The nighttime air was unseasonably warm in Jump City's gas lamp district. The air was pungent with the humidity as well as the odd mix of aromas that gave the district its unique aroma. The smells of restaurant food, automobile exhaust, gutter sewage and even old fashion trash rotting in dumpsters combined to create the unmistakable scent.

A lone woman walked along the sidewalk on Market Street, oblivious to the offending smells that surrounded her. She was dressed in a pair of skin tight jeans and a T shirt with a Teen Titans logo on it, both of which highlighted her exquisite and no longer juvenile figure. She reached a crosswalk and stopped as there was some light traffic even at the near midnight hour. As she waited a Cadillac Escalade pulled up, also waiting for the light to turn green. As soon as it stopped the passenger side window rolled down and a young man in his mid twenties leaned out and called out to the shapely girl.

"Hey baby, we're going to a party, wanna come with us?" He shouted.

She did not acknowledge him, or even give an indication that she even heard him.

"Aw, c'mon." He cajoled her. "We're nice guys! It'll be fun! C'mon! Get in!"

She continued to ignore him. The light turned green and the crosswalk signal switched to "WALK", which she did. The driver of the pimp-mobile pulled away, while his passenger flipped the young woman off.

"You think you're too good for us? Frak you bitch!" He hollered as the SUV sped away.

The young woman dispassionately watched the vehicle disappear down the street while she continued to walk. After traversing three more blocks she reached her destination. It was a brick building that at one time had been an automobile repair shop. The sign above the door read "The Bebop". She grabbed the handle of the heavy wooden door, pulled it open and entered the building.

Upon entering she encountered a wall of a man. He was 6'6" tall (2 meters) and looked like a former American Football player. He gave her a quick glance and with a subtle nod of his head the bouncer indicated to her that she could enter the second set of doors, which she did.

Her ears were greeted by the sound of a harmonica, whose owner was skillfully playing the blues. There were about three dozen tables in the room, with a long bar in the back. As she made her way to the bar the harmonica player, who appeared to be a 12 year old boy, concluded his performance and was rewarded with a round of applause. He was quickly replaced by a saxophone player who also began to play a soulful piece. She ignored him as she planted her posterior on a barstool. The bartender made eye contact with her.

"I'm sorry miss, you look … young. I need to see your ID."

Without saying a word he she rummaged through her purse and after a brief search she produced a driver's license, which she handed to the barkeep. He took it from her and examined it. The name was Meredith Kurucz. After he was satisfied that the picture matched her face he placed it under a small UV light he kept behind the counter. The invisible watermark on the license appeared. If it was a fake, it was a damn good one. He handed it back to her.

"Here you go Miss Ku … how do you pronounce that?"

"KOO-roots" She replied.

The barkeep smiled.

"So what can I get you Miss Kurucz?"

"A cosmopolitan." She replied absentmindedly.

While the bartender began to prepare her cocktail the young woman turned around and took a good look at the audience. They appeared to be mostly couples in their late 20's to early thirties. There were a handful of guys who had no dates, and she saw only one other unescorted female, a plump middle aged woman who was probably going to spend the evening by herself.

"Here you go miss, one cosmopolitan."

She raised the martini glass it was served in and took a like sip.

"Thanks." She replied.

"Would you like me to run a tab for you?"

"Sure." She replied as she took another sip from her drink.

She sat still for a while, staring at her glass while the sax player continued to play. The bartender noticed her taciturn demeanor.

"You OK miss? You look … bored."

"I'm fine." She replied as she began to run her index finger along the glass's rim.

The bartender shrugged his shoulders.

"Just let me know if you need anything. If you're hungry we make some nice pizza here."

"Thanks … I'll let you know."

A waitress arrived with orders for several drinks and some appetizers, and the bartender stepped away from the young woman and became busy. It was then that the sax player finished his piece and received a polite round of applause.

As the sax player resumed playing the woman heard a voice from behind her.

"I haven't seen you here before."

She ignored the young male voice.

"What's the matter baby? Cat got your tongue?"

She raised her glass and finished the contents in a single gulp, after which she tapped on it, indicating that she wanted a refill.

"Hey, I'm talking to you."

She continued to ignore him. The bartender placed her refill in front of her.

"Do you even know who I am, babe?"

She took a sip from her drink before replying.

"Yes, I do … you're a loser."

The young man's face erupted in fury as he reached back and swung at her, launching a backhanded slap at her head. In a fluid motion she swirled around and caught his hand. She spun behind him as she twisted his hand and executed a perfect arm bar on him, slamming his face into the bar. Satisfied he was immobilized she reached for her glass and took another sip of her drink.

The sax player stopped playing and the audience turned around to see what the ruckus was at the bar. More than a few patrons laughed at the sight of the burly man subdued by the petite young woman. He squirmed as she continued to mash his face into the bar, but it was clear to everyone that he was beat.

"OK, what's going on here?" The bouncer bellowed as he arrived at the bar.

"This bitch is some kind of kung fu psycho." The trapped man howled. "I just wanted to talk to her."

"You tried to slap me." She replied in an emotionless monotone.

"Miss, you can release him. I can guarantee your safety."

The young woman glared at the bouncer.

"I don't need you to protect me." She replied as she released the man from the arm bar.

The would be Romeo nursed his stressed arm, cursing as he checked it for damage.

"You got lucky bitch. You think you're so tough with your karate. Let's go outside and settle this now!"

The young woman, who had long blond hair, smirked maliciously at her challenger. Her eyes began to glow a deep yellow.

"Anytime loser boy."

The bouncer's eyes became wide as saucers.

"You're ... you're one of those Titans ... aren't you?" The bouncer stammered.

Terra ignored the man and finished her drink.

