Hello, folks and all readers. This is the third chapter, or at least my third upload. Now, this was already a completed chapter (after some final editing), but the fourth one, well... That might take some more time, I'm right now a bit focused on enjoying my vacation at home with my family.

Anyways, I hope you all will enjoy this third one. Warning! Feels at the end, prepare tissues!

And enjoy reading.

#Update: June 8, 2019#

A few new lines, fixed a small spelling mistake and some other faults. Keep reading people! A new chapter is coming soon! Promise.

Chapter 2: Dawn's Rising

Jump City is a city that has seen more villains than it likes to count. A center stage of many events, from villains trying to complete their personal agenda's, to the near-end of the world. It's seen the oppression by a man that scared anyone, the attack of aliens and many more things.

In all the years it's seen evil trying to win, the local heroes have risen to the top and defeated the villains they faced. The Teen Titans were Jump City's pride and honor. They were the ones that saved the city for years, defended them from many villains, big and small, new and old.

They became like a family to some of the people living here. For others they're true heroes, idols and inspirational figures. Examples of true friendship, comradery and so on.

But, ever since the day the Teen Titans have disappeared, the city had to suffer under the loss of their only protectors. Of course, after the Titans disappeared many heroes have come and gone, fighting against the evil that lurks in the shadows of the city and its inhabitants.

But in all those years, no group of heroes have ever been able to replace the Teen Titans. None have achieved what the Titans did. Earning the trust of everyone, no matter who they are. The trust that everything will turn out alright, that no matter what they'll always keep on fighting, to their dying breath.

In honor of the Titans their dedication, and in the hopes that one day their beloved heroes will return, the people of the city had voted for the construction of a sort of memorial for the five that have protected their home for years.

At the beach, placed in the spot of the old bridge that once had been built between the main-land and the island holding Titans Tower, a memorial was build in honor and memory of these five great heroes. The monument itself is a great monolith, black and tall. In the center, at eye-level, is a single golden plate.

Written on the plate, a single sentence.

'In memory of the Teen Titans, may our heroes return one day, to protect our home and its people.'

Sam smiled softly as she read the writing on the plate. The people of this place really must have loved their heroes to do something like this, no? They don't even believe that they are gone, but that the Titans will one day return. So much hope, so much trust and understanding.

If only the people of Amity Park had been like this with Danny all the time. Then maybe things would have gone differently.

She hopes as much as the people of this city that the Teen Titans will return. After all, two of them are her real parents.

She looked beyond the monolith, eyes gazing with awe at the tower standing high and tall on the island. She had read up a bit on things from the internet as she had been heading here, and discovered a few details. One of those was that there was once a bridge between the island and mainland for a moment before the Titans disappeared. To protect the tower and its contents, the bridge was torn down and the entire island was marked as off-limits for anyone, even for the heroes that are currently protecting the city and its people.

Both a blessing, and a curse.

A blessing because it means that everything is in as good as the same spot as it was when her parents and the rest of the team had vanished.

A curse because that means she can't get on the island through a hired boat or something else like that.

Dang.

Sam sighed, moving to sit on a bench overlooking the bay area. She placed her bag next to her, rummaging through it before finding the snack she'd packed for herself. There were a few restaurants around, but when she'd checked the menu's she found that few actually had any real options for vegetarians. You'd think they would actually assure for that, especially after she read on a site that her dad, Beast Boy, was a vegan as well.

And just like that she shares her taste in food with her father, she also shares her interest with the dark and gruesome with her mother. Raven really was a bit of your typical goth-type. Not surprising, seeing how dangerous her powers really are from the online videos she saw of some of the Titans their fights against evil. Although Sam doesn't know why there is a part about her mother's heritage that is completely left out. The online sites had many speculations, but any real evidence on that part was very vague at best.

Well, she can't blame them. They are heroes after all, and so they want to keep their personal history a secret, like their real names or their birthplace.

If only her adopted parents had been kind enough to explain to her. They said they wanted to protect her, but from what? Or who? Was it a person who made the Titans disappear? Does he or she want to make the Titans descendants, aka her, disappear as well?

How come? And why didn't they just tell her? She'd understand!

