Disclaimer: By this means, I rightfully claim ownership to this FanFiction story and my original character within it, by my trademark signature T.M.O at the conclusion of every update. Any other characters that may appear in this work and are new, these are the rightful properties by their creators as well and cannot be reproduced, or duplicated without their individual consent. I do not own anything within the DC Universe, from Warner Brothers, or on Cartoon Network. The only original character and the name that I created for him; that I accept half ownership on is Falcon from this telling. Scififanfreak222 owns the second half of him as well, for drawing him upon a collaboration of various new designs and sketches within the year of 2010; and cannot be knowingly placed into another literary document, writing community, comic book series, and or televised broadcast without either of our written or verbal consent in front of legal consultants. TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne, Scififanfreak222, xSaffire55x, Novus Ordo Seclorum, and RavenxIsxAxBlackxRose; each of these fellow writers have helped me to press onwards with this story, every-time I have come across writers block. Without their outstanding guidance, the updates would have taken me even longer to complete.
Chapter 32 picks up right where things last left off. Blackfire and Rupert Thorne have their meeting, members of The Teen Titans get acquainted with The Titan Squadron heroes, while Beast Boy goes to talk with Raven. "One man may be more cunning than another, but not more cunning than everybody else." -Ben Franklin 1706-1790-
Chapter 32 - Against All Odds
"Right, let's get down to it then."
Rupert Thorne's blue eyes darted over to his Second-In-Command being Candice, then they fell back to the Exile. The room was eerily quiet, it was hushed to the point that a person could hear a pin if it were dropped.
Chemicals in their vats continued to bubble outside, and the smoke obscured the view along the windows behind him. It was in this moment, that the game of pool had stopped.
The tension for Blackfire was increasingly high, a lot was riding on her success with this mission. Like a high-stakes poker gamble, of a card shark with nothing left to play. All of her chips were pushed forwards, and she was waiting for the dealer to flip the final card.
She had expended a great deal of effort in getting to this meeting now, but it could all fall apart. Blackfire needed to get this overweight and slug-like crime boss to join in her handler's plot, or at the very least, to acquire his privet jet for the return journey.
It was exhilarating, nauseating, and intriguing all at once.
"You are here because your handler sent you." Rupert Thorne spoke, and he tapped the ashes into the glass container.
"Yes." Blackfire answered cooly.
"You went to The Iceberg Lounge, to gather forces for a joined effort out west in Jump City."
"Right again."
"Jump City-" There was a long pause as he puffed on his fat brown cigar, the red embers were noticed glowing on the tip, and the stench of tobacco clung to his clothes. He inhaled the toxic vapor into his lungs before saying, "Well now, if I recall that is the city where The Teen Titans operate out of."
"You are a clever man, Mr. Thorne. What is it that you don't know?"
"How else do you think that a man like myself, is able to survive a place as corrupt and foul such as Gotham, for as long that I have?"
". . ."
Candice leaned over to her boss, whispering something in his left ear and he smirked. He flicked some ashes of his cigar into the glass tray once more, and he leaned forwards with his chubby fingers resting peacefully on the desk. There was a golden ring around one of his digits, and it showed off his expensive tastes.
A large ring of that quality can be influential in showing off how one wished for others to see themselves, and the entrancing smooth sheen, reflected some of the light in the manager's office. How anybody came to a position of power was through a determined drive on goals, and for a man like Rupert Thorne, there was a seriousness with just his stare alone.
He gave off a very imposing and commanding vibe, where he flaunted his luxurious fashion to all who were able to have a meeting with him.
"You know a lot." Blackfire replied as she studied the only other woman in the room, dressed in red.
"It is my business to know things." Rupert Thorne cut back in, silencing his secretary. "Knowing business, any business is good business. It keeps things clicking like a clock and the constant motion, it all leads from one motion to another, like the places that you have been young lady."
"Well now, if I wanted to be spied upon I would just create a social media page."
The kingpin let out a sudden chuckle catching her off-guard, he then inhaled another deep puff, and then he placed his unfinished cigar into the ashtray. A thin trail of smoke rose upwards from it.
If he already knows why I am here, then what is it-that I can offer him? He is already a few steps ahead.
"Here's the thing." Rupert Thorne clasped his plump hands together, where he toyed with the gold ring on his middle finger. "You made a move because your employer sent you to a very specific place, with very instructive orders. I know this because I do the same. Everybody has a boss to answer to, and time is short."
The Tamaranean Exile leaned back in her seat. Where is he going with this?
"What do you want Mr. Thorne?" Blackfire finally blurted out.
"Ahh, so the point arrises. Indeed I am a man of many tastes, of elegant things and of a bountiful treasure-trove of wealth. From countless trophies that I have amassed over the decades, from working my hands in the muck and filth, of this dirty city. To turn this place into what it is, just look around you. Everything that you see before you now, I transformed it into a shining example, of my progress."
"And indeed, you have Mr. Thorne." One of the lackeys piped up, as the 'cra-crack' of balls were smacked across the pool table.
Blackfire partially looked back, while the white haired kingpin scowled at the man, and he shrugged his shoulders to the other bodyguards loitering about.
"Oh, sorry boss."
With an elegance that Blackfire had never seen before, the older woman strolled over to the bodyguards. "Come on boys, if I remember correctly, Johnny owes me a drink."
A few men who were playing cards on the curved sofa, they turned to notice what was happening and on that cue, the room cleared. Things were interesting before, now everyone was walking on egg-shells.
Everybody was leaving, all but the small man with round glasses in the corner by the monitors. The goons and Candice had walked out of the main office, and a new tension stirred.
As the door closed behind them, Rupert Thorne clasped his hands together in front of him and he stared at the teenager. He was in deep thought, and he was awaiting her to respond with an explanation.
"Like I said." Blackfire glanced about the room, clearly impressed by just witnessing a gesture of this man's power, without saying a word to his men. "You are a man of high esteem, and you already know of my intentions for wanting to come here."
