Disclaimer: Don't own Teen Titans. Nor the quote, you know who it's by.

"If two people love each other there can be no happy ending to it."

-Ernest Hemingway

CHAPTER 22

SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT

Beast Boy woke up.

What happened? Was the first thought that came to his mind. Then very quickly, memories started coming back. It was to—being a wanted Superhero and running away with Kid Flash and Speedy to—fighting off Slade Clones. He looked at his hands and saw that he still looked human; all meta-like features gone. He checked his fingers, wanting to see wether or not he still had his holo-ring on. He did not have his holo-ring on. He sat up on the bed to see of he had a holo ring on his toes. Nope, there wasn't a ring.

Looking around, he realised he wasn't in his room. The room was dark and lit lavender scented candles were all around on the shelves and the black wooden vanity with a mirror. Pictures hung on the walls of pretty flowers and one in particular stood out to him of all. It was of him and Raven when they were eating breakfast together after they'd been in Nevermore. There was Tofu on both of their plates and they had pleasant looks on their faces. Looking around some more, his eyes searching the room there was a bookshelf and a window on the far side of the room. On the bed he slept on; the comforter was black and purple with flowery designs. And what sat on the right of him was a stuffed chicken.

The chicken looked awfully familiar... It was the chicken he'd won for Raven that one time.

No. He could not and would not believe it. He was in Raven's room. No, he was going to die. He was in her room, sleeping on her bed, and invading her privacy. No he'd already seen and done too much, he needed to run out of here and go to his bedroom. Quickly, he jumped out the bed and ran—no he dragged himself to the door. He was out of energy for some odd reason and his legs felt wobbly. Therefore, he had no choice but to drag himself quickly to the door. He was still in the black clothes from the Slade Clone and Minions battle (He decided to dub it.)

Once to the door he stretched his body to reach the door slider to slide open the door. After much tries he finally managed to slide it open and crawl out the room. But he hadn't got far when he heard a monotone voice say, "You are awake."

Beast Boy stopped crawling and turned around. He was suddenly very self conscious due to the fact that he wasn't green and he looked really pathetic crawling on the floor like a baby.

Maybe, he shouldn't be referred to Beast Boy. Gar is more like it. But Gar is his vigilante name. Let's call him Garfield. That's more like it.

Garfield looked up at Raven and smiled sheepishly. "Hiya Rae, just let me explain myself. I didn't mean to be in your room, or sleep in your room. I'm sorry, please just let me go on–"

"Garfield," Raven said cutting him off, "I can't do that."

He frowned and started to laugh nervously. "Please? I would be fine in my room. I'm going now." He began to crawl but black aura stopped him. "Raven let me go!" He yelled, while being engulfed into black magic.

Raven didn't let him go, and soon was she walking (while she still held Beast Boy using her black aura magic) to the common room.

-/-/-/-

Kole ate a lot of the chips that had been beside her on the bed. She was in the medical bay and had woken up. No one had been in the room with her. She didn't know what happened, or why she woke up in such a place but all she knew was that her side hurt and was bandaged, and that she was extremely hungry. Munching away that was when Gnarrk and Cyborg came into the room.

"Hi!" She greeted with energetic waves.

"Hey, who said you could eat my barbecue chips?" Cy asked in amusement, "you finally awake!"

"Gnarrk!" Exclaimed Gnarrk happily as he ran over to his companion. He immediately picked her up which caused her to drop the bag of chips; which resulted in the chips falling in a pile on the floor.

"Gnarrk!" She said back with triumph. "You're here. Thank you! Thank you! What could I do with out you?"

Gnarrk kept on saying gnarrk! And she understood each word he said.

"I know. I should've been there for you Gnarrk. And I'm sorry we haven't been able to spend time together. Please do forgive me. You are my life companion. Thanks for saving me when I was down!"

After they reunited and cried in glee for a bit. Gnarrk finally was able to set Kole down on the medical bay bed, and trust that she wouldn't leave.

Cyborg had widened his eyes and shook his head at the Titan. "Wow, no joke, you really do look different," he said in awe.

Kole frowned in bemusement. "Huh? I look different?"

