Fan Fiction ❯ Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, For You ❯ Heated Romance and Burning Towers ( Chapter 34 )

Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, For You

 

Chapter Thirty-Four

“Heated Romance and Burning Towers”

 

A/N: This one shall be dedicated to two people: a-1991 and GizmoBunny. Both of them are new readers, and they were nice enough to read this story even though its become REALLY long, and they were even nicer to review it. So thank you both. Also, a note on the Sagas of this story. Chapter 01-20 are the “Tamaran Saga”, Chapters 21-34 are the “Gotham Saga”, which means this is the final chapter of the second saga. The third saga, the “Jump City Saga”, will be beginning in chapter 35 and will last . . . a while. This next saga will have two main villains (whose identities I shalln't reveal, haha!) and it will introduce the Cyborg love triangle I talked about. After that we'll move onto the fourth and final saga in the story - but I'm not giving out ANY details about that yet. Anyway, this chapter has a lot of stuff for the BB/Rae fans, and a scene I KNOW the Rob/Star fans will enjoy. -wink, wink- So I'll Shuddap now and let you read.

 

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

 

“Things could not be better.”

 

Magus and Slade were on the move. The dark demon and the malicious mercenary had boarded a train that went from Gotham City to Steel City, and then finally to Jump City. Magus could have used his powers to transport them to their final destination instantly; but he decided not too. If he used his demonic powers then Raven could sense him and find them and he did not want that, not yet anyway. Soon he would be laying down his trap to destroy his half-sister forever, but he didn't need her interfering in the planning stages.

 

“Arella is dead and we have the Fist of Azarath.” Magus grinned, holding the golden glove in his right hand. He hadn't put it down once since he'd stolen it from the floor of Wayne Manor.

 

“And that glove contains all of Trigon's powers?” Slade asked, very curious in this detail.

“Oh yes. Not just Trigon; but Azarock and Sadira as well. It will be key to our victory, Slade.” Magus explained. “Anyone wearing this glove can unleash a nightmare more horrific than the very chasms of hell itself. We could not have hoped for a better weapon.”

“So when are you going to give it to me?” Slade asked, raising his eyebrow. Magus's pale face went even paler at this comment, and the demonic son of Trigon the Terrible narrowed his eyes in distaste.

“What do you mean `give it to you'? Who says I'm going too?” Magus played it cool, but Slade could see right through it.

 

“You broke me out of prison for a reason.” Slade explained. “And since you've stolen that `perfect weapon', you haven't put it on. In addition, Arella gave it to Robin and not Raven. That's enough for me to put two and two together; a demon can't wield that glove, can they? Only a mortal can use it. That's why you need me.”

 

Magus laughed amused. “Damn, you are good. You're right; demons cannot use this glove's power. That's why I need you.”

 

Slade smiled to himself. The prospect of getting a glove filled with all of Trigon's demonic powers was wonderful, but he was no fool. He remembered what had happened to Robin when he overused the gloves powers. “And what is to stop Trigon from possessing me? I don't think he'll be too happy with you Magus, and once he's in control of my body he's sure to kill you.”

 

Magus chuckled once more. “I've already planned on that. Luckily I have something for you that Arella did not have for Robin.” He reached beneath his cape and extracted a medallion. It was round and made of silver. On the front was the Mark of Skat, and two silver snakes had been carved onto the sides, their tails intertwined at the bottom, their bodies running along either side, and their heads open baring their fangs at one another on top.

“Very gothic.” Slade sarcastically commented.

“It will give you total control over the glove. It will keep Trigon from possessing you and it will grant you command over all the powers of the glove. You can use it in a way Robin couldn't even dream of.” Magus explained.

 

“Excellent.” Slade extended his hand and Magus handed him the medallion. Slade unhooked the chain and then placed the medallion around his neck. Once it was tied in place he looked down at the new fashion statement that hung down to his chest with glee in his eye. “Now the glove.”

 

Magus hesitated at first, but handed the golden glove over. Slade removed his own black glove that covered his right hand and replaced it with the jewel-encrusted Fist of Azarath. The moment it slipped over his fingers, he could feel the powers of demons entering his body. Slade gasped happily at the feeling of unlimited dark energies; and his face broke into a pleasurable smile at the knowledge that he could control it fully.

 

“Now to go over the plan.” Magus indicated, turning away from Slade and gazing out the train window at the countryside. They had their own private compartment on the train, so they could carry out all of their business without the interruption of the other passengers.

 

“Don't bother, I already have a plan.” Slade replied. Magus turned on his human-counterpart with angry eyes.

 

“I'm the one in charge, don't forget it.” Magus snapped in a warning voice.

 

“Not anymore.” Slade replied. “The glove is hungry for more demon souls; and there's only one demon around here.”

