I peered out the window and at the bright ball of blue and green that is Earth. From up here, I could see the clouds hovering in the atmosphere and shielding certain parts of the world. The T-Ship steered closer to a satellite orbiting Earth. As we flew closer to the bottom, a pair of doors opened up. We flew inside and parked in the large hangar. With flashlights in our hands, we entered the control center. Shining the beams of light in multiple directions, with the light of the stars outside, we saw pieces of gear sprawled across the floor and walls. Loose wires hung from broken machinery, and sparks of electricity escaped from them before sizzling out on the ground.

"Now we know why communication relays from this station have stopped." Robin said.

"But who could have done this?" Starfire said, cupping a dangling light in her hand that hung next to her head.

"Whatever it was, it's probably gone now." Cyborg said, cracking his knuckles. "This'll just take a second."

Stretching out his hands, they retracted into his arms and were replaced by an array of different tools. Laying on his back, he tucked wires back into the mainframe and patched the place up. The lights flickered back on. Clapping his hands together, Cyborg placed them on his hips triumphantly.

"That was easy. Now, who's hungry?" Cyborg said, and we headed back for the door.

I reached up and touched my ears, making sure the earplugs I had on were still secure. From my perspective, everyone sounded a little muffled. I heard a faint splat, followed by a yelp.

"Gross! What is this?!" Beast Boy cried, wiping his shoe on the ground. A large puddle of saliva lay in front of him.

A low growl pierced the air, and we looked up and saw a large, brown monster hanging from the railings above us. Drool dribbled down the side of its large mouth and hit the floor. It took a deep breath.

"Look out!" I cried.

The Shrieker opened its mouth, emitting a sonic scream. It traveled toward us like a tsunami, destroying everything in its path. I slapped my hands over my ears as the scream leaked through my earbuds, blowing my hair and clothes back like a giant fan. My vision started to shake. The force knocked me off my feet. The Shrieker landed on the ground, a growl deep in its throat.

"Titans, go!"

Raven created sharp, astral stakes and threw them at the Shrieker. It reached its arm up and blocked them. Beast Boy transformed into a kangaroo, and Cyborg grabbed his tail and threw him toward the monster. Beast Boy transformed into a triceratops and rammed his horns into the Shrieker. It grabbed Beast Boy by the horns and hurled him back at us. It sucked in air.

"Don't let him scream again!"

I brought my pistols together and transformed them into my bow.

"Starfire!" I called as I pulled back the string. A laser arrow formed.

Starfire flew to my side, reached out, and grabbed laser. Green energy sparked from her fingers and traveled to the laser, engulfing it with a starbolt. The string snapped as I released, and the arrow soared through the air and into the Shrieker's mouth right as it started to scream. The arrow exploded, and the Shrieker stumbled back. It set its eyes on us and sprinted toward us. We attacked with starbolts and arrows, but the Shrieker plowed through them like an angry bull. It skidded to a stop right in front of us and raised its claws. Starfire pushed me back and stepped in front of me.

A rope snaked around one of the claws and yanked it back. Robin flew in on a chain and rammed his feet into its eye. The Shrieker tumbled back. Beast Boy stretched his foot out, tripping the Shrieker. It fell over the railing and down below into a pit of pink energy. We glanced down at the swirling pit.

"I guess that's one way to end 'em." Beast Boy said.

There was another sonic scream. The area shook violently. The Shrieker emerged from the energy and scaled up the walls. It craned its head toward us and released another scream. Pieces of tile ripped off the ground, collapsing the pathway under our feet.

"Let's move!" Robin cried. A pipe crashed in front of him, and he leaped over it.

We sprinted down the path. I glanced behind me and saw the Shrieker land on the platform. Debris rained around him. He took a deep breath and screamed a third time. The force launched us forward and at the entrance to the hangar. We scurried inside and into the T-Ship. Robin punched the turbo button. We lurched forward, out of the space station and back into space. Explosions lined across the space station, shattering it to bits. Despite there being no sound, the heat wave could be felt. It hit the T-Ship and sent us spiraling. At first, the spinning was rapid, then gradually slowed. I gripped the handles of my steering wheel and rested my head on it.

"Is everyone okay?" Robin said through his headset.

"Well, I don't have puke on my windshield, so I guess so." Raven said.

