A/N: I do not own the Teen Titans. (Though I wouldn't mind owning Terra either.)
Chapter II.
Beast boy watched the sunset. He always liked the sunset. Inside him the different animal impulses always seemed to be more balanced at sunset. The nocturnal beasts would just be waking up and the diurnal beasts would just be settling down. He sat down and thought about Jinx. She had made a fool of him. Which wasn't much of a surprise, women seemed to be making a fool out of him all his life. Jinx, Terra, Raven…
Beast boy always felt like he was an idiot around Raven, and her stinging comments didn't help matters. Yeah, she was dark, beautiful, mysterious, beautiful, intelligent, beautiful, and was a kick butt fighter, but she was also downright knockdown drag-out gorgeous. He really wasn't surprised Robin had fallen for her too.
The only person that he'd ever met who was more beautiful than Raven was Terra. The fact that Terra had actually seemed interested in him as well had made things even better. He admitted to himself that Raven had been a crush, a purely physical attraction that evoked his beast-like instincts. Terra had been something different entirely. He had cared for her as a person instead of some sort of beauty queen.
Yeah, he'd gone easy on Jinx and paid for it. For a split second his lonely mind had imagined against all odds a hero/villain romance. It sounded so much like some sort of sappy romance novel it almost made him puke now to think about it. Still it had hurt that his emotions had gotten the better of him and he had let a villain get away.
The door to the roof opened up and Beast boy heard someone coming near him.
"Hi Raven." Beast boy said without much emphasis.
Raven sat down next to him on the roof and looked out at the receding sun. "You've been up here for a while." Raven commented.
"Yeah." Beast boy said simply.
"We're feeling awfully talkative today." Raven commented dryly.
"Look who's talking." Beast boy retorted.
"I guess I deserved that." Raven said kindly. "I know I've never really had much nice to say to you Beast boy, it's just not my style."
"Never stopped you with Robin." Beast boy said accusingly.
"Yeah, I know. Beast boy, why did you have a crush on me?" Raven finally asked.
"You're the empath, why don't you tell me?" Beast boy countered.
"Because my powers only tell me emotions are present, not what their source is." Raven said simply looking out at the sea. "I never understood why you were so fond of me."
"Why does Robin like you?" Beast boy asked.
"I guess because we're so much alike." Raven said simply.
"It's the same with me, Raven. Our teams are the only family we've ever known. Other people tend to avoid us, and we're always lonely. You seem to be alright with it though, while I always try to keep getting closer." Beast boy said as he looked over at Raven for the first time.
"Well you won't be lonely for much longer hopefully." Raven said looking back at Beast boy. "I think I might have found a way to bring back someone who was special to you."
Beast boy looked at Raven as if she had lost her mind. "What do you mean, Terra?"
"Yes Beast boy, Terra. I'm preparing a spell that might be able to un-petrify her. It's a long shot, but with luck we'll be able to get her back and then you won't have to be alone any more." Raven said smiling. "All of us are pitching as best we can to try to get her back. We're doing it because we don't want you to fell like you're alone Beast boy. No matter what happens you'll never be alone, and we'll always be friends."
Beast boy didn't know what to say. At that point he felt like his heart was going to break with joy. "Thanks, Rae." Beast boy said as he reached over and hugged her.
"I still don't do hugs." Raven said dryly.
"After what you just told me, you should be thankful you're not getting kissed. Besides, you'll never win Robin from Starfire without getting into hugging." Beast boy said playfully.
"Thanks BB." Raven said as he let her go to go back inside.
"I'm going back inside. You coming?" Raven asked as she turned to leave.
"No thanks, I think I'm going to wait for the first star to come out so I can make a wish. It never hurts." Beast boy said as Raven walked away. He was going to see Terra again. Now all he had to figure out was WHAT he was going to say to her when he saw her again.
The next few days around Titans tower were a complete buzz. There weren't any villains in the city at the moment, but you couldn't tell it from the way the Titans were busy running around the tower. Everyone was pitching in.
Robin had pulled up all the files that they had on Terra's powers. He had also requested downloads from the Justice League watchtower on any other information on her types of abilities including other people who might have similar powers that could help.
Cyborg had pulled out of his seemingly never ending toolbox every gizmo, gadget, machine, device, or module that might help monitor, release, or otherwise transform Terra back to her original self. He had even called the Titans East to help cover the city while the Titans put forth their best effort to save Terra. He had also been studying Kole's powers in the hopes that he could find something there that could help.
Starfire had contacted her world to see if anyone there or in the known universe had been turned to stone. She had found out that there was a precise ritual among her people for mourning those who had been lost to petrification, but that no one had ever been brought back from it. She was overjoyed at this since that being the case; if the Titans succeeded she would get the express privilege of writing the ritual herself and would therefore earn herself the title of 'snarf-curder'.
Raven had spent the entire time researching the spell she would cast. Since petrification was far more common in magic, it was therefore more likely that a spell existed somewhere to reverse it. The only tricky part was going to be the fact that Terra's powers hadn't exactly been magical in nature. She was still quietly optimistic however.
This left Beast boy, the least technologically gifted member of the team, in limbo. He spent his time coordinating the efforts by the other super teens that were helping around the city, and composing love poetry. In all, it was a great time for him to be alive.
Finally, after a week of preparation, the Titans gathered in the cave under the city where Terra's statue resided. Beast boy went over to it and gingerly removed the dead flowers he had left there and replaced them with fresh ones.
"You've been doing that ever since it happened haven't you." Raven accused.
"Yeah." Beast boy said sadly.
"Don't worry, we're going to get her back." Robin said confidently.
Everyone began setting up and taking their places. Robin and Starfire left to monitor the city for any seismic activity that might occur because of the ritual. Cyborg hooked up every gadget he could think of to Terra in the hopes of being able to tell if anything happened.
Finally, Raven placed her sigils on the stone around Terra. She concentrated for a few moments and then started the ritual. Everything seemed to be working smoothly as Raven continued casting. Cyborg watched his screens intently and looked for any sign of life from the stone. Beast boy just tried to stay out of the way.
Dark energy crept through the cavern drawing in around the statue of Terra making it turn to darkest black. Raven began to concentrate holding the power in tight rein until final she completed the ritual in a shower of dark sparks and power.
The statue still stood staring back at them in defiance. Raven looked at Cyborg who shook his head sadly. Beast boy felt his heart breaking all over again. It was too much to bear. He walked over to the statue and slumped down against it and began to cry.
"I'm sorry, Beast boy. Her powers are just too strong." Raven said sadly.
"Just leave me alone here for a little while. I want to be alone with her." Beast boy said as the other two Titans left him in his misery. He was hurting all over again. He had wanted her to be back so badly and now his dreams were crushed again. If this hadn't worked, then there was no hope for him ever finding a way to release her. His friends had managed to muster all the intellect of the Earth's super heroes, tapped the knowledge of twelve different star systems, and had delved into ancient tomes from civilizations some thought to only be legend. There was simply nothing left.
Beast boy finally let himself go totally to despair. He was only one man. Couldn't there be that one special person for him too.