"So then. Make me an offer that I cannot refuse."
The offer, of what? Gold, the ambition of establishing a new foothold on the far side of the country? The accolades of defeating a group of teenage superheroes too high and mighty for themselves? No. There is something deeper, something that he does want. Blackfire thoughts raced faster and faster, as a lingering silence gripped them.
Blackfire took a deep inhaling breath, until she said, "My employer has a multitude of things that he can offer you. For those that went to The Iceberge Lounge earlier tonight, he is offering millions of dollars worth of gold bars, to any that sign onto this venture."
"Go on."
"So now we come to why I am here, and what you would be interested in." she replied as he tapped his fingertips together.
"Gold is a very fine offer, but answer me this." Thorne leaned his right hand against his chin. "Why would I care to uproot myself from this city, MY city- when in all likelihood the risks far outweigh the rewards of your so called 'combined force effort' to head back to Jump City. And all on the whim, of not being paid in the first place?"
He is clever.
"If not for gold, or for the prestige to simply wage a war on a group of local supers, that I couldn't care to get my hands involved with in the first place - what is it then? When there are more than enough do-gooders here in Gotham to keep me preoccupied; then what else are you . . . I mean what is your handler going to be offering me for compensation?"
Rupert Thorne was a man who played things very carefully. He was meticulous, smart, and each of his many businesses both legal and off the books, were controlled and operated with an iron fist. Failure in the stock market kept him hedging his bets, so his losses would be minimal at worst.
"Here is what I understand." The kingpin did not flinch or move a meter as he continued with his rant. "You come into my office, seeking me out for a meeting on behalf of your employer. You are certain of so many things, you were told to go from point A to point B, and everything was laid out to you with such specific details, that now that you find yourself here, yet you cannot bring yourself to offer me something juicier than what you offered Penguin, Two-Face, Black Mask and everybody else?"
Blackfire adjusted the posture in her seat. She felt tiny compared to the kingpin, and with that long-winded explanation, and the positioning of the furniture and objects of the room, these things created shadows about her, and it played tricks on her mind.
"A person once told me, that everybody has a price." Blackfire finally spoke as she glanced up.
"Let me be blunt girl. There is nothing that you have to offer me."
"You still haven't heard me give any offer just yet."
Thorne got up from his revolving chair, and he walked towards the window again. He adjusted his outer jacket, straightening the lower half as he stood.
It seemed as though he had his mind already made up, from the second he realized she was in Gotham. With the pieces on the board, it appeared like there was some other reason why he allowed her to come in.
"There is always something to be gained, even by simply listening. With you being here, it only confirms my convictions." Mr. Thorne went on.
"You're wrong." Blackfire said while she shot out from her seat. "There is something in my employer's hand, that will intrigue you. I never said you had to come and risk anything, however . . . lending your privet aircraft would be all that I require."
He partially turned, with his right eyebrow rising slightly higher than his left. It was the classic 'go-on' expression.
"Now say that you do decide to at least let me borrow your jet, the gold may be an offer that can be divvied out to all those that join, but you are a man of far greater tastes and . . . things. So gold will be given to you just for letting us procure this form of transportation. And then there is more that will be given."
"Well now, this is interesting." The kingpin walked forwards a bit.
"What is being offered, while incredibly low risk on your part by the way, is the opportunity to establish your very foothold out on the west coast. Think about it, an entirely fresh place, untouched by anybody of your ur . . . expertise. By lending your personal aircraft, you have no risk as you can say it was stolen, if we do wind up in a bind. Then, with those that are making this venture from the earlier meeting, we do the heavy lifting to clear out the pesky Teen Titans of Jump City, and then there will be no supers that can get in your way, of you conducting your operations. Unlike here in Gotham, where I hear the problems with bat-like nocturnal creatures have the tendencies to interfere in your world."
"Hmmmm." He stroked his chin as he pondered over this. "Well now, there is something that you have said, that has finally procured my interests."
Blackfire smirked a little, she had come up with this earlier but only now, when she said it out-loud, did she actually like how it sounded.
He walked back over to his desk, placing his hands firmly along the backside of his revolving chair. The tiny mouse-like man, off in the corner with large glasses straightened them, and Blackfire leaned back as the play she made was working.
The finer aspects of how this will work, can be dealt between Slade and him. The Exile mused to herself, with the smirk still present. The main objective was to just get him to agree to lending me his privet jet, to transfer the others back to Jump City.
"This cold and bitter place is filled to the brim with an assortment of people, all fighting to stampede over one another, trying to claw their pathetic ways into the light." said Mr. Thorne in his gruff voice.
"Gotham is a city that has grown and expanded, but the competing factions all serve their own privet interests." The seductive voice from Candice entered back into the conversation, as the door closed behind her.
She walked forwards, her heels clicking against the hard floor.
"Not bad." The chubby crime lord agreed. "I do like the sound of what you are offering, where the risk on my end is entirely low. And all I am putting up in this little operation is my personal jet. Where if things do go sour, it is possible that an interview with the police commissioner will take place, should things become compromised on your end."
"Not to mention James Gordon, and Detectives Bullock with Ramirez also sleuthing about, with the entire Justice Department and the press doing their own digging in recent weeks." Candice said after sliding along a newspaper to her employer across the mahogany desk.
Blackfire could just make out the front page, where the headline read: 'Rupert Thorne Linked With Roland Daggett In Major Collusion Scheme.' Both men's profiles were shown in pictures on the front, and a lengthy box was filled beneath it by a reporter's writing.
These delicate matters were talked about behind closed doors, yet with the most recent discussion of operating in a new city, far from the rumblings that took place in The Iceberg Lounge as new players emerged, this was something of curiosity. And a man of many legal battles, such as Rupert Thorne, he would need a steady source of income to pay for his legal fees, which a court date was coming.
All of Gotham's finest had something to gain; this meeting that started off as plain and uninteresting, now it had suddenly shifted to become something of significance.