The T-Ship rumbled, like something heavy landed on top of it. The Shrieker clung to one of the engines and hoisted itself onto the ship. It crawled down the center of the ship.

"This thing just doesn't want to let us go!" Cyborg said.

"We can still shake this thing off!" Robin said. The Shrieker let out a scream, interfering with the headset. "...Separate! I repeat- separate!"

"As you wish." Starfire said.

"Wait!" I cried.

The T-Ship broke apart into different pieces, and my friends' pods fell into the gravitational pull of the planet before us. My pod rumbled, and the Shrieker's face loomed over my windshield. It reared back its fist. My eyes went wide.

I felt my pod being pushed as it was separated from Robin's. The Shrieker leaped off my pod and onto Robin's. I gripped the steering wheel as I plunged toward the alien planet.


Once the smoke cleared and my heart calmed, I unbuckled my seat belt and pressed the button to open the window. I heard a strange sputter, and the window stayed put. I lifted my feet out of my seat and shoved them into the glass, shattering it and sending it everywhere. I crawled out of my pod and climbed to my feet. I was inside a large and luscious forest. Each tree was adorned with bright purple leaves. I looked up at the light maroon sky; orange clouds and bright stars dotted it. None of the other Titans were in sight. I couldn't even see smoke trails that could hint to where they are. I brushed my fingers against my hip, checking to make sure my pistols were still with me, before I took another deep breath and started to walk. I was all by myself.

That is, I thought I was. I heard a branch snap nearby. I stopped and turned my head in the direction of the noise, but I didn't see anything. Another branch snapped, this time further away. I started to follow it. Whether it would lead me to an enemy or a friend, I had no idea. I hoped the latter. As I followed the noise, the forest around me started to look a little bare.

Laughter echoed from the trees. I froze in my stride; I recognized this all-too-familiar laugh. Before I knew it, my walk quickly changed into a run. The luscious forest was gone, replaced with dead, barren trees.

I didn't have enough time to react when a foot appeared in the bottom of my peripheral. My ankle snagged against it, and I gasped as I tripped and fell to the ground.

"Geez, Fatella. Clumsy as always. Maybe you should watch where you're going."

My blood turned to ice, freezing me in my place. My heart trembled. I forced my body to climb back onto my feet and turn around.

Jane stood in front of me. Her body was covered in a black cloak, with only the neck and up visible to me. Her snake green eyes bore into me.

"What... What are you doing here?! How are you here?!" I said.

"I should be asking you the same question." Jane said.

"You shouldn't be here!"

"But then I'd miss out on all the fun I've been a part of."

My eyes grew wide as things clicked in my mind.

"You... You're the mysterious spoiler? Why have you been going around and helping the enemy? Do you know what you could've caused had they succeeded?!"

"And they would have succeeded if you didn't stick that big nose of yours where it shouldn't be. Instead, you and your stupid friends keep messing everything up!"

"You're the one who's messing things up!"

"Please! You think I haven't noticed the changes in the show because you keep playing 'hero'? Instead of accepting the truth, you tried to run away into your little fantasy world and shape this place into what you want."

"That's not true!"

My knees trembled, betraying my firm voice that I tried so hard to maintain. Jane chuckled.

"Don't worry, Fatella." Jane said in a sickeningly soft tone. "I'm here to make everything better. You don't belong here anyways; I'm here to fix that."

My muscles locked up. I placed a hand on one of my pistols. As I gawked at Jane, I noticed something off about her. She was cruel in my world, and probably has been since the dawn of her time, but... this was a wicked side I had never seen before. Jane was no longer cruel; she was ruthless.

"How long have you been here?" I said.

Jane's lips curled into a smile. She shifted and lifted an arm, opening her cloak. I watched her reach for a small block attached to her hip and pluck it off. She pressed a button on the side. The block sprung out and transformed into a large scythe. The silver, crescent-shaped blade reflected light from the sky, tainting part of it with red. Jane dug the tip of the long, black pole into the dirt.

"Long enough to know how to use this."

Terror gripped me, turning me around and forcing me into a sprint. I plowed through the trees, shoving past branches and snapping them off from how hard I pushed. I couldn't hear Jane pursuing me, but that didn't stop me from running as fast as I could. Nausea sloshed in my stomach.

