Finally, over a month of waiting, an update has been made! Sorry about the long wait. It's like I said before, I spend a week of vacation in Miami and two more weeks in California. But now that I'm back, I can finally be able to keep on updating. Now I got 22 hits from my last chapter and finally, I got a review from someone after all these months. Now this author is named hawklover90 and he said that if he wants to put my characters from my stories to his story, "Anything but Normal". Now hawk, if you reading this, I just want to let you know one thing. As long as you are following the rules of Fan Fiction, it's O.K. for me. Let's hope there's no rule on stealing characters from other authors. Now let's start on this story. Three more chapters and I'm all done with this story. This is the first of three, hope you like it. On this chapter, Nightfire discovers the Time Vortex Regulator and told her mom if she can use it to save her dad. But when Kori refuses, emotions run high.

Chapter Notes

There's going to be a small apart about Warp that came from issue 31 of Teen Titans GO!. If you haven't read the comic, then you better find it quick before they're all out.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans

Chapter Eighteen: Discovering Time

After her little fight with her mother, Nightfire decided to walk, or float, around a bit until she feels better. But sadly, even that wouldn't calm her for what her mother said to her. The thought of leaving Earth for good and leaving for Tamaran to marry some loser was the last thing she had on her mind. She stopped, placed her back against the wall next to a metal door with a panel, and sighed.

Nightfire: "There's no way I'm leaving here and spend the rest of my life married to some washed-up prince I never heard of before. I didn't become a leader of the Titans just so mom can throw it all away cause she's going to be the new grand ruler. Absolutely ridiculous!"

She pouted then looked to the floor, remembering what she said to her mom about her father being here.

Nightfire: "Oh daddy, I wish you were alive and here right now to talk to mom about this and reason with her to stay here, including me. Why did you have to die for her, for me? Is it because of love? Is it because you love us so much that you will do anything for us, including risking you life?"

Her sorrow expression changed to pure anger and raised her right arm up and tightened her hand into a fist.

Nightfire: "I will solemnly swear, until the day I die, I will find a way to the past and save you from getting killed. I don't know when, but when the time comes, I'm going to rescue you and kill Johnny Rancid for you! That's a promise!"

She then swung her arm down and accidentally used her alien strength to slam her fist right through the panel next to the door. Night felt the hit and looked to see the smashed panel with her fist print on the shattered screen. She rolled her eyes around and gave a disappointed sigh.

Nightfire: "Great… Not only that I'm going to Tamaran and get married, but I'm going to be grounded for smashing a monitor."

As she tried to figure out a way on covering it up, the door next to the monitor slid open. Nightfire got startled for a moment and looked at the now opened doorway. Upon inspecting it, she realized what it was. When she was little, her mother told her about it. Behind this door leads to a room that only the original Titans are allowed go in. It's forbidden for their children to enter this room. Even if they become official Titans, they're still not allowed to pass through that door. As she stared at the opened doorway for a while, Night wonders what's inside that room. She knows that she does not suppose to enter it, but since she will be leaving for Tamaran soon, she decided to take the risk and entered the room. What she didn't know is that someone was watching her not far away, someone with blond hair. When Night entered the room, she noticed that the place is surprisingly dark.

Nightfire: "God damn it, is there a light switch around here?"

Luckily, she found the light switch nearby the doorway. Once she flipped it on, all the lights in the room were on, flickering for a second then illuminated bright light. She turned around to see what's in this room. What she found was truly amazing. Within the room were display cases on the walls and display pillars on the floor. Inside the unbreakable glass were different assortment of weapons, clothes, and strange nick nacks she had never seen before. Stuff like a remote control, a green teddy bear, a black top hat, and a head statue of a creepy looking British guy. Tori walked down the room looking at each of the displays in front of her, quite fascinated by what she sees.

Nightfire: "Wow… I never knew mom and the others would collect stuff like these before. Exactly what is this place?"

Terra: "This is the evidence room."

Nightfire turned around and got startled from hearing someone behind her. Turned out, it was her Aunt Terra standing at the doorway. She took a breather and looked at her Aunt with pure confusion.

Nightfire: "Aunt Ter Ter, what are you doing here?"

Terra had an anime vein popping out of her head and was aggravated at the name Nightfire said. It's been seventeen years and still Night hasn't got Terra's name right. Remaining calm, Terra walked into the evidence room and approached her niece.

Terra: "I kind of followed you here after your argument with your mother. She must be really worried about you."

