Jen: Welcome to…CHAPTER EIGHT! Yeah! Alright! Woo! Okay…um, what was I doing again?

Oh yeah! Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

On with the fic!

And So It Begins

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"What are you doing now?" Alyssa said in exasperation, "I'm not done speaking with you!"

"I'm done with you." Robin said, "And I'm getting Starfire back."

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Blackfire cheered as her race car bumped Cyborg's off the track, "Ha! Beat you again, Cy!"

Cyborg glanced down at his untouched game controller, "Don't call me Cy. And I'm not playing."

"Well, fine, Raven." Blackfire said and flew out of the main room.

Boris looked at Cyborg from his spot behind the couch, "I don't really like her."

"No one does." Cyborg reassured him.

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Raven walked through one of the countless hallways of Titans Tower, clutching her copy of Angels and Demons. Edgar Allen Poe was just too dark considering recent events.

"Hey." A rather depressed voice greeted her.

"Hey." Raven replied, equally depressed.

"So." Beast Boy continued.

"So."

"Quiet around here, huh?" Beast Boy said, his voice cracking ever so slightly.

"Yeah." Raven was silent for a while, "Can't believe she's…actually gone."

"It's kinda weird." Beast Boy agreed. This time his voice was shaky, "I really miss her."

Raven looked at him with the blankest look she could muster, "I'm sure you do." She turned to leave but Beast Boy stopped her.

"Wait! Don't you miss her?" Beast Boy asked desperately, "You have to miss her Raven! Even you miss your friends, right?"

Raven didn't look at him. She remained silent.

"Raven…I know you're not allowed to feel them, but…you still have emotions." Beast Boy bit his lower lip, "Don't you?"

Raven still said nothing.

"Oh." BB said. He, too, turned to depart.

"Stop." Raven said. She faced him, "I mean…I…"

"What?"

"I do miss Starfire." Raven looked at the floor. "I miss her very much."

Beast Boy gave a half-satisfied nod and began to walk away.

"Wait." Raven walked in front of him, "We're both sort of…overly emotional now, right?"

"I guess." He said with a shrug.

"I find that…when I'm having trouble with my emotions, it's best to talk them out with somebody." Raven hoped he was catching her drift.

Beast Boy knew what she meant, but refused to let her go without him being dominant in this situation, "Probably."

Raven sighed. Of course Beast Boy wouldn't catch her drift, "Would you…I mean, can we…talk? You know, about…things."

"Sure." Beast Boy leaned against the wall, "Starfire not being here has really made me think."

Raven could have made so many snide remarks about that comment, but refrained. "I know." She said.

"And poor Robin." Beast Boy gave a bitter smile, "He's really kicking himself right now for not…" He trailed off suddenly.

"Yeah, for not asking Starfire…"

BB pointed behind Raven where Blackfire stood.

"Hey, guys!" She said in that voice the Titans had come to loathe, "Can I join the conversation?"

"No." Raven said bluntly, "Go away."

"What about you Beast Boy?" Blackfire put her hands on his shoulders, "You want to talk to me, right?"

"Not really." He said, removing her hands.

"I'm a Teen Titan." Blackfire flipped her hair, "All of you are going to have to deal with it."

"You don't deserve to be a Titan." Raven's eye twitched.

"Easy Rae." Beast Boy said, "She's not worth it."

Blackfire smirked and left one last lingering comment, "Never thought I'd see the day when Raven was too terrified to stand up for herself." With that, she left, looking for someone else's day to wreck.

Raven's fists clenched and her book exploded. She watched as the shreds drifted down to the floor. The evil thought of Blackfire following suit crossed her mind when…

"Robin really missed his chance."

"Yeah." Raven agreed.

"It's amazing how something can be yanked out of your life like that."

"'You don't know what you have until it's gone.'" Raven quoted, "I hate that phrase, but it's true."

"Yep."

They stood in an awkward silence for a few moments.

"I'm…I've got to work on image with Emily. We got cut short last time." Beast Boy said.

"Oh, right."

"Bye."

"Don't say that." Raven asked more than ordered, "We're in the same house, right? No need for goodbyes."