I don't know how far I ran- it probably stretched up to a mile- before I finally stopped. I cupped a hand over my mouth and doubled over, swallowing the urge to vomit. My legs collapsed underneath me, and I leaned my back against a dead tree. Pulling my legs close to my chest, I pressed my hands over my ears and squeezed my eyes shut. My deep breaths only seemed to make my heart race faster. Jane's cartoon image burned in my mind.

I heard footsteps running towards me, piercing through the blood pounding in my ears. I tensed as they got louder. I feared they belonged to Jane.

"Ciela?"

I jumped, almost leaping back on to my feet. My heart missed several beats in a row, the terror almost stopping it altogether. I looked up with wide eyes at Robin, who stood over me. He knelt down to my height.

"What happened?" he said.

Sweat seeped into my eyes, and I blinked several times to clear them.

"She's here. She's here." I said, rocking back and forth. "Jane's here in the show. I just saw her, a-a-and she's out to get me!"

Robin's face darkened as I stuttered my explanation. He looked around at the dead forest.

"Come on." He offered a hand to me. "Take my hand and don't let go."

I stared at his hand for several moments before I removed one of mine from my ears and accepted his. We stood. Robin plucked his bo-staff from his belt, and we started to walk. As we walked, the forest slowly began to show life again. I heard another noise nearby, and a sharp chill stung my chest. I stepped closer to Robin and gripped his arm with my free hand.

When we stopped to take a break, I was once again in the luscious forest. Neither of us had spoken a word. Robin pushed an old trunk over to create a bench. I sat down, holding my hands tightly in my lap, and watched Robin as he built a fire. The flames flickered, creating dancing shadows against the trees. Robin sat down on the ground next to me.

"Jane is the one helping out the bad guys." I finally said.

"It all makes sense when you think about it." Robin said.

"But what doesn't make sense is how she even got here."

"You must've thought the same thing about yourself. Maybe you both came in the same way... however that was done."

I touched my necklace and stared at the fire.

"Can I ask you some questions?"

"Sure. What?"

"Where are we in the... show?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Um... Well, there are five seasons, and we're currently on season four. In fact, there's only a few more episodes until the season finale. After the fifth season's done, there's a movie that wraps up the series... as well as, uh, important subplots."

"Like what?"

"Um... I'll let you experience that for yourself. I don't want to spoil anything."

Robin nodded, his focus on the fire. "I remembered Starfire saying something after she came back from the future concerning how long you'll be here."

"Oh, right. She said I left after the movie." The realization weighed on my heart. There were only eighteen episodes left in the series and then the movie- two-and-a-half weeks left- before my time in the Teen Titans world was supposed to be done.

I glanced at Robin as he nodded again. Speaking of Starfire, where is she and why isn't Robin with her? Did they never find each other? Now that I think about it, this entire episode has been completely out of whack from how it originally goes. It was fine at the beginning, but then it derailed soon after.

"Is there any way for you to learn about us in your world?" Robin said.

That was a different jump from the first one. "Yes. I've learned bits and pieces of you all- things this show doesn't really touch on: how Cyborg became Cyborg, how Beast Boy became Beast Boy, Starfire's life before she came to Earth, the rather complicating being that Raven is, and your..."

I fell silent as I looked at Robin. The crackling of the fire keeps the area from getting too quiet. I slid off the fallen trunk and next to Robin, hugging my legs to my chest.

"I don't know if this counts as empathizing, but... I know what it's like to lose someone important to you."

Robin finally looked away from the fire and at me. I stared forward at the fire. I took a deep, preparatory breath.

"Right now, it's just me and my mom... but it wasn't always like that. My dad was a part of my early life. As I get older, his face slowly fades from my mind. I can vaguely remember how he looks. He liked to wear polo shirts, I think." I said. "He left when I was seven. He told my mom he didn't love her anymore and... he was gone. He left during that summer, and the following school year was when I met Jane. I guess life wanted to get things started for me at an early age."

I rested my chin on my knees.

"You know... Jane wasn't the start of my struggles with bullies. He never said it directly to my face, but I remember how my dad would mumble his snide remarks about me to my mom. I was young then, so I didn't understand what he meant. But honestly, his remarks never bothered me... but his action did. It was hard not to have a father to protect me from the bad things of my world. My mom worked so hard so we'd both be okay... so I'd be okay. I don't think I would've survived this long without her. She raised me into the person she believed I could become, not what others tried to make me think I am."

