Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

The sun was shining brightly in the tropical sky as the cruise ship plowed majestically through the azure sea. They were two hours away from Acapulco, where the cruise liner would dock in the port in the magnificent bay which had at one time served as a port connecting the new world with China during the days when Spanish viceroys ruled over a land then called New Spain. These days Acapulco was the largest city in Guerrero state and was very cosmopolitan. The Logans were planning a night out on the town and would catch the famous cliff divers before returning to the ship.

The sliding doors that separated the stateroom from the private balcony were open, and the hot tropical air wafted into the Raven and Gar's room, the briny smell of the Mexican Riviera was permeating their abode. Two swimsuits, one a pair of violet colored trunks and the other a modest green two piece swimsuit were hanging from a chair, dripping dry in the midday sun.

Raven and her husband were together on the balcony, relaxing after spending the early part of the morning at the pool. Beast Boy was lying on a recliner, taking a quick nap while Raven was sitting in another chair reading an anthology of stories by Evelyn Waugh. Raven admired Gar's sleeping form. He wasn't a "conventional" guy, as he was lying on the recliner in the buff in all his green glory and she loved him just the way he was. She also thought he was easy on the eyes. Cyborg had made them holorings so they could go out in public incognito and when he wore his for the first time it was her first ever chance to see what he would have looked like if he had been "normal": strawberry blond hair, lightly tanned, some freckles and of course rounded ears. He had looked cute, but she would never trade her green bean away for that. Unfortunately he had his own self doubts.

The day before they had been lounging around the pool on the Lido deck. Beast Boy was in the water, playing with some kids who just couldn't get enough of him. The youngsters begged him to morph into different creatures and he obliged by becoming a seal. Raven smiled as she watched the mighty changeling interact so gently with the kids. She knew he would make a great dad someday, and she only hoped that she would be a good mother as well when the time came. Raven's thoughts of a domestic future were interrupted by the sound of a young woman's voice.

"Look at the green freak!" She shouted to her companions, who appeared to be three burly American Football players and two other shapely young girls who like the first one were dressed in string thong bikinis like the one that Raven had thrown into the trash a few days earlier. Raven recognized them immediately. They were players and cheerleaders with the Jump City State University football team, which was on the cruise celebrating some inane championship victory. The cruise line had actually provided the team free passage in celebration of their championship.

Raven was sitting in the shade, wearing an oversized T-shirt, sunglasses and a huge floppy hat, which concealed her identity from the nearly naked and clearly drunk hussy and her collegiate companions. Raven surveyed them and from the number of empty glasses and beer bottles on their table she could tell they were all intoxicated.

"And look how scrawny he is!" Another girl replied after she took another swig from her beer. "How can he be a superhero? He's not even a real man."

Raven had heard enough.

"Do you mind?" The sorceress hissed at the collegians while Beast Boy was returning to their table, still unaware of the fracas that was threatening to happen.

The third cheerleader stared at Raven, still not recognizing her.

"Who the hell are you?" The drunken girl challenged her.

Raven ripped off her hat and sunglasses.

"I'm Raven Logan, and I don't appreciate you insulting my husband behind his back!"

The biggest of the three men laughed. "You're married to the freak?"

"Makes sense to me." Another drunken youth snickered. "She's an even bigger freak than he is."

Beast Boy had heard this and charged up to the burly man, grabbing him from his profanity laced T-shirt.

"You will apologize to my wife, NOW!" he growled.

The third football player rose to his feet.

"Do you even know who we are punk? We're the Jump City Jaguars. So back off if you know what's good for you."

Beast Boy tossed the player already in his clutches into the pool as if he were a rag doll, much to the surprise of the others and quickly grabbed the third young man who towered over him.

"You were saying?" He growled in a deep animal like voice.

Raven saw several players rise from other tables. She knew that Beast Boy wouldn't even need her help to beat up the entire football team, and that he wouldn't even have to morph into one of his animal forms. She placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

"They're just some stupid, drunken kids Gar. Let's go."

Beast Boy picked up the 250 lb linebacker as if he were a bag of feathers and also tossed him into the pool, to the many cheers of the other passengers who had had their fill of the drunken prima donnas. Raven took his hand and silently led him away.

"That's right freak! Leave!" The third cheerleader yelled. "You might be super strong and have powers, but you're still a freak! Run away with your creepy wife! I know what a real man's like and you aren't one!"

Raven abruptly turned around, her four demonic eyes glowing red. "He's more man than you could ever handle, you brainless slut!"

Raven squeezed his hand even tighter as they continued to walk back to their room. Once they arrived there he went to his chest of drawers and pulled out a small box from which he retrieved his holoring. He then walked up to a full length mirror and stared at himself, all green except for the violet colored swimming trunks he was wearing. He slipped the ring on and he became "normal". He stared at himself for the longest time while Raven stood by silently. Finally he broke the silence.