"Alright girl, you've got my attention." Rupert Thorne turned and he leaned his back agains the wide desk. "There is something that clearly you can give me after all it would seem."
Blackfire shifted her eyes from Candice, to The Bookkeeper, and lastly back to Rupert Thorne.
Now that he is hooked, I don't want to lose him.
"Thank you." The Tamaranean Exile replied. "And all you had to do was listen to what I had to say."
Thorne revealed a smug grin. "As a businessman that I am, I am always looking for new avenues to build bridges. Not to burn them down."
"Mr. Thorne." Blackfire felt her spirit soar. "I like to think that we can help each other."
(~)
Inside the Common Room, the gathered heroes continued to celebrate the boisterous festivities. In the center, where a dance-floor had emerged from long ago the loud music continued to play.
The lighting and disco ball reflected the spinning glass along the walls, while Delphi and Press had stopped their dancing, to quench their thirst with some of the soda beverages in the kitchen.
Robin was chatting up a storm with Kimiko and Starfire. These three heroes were off by a different corner, and everybody was still having a good time.
Well, everybody except for Terra, who had a crestfallen expression plastered across her face. She had wheeled herself towards the back section of the room, to be isolated.
Things felt so uncomfortable and to be back here, from the last time Beast Boy tried to reintroduce her to The Tower yet now, he was gone.
He probably went after her. Why? Why would he leave me here when he knows how uncomfortable this all is?
It was discombobulating, there was nobody she wanted to talk to.
The blonde just wanted to be back home. To be with her step-parents, to have everyday troubles of a normal teenager. To focus on school assignments, of getting a part-time job to earn some money and build up a resume, to participate in clubs and activities around her community.
Terra knew however, that things were never going to be easy, and since the incident of her betrayal, those few years ago, she was never the same since the day she emerged from the cave.
"So." Starfire's friendly voice caused Terra to be brought back to the world. "While this is um . . . a bit unexpected however, we are all happy to have you back with us."
"Thanks." Terra said in a very nonchalant manner. "But this all feels . . . well I do appreciate your extended kindness towards me. This is not my place to say anything. I don't have a choice in the matter."
The Tamaranean Warrior smiled a most heartwarming smile, as she leaned over the back of the blonde's wheelchair before continuing.
"I have heard that not all those who wander, are lost."
"J.R.R. Tolkien?" Terra was impressed. "Wow Starfire, I didn't peg you to be the one to recite quotes like that."
"Peg . . . peg who?"
Terra smirked a little while she took a sip of her beverage. "Oh, right. Never-mind then."
"Oh, come-on Del!" Press threw his arms up.
"I said no." Delphi scolded him.
These two Squadron Members were in some sort of debate, where their quarrel was not hostile, but it did raise a few questions. For Terra, it was intriguing enough to pull the attention away from her.
"What do you think?" Starfire asked above whisper.
"About them?" Terra shook her cup, spinning the liquid into a vortex as she stared down into the whirling mixture. "I have a theory."
"Oh no, not them. It has been a long time since last you came here." Starfire continued to carry on with the conversation. "I would greatly like to hear, about everything that you have done. Of any adventures that you can tell; I would be most humbled to listen."
"Adventures?" Terra looked into her soda for a long minute, and then she took a sip, emptying her cup. "I'm afraid that there really isn't much to tell. School and debate club mostly. What about you?"
Starfire was giddy with excitement and curiosity, like a small child in elementary school.
"Well, there was the incident with The Brain, and The Brotherhood Of Evil in Paris France. Oh, of course we dealt with many trials since then. We went to Tokyo, there was this fierce struggle with the cursed painter Brushogun . . ." her voice started to trail off, as she went over countless events.
I really did not want to come back here . . . to this place especially. Terra said in her head. I don't know how after everything that has happened, that she, that they . . . could ever want me back in their midsts?
Starfire began to laugh very loudly, and as The Tamaranean Princess slapped the wheelchair, this action brought Terra back into the conversation.
"I uh . . ." Terra replied, "Well Beast Boy told me some of that. I do find it to be rather interesting stuff."
"Oh yes, you and he spent some of the time together in the hospital, before our return trip."
Terra felt her hands clench around the armrests. The kiss they shared was sporadic, and she had to talk with him.
Where is he?
"Terra?" Starfire asked.
"Hmmm?"
"I do not want you to feel disheartened by the past. That the issues of before, are not who you are now."
"Thanks Starfire." The blonde put her empty cup on the nearby table. "I don't really have any stories, or adventures of what has happened since we were last together. I mean, I just-"
"Moved on." Delphi said as she walked over.
Starfire and Terra were each startled by the white haired girl, having cut-into their private conversation.
"Forgive me, who are you again?" Terra asked. "I'm a bit short on all the new faces."
"My name is Delphi. And I can grasp that things with old friends can be, a balancing act to sort through for sure."
Starfire frowned, not saying anything.
"What would you know about it? Eh?" Terra went on the defense, she felt like she was a trapped animal, and this stranger who she had never before met was trying to make a point that in her mind, that she crossed a line.
"I didn't mean to offend you." Delphi raised her hands. "I was merely . . . well, how shall I put this?" she scratched her chin.
"How do you know the Titans anyway?" Terra raced to another question, and she looked to The Tamaranean for confirmation. "Hey Star, did Robin ever mention these guys to you?"
"He did not." The red-head's voice was low, and she clasped her hands by her side.
"That's fair." The slender seventeen-year-old nodded her head before continuing with, "You and The Titans were with Robin for some time, but before then . . . he was in Gotham."
"I see." Terra stroked her chin. "So, there was a falling-out with him and you?"
"Not quiet."
"The Batman." Starfire's voice brought both to look at her. "Forgive me, but Robin made certain that when this um . . . topic is mentioned, he is not very forthcoming with why things between him and his teacher, had ended the way it had."
"I'll bet." Terra smirked as she glanced towards Robin, who was nodding his head as he listened to the red scarf faced ninja, with duel katanas attached to her back.