 

Magus's eyes widened in a combination of anger and fear; surely, Slade was not suggesting what it sounded like? Magus reached down to his belt and removed the large curved blade he carried with him, but Slade was too fast. He squeezed his fist and the gem on the back of the glove transformed into a black garnet - the demonic energy-absorbing gem.

 

“You bastard!” Magus yelled, charging forward. “We had a deal!”

Magus swung his blade, but Slade sidestepped and avoided it. The expert mercenary aimed a kick and caught Magus in the back of the head, knocking the demon forward into the wall. Before Magus could recover, Slade balled up his fist and fired a beam of black light onto Magus; who was quickly engulfed by the aura from head to toe.

 

“You'd think a demon of all people who know not to make a deal with the devil.” Slade replied with a sadistic grin on his face. “I'm sorry Magus; but I work alone. You're much more useful to me as fodder for my new toy.”

Magus screamed, cursed and struggled; but in the end it did him no good. He collapsed down to his knees and his soul-self and all of his demon powers were sucked from his body and flew into the glove. The black light disappeared and the limp body of Magus fell over onto its side, now soulless and useless. Slade flexed his fingers beneath the new glove.

 

“Next stop, Steel City. I repeat, next stop, Steel City.” The conductor's voice called over the intercom system.

 

Slade's mouth twitched into a grin. “Excellent. That gives me the perfect idea on who I can test my new toy out on.”

 

Slade left Magus's soulless body on the train in their private compartment and made his way to the double-doors on the side. As the train came to a halt in Steel City's station, Slade looked out the window and in the distance he could just barley make out the outline of his target. He grinned sadistically at the very idea of what would happen next. This should send a message to the Teen Titans, a very loud, very clear message.

 

 

----

 

Raven was alone.

 

She was sitting on her bed, in the spare bedroom she was staying in at Wayne Manor. After the incident in the kitchen with Arella had ended Raven had come up here, locked the door, and sat on the edge of her bed in complete darkness. She didn't bother to turn on the lights, or light any candles. She wanted everything pitch black so that she couldn't see the tears as they fell from her eyes.

 

Raven did not cry. It wasn't part of her personality. She also did not consider Arella a real mother; since she'd hardly ever acted like one in Raven's entire eighteen years of life. Those were just plain simple facts about Raven.

 

And those facts didn't matter anymore.

 

The truth was, Arella was her mother. She hadn't always been a good one, and Raven had not always treated her like one; but that did not change a thing. What hurt Raven the most was not the fact that her mother had died - it was when she died. Raven had for the first time in her life began to get along with her mother. She began to think of Arella as a mother, rather than just an acquaintance. She had begun to love Arella.

 

She had loved Arella. For the first time in her life, Raven understood that and was willing to admit it - and now it was too late. Arella was dead; her life given up so that Raven and Starfire could continue their own. Raven sniffed hard and wiped her face on the blanket. She was sobbing like a child; something she had never done before. It was amazing to her that anyone could have this kind of effect on her, and least of all Arella. She had been wrong all these years. She knew that now. She realized that Arella had loved her more than anything or anyone else, and she hated the fact that it took her so long, and circumstances like this, to understand that.

 

“Damn you mother.” Raven hissed in the darkness. “Why? Why did you do this?”

 

Raven lowered her head again, overwhelming by sadness like she'd never felt before. Part of her was happy she was reacting this way. It meant that she really did love Arella - and it showed just how human she was by reacting in such a manner. Still, even with the thin silver lining, this was one dark cloud in her life she hated with a passion. She couldn't believe how much pain Trigon was able to inflict in her life - even after his death.

 

“Rae?”

 

Raven's heart skipped a beat and she lifted her tear-stained face towards the door. That was Beast Boy's voice, of course. The green teen was undoubtedly standing just outside the bedroom door with that compassionate worried look spread across his face. She knew that look well, since he'd worn it around her a lot since they started dating. She was grateful to him. She was grateful she had him now, and she was grateful she'd already been through so much with him. However, this was one time when she sincerely wanted to be left alone by all of her friends, even Beast Boy.

 

“Not right now.” Raven called back, her voice cracking and high pitched.

 

“Rae, please open the door.” Beast Boy's voice, obviously flooding over with concern, washed through the wooden barrier.

 

“I need to be alone Beast Boy.” Raven repeated, her voice taking on a sharp edge.

 

“No, you want to be alone. You need to open the door and let me in.” Beast Boy replied, his voice taking on a masculine tone of toughness that really didn't suit him at all.

 

“Go away.” Raven warned one final time. She wasn't in the mood for this, not right now, and she could feel anger boiling up to the surface. The last thing she wanted to do was fight with her boyfriend tonight; but that appeared unavoidable at this point.

