A/N: I don't own the Teen Titans, Terra (in this case Tara), Markovia, the king, queen, Gregor, Brion (Geo-Force), or her mother. I do own this version of Terra's mother, Terra's step-father, her step-sister and brother by Terra's step-father, and the king and queen's third child. The chapters will likely be longer from this point on. Enjoy the story!
Small Stones Make Big Ripples
Chapter Two: Welcome to Jump City
The weeks passed quickly as the family continued to unpack and settle into their new home. Every day they took walks around the neighborhood to become familiar with their new surroundings and made talked to neighbors. Tara took it upon herself to explore further into the city, specifically the boardwalk. She enjoyed the sights and sounds as well as the smell of the ocean. Tara often found herself staring at Titans Tower for hours and would occasionally daydream about what it must be like to live there.
Eventually it was Tara's birthday and her request was to visit the boardwalk. Once breakfast was done, the family got ready for the day. Tara wore a white tank top, an olive drab jacket, a pair of denim jeans, a white belt, and her favorite pair of combat boots. Christie wore a pink tank top, a denim skirt, and sandals. James wore a black T-shirt, camouflage cargo pants, and skater shoes. Greg wore a grey T-shirt and denim jeans with tennis shoes while Ashley wore a red tank top, her butterfly necklace, capri pants, and sandals.
They got into the car and drove to the boardwalk where they explored the sights, looked at the shops, and tipped a few of the street performers. Then the family walked along the beach and admired Titans Tower while other people took pictures of the building. At noon, they decided to break for lunch and, upon Tara's request, they returned to the pizza place. After lunch, the family got back into the car.
"Oh, we need to make quick stop to get gas," said Greg. He turned to the kids. "Is that okay?
"Yeah, we don't mind," said Tara. Her parents grinned at each other which made her suspicious, but she said nothing. It wasn't until they entered the parking lot of an animal shelter that Tara knew her parents had lied. "Okay, what's going on?" she asked.
Greg and Ashley turned to the back seat. "Your mother and I were thinking and..." Greg started.
"We've agreed to let you guys get a dog," finished Ashley.
"No way!" the three kids exclaimed in unison.
"Yes way," smiled Greg before he became serious. "However, this dog will be a family dog. Everybody has to contribute to feeding it, making sure it has plenty of water, and gets exercise and uses the bathroom outside. And you can't let your grades slip because you're spending too much time with it. Are we clear?"
"Yes, sir!" the three kids said in unison with wide grins on their faces.
They got out of the car and walked into the building. A volunteer took them to where the dogs were and the family began to look at for a pet. While they awed at many of the dogs and their sad faces, the family couldn't seem to agree on which dog to choose. As the family debated amongst themselves, Tara wandered to a pen further down the hall and saw a golden-fawn mutt with the terrier ears, lean legs, the tail of a Labrador, the face of a hound terrier, and a German Shepherd body. The dog noticed Tara approach his cage and walked up to her. She pressed her hand against the fencing so he could smell her and, after a few sniffs, he began to lick her hand and wag his tail.
"I like this one," Tara called to her family.
Her family approached the pen and the dog's tail began to wag harder. "We'd like to see him, please," Greg told the volunteer to which she nodded.
The volunteer led the family to a pen outside in the back where there was grass. Not long after, she brought the dog on a leash to meet the family. They all sat down as the dog was brought into the pen and began to sniff and lick everyone, his tail wagging feverishly. It didn't take long for him to roll over and expose his belly for everyone to pet it. After a half an hour of spending time with the dog, they began to discuss their decision.
"What do you guys think?" Ashley asked.
"I like him," said Christie as she pet his back.
"Me too," said James as he scratched his ear.
"I love him," stated Tara as the dog licked her face.
"Looks like he's the one," said Greg.
"What should we name him?" Ashley asked.
"Something that's not cliche," said Christie.
"How about Rocky?" Tara asked.
"Like that," Christie remarked.
"Be nice, honey," her mother said.
"We need to agree on a name," said Greg.
"How about Murphy?" Tara asked.
"Meh, that's fine," said Christie with a shrug.
"I like it," said James.
It was then the volunteer came in to leash the dog while they made their way to the front of the shelter where the family filled out the paperwork and paid his adoption fee. On the way home they stopped at a pet store where they picked out a collar and leash, a food and water dish, a bag of dog food, and ordered a name tag.