"Never the less." Starfire continued as they all looked towards The Boy Wonder, prior to resuming focus on one another. "It was in the past, and that is where it shall remain."
"Fair enough."
They were out of ear-range to eavesdrop on their conversation, and while Terra could read lips to a certain degree, the girl had a mask concealing her face, and Robin had yet to respond to Kimiko.
"Friend Delphi." Starfire spoke during this silence, while looking to her boots.
"You want to know how my teammates and I, fit into things more or less?" The grey skinned girl theorized.
More like how Avatar and Robin do. Terra revealed cocky smirk after saying this to herself.
Starfire toyed with her fingers before saying; "Well . . . um, yes."
Delphi moved her drink, and while looking to the vortex as the soda spun and the liquid continued spinning, she sighed. "I thought Robin would have told you guys at least something, but its become apparent that he has yet to do this much even."
"And this surprises you?" Terra asked.
"No, not really." Delphi answered. "See, before our team formed, Robin and Avatar did some work together. Jeez, this goes w-a-a-a-y back. But he was always so stubborn then. Robin, Batgirl . . . the entire Bat-Family. Even Batwoman, and Alfred."
"Batgirl?" Starfire asked.
"E-yeah, so Batwoman took Avatar under her wing, and lo and behold she became her protege' out in the other city across the harbor. Kind of like Batgirl and Robin, as Batman is . . . er . . . was their mentor."
"Oh. I see." Starfire nodded in understanding.
"Those guys had something amazing." Terra replied. "I remember watching some TV footage back when I lived in Texas, and even further back. The Dynamic Duo! But you guys . . . not so much. I didn't realize there was a whole family!"
"Yeah, the news didn't really cover all of us, just bits and pieces; Batman and Robin mostly. See, we did work solo, but we worked best as a group." Delphi smirked after giving her explanation, reminiscing of the times gone by. "See, I was dealing with The Azriel Knights, under tutelage of a man by the name of Constantine. Eventually I ended up meeting Batwoman, and well, Avatar was with her. Constantine and me needed some backup on a mission with a cult . . . and then things just branched off from there."
"A team of your own." Starfire whispered.
"Truly. See, Batman and Robin had Gotham, and Avatar and our gang were focused on Bludhaven"
"Then what happened?" Terra asked.
"Things were amazing. Everything was perfect, but as much as everything may have been going great, and the city was handled a lot better than just The Batman, or Robin with him. The bat-clan began to drift apart."
"Gotham is a very large place." Terra remarked. "A lot of different burrows to cover ground, for even two people."
"Precisely. However, we knew things were changing, in our bones we felt it, between Robin and Batman anyway. Well, it could only stay a certain way for so long."
"Ah. The 'Falling-out' I get that." Terra replied.
"Have you ever-" Starfire cut herself short.
"What?" Delphi questioned.
Starfire glanced back to her beau, the young seventeen-year-old Titans Commander with spiked jet black hair, and a domino mask.
"Forgive me." Starfire found the courage to continue. "You said that there is a 'bat-family,' of sorts? That he and Avatar were close?"
Here it comes. Terra replied in her head.
Delphi blushed before saying, "Bonds can form in difficult times, combat can do that."
"I see." Starfire bowed her head.
Delphi reached over to the Tamaranean Princess, and she placed a hand on her shoulder to soothe the discomfort.
"But you and Robin have something that they never really did. And besides, Avatar is into somebody else."
All of as sudden the doors to the entrance opened, and in walked Avatar with Cyborg.
"We are here because Avatar was asked, and being that she is our leader, naturally we all decided to tag-along. Through thick and thin, it doesn't matter."
"I agree." said Starfire. "Friendships can endure many hardships, and time can heal most rifts."
That last part carried great weight to Terra, and she was humbled by hearing this statement coming from The Tamaranean.
(~)
The impressive skyline of Jump City was a mesmerizing view at most hours of the day. Now that the late afternoon was turning to night, other aspect of the city were creeping in.
It was a very refreshing evening, as the swift ocean breeze caused the scattered trees around the famous island to sway. A flock of white plume colored gulls squawked, as they circled overhead. There were five of them, gliding on the current of air as they kept overhead, scanning the beaches for any scraps of food by beachgoers.
The setting sun's rays sparkled across the surface of the water, while the cold dark of night began to become more prominent. Meanwhile, all across the Californian city, lights were gradually turning on.
Jump City with all of its many flaws and strifes that she and her teammates had to battle, in an effort to maintain order, this was a rather comforting destination to live in. It was their home for a couple of years now, and like any city dweller, there was always more to do and experience than just taking a tour of the common landmarks spread across the bay city.
Since her departure from the party and in her solitude now, it was what mattered most to her. She needed this, more than the first session of the yoga-like trance the instant she came back from the mission in the sewer.
Raven was meditating in the lotus position, her hands were resting upon her knees and her fingertips were touching. She was in very deep thought as she sat outside on the uppermost level of Titans Tower.
She could hear the waves splashing along the shore to then pull back, the delicate feeling of a gust of air blew through her cloak, and the soft inhale and then exhale of her breathing, cancelled all other distractions.
She was thinking about everything, of the eventful battle that she took part in through the nightmarish, disgusting maze-like sewer. Her heart beat a little faster while the fear of not surviving, and the strange white skinned shape-shifting creature was met once again.
Raven's thoughts then drifted to the celebration that was still taking place down below, and the time since they had returned from Tokyo. The Empath decided to find her center, and to concentrate on solving the underlying dilemma to so many of her problems.
Raven was faced with the heart-crushing obstacle, now that Terra was going to be staying at Titans Tower for an unspecified number of days, or even weeks, things were going to be very unpredictable. A great conflict was unraveling, and she was just praying to maintain her emotions, without losing control.
Through all of the issues that could be pondered, she was still in the dark about why Terra was even at the dam to begin with?