"Barkeep! How much do I owe you?"

The bartender stared wide eyed at the geomancer.

"Nothing, it's on the house miss." He replied in a worried tone.

She glared at the man who tried to slap her.

"Well, do you still want to go outside?"

The emasculated man pointed at her.

"Bring it on bitch! I'm gonna tear you a new one!"

The bouncer grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground.

"Are you nuts man? She's a Teen Titan! Heck, I wouldn't mess with her!"

Terra smirked at the man as she walked away.

"See you later, loser boy!"

Undeterred he shouted back at her.

"Go ahead, run bitch, you belong with those freaks, especially the green one!"

Terra calmly marched out of "The Bebop" and resumed walking down Market Street. The street was now deserted and there was no traffic except for an occasional car that would zoom down the street, its driver not giving her a second look. The street was as lonely as she felt. That she had been misidentified as a Teen Titan did not escape her. The falsehood of the statement stung at her very soul, it was a lie that demanded to be exposed, for as much as she wished it to be true, it would never be.

And the idiot in the bar, he called Beast Boy, her Beast Boy, a freak.

Who am I kidding? He isn't mine … he's … Raven's.

If there was a truth that crushed her soul it was that her beloved belonged to another woman, a woman who didn't deserve him. She recalled the first time she saw the ring on Raven's finger, her blood boiled. It didn't matter that it was just a juvenile promise ring. The fact remained, he gave it to her of his own free will, and it would only be a matter of time before it was replaced with a proper engagement ring and after that …

Terra shuddered at the thought of him permanently mated to the witch, for that is what she was: a monster, the spawn of a demon, creepy as only she could be.

As she continued to walk absentmindedly the past flashed before her eyes, especially the fateful night when after learning of her treachery he rejected her, and later how she came within a cat's whisker of murdering him in Slade's lair.

The tears dripped down her face. Her life was pointless, a joke. He had loved, correction, he worshipped her back then, before the betrayal. Why did she do that? Why didn't she come clean and help them defeat Slade? Things would be so different now.

And worst of all, after Slade first revived her she denied Beast Boy a second time, pretending to not know him.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" She sobbed.

It was then that Terra took in her surroundings. She had somehow wandered onto the large suspension bridge that spanned the bay. She was walking along the pedestrian section, which was enclosed inside a tunnel with lattice like walls that gave pedestrians a nearly unobstructed view of the bay while keeping anyone with suicidal thoughts from jumping off the bridge.

She stopped and took in the view, which had Titans Tower right smack in the middle. Earlier that day she saw the T-Ship take to the sky and fly away. No one was home, as the darkened Tower would confirm.

The Geomancer stared at the ring on her hand, mesmerized by it. At first it was a symbol of her newfound freedom, freedom from being trapped in stone. But now it was a symbol of everything she hated: Slade, treachery, duplicity … slavery, but most of all … herself.

With a grim sense of determination she knew what she had to do. She couldn't let him control her anymore, no matter what the cost. She couldn't allow Slade to use her as a tool to harm Beast Boy. Just as the time before she would have to do the right thing, regardless of the price.

Terra looked out over the bay and saw a tug boat towing a garbage barge.

The ring, she had to get rid of the ring, send it somewhere Slade could never find it. If she simply threw it into the bay he would eventually recover it and use it to bring her back again, her petrified form might as well point to where she threw it. It had to go somewhere where he could never find it because he wouldn't know where it was to begin with.

The trash barges were taken out to the deep ocean, where the trash was dumped and would sink miles into the ocean depths. Not even Slade would be able to find or recover it from there.

Terra held the ring with her index finger and thumb, and gently twisted it loose from her ring finger. The ring came loose and she began to remove it and stopped as she reached the tip of her finger.

Terra felt her windpipe tighten as mild panic and fear began to course through her body. There would be no coming back from this, she would be dead. Lost and gone forever, separated from him for all eternity. She choked back the tears that were welling in her eyes. Fear be damned, she would do for him, to keep him safe from Slade, even if it meant that Raven would make him hers. But at least he would be safe, and maybe … he would be happy with Raven.

"OK Terra." She whispered to herself. "You've done nothing but screw up your entire life. Now it's time to do the right thing ... for BB."

Terra removed the ring from her finger and reached back, preparing to throw onto the barge that was now passing under the bridge.

"Beast Boy! I Love You!" She shouted as she threw the ring. Her left arm began to turn into stone, but she seemed unperturbed as the ring flew towards a large view hole in the lattice, which it would easily clear, falling into the barge below.

The ring appeared to fly in slow motion, slowly twirling in the air. As Terra watched it she felt a sense of tranquility, feeling unconcerned as she slowly become petrified. Soon she would be at peace. No more Slade, no more treachery, no more suffering.

She watched the ring approach the hole when a silver gloved hand appeared out of nowhere and caught it. Her petrifaction was still partial and she turned to see the hand's owner.

"I'm very disappointed with you Terra. Committing suicide for a boy?"

"Slade!" She gasped as the stiffness began to take hold of her.

Slade twirled the ring in his hand.

"What am I going to do with you, child?" He replied in his monotone as Terra's petrification process completed. She was frozen into a pose that betrayed her surprise and her utter shock was frozen onto her face.

"Take her home!" Slade barked.

Three Slade-bots emerged from the shadows and lifted the now stony Terra from the bridge's walkway. Slade gestured to them to wait. He approached the petrified girl and caressed her stony face.

"I'm not finished with you Terra; in fact, I have some very exciting plans for you."

-( scene break )-

OK, I'll bet this chapter felt really random. I'm still sick at home, and this single scene chapter just leaped out of nowhere. We'll return to Metropolis next chapter.