No, instead they lie to her, tell her things that aren't true, and keep secrets from her about things she really wants to know! She means, come on, her parents are heroes! She's friends with a hero, at least a hero in her eyes; she would really understand if things are better kept a secret in order to protect her. At least they could tell her something! Anything would be good enough!

She grumbled around the crumbs of her vegan cookies, swallowing before reaching for another one.

"Excuse us, miss?"

Sam froze, head turning around enough so she could get a look at the people standing behind her. Two police men, both looking at her. They examined her for a moment before one started reaching out to her.

"Are you Samantha Manson?"

Sam her eyes widened. Her parents have already put her up for missing? It's only close to lunchtime! Boy, they really must have felt desperate, or bad, in order to already report her as missing.

"Y-yeah?"

"We'd like to take you along to the nearby office, if you please." One of the officers explained, hand reaching for her shoulder. Sam looked at his hand before taking a glaring look at the two men.

She bolted from her spot, bag already in her hand and cookies stuffed back inside. The two men cursed under their breath before running after her.

Sam looked behind her, seeing that they're following after her, before looking ahead again, just dodging a few pedestrians in her path. She shouted a quick apology before running again, faster. Adrenaline was kicking in, and she really didn't want them to catch her! She isn't ready yet to go home!

"Miss! Stop!"

She ignored the calls, making a turn and heading towards a waterpark area. She pushed past some of the people enjoying their day at the beach, passing stalls and attractions. She would have liked to enjoy some, if only she wasn't being chased right now!

"STOP!"

When she passed a shooting stall, her mind was so deep into the chase that the sudden shot from the toy guns startled her. She lunged faster, heart going wild and breath erratic. Why was she freaking out so much? Did she really not want to go back so much?

The edge of the docks only registered when it was already too late.

She screamed, it really was the only thing she thought of doing. As the ground disappeared underneath her feet and she felt weightless for a moment before gravity pulled her down. The water of the sea appeared in her sight, and she prayed that she wasn't falling right now and she really just wanted to learn more about her parents and this isn't how she thought things were going to end!

She just wanted to find a way to the island and nothing else! Was that so much asked for?!

The blackness was only for a moment, filled with cold and an eerie feeling that felt so natural and like herself yet unlike herself, but she embraced it with glee, and suddenly solid ground appeared underneath her, replacing the water.

Unfortunate it was underneath her face and not her feet.

"Ouch!"

That hurt! She lost consciousness from the fall.

Danny looked around Sam's room, taking in every detail. If he knows her well enough, she'd leave something of a hint behind where she'd gone to. At least some sort of hint as to where she might have gone. He wasn't stupid, Sam always does that kind of stuff. Those small hints.

The bed was a little haphazard, and the drawers and doors of her closet were still open, some pieces of clothing missing. She'd packed some stuff from her emergency rations, and the drawer with the first aid kit was empty. The kitchen was missing a bottle with her supplements, and Sam her backpack was gone as well.

Everything pointed at that she'd left, most likely at night so no one spotted her. He'll have to see at the train station or ask the drivers of the buses if they'd seen her.

Tucker was examining Sam her computer, going through the search history. It seemed to have been deleted, and everything was a little scrambled. Danny was surprised that Sam had tried to hide her tracks so much. What was she up to?

"Dude, found something you might want to see."

Danny turned away from the mess that is Sam's room and joined Tucker in front of the laptop. On it was an online article from more than a decade ago.

What interested them both was the photo used for a part of the article.

There was no mistaking.

"That are Sam her real parents." Danny stated with clear surprise, pointing at the picture. It showed a group of five, from the looks of it heroes, standing together. They were clearly posing for the camera. Two of the five, though, looked a lot like the man and woman from the pictures Sam had found in the attic.

"Article says they're from the Teen Titans. Names are Raven and Beast Boy." Tucker stated, reading a part of the article talking about the heroes.

"No, their real names are Rachel and Garfield Logan. I read them on the pictures." Danny explained, reading a bit further into the article. His eyes narrowed as he came to the section explaining the Heroes disappearance. "Looks like they vanished from the globe around thirteen years ago."

"Dude, that means that Sam was with them until she was three!"

