Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ Heroes ❯ The Choice of a Hero ( Chapter 4 )

Blowfish: I'm back…

 

Chimpy: What's with you?

 

Blowfish: MY OTHER TWO STORIES GOT PULLED!!! WAAAAHHH!!!

 

Chimpy: Really?

 

Blowfish: Yeah…they were script format, and that's against the guidelines (I forgot!). What I don't get is, while there are 20 thousand script format stories floating around, MINE got deleted. Sorry, I'm a bit mad, so I ranted to you guys and my mom. More happiness from now on! Anyway, this one is still up, so I'm not that sad. Anyway, I have reviews!

 

Exiled-Knight: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the “fry and tomato” thing. And I will repost my Zelda fic once I work out whatever it is that I need to do.

 

WolfPack4: NO, this is a BBRae story. Besides, Terry is 19 and Rae's 26. Not happening. Terry's just supposed to be the support system/comic relief for Rae. And he is actually important, as you'll see.

 

byebyebb18: Here's the next chap, just like you wanted. This is where the real plot starts to kick in.

 

purplemusicgoddess: Definitely gonna be lots of BBRae in this chapter. I mean it. Lots and lots. Cool name, btw. (Purple is one of my fav colors!)

 

WingedUnicorn123: Yeah, that was a bit random, wasn't it? I thought BB would be the type to use that sort of analogy.

 

Kit Kat: Thanks, I thought you would like that. And you're right, Rae as a tomato was a bit weird… It's actually been ten years since the “bridge incident”. It's been two years since they met up with BB as Gar. And the incident does come back to haunt them, you'll see. (Not this chap, but soon.) No one knows who the Teen Titans are now, and the others DO know that Dick is now Nightwing. I'm afraid I can't tell you what part Terry is going to play, it would give away too much. Sorry, but you don't want me to spoil it, right? And the social is VERY IMPORTANT. You'll see. And thanks, it's great to know people think I'm a great writer.

 

Blackrougefillie: Yep, the fry/tomato thing does seem like BB, doesn't it? Glad you liked the minor use of Rogue at the end. Rogue's my fav character in X-Men: Evolution. (I never actually read the comics; I'm such a hack! n_n;)

 

Grumbumble: Thanks for dropping in! (I love your fic!)

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. If I did, Raven and Beast Boy would be making out right now.

 

“talking” `thinking' %#scene change%#

 

ANGST WARNING: THE AUTHOR WAS LISTENING TO LOTS OF LINKIN PARK WHILE TYPING THIS. THIS, ALONG WITH THE ACTUAL NATURE OF THE PLOT, MADE THIS CHAPTER MORE ANGSTY. IF YOU HATE SAD, TRAGIC EVENTS ALONG WITH BATTLES OF THE HUMAN PSYCHE, GO DO SOMETHING HAPPY FOR A LITTLE WHILE. PET A KITTY. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO. THEY'RE SO FUZZY, AND CUTE, AND…

 

AHEM.

 

ANYWAY, JUST DO SOMETHING CHEERFUL BEFORE AND AFTER READING THIS. IT'S NOT ANGSTY IN THE BEGINNING, BUT IT WILL BE LATER!

 

Blowfish: Now, the fourth (and very important) chapter of “Heroes”!

 

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It was a sunny Tuesday morning in Jump City, and Rae wasn't wasting it. She had to meet Star at the old pizza place to catch up with her best friend. She reached the small restaurant by noon.

 

“Good morning, Rae,” Star said, sitting down at one of the tables. “Please, be seated, so we may begin the sharing of news!”

 

Rae smiled. Even though Star had become much more experienced with Earth customs and lingo, she still remained the most literal, innocent person Rae had ever known. She sat down, and the pair ordered a plain cheese pizza; something they never could have done in the old days. Not with the boys.

 

“So,” Rae said, taking the first slice. “What've you been up to? I mean, besides the whole `stardom' thing.” Star chuckled. “Met any new people?”

 

“Well,” Star began. “I met a wonderful actress, Harriet. We became fast friends. And another actor, Anton, is also very…friendly.”

 

“Hitting on you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Ahhh, just tell him you're taken; you are, after all.”

 

“I have mentioned Dick, but he seems rather undeterred.”

 

“Idiot probably thinks you're playing hard-to-get.”

 

“How about you? Anyone of interest?”

 

“Romantically? No way. Come on Star, you know me better than that.”

 

“Yes, I do. Therefore, I know your type.”

