A warning: the end of this chapter may contain some level of inappropriate/disturbing content. Reader discretion is advised.
Chapter XII - A Night at the Bar
Slade's foggy mind began to clear up as he felt a sense of light-headedness. His senses returning to him, he saw that he was standing on the top of Titans Tower surrounded by several unconscious assassins. Changeling stood before him.
What had happened? He brought his hands to his head as a ringing sound pierced through his ears. The last thing he remembered, he was fighting that intruder, the one named Rift. He had resisted the mind control at first, but then Rift got the upper hand in the fight and knocked him down before easily putting him under the spell.
Slade then proceeded to look around. "Come out!" he shouted. "I know you're here!"
"What are you talking about, Slade?" he heard the Titan shout.
"I don't have time for this, Changeling," he returned. "He's here somewhere. The man who calls himself Rift."
"Show yourself, Rift!" he heard the boy shouted.
Slade looked around and readied himself for an attack. He suddenly felt a hand grabbing his shoulder. Before he had time to react, a wave of light followed by and eruption of darkness surrounded him and the next thing he knew he was standing in the forest just outside Jump City. As he turned around to face his captor, Rift pulled out a knife and—with a sharp snicker—thrust it towards Slade's abdomen.
He grunted.
Rift's gaze lowered and his smile slowly faded. He expected his knife to be shoved deep into Slade's body with blood gushing out. What he saw instead was a fist that caught the blade in mid-air.
"Do you really think I'm that easy to kill?" Slade taunted as he wrung the knife out of Rift's hand and slashed his arm.
As the man fell onto the ground in shock, Slade walked forward and roughly kicked him. "Who are you?" he demanded. "What do you want?"
"You—you know who I am, don't you?"
"I know all that you have let yourself to be known." Slade flipped the knife onto his left hand and pulled out the triple barrel gun with his right. "You're the one who kidnapped Madame Rouge and forced her to be a woman named Anna Crowe. Her husband, Malcolm, didn't even suspect a thing. But the question is… why?"
"I had to keep Malcolm appeased," he said simply. "He would have gone into a panic had he known his wife was gone."
Slade scoffed. "I know that's not the full story, is it?"
"The full story wouldn't interest you."
"Then what does it have to do with me? I know you did not come all the way to my secret lair just because you needed someone to contact the League of Shadows to kill that Azarathean."
"That is true."
"You could have just chosen any random man on the streets to deliver the message. Why me? That sounds like so much extra work just to find a messenger boy."
"I need you, Slade," Rift answered, bringing himself to his feet. "That first time was just a test. A test to see how easily I could control you. As I suspected, you were not easy to control. Just like Raven."
"What are you implying?"
"We are kindred spirits, you and I."
"I know," Slade remarked. "You have the scent. You reek of it."
Rift chuckled. "And now I need a favor from you. Whether or not you choose to help me us up to you. If you refuse, I will simply knock you down and control you once more. If you accept but plan to betray me, rest assured knowing I can easily find you and kill you. Do not doubt my abilities."
Slade smirked and lowered his weapons. "What do you want from me?"
"It's quite simple, I'd say," Rift explained. "Especially with your endless resources. I was actually planning on going to Lex Luthor for help but I decided you'd be better as your location is closer to the Titans'."
"What is it that you want, Rift?" he repeated.
"Such an impatient man," Rift tutted. "I'm looking for someone. And I have been for several years now, surprisingly to no avail. Like I said before, my using Madame Rouge as a disguise for Anna Crowe was just to appease Malcolm so he wouldn't realize that his true Anna was gone. There have been some other girls before her as well. But they mean nothing to me, you see. I'm looking for her. I'm looking for where she's been hiding from me for these past few years."
Rift smiled underneath his mask and leaned closer to Slade.
"I'm looking for the real Anna Crowe."
…
"Dick," the Dark Knight greeted as his former sidekick stood at the door of the Batcave.
"Bruce," Nightwing returned. He reached underneath his cloak and pulled out a manila folder, waving it in the air. "You asked for this, didn't you? I'm leaving it in your hands now."
He walked over and handed the folder—labeled "THE CROWE CASE"—to Batman.
"It's been three years in the making, huh Dick?" he said as he flipped through the folder's contents.
"Three years on your part as well."
"So in the end, what do we know about all this?"
