Okay, okay. Here's the next installment. Hopefully the title will make more sense after you read the chapter...

"…" The changeling remained silent, head filled with thoughts and mixed in with a madman's voice. What did Slade want him to do? Kill them? It took all of his pride to finally draw his gaze from the ground to stare at the four of them, the usual spark in his eyes diminished making his eyes seem a darker green then usual. Beast Boy opened his mouth but no words came out; instead he was mouthing silently at his friends, all of whom seemed a tad bit distraught.

"Raven," Cyborg hissed from behind her. "Maybe he can't talk. Don't go saying stuff like that before we know what's going on. You could really bring down his self-esteem." The bionic teen had released his sonic cannon upon entering the warehouse but since finding only Beast Boy in the building it had retracted and he was now doing a scan on the shape-shifter's body. "Brain waves are low; normal for BB. Heartbeat's fast, breathing unsteady. Looks like Beast Boy just has a bad case of shock."

"So why isn't he telling us what happened like he usually would?" Raven's hood was drawn as she stared out at Beast Boy, her voice dry from all emotion. "Normally he would have talked our ears off by now."

"Friend, you will come home now." It wasn't a question, more of an order. The alien girl floated forward latching her hand around Beast Boy's wrist. Panicking at the action the changeling let out a slight yelp and yanked his arm away with such force that Starfire was sent flying backward into a pile of crates. "Again you demonstrate strength I have yet to see from you, Beast Boy." The Tamaranian seemed unscathed as she floated back to the group but her eyes held concern for her friend. Something was definitely wrong.

"Beast Boy," Robin called his attention speaking slowly and clearly, "We know you found Terra's diary, uh, diaries." He paused choosing his words carefully gaze never leaving the shape-shifter's and Beast Boy's eyes were locked on the Boy Wonder's masked ones. "We know she came back. We know you miss her. But you can't let your feelings for Terra interfere with your duty. Remember the hero's oath? We're to protect this city- and the world if we need to- no matter what."

Still there was no response, though this time Beast Boy had been on the verge of an irritated reply, but got off when he opened his mouth. Static rang in his ear and then Slade's voice came. "Beast Boy," he hissed, "Act natural. Go back to the Tower with them. I will give you further instructions there."

His mouth still gaping slightly open and one hand clamped over his ear from the slight pain of a static-filled earpiece Beast Boy finally spoke. "Didn't the hero's oath also say we have to help people when they're in need? FYI Terra is in need." Doubled over with his hands resting on his knees the changeling panted slightly before straightening up staring blankly at his leader with an emotionless expression.

"That's fine but until we know what kind of trouble she's in there's nothing we can do."

"Says you." Beast Boy pushed his way passed Robin and hovered awkwardly between Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire. They were boxing him in. The changeling shook his head slightly. This was definitely not acting natural in the sense of everyday natural, but this would have been how he would react if this happened at the Tower. "Just because you grew up listening to a dude that told you not to get emotionally involved in crime fighting doesn't mean I have to work the same way."

Deep silence followed four sets of eyes boring into Beast Boy's head, but he completely ignored this. The thing he was worried about was pounding in his head once more. "Apprentice, do not put yourself in a position of ejection from the Tower. That wouldn't be very good for Terra. Oh, look, she's coming around…" Sure enough there was a surprised sort of yelp that the shape-shifter could identify as Terra's. He paused and took a deep breath trying to calm himself down.

"Never talk about my- Bruce that way." Robin's hands were balled into fists but he said no more. Instead he simply walked past the group to the T-Car. As his footsteps echoed and then died away the other Titans took this opportunity to confront Beast Boy.

"Look, man I know it's tough. Be strong, BB, and don't lose your cool with Robin." Cyborg paused rubbing the back of his hand absentmindedly. "He's already kind of mentioned replacing you because you haven't been around much lately." The bionic teen lowered his voice slightly as he bent down to Beast Boy's level to whisper in his ear. "But there would be a vote. Three to one in your favor, man."

