyborg picked up the crust and tossed it into the trash.

"Not my house," She shrugged, but did tear her next crust in the trash. She bite into her toast and with a full mouth spouted, "Listen, don't tell me what to do."

Cyborg gave her a funny look, "Right, got it, don't tell you what to do."

"That's right Buster!" Pieces of toast spilling out of her mouth as she talked, she placed her hand down below her chin to catch her crumbs.

He stared at her and laughed, "Buster?" Bwhahaha he laughed clutching his stomach.

She growled and searched through the cabinets but then noticed that there was jam on the table. She took grasp of the butter knife that was in the open container and took out the knife she then flung the jam at laughing trash compactor. "You'll rue the day you messed with me!"

He laughed as the jam hit him, "Rue the day?" Bwhahah he continued laughing, he then reached over into the peanut butter and dug his finger in it, he then flung the peanut butter at her that lodged into her hair – and across the kitchen.

"Ugh peanut butter! You Tin Can!" She flung more jam at him.

"Oh no you don't!" He flung more peanut butter at her and they proceeded to get into a sticky situation to say the least.

--

"Robin I believe the sunrise is done and we have not reached every roof." Starfire pointed over towards the sun and covered her eyes with her other hand.

"We'll get the rest another day, I think we should head back to the tower."

Starfire floated up into the sky, she looked around and saw what looked like an amusement park being put up, "Let's go look at the park of very pleasant things!"

"Huh?" Robin got up from his kneeling position and stood over by the edge of the building and looked off to where she was pointing, "The amusement park?"

"Yes!" She said excited.

"It's not open yet, they're getting it up."

"Oh," She said disappointed.

He sighed, "Hmmm how about we go find some place to eat?"

"It is time for the food to break," She nodded.

"Breakfast Star," Robin smiled and silently laughed to himself.

She spiraled into the air, "Most wonderful," she drifted upwards and stretched herself out as much as she could. She then flew down and quickly grabbed Robin by the hand and began flying across the city.

"Wooooo!" He shouted as he was now flying through the city, via an arm and a very attractive alien girl.

--

"So who were you cooking breakfast for anyway?" Jinx asked now with a wet washcloth helping Cyborg clean the mess they made.

"Well usually Raven comes first and says she only wants tea, but then after several minutes she gets hungry and asks for a plate. Then Starfire comes and says something that makes no sense and asks for a plate politely, well as politely as she can put it. Then Robin is next and he heads straight to the computer, after seeing that the city is once again safe from the clutches of evil," He shared an awkward glance with Jinx who was looking at him from the other side of the room, "You know what I mean. Anyways then comes Beast Boy looking like a wreck and he throws his head upon the table, every time a little harder than he means too, and rubs the bump he gets, then Raven will say something that equates to him being dumb and I'll laugh at him, and then Robin goes on about us just eating breakfast, and then we all chit chat, well I mean Star chit chats, well I mean we listen to her, though I'm not sure if Raven does, but I'm sure she might be, I don't know it's hard to tell with Raven."

"And what would I do?" Jinx asked blinking her cheshire cat eyes.

Cyborg blew some air from the side of his lips and looked up thinking, "Make a mess."

"Yeah," she replied in a somber tone, she looked down,"That's usually what I cause." She looked down not saying another word.

He didn't want to appear officious but couldn't stop himself from asking, "Why do you say that?"

"I was taught to be a sorceress but I wasn't taught on how to be a person. In my Indian tribe I was ousted because my powers grew too strong. Instead of being looked upon for advice and wisdom I was turned away being called as you would put it a witch I guess, that's all I ever am, a witch. They left without me one night, they all left while I was asleep, and I was on my own. Angry, depressed, and alone I found whatever shelter I could and used my 'magic' to try and get money on the street, yeah a street performer, that's where my great powers got me. That was until Slade found me. The Hive was the first place that made me feel as though I belonged, but even then… I didn't want to do evil things, I never did." She looked at him shaking her head, "I never wanted to do bad, I just," She sighed, "I just wanted to belong, and to belong I had to do horrible things. Even when I was with my tribe I was taught not to take advantage of people. I was taught to respect everything around me, and I learned the lesson that anything given to me can also just as quickly be taken away. That's why I want you to make me normal. I just want to be regular I want to be plane, ordinary, common, I don't want to be burden with being," She shook her head, "I guess being me."

He took a deep breath, "But you're not ordinary and there's no reason to be. Look at me, am I normal to you?"

"You don't have to be normal," She rebutted.