 

“I'm not leaving you alone Rae. Not tonight. Not after what happened.” Beast Boy stubbornly said. “Now open the door.”

 

Beast Boy could hear the sound of glass shattering from inside the room, and he was sure one of the light bulbs had exploded because of Raven's temper. He didn't care, though. Someone had once said that love makes men do crazy things, and in this case, that is true. Disobeying Raven's request to leave her alone was probably the craziest thing Beast Boy could possible do, but he did it. Beast Boy went so far that not only did he not leave; he actually transformed himself into an ant and crawled under the space under the door.

 

Raven could feel him enter the room, being a telepath. She didn't bother to look up from where she sat on the bed. She could hear him transform back into his human shape and slowly approach the bed, and she felt the mattress sink down as he sat next to her. She felt the warmth of his arm as it wrapped itself around her shoulder. Raven was tired of arguing, and drained from what had happened, so she allowed herself to be pulled into a hug against his chest.

She forced herself to stop crying at this point. It wasn't like her to cry at all, but she'd be damned if she'd do it in front of anyone. Not again like she had in the kitchen. Beast Boy didn't seem to notice this, though. Her merely held her tighter against his chest and brushed her hair softly for a minute. Arella's final words were still ringing in his ears.

 

She wanted him to be good to her daughter. Beast Boy was only too happy to comply with that request. He never knew the details about Raven or her relationship with her mother - but he did know Arella must have loved her daughter a lot to do what she did. It made him think about his childhood, and his own mother. Beast Boy's parents had been researchers who'd traveled overseas to Africa, and brought their tiny blond baby boy with them. Unfortunately, for Mr. and Mrs. Logan, their young son had come down with a rare jungle disease that was fatal to humans, though harmless to animals.

 

It was this revelation that caused Mr. and Mrs. Logan, who just happened to be genetic scientists, to experiment on young Garfield's body. They injected him with animal DNA, changing his entire chemical structure. The result was green hair and skin; and a future career as a superhero. Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Logan died not long after that, and Garfield was made an orphan. Now Raven was an orphan too; and he knew how painful that was. He wanted to help her, he wanted to comfort her and he would not let anyone stop him; not even Raven herself.

 

After all, he did tell the dying Arella that he'd be good to her daughter.

 

“Rae, I know it hurts.” Beast Boy whispered quietly.

“Beast Boy, if you want to stay here you may. If you want to hold me, you may. But understand me very clearly when I say I don't want to talk about it, do you understand?” Raven asked him, her voice was as cold as ice and as sharp as a knife.

 

“Okay Rae.” Beast Boy decided it was best not to argue with her. Not tonight, she was far too upset for an argument. Instead, he started to rub her back softly, and as he did so, he leaned his head down so that his cheek was resting against the top of her head. Raven didn't struggle against him, instead she tried to find some comfort in his annoying persistence. She could tell he really cared about her. Why else would he do so much for her?

And Arella had seen that too, Raven realized. Arella's dying statement. Her request that Beast Boy treat her well was made with the last of her breaths. Raven sighed and decided it was time she stop thinking. She couldn't think about her mother, or her boyfriend, or the always-continual spiral of crisis that seemed to haunt her life. So she shut her eyes and held Beast Boy tightly, ignoring the world she knew, and seeking some kind of comfort.

 

----

 

“I don't get it, why haven't they responded?”

 

“Maybe because no one is home, duh.”

“Shut up Speedy.”

 

“Boys, don't start. We've got a real problem on our hands here.”

 

Titans Tower, the famous T-Shaped building in Jump City's bay is not a one of a kind building. A very similar T-Shaped building stands in Steel City, and that is the home of the Titans West. The Western Titans kept in frequent touch with their original counterparts, although in recent months they hadn't been able to contact them at all. They had been filled in, briefly, about the Tamaran incident when the Titans first returned to Earth but since then the Titans had once again vanished from Jump City and there was no sign of them.

 

Now the five members of Titans West: Bumblebee, Speedy, Aqualad and the twins, Mas and Menos, were gathered in their living room trying, once again, to contact the Eastern Tower.

 

“Maybe they went on another planet hopping trip.” Speedy suggested, leaning back on the couch with a yawn. “Who cares?”

 

“I care.” Bumblebee snapped back, her voice becoming irritated. “

 

“I doubt anything too serious happened to them.” Aqualad said, trying to become the voice of reason in an otherwise chaotic world. “What's the worst that could happen, anyway?”

 

“Demons.” A cold voice spoke. The five members of Titans West all gasped in shock and turned around to their living room entrance where a unknown man stood. The man was wearing clothes he had stolen since he escaped from prison; a dark trenchcoat with dark sweats on underneath. His gray hair was matted and uncombed and his face was twisted in a sinister smile. He wore an eye-patch where one of his eyes should be, and on his right hand, he had the golden gauntlet stolen from Robin by the late Magus.