Cyborg pulled the drawer out from the counter and rummaged inside of it. He finally found what he was looking for. It was a mirror. He handed it to Kole.

Kole took it, and nearly dropped it. Looking in the mirror, she touched her face and hair. She searched for her antlers but they weren't there. "Why do I look like this? Am I having an illusion Cyborg?" She asked sounding scared. "Why do I look like this? What happened?"

The human-android had been about to explain but decided not to say anything when Jericho walked in. He looked distressed and had bags under his eyes, but he still managed to give Kole a bright smile. She automatically smiled back at him and held her arms out, a sign that she wanted a hug from him. He saw the cue and hugged her. Gnarrk wanted to protest but Cyborg said, "man, Jericho's a cool guy. He's her boyfriend." Though, the boyfriend thing really hadn't been confirmed yet.

Kole and Jericho stopped hugging and just looked at each other. She touched his face and gave him a look of concern. "There are bags under your eyes Jericho, you look sick... Should I be concerned?"

Jericho shook his head and pointed at her. He was communicating, "No. But I should be worried about you."

Kole smiled once more and rubbed Jericho's hand affectionately. "Jericho, may you please tell me what has happened? I look different and am not really sure what has happened. Why do I have a bandage between my rib and forearm?"

The boy who was unaware of her love for him looked as if he didn't know how to explain to Kole what has happened. He grabbed two paper slips from the instrument table and found a pen in a cup next to the sink. He wrote things down on the slips, and finally did he give the slips to Kole. She took them and read them. Her eyes scanned both slips quickly, and was speechless. Grabbing the bottle of water that Cyborg held out to her she took a sip, and in a second's notice she threw up in the trash bin next to the bed. She coughed and coughed as Jericho rubbed her back. She stopped arching her back and sat up. After she ate a whole bag of mints, she finally said something.

"Wow. I feel like I've been in a story I've never read..." She looked at Jericho and saw the expression in his eyes. She realised he was grieving. "Jericho I'm so sorry, your father died and..." Tears began to cascade down her cheeks. "I feel like I'm the cause of it."

Jericho shook his head. He wrote something down on the back of the paper slip and read it out to Kole to read.

It was my father's time to go. He was a troubled soul.

"Is there gong to be a funeral?" She asked solemnly, tears still fell. "Is anyone going to sing for him? Will there be a eulogy? Will we bury his casket?"

Jericho shook his head, and wrote something down on the slip of paper.

No. He was thrown in the water, to the sharks.

Cyborg and (begrudgingly) Gnarrk had been and left the room to give them some privacy.

"I'm so..." She began to apologise once more, but the word wouldn't come out her mouth. Jericho knew, Kole didn't need to say it. He just needed someone to hold him right now. Kole and him hugged as he cried, shaking.

-/-/-

The big sofa, TV, and other things that took up a lot of space had been moved out of the room into the basement because a lot of people were in the common room. JLA, the Doom Patrol, and all of the Teen Titans in the room sat in chairs. They all sat before the three men at separate podiums, and the eight—no, nine figures sitting in the chairs left to the podiums.

Robin, Batman, and Superman stood in front of the podiums.

Garfield(Beast Boy) and Kole looked nervous, Thunder looked ashamed, Lightning looked as if he were about to make a stand, Kid Flash smirked and tapped his foot excitedly, Jinx examined her finger nails that needed a nail appointment at Magnolia Nails, Speedy looked laid back yet very impatient, Wonder Girl smiled like she was participating in a beauty pageant and held good posture, and Bushido looked serious and reserved. They were the nine figures sitting in the chairs next to the three adjoined podiums.

Every Titan in the room didn't necessarily give them mean looks, but they were more-so of perplexity because they wouldn't believe it for a minute that these nine members of their team would commit an exiled-like crime or whatever. It miffed everyone. Maybe Robin was being a jerk.

After everyone settled down and stopped conversing with each other Robin began to speak into the mic.

"I have gathered you all today to speak of the events that have taken place..."

Firstly, Robin mentioned the aforementioned death of Slade. And how much pandemonium there had been when his death had occurred. It has been ruled by Robin and others that Slade had "bought his own barn."