"Okay," the changeling responded voice finally steadying back to its normal state. "I'll be careful around Bird Boy…" Cyborg clapped him on the back as he turned to head to the T-Car after Robin.

"Yo! You better not be getting your fingerprints all over my windows!"

Giving a small smile at Cyborg's words of warning to Robin, Beast Boy let out a slight sigh. He was alone with two girls, one of which looked on the verge of tears and the other he knew wanted to kill him. "So…" The shape-shifter tried to break the dead silence. "You guys mad at me?"

"I am…" Starfire paused levitating into the air a few inches before finishing her sentence; she wasn't quite familiar with the phrase. "Not found."

"Um, you mean lost?" Beast Boy shook his head slightly as the alien girl floated away leaving Raven and him alone. Great, perfect circumstances for murder. The changeling let out a nervous sort of sigh before finally drawing his eyes to hers, which was all he could see of her face at the moment. "You're gonna kill me, huh?"

"No," the empath answered simply. "That would be too easy and not satisfying at all." Raven's voice was still empty, though Beast Boy could sense she was trying to hide some sort of emotion. "Where are they?"

"Where are who?"

"Don't play dumb, Beast Boy. You came here for Terra. Slade was here. Where are they?" Yep, on the last line Raven's voice took on a hint of anger and her eyes briefly flashed red, but they flicked back to violet soon enough. It was more for effect then anything, and judging by Beast Boy's sudden recoiled posture it had worked.

"Don't let her scare you, Beast Boy. Lie. Block your mind…"

Of course it could have been because there was a madman whispering in his ear that he was almost wetting his pants. "Okay, okay," the shape-shifter let out a low sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "A rock came through my window with a ransom note. It told me to come here alone at nine o'clock, but Slade never showed up. Or he did, but he wouldn't let me find him. He's screwing with my mind, Rae, that's all. I'm kinda mad about it…"

Raven raised an eyebrow at the changeling for his voice hadn't faltered in the least; she would have expected him to be reluctant about telling her this or at least show more emotion when talking about it. Apparently he trusted her more then she knew. But then again he could just as easily be lying.

A small strand of black energy rose out from the gem on Raven's forehead and the other end slithered forward in the air before planting itself upon Beast Boy's forehead. The shape-shifter raised and eyebrow before muttering, "Well that was very sneaky of you, Raven…" Through the mind link the empath only found thoughts of Terra, memories of Terra, and the deeper she got images of Slade. If she would have been able to dive deeper into Beast Boy's thoughts, though, she would have dug up what he was really doing…but that was currently hidden at the very back of his mind.

She pushed forward seeing flashes of the Doom Patrol and a young Beast Boy. Then a Garfield Logan she had never seen before. Blonde hair, blue eyes, tanned skin. This was Gar Logan, not Beast Boy. It was hidden so deep in his mind she wondered if he even remembered it. Raven made to go forward, but was stopped dead in her tracks, her soul self being forced out of Beast Boy's mind.

He hadn't broken the bond; what he had done was reverse the effect. Beast Boy was now seeing flashes of what was going on in Raven's brain. Flashes of Raven with the changeling blew by first, followed by clips of Terra as Slade's Apprentice and then he saw a brief flicker of Raven the day the world was supposed to end, how she raised all those people from stone, and a voice in her head, Raven's voice, had thought this during that time: I think I just resurrected a traitor…

Beast Boy was suddenly thrown from Raven's mind, the bond being ripped apart leaving a panting Beast Boy on the ground and a very angry empath. "You were in my mind," she hissed sharply. "No one should go in my mind…" Her eyes were flashing red, all four of them.

"Dude, I didn't mean to end up in your demented mind! It just happened!" The shape-shifter clambered to his feet, a dull glare issuing from his eyes. "But it's a good thing I did. You hate Terra! You've always hated her!"