Danny nodded, face grim with worry and concern. "You don't think…"

Tucker shook his head." No, dude. She left, I bet you she went to where they lived."

He pulled up the portion of the article about the city where the group of five heroes once lived at.

Jump City.

"You think she went there?"

"I'm positive." Tuckers stated, confidence radiating from him. Danny pursed his lips before giving a begrudging nod. He didn't like it that Sam just up and left without telling them. He was still a little pissed off that she didn't answer him calling.

The door of the room opened, revealing a very concerned looking Jazz.

"Guys. The police just called. Sam's been spotted in Jump City."

The two friends shared a worried look before turning back to Jazz.

"We know." Danny stated, surprising his older sister, who looked a bit bewildered that they already know. "We found an article Sam had found online. Take a look."

The redhead joined her brother's side and read the article, going over every word. Her face grew paler and paler with every scroll of the mouse, and when she'd finished reading she was almost as pale as a ghost.

"Sam her parents… Are heroes… They vanished thirteen years ago… And lived in Jump City? This… This is... Wow."

The two boys nodded their head solemnly. They were just as surprised. They just didn't show it as much.

"You don't think she went there to see if she could find them, right?" Jazz asked, starting to snap out of her daze. Danny narrowed his eyes for a moment in thought before shaking his head.

"No. Sam isn't that positive of mind. Sure, she might go to see where she once lived, but I know that she won't have her hopes up too high on finding them."

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Tucker asked, starting to get up from his spot at Sam's laptop. Danny nodded his head, already moving himself. Jazz glanced between the two boys, confused.

"Wait, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm going to Jump to find Sam." Danny started, taking a moment to change into Phantom, feeling that familiar cold feeling rush over him as the rings passed over him, changing his outfit into his signature look. "Tucker will see if he can't find out more. You're going to try and keep the Manson's calm so they don't do anything stupid."

"Easier said than done, Danny. They're on a breaking point. Any more emotional stress and they might snap. And then we'll all be in serious trouble." Jazz explained, stepping in front of her younger brother to keep him there for a moment. "Are you sure you should be going there alone?"

"What can they do to me? I'm a ghost, Jazz, and so far the only people I know that can fight ghosts are us, our parents, and the GIW. I'll be fine!"

"Just…" She took a calming breath, keeping her frazzled nerves in check. She was still reeling a bit from finding out that Sam is adopted, and that the goth-girl's adopted parents have kept this information a secret for more than a decade. "Be safe, alright?"

The halfa reached out and took his sister in his arms, hugging her for a moment for both their reassurance before letting go. He held her by the shoulders, flashing the redhead a quick smile.

"I'll be fine."

He let go and flew up, phasing through the ceiling before taking off, heading into the general direction of Jump City. He's seen it on the maps a few times, so he knows where it is, mostly.

And once he gets there, it's off to look for Sam.

Sam woke up with a groan, rolling over the ground for a moment before opening her eyes.

She was met with the blinding light of the sun. She cursed, snapping her eyes close before getting up with some effort. Her face felt a little sore, and she also felt a lot more drained than normal. She was still in a daze from what had happened, and she was trying to piece together what had happened.

She'd been spotted by the police. They had chased after her, and somehow she'd made her way into a waterpark. Something had made her keep on running, and before she knew it she was falling of the edge of the docks, straight for the water.

Then… Nothing, a blur. She vaguely remembered thinking a lot about getting to the island where Titans Tower was located on, a strange feeling passing through her body, and then seeing something brown, like the ground.

Her eyes snapped open when she realized how illogicall that sounded. How could she have seen the ground if she was falling into the water of the bay?

That's when Sam noticed where she was. Slowly her eyes went to her side, where a small staircase was cut into the stone, leading up to the entrance of Titans Tower.

Wow, it looked even bigger from up close.

'But, how did I get here? Unless I somehow teleported. Wait, doesn't one site say that one of Raven her powers was teleportation? Do I have my mother's powers somehow, for some reason?'

Sam shook her head, trying to fight back the growing headache. It was hurting her head to much right now, thinking about that possibility. She got to her feet, wobbling for a moment before catching herself and with a steady breath, she was standing tall and looking ahead to the entrance of the massive tower.