He then mentioned how Beast Boy, Kole, Thunder and Lightning had been doing vigilante work and how there was no going against the law when you are a superhero. He said that while the superheroes were doing their jobs they most certainly were going against the law in free spirits doing whatever.

Beast Boy, Robin said, had been the leader in all the acts. Knowing Slade was in Jump City and not consulting with him about it, rescuing a boy out of a burning building and not revealing your aliases to the people you gratefully helped, trespassing into an abandoned home, causing natural weather to not take its course (directed to Thunder and Lightning), leaving home without permission, and being dismissive and secretive.

"...Now, I don't necessarily know why such treacherous acts were displayed. But we all may find out when the time comes or perhaps when the person who has performed the treacherous acts has the floor.

"Beast Boy led others to join his crusade. Speedy, Kid Flash, Jinx, Wonder Girl, Bushido, and Raven. It is uncertain to me on why they would go against their morals to help a wanted hero, but they did and we will speak further upon it after they have given their testimonies and explanations."

Garfield with dignity held his head high stood up and took the mic that was given to him. When he stepped into the light everyone gasped at his changed appearance. Was this the Beast Boy Leader Robin spoke of?

"Hello, everybody," he said light-heartedly, trying to ease the hard beating of his heartbeat against his chest, "you must be wondering why I've disobeyed my heroic persona, and suffice to say it was because I was hurt and didn't have something I wanted to have." He then handed the mic back to Robin and sat down. Next was Kole. Everyone gawked at her appearance yet managed to control their gasps.

"I didn't know, everything I did was unjust, and I apologise," Kole said in a clear voice. "If I've hurt and offended anyone those were never my intentions. Everything I did was because of my selfish wants. I, like, Beast Boy wanted something that I didn't have. If the result of such churlish actions to a team I respect is the immediate removal on the team, I don't object it."

As Kole sat down Thunder and Lightning stood up together, and both held the single microphone. The first thing Thunder did was say, "I am sorry." Lightning then said, "I say what my brother said. Although, I don't think our acts were treacherous. Sure we got ourselves into goop we probably should've cleaned up better, but we simply were helping friends at first. We didn't think it would lead to greater leverage. Our intentions had been genuine."

They both sat down and handed the mic to Kid Flash. The speedster simply said into the mic: "I helped Beast Boy and Kole because they're good people, and I thought they needed to be with the people they deserved. Now, I necessarily didn't think it would go from simply making love spell potions with my girlfriend to busting out the Storm Twinklets, but hey! I take to surprise well. And my intentions were meant to be heroic and good. I'm sorry Uncle Barry that I managed to outrun you and knock you out!"

It took a lot of restraint for The Flash to not get out of his seat. 'Oh, Wally you'll rue the day!' He thought.

Kid Flash shrugged energetically and threw the mic to his girlfriend which resulted in the speakers to do that high pitch thing which made everyone's ears hurt. Robin sighed in an annoyance. Batman and Superman held tight exteriors and didn't react.

Standing up, Jinx laughed at her boyfriend while shaking her head. Gosh, he added to too much comic relief to the situation. She held the top part of the mic to her lips and said, "I veto that Beast Boy and Kole should be punished for their actions. But why should I talk when I'm a former Hive member?" Everyone murmured at that last remark. "Everyone makes mistakes, and my excuse is we're all are just angst teens who probably let their feelings get in the way. Kid Flash and I made potions that would stop the unrequited love between Raven and Beast Boy, then, Jericho and Kole. I too, didn't think Slade would get into any of the story, but he did. Wow, well, I'll stop talking now."

She handed the mic back to Robin who took it roughly and had Speedy walk over to him and grab the microphone. Speedy snatched it and sighed in frustration and began to talk into the mic. "Yeah. I participated to help bust out T and L. They were in the hands of Crazy Sociopathic Slade, and I wanted to save them from becoming crazy and a lunatic themselves. I thinks it's rather irrational that we have to have this big meeting to get points across and to exile someone, but if that's what it takes then I sort of need to recollect in my mind what it means to be a Titan." Speedy sighed in irritation some more, and scratched an itch on his head. He continued talking, "I was bored too. So that's why I wanted to go with Kid Flash and them. Aqualad and 'Bee were out of town, and it gets pretty boring here. This whole situation is rather dumb? Yeah, it's dumb and stupid. Especially, if my former partner and JLA have to come down here and look mighty and proud."