Robin gave a long sigh as he rubbed his temples. "Five years ago, Malcolm and Anna were involved in an accident at a nuclear plant. Malcolm hit his head but sustained no damage while Anna was exposed to a horrible amount of radiation that caused her to acquire cellular degeneration. This ultimately led to her having infrequent fits of insanity and hallucination. Sometime between then and when we first met them, Rift began appearing in various areas in the eastern coast, notably Gotham City and Steel City. He started with small heists like a regular criminal, but at some time he kidnapped Madame Rouge of the Brotherhood of Evil and controlled her mind, forcing her to shift into the appearance of Anna Crowe and made her believe she was Anna.
"Soon after, we had our first encounter with Rift who successfully stole some Unobtainium from Wayne Industries. The day after, Malcolm and Rouge—both believing her to be Anna—got married in Andern Falls, France where they ran into us as well as the Brotherhood, who were arriving to take back their ally. Then you secretly arranged for them to move to Jump City so that we can watch over them in case anyone wanted to use Anna for her cellular degeneration traits.
"At an unknown time, Rift arrived on New Azarath, controlling a government official to persuade the government to enact an act to use their seven deadliest weapons to conquer other worlds to force them to live in peace. Possibly knowing that Raven would have come to New Azarath in order to persuade them otherwise, he sends Titans East to attack Titans West, with him personally handicapping Raven to prevent her from going. In the end, she recovered and thanks to Raven's intervention, his plan was foiled.
"Meanwhile, the Brotherhood of Evil launched a second rescue attempt on Madame Rouge. This time, Titans East were helping them, making it seem like Rift had struck a deal with them beforehand. However, it was all a ruse—Rift ensured that the Titans East would purposefully foil the plan and stall them just long enough for Cyborg, Starfire, and I to arrive.
"A few days later, Anna was kidnapped by the Brotherhood of Evil, but not before Raven went into her mind and saw some very disturbing things—visions of Madame Rouge and the Brotherhood as well as a man named Niles. After some extensive research, I've managed to find his identity—Niles Caulder, also known as the Chief, leader of the Doom Patrol. Laura de Mille was Madame Rouge's name. After she was in a car accident, she developed split personality disorder. The Brain and Monsieur Mallah found her and the former gave her surgery to suppress her "good" side. She became their ally as a master of disguise and was later given the ability to alter her appearance and stretch her limbs.
"Some time later, her "good" personality re-manifested and she ran away from the Brotherhood, seeking the help of the Doom Patrol and eventually fell in love with its leader, Niles Caulder. But eventually the Brain set her "evil" personality in dominance once again, forcing her to go against the Doom Patrol, and later us.
"Yesterday, the Brotherhood of Evil attacked the Doom Patrol—and from what Elasti-girl described, it seemed like it was a test for Madame Rouge to test her true allegiance. At the same time, Rift traveled to New Azarath in hopes of gaining the power of the Weapons, himself. When that failed, he possessed Slade and had him contact the League of Shadows to assassinate four Azarathean men visiting us. That also failed and he disappeared."
Batman gave a long sigh as Nightwing finished his report. "And that… still leads us nowhere. Everything makes sense to an extent. Why the Brotherhood targeted Anna Crowe, why Rift had Titans East attack your team, why Rift even possessed me for a short while to send Anna to your team for protection. But… there are two holes left. One, why did Rift kidnap Madame Rouge to replace Anna? What happened to her that made him need to replace her? Where is she now if she is even still alive? And two, why did Rift seek the Weapons of Azarath? Because nearly all of his activities place on Earth, he is surely a normal human. How does he even know about New Azarath and its Weapons? Why does he want them so badly?"
Nightwing shook his head. "Even after three years of research, I still couldn't figure it out."
Batman lowered his head and closed his eyes for a moment. "Well, Dick. I guess it's finally happened."
"What?"
He raised his head and lifted a photograph of Rift from the folder. "The day when there's a criminal even Batman can't figure out." He chuckled ever so slightly. "I still remember a long time ago you bet it'd happen one day. Now you're right. How much do I owe you? $50, was it?"
Nightwing let a shadow of a smile appear on his face. "I'll take a down payment," he joked as he proceeded to leave.
"Actually… I have a better idea." Nightwing suddenly turned around as Batman reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He motioned for Dick to open it. As did so, Dick Grayson saw with his very own eyes possibly the most beautiful diamond ring he had ever seen. "It was my mother's," Bruce explained. "It's a Wayne heirloom. Since it doesn't seem like I'd be needing it anytime soon, I'd like you to have it."