 

“My type? I don't have a type.”

 

“You enjoy…green, perhaps?”

 

Rae's face grew very hot. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

 

“Oh come on. You were attracted to him then, and you're attracted to him now.”

 

“Says who? And how would you know?”

 

“I'm dating the man of my dreams, so I would know all about it, thank you very much.”

 

“…He walked with me the other night.”

 

“Ohhh…how was that?”

 

“I don't know…I can't describe it. When I was with him, I was so excited, so flustered, so charged up, so…”

 

“Happy?”

 

“…Yeah.”

 

Star grinned. “You're head-over-heels, my friend.”

 

“Yeah. I guess I am.”

They talked for a while longer, though considerably less animated than before. Rae was unsure of herself, and Star understood her plight. Love was a hard game to play. At about 1:30, Rae's cell phone rang.

 

“Rae Roth speaking.”

 

“Look across the street,” the voice said.

 

Rae looked across the street, and her heart did a back-flip. Gar Logan was leaning against a signpost, cell phone in hand. He waved at her.

 

“That little…”

 

“What are you waiting for?” Star asked.

 

“But—“

 

“Go ahead. We can meet again some other time.”

 

Rae nodded, and headed across the busy street. Once she was halfway across, Gar took off in the opposite direction.

 

“You son of a—“ Rae muttered, sprinting to catch up with him.

 

Gar ran into the park, Rae hot on his heels. He turned his head and stuck his tongue out at her. `Of all the immature stunts!' Rae thought, struggling to catch up. They were getting deeper into the park when Rae got her second wind, gaining several feet, before leaping and tackling him to the ground. The both of them rolled down a hill, wrestling to stay on top of the other, and crashed at the bottom, throwing them apart. Gar sat up, rubbing his head.

 

“You're faster than you look. Seriously, you could go to the Olympics with speed like that. You—“

 

Rae got up, angry and disoriented. She stopped his words with her hand over his mouth.

 

“Will you please shut up?!” she yelled. Gar cocked an eyebrow.

 

“What's with you? It was all in good fun.”

 

“Well maybe I don't like `good fun'.”

 

Gar was getting angry. “Well so-REE Miss Can't-Take-A-Joke. I forgot how you could be such a wet blanket.”

 

“Wet blanket?! You call me on my cell phone, and then take off for a race like a stupid little jerk—oh wait, I forgot: you are one!'

 

”Well excuuuu—“

 

“Oh shut up,” she said, pulling him into a kiss.

 

Gar was surprised, to say the least. Granted, this was where he had intended to end up, but he had envisioned himself being the one to kiss her. `Damn, she beat me to it again.' They stood there, kissing for a while before pulling away.

 

Rae was stunned at her own actions. `What the hell are you thinking?!' she screamed inwardly. But at the same time, she was in a pure state of euphoria. All of her emotions were swirling together, and it felt good.

 

Gar couldn't find the words to express his feelings at this point. “Rae…”

 

Rae looked up at him. `Don't just stand there, you idiot,' she thought to herself. `Say something. Anything!'

 

“I love you too,” she whispered.

 

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Rae walked into her apartment building, almost certain that she was the happiest person on Earth. Jim was standing out in the hallway, chatting with Lucy. They turned to her.

 

“Tell her, Rae! Friends was so much better than The Simpsons!”

 

“That show was pathetic, and you know it Jim,” Lucy scoffed.

 

“Tell that to the tens of thousands of faithful viewers, right Rae?”

 

It was then the noticed Rae was staring straight past them, a grin plastered on her face.

 

“Rae? Yoo-hoo? Anybody home?” Jim waved his hand in front of her face.

 

Rae jumped. “What?”

 

“You okay?”

“Yeah…”

 

“Whoa…you ain't on somethin', are ya?”

 

“No! I just…”

 

Lucy leaned closer to Rae. “Your neck smells like…cologne! Oh Rae! You are with that guy!”

 

Rae blushed. “You're right,” she admitted.

 

Jim laughed. :”No way! Ha ha! Hey Adrian, looks like I owe you that twenty bucks!”

 

Adrian poked his head out of his door. “All riiiight! Go Rae!”

 

Rae's grin broadened. Why hide it?

 

Deiter stepped out into the hallway. “Vhat is all zee excitement about?”

 

“Rae's got a guy!”

 

“Ah! Congratulations, Ms. Roth!” he said, hugging her. “I knew it.”