It was unlikely that the blonde girl had gone to this place on her own accord, and why would she want to be found? These were but a few of the questions, that were being dissected very thoroughly.
The blue cloaked Empath desired nothing more, than to speak privately with Beast Boy, where any words which she might have considered were lost in the frustration.
The Geomancer's betrayal that night long ago, that treachery had overpowered everything else. Today, Raven was lost in the past, thinking about this dastardly act, and the rage and resentment which had resurfaced all at once and had forced her to leave.
She cringed. No, not there. I must look beyond that.
Everything was working against Raven, and she did not even have the support of her friends, to sway any of them into at least grasping what Terra had done. They all seemed to have moved on.
What can I do? she thought as she slowly opened her eyes.
She was upset, enraged that she had the perfect opportunity yet it was spoiled back in the hospital. Then, it was once again interrupted when she was back home, for Terra to emerge as the gifts were being presented.
The momentum she had taken so long to find within herself, it was stalled to the point that she did not know if it could really catch. This feeling was like when an engine to a car could not turn over, and the battery was dead. The key would be in the ignition, yet the spark to spin the motor would not ignite.
How many times must I go through this?
She arched her head, observing the mighty ship that The Titan Squadron members utilized.
The design was very similar with The T-Ship. The wings were arched backwards like a hawk in a nose dive, while the thruster turbine engines were underneath both wings. These components were of the exact same dimension as her team's proud aircraft, and it looked like a carbon copy.
The multiple cockpits for each member of the team rested on the top, where the main difference between this vessel from the theirs, was that this vehicle was black with three red stripes going down the middle. The T-Ship was a solid orange color.
"How much longer?" Raven asked out-loud. "When . . . when can I tell him?"
She sighed, and she shut her eyes to stop any tears from forming. It was painful, and the continued delays were making her doubt if she would ever have the chance to say what she wanted, what she really needed to explain.
The soothing rays of the setting sun brought a spectrum of color that only occurred at this late hour. The day was finally ending, and the night was just about to descend; as countless more glows from the multiple windows, started to shine across the bay.
She took a few deep and powerful breaths, in and then out for the meditation trances she would practice so often. She felt her entire body shake a little as she exhaled.
Can I tell him in the morning? Raven thought while she scrunched her eyes closed. I know that things have gotten complicated, but . . . but I feel something has changed. I know that it has.
The stunning goth-girl took a long and deep exhale, emptying her lungs, to calm her nerves. She had blocked out the noise coming from down below, the thumping of rhythmic music which Cyborg had cranked to very loud decibels.
The Titans were home, and now was the desired opportunity to relax. In a few hours everything could change, but that was the way the life of a superhero went.
For Raven, it was going to be an all-nighter. Contemplating every little thing that had happened, and how she was finding the ground sinking below her; where she was uncertain of what would happen next.
A thing that she thought of as the tide crashed into the beach, was how life was like the curling waves, being controlled by the moon and outside forces too magnificent to halt. Everything was so vast and she was so small, so incapable to do anything to push back against what she was being drawn towards.
Raven felt this very pull, as the shadow of Trigon overlapped her every move. Thankfully, that horrible threat was gone; that darkness and trial had been overcome. Now, a new struggle that she had avoided for a long time because of fear, it was directly in front of her.
She had been putting it to the side, afraid of what could happen and unsure of what might change. It was during this exercise that the green hero's typical smug smile, had suddenly flashed across her thoughts. Even now, Beast Boy was with her.
She resisted it, Raven bravely fought it at first. The Sorceress had been against any notion of what this 'feeling' might be, but then she started to blush after dwelling on his uplifting and playful mannerisms.
There were many traits of to Beast Boy, qualities that she often found so aggravating, unintelligent and dull, and yet intriguing at the same time. There was no other person on earth that could be so oblivious to what she found comical, or interesting, and be a complete polar opposite to her, in every facet of the term and yet, at the same time be somebody that she found a deep bond with.
Beast Boy was a person who had done so much for her, because he wanted to. The changeling cared for her, and he was more than a friend. This resilience in the connection they shared, now it was strengthened because of the mind-link they had experienced.
"Beast Boy." she whispered his name, and while she re-opened her eyes, her violet hair was blown by the wind.
To fight against the connection that he had for her, it was futile. It had become unbreakable to rid herself from this deep attachment, this bond that only felt like the planets were being pulled around the sun in orbit.
For Raven this emotion was unheard of, and a seemingly impossible task. But she had done the impossible before.
"I just . . ." she paused, tears formed and she felt so certain over the doubts and conflict. "Just give me one chance to talk to him. To be alone with him."
She had given Beast Boy her present, a very expensive wristwatch with his initials engraved on the back. The downtrodden mood had been uplifted to jubilation and cheer, where she wanted something that neither of them had before.
Perhaps it is selfish, or wrong? But I have to try. For both of our sakes.
After mulling through this, like a pesky cat uncertain of going outside or staying in, she lowered herself to the ground. Her cloak fluttered about her legs, and the smooth texture of her attire brought her warmth, in the steadily increasing cold evening.
"Why is she back? This is all wrong." Raven was standing and she clenched her hands by her hips. As she frowned, she was looking directly at the setting sun where it was almost symbolic of the hope she had, fading within herself but still giving off such a captivating glow across the water. "She should be at the hospital, and not here with us."
The door was heard sliding open on the roof. Raven partially turned, and she revealed her nonchalant frown.
"You don't have to say it." Raven said to the person coming forwards, not looking at them.
Stripe her cat walked past her, and she knelt down and began to pet the middle spot on his head. It was the favorite place right between his pointy ears, that he swung his tail back and forth as he purred.
"You don't have to say anything." she concluded.
A shadow in a wheelchair expanded to her. There were only two people in The Tower that it could be, and Terra would never dare approach her, at least not alone.
"Beast Boy?" Raven asked as her voice quivered a little.
He cleared his throat, and the words he wanted to say were still stuck. It took him a moment to formulate his sentence.