She walked up the stone steps, eyes going up the height of the tower. It was really tall, taller than anything else she's ever seen before. Even the tallest tower of Dora's castle was nothing compared to this. And she was surprised that the strange T-shape hasn't caused it to collaps yet. That's some good architecture, then.

She stopped in front of the entrance, cocking her head a little. Now that she's here…

How is she going to get inside?

'Maybe just… Knock?'

So she did.

The sound of her knock vibrated against the metal of the door for a moment before vanishing into the silence. The only sound after were seagulls in the air, most likely looking for their next meal. Sam looked around for a bit, expecting something or someone to appear, or maybe the police to suddenly arrive and arrest her for trespassing.

Although, this was once her home. Isn't it logical then that she's allowed inside?

A beep caught her attention, and she looked back at the door. A port opened, and a metal camera-like eye appeared, looking her over. It did a quick scan, taking a close look at her eyes, scanning them for something. Sam blinked away the spots from the scan for a moment, rubbing her eyes before watching as it finalized the scans and disappeared inside the port.

"Welcome home, Samantha."

The robotic voice had startled her for a moment, especially because it sounded glitchy and worn, but she quickly calmed down, managing a small smile. Home… She's never felt it fit so much more than when that voice said it. This place, it is her real home, isn't it?

The door opened with a hiss, and she quickly headed inside before it closed behind her. For a moment there was only darkness, and then the lights turned on, revealing the massive entrance hall.

Everything was covered under a thick layer of dust.

Still, Sam couldn't fight back the strong sense of déjà vu. Everything, literally everything felt familiar! Just, a little older and a bit worse for wear, and covered under a thick layer of dust. But still, so familiar!

She had crossed the hall without even thinking, and stopped in front of an elevator.

A thousand thoughts were running through her head. Was this such a good idea? What if there's someone else inside? What if the police catch her here? What if any villains decide today to show up here? Or any ghosts? How will she explain what she did to her friends? To her… Adopted parents? What if…

Sam shook her head, pushing all those thoughts to the back of her head. This isn't about 'what if'. This is about getting answers, getting some self-reassurance, and just maybe finally getting that bit of consolation and closure, that she has actually done something instead of waiting for the answers.

That she's proven herself to be independent from her… Adopted parents (that still isn't so easy to say or think).

She presses the button for up, and waits. The ping showing that the elevator has arrived came quicker than she was normally used to. The doors slide open and she walks inside, turning so she's facing the doors as they close.

Without even seeming to think about it, she presses the button pointing for the highest floor. With a small jolt the elevator starts going up. It gives her a somewhat squishy and odd feeling in her stomach, the way it's going up so fast. Whoever built this place must have been on the top of recent technology.

She arrived faster than anything she's used to, and she's out before the doors even are fully open, her stomach still reeling a little from the speed at which that thing went.

She fears when she has to go back down.

Walking down the hallways she arrived in after recovering from the lift, Sam looks at the doors she passes. Some have tags on them, and her eyes widen when she takes a stop in front of a door with a very unique name-plate.

One half was green and decorated to be styled like a jungle, the other half was gray and grim, few decorations, every one themed after something gothic.

It are the names themselves that are etched into the colorized plate that really keep her rooted there.

Raven and Beast Boy.

This… This is the room her parents lived in. The place they called home. And also… Her home.

The door doesn't open, but that doesn't worry her as much as she would have thought. She was happy enough knowing this is where her parents have been happy together.

Sam kept going, walking through the halls until she arrived in front of a pair of sliding doors that clearly were more important. She takes a step forwards and the doors open for her. Must be important enough that there isn't a lock on it just to have access.

It's some sort of main room. In the center, a little lower from the current floor, is a massive C-shaped couch. At one side is a kitchen area and at the other side a dining table. The walls are lined with machines she isn't sure what they are for, but the view…

The view, god. It's amazing. A massive glass window overlooking the city in the distance across the bay. In the center of the massive window is a large TV screen that could rival the cinema screen back at her place in Amity.

Everything is covered in a layer of dust, and as she walks down her mind starts thinking back. The soft echoes of little girl's laughter entered her ears, and it takes a moment before she realizes it is her own laughter. She's laughing, but somehow it sounds both like her current self, and some sort of flashback to when she was little. Childish, free, uncaring.