"Yeah." Beast Boy smiled, "Uh…see you later."

"Yeah."

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Robin stalked through a hallway at full speed, Alyssa nearly jogging behind him, "BLACKFIRE!" He yelled, "BLACKFIRE! COME HERE!"

Blackfire's head peeked out from around the corner, "You called?" She said sweetly.

"I want Starfire back." Robin got really close to her face, "Now."

"Is that an order?" Her voice was innocent again.

"Yes."

"No can do." Blackfire gave a look of mock sadness, "You know the rules. If Starfire comes back, your precious city goes kaboom."

"How would you do that, exactly?" Robin asked.

"Simple. There is a fleet of Drenthax battle ships on the swamp moons big enough to take out a planet three times the size of Earth." Blackfire smirked, "And I know an old friend who would be enthralled to lend the fleet to me for a while."

Robin's teeth gritted together.

"Back down Robin." Alyssa whispered, "Now is not the time."

Blackfire glanced at her imaginary watch, "Would you look at the time! Gotta go. See you, Boy Wonder."

Robin spun around and punched the wall.

"Robin!" Alyssa said. She was going to tell him to control himself, that punching the wall wouldn't get Starfire back. However, the thought of her being in the wall's place scared her a bit and she realized that it would be best for Robin not to have another reason to be angry, "What do you plan to do?"

"I don't know." Robin hung his head, "I…don't know."

Alyssa glanced around. She suddenly looked at her watch, "I have an idea."

"What is it?" Robin asked desperately.

"I cannot tell you all of it now." Alyssa whispered, "You have to trust me. Go to the Titans one by one. Make sure Blackfire cannot hear…"

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"Cyborg!" Robin called over the intercom, "Report to the T-Ship. There's been, ah, an emergency…gas…leak." He improvised, "Hurry!"

Cyborg leapt off the couch and bolted for the garage. Boris followed.

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"Do you understand?" Robin asked.

"Yeah." Cyborg said. He hesitated, "This better work. Do you even know what the whole plan is?"

"It doesn't matter." Robin clenched his fists, "We have to get Starfire back!"

Cyborg put his hand on the Boy Wonder's shoulder, "Look, Rob…I know you care about Star, but if whatever the plan is doesn't work…well, a lot of innocent people could be hurt."

"I know." Robin turned his back to Cyborg, "I've thought about that. I know the consequences. But Cyborg, out of all of the Titans, Starfire deserves the most to be happy. She's been through the same kinds of things we all have. Did you ever hear her complain? Did she ever wallow in self-pity? No…she was going to make her life happy whether it truly was or not."

Cyborg thought about this for a moment, "Star was never the wallowing type…"

"Cyborg, please." Robin took a deep breath, "I need Starfire back. I need to know that she's okay."

Cyborg rubbed his neck, "I don't know, man. From what you've told me so far, the risk is just so high…"

"What if it was Bumble Bee?" Robin blurted out, "What if you knew that if you didn't act now, you would never get to see her again?"

Cyborg paused briefly, "You heard the man!" He said to Boris, "We gotta get the T-ship ready for a seven day trip!"

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"But how the heck am I supposed to fight crime in this!" Beast Boy cried as he looked himself up and down in the mirror, "It's so…lame."

"Y-You don't l-like it?" Emily broke down and started crying, "I knew it! YOU HATE MEEEEE!"

Beast Boy had grown accustomed to her mood swings, but still felt guilty when she cried, "Aw, Emily! Don't cry! I like it. I really do."

Emily's look turned from one of pure sadness to pure loathing, "Oh, I see what you're doing." Her eyes narrowed, "You think that by telling me you like my outfit design, I will go out on a date with you and somehow we'll end up making out!"

"No, I…"

"PERVERT!" She shrieked before storming out.

Beast Boy sighed and looked in the mirror again. Emily had made him wear a baggy t-shirt that had a zebra stripe pattern. The sleeves were spotted like leopard's fur. His pants were red.

That's right. They were red.

Not another animal print to match his hideous shirt, or even a neutral color to blend. They were red.

