Chapter 16
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"
After Raven uttered her spell, the dirt moved in to fill the two graves dug out by the Titans.
The headstones were then put in place by Starfire. The epitaphs were already written.
On the left, the stone read "Here lies Terra. A Teen Titan and a true friend."
The words were borrowed from the epitaph that Changeling made for the girl when she was a temporary statue, so many years ago.
The other headstone read "Here lies Changeling. Never was there a more loyal friend."
It was the best Raven, who volunteered to write it, could come up with.
The Doctor and the Titans knelt before the two graves in reverence for a minute or so.
"Goodbye, old friend." Cyborg whispered. "I'll let the Doom Patrol know what happened here."
Starfire muttered a short prayer in her native language, while Nightwing simply let his tears fall on the grave. Raven was muttering a prayer in an ancient an unknown tongue. The Doctor merely uttered words of thanks.
Afterward, they rose to their feet
The group then walked away, making their way back to the location of the TARDIS, about a mile away.
"Still in the mood for a pizza?" the Doctor asked.
"Not really." Cyborg said. "My stomach's in turmoil."
"Can't say I blame you. Stuff like that happens after a dramatic event."
Starfire stepped next to the Doctor. "I regret not sharing in a victory feast with you."
"Oh, don't worry about it." he said. "I can manage."
It was well into sunset when they arrived at the TARDIS.
"I guess this is goodbye then, Doctor?" Nightwing said.
"Yes, it is." he replied. "And you know what? I'm glad I met you lot."
"So are we."
He extended his unbroken, left hand.
"What are you going to do, now that you've got a broken wrist?"
"It'll heal. Besides, I'm thinking of going to school to take up a new job."
"Really? What?"
"Communications. Just in case we have a problem like this again, and we need someone to figure out how to get past interference like what the Daleks used."
The Doctor smiled. "I hope you do well."
Starfire then approached him. She embraced him, and gave a kiss on his cheek.
"It was very nice to meet you." she told him.
"Likewise." he replied, smiling.
Cyborg then approached. "I strongly suggest you get a sonic cannon!"
The Doctor merely shook his hand and smiled. He then turned to Raven. The mystic was crying.
"Will you be okay?" he asked.
She stared at him. "I had hoped to complete the rebuilding of my home." she sobbed. "But with the loss of the one friend I wanted to show it to, I lost the motivation."
The Doctor cocked his head inquisitively at her. "He sounds like he must have been more than a friend. You two were in love, weren't you?"
The Titans gasped.
"That's what that personal conversation was about!" Cyborg exclaimed. "He was having emotional issues!"
"I wish I could've helped him." Nightwing muttered.
"Don't blame yourself." Raven told him, wiping away tears. "It was all me. I hoped that I could give him a new life when I finished my home. Perhaps something more."
"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked.
"You see, Azarath was dead. There's no one left alive. So, not only was I going to rebuild its infrastructure, but also perhaps repopulate it. Since Changeling offered to live with me there, I figured that the two of us might have children there, thus contributing to the repopulation. But now..."
She broke down emotionally, and began sobbing uncontrollably. The Doctor caught her as she collapsed to her knees. She clung tightly to the Time Lord, as if he was a parent offering comfort.
The Titans stared in trepidation at the scene. Never had they seen Raven in such a state where she trusted a stranger with such an emotional display.
As the two embraced, the Doctor also began to cry. He felt sorry for the young woman, to have lost her friend when she was on the verge of finding love. It reminded him of his own, not-too-distant past.
He considered asking her to join him when he returned to his own dimension. He felt that she should be taken away from all the pain she had.
But then, he reconsidered it. He felt that Raven might feel regret for not only failing to rebuild her home, but also that she would leave all she still had left behind.
"You can still rebuild." the Doctor finally said. "Do it to honor your friend. Honor his memory that way."
"But what about repopulating my home? I would rebuild it, but with no one to live there?"
The Time Lord considered the question. "I surmise that your home would be a good place for an isolated colony of people. Maybe monks, and a few other groups, just to keep up a population. Why not try that?"
Raven let go of him, considering his words. "Yes. Yes, why not? I should do that."
She stared into his eyes, grasped his head, and kissed him. They blushed afterward, before getting to their feet.
He smiled and nodded. "Well, friends, I'll be off now. I bid you farewell."
"Farewell!" the Titans called to him.
He stood in the doorway and faced them again. "Have fantastic lives, Titans. Do that for me."
With that he entered the TARDIS, closing the door behind him. The Titans stepped back a few feet.
Then, the machine roared to life, and faded away, just as the sun was setting.
"So ends this last great adventure." said Cyborg.
"I don't know." Nightwing mused. "To live life, that would be a great adventure."
"Nice sentiment, Peter Pan." Raven muttered.
"Say, Star?" Cyborg asked. "With your ship gone, how will you get back home?"
"My people will send a craft to get me." she explained. "In the meantime, I wish to hang out with my friends."
"Why not share a pizza with us?" Nightwing offered. "Just for old times sake, at least?"
"Of course!" she replied.
The Titans made for the cliffs, making their way down into the city they cherished.
The sun's rays had vanished now, coinciding with the sunset of the Titan's days as a team. But their memories, accumulated over the years that they had fought to protect their home, would forever remain, long after they would pass on.
And in the bay, on a solitary island, was a dilapidated building that stood as a testament to the team, who had saved world many times over.
And elsewhere in time, space, and dimension, a lone traveler continued his journey for a quiet life, not knowing of the many adventures that awaited him.
The End