With a breathless sigh she flops down into the couch, ignoring the plume of dust her movement has created by jostling the entire thing. She lets her head lol back for a moment, taking in a deep breath. This feels… So, right. Never did she think that the place she's called home for so long, the mansion in Amity, wasn't her real home. This is. She can feel it.

In her heart, she can feel it. She's home!

She hasn't felt so good since the day Danny confessed to her at the Pole. Or when she gave him that kiss under the tree in Amity Park. Or when she sensed his love for her.

This just felt… Gods, she can't even explain how it feels.

She didn't even know when she fell asleep.

Colder.

It felt colder than before.

Sam shifted a little in her sleep, rolling herself a bit more together. She's lying on something soft, and nice and comfortable and she just wants to keep on sleeping.

But the cold is close, very close, and it feels familiar. Eerily familiar.

Groggily, with as much force as she could muster, she opens an eye. She doesn't see anything clearly yet, but that cold sensation is pricking her in her neck, and soothing her head. Something is touching her hair, and it feels good.

She almost wants to just fall asleep again and relish in this feeling of content.

But her mind is slowly getting some sense back of reality, and she knows that the cold has to come from somewhere.

Perhaps…

"Mhm… Danny?"

Her voice is sleepy, really sleepy, and her mind isn't yet fully awake, but she senses something new. A hint of warmth, and then the cold leaves her hair and neck and faces the front of her.

Only when the cold yet soft and tender sensation touches the tips of her lips does she start to really wake up. With great reluctance, though.

"Sam?"

Yep, even in her sleep she knows that's Danny. Both her eyes open in time to see him appear in the visible spectrum, giving her a small and relieved smile. She smiles back, if a bit tiredly. She hasn't slept like that in ages, and she really didn't want to wake up, but her mind knows that the only way Danny could be here is if he found her, and that means he's in the tower.

In her home.

"What are you doing here, Danny?" She asks with a yawn, getting up from the spot on the couch she had claimed as her temporary bed. Looking outside she notices that it's already way past noon, and the sun has moved a fair bit across the sky. She stretches a little, feeling more refreshed than ever before. Danny was in his Phantom form, but he quickly changed back, the cold feeling she had dropping almost completely.

"I could ask the same of you, Sam." Danny answers, hints of worry in his voice, but overlayered with relief and care. She smiles softly at him.

"What do you think? I'm home."

"Home?" He gives her a confused look, not really catching where she's going.

"We both know it, Danny." She states softly, getting herself a bit better together. She straightens the locks in her hair that have come out from her impromptu sleep, rubbing her eyes a little to get the last of sleep out of her system. "This is where they lived. The Titans… My parents."

Danny gives a slow nod, eyes scanning the room this time. He's taking in the details, a little bit surprised. He's heard about the Titans in his childhood, some great hero-stories for bedtime, and with what he saw on Sam's laptop back at her house in Amity he also knows who she's talking about. Just the thought that she feels more at home here than back with her adopted parents, though… It kind of scared him.

What of she wants to stay here?

"I know Sam, it's just…" He takes a breath, bracing himself. "We're worried, you know? Your, uhm, adopted parents called this morning, saying you were gone. We looked all over Amity Park, but we didn't find you. And then Tucker suggested we look in your room, and then we saw the article… I had tried calling you a few more times, but you didn't pick up, so I went here to see where you could have gone, and when I saw the tower I just… How did you even get in here? This place is on an island!"

"I don't actually know… I, uh, just wanted to be here and all of a sudden, well, tada! I was on the island." She said, lying a bit about how she got here. She doesn't want him to know she ran from the cops and nearly fell into the water before ending up here.

"Well, either way, I was worried! Sam, you didn't tell us! I thought you trusted us!"

"I wasn't really thinking, okay?" She countered, getting up from her spot to come face-to-face with Danny. He was only a margin larger than her ever since they've started growing up, but still taller that she had to look up a bit to meet his eyes. "I just… Wanted to know more about them, and I know that my pa-… adopted parents won't say anything. I wanted to know more, maybe even see them, okay?"