Slade Wilson had never met the Titans West before; and they had never met him. Of course, Slade recognized the trademark tower, and he knew it would be the perfect way to send a message to Robin and the Jump City team.

 

“Who the hell are you?” Speedy asked, jumping off the couch and loading his bow in one quick motion. He aimed it at Slade; but Slade merely scoffed.

 

“You can consider me a friend of a friend.” Slade hissed, his dark lips curved into a dangerous grin. “My name is Slade, the Terminator.”

 

At this, the eyes of everyone in Titans West widened considerably. Of course they'd heard of Slade before. Bumblebee had seen Slade (the old masked version, of course) when she was undercover at the HIVE academy; and the others had heard of him from the East Titans before.

 

“What are you waiting for y'all?” Bumblebee asked, grabbing her small golden “B's” and preparing for combat.

 

“This ought to be interesting.” Slade laughed as he transformed the gem on the back of the glove into its ruby form. Thanks to the silver serpent pendant around his neck, he had full control over the glove and all of the demon souls inside of it.

That meant Slade Wilson now had control over the combined powers of Trigon, Magus, Sadira and Azarock; which allowed him to reclaim his title as the deadliest of the Teen Titan's many enemies. And of course, Slade was just dying to try his new powers out.

 

“Titan's Go!” Bumblebee shouted.

With that, the battle began.

 

----

 

Robin was sitting alone in his room. His mind was wandering around several different subjects, and as he often did, he had become gravely serious and somber. Robin was as fun loving and enthusiastic as any of the Titans when they were in times of safety; but when danger threatened, he lost any side of a `fun guy' and it all become about the work. His friends often said he needed to loosen up, but it was next to impossible right now.

 

The first thing nagging at Robin's mind was the disappearance of the glove. He had thrown it on the kitchen floor after Arella returned his soul to his body, but after her death and Raven's breakdown Robin had returned to the spot and found the glove had vanished. He had already searched the entire Manor and the Batcave but found nothing, and none of his friends seemed to have any idea where it went either.

The disappearance of a gauntlet containing the powers and souls of Trigon and two of his demonic children was just the latest in the Teen Titan's long list of problems, but it wasn't the only thing keeping Robin in one of his `moods'. There was also the issue with Starfire. He loved her, he'd learned that a long time ago, and he knew exactly how much he loved her. This became a huge problem, because as the past few weeks had taught him, they were constantly in danger. From the assassination attempts on Tamaran to the incident at Arkham Asylum to her battle with Trigon, Robin had almost lost her so many times recently that it was driving him crazy. His insides felt torn apart.

Part of him knew it was silly to worry. Starfire was Starfire; she knew how to take care of herself. She could survive the harsh conditions of outer space, break boulders with her bare hands, and she could throw starbolts; which aside from being very cool was also a great way to protect herself. He also knew she was quite intelligent, even if she didn't always appear that way because of her limit knowledge of Earth and its customs.

Then there was another part of him that didn't care. That part of him wished they were different people, with different lives and different jobs. Jobs that didn't mean squaring off with mad scientist, giant demons and insane mercenaries on a regular basis. Jobs where they didn't have to worry about being killed every single day of their lives. Almost losing Starfire so many times in such a short amount of time was having a real toll on him.

He knew, from Batman's experiences, that heroes do not always win. Jason Todd, the second boy to wear the mantle of “Robin” after Robin left to create the Teen Titans had died at the hands of the Joker in Africa. And Bruce couldn't hold onto a woman if his life depended on it. His mentors bad luck showed him just how unpleasant the superhero lifestyle could be; and with the Titan's enemies becoming increasingly dangerous and violent, Robin worried that one day they might not come out on top. He worried what would happen when there was no Arella around to selflessly sacrifice herself for the good of others. He worried about the day one of them finally met their match.

 

Robin was so consumed by his worries and doubts that he didn't even notice the soft knocking on the bedroom door. Starfire's knuckles tapped against the smooth oak surface several times. Robin did not answer, and eventually she became worried. After sinking her teeth into her bottom lip a couple of times while trying to decide what to do, Starfire finally called out in a timid voice.

 

“Robin?”

 

Robin froze when he heard the voice on the other side of the door. He stood up off of the bed and hurried to open the door. On the other side he found himself face to face with Starfire. The Tamaranian Princess smiled at him instantly, her large green eyes full of affection as she threw her arms around him in a back-breaking hug. She still didn't realize her alien strength, but that was okay. Right now Robin would gladly sacrifice the ability to breathe if it meant a hug from Starfire.

 

“Hey Star.” He managed to sputter out as she squeezed him. He let his own arms travel around her back and he tried to match the strength she was putting into the hug. Tonight it felt better than usual to have her pressed up against him, expressing the feelings they had both kept inside for too long before the incident with Shady.