"Sometimes I wish I had never become Beast Boy."

"But we never would have met." She replied. "We wouldn't be together now."

"Those guys are right Raven. I'm a freak."

Raven grabbed his hand and removed the holoring, tossing it over her shoulder.

"Do you think I would have married a freak?" She reassured him with a kiss. "Do you think I'm a freak?"

"Of course not." He whispered.

"Good." She replied. "Because right now I need my man, if you know what I mean." She said with a sly smile.

There was a polite knock on the door and Raven snapped back to the present. She slipped on a robe as she too had been relaxing au natural while reading and went to answer the door. Gar had ordered them a couple of piña coladas and some chips before he fell asleep. The drinking age in international and Mexican waters was only 18 years and the newlyweds had imbibed responsibly, unlike the collegians, during their honeymoon. Raven opened the door to find a porter with a small tray with 2 drinks, a basket of chips and guacamole and a sealed envelope on it. He greeted her and came in, putting the shiny tray down on a small table.

"A message arrived for you Mrs. Logan." He informed her as she signed for the treats, adding a generous tip to the total.

"Thank you." She replied. The porter tipped his hat and left promptly. After taking a sip of her drink she reached for the envelope and opened it. It contained a single sheet, which appeared to be a fax. She read it carefully and rushed out to the balcony after picking up her communicator and turning it one for the first time during the trip.

"Gar! Wake up!" She shouted at him.

Beast Boy rolled over lazily and gave her a sleepy look.

"Wassamatter Rae?" He slurred, still half asleep.

"I just got a fax from Cyborg. He wants us to call home. And put on some pants."

Beast Boy sat up abruptly. "Did he say why?"

"No, he didn't. It must be something confidential."

Beast Boy slipped his trunks back on, and walked back into the room, where he pulled out his laptop computer and connected the communicator to the USB port. The Titans logo appeared on the screen. He then clicked the call button on Raven's communicator.

"Beast Boy calling Cyborg."

The Titans logo was briefly replaced by some static on the laptop's LCD display and within a few seconds Cyborg's smiling mug appeared.

"So you pair of lovebirds, how's the honeymoon going?"

"Fine." Raven replied in her monotone. "What's so important that it couldn't wait until we got back?" She complained.

Cyborg clearly was unable to contain himself.

"Oh man, this is so juicy that you're gonna thank me for making you call."

Raven sighed and rolled her eyes, while Beast Boy became agitated.

'C'mon Cy, don't keep us waiting. Spill the beans dude!"

Cyborg was now grinning ear to ear.

"Victor, either tell us now or I'm going to hang up." Raven threatened him.

"Ok, Ok! Now brace yourselves, cuz you're not gonna believe this."

He paused.

"Robin knocked up Starfire!!" He shouted.

"WHAT!?!" Beast Boy shouted.

"Cyborg, are you sure about this?" Raven replied, her voice betraying a hint of surprise.

"I heard it straight from the little lady's own mouth. And I recorded it when she told Robin."

Raven dropped all pretense of indifference.

"You did? Play it! This I gotta see!" The sorceress said with glee.

"Just a minute." The tin man said with a smile. Soon enough the "dropping of the bomb" was played back for them and when it was done Cyborg's face reappeared on the screen.

"So whaddya think?" He asked them.

Beast Boy heard Raven begin to snicker, which quickly evolved into a guffaw. Within seconds she was roaring with laughter, much to the changeling's delight.

"Did you see his face? Oh that was priceless!" Raven continued laughing."Too bad he never takes that stupid mask off; I wish I could have seen his eyes."

Beast Boy joined her in her laughter.

"I guess their wedding is going to be sooner than he was hoping." He added.

"And I suppose Starfire is thrilled?" Raven asked.

"You got that right. She dragged Robin out to start shopping for strollers, cribs and I don't know what else."

"Is there anything else Cy?" Beast Boy asked. "Kick any bad guy butt while we've been gone?"

"Nah. It's been really quiet lately. Which is OK, cuz I'm gonna have a surprise for you when you get back."

"Really? What is it?" Beast Boy asked, unable to restrain his curiosity.

"Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, right?"

"Whatever." Raven replied. "We'll see you in a few days. And we'll pretend that you didn't tell us so Starfire can 'surprise' us with the news."

"Ok ya'll. Have fun."

Cyborg signed off and the Titans logo reappeared on the screen.

The first thing she noticed when she woke up was that she had the mother of all headaches and moaned as she rubbed her head. She opened her eyes and panicked as she only saw gray around her and feared that something had happened to her eyesight. Her vision did eventually come into focus and she was finally able to survey her surroundings. The four walls, the floor and the ceiling were all colored solid gray. There was a stainless steel sink and toilet in the room and a bulky steel door that was painted black.