"Br—Bruce…" Dick stammered.
"Starfire… she's a good girl. You've been dating her for a while now," Bruce Wayne said with a hint of a smile. "Obviously you need to wait a little longer; you're both only 21. But when the time comes, I want you to use that ring. You deserve it."
He took the ring in his hand and examined it meticulously for a second before placing it carefully in his pocket. "Thank you, Bruce," he said before disappearing from the Bat Cave.
…
"How's he doing?" Cyborg asked Raven, the two sitting with each other on the sofa of Titans Tower.
"Which 'he'?"
"Both."
"Gar's still at his parents' house with the Doom Patrol. He's pretty broken, to be honest. It'll take him some time to recover. And Raphael… well he's still recovering in the med bay. He's making good progress, the magic of the phoenix feathers helped heal him considerably."
Nightwing's sudden entering of the Tower interrupted their conversation. Eyeing the green boy on the sofa suspiciously, he asked, "Are you Changeling or Raven?"
"It's Raven," she replied. "Gar's still mourning so now's not the best time to press him about switching back bodies. We already explained to the Doom Patrol why Gar looks like a twenty-one year old gray woman."
Starfire, who was also in the room at the time, then asked her mate, "How did the meeting with Batman go?"
"It's done. It's over," he declared. "Our hands are completely clean of anything Crowe or Rift-related."
"Good," Cyborg said. "You spent way too much time on that thing."
"But now Rift's back," Raven said. "And it looks like he's targeting the Seven Weapons again."
"We can let Batman deal with it," the Dark Knight's former sidekick said. "If he needs anything, he can contact you about it. But it's off the Titans' hands now." Jokingly, he added, "Besides, the Joker's gone for now, the Penguin and Mr. Freeze are in jail, Poison Ivy is in Russia, Ra's and Talia al Ghul are in hiding, Bane's dead, and Catwoman's… well y'know. The Bats needs a new enemy to keep an eye on."
The door slid open and all eyes turned to a gray woman who walked in slowly.
"Gar," Raven said, standing up.
Starfire walked towards the gray woman. "Changeling," she addressed him. "Are—are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Star," he replied. "I just—I need some time alone, I think. I'll be in my room. See ya, guys."
The others bade him goodnight. "See?" Raven said as he left. "Does he look like he's in the mood to switch bodies back with me?"
"Well, it's getting late," Cyborg said as he jumped up from his chair. "I'm fixing on going to the bar. Anyone wanna come with? Bird Brain?"
"Nah, I'm fine," Nightwing replied. "I was… planning on going somewhere with Star."
Starfire's head shot up. "You—you wish to do what?"
"It's been a while since we were on a date, right? Let's go somewhere. Maybe that Italian place you wanted to go try last time?" He smiled as Starfire beamed and grabbed his arm. The three Titans then left the tower.
With nothing better to do, Raven figured she should go up and check up on Raphael.
…
Raphael woke with a start. Where was he? Looking around, he saw he was in a strange room, almost like a hospital. He was hooked up to some kind of machine that was beeping regularly. "Must be some kind of medical recovery system…" he said groggily as he got up from the bed and unhooked himself. Holding his head, he tried to recall the events of the previous day. He had come to the Titans for help. He was attacked by a couple assassins. Then what? Raven came to him, that's right… She helped heal him. Then… then they kissed.
"Oh Azar!" he cried aloud. "Oh Azar, Azar, Azar… Did I—kiss—Raven? No, why did I—why did I do that?"
Making his way to the door, he kept on shaking his head and muttering to himself, "What have I done? She has a boyfriend now… Oh Azar, where is she? I have to talk to her."
He took the elevator to the next floor down and began looking everywhere for Raven. Not finding her, he returned to the elevator and took it to the next floor down, determined to repeat the process until he found her to apologize.
Then he did find her.
"Raven!" he cried as he ran towards the girl in the blue cloak.
Changeling turned around and came face to face with Raphael. "Y—yeah?" he asked, for some reason not wanting to admit he wasn't truly Raven.
"Raven, look I'm so sorry," Raphael said. "Please forgive me for what happened yesterday."
"Uh… it's fine," Changeling said suspiciously. "After all the attack wasn't your fault, I guess…"
"No, not that. I'm talking about our kiss."
His eyes widened in horror as he immediately looked up at Raphael with a shocked face. "What?"
"I know what you're probably feeling and I'm sorry. You know I wouldn't do anything to get in the way of you and Changeling."
