Did you say everything you could?
Do the things that you thought you would?
Did it ever occur to you that this could be your final day?
Did you find what you're looking for?
Did you get your foot in the door?
Can you look at yourself and feel proud of all the things you've done?
-- Did You by Hoobastank
"Welcome to FOX News Network. My name is Anna Vaughn and we have some breaking news for you at this hour. It's been reported that two bodies have been discovered behind a local convenience store in downtown Jump City. There were no signs of struggle and no evidence was found on the scene. The two bodies lacked traces of injury, but both persons were, indeed, dead. Joining us now is Chris Parker, our on-sight reporter. Chris?"
Robin shut off the television before he heard any more, his head spinning. A double homicide? There were some sick people out there. He and Starfire had long ago finished their meal together, and now she was off somewhere outside, tending to the small garden that she had managed to coax out of the rocky dirt that made up Titans Island. She was an unpredictable one, that Starfire. Some things she was absolutely awful at, such as cooking foods edible for humans, yet at other things seemed to flourish at her hand, like the garden. As much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, Robin cared for Starfire; probably more than he should. And now here he was again, sitting on the couch and thinking of her when he could be doing something important. Did she really preoccupy him so much that he wasted precious research time sorting out his feelings for her?
Yes.
This couldn't be good.
"Enjoying yourself?" Starfire whipped around from her crouching position on the ground to see a grinning Cyborg.
"Indeed I am, friend! I have managed to cultivate this soil here so it is possible for plants to grow!"
"Well that's good. Nice to know you have something to work on around here." Cyborg bent down next to the alien girl clad in a tiny pair of jean shorts and a dirty white spaghetti strapped tank top. "See, I have my car, Raven has her books, Robin has his research, and now you have your garden. We all need something to take our mind off of crime fighting. With the obvious exception of Robin. His idea of taking his mind off of crime fighting is researching the criminals he could potentially be fighting soon. But he's just like that."
"You have forgotten to mention Beast Boy…?"
"His hobby is to annoy the hell out of us as we go about doing our personal activities." Starfire laughed. "Hey…what kind of flower is that?" The Tamaranian girl's eyes followed Cyborg's pointed finger to a blossom of deep teal coloring with violet specks surrounding the oddly shaped outer petals.
"That is a hyxven from my planet crossed with an Earth tulip. Do you enjoy it?"
"Yeah…" Cyborg smiled, leaning forward to examine the plant more closely. "It's really nice."
"Then it is yours!" Starfire plucked the blossom from the stem before her friend could protest.
"Star, you didn't have to…"
"Please, take it. You are my friend." The alien girl pushed the flower into the metal hands. "Take it to remember me by."
"Remember you? Where do you think you're going little lady?" Cyborg palmed the blossom delicately.
"I do not know. Wherever fate decides she will take me. I did not mean that I was leaving or anything of the sort!" Starfire reassured him hastily, smiling. "I simply wish for you to have it."
"I…thanks Star." Cyborg smirked at the odd but pretty plant in his hand. "I'm gonna go inside…work on my baby a bit…you know, the usual."
"Of course!" Starfire nodded in his direction as he rose. "I believe I shall continue with the plants for a while longer. They require much attention."
"I'm sure they do Star. I'm sure they do."
Raven and Beast Boy landed on the roof of Titans Tower, both their faces flushed with the rush of flying.
"I had a…a great time today. Thanks for everything." The empath pushed a lock of violet hair behind her ear. "You really didn't have to-"
"Too late." Beast Boy grinned and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "You should go back again sometime. Those ancient thingies will be there waiting for you to visit." The Changeling entered the interior of Titans Tower without another word. Raven, however, remained, holding the set of heavy brass keys to her heart.
She'd treasure them forever, never suspecting that in time they'd repeatedly save her life.
Robin had long since abandoned his position on the couch and had now moved to the kitchen counter, where he sat peeling an orange. Perhaps later he'd run through the training course a few times once he'd eaten.