Once they returned home, Ashley checked the mail while Murphy sniffed the front yard. When they entered the house, they placed Murphy's food and water dishes in a spot in the kitchen where they wouldn't get in the way. They filled the food and water dishes as Murphy devoured his food and drank most of his water.
"Oh, would you look at this? Grandma and Grandpa's birthday card came in on time," Ashley smiled as she held up an envelope with calligraphy on the front.
Tara gave a half smile as she took the envelope. The grandparents in question were Greg's parents. When her mother and Greg started dating, his parents were more than happy to baby-sit Tara whenever they went on dates. Tara's most vivid memories of being babysat by them were baking with them in the kitchen and watching black and white movies. She opened the envelope and smiled at the front of the card as it had a dog with a birthday party hat on it's head. Her smile got a little wider when she opened the card and saw fourteen dollars inside.
"Be sure to write them a thank you note," said her mom.
"I will," Tara nodded.
The kids took Murphy into the backyard to get some exercise, smell everything, and use the bathroom while their mother made spaghetti and salad dinner. Once they had finished eating, Ashley placed a homemade cake in front of Tara with fourteen candles. The family sang "Happy Birthday" as Murphy howled along before Tara blew out her candles. After everyone was served a slice of cake, each family member gave her a present. James got her a CD of a band she liked. Christie gave her a charm bracelet with a "big sis" charm to start the collection. Greg got her a new portable CD player. Lastly, Ashley placed a small box in front of her daughter.
"Happy birthday, sweetie," she smiled. Tara smiled back at her mother before she opened the box. Inside was a silver butterfly hair clip, identical to the butterfly on her mother's necklace. Tara stared at the hair clip then up to her mother. "I got it some time before you were born," her mother explained as she lifted up her necklace. "And someday, you'll get this."
Tara smiled with tears in her eyes as she stood up and hugged her mother. "Thanks, Mom!"
After dinner was finished and the kitchen was cleaned, the family sat down and watched Tara's favorite movie from the black and white movie series "The Narrow Fellow". That night as the family was going to bed, Murphy made his way to Tara's room and jumped onto her bed.
"Come on, boy, you need to sleep in your own bed," said Greg as he tried to get Murphy to jump down.
"It's okay. He can sleep with me for tonight," Tara insisted.
"All right," Greg sighed, "but tomorrow night, he sleeps in his own bed. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Tara smiled as she climbed into bed and snuggled next to the dog. Once the lights were off, she closed her eyes with her arm wrapped around her new pet. "Good night, Murphy," she sighed. Murphy licked her face good night.
For the next several days, the family unpacked the last of their possessions and adjusted to life with a new dog. Greg and Ashley started their new jobs and the family was beginning to adjust to living in the new city. One day Tara, her mother, Christie, and James were shopping when a bus seemingly out of nowhere began to move on its on and roll down a steep street. Ashley grabbed her three children and held them against a wall as she used her body as a shield. People stood in terror as there saw a baby carriage in the center of a pedestrian crosswalk. Thankfully, the Teen Titans arrived in time to stop the bus before it could hit the carriage. Unfortunately, three young people began to attack the Titans and Ashley pushed her children in the opposite direction.
"Come on, we need to get out of here," Ashley said firmly. Tara looked behind them as her mother led them away as she watched the Titans fight.
A few days after the incident with the bus and the villains, Tara was walking Murphy on the streets at night when a purple, squid-looking creature flew by in a blur. Murphy barked and growled as he tried to go after it, but Tara pulled him back.
"No, Murphy! We should go home now," Tara spoke firmly, but her voice quivered in fear. She looked in the direction of which the strange creature had come and left before she led Murphy towards home. "Man, Jump City is weird!"
A few weeks later, the family noticed heavy thunder and lightning and decided to stay indoors just to be safe. Later on, there was news of a fire that had started in hills, but it was quickly put out. The family applied for fire insurance the next day.
The following week, the weather cleared up and the family decided to go to the city park for a picnic. Greg wore a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, denim jeans, and sneakers. Ashley wore a black tank top, a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled to her elbows, her butterfly necklace, denim jeans, and boots. Tara wore a white long-sleeved shirt under a grey midriff top with black sleeves and collar, her butterfly hair clip, denim cargo shorts, and hiking boots. Christie wore a floral print top, denim jeans, and white sneakers. James wore a red T-shirt with black cargo pants and skater sneakers. While Greg was preparing the grill and Ashley was setting up the blanket, Tara picked up Murphy's leash. "I'm going to take Murphy for a walk," she told her family.