 

She broke the hug and took a tentative step backwards. There was clearly something on her mind, not that that surprised him. After everything that had happened, he would be astonished if there wasn't. Starfire rubbed one of her bare arms nervously, turned her eyes away from his, and nibbled on her lip. Robin began to feel an anxious squirming in his stomach.

 

“Something you wanted to talk about?” Robin asked.

 

“Yes.” Starfire replied, still not observing her man with her eyes. She walked right past him and sat on the edge of the bed, focusing her eyes on her shoes. Robin gulped and went to sit next to her. He placed his arm around her shoulders and then leaned his face down so he was staring at her - her eyes still refused to meet his, though.

“What's on your mind, Star?” The boy wonder inquired.

 

“I . . . do not know how to express what I am feeling.” Starfire reviewed, quite bluntly. She wasn't mixing words tonight.

 

“Okay. Well maybe I can help you figure it out.” Robin suggested, trying to mask his uneasiness behind a smile and hoping she would not see through his paper-thin pleasantries to the worry he had hidden below.

 

“No, I am afraid you cannot.” She said, still refusing to look at him.

“Oh.” Was all Robin could come up with in response. It was his turn to look away.

 

“It is not what you think!” Starfire hastily added, noticing the reaction her last comment had on her lover. “You must understand, I cannot express my feelings in words, and therefore I would not know how to convey them to you for your assistance.”

 

Robin was really confused now. He remembered Starfire once asking him if Earth boys came with manuals; which sadly they did not. Now it was him who needed a handbook to figure her out.

 

“Star, are you mad at me?”

“I have no reason to be.”

 

“. . . Are you breaking up with me?”

 

“Robin, do not say such things! Of course I am not!”

“. . . Did I forget your birthday?”

 

“The day of my birth is not for another two months.”

 

“Then . . . what did I do Starfire?”

 

Starfire sighed and shook her head, muttering something much in the same fashion as Raven would when she was annoyed. As amusing as that seemed, Robin was far too nervous to laugh.

 

“You have done nothing.” Starfire sighed. “I am just concerned.”

 

Robin decided it was time they stop dancing around. He placed his hand on her chin and forced her face up until she was looking him in his eyes. “Concerned about what?”

 

“I am concerned that . . . Robin, Arella is dead.” Starfire said, her eyes welling up with tears. “Until today, we have always won and walked away alive, but now I worry that someone else will be killed.”

 

Robin thought it terribly ironic that this would be her problem; the very same problem he'd been debating before her arrival. Robin didn't know what to say. He didn't have any answers for this one, because the same weight of worry was present in his own mind. He wished he could relieve the burden from Starfire, but since he couldn't do it for himself, he couldn't do it for her either.

 

He racked his brain trying to think of something he could say or do to ease her fears. There was nothing in his past experience or his superhero training about dealing with things like this, so he turned to another place for answers; movies. Robin did not know why, but he was suddenly reminded of nearly every movie he'd ever seen that involved two people who fell in love while in a dangerous situation. There always came a point when they just stopped talking and allowed emotion to take over. So, while it wasn't exactly his style, Robin decided he'd give it a shot.

 

He kissed her.

 

Starfire's eyes went wide at first out of surprise, but she let that melt away as she loosened up. And she returned his kiss with a feisty zest of her own. It was Robin's turn to be surprised when she grabbed the back of his head and held him against her lips. It was a bit of a shock, but in a good way. The two continued in this fashion for some time, losing track of time and the world around them as they became wrapped up in one another.

 

The two somehow found themselves lying back, in each others arms, kissing quite passionately. It was like they were underwater and their only way to obtain air was through each others mouths. Quite a touching and private moment between the young lovers.

 

Unfortunately moments like this are rarely perfect, and neither of them had remembered to shut the bedroom door after Starfire came in. So right as their tongues began to play in each other's mouths the mood was ruined by hurried footsteps on the hardwood floors. Not that either of the teen heroes noticed the sounds. They didn't realize someone had run into the room until they heard a very embarrassed voice speak.

“Umm . . . Cyborg wants to see you guys downstairs.” Terra muttered quietly as she turned about as red as Starfire's hair. She'd been sent to fetch the couple from wherever they were, but she hadn't expected to run into this.

Starfire and Robin broke apart like they were electrocuted and each of them slid down to an opposite side of the bed, panting heavily and blushing furiously. At length, without looking at Starfire or Terra, Robin finally replied: “Tell him we're on our way.”

 

Terra nodded and quickly backed up out of the room. She really didn't feel like she should be there anyway; although she was a little worried about leaving the two of them alone again after what she'd just witnessed.