"That's not true!" Raven's eyes were flaring red once more; anger was showing itself once more. She sighed slightly before focusing her energy and her eyes flicked back to violet and there were only two of them now. "You might not know this but she was my friend, too. At one point I did trust her. I don't give out trust easily, and my trust is easy to break. When it's broken I don't let people back in, at least not unless they earn it."

"She sacrificed herself for the city! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Beast Boy's temper was rising slowly, his face twisted into a fierce growl. "Terra saved us all Raven, just like you did."

"One act can't make up for what she did." Raven felt her own temper rising, but unlike the shape-shifter she kept it under control. "And I don't mean destroying the city. I mean what she did to you- and all of us. She betrayed us, Beast Boy. I don't know how you can forgive so easily."

"I guess that's what makes us different, Raven. I forgive, you forget." Beast Boy then walked away against the will of the angry part of him which wanted nothing more then to tell her off, maybe even show her what the Beast could really do, but he wouldn't do that to a friend. The changeling's footsteps slowed to a stop as he tilted his head to glance over his shoulder. "You coming?"

He ignored the voice in his head as Slade spoke to him, praising him. The shape-shifter bit his lower lip slightly as his master's voice flittered into his ears. "Good, Apprentice. Keep them on your good side." But really Beast Boy just hated tension within the group and as Raven had said he forgave easily, even when it came to Raven herself.

"Yeah…In a while." The empath gave a dull sigh as Beast Boy exited the warehouse. Something was definitely wrong here and it wasn't just the rocky relationship Beast Boy was having on the rest of the Titans. "Wherever you are, Slade, you did a nice job blocking your hideout from my senses…" Raven stood there for a moment longer but turned at the sound of a beeping horn.

"Girl, you're holding up the ride!" She followed Cyborg's call without question but still she couldn't shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong.

B&P

A single blinding light filled the room aimed directly for a metal table where a girl lay completely motionless. Slowly her eyes fluttered open in protest of the white light and dull groan escaped her lips. Her wrists and ankles were so sore. Instinctively she made to reach up and brush some blonde hair from her face but found she couldn't; the only thing she could move was her head and even her neck felt sore, like a needle had been injected into her spine. "Okay, so this isn't my room…" Her head was throbbing and she couldn't remember what had happened just yet, but a voice from the shadows completely pulled Terra from her state of blind confusion.

"Terra, so good to see you again." That was Slade's voice, but where was he? It was so dark, so cold, and she couldn't see him. Actually her eyes hadn't exactly adjusted to the bright light above her and now mixing the darkness of the rest of the lair was making the room spin.

"Wish I could say the same for you," the geomancer hissed back trying to tap into her power supply. Terra waited for that familiar surge of energy to her fingers, but it never came. Blinking she closed her eyes and focused solely on bringing the roof down on Slade but still…nothing.

"Oh, about that uncontrollable power of yours…" This line seemed to hit a nerve in both Slade and Terra. The former had growled the last couple of words and the latter had taken a sharp inhalation of breath willing herself not to snap back at him; she was in no position to start insulting a supervillain now was she? Plus she had no snappy retort to this as it was true. "I decided to…take it off your hands."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Terra raised her head slightly to stare around the room, but still only the circle of light in a four foot radius around the table was visible, and she couldn't make out his form in the dark. Her head hit the metal again a little harder then she'd hoped but she ignored it. "Just because I haven't used them in a while doesn't mean I can still whip you…"

"I never said you couldn't beat me, Apprentice. I commend you on your performance back in the cave. Too bad it didn't work as I am…alive." Slade gave a slight sigh at this point remembering just how much he had given to be resurrected and get his body back. "In fact I was surprised you had it in you to murder Daddy…"

"Shut up," Terra hissed back forcing her eyes shut. "You were like my father but that doesn't make you a dad. Dads love you and care about you. You wouldn't have cared if I had died that night as long as you got rid of the Titans." The geomancer inhaled sharply before adding, "You're the definition of 'daddy' that I always knew, Slade. Cruel, abusive, deceiving…"

"That's also an accurate definition of villain, Terra." The masked villain's singsong voice suddenly appeared; this was always the part he loved the most, torture, torment, playful banter, and when there was absolutely nothing his prey could do about it either. "Anyway, do you want to know what I did with your powers?"