 

“Too bad you didn't bet on it,” Adrian said, pocketing Jim's money.

 

“I just came to pick up some cash,” said Rae. “I don't feel like cooking tonight.”

 

“We'll come too,” all of the others said in unison.

 

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Vic reclined in his chair, wondering what he should do. He had just gotten off work, and there was nothing on TV. `I know! I'll call up Gar. That guy's always got something to say.' He picked up the phone and dialed Gar's number.

 

“Gar Logan. Start talking.”

 

“Hey man. It's Vic.”

 

“Oh…hey.”

 

“'Oh…hey'? What's up with you?”

 

“Err…nothing.”

 

“Don't gimme that crap, Gar, we've known each other for a long time.”

 

“Okay! I kissed Rae…again.”

 

“Again?! When the hell did this happen?”

 

“Today and the other night.”

“Heh heh heh—“

 

“What's so funny?”

 

“Nothing man, just…it's about time.”

 

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Rae was practically skipping down the street. `This is, without a doubt, the best day of my life,' she thought. `No contest.' Adrian and Jim stared at her, while Lucy and Deiter just smiled knowingly. One more block until reached the Chinese restaurant. All of them were good friends with the Changs (A/N: I know, original), the family that ran the place because they went there so often. They turned the corner, and Deiter stopped, putting his hand to his ear.

 

“Do you hear zat?”

 

Adrian paused. “Sounds like…police sirens. Ambulance sirens too. Huh. Seems so close by…” They kept walking, but stopped dead in their tracks once they reached the restaurant.

 

There were three police cars and an ambulance parked in front of the building. One cop was putting up crime scene tape around the front area. The other cops were questioning disoriented customers and the rather hysterical owners.

 

Rae, getting over the shock quickly, took a quick head count. There were only four customers. Good. Her eyes fell on the Changs. `One…two…three…four…where's Gary?' Rae's stomach dropped into queasy hell. `Oh my God…'

 

“No…” she whispered.

 

“What?” Jim demanded. “What's wrong?” Jim's eyes widened as it dawned on him.

 

“Gary's not here. Gary's missing. Where is he?!”

 

Rae ran up, only to be stopped by one of the cops.

 

“Please. I'm a friend,” she explained.

 

The man nodded, and lifted the tape, letting her pass. She went over to the curb, where the middle child, Katie, was sitting, staring blankly ahead. Rae kneeled down to be eye level with her.

 

“Katie…what happened? Where's Gary?” she asked.

 

“We were robbed…two armed men…Gary ran after them…idiot…” she muttered.

 

Rae put here hands on Katie's shoulders. “Where's Gary?” she repeated.

 

“Dead. My brother is dead.” Katie had no emotion in her voice.

 

Rae looked at her, feeling the pain in her stomach grow. “I'm sorry.”

 

“It's not your fault,” she whispered.

 

`Yes. It is your fault.'

 

Rae used all of her will power to keep from jumping. The voice echoed in her mind, bouncing off the walls of her conscience. Who was that? It sounded so familiar, like someone she knew. It spoke in an almost creepy monotone. `Your fault,' it said again. `No!' she thought. `It's not…I didn't pull the trigger. Some thug killed Gary. Not me.'

She pulled away from Katie, hands shaking. This wasn't right. She was hearing things. `Who's there?' she thought, hoping for an answer.

 

`Your fault.'

 

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Hours later, Rae was lying in bed. The voice hadn't stopped. It was louder than ever.

 

`You should have been there. You could have stopped it.'

 

`No,' she argued. `How could I have stopped two men with guns?'

 

`You could have if you weren't so selfish, Raven.'

 

Rae shot up into a sitting position. `No more games.' She got on her hands and knees and reached under her bed, feeling for something. `Got it.' She pulled out an object she hadn't used in a while.

 

Her magic mirror.

 

She looked into it, and began to chant.

 

“Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos…” at that point, she was sucked into the mirror.

 

Rae landed on her butt inside her own mind. She looked around. The thing was, her life and attitude had changed dramatically in the last ten years, and so did her mindscape. It was now far less separated, and had some grass growing, even a few flowers here and there. The trees were also quite alive, as opposed to the dead stick-like figures that had dotted the area before.

 

Rae smiled. It had been awhile since she had felt the need to travel into her mind. She spotted a yellow-clothed figure in the distance. She ran over.

 

“Hello Knowledge.”

 

The emotion snapped to attention. “Oh hey! Good thing you're here. You've gotta stop the storm.”