"No I don't but you don't need to be either. You just need the right place. Your powers make you special, they don't make you a witch and they don't make you a bad person either, they make you special, just like all of us. We're burden with responsibilities that no ordinary person can handle, and that's your problem you never came to the realization that it isn't what you can do that makes you who you are, but what you can do. You may not be able to take back all you've done in your past but you can make amends. You leave now and become as you call normal you will always be remembered for the evil you have brought, and those thoughts will never leave your mind. If you join us here, if you become a hero instead of a villain, if you do good instead of evil, you can make up for everything you have done. You don't have to be a witch, you can be admired, like you've always should've been. Being strong doesn't make you evil, having powers doesn't make you bad, but it does mean you can never become normal. None of us in this tower can pass for normal, and that's just the sad truth."

Her head was now pressing against the refrigerator door, "Then why did you all promise it to me?"

"We promised we'd try, but I'm telling you that you can try your best to be what you think of as normal but the memories you bear will always stay with you. Just because you were abandoned doesn't mean you have to run from who you are, you just need to find a place where you'd be accepted and still be able to keep your morals. If you don't mind trying to help people instead of torturing them, then I am sure we can let you stay here."

Her head still against the door she looked over at him, "Really tin man?"

He shrugged, "I'll beat Robin up till he agrees," He smirked.

"Can you do that?"

"Pssh I can do anything," He smiled, "So can you."

"So I can make amends?"

"Amen."

She gave a lighthearted smile, "Amen."

--

Robin wiped some maple syrup off his finger. He looked up to see Starfire munching away at her strawberry pancakes. He forked another piece of waffle and rubbed it into some maple syrup. "Want to try a piece?"

She nodded and opened her mouth. He carefully moved the piece into her mouth.

"Mmmm delicious," She forked a rather large piece of her pancakes, "Here try mine."

"Okay," He opened his mouth and she fed him the rather large piece of pancake, his mouth was too full to reply so he gave her a thumbs up. She clapped her hands together and took a sip of her orange juice, "This is most wonderful."

"I hope Cyborg didn't cook up breakfast," Robin laughed.

She gasped, "What if he did?"

He shrugged, "He's a big boy he'll eat what we don't."

--

"We can't do this," She uttered.

"Huh why not?" Beast Boy asked looking around, "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, just look, no listen, we can't do this!" She began to sound frantic; her white gown was fading back into purple.

"What's going on? Where's this coming from?"

She held her head, "Just stay away from me!" She phased down through the ground and into her room.

He stood there dumbfounded and then reality hit him, he just wasn't good enough for her. It was obvious she finally figured out that he wasn't worth the effort. He was just a green fuzz ball who did nothing but crack jokes and played the role of stupid. He wiped his eyes, and then in anger grabbed a rock and threw it as hard as he could into the water.

It splashed and then stillness. He could almost here the rock sinking through the water. He could hear his own heart beating; he fell onto his knees and sighed. He picked up some dirt and let it slip through his fingers. He closed his eyes and bent his head to the ground.

He just didn't understand what love is. Now for the second time in his life he felt crushed. It was his way of life now, to be the target for the next piercing dart. He cared too much in too many things; it just made sense for him to constantly get hurt. It was easier to just be the joker, it was easier to just always be a target to always be made fun of and hurt, that way you can never become too happy, for if you are happy there's only one way to go.

He didn't feel like moving, he didn't feel like caring, he didn't feel like loving, he didn't feel like being. He just stared at the still brook, everything can fall apart yet water will flow into any crevice it finds, people are much like water we adapt anyway we can. There just wasn't enough water to fill the hole he was feeling, so instead they left his body in the form of tears.

--

What am I doing?

I need to calm down!

Come on Raven calm down!

Think clearly,

She began chanting but much too quickly, she tried her best to slow herself but she was being hit by a thousand thoughts a second.

Why did I just leave him like that? So stupid! Ugh why do I always mess everything up? Because I excel at it, I know how to bring pain, that's all I'm good for.

I need to apologize to him, I need to make things right. But I can't have is life be put in danger. Or maybe my actions now will be what causes the visions I saw.

Either way I owe Beast Boy an apology.

--

She looked at him, his somber face staring down at the Earth. She looked at the ground, it was wet, "Garfield I'm sorry."

He didn't respond.

"Listen I didn't mean what I said earlier."

He didn't reply.

"Garfield please… I am really sorry." She saw his body heave as he inhaled a deep breath.

"I am too," He stood up and faced her.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"For letting you in, into my heart."

- end of part 24