"'What you did'? I could be wrong but how can you do anything with my powers if they're in my body?" Terra paused, mind working slowly. "And whatever happened to Sebastian- er- that guy?"

"Who, Blood?" Slade murmured offhandedly. "That was no guy. That was a robot made to look like a villain the Teen Titans faced after your…incident. Cyborg especially liked him. Anyway- that was only to lead Beast Boy off track. With the help of that robot and some holograms he thought I'd resurrected the dead. Not that I needed to; Raven did that part for me…"

"Beast Boy," Terra muttered softly, head throbbing while a filmstrip of memories blew passed, each one containing the pair of them. Shaking her head slightly the geomancer turned her attention to the seemingly bodiless voice. "What did you do?"

That could have had two meanings one being what had he done to her or what had he done to Beast Boy. Slade interpreted it as the former, but then again that was only because he hadn't actually done anything to Beast Boy. "That robot absorbed your power from that massive outburst you had. The power is serving a new purpose. Energy from a meta-human is perfect fuel for a chronoton detonator, a real one."

"You're gonna stop time forever?" Terra muttered blankly. "Doesn't that mean you'll be frozen in time, too?"

"Yes and no. I'm planning on using it as a bargaining chip." Slade gave a dull chuckle. "If the Titans give themselves up I won't blow it. If they refuse I'll blow the detonator and time is stopped forever, and they lose. Granted, I lose too and you know how I hate to lose…But it's a small price to pay."

"That's all very interesting but I was asking what you did to Beast Boy…" The geomancer struggled against her bonds with little to no effort knowing that without her power it would do no good.

"I did nothing. You did all my work for me again, Terra." Slade's voice was resounding in her head now and she stopped her fussing with the bonds to stare into the darkness again. "You were my bargaining chip for Beast Boy. I already had you so all I needed to do was send the changeling a note. I nearly blew your head up with a gun before he agreed…"

"To what?" Terra's voice was barely a whisper as she choked out the words; she had a vague idea of what it might be.

"To become my third Apprentice. Granted, I only need him for one mission…"

That was enough. Terra let out a strangled cry of anger mixed with pain before biting her lower lip to stop herself from letting Slade see the satisfaction of breaking her down again. She didn't want anyone to have to go through what she went through and especially not Beast Boy…not the boy she cared so much about. "You…"

"He agreed to infiltrate the Tower and retrieve a computer chip of Cyborg's. With that chip I can finish what I started with you, my dear Apprentice."

"Wh-what?" Terra forced her voice to remain steady as she spoke, eyes jammed shut.

"The computer chip is meant for his precious T-Car, to make it live and thrive like he does." Slade's voice was casual, and to be honest this part seemed like an offhand addition to the 'plan'. "Of course along with personality the car will obey all orders. That is why I am getting that computer chip, to help me finally bend you to my every will. And Terra?"

"What?" She shot back the shock of it all merely coming out as snappy remarks.

"After the Titans surrender- or not- I will have you, my favorite Apprentice dispose of my third Apprentice. It should be..." He paused and stepped forward out of the shadows for the first time during the entire conversation, standing right behind her with his arms clasped behind his back. Slade stopped now speaking into a disk with the Slade insignia etched onto it. Terra listened intently knowing he was relaying messages to Beast Boy.