Everyone gawked at him with incredulousness in their face expressions. The Scarlett and yellow archer were bold in his speech. He had the 'I really don't give a freak' exterior.

Speedy then handed the mic to Wonder Girl.

Donna Troy had gotten back into her regular uniform so that everybody would know who she was. Perhaps, it was rather embarrassing herself that she would have to make her first ever appearance saying a testimonial or whatever. Yet, she hid her embarrassment really well with a charming smile and waved gallantly to all her comrades and acquaintances.

"Well, the reason why I helped Beast Boy, Speedy, and Kid Flash was because... You guys never let me on anything!" She didn't yell or say this in an angry way. She spoke in her normal tone. "I barely make an appearance anywhere for myself to get any credential salutes as a superhero. I bust drug rings, and I fight crime because I hate injustice anywhere. And helping some comrades was something I thought would help my problem gratefully. Boy, wasn't I wrong..."

"WHO ARE YOU?" Someone asked in the crowd. That someone had asked the question that every Titan had been wanting to know since she started talking. "Are you Robin's sister?!"

Wonder Girl was appalled and looked rather hurt. She swiftly covered that emotion up and still held a pleasant smile. "You all know who I am! I've been affiliated with this this team since day 1. And no, I am not Robin's sister nor am I by any means related to him."

"...are you a former villain?" Bumblebee asked from the crowd. "I can't recall seeing you in the Brotherhood of Evil battle, or the aftermath of it."

"Did you attend the party that was thrown two weeks ago?!" Cyborg's voice boomed. "Invitations were sent to every Titan."

"Stop this nonsense!" Superman beat his gavel against the podium in a ghastly manner. "Her aliases is Wonder Girl. She is related to Wonder Woman. Get the big picture!" Everyone silenced at the fact that Superman had risen his voice, the tone flustered and discriminating. "Thunder and Lightning are potential candidates of topping the list on starting all this great warfare. But to me, I will simply say Beast Boy is who tops it." Superman crossed his arms and looked at the man in the bat suit.

Batman thought of Thunder and Lightning as the time when Bane and the Scarecrow thought it was a good idea to work together. But he didn't say that out loud. He nodded his head, agreeing with Superman. There would be no argument. Out of anyone who should be kicked out the Titans. It is Beast Boy.

Robin agreed as well and looked over to Garfield.

-/-/-/

Author's Note: Rae and Jercho not doing something about the situation? They will, but that will be next chapter. AND the next chapter is the LAST chapter. Oh, I am so melancholic over the realisation. But this was one fun roller coaster ride, and it was a fun journey. Thanks to all who read and enjoyed. To whom faved and followed. You are all awesome sauce! :)

Replies:

TheFanGirl11: I like how you used a Wonder Woman exclamation! Haha! And, I know that last chapter caused your head a whirlwind. But maybe your head isn't a whirlwind anymore. They got shot by this device, and splat! They aren't meta anymore! Thanks for reviewin', and by the way. Are you a Scorpio or saggitarius? I saw that your birthday is November, right? :)

missmartian369: I don't think the sunglasses night gang is gonna stay in trouble for long. But all will turn out well. jus' you wait. :D also, thanks reviewin', I really value it. XD

AStudyinEsmeWho: I like that you find Jericho really adorable in this story. I really do. I like it when all the titans come together and fight together, I find that really cool too. Kole and BB will go back to the way they were... And appreciate ya for reviewing!

dj25taz: I am glad that the manipulating and churlish villain is gone too! Uh, I despised him. And, I'm proud of how the pairings came together last chapter. I'm glad you noticed that. Thanks for your input. 8D

JasonVUK: did last chapter leave you puzzled or speechless? Was it a lot of UNexpectancy?