B-e-a-utiful. Here's the next chappie!

PS – for those of you who didn't know where she got the gun, that was the thug's gun. Remember how he held it to her head and then Robin jumped on his back, making him drop it? Well, she picked it up during the fray and shot the guy in the leg.

Chapter Thirty: A Headline and a Secret

"Wow," said Gar, looking at Dick in disbelief. "She – shot him?" He nodded. "But – he's ok, right? I mean, he's not dead, so she can't get in trouble."

"Still, that's got to be a lot of emotional stress," said Rachel. "Especially for someone like Kori…"

"Yeah," said Dick, running a hand through his wet hair. "I don't think Kori's ever held a gun, much less shoot one." He let his head fall back on the top of the chair and he stared at the ceiling, thinking things over. Then, a thought came to his mind. "Hey, where's Terra?"

"Oh," said Gar, "well…"

"She's the one who made up that story about me in the paper," said Rach, "and to make a long story short, she's gone along with a hundred bucks and a bus pass."

He merely grunted and looked at the clock. It was nearly 2am; which brought another question to his mind.

"Where's Victor?"

His two friends looked at each other.

"Hey," said Gar, "I haven't seen him all day. Did he say where he was going to go?"

"No," said Rachel. "He just left…"

As she spoke, Vic walked through the door.

"Wassup, ya'll?" he sang as he entered into the room. Then he froze. "Um, is it me or did it just get cold in here?"

"Where have you been?" asked Robin.

"Oh, just a little place I like to call The Daily Planet. Check it out." He tossed a news paper on the coffee table. "Tomorrow's addition."

The three friends looked at the paper and saw the headline.

BANDS "BIG SECRET" A BIG LIE

Clark Kent

"I figured it out," he announced. "I found out that it was Terra all along."

"Yeah, um, we figured that out, like, two chapters ago," said Gar.

"Oh," he said, looking a bit diminished. "So, what I miss?"

Dick looked out the window. "You tell him," he said.

------

Kori stood in the shower, bethinking her self. What had she done?

You should tell Dick, a voice in her head nagged.

After the way he reacted the first time? No, thanks, said another.

Well, you can't just not tell him. I mean, stuff like this doesn't stay a secret.

Yeah, I know.

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself.

Well?

You're right, I'll tell him. But tomorrow. He's had enough stress for one day.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Yes. Tomorrow she'll tell him.

------

"We all ready to go?" said Robin as packed themselves into a rental car.

"Ay, ay, mon Capitan!" saluted Beastboy in a fake French accent from the back seat.

"Um, Robin?" said Starfire nervously.

"Yeah, Star?" he said, walking over to her.

"Um…" How could she tell him?

"Yeah?" he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, uh –"

Suddenly, Cyborg pounded on the horn.

"Give us five minutes!" Robin shouted at him. He made a hopeless gesture and slumped against the back of the seat. Robin looked back at her. "Now, what?"

"I – I –" Suddenly, her mind went blank, and she blurted out the first thing that popped into her head. "I'm scared."

Robin looked at her.

"Nervous, I mean…"

He smiled and put both of his hands on her shoulders and smiled. "You're going to do great." He gave her a kiss; it felt like acid against her cheek. "I promise." Then he walked her to the car and they got in. She felt horrible.

She had never lied to Robin before – ever. She felt dirty and low. Oh how she wished they would get into a car crash…

------

The Titans stood behind a velvety, red curtain. It was ten minutes until show time, and all five of them felt like worms were wriggling around in their stomachs – while puking.

"Well, all right now lads and lovies!" said a British voice from behind them. "Are you lot the 'Teen Titans'?"

They turned around to see a very tall, very skinny man with bright, red hair, bad teeth and a shirt in the colors of the British flag. He also wore a neckerchief (similar to Fred's on Scobby Doo) and rectangular glasses that rested on the edge of his long, crooked nose.

"Uh, yeah," said Robin, slightly unsure of what to say to this very odd man. "I'm Robin, and this is Cyborg, Raven, Starfire and Beastboy."

"'Owdy do, Lad!" he said, heartily slapping him on the back (which nearly knocked him to the floor). "My name's Mod! It's a pleasa!"

"Mad Mod es more like it," said a female voice, heavy in French accent. A woman stepped out from behind him. She was tall with short, black hair and had a smug air about her. She wore an outfit of scarlet and had lips to match.

"Oh! Ow could I forget? This is Madam Rouge. She and I'll be judges along with this chuckle 'ead ear, eh? Ha!" He put his arm around a very fat man wearing a white shirt with three black D's.

"Just call me Ding Dong Daddy!" he said smoothly. He had beady eyes that were almost hidden under a biker helmet and the biggest nose any of them had ever seen.

"Well," said Mod, "we just wanted to come over an' wish you lot a spit o' luck."

"'Vanted to'" said Rouge under her breath. "Bach! It es required."

"Well! We must be off! Best of luck to ya!" And they went to the judges tables.

"Well," said Raven, cynically, "that made me feel better about our chances. I'm sure Rouge will just adore us."

Soon, the room filled like mad as tons and tons of people came in, one by one. This was, as the rest of the band all new, the cue for Robin's "pep talk".

"Ok, guys,' he said, "this is it. It's all come down to this. This one last performance. Tonight – it's all or nothing."

Starfire snuck a peak at the audience.

Oh, Robin, she thought, you have no idea.

Ok, sorry this one took so long, but I went on vacation just when I was done with half of this. Hope you enjoy!

T.