A loud knock drew his attention from the fruit in his hands to the main door. Now who could that be? Sure, Raven and Beast Boy were out on their date, but they had keys and knew all the security pass codes. Surely Raven of all people wouldn't forget such things. Perhaps Beast Boy, but not Raven. Rising from his seat, his mind still lightly lingering on Starfire to his dismay, the Teen Wonder strode to the door and opened it widely. There stood two females, dressed in similar grey suites, who looked only slightly older than he.
"Look, uh, I don't mean to be rude, but we don't do autographs or tours of the Tower or anything…"
"Oh, we're not fans." The first girl stepped forward, her silky brown hair hanging loosely over her shoulder. "Well, we are, but that's not why we're here." The second stepped forward.
"We're members of the FBI Homicide Department. My name is Minette, and this is my partner Sasha. May we come in to ask a few questions?" Robin was visibly taken aback at the twin badges suddenly in his face. Apparently they looked considerably young for their ages. After all, who'd ever heard of teenaged FBI agents?
"Uh…sure." The Teen Wonder stepped back a bit, so that he could see more than just the identification that was previously mere inches from his face. "The living room's to your left."
"Lovely." The girl called Sasha stepped into the room, carrying herself gracefully. Minette followed in much the same manner, her blond locks held away from her face in a high pony tail. A few thin wisps of hair seemed to have escaped, however, and hung over her eyes; not enough to impair her vision, granted, but enough to look as though she'd done it on purpose. Her stormy grey eyes swept the room as she went, taking in every last detail.
"Hey Rob! What's going on?" Cyborg entered from the garage, a grease stained towel draped over his shoulder and a puzzled expression on his face at the sudden arrival of the two girls.
"Did you happen to come across an article about a double homicide near a convenience store this morning?" Robin motioned the robotic man to join them.
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with us?"
"Let's sit, shall we?" Minette shot her partner a sideways glance, then they both took seats on the couch and looked at the two male Titans present expectantly.
"We just need to ask you a few questions." Sasha examined her crimson nails with care, in an almost impatient manner. Cyborg and Robin sat in adjacent armchairs next to the couch.
"Go ahead." The Titans leader was thoroughly confused at why two FBI agents would be sent to interview heroes, of all people, about a double homicide but thought it best if they simply complied.
"Alright. There's not cause for alarm, just answer the questions to the best of your ability." Sasha smiled softly and took out a small recorder, placing it on the table and pressing the button marked with a tiny red dot.
Raven had always enjoyed sunset. It really was the best time of day. She now sat with her legs crossed and her hands resting gently on her knees, taking in the beauty of the darkening sky. Attached to her belt was the set of keys given to her by Beast Boy. They were just as beautiful as the aura the setting sun sent across the land, but a thousand times more precious. How had she ended up with him as a boyfriend? She still vividly remembered her first day as a Titan, thinking nothing more of him than perhaps an agitating imbecile, to say the least. But as they fought their way through their earlier teen years, arguing with one another at every chance they got along the way, something had changed. Perhaps it was after the Malchior Incident, or maybe that whole Terra thing. After all, they'd both suffered a loss, and they'd both had their hearts shredded in two. That was enough common ground to get them started, and they seemed to have grown fonder of each other as the days went by. By the time Beast Boy actually worked up the nerve to ask the dark girl out, Cyborg was already constantly calling them 'the couple at war'. Though Raven would often lash out at her cybernetic friend for categorizing Beast Boy and her as such, she never really minded. At least, not enough to rationalize a good six months of lecturing Cyborg on what she had called his 'unjustified torment' when she accepted Beast Boy's first dinner invite.
The empath sighed as the sun finally disappeared behind the horizon, leaving a faint glow over Jump City. Time to go inside and face the chaos that surely waited. There was little doubt in her mind that Starfire had somehow tried to cook dinner once again, and there was often a high percentage rate of disaster concerning such things as that. Raven had scarcely put her hand on the door when she heard an unfamiliar voice behind her.
"You open that door, and I can almost guarantee that you'll be dead by midnight."