Nightfire: "She wouldn't be. She wants me to leave Earth with her and marry a worthless prince. Does she care about how I feel?"

Terra: "Well, she is your mother and she cares so much about you. You should've known better then to get angry at her."

Nightfire: "Well, she has no right to take everything away from me. I worked so hard to make it to where I am and now she tends to do this to me? Bull shit!"

Terra: "Well, maybe if you can reason with her, I'm pretty sure she can change her mind about her decision."

Nightfire just sighed in defeat.

Nightfire: "O.K., I'll go ahead and talk to her. But I'll let you know that it's easier said then done."

Terra: "Don't worry; I bet she'll understand you.

Nightfire: "I hope. Soooo this evidence room, what is it about?"

Terra smiled and walked with Nightfire through the room.

Terra: "Well since you found out about it, maybe I should explain. You see, in this room we, the Original Titans, gathered and collected various items from criminals, masterminds, and monsters we defeated. Normally, whenever we don't have anything else to do, we would come here and reflect on some memories."

Terra then stopped when she turned her attention at a glass display containing a mannequin that's dressed in armor plating with bandages wrapped around the legs, waist, and arms and an S emblem on the chest plate. That outfit was Terra's old apprentice uniform she wore when she was with Slade. She looked at the display with a scornful expression.

Terra: "Some memories a more painful then others."

Nightfire looked at the mannequin then looked back at Terra with and confused look on her face. She then shakes off the feeling and thought about something.

Nightfire: "If this room is so important to you, mom, and the others, then why banning us?"

Terra looked at Night, forgetting what happened with Slade.

Terra: "Because when you were little, we were afraid that you and the other kids would get into this room and use these weapons as toys. And if that happened, well, let's just say that you would be injured or worse."

Nightfire: "I see."

Nightfire kept observing each display within the evidence room when she spotted something that made her more curious. In one of the display cases was a strange looking disk with a yellow border wrapped around a white circular piece of glass. Upon inspection, she looked at her aunt.

Nightfire: "Aunt Ter Ter, what is this?"

Ter Ter, er… I mean Terra, looked at Night and approached the case she was at. Looking at it, she smiled and realized what it was.

Terra: "That is the time vortex regulator."

Nightfire: "Huh?"

She looked at her niece again and explained.

Terra: "It's a portable time machine created by Warp, a time traveling thief. He used this to travel back in time to steal priceless items, takes them to his own future, and sells them to the highest bidder. The Titans first encountered him long before I joined the team. It all ended when your mother pushed him into the portal he created and, well, entering the portal herself. When she got out of the portal, she traveled twenty years in the future and found out that the Titans went their separate ways, never to be a team again."

Nightfire: gasp… "That's horrible!"

Terra: "Yeah, I know. But in the end, Kori got the team back together and defeated Warp, turning him into a baby. Then after that, she went back to her own time and things were back to normal as it should be. The second encounter was when I was away on a solo mission, but Gar gave me the details. It seems that Warp came back and this time, he turned your father into a bad guy."

Nightfire: "No…"

Terra: "Yeah, it's true. But he didn't really turned Tim evil; he just made him get interested in the stock market, gambling on some horses, and real estate. Luckily, Nightwing, your future father, went to the past to stop him from creating so much havoc. Soon enough, the Titans and NW took out Warp and changed Robin back to his good old self. Unfortunately, Warp got away, so they weren't lucky to catch him."

Nightfire stared at her aunt more confused then ever with a question mark over her head.

Nightfire: "O.K., I don't get it."

Two thought bubbles appeared above her head, one of a chibi Robin and the other of a chibi Nightwing.

Nightfire: "I always thought my father was Robin, now you said that he's Nightwing too? I'm confused."

Terra: "Well… Nightwing was supposed to be your father's future name if he was alive today. Maybe that was the reason why your mother gave you both your nickname and superhero name. It has to be a combination of Nightwing's and Starfire's name. Get it? Nightwing plus Starfire equals Nightfire?"

Nightfire: "Yeah, I think I got it Ter Ter."

Terra: "Anyways, when we saw him the third time, he went to the past to kill us all so that in the future, we wouldn't exist. However, we were ready for him and after one tough battle, we took him down. So when the police took him to jail, we got a souvenir from him. And that souvenir is that regulator you see in front of you."

Nightfire walked closer to get a better look at the device while asking Terra one more question.

Nightfire: "So… what does it do?"