"Apprentice, do not put yourself in a position of ejection from the Tower. That wouldn't be very good for Terra. Oh, look, she's coming around…" At this point the geomancer let out another strangled yelp, trying to tell Beast Boy not to go through with any of it- but it came out as nothing more then an incomprehensible yell. The villain snapped the communicator shut to stare down at Terra, eye glimmering. "It should be quite the show, Apprentice…"

He vanished back into the shadows and even the light above her dimmed to black leaving Terra alone to mingle with her thoughts, which really was more torture then any physical pain Slade could inflict on her. The geomancer thought- no knew- that if Beast Boy returned with that chip she would die, because there was no way she could kill the boy she loved and still feel fine afterwards. If Beast Boy died, she died. Slade would lose all three Apprentices in one day but then again he really didn't care about any of them anyway…

B&P

"Oh yeah! I'm kicking your butt Tin Man!"

"I got time."

"Dude, there's less then ten feet of track left. Face it, you lose I win end of story."

"I still got the nitro."

"…The ni-" Beast Boy's voices faded as Cyborg's hovercraft zoomed passed his own leaving it in the dust. "-tro."

"Boo-yah! Who's the man? Cy's the man. Ya'll heard it here first, the all-time champ is Cyborg!" The Titans were all gathered within the main room of the Tower, Beast Boy and Cyborg on the couch with game controllers in hand, Cyborg's gripped tightly in victory and Beast Boy's hanging at his side in defeat. Robin was staring out the window examining the city. Everything seemed fine but then…it felt wrong somehow. Raven sat lightly on the couch as far away from the two videogamers as possible with a book in hand and Starfire was yet again in the kitchen cooking some Tamaranian dish of joy.

"Was there even a chance that Beast Boy was going to win and beat your high-score?" Raven's voice hovered over the book's cover and hung in the air for a long matter of seconds before anyone answered.

"Let's put it this way. There's a better chance of Mumbo and Slade teaming up then Beast Boy doing both of those in one round." The Boy Wonder's voice was completely calm, but his face was twisted into a dull smirk. Yeah, with Beast Boy back there was more teasing; the Tower finally felt complete.

"I beat him once…" Beast Boy argued dully now sitting with his feet propped up on the table and hands folded behind his head as Cyborg ticked through the new features he had just unlocked including a new track.

"Keyword there being once," Raven supplied dully not looking up from her book.

"Friends, it is nice to have us all together enjoying a night of peace and tranquility." The Tamaranian in the kitchen peered over the stove to grin widely at the four of them at which Robin nearly melted away from the window and plopped down on the couch on the opposite side of Cyborg.

"All right little man. Rematch, here now, new track. That way I don't have any advantage. What do you say?" Cyborg's human eye was glinting with eagerness and Beast Boy's eyes reflected the excitement. A new track? He could win!

"You're on, Cy!"

"Hold up," Robin intervened snatched the controller from Beast Boy and glaring at the television screen. "It's my turn."

"But Rob, I was just hitting my stride with BB," Cyborg whined before coming to a conclusion. "We'll, guess I'll just have to open a can of whoop on you now, too."

"Awe, dudes. No fair." Beast Boy slumped back in his seat and glanced around him; all were occupied except him. As expected, Slade's voice echoed in his head.

"Strike now, Apprentice, and return to me."

"Uh, guys. I'm gonna go…take a bath! Yeah…" The shape-shifter left unnoticed by the boys who by now were engaged in another one on one battle, but both Starfire and Raven looked up from their activities.

"Friend, you will not taste my dish of joy? I made it for you especially!" Starfire's face seemed to fall and the light in the room almost died with her smile.

"After. I promise, Star." Beast Boy growled slightly; the first time in over a week he and the Titans had been having a good time and now Slade had to come ruin it.

"I will honor your promise, Beast Boy."

"Starfire, please. He needs to bathe or else the Tower will smell like wet dog for the next month," Raven deadpanned with a smirk upon her face, though it was completely hidden from view by her book. Seemingly satisfied with this answer Starfire went back to her cooking and let Beast Boy retreat to the hallway leading to the bathroom…

….and the Titans' rooms. But Beast Boy wasn't heading for his own room; he was heading into uncharted territory and if he got caught he was road kill. He was heading for a region known only for its technology and wilderness…He was heading for Cyborg's room.