"Okay, just don't take too long," replied her mother.
"I won't." Tara replied and she began to walk Murphy on a path. They had walked for less than a half an hour when Murphy smelled something and took off which jolted Tara so much, the friction of the leash made her let go. Panicked, Tara ran after him. "Murphy, come back!" she called.
Murphy barked as he ran until he approached a green teenaged boy with a black and maroon uniform. The teen was surprised as the dog jumped up on him and began to lick his face.
"Woah! Hey, buddy, where's your owner?" asked the green teenager.
As Tara finally caught up with Murphy, she realized that her dog had ran right up to Beast Boy, one of the Teen Titans and was currently jumping on him. She blushed with embarrassment as she approached him. "I'm so sorry!" Tara exclaimed as she grabbed Murphy's leash. "He's really friendly, I promise."
Beast Boy looked at Tara and blushed as he pet the dog's head. He had a weak spot for cute girls. "Heh, it's okay," Beast Boy replied. "I love animals."
Tara couldn't stop blushing. She felt like she was standing in front of a celebrity. "I guess you'd have to if you can turn into them," she smiled weakly as she played with Murphy's leash.
Beast Boy chuckled. "I've always loved animals. Do you like animals? I- I mean, you must if you own a dog."
Tara giggled at how awkward Beast Boy was. "I like most animals, but I love dogs. Not a fan of insects and arachnids though." She made a disgusted face at the thought.
"Heh, most people aren't," Beast Boy replied with a shrug. He suddenly realized he hadn't introduced himself, even though it was very possible she already knew who he was. "I'm Beast Boy, by the way. But you probably already knew that." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
Tara chuckled and extended her hand for a handshake. "I'm Tara."
The two teens blushed as they shook hands. "Nice to meet you, Tara." There was a moment of silence between them before Beast Boy spoke again. "So how's your day going?"
Tara smiled shyly. "It's going pretty well. My family and I are having a picnic."
"Hey, so are we!" exclaimed Beast Boy excitedly. "If you guys walk past that tree," he said as he turned and pointed to a nearby tree, "we're a few feet away and you can all say hi."
"Oh, cool," said Tara. She was a bit taken aback by how friendly this boy was.
"So, do you guys come here often?" Beast Boy asked, though he winced when he realized that the question might sound like a pick up line.
"Actually, we've only been here a few months," said Tara with a shrug, "we just moved here."
"Oh cool!" said Beast Boy as he smiled widely. "Welcome to Jump City. Do you like it here so far?"
Tara was about to answer when they heard Cyborg's voice. "Yo, Beast Boy, where'd you go, green bean? If you wanna use the grill, you've gotta be here, man!" Beast Boy blushed with embarrassment.
"Green bean?" Tara asked in confusion.
"Yeah, that's what my teammate Cyborg calls me," he sighed as he looked slightly deflated.
Tara gave a sweet smile. "I like it."
Beast Boy gave her a half smile before he pointed towards where he had heard Cyborg's voice. "I'd better go."
"Yeah, me too. Sorry my dog jumped on you," said Tara.
"Hey, no worries!" he turned into a green dog and Murphy became confused and excited. Beast Boy turned back into a human and gave her a friendly smile as he waved goodbye. "Well, welcome to Jump City… again. See you around!"
"See ya!" Tara waved. As soon as he was gone, Tara looked at Murphy with suspicion. "You planned that, didn't you?" Murphy simply tilted his head as he looked at her.
To Be Continued
A/N: This chapter was one of the hardest to write. I actually had to rewrite it multiple times because just writing about Terra's birthday didn't change the story from any other story, so my husband suggested I write about Terra being in Jump City and encountering certain events that happened before her introduction that she might encounter if she lived in Jump City. Obvious Easter eggs are obvious, the squid-looking things that attacked Starfire when looking for Blackfire, the hair clip Terra wore in the show, the dog Terra adopts being based on Beast Boy's dog form at the end of Betrayal, the outfit she wears when she meets the Titans, and the black and white movie her family watches. It's a tribute to my favorite black and white movie series "The Thin Man". How Terra got the hair clip in the show is unknown, but some theorize it was given to her by her brother Geo-Force or she bought it along the way during her travels. I like to theorize that before the affair, while they were friends, King Viktor gave Terra's mother a necklace that matched the hair clip and may have given her the matching clip to give to Terra when she was older.
Special thanks to my husband for beta reading this story.