Terra: "The time vortex regulator creates time portals. Once Warp places his hand on that device, it activates a white light, creating a wormhole that will take him to whatever time he chooses. What makes this special is that whenever you go back in time, way deep into the past, one small accident can change the course of the history itself. Your mother learned that the hard way when she went through the portal and almost lost her friends. She remembered her lesson after the whole experience and we locked it in here so that no one won't use it for their own personnel needs."

Nightfire listened to every word her aunt said and realized something. If the original Titans had kept a time machine in here the whole time, then that means… That means she has found a way to head back in time, to stop Johnny Rancid from killing Robin, and bring her father back. With confidence in her eyes, she gave Terra a sudden embracing and bone-crushing hug with her aunt not expecting it coming.

Nightfire: "Thank you Aunt Ter Ter, you're a life saver!"

She then let go of her and flew out of the evidence room. Terra, having recovered from the Tamaranean death hug, looked at the blue streak that Night left behind and had a blank stare on her face.

Terra: "O.K., what was that all about?"

Back to Nightfire, she was zipping through hallways, looking for her mother. She was searching from room to room, but she couldn't find her anywhere. As she kept looking, she flew past Impulse that was heading to his room. Upon feeling the gust of Night's speed, he look at the half-breed and yelled at her.

Impulse: "Hey! Where's the fire!"

Nightfire immediately stopped, turned around, and flew directly to Impulse. She suddenly stopped in front of him and asked him something.

Nightfire: "Impulse, do you know where my mother is?"

Impulse: "Uh… Yeah. I saw her heading to the roof five minutes ago."

Nightfire: "Thanks."

She turned back around and flew straight to the roof. Impulse just looked at her leaving the scene and he was more confused then Terra.

Impulse: "Jeeze… What's her hurry?"

Outside, Kori Anders was standing on the rooftops of Titans Tower, gazing at the night sky. She was remembering the great times she had in the past when she was a Titan. One of those memories was when she was always alone on this roof, trying to gather what happened to her after a mission or a personal issue. Then Robin would come along to comfort her, to make her feel better. Yes, those were the days, it's a shame to leave all this behind. Just as she was enjoying this peaceful moment…

Nightfire: "Why didn't you tell me?"

Kori turned around to see where that voice was coming from. Turns out, it was her daughter, Nightfire, standing outside the stairway heading back in.

Kori Anders: "Tori? What are you doing here? And what are you talking about?"

Nightfire: "Don't play dumb with me mom. Why didn't you tell me that you had a time machine the whole time?"

Kori Anders: "Time Machine?"

Nightfire: "Duh… I'm talking about the time vortex regulator you and the original Titans kept in the evidence room."

That made Kori's mouth wide open in complete shock.

Kori Anders: "You went into the evidence room? You know very well that you and the other kids are not allowed to enter that area. You have a lot of explaining to do young lady."

Nightfire: "Not until you answer my question."

Kori decided to calm down and explain why she kept the regulator a secret.

Kori Anders: "After we captured Warp, we realized that his regulator was too dangerous for anyone. And if it went to the wrong hands, well, the results can be chaotic. So we have to store it in the evidence room and seal it up so no one won't use it."

Nightfire: "Then if you had the regulator the whole time, then why did you leave it there? You could've used it to go back in time and rescue dad."

Kori Anders: "It's not that easy Tori. To head back in time, you have to make sure that no one knows who you are. And that's a problem for me. I mean look at me, I'm not the Starfire Tim knew. I have become a full grown mature woman and I can't let him see my future self when my past self is there."

Night walked directly to her mother and had a real good idea.

Nightfire: "Then let me go back in time. I am the right age for the job, plus they won't even know who I am. They'll think of me as a newbie of the team."

Kori Anders: "I can't let you do that."

Nightfire: "Is there a reason why I can't go?"

Kori Anders: "It's too dangerous, that's why. You have no idea what you're up against when you enter the past. And even if they don't know who you really are, they'll soon find out about your identity."

Nightfire: "And that's a risk I'm going to take."

Kori Anders: "Great X'hal Tori, I always thought you are pushing yourself to the edge of a cliff, but this has gone too far! Why are you so interested in taking such a stupid risk like that?"

Nightfire: "Because it's part of my path and hopefully the end of it."

Kori Anders: "Your path?"

Night nodded, turned her back at her mother, and looked up at the stars.