 

Robin stood up, straightened his mask (which had become slanted and fallen off his right eye) and then turned to Starfire. Once again, their duty as superheroes had proven to have incredibly bad timing.

 

“Let's go.” He said quietly, and she nodded. They were both red as beets, but they hurried out of the bedroom and quickly dashed down to the Batcave. Once they arrived they found the entire group gathered around, looking at one of the monitors on the wall.

 

Robin gasped. Starfire screamed.

The monitor showed a live video feed from Steel City. A large T-shaped Tower they recognized as the Headquarters for Titan's West was in the middle of the screen, flames spewing from the windows and dancing under the pale moonlight. The structure of the tower was giving out and collapsing beneath the heat and the weight.

 

“What happened?” Robin demanded at once, his eyes still fixed on the screen.

“Dunno dude.” Beast Boy replied. “We just got down here right before you.” He said, indicating himself and Raven.

 

“None of us know.” Cyborg, who had been downstairs the entire time, said in a grim voice. “I was helping Timmy polish the Batmobile when we picked up the feed. We don't know whose broadcasting it, or how.”

 

“We do now.” Batman said quietly. He pointed a gloved finger at the screen and all of the others turned to stare at it. There was a shadowy figure standing in the middle of the flaming tower. He walked closer and closer to the camera and his face could be seen flickering in the firelight.

 

“Slade!” Robin cried out.

”DUDE! But, isn't he in jail!?” Beast Boy shrieked just as loud.

 

“I was.” Slade replied over the audio-feed. The entire group inside the Batcave gasped. Slade had connected directly to the servers at Wayne Manor and was broadcasting over the internet. He could see them, and they could see him. “But Raven's brother was good enough to help me with my parole; and give me this.”

 

Slade held up his right hand to show the golden gauntlet he was wearing in place of his usual black glove. Robin's eyes widened in horror.

“No . . .”

“Yes.” Slade replied, his face twisted in an expression of sinister glee. “I thought it was be appropriate to send you a message this way, Titans. I must say though, I'm disappointed by the Titans West. They proved hardly a challenge at all.”

 

“You sick son of a bitch!” Cyborg yelled at the top of his lungs. “What did you do to them?”

Slade smiled his evilest of smirks. “I took them all out for dinner. What do you think I did to them?”

The Titans were all shaking with a combination of fury and disgust; but no one quite as much as Cyborg who had been responsible for founding Titans West and building their tower.

 

“Well, I have to run now my old friends.” Slade replied dastardly. “I never realized how much fun burning giant T-shaped towers can be; I think I'll do it again. Ta, Ta, Titans.”

With that remark, the video feed went dead.

 

As the feed cut off, Robin turned to the other Titans in the room. He slammed his fist into his palm and shook his fury from what he'd witnessed. Slade was back and, thanks to Robin, he now had the powers of Trigon and his children at his disposal.

“Titans, it's time we go home.”

 

----- ----- ----- ----- -----

 

A/N: HEY! STOP RIGHT THERE READER! If you like this story, and you'd like even more BB/Rae, Rob/Star fanfic goodness from good ol' GS, then after your review please go click on my profile and find my brand new Teen Titans story, “Ten Years Later”! It's brand spanking new, and it's going to be good as gumdrops, so what have you got to lose by reading it as well? And don't forget to review it too. XD. Now for review replies.

 

LadyHood: Yep! That last one was for you; you deserved it after how happy you've made me with all the reviews and stuff. I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter so much; I put a lot of work into it to make it good, and it looks like it paid off. I'm hoping the thirty-fourth chapter was good too. I know it wasn't as action-y, but I needed to set up plot and stuff, y'know? Thanks as always for reading and reviewing; I'll be sure to hurry with the next one.

 

scathac's warrior: Yeah, I know. Raven has a tough life, `specially in my fic; but remember what they say “As bad as it was is as good as it gets”, and if that's true then Raven's in for some real good times… as soon as the bad times stop. XD Hey, babbling is fun; babble away. XD! I hope I updated quick enough for ya, thanks for reading dude!

 

Inuluvsu: Yep, today is Wednesday (or it was when I wrote this XD!), and technically I updated last night about half an hour before midnight, so it was really Tuesday when I updated. XP You sure did give me an idea; and I thank you for that! Yes, you said evil many times m'friend; and it's true, I am very evil. Oh yes, I plan to write during the summer. No worries about that mate. I might go visit my dad for a couple weeks, and if I do then I won't have as much time to write; but trust me, I'll still find enough time to keep this story going. Glad you liked it, expect some more evil goodness in the future. XD “Evil goodness”, haha!