Terra sat up in her bed as she brushed away the remaining mental cobwebs of her drug induced sleep. She saw a small closed circuit camera aimed at her lumpy and uncomfortable bed. They knew she was now awake. Once she felt she had reached an acceptable level of mental clarity she stood up on her still wobbly legs and walked over to the sink to get a drink of water as she was parched, no doubt a side effect of Dr. Strange's knock out gas.

After quenching her thirst she noticed she had a full bladder and looked at the penitentiary grade toilet. She scanned the room to see if any cameras were focused on the toilet and found none. As she prepared to disrobe she noticed that she wasn't wearing her superhero costume and instead was wearing a two piece orange sweat suit that had "Arkham Asylum" and the number "03129" stenciled on both garments. She dropped her pants and sat on the stainless steel potty just as the door unlocked and began to open.

"Do you mind?!" She shouted. "I'm on the frakking john!"

"My apologies Miss Markov." A female voice replied from behind the door. "Just knock on the door when you're done."

Terra promptly finished her business and washed up after flushing away her bodily waste. She stared at the door. The wall around it was concrete, just as in the first room. She raised her palm towards the door and closed it, forming a tight fist.

Nothing happened.

She tried again with the same result. They had somehow neutralized her powers. She sighed and knocked on the door instead.

The door unlocked and slowly creaked open. A tall, muscular woman entered the cell with four armed guards behind her.

"You guys sure are paranoid. You know that my powers are gone."

"I'm Sergeant Laura Sanchez. And yes we are paranoid. We know that you were trained in hand to hand combat by Deathstroke."

"He doesn't go by that name anymore." Terra replied.

"You can tell Dr. Strange about that." The woman replied tersely.

Terra glared at the woman.

"And what's the big idea of arresting me!? I'm a Teen Titan!"

"You're not under arrest; you've been committed for psychiatric observation. You can ask Dr. Strange about the details. Now if you'll please follow us."

Terra complied and followed Sgt. Sanchez out of the cell and down the concrete lined hallway which was lined with dozens of cells.

"I thought this was an asylum. It looks like a prison to me." She said as she saw several armed guards patrolling the hallways.

"This is the high security section of the asylum. You can always ask Dr. Strange to have you relocated."

The reached a checkpoint that consisted of two sets of heavy steel doors. They were buzzed through the first set of doors and entered a short hallway. After the doors behind them were closed and locked the next door in front of them buzzed open, leading into what looked more like a hospital except for the many armed guards who outnumbered the hospital staff.

They continued to lead Terra down a hallway that reeked of antiseptic. As they reached the end of the hallway an office door opened and four armed guards led another patient out of the office. As they approached Terra she saw that the patient was also dressed in orange sweats and was a tall male with a complexion so pale that he made Raven look like a tanning bed queen. The green haired man saw her as they approached and winked at her before speaking.

"Oooh, you must be Slady's girl! I must say you're every bit the looker they say you are."

The four guards jostled the man forward. "Keep walking clown." One of his guards growled.

"Join me for lunch in the mess hall Terra dear and I'll introduce you to the rest of the gang! I'd give you my card, but they've all been confiscated!" He chuckled as he was led around the corner after which his maniacal laughter echoed throughout the hallway.

Terra stared dumbfounded in the direction in which he had been led away then back at Sgt. Sanchez.

"Did the Joker just invite me to have lunch with him?"

"Don't mind him. He always eats alone in his cell anyway. No one will eat with him, not even Harley Quinn" She replied as she led Terra into Dr. Strange's office.

Starfire and Cyborg were going through furniture catalogs selecting items to purchase for the new apartments he had already started to remodel for the two couples. They were checking out bedroom sets at the moment.

"I do believe that friend Raven wishes to keep the bedroom set she now has."

Cyborg tossed another catalog onto the 'perused' pile. "You're probably right Star. I'm surprised BB hasn't said anything about it. Have you ever been in Raven's room? It's like its Halloween in there every day."

The princess giggled. "She has done the 'toning down' since the last time you were in there, but you are correct in that it is still depressing in there."

Cyborg snickered. "You'd think now that she's getting some nightly sugar from BB that she'd be a bit more cheerful."

"What do mean friend? Does Beast Boy feed her every night with the refined and granulated sucrose that is processed from certain varieties of canes and beets? I believe that would promote tooth decay."

Cyborg laughed. "No Star, what I meant is … uh, why don't you just ask your husband? And where is Robin anyway? He should be helping us with this."

"He is busy with the paperwork and said that I could choose whatever style of furniture I want."

Wow, he really does love her.

Cyborg tossed yet another catalog aside.

"How about I teach you to cook, Earth style."