Nightfire: "A long time ago Chui-Hui, The True Master, told me that each of us has our own paths to take, a path that can bring us either to victory or failure. I'm choosing my own path for one reason and one reason only, to bring my dad back. And I will use any means necessary to do that. Now that I know that there's a time machine here in the tower, I will be able to save dad in the past and we can be a happy family. All I want is you to approve on this, because you're my mother and I always look up to you for guidance."

Her mother listened to what her daughter said and understand what she's saying. But even after her speech, she shook her head for a no.

Kori Anders: "I'm sorry Tori, but the answer is still no."

Nightfire turned back around and protested.

Nightfire: "But mom!"

Kori Anders: "No buts missy, I can not let you go back to the past and get yourself killed! Ever since your dad died, you are the only family I have left and I don't want to loose you and be alone again. And even if you save your father, do you ever think of what will also happen? Once you do something in the past that's not supposed to happen, the future will be altered and things will change. I've made that mistake once and when I went back to my own proper time, I thought everything would be back to normal. Sadly, I was wrong and I lost your father before you were even born. I don't want you to make the same mistake I did and I don't want you to get hurt. So my advice to you is to not follow your path, don't risk your life to bring back your father's. Please don't do it for me."

Nightfire: 'Does this mean you don't care about me?"

Kori Anders: "I do care about you sweetie, it's just the I'm worried about you and your safety. I brought you to this world and raised you like any mother should. I gave you everything you ever wanted, a room for yourself, and education, even you becoming a leader of the new Titans. And now, after all I done for you, you don't want to leave for Tamaran and get married. And not only that, you want to go back in time and bring your father back?"

Nightfire: "It's not that! You did give me everything I want. But there's one thing you never gave me. The very thing that I will never have for the rest of my life."

Kori Anders: "And what's that?"

Nightfire: "A father! Someone that takes cares of me as much as you. Someone that always stay on my side and watch me grow up. Someone that shares the same love and respect as you do. Everyday my classmates at school always talk about how great their fathers are. "My father is a police officer, a fire fighter, a doctor." But what about my father? Huh? What about my father? My father was the greatest hero this city has ever known and I can't say it to them because they will make fun of me because they'll say I don't have a father! I don't want something like this to happen. Do you want me to feel this lonely? Are you afraid of me getting hurt or that I might change the future permanently?"

Kori Anders: "Afraid? I'm scared for your well-being! You are not going to pull a ridiculous stunt like that!"

Nightfire: "Or is it maybe, just maybe, that you are afraid to see him again?"

Kori Anders: "I am not afraid of him coming back! I cared about your father more then anyone else."

Nightfire: "Cared? You have forgotten about my father! You have forgotten the love he gave you, the way he protected you! You didn't care about anything he did to make you happy. All you cared about is me and yourself! Dad saved your life by sacrificing his because he loved you and would do anything to protect you. He's been in Heaven watching us the whole time and was proud at us continuing our lives without him. Now he's upset at us because we are fighting and not only that, you want to leave Earth to become the grand ruler and dragged me into this to be wed to a stupid prince! Is this what you really want? To continue on this life without dad? To leave everything behind just to follow this legacy your family follows? You know what? You're no longer the mother I knew and love. The mother I know is a trusting and caring person that shares the same love and kindness to both me and dad. She's not the kind of mother that turns into a cold blooded, heartless, TROQ!"

That was then that Kori slapped her daughter in the face. Night looked back at her mother, completely shocked at what she did while her mother looked at her only child with cold daggers in her eyes. She couldn't believe that she heard the word, "Troq", coming out of her daughter's mouth. She made her decision and put an end to this matter.

Kori Anders: "Tori "Nightfire" Anders… I want you to go to your room and stay there until I find a suitable punishment for you."

Nightfire didn't say a word after the slap, instead, she started to swell up tears as she walked back to the stairway and headed back in the tower crying. Kori just remained on the rooftops after the whole fight and started to have some serious thoughts about this. She then looked up in the sky and at the stars and asked herself…

Kori Anders: "Is Tori right?"

Thinking about this, she headed back to the Tower and headed to the only place she can find the answer to her question.

I'm finished with chapter eighteen. Believe me, after two weeks in Cali; I'm just glad I have a notebook and pencil write the rest of this chapter down. Just be glad that I'm back and I'm ready to give you more updates for the rest of the summer. On the next chapter, Kori takes a walk back memory lane and realizes her mistake. What will she do now? Wait and see. Please Review.