"Um . . . I know you have to meditate and I will only be a minute." The changeling finally spoke up.
Raven smirked and she tilted her head before continuing to speak; "We both know that I'm not one for parties. You on the other hand, should be enjoying the celebration with the others. It is your birthday after all."
"Raven." Beast Boy suddenly stopped, while he glanced to the floor.
"You know, Starfire went through a lot to decorate the room."
"You helped."
"I just did my part."
He moved closer. "You did more than that."
". . ." she lightly blushed, unable to respond.
"It's not really a party," he sighed, "because you aren't there."
Raven gently exhaled through her nose. Behind them on the landing pad, the massive ship was a way to break the ice, and Raven felt perhaps the stars were aligning just right.
"You really came back in this thing?" she asked, ignoring the question.
The green spiky-haired teenager bit his lip, prior to turning at the airship saying, "Yeah."
The blue cloaked girl nodded in silent admiration, as she reached out and touched the underbelly of the impressive vehicle.
"A formidable ship indeed." Raven tapped her fingers against the metal frame a few times, while walking beneath it.
Beast Boy rubbed the back of his neck, in anticipation of what he wanted to say. "Delphi said, that they had a few friends in high places. People to help them with cool gadgets like this."
"Hmmmm."
There was another uneasy quiet that fell between these two. The crickets began to chirp, and the rhythmic sloshing of the surf across the various sections around their island, rippled in and then out.
Beast Boy nodded his head with a large smile, his white fang was protruding as it tended to do, while Raven's expression was like the perfect poker player. Any flashes of a smirk were all but erased on her part.
Very deep down inside of her, she was very pleased. Despite her best efforts to hide what she was feeling, Beast Boy was detecting something about her, about the coming night and he did not want to spoil this moment.
Okay Rae, I'm here. Now I know this is hard, but can you please just try to open up to me? The changeling's rasping voice rattled inside his skull.
Raven was the first to walk to the ledge, and Beast Boy simply looked-on. The two were peering away from their home, looking past The Bay Bridge and beyond, into the unknown reaches across the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.
"It really is something." Raven said. "I must have looked out across this bay, hundreds if not thousands of times and every instance, well . . . there is something truly beautiful about it. Every new time that I look out to the sea, I am reminded of so much that finally makes sense."
The sparkling shimmer across the water's rolling waves, this reminded her of their return journey from Tokyo. So much had transpired since then, and the moment was humbling.
He wheeled himself closer to her, and she did not budge. It was just the two of them, alone.
They were side by side, and the fresh outdoor atmosphere was so much more refreshing, than that of the recycled air within the hospital. The salty ocean scent was powerful, intoxicating almost.
With Beast Boy's animalistic abilities, he was able to pick up on many subtle things that the others ignored. He was feeling that right now, something was going on between she and him.
For good measure, Raven flashed a glance over her right shoulder, to be certain that nobody had followed him, or was eavesdropping on their moment.
"It's just me." he responded while looking directly at her, and she turned to face him.
"Why are you-"
"I can see why you like it up here." Beast Boy cleared his throat, cutting her off. "Away from all of the distractions, the noise and stuff inside the Tower. Plus, you can't beat the view!"
Raven raised an eyebrow, and she noticed that he was wearing the watch she had given him. Her heart began to beat in much more rapid intervals, and all the possibilities of what she wanted to say, sped through her mind like a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun.
Perhaps . . . perhaps this can work after all?
"I mean, we live here and there are so many places we have as our own secluded areas, but this . . . this is something truly special." Beast Boy continued talking as his eyes widened.
He began to fidget with the wristwatch that was clasped over his left hand. His right arm was in the bulky cast, where the plaster was starting to irritate him. Across his lap, a thick red blanket was wrapped over him, as his left leg was also concealed and propped up.
The injuries he sustained at the dam were beyond awful. Raven was mourning this, and how he was unable to be standing with her. It was not easy to look at his suffering.
With his shapeshifting powers, she figured that he could transform into a lizard, or a starfish. Then, after utilizing this creature's healing abilities, when it lost an appendage such as a tail, it could grow a new one in its place.
Raven's thinking on this would be, that Beast Boy could somehow manipulate that ability, to heal his own injuries. As optimistic that this might sound, bullet holes and broken bones were wounds of a drastically different caliber. It was a painful matter, something that Raven was not entirely confident could work in a similar fashion. Yet it was something worth mentioning.
"You . . . you saved me Raven."
"What?"
"At the dam. I wouldn't be here today if you hadn't gotten to me when you did."
"Beast Boy, you don't have to thank me for that. And besides, you rescued me when we were back from Tokyo, chasing after Mumbo on the rooftops. I wouldn't be here now, if it were not for you."
"It's more than that." Beast Boy glanced away to build up his courage. The memory of The Beast taking over caused him to tremble a little. "You got me and Terra out of that mess, and . . . and I know that you don't want to hear it, that there is so much conflict on that subject, but there is a history between us."
Raven looked away, a pang was felt through her heart and she became tense. "Beast Boy-"
"Please, just hear me out."
As she looked back, the red blanket brought the unexpected reminder, of the previous crimson cloaked drifter. It cut into her sliver of happiness with deeper confusion. Raven trembled a little, as Falcon's face flashed across her memory.
It still felt strange to not have really gotten to know him, and then to have no funeral service was also an uneasy topic. Perhaps they could do something to commemorate his passing?
"You-" she halted while turning away. This was not what she wanted, she had to concentrate on what she really wanted to tell Beast Boy. "You came up here to talk with me?"
He nodded. "Of course Rae."
"Please. Don't call me that."
"Oh, uh, my bad."
She breathed in to recalibrate the situation. She had told him countless times since they first became a team, that she strongly disliked that nickname, and countless times he forgot. He tended to call her many nicknames, where this was one of a handful that he called her.
Raven looked to her boots before saying, "I know you mean well, and I am glad that you are here with me."
Beast Boy tilted his head upwards and to the right.