I paused, tapping my fingers against my legs.

"But... as I grew up, I had those thoughts in the back of my mind: "Could I have done something? Could I have prevented things? If I did something different, would he still be in my life today?" As those thoughts dug at me, the full effect of my father's actions began. I shut down. My feelings and emotions were hidden from all I met. I held back out of fear. I was afraid... I am afraid... if I love someone, will they abandon me, too? Will they leave and find something better? I've had people walk out of my life, with and without reason. I'm almost used to it by now."

I looked up at the sky.

"But... when I discovered this show, it was one of the few things I could expect to still be there when I woke up the next morning. That, no matter what happened in my day, I could come home and be welcomed by the smiling faces of the Teen Titans." I said. "Maybe that's why I strive to protect you guys from danger. Maybe it's because... I don't want to lose anyone else."

I chuckled, rubbed my eyes, and stretched out my legs.

"I don't know why I told you all this. Sorry for talking your ear off. You must be sick of my rambling." I said.

I looked over at Robin. He watched me with a calm expression. There were no hints of surprise or judgment from what I said. In fact, it left me a little surprised by his lack of reaction. He smiled and shook his head.

"Not at all." he said.

A loud scream pierced the air, creating a sound wave that traveled through the forest. The leaves on the trees rustled harshly, and the fire snuffed out. Robin and I jumped to our feet and hurried through the forest in the direction of the scream. We reached a break through the trees and found the barren wasteland. A starbolt flew past us and hit a nearby tree, cutting it in half and sending it timbering to the ground. Starfire lunged out of the way as the Shrieker swiped its claws at her.

My eyes widened. Has she had to face this thing alone?

I brought my energy pistols together and into my energy sword. Reeling my arm back, I chucked the sword at the Shrieker. The blade sunk deep into the monster's back. It roared and flailed around as it tried to grab it. Starfire clenched her fist, consuming it in green star energy, and drove it into the Shrieker's cheek. It toppled over and fell on its stomach. Robin ran toward it and jumped into the air. He landed on the handle of my energy sword, driving the blade deeper into the Shrieker. It leaped to its feet, throwing Robin off and emitted one final sonic scream. I covered my ears. The sound wave hit the trees, ripping leaves and branches off and scattering them everywhere. When the scream ceased, the Shrieker collapsed to the ground.

"Friends!" Starfire rushed over to me and Robin and wrapped her arms around us. "It is wondrous to see you safe and sound! I am overjoyed to know that the perils of this planet did not harm you."

"Well... You could say that." I said, glancing at the Shrieker's corpse.

Starfire pulled away with knitted eyebrows. "What is the meaning of that?"

I tucked my hands in my pockets. "You remember the girl that picked on me in my world?"

"Yes. Jane is her name, yes?"

"Yeah, well... She found a way into the show, just like me."

Starfire's eyes widened, first with surprise before immediately slanting in anger. She gripped my shoulders.

"Tell me where she is, and I will handle her accordingly." she said.

"She's gone. I don't know where she went." I said.

"If she ever does show her face, then the Teen Titans will be able to greet her properly." Robin said. "As long as we're around, she's not getting anywhere near you. Whatever she has planned, we'll make sure she fails."

"...Thanks." I avoided looking at their smiles.

They didn't see the bloodlust in her eyes. I pictured the large scythe she wielded. I shuddered.

The deep honk of a horn made me jump. We turned as saw a battered T-Ship floating next to the three of us.

"Finally found ya'll!" Cyborg said. "Hop in! We're getting out of this crazy place!"

"Are you sure that'll be able to fly us home?" Robin said.

"It's missing a few parts, but I managed to get it running."

"You managed to get it running? I'm the one who did everything while you spouted nonsense!" Beast Boy said.

"Just split the credit and let's go home." Raven said.

"Yes! I am missing our dear Earth!" Starfire said, hurrying over to the ship.

A hand rested on my shoulder. I turned to Robin.

"Um..." he said. "I really appreciate you telling me all those things back there. I can tell you needed to talk to someone about that, and I'm humbled to be that someone."

I smiled. "Thank you for listening. Everyone deserves someone like you."

Robin smiled. "I feel the same way."