"Oh yes!" she applauded. "They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, which I do not understand as the two are not connected."

"It's means that if you're a good cook he'll love you even more."

"Glorious! Please proceed with the first lesson friend!"

"OK then! Let's start with something easy, like pancakes."

"Delightful! I will learn to make pancakes like the ones Raven made for us when the world was supposed to end."

"Uh, no Star. You're going to learn to make them the way they're made at IHOP."

The Tamaranian looked confused. "But why friend? Raven's pancakes are much better than the ones they serve at the house of pancakes. And why do they call it that? The restaurant's structure was clearly assembled of dimensional lumber, drywall, exterior siding and asphalt shingles on the roof."

"Trust me Star, Raven's pancakes don't agree with the human digestive system. As for the restaurant name…"

The Tower alarms began to blare and the red lights flashed. Robin charged into the commons room and ran straight to his friends.

"Cyborg, get the T-Ship ready for a trip to Gotham!"

"Gotham? What are we going to Gotham for?"

Robin switched the alarms off before answering,

"Bumblebee just called me. Terra's been locked up in Arkham Asylum!"

"Please have a seat Miss Markov." Hugo Strange asked her in his deep creepy voice. "I'm sure that you have many questions."

"You damn bet I do!" She howled. "What the hell am I doing here? I'm not a criminal, I'm a Teen Titan."

"Yes Miss Markov I am aware of that. Nevertheless you were once associated with Slade Wilson and in your own words 'you have done terrible things'. Because of that you are still registered on the Homeland Security database of super villains. It is public knowledge that you have 'turned over a new leaf' so to speak of, but before your name can be removed from the database I will have to verify that you are indeed sane."

"You have got to be kidding me? And what happened to my powers? Why can't I use them?"

"They have been neutralized, made dormant to be precise. How? I am afraid I cannot reveal that secret."

"Ok, so you got me. How long is this going to take?"

"Oh, not long at all. Six months if you cooperate."

"Six months!" She shrieked. "You expect me to rot here for six months? And you lied to me about the annulment to get me to come here."

"That was no lie Miss Markov. I am travelling next week to your old stomping grounds in Jump City to testify. You should have your annulment within two weeks at most."

"Fat lot of good it will do me if I'm locked in here!"

Hugo Strange glanced at the guards. "Leave us."

After the guards stepped out and closed the door Strange approached Terra and whispered to her.

"What would you say if I let you out after a single month?"

"I'm listening. What do I have to do?"

"It's very simple my dear. I'll interview you about your experiences with Deathstroke."

"That's it?" She asked skeptically.

"That, and you'd have to do some 'favors' for me."

Terra's eyes grey wide as saucers.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come now my dear. You are no blushing virgin. We both know you've had 8 different lovers during your short lifespan. Slade was the first and the changeling was your latest."

Terra's jaw almost hit the ground.

"The gas I subdued you with." He explained. "It contained a powerful hypnotic agent. You told me yourself about your eight lovers."

Terra's expression became enraged.

"You need not make your decision right now. But do think it over. You can tell me your answer tomorrow."

Hugo Strange pressed an intercom button on his desk.

"Sgt. Sanchez. We are finished with our session. I see it is now lunch time. Please escort Miss Markov to the mess hall".

Wow, I can't believe I slammed this chapter out so fast. Thanks to all for your many hits and reviews. We're approaching the ten thousand hit mark! This story is going to leave Tough Times in Jump City in the dust before chapter 20!

And before any collegiate football fans get their knickers in a knot, I know that most college players and cheerleaders are fine people!

As before, some review replies.

Titanfan45 – "Wonder why Dr. Strange saw fit to gas terra, what is he after?"

Well now you know! That's what Terra gets for maturing and becoming 'hot'!

DragonOTDarkFlame – "know enough about the Batman universe to know that Hugo Strange is one of the most disturbing characters I've ever observed"

And now you know I why I brought him into the story.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – "Raven and thongs clearly wouldn't mix, but it is doubly hilarious because Starfire bought it for her."

That was my favorite part of the previous chapter. I could see the veins throbbing on her forehead as she tried on the bathing suit and BB laughed! And thanks for the shout out.

Rosalind2013 – "So Doctor Strange seems to have concluded that Terra is also insane. Thank goodness someone picked up on the obvious!"

Now tell me that after reading this chapter you don't feel at least a little bit sorry for Terra?

Dark Rapture –"I agree with ChicoMagnifico- THAT DUDES GOTTA GO! And as for Terra…'evil grin'"

Ah, c'mon! We all have our Wild Man inside us! Something tells me you're grinning even more now (evilly of course).

Rosalind du Coudray –"OMG! Just when I thought the story couldn't get any weirder (in a good way XP)!"

Weird is our specialty!

Continue please?!

Ask, and you shall receive.