Starfire had just entered the living room of Titans Tower, mostly covered in dirt after a long period of time spent in the garden, when she noticed two very pretty girls who looked scarcely old enough to drive perched on the couch, their expressions grim. The blond one was saying something.
"I'm sorry you had to find out like this. Right now they're our prime suspects, and we must detain them for questioning at our headquarters."
"Dude, you've got to be kidding me!" Beast Boy sprung from his seat in a kitchen chair, which he'd apparently pulled up to join the discussion. "I saw her last night myself! She said she was going to turn in early and read a book?"
"And what normal teenager turns in early to read a book?" The brunette was speaking now. Apparently no one had taken notice of the Tamaranian girl who still lingered in the doorway, listening.
"Well…Rae's not exactly…normal." Beast Boy looked slightly defeated, yet the blond smiled widely.
"Lovely! She's the daughter of a demon is she not?"
"Well, yeah, but-"
"So that gives her a perfectly good motive. Perhaps she's decided to follow in her father's footsteps?"
"Then what do you have against Starfire?" Robin stood now, chewing on his lower lip. The eavesdropping Tamaranian girl's eyes grew wide. Was he standing up for her? Then again, what was she being accused of in the first place?
The awful dream that she hadn't given a thought to since morning was suddenly flashing brightly in her mind. But it had only been a dream, right?
"She comes from a hostile alien culture. Who knows what kind of human-haters could have influenced her."
"Tamaranians are not hostile!" Starfire suddenly felt herself shouting. Her eyes glowed brightly at the ill-mention of her people. How dare they insult the Tamaranian populace? All heads turned to her, including those of the two newcomers. They shot each other pleased glances, and the blond one greeted her with a wide smile, cold eyes, and a single word.
"Lovely."
Raven slowly turned around to see who had spoken to her. A girl who couldn't be older than twenty hovered a good three feet away from the Tower's edge, her feet firmly planted on some sort of mechanical device enabling her to remain airborne.
"Who are you?" It was the first and most obvious question that came to the empath's mind.
"That doesn't matter right now. What does is that I prevent you from getting yourself killed." The girl's voice was kind but terse, as though there was nothing more important than stopping Raven from entering her home.
"And I suppose you expect me to just instantly believe you?"
"You wouldn't normally, but you should."
"And why is that?"
"Because I'm the only one who can save you. You and your friend Starfire." Raven remained steeled.
"Really?"
"Really." Despite the empath's reservations, the hovering girl looked sincere. Either she was out of her mind and thought that the female Titans were in danger, or they really were in danger. "There's something sinister at work around here. Right now, your male friends are being interrogated by two teenage girls claiming to be FBI agents. They aren't who they seem to be. They say that they're here on a double homicide investigation." Raven felt herself falter slightly, images from earlier that morning pouring into her mind like water, but the real blow came when the hazel eyed girl looked the empath dead in her pupil and commented quite plainly. "A double homicide which you incidentally dreamed about last night." Raven's eyes grew wide with shock. She asked her first question again; slowly and in a disbelieving tone.
"Who…are…you?" The hovering girl sighed, letting her forehead rest in the palm of one hand. The device that she stood upon moved forward and deposited her on the solid roof. She stepped off with ease, using the fingers that had cradled her head moments before to push back a lengthy lock of oddly azure colored hair.
"If you must know, my name is…" The girl grimaced, as though she were about to say something painful. "…Chanelle. Chanelle Lawrence. But please, God forbid, call me Chase. I can't tell you anything other than that now. You just have to trust me." There was something in the girl's eyes and voice that made Raven want trust her, and Raven's faith did not go to just anyone. As an empath, that type of thing went a long way.
"Well then what do you expect me to do?"
"Get Starfire out of there. I she's in grave danger as we speak." Chase folded her hovering machine in half and attached it to the silver chained belt that hung around her waist over the jet black pants that adorned her lower body.
"How do I get Starfire out?"
"Do exactly as I say…"
Love,
SushiChica