 

a-1991: Aww, don't mention it dude. I thank everybody who reads; I really appreciate it when people take the time to read and review my stuff. It makes me feel good; and it inspires me to write more. I'm glad you liked this chapter; and even more glad you're a Rob/Star fan. Hahah, I can't help it, I just love that pairing so much. Oh trust me, Starfire's anything but weak; but I had to make things happen the way they did to set up the part where Magus steals the glove, y'know? Thanks for reading; I'll be sure to update as soon as I can my friend.

 

Leftd: Helloooo! Hey, even if it takes you three months to review I still really appreciate it. It's always awesome to know somebody's reading, y'know? Wow, I'm glad you like all the blended things I've thrown into the story. I'm glad you're liking all the different aspects of the story; it's good to know I've managed to make it good. Ah, questions; well I've got answers dude, so fire away. The story arc I referred to in Ch. 32 was the Cyborg's girl storyline, I believe. Which means that Cyborg will be getting a huge upgrade in this story; as will the two girls who are his possible love interests. As for Beast Boy, well you're review has just given me a fantastic idea and I can assure you that BB'll be playing a big role in this next one. After all, BB is Cyborg's best friend; and when you're best friend falls in love it's only natural to butt in and mess things up for him, right? XDD! I have to thank you for this review, cause you've helped created a plot twist in my head that should be quite fun. Ahh, you read about the coma story? Actually I had forgotten about that; but since you reminded me of it I think I'll go ahead and write that. Which, I did. And you read the first chapter; so be happy, ya? XD Chapter two is coming soon dude. Thanks for remind me about it. Yeah, it was a long review; but I love long reviews! Hey, thanks a bunch for reading dude. I'll have another chapter of this, and the first chapter of that Raven-coma story up very soon; so look for both of them, eh?

 

Goddessruling: Ah yes, I am evil. I won't deny it. They didn't destroy the glove because they were preoccupied with Starfire's injuries, of course. Raven does need a hug; and believe me, Beast Boy will always be there to give her one. As for your other question, why Arella didn't do the healing from the get-go…. Well, it's a plot device love. XD. Of course Arella could have saved Star and not had to sacrifice herself; but I thought it would be more dramatic if she died. I'll update as soon as possible; don't worry about that! Thanks for reading!

 

DarkSin: I love tragedies too! They're great. I mean, they're sad; but in a great way. Hahah, I'm glad you enjoyed this one, thank you as always for reading my friends. I'll be sure to update real soon; and I hope you liked thirty four as much as the other ones.

 

lilac-lily510: Good! I'm glad you hear you liked it; and I hope this was a soon `enough update for you. Keep on reading and I'll keep on writing.

 

XBxMYxJaMeSxDeANxcandyclouds: O.o Oh man, that sucks! I'm sorry the stupid evil internet deleted the big ol' long review. Don't sulk! Cheer up and be happy! Please?

 

Willow: Konnichiwa Willow-san! Hahah, random Japanese moment… anyway. Yes, I know what you mean. Of everyone Raven has the most pain to deal with; and she's always dealt with it so well that I decided she needed a breakdown. The part with her changing from “Arella” to “Mother”, well I just wanted to show that even though they have a estranged and weird relationship, Raven still loves her mom very much in the end. Oh, I was happy to dedicate a chapter to you. You leave awesome big ol' reviews, and you helped me stop using the “;” symbol as much, which I appreciate. “The F__er Who Never Dies”, XD! Perfect nickname for ol Trigon, though not exactly one I can use in the PG-13 world. You know, I didn't notice it before, but you're right about the symbolism in the battles with Trigon. I wish I could say I planned it out that way, but that's just sort of the way it turned out. It is rather ironic that the most human of all the Titans would be the one to take Trigon down, isn't it? I'm glad you pointed that out to me, since you're one hundred percent right. Gee, you really analyzed this thing, huh? That's awesome. ^^ Hahah, of course it doesn't end there! Magus is the worst of all Trigon's children, and don't forget that pesky Slade is still around. You know, it's funny that you thought Magus was going to be a guy good; because originally HE WAS! When I first created Magus the story was supposed to go very different. Magus was supposed to come and warn Raven, but she doesn't believe him because he's a full-demon. Then Azarock and Sadira were going to kidnap Beast Boy and use Raven's affections for him against her, and Magus would sacrifice himself to save BB. Obviously my plans changed, a lot, but that's how it was going to go when I first thought up the character. Anyway, I really appreciate the review; and I'll do my best to keep the story going good. Thanks for reading, as always, hope you liked it.

 

samanthe2121: I'm glad you enjoyed it; I'll be sure to update as soon as possible. ^^

 

Pickles12: You saw The End Part One!? OMG! You're the luckiest person I know! XD! Star/Rob moment, yay! Wooooo! I'm glad you liked last chapter; I hope you liked this one too. See you later m'friend, thanks for reading!