It was at that moment that Raven appeared in the hallway. "Garfield I—Oh, Raphael. You're awake."
"Sorry, Changeling. Could you—" Raphael stopped midsentence. "Wait… why did you just call Raven 'Garfield'?"
The concerned look on Raven's face suddenly shifted to that of horror as her eyes found their way to Changeling's slowly contemptuous face. Realizing what Raphael had probably told him, she immediately started, "Wait, Gar. It's not what you think!—" but to no avail; the changeling promptly left them in a huff. "Gar, wait!" she cried from behind him. Glancing back at Raphael for a second, she saw him standing there, utterly confused. She walked away from him, running towards her boyfriend.
"Gar, wait!" she called as she ran up to him and grabbed his wrist. He easily wrestled free and continued walking. Before she knew it, the words burst out of her mouth, "Stop being childish and let's talk about this!"
Infuriated, the man turned around to confront her. "You kissed him?" he cried.
"Y—Yes," she said almost confidently. "But—but it was just an accident. You know that, don't you? I'm sorry."
"That's it? That's all you have to say? 'It was an accident and I'm sorry'? You think that's all it takes to win me over?"
"Well, what else do you want? It was just a kiss."
"Why'd you do it?" Changeling asked provokingly.
"I—I don't know," Raven admitted. "I just—I was healing him because he was really hurt and… and I just started remembering all the times he and I had together back in Azarath. Then I just… I was tired and exhausted and not thinking straight!"
"We've been together for three years, Raven! What you had with Raphael was—was seven years ago! And you're still thinking about him?"
"He was my first love! My first love and my first friend. How am I supposed to forget someone that close to me? Someone who means that much to me?"
"Well then, what am I? Don't you love me? Aren't I your friend? Don't I mean anything to you?"
"Well… back then all you could think about was Terra. Even years after she left us. What, you had the right to think about her when we've only known her for a couple weeks while I'm not allowed to think about Raphael after I've known him all my life?"
"Wow! Okay, first of all, Terra has nothing to do with this. Second, we weren't dating back then! Never once since we started dating that I thought once of her. I don't even care about her anymore. You wanna know why? Because I have you!" Changeling gritted his teeth. "But apparently you can't feel the same for me…"
Raven realized she was losing the argument but her pride kept her from stopping. "Why are you antagonizing me like this, huh? I don't think you're taking into account what my life is like? You think it's depressing that your dad passed away? My father tried to kill me—use me to destroy the entire universe. And my mother wouldn't even dare to look at me—she never even held me! Raphael was the only one who showed me true kindness and love and didn't care that I was a half-demoness. He didn't give me those awful looks that everyone else did."
"What about me, Raven?" he shot back. "I just came home after seeing the man who raised me—dead. Doesn't that mean anything to you? And besides that… never once since the moment I met you did I think you were a freak. Sure, I thought you were creepy at first but to me—to me you were the coolest out of all our team. Who am I to think of you as a freak when I have green skin like this?"
"Would you just stop, please?" she implored. "Let's stop talking about this, okay?"
"Why? Weren't you the one who forced me to start talking? Now that it didn't go your way you want to stop, right?"
"Just stop talking about it, Beast Boy!" she found herself shouting.
He was taken aback by the usage of his former name. He unconsciously stepped back. Raven, too, was just as surprised by her slip of tongue.
"That's it then, isn't it? You don't see me as Garfield. You still see me as that annoying little boy who bothers you all the time." He let out a heavy sigh. "You—you keep seeing Raphael in your mind. You keep thinking about him. Why can't you see the man standing in front of you? Why can't you see me?"
Raven looked up and looked at Changeling. She saw a twenty-one year old woman with gray skin in a blue cloak. Looking down at her own body, she saw two rough hands completely green.
"Let's—let's take a break," she said. "I don't want to—I don't want to date you like this. I think I need some time alone first to figure all this out, okay? I'll send Raphael home now." Looking up at him, she said, "Let's take a break from each other for a little."
He looked at her with a face of contempt. He turned around and walked away.
Raven didn't wait for him to come back.
…
Changeling stumbled around Jump City for a while, Raven's words still processing in his mind. "Was she—did she break up with me?" he wondered. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember half of what they said. All he truly remembered was anger. That, and that Raven wanted to break up.
He made his way first to the beach, where he passed the time by skipping some stones. When it got too cold, he went back into the city. He wandered aimlessly, merely thinking about placing one foot in front of the other. It was too much for him to bear, both the recent death of Mento as well as this whole ordeal with Raven and Raphael.