 

“What storm?”

 

Knowledge sighed. “Come.”

 

Rae was dragged far away from her main mindscape, and into and area she did not recognize.

 

“Where—“

 

“Your conscience and subconscious of course.”

 

“…Gimme that again?”

 

Knowledge sighed again, visibly irritated. “See that up there?” she said pointing to the “sky”. Rae looked up. It was very cloudy, and there were occasional thunderclaps and bolts of lighting. “That's guilt.”

 

“But I'm not guilty of anything!” Rae protested.

 

“Yes you are,” said a voice from behind her. It was the voice that had been plaguing her. She spun to find herself face to face with…

 

Raven.

 

“What the hell…”

 

“You don't recognize me?”

 

Of course Rae recognized her. How could she not recognize herself? There she was, cloaked in blue, an unnatural shadow blocking her face, only her eyes showing through. Those eyes, boring deep into Rae's soul.

 

Her eyes.

 

“Yes. You're Raven.”

 

“No. I'm you.”

 

“No,” Rae yelled. “You're not me, not anymore.”

 

Raven shook her head. “You cannot rid yourself of a part of you. You can only lock it up, as you did me.”

 

“I'm not a Titan anymore. You don't exist!” she cried, hoping her words would become truth and Raven would disappear.

 

“I exist whether you choose to be me or not.”

 

“I am not you.”

 

A smirk became visible under Raven's hood. “Oh really? Then who are you?”

 

Rae was getting angrier by the second. “I am Rae Roth. I'm a journalist, nothing more, nothing less.”

 

“Ah, you state who and what you are. But you are wrong.”

 

“No! I'm Rae, dammit!”

 

“No, you aren't. You are Raven, the half-demon.”

 

Rae stared at the ground. She hadn't thought about her heritage in a long time. It hurt.

 

“No. Rae is human. Just a human.”

 

Raven laughed. “Okay, `Rae Just-A-Human', what are you doing here?”

 

“What? I came here because you won't leave me the hell alone!”

 

“Not here, you idiot, what are you doing in some apartment writing articles for some newspaper? What happened to truth and justice? What happened to the heroes?”

 

Rae snorted. “Heroes aren't perfect. Sometimes they don't save the day.”

 

“One mistake. You gave up.”

 

Rae's eyes found the ground again, and her fists clenched. “One big mistake. One we couldn't fix.”

 

“You shouldn't have given up.”

 

“Shut up. The world's a better place without the Teen Titans.”

 

“No, it's not. The reason I'm here is because of what happened tonight. You know you could have stopped it. People like the Changs still need you.”

 

Rae turned away from her counterpart, crossing her arms. “Nobody needs me.”

 

Raven grabbed her shoulder. “You're being selfish. You can't put yourself before others.” A thick, smoky fog swirled around them, blocking out Raven.

 

“Just leave me alone.”

 

Rae found herself back in her apartment, holding her mirror in her hands. She looked at her clock.

 

2:30 am.

 

`I need to get some sleep,' Rae thought. `I've got things to do tomorrow night.'

 

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(A/N: Yes, we're skipping straight to the social because this is the eleventh page, and the author wants to finish this part of the plot this chapter. StarRob fans, be patient! Much more of our favorite alien and her man next chapter, I promise!)

 

Terry was standing outside of the convention center, feeling like an idiot. His big chance to meet of the famous Bruce Wayne in person, and Rae, who had their passes, was late. He was mad at her, especially after hearing everyone at the office describe her as “punctual”.

 

“Punctual my ass…” he muttered. Just then, Rae came running up.

 

“Sorry I'm late,” she said, giving him his pass.

 

“Well I—“ Just as he was about to tell her off, he took a good look at her. She looked very tired, and her eyes were unfocused. “…You okay, Rae?”

 

“What? Of course, now let's go. Sooner we get in, sooner we leave.”

He smiled. That was more like her. “All riiiight! Let's go meet some famous people!”

 

They went inside. “Wow,” Rae commented. “they spruced the place up, eh?”

 

The normally plain convention center was completely made over. All of the tables were covered in impressive fabric, the fluorescent lights were turned off, replaced with festive paper lights (A/N: You know, those cool oriental ones! I love those.), and the stage was the only thing that wasn't elegantly decorated. It only had a podium with a microphone. There were many people (in very formal dress), walking around and talking to each other. There was also a bar set up in the corner, where there was quite a few people sitting.