 

Lambbaby: I know, I torture Raven waaaaaaaay too much. I can't help it; she's my favorite character, so she gets the bulk of the torture. Hmm… you have a good point there m'friend. Seems like Robin only gets romantic when Starfire's about to die. Gee, what a guy. XD!!! Wow, that sounds like a busy work week. O.o Well, it's like 11:50PM on Wednesday as I write this, so I guess you only have two days left. Hopefully you'll get through them okay. Hmm… It's an interesting idea to have superheroines from outside the Titans world, but I'm afraid my superhero knowledge is very limited except for Teen Titans, Batman and a little bit of Superman so I don't think so. Hey, scatterbrained is fine with me. I totally know the feeling my friend. Hah, Kim Possible is cool. XD Random and off topic, but still true. Actually I've wanted to write another KP story for a while (I wrote a really bad one on my old account). Maybe I will, once I finish with this story. Hmm... Anyway, thanks for reading my friend, I'll update very soon!

 

Roi-Tan: Whoa dude. That's awesome that you box. How you can stand getting hit, especially by someone so much bigger than you, I don't know; but it's cool that you can do it. And you're absolutely right, I did get Magus's name from Chrono Trigger. Hahah. Frog's cool. Frog, Magus and Crono are my usual team… well, sometimes Lucca and Marle, but I like Magus and Frog better, y'know? Dude, “The End” part one is up for downloads. I wish I could download stuff. There's Rob/Star and BB/Rae in that episode, or so I hear. And Starfire goes overboard with mustard. Always fun. XD Thanks for reading dude.

 

GizmoBunny: Aww, I'm really happy to hear you liked it so much. It's always cool to hear someone likes my stories. I can't believe you read this whole thing in seven hours of straight reading. That's amazing! O.o Dude, you're fanfic idea sounds cool. If you ever decide to type it up, tell me and I'll totally go read it. More is coming soon, I promise!

 

IllegalDayNightSnappingIguana: :P Thank you thinking I have talent, that means a lot to me. Although you shouldn't sell yourself short m'dear, because I think your story is fantastic; one of the best ones I've read. Ahhh… as for you question; I want to be a Novelist AND a screenwriter. Heheh. I want to write books and then turn them into movies. XD Well, if you want to do a missionary kind of job; then do it. You know the great thing about being a novelist? ANYBODY can do that job. You could totally do both, if you wanted too. You could be a missionary and write books while on missions. Hahah, yeah, someone actually died this time. It was time for a little sadness. I'm glad you liked the BBRae and the RobStar stuff in this chapter. Makes me happy. You got 84 on a math test? O.O The highest I ever got on a math test was an 89, and that was only one time. Usually I got stuff in the sixties or seventies… I'm bad at math, yeah. Aww, don't sweat your finals. I'm sure you did great! Oooh, it's almost prom time, isn't it? Hahah, I'll never have a prom since I'm homeschooled. Oh well, I really don't mind. I don't feel like spending several hundred dollars renting a tux and an limo anyway … especially since I don't have a girlfriend. XDDDD! Why do girls blush? I'll be damned if I know. Actually I knew a girl named Jackie back in middle school who was weird. She could talk about bloody anything without becoming embarrassed at all. And I mean ANYTHING. Even really sick personal stuff that I don't even want to mention. She was weird like that. Eh, random minds are cool. Randomness is cool in general. THE SPOON SHALL RULE THE WORLD! MWA HAHAHAHAHH! See? Random is good. The hot girl from the pet shop? I'm afraid I don't know who that is, dear. XD. Although Bee and Jinx I do know, and maybe it will be one of them. I'm-a letting the readers decide. Mmmm. Onto the Robin/Batgirl thing. I myself do not like that couple, although if you go by the official canon stuff there WAS a relationship between Dick and Babs, and they did have a rather hot kiss in one of the later issues where she's in a wheelchair. However, nothing ever transpired between them from there; and I still HATE Robin for the fact that he just let Starfire slip through his hands. He's a complete idiot and he should have fought harder for Star. But wonder boy's a dolt. Ah, at least in the animated Teen Titans and in my fanfiction world he's not going to be as dumb. Yeah, I heard that about Kid Flash. Grrr. He better not make a move on Raven and ruin the BB/Raeness of the show. If he does I'll be angry. VERY angry.

 

Eventidespirit: Indeed. Every chapter I try to deepen the plot somehow with something unexpected, y'know? Keep it interesting. And I've got a great idea for the final chapter . . . but that's not for a while, so I won't give out any spoilers. Naw, I never mind spoilers for The End. I'm reading them over on the R/S Shrine anyway. I wish I could download the episodes from JJJ's thread, but my computer won't let me. >< Although you should know it's not Robin's face, but Slade's that you get to see; and from what I've heard he has no flesh on his face because it was burnt off by that lava Terra knocked him into. O.o Creepy.