"Hey, Beast Boy, where are…" Robin stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Beast Boy, "Oh, Beast Boy, what in the world did Emily…"

"Leave me alone." BB snapped.

"Not a chance." Robin said, "Gather all the assistants and make sure Blackfire's not in the room. Starfire's coming back."

Beast Boy's face brightened considerably as he listened to the plan.

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Robin rapped on Raven's door, "Raven, open up!"

"Go away." The tone was menacing, as if the speaker was trying to cover up pain and hurt with anger.

"It's about Starfire."

There was a crash inside, then a pause, "I don't want to talk about…her."

"Raven, please." Robin leaned against her door, "I'm getting her back. And I…can't do it alone. I need…help."

There was no sound.

"Raven, please!" Robin said again, all though this time more desperately, "I need her back. She deserves to be back."

"It won't work." Raven discouraged, "We shouldn't even try."

Robin spun around and pounded on the door, "So that's it?" BANG! "You're giving up," BANG! "on Starfire?" BANG! "You coward!" BANG! BANG!

The door slid open and Raven walked out, "Do not call me a coward."

"The truth hurts, Raven."

A few doors blew off their hinges.

"You have no right to talk to me like that." She said.

"I was frightened too." Robin confessed, though his confident demeanor showed no such thing, "I missed Starfire, but the city…I didn't know what to do. Then I had to ask myself, what was more important? There are many lives at steak. I, however, refuse to be bound to this city. It can't keep me here and neither can you. I need your help on this mission, Raven, but if you're afraid to…we're going through with it, anyway."

Raven looked away and said nothing.

Robin closed his eyes for a moment, then turned to leave.

"Wait." The word was hesitant, but she had still said it, "What do you need me to do?"

Robin almost smiled.

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"Blackfire," Alyssa motioned for her to come over, "There you are."

"Can I help you with something?" Blackfire said tiredly.

"Yes, in fact."

"Okay…what?"

"I need you to test out my latest invention." Alyssa handed her a blindfold, "Here. Put this on."

Blackfire sighed, "Do I have to?"

"Yes."

She sighed again, but wrapped it over her eyes, "Now what?"

"Say goodnight."

"Goodnight? Why…?"

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos!"

Blackfire hit the floor before she could even register what had happened.

Raven hovered over the spot she had just teleported to, "She'll be out for a good four hours. When she wakes up, she'll think she's a monkey." Raven looked rather pensive.

"Are you alright, Raven?" Alyssa asked.

"Hey!" Mike called from the hall before Raven could respond, "The cage is ready, is she out?"

Raven visibly winced.

"She's out." Alyssa confirmed.

"Bring it in, boys!"

Cyborg and Boris stepped into the main room carrying an abnormally large cage.

"Set it down there." Alyssa told them.

They did so and tried to pick Blackfire up off the floor. It took a few tries and a few complaints ("Jeez, how much does this girl weigh?") before they successfully maneuvered her off the ground and into the cage.

"Good." Alyssa said. She turned back to Raven, "I am sorry. What was wrong?"

"It was pointless." Raven muttered.

"Oh, well…okay, then." Alyssa's eyes widened behind her glasses, "MICHEAL JAY FORMER, IF YOU DON'T CONTROL YOUR WONDERING HANDS, I SWEAR I'LL CHOP THEM OFF!"

Mike removed his hands from the cage, "Jealous again, Alyssa?"

Alyssa scowled. "Don't start with me."

Mike shrugged his shoulders, "What can I say? You're cute when you're aggravated."

Alyssa raised a brow at this, but before she could retort Robin's voice filled their ears.

"The T-ship is ready for launch. Cyborg, Boris, Alyssa, report to the garage." The intercom made his voice unnecessarily loud and everybody cringed.

Those told to left.

Alyssa shot Mike a deadly look, but as soon as she was gone, his hands were back in the cage again, feeling around.

Raven sighed yet again.

This plan of Robin's had better work because it was going to be a looong seven days.

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Jen: There! Finally! That took me such a long time. Anyway! Review and…yeah. Bye!