"Raven, I know that Terra is an issue, and that is part of things . . . sure. What happened with you guys at the bank vault, it must not have been easy."
She bowed her head, as the ire that grew hot within her blood was somewhat cooled. The mentioning of the previous sixth Titan was all it took to stir up trouble, and Beast Boy was trying his best to not cause her to run away like before.
Beast Boy sighed, he had to press forwards or things could be worse. "But that is not why I am here. Not entirely anyway."
"It was hard. I mean, Robin told you downstairs about what we went through, right?"
He reached out and with his free hand, he felt his fingertips touch hers. "Yes."
"You have risked more than - wait-" she stopped herself quickly. "What did you say?"
"I came . . ." Beast Boy was puzzled and he shifted his arm like a broken wing. "Well Raven, I know that things are always harder than they aught to be. Avatar explained how you and Robin were cornered and . . . well, it doesn't matter. You guys made it, and that ordeal is done."
She turned away before saying, "You and I have known each other for a long time."
"That's for sure." he smiled a more comforting grin.
Raven turned to face him again while saying, "and I want you to know, that I am understanding of the difficulties that you have had to overcome. That we all have, it's just . . ."
"Raven, I'm not the only one. You have gone through so much too."
She clenched at her elbow with her free hand. No, this is not supposed to be about me.
Her head was bowed in sorrow and then she raised her neck, to focus on him once more. The flashes of The Prophecy caused her to feel so alone, and she was was nervous.
Raven smiled and said, "Beast Boy, you have always been the cheerful and hopeful one out of all of us. While I admit that I don't like your jokes-"
"Hey!" He rasped and then smirked. "Just because of that, I know I will try harder."
She chuckled a little before saying, "Yet you still keep things distant from everyone." she swallowed a bit of saliva, and her hand clenched tightly against her wrist. "I myself know that feeling. That desire of wanting to keep the others at bay, so you don't hurt them. It is like a shadow of grief, clinging to every step that you take."
"From what I went through during my time with The Doom Patrol, and the stuff that has happened between us, well . . . I feel like there is a burden. A doubt following me that I just can't get rid of."
"I never wanted to take you away from your party."
"You didn't. Come on, let's go back and-"
"Beast Boy, there is something I have been trying to talk to you about."
He paused, this was getting interesting. He was steadily more intrigued than he expected.
She came up here to clear her head over the issue with Terra. Right? He said to himself before saying outloud, "What's on your mind?"
"You've changed. We all have."
Beast Boy was startled by this, and he noticed the grey girl bite her lower lip. Things about her ever-so-serious expression remained firm and yet, little elements about her were starting to chip away.
Raven blinked her eyes before looking out to the sea, to continue speaking in her soothing voice. It always brought a calmness to things. That gentle rolling rasp in her pitch, and he was hooked on her every word. "Things are not entirely the same. Then again, nothing remains the way from before, as change is constant in all parts of life. That includes people, and those around us."
Is this what my guide told me about, in that meadow? About the test? Beast Boy thought before saying out-loud, "Something . . . something is different."
"There is more, and I need to be honest with you. I need to be honest with myself."
"I can sense these things. I've got animal instincts, remember?" he said with a light laugh. "I know that things are difficult, that this . . . Raven I came up here because I am your friend. That you have done so much for me and I am still messing this up."
"Beast Boy-"
"I'm not trying to play games here Raven. And I take it that you want to get down to something. Something that has been bottled up for a long, long time." The changeling fidgeted with the watch she had given him. "You and me go way back. We have gone through things, the entire team has but I . . . we have overcome."
Another captivating silence gripped them.
Raven shifted her fingers from her wrist then she reached down to his cast, and then she inched her fingers to his shoulder. Her touch soothed him greatly.
I have to tell him. She scolded herself. If not now, it may never happen.
"It . . . it's so much more." Raven answered, and her voice trembled a little as the next words that came out, were a true test of her willpower. "I have been thinking about this for a long time, about that test that the chaperone told me about too. About its deeper meaning and I think I get it."
There was a conviction in her gravelly voice, and the two looked from the ever lowering sun, into each-other's eyes.
Through his mind, the many obstacles and boundaries were everywhere. They made him feel weak, foolish, and as the kiss Terra and he had shared at the hospital, this moment was still carrying a substantial pull on him. Now that he was with Raven, there was something else that was shifting just below the surface.
He felt like he was being dragged deeply into the ocean, his breathing quickened, and he felt a jolt of anticipation and fear hit his very core.
"Beast Boy." Raven felt that now was the time, and she took a deep breath. "I know that I have been hard on you, and that there are so many reasons as to how you get on my nerves, and why-"
"It's okay." he smiled. "Come on, think of the situation like a hermit crab. Eventually, the little guy leaves his shell for a new one, and things that were hard become steadily easier. Or . . . no that was a bad metaphor."
Raven contemplated with his choice of words during this silence, before continuing with; "You always do that."
"Awww Rae, come on." He blushed while scratching the back of his neck. "You know that me telling jokes is just how I am."
She lightly groaned at his remark. "Beast Boy, there is more than our obvious differences, in what I see. And I have to tell you now, there is . . . that there has always been something that I do appreciate."
"Yeah?"
"There is something. Something I have been avoiding. A thing that I did not want to understand, or wish to dig for answers for the longest time because I - I felt like it was not supposed to happen. That it couldn't."
"I mean, we did that mind-link thing way back when, and I mean, is that what you are getting at? That you think it's getting stronger?"
"There is something we both want to better understand. And I am only finding myself running in circles with this. I need to say this, and I don't know how you feel."
His pointy ears immediately twitched, and he blushed.
Raven glanced to her feet, and she honed into the strength of all her courage before finishing her sentence."I am coming to the realization that some things, no matter how all the pieces are scattered, or the reasons that would make so much more sense to avoid it . . . it just hit me. Do, do you know what I am trying to say?"