"Then why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because you wouldn't have let me go!"

That took Danny aback a little, the boy stumbling a bit before regaining his posture.

"You really think that, Sam? I'm not them, I'm not Pamela or Jeremy. I might not have agreed, yes, but I would still have come along with you."

She wanted to retort, but stopped when she realized her mistake. He was right. She'd been so focused on everything that she didn't even put any faith in her friends, in her boyfriend. That isn't what she should have done. She knows she can trust Danny. He loves her! And she loves him.

"I… I'm sorry." She whispered softly, but she knows that he heard. Danny smiles softly at Sam before wrapping her in a hug, relief washing over both of them to know the other is alright, to feel the soft warmth flowing between them. She quickly returns the gesture, and she swore she could feel his relief as his shoulders slacked.

"Just don't scare me like that again. I love you too much to lose you."

She chuckled softly, nuzzling into his cheek. "I won't. I love you too."

They remained like that for a moment, relishing in the other's feeling, the other's scent and touch. Just the two of them, together.

They were rudely snapped out of things when a door all of a sudden opened. Danny quickly let go of Sam, pushing her behind him and facing the possible threat. His eyes flash green and a low growl forms in the back of his throat. His hands are poised for anything to come at him.

Trudging through the door with less of a thought was a person enveloped in a dark-blue cloak, white glowing eyes peering from underneath the darkness of the hood. It stumbled for a moment, putting a hand against the opening of the door to steady itself before looking up.

Those glowing eyes widen ever so slightly, focusing on the duo standing a little bit behind the couch. The boy appears to be ready for anything that could come at him, stance strong and protective.

Behind him… A girl his age, trembling ever so lightly. Their eyes meet, mirror-violet crossing each other. Senses extending almost subsonsciously, an old, familiar and relieving sensation crosses both.

Now she's the one trembling, shaking with shock and pure relief. Her hand reaches up and pulls her hood down, revealing her face, eyes pricking with tears ready to shed at the sight before herself. She isn't sure how or why…

But Raven knows.

And with the way a flash of recognition passes through those mirror-like violet eyes, the girl knows to.

Her daughter.

Sam her eyes had widened significantly when that strange feeling had crossed her. Strange, but also reassuring, familiar, caring, motherly.

And then, when the woman had dropped her hood, revealing her face. That face… Like from the pictures… It was so familiar Sam almost wanted to cry.

Danny his stance had slackened, the same recognition going through him like with Sam. That was the face from the pictures. The woman who had been holding a baby Sam.

Sam's mother.

Her mother.

Slowly, Sam walked out from behind Danny, who cast a quick and cautious glance at her. She gave a meek and watery but also reassuring smile, and he nodded, stepping back a bit. She moved closer, rounding the couch and walking up the steps leading to the entrance of the room, where the woman… No, her mother, was standing, shaking with relief, energy washing from her that felt so warm and kind and loving…

There was no mistaking. It really is her!

Sam stopped, only a few steps away from the person who gave birth to her. The person who's love is right now washing over her like a warm shower, brushing away any fear or worry. Her eyes look up, meeting with kind and caring, lovingly violet eyes that reflected her own so much.

She was certain, without a doubt. And she wanted the whole world to know.

"…Mom."

So simple. So much meaning. It never has felt more right then when she called that woman standing before her like that.

Her mother. Without a doubt.

"Sam…"

Raven felt relief like nothing she's ever felt before. All that time, all those thoughts about if her baby was alright, if her daughter would be safe, all of those worries were washed away in an instant, a flood going through her like nothing she could have imagined.

Reuniting with her daughter, it was the best feeling she's ever had in her whole life.

The tears were flowing before she even realized it, and something in the back of her head asked her to stop those emotions from flowing. But she didn't care.

To hell with her monotone, to hell with all of those barriers she's put up in all of her life.

She just wants to hold her daughter and love her, unconditionally.

So she did.

Neither felt a stronger warmth then when their arms wrapped around the other, like wings covering them.

Neither wanted to let go.

So, um... I wrote that. Yeah, didn't think I had that in me. Remember to review, fav and follow, and, well, see you guys soon!

Peace, out. ;)