 

“Figures,” muttered Rae.

 

“FOOD!” yelled Terry, spotting the buffet. He went over, and promptly began stuffing his face.

 

Rae sighed. `Some photographer.'

 

Rae interviewed several people, and then ate a bit, all the while wishing she was somewhere, anywhere else. She could take the snobby celebrities and businessmen, but she couldn't take the immense boredom. `This sucks,' she thought. `At least if I was home, I could be playing cards with Adrian, or something.' There was an announcement over the speaker. It was finally time for Bruce Wayne to speak.

 

He came on stage, and there was a lot of clapping. Terry snapped pictures, and Rae whipped out her notepad. This was the main event of the night, and once it was over, she could get the hell out of there. Bruce cleared his throat.

 

“How is everyone tonight?” There were murmurs of “good”, “fine”, and “been better” from the crowd. “Good, good. Now, first of all, I would like to thank you all for coming here, and contributing to this charity.”

 

Rae yawned and took notes. She was interested in what he had to say, it was just so impossible to keep awake after all of the other interviews. He stopped talking about charity after a while, and then went on to answer questions he'd been asked by other reporters. Rae almost fell asleep standing up, but once she heard the name “Nightwing”, she snapped to attention so fast she almost got whiplash.

 

“…A lot of people have asked me what I think of him. Though it's a bit off topic, I believe it's a question that deserves an answer.”

 

`This should be good. Let's see what Bruce thinks of his former protégé.'

 

“I think he's a hero.”

 

Rae's heart skipped a few beats.

 

“What happened to the heroes?”

 

A reporter put up his hand. “Mr. Wayne, Mr. Wayne! Calvin Mocker, The Gotham Report. Why do you think he's a hero? Many believe him to be a brutal vigilante.”

 

“Well, he is my definition of a hero.”

Rae was holding her breath for some reason.

 

(A/N: THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH CONTAINS QUOTES [and near quotes] FROM SPIDERMAN 2! I DON'T OWN THESE QUOTES, SO DON'T SUE ME!)

 

“A hero is someone who gives up the things they want the most so others don't have to. I believe there's a hero in all of us, really. Gives us a sense of justice. Keeps us noble. And I also think that no matter what the papers say, the public really likes heroes. Everybody loves a hero. Heck, people will stand out in the rain all day to see the person that saved them that day. Heroes are necessary, because they set an example. How many people in here have a little boy or girl that doesn't want to be a hero?”

 

There were murmurs of approval, followed by applause. Rae was staring at Bruce, and she could hear a monotonous voice echoing through her head.

 

`Heroes are necessary…'

 

After the rest of the speech, Rae squeezed through the crowd, Terry close behind.

 

“Rae? Why are we leaving? They haven't served dessert yet!”

 

“I'm not hungry.”

 

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Rae stood in the barren void that was her mindscape. The fields had deteriorated into floating chunks of land; just as it had been so long ago.

 

“Come out. I know you're there,” she yelled. A dark shadow came up from the ground, transforming into a tall, hooded figure.

 

“Speaking,” Raven said.

 

“You say I should be you again—“

 

“I am you, remember?”

 

“What Bruce said…I can't be you—and don't give me that crap about you and me being the same again, okay?! I have things to do. A life to live.”

 

“What do you have to do?”

 

“Gar…I love him. I can't…”

 

“'A hero is someone who gives up the things they want the most'…even the things you love.”

 

“What is it for?!” yelled Rae. “Why should I?!”

 

“Because it could be even closer to home next time. What if that thug that murdered Gary mugs Adrian? Or Lucy? Or Terry? Do you want that to happen?”

 

“No, I just—“

 

“You have powers. They have a use. You know that. You've known that since a long time ago.”

 

Rae looked down.

 

“Tell me I'm wrong, Rae. It's your duty to protect the city. You made a promise.”

 

“I know.”

 

“There's a reason Dick is Nightwing, and it's the same reason you need to be Raven.” She held out her hand. “Do you accept?”

 

Rae paused. So many thoughts were swirling around in her head. It was now or never. She took Raven's hand, there was a blinding light, and she was back in her apartment. She stood up, walked over to the window, and opened it, letting the night wind come in.

 

“I'm back.”

 

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Blowfish: How was it? This is where the real action starts, in the next few chapters. How did you like the BBRae bits? I can't say when the next chapter will be up, but it'll be soon. Review! Tell me what you think! Seeya!