Before he knew it, he had made his way into a bar. It was there that he bumped into Cyborg, who was at first surprised that he was there rather than sleeping back at home like he said. Shrugging it off, he welcomed his buddy and ordered for him some beers.
"That's right, you're 21 now," he said in an effort to cheer up his friend. "It's about time I taught my best friend how to drink." Changeling was silent. "But then again," Cyborg continued, "this is Raven's body we're talking about. Who knows what kind of alcohol they serve up in Azarath? She's probably pretty strong—stronger than me most likely." Changeling remained silent.
As the beers came, Cyborg kept on talking. "Drink slow first. Number 1 rule in drinking: you don't want to dive into it right away. Oh wait!—food. We have to eat first. The other number 1 rule in drinking: always eat before you drink."
"I'm not hungry." The changeling in the sorceress's body grabbed the pitcher of beer and swallowed a huge gulp.
"Whoa! What happened to rule number 1?—erm, the first rule number 1." As he took another gulp, Cyborg raised his hands, "Okay, okay fine. Suit yourself. Raven's body is probably pretty resilient anyway. Uh—waiter! Yeah, could I have a number 6 please? Yeah the extra-large bacon burger. How many?—you sure you don't want any, Grass Stain?—Eight for me, please. Yes, I said eight. Haha, very funny, no I would not like car diesel with that. You want a punch in the face with that? You getting' the food or what? Yeah, that's what I thought."
By the time Cyborg had finished all eight extra-large bacon burgers, Changeling was already finished gulping down his third pitcher of beer. He watched as Cyborg's phone rang and he answered it, but didn't quite pay attention to what was said. He stood up and apologized to him, saying that Nightwing called saying his motorcycle broke down and he needed Cyborg to come pick it up. He left, leaving Changeling alone to gulp down even more beer.
It wasn't until his ninth or so that he began feeling dizzy—the first sign of drunkenness.
He had lost count already when he suddenly came up with an idea. Closing his eyes and focusing on Raven, he slurred the words, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Concentrating with all his might, he repeated until he suddenly had a vision of her room and could faintly hear her voice.
"I just—I don't know anymore," he heard Raven's voice say. "I love him, but—I don't know. I want things to work out between him and me."
"Yeah, I know," he then heard a man's voice—which he recognized instantly as Raphael's. Why was he still here, Changeling wondered. Didn't Raven say she'd send him back to New Azarath right away? "Didn't you explain to him that it was an accident?"
"I did, but he wouldn't listen."
"Tell him it was my fault then. Tell him I kissed you and you tried to stop me."
"No, that'd mean lying to him," Raven said. "I don't want to have to lie to him. And besides, I'd be lying to myself if I said that. We both know I was the one who started the kiss."
"Do—do you still think about me, Raven?"
"I don't know! I don't want to, but at that moment I did."
"You know I still love you, Raven, but this isn't right. You know you left me for him for a reason."
"I know, I know. But honestly… sometimes I still regret leaving Azarath. I wonder… what would've happened if I had stayed and we were still together…"
Changeling had heard enough and opened his eyes. He fumingly finished the pitcher he was drinking with two giant gulps. Setting it down firmly, he jumped as one of the pitchers broke down in pieces. "Stupid Raven's powers…" he grumbled.
The small explosion caught the eye of a man who was sitting near. He came over and sat next to Changeling, awing at the sheer number of empty pitchers that lay before him. "Wow, that's a number."
Changeling looked over and was surprised to see Malcolm Crowe staring back at him. "Why—'re you here?" he slurred.
"I'm a twenty-nine year old man," Malcolm replied. "Aren't I allowed to go out to a bar whenever I want?" Eying the beers, he asked, "How old are you again, Raven?"
He didn't bother explaining that he wasn't Raven and simply answered, "Twenty-one."
"Wow. Twenty-one and you're already that strong, huh? Impressive. Mind if I join you?"
"Whatever." Malcolm ordered a drink for both of them.
"I heard you have a girlfriend now?"
"Yeah…" Malcolm answered, "It didn't exactly work out."
"I'm sorry about her. I'm sorry about Anna, too."
"It's—it's quite alright. That was three years ago. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend yet, Raven?"
Changeling gave half a laugh. "I would if I could pick one instead of bouncing between two," he muttered under his breath.
"What?"