Beast Boy leaned back in his chair, he felt her fingers massage his shoulder and as the two Titans waited in silence he replied, "I - I think so."
Raven turned and said, "This is all so crazy, but I do believe that everything happens for a reason. And that maybe all the things from before, that everything happened for a purpose. That I was not ready to come to terms with what is right in front of me. What has been in front of me this entire time."
"I am uncertain of so many things too." Beast Boy became very serious. "But what I am very thankful for, is in knowing how close we have gotten. The team is always there, but what you and me have - that is something truly special."
She smiled with her eyes closed, as she soaked in this moment.
A gust of wind swept across the surface of Titans Tower, and for an instant the sudden chill that caused both parties to shiver, it was not fully brought on from the outdoor weather.
"Do you-" they each said at the same time, and they suddenly stopped.
"I'm sorry." she managed to say.
"No, please Raven. You first."
"Beast Boy." The sorceress took a breath. "I care about you."
"I care about you too Raven."
"And you know that I struggle when it comes to being a certain way towards others. Especially when it comes to people that I consider my friends."
He gulped. "I mean, I've got green skin, pointy ears and I look like I don't belong anywhere, where some would consider me a freak and-"
"You are NOT a freak." she scolded him, and her suddenly changed tone caused him to become startled. "You saying that . . . how do you think it makes me feel? If you think others see that about you, what do you think the general public sees in me?"
"Ah, Ra-ven . . . you are totally not in that category. You're . . . you are . . ."
"What? A girl with a bad attitude. A troubled teenager. A girl born of darkness and evil?"
"Out of my league." He slumped down in his chair after saying this.
"You are being too critical of yourself." The Empath spoke.
"You can be too though."
"I don't know how else to say it . . . and I have pondered and thought a very long time over this, but I still struggle." rasped Raven.
He was starting to suspect what this was about, and it was something incredible. It was a thing that he did not know how to describe, the feeling was expanding over all of his other emotions, and his heart began to race.
Words could be difficult to articulate for anybody when it comes to expressing ones own emotions. Raven was an Empath that had to constantly keep hers in check, and this immediate awareness brought a warmth from his heart towards hers.
"It was when I almost . . . well, nobody really knows how much time they have." she breathed in. "It was a struggle of many things, and you are right. It is behind us what happened today, but I have not forgotten it."
Part of his happiness was clouded with what had unraveled at the hospital, between Terra and himself. Suddenly it flooded within him, as Raven struggled with words that he was beginning to piece together, and a part of him knew deep down what this topic was about.
It was why he decided to come up here alone and away from their friends, and why he needed to be with her.
The rolling waves curling and sloshing against the rocks, this natural element brought him back to their conversation. He did not know where to go from here, but he was feeling a pull that he wanted to express in some other form rather than words, and he had to be sure if this was real.
"Raven, I consider you one of the my closest friends I have ever had. I mean, Robin was always so . . . well you know how Robin is. Cyborg is like a brother. And Starfire I always felt, was like an older sister."
"Yes. Where with us . . ." she felt her heart thumping very rapidly now. "With us, there is something - more."
His hand had clasped around hers, and the two patiently waited.
"We are pretty close." the changeling nodded. "Closer than we have been . . . ever since the beginning."
"Beast Boy. I um . . . I may have not known before. I was afraid of well, I guess I did not want to know. It was all so hectic with the struggles, and the emergencies and everything happening. All the incidents continued to foul things up, but now that things are more clear, that things are at a certain place for the two of us . . . well I . . . I-"
"It's okay Raven."
"Why is this so hard? I mean . . . we never thought-"
"Yet here we are." Beast Boy smiled his usual charming grin.
She knew what she wanted to say, they both were finally grasping what it was, but Raven could still not say it. It was hung-up in her throat, and as she finally built up the confidence she stalled.
Raven felt her cheeks grow warm, and she just waited. Beast Boy remained locked onto her, and he was captivated beyond anything else. He was entirely fixated with her beauty, of all the features about her and he felt surprisingly confident.
Through all the doubts and frustration, the confusion and bitter fights that had transpired over the years, something unique had finally awoken. Something amazing had blossomed from within the changeling and the Empath right now.
He had forgotten about the party, the past, his fumbling words. He simply wanted to be here with her. All other distractions were lost, as he allowed himself to feel this moment now.
She brushed a few strands of hair that dangled across her left eye back. The Enchantress finally turned and looked into his captivating green eyes.
"Beast Boy-"
Without any warning or saying another word, the injured young man leaned forwards and he pressed his lips against hers!
The passionate desire to kiss, this had been building for the longest time. In a hurried state of so many thoughts and conflicts, all that The changeling could rationalize was to surprise her. For him, trying to say anything only muddied the waters further.
Raven was totally baffled, she wanted to tell him just how she felt where he interrupted her, and the rather masculine manner was nothing she thought he would try on her. His sharp fang gently brushed against her lower lip, as the two were now enveloped in a tight embrace.
She reached for his chest and instead of pushing him away, she dug her fingers into his shirt.
After so many adventures, intricate ups and downs in their friendship, despite the incredible odds and differences between them, they both felt a strange elation wash away their fears and doubts. They had crossed a new threshold, it was an overpowering and joyful one at that.
The warmth of the setting sun glistened across their backs, while an even warmer glow was felt in Raven's heart.
{{End Of Scene}}
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Author's Note:
So, after thirty-two chapters in, we finally get to have a moment that many in the community have wanted to see happen for the longest time, between Beast Boy and Raven. How was that? I can already hear the rage being directed at me. (It took you long enough T.M.O!) {X-D Through it all, I think it allowed these iconic characters to build into a deeper bond; and this way, they can expand even further from here.
Beast Boy and Raven are finally admitting something between them, while it would seem other elements of this story are beginning to converge as well. With one issue resolved, another one is brought forwards for the brave heroes. There is still so much more of a story to be told, and I am deeply humbled by any and all support and encouragement, that you the fans send my way. Thank-You.
~~T.M.O~~