"Nothing. No I don't. Not anymore, I guess…"
"'Not anymore' implies there was. Weren't you dating that other guy in your team?"
"I don't wanna talk about it."
"Oh, it's fine." After a few beers, he suddenly said, "You know, you're very pretty. I'm sure you could get any guy you wanted."
"Yeah, right," the man in the sorceress's body scoffed and pointed to himself. "This woman right here? She couldn't get over a man she broke up with seven years ago. Seven years! Ridiculous…"
Malcolm suddenly looked up in surprise. "Really?" Under his breath, he said, "Funny… I guess we have a lot in common, then."
He clenched his fist.
"Seven years! Do you know how long that is? And yet… even after dating someone else, this woman still can't get over. Ridicu—mmph!" Changeling's words were suddenly interrupted by Malcolm, who leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.
He pushed Malcolm away. "I'm sorry," the latter immediately said. "I think I'm drunk. I must be drunk."
His head extremely foggy from the alcohol, Changeling's mind was suddenly filled with several voices.
"All I'm saying is take the present and go, okay? Don't be such a—such a "Beast Boy" and take it."
"Well, you—you're Beast Boy. You're the quirky, weird, immature kid of the team."
"You know who else called me a witch? Terra. When she betrayed us to Slade she called me a witch. It's funny. You two must be meant for each other. You two think the exact same way."
"You're beautiful, Raven," he heard.
"What's Terra got to do with this? That's what you always do, isn't it? Every time I get close to you, you have to insult me and walk away! It's always like this!"
"You think it's funny to make fun of me? Fine. But just remember you're the one who's always locked up inside your room thinking you're better than everyone."
He felt Malcolm begin to kiss him again. This time, he didn't stop him.
"Stop being childish and let's talk about this!"
"We've been together for three years, Raven! What you had with Raphael was—was seven years ago! And you're still thinking about him?"
"Well… back then all you could think about was Terra. Even years after she left us. What, you had the right to think about her when we've only known her for a couple weeks while I'm not allowed to think about Raphael after I've known him all my life?"
"Just stop talking about it, Beast Boy!"
"Let's—let's take a break. I don't want to—I don't want to date you like this. I think I need some time alone first to figure all this out, okay? I'll send Raphael home now. Let's take a break from each other for a little."
"Do—you want to go to my house?" Malcolm asked.
"You know I still love you, Raven, but this isn't right. You know you left me for him for a reason."
"I know, I know. But honestly… sometimes I still regret leaving Azarath. I wonder… what would've happened if I had stayed and we were still together…"
What happened that night was gone from his memory the next morning, but would continue to haunt him for the rest of his life. The last thing Garfield Logan could remember was a thought—one drunken, angry thought of revenge:
"This'll show Raven… this'll show her what it's like to be hurt."
~Difficult Words to Say~
This is not your ordinary FanFiction, is it? The happiness is over. The real story starts now.
Wolvmbm - I guess technically, Beast Boy and Cyborg did have a little "buddy" time. But you see now why I wouldn't put in a funeral scene right? The emotional intensity would've been too great and would have taken away from the prime focus of this chapter.
BizkitRebellion - Don't you worry. This story is taking my "tragedy" writing into a whole new level.
Bluedog197 - Thank you, but the last chapter was nothing yet.
Thebookthief18 - I can't make any promises on whether or not any Titans would die! Not saying they will of course, but not saying they won't. Thanks for your kind words.
BartWLewis - Raphael's not a bad guy! Just lovestruck. And love makes us do crazy things. As does hate...
Kaarlinaa - Whoops! Sorry, no touching, heartfelt moments in here! :(
TheLurkingShadowWillow - Then I have a feeling the last scene here would seem rather disturbing to you then... But it had to happen. There was no other alternative. You'll see why as the story progresses.
koryandrs - This chapter was the main reason for the timeskip. Both the drinking and the... cliffhanger. And yes, Rift's role is deep. You'll see soon enough but Rift will be the central antagonist that ties together the whole story.
JasonVUK - Well, well, well, look at how things turned out. Keep on reading!
black rainbow - The drama will only intensify from here on out. Keep reading to find out what happens next! :)
Gabzell10 - Sorry to say but Raven and Beast Boy will have to have some bad things happen to them. Interesting theory though.
I know the cliffhanger sounds very disturbing, guys. But this has to happen for the story to continue. I urge you to keep on reading and not be turned away. Nothing more disturbing will happen after this. But this is where the real story begins.