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The scorpion was hot on my tail, and I was almost out of breath.

Don't do it, don't you dare try it...

Distantly, I could make out a dead end. Well. This was fun. As I hit the cliff wall, the scorpion reared its ugly head, ready to strike.

Don't do it...

I raised my hands and sent a natural rock bridge down on the thing's head. Bone crunched sickeningly and it let out one final wail as it died.

I brushed my hair out of my eyes, panting. Then I noticed I had an audience.

There were five of them, all dressed outlandishly, and one was green. It looked as thought they were going to stop the scorpion too. I knew immediately who they were: The Teen Titans. Their name always popped up wherever I went, and it was mostly directed at me for reasons I'd rather not disclose right now: "Why can't you be more like Raven?" "Cyborg's a good role model; be more like him."

They made me gag, but I'd heard they were nice people. Hell, maybe I could start over. A new city. New friends.

Well, first friends. But that's not important.

Since they were way above me, I lifted myself on a column of rock. It teetered and fell as I jumped off. Their disbelieving faces met my happy-go-lucky gaze.

"What?" I asked sarcastically. "Haven't you guys ever seen a superhero before?"

Robin was the first to recover. He held out his hand and said, "Hi. We're the--"

"--Teen Titans!" I exclaimed. Well, duh; I could'a told him that. "Rock on! It's cool to meet you guys!" I bumped fists with the leader, being energetic as usual, and continued. "I'm Terra"--pointed to myself--"And you're..."

I pointed to each in turn, trying to be assertive. "Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, and--"

The green dude, whose name I knew well, piped up, "Boy Beast! I-I mean, Bad--I mean--er--"

"Beast Boy?" I supplied.

He screamed and became a turtle, hiding in his shell. I couldn't help but laugh, rude as it may be. "Dude, he's hilarious!"

He changed back. "Me? Hilarious? Really?" He blushed and nearly fainted, Cyborg rushing forward to catch him if necessary.

So, I'd had my fun with Beast Boy. Now it was Star's turn. She rushed forward, and with every question leaned further over me until I heard my spine crack.

"Hello new best friend! Tell me, where are you from, how did you get here, what is your favorite color, and do you wish to be my friend?" She said it all in one breath.

I straightened, wincing as the pain in my lower back increased to some degree. "Er, Earth, walked, red, and...sure," answering the questions in order. She screeched and siezed me in a hug I wish never to repeat. Now, adding to my back injury, my arms were broken and I don't think any blood was getting to my brain anymore.

"So..." It was Beast Boy. "What brings a cool little chickie to our big groovy city?"

WHOA! Not about to tell him the truth about that! Not so soon. "I go where the wind takes me," I said, stuffing my thumbs into my jean shorts like a true hillbilly. He looked concerned, quite the opposite reaction I would've expected.

"So you don't have a home?" he asked.

"The Earth is my home!" I said passionately. "I've been crashing in a cave on the other side of--"

"Unacceptable!" Starfire cried, seizing my shoulders. Oh s**t, not another hug! "I cannot allow my new best friend to slumber in a lonely cave of darkness!"

"...I have a flashlight," I reasoned.

But she wouldn't take no for an answer. And really, neither would I. I mean, this was my first chance to be with friends who probably valued me. Even if they had left me out on the cliff, I would've followed them to their tower and begged for a job. I was tired of running.

She grabbed my arm and dragged me across the wide expanse between the cliff and the tower. "You will stay with us," she decided, the other Titans crowding around to get a better look at me.

"But I--"

"Come on!" Cyborg said, taking up the rear. "We could use more people!"

"And I can make you laugh!" Beast Boy added. He was already growing on me. "I'm hilarious, remember?" He slid a pair of dime-store disguise glasses onto his face and raised his eyebrows. I chuckled.

"I guess I could stay for a little while." A little while? Was I kidding myself? I wanted to stay forever!

The Titans gave a unanimous cheer. They were all so happy that they didn't notice Robin and Raven lagging behind.

"Anything wrong?" Raven prompted. Robin was crouched at the edge of the cliff, sifting the dirt through his fingers with an odd expression on his face.

"Something doesn't...feel right," he explained vaguely. He turned away and followed Raven to the tower. Behind him, the cliff crumbled.


The tower was visible long before we had even gotten to the city limits. I couldn't wait to see the inside of it. The Titans must live in the lap of luxury.

Cyborg pressed his hand into the pad by the door and it slid open, revealing a hallway with a starcase leading to it. I was starting to get nervous. I mean, these were big-time crime fighters, and I was...nobody. I was intimidated.

But on the other hand, this could be a whole new adventure for me. And who knows? It could actually be positive.

At the end of the hall, another door slid open. I couldn't help noticing that the floor was black with a strip of red carpet, making me think of Hollywood. Suddenly I got the impression of coffee-boy superheroes, with the Hollywood-meets-crime-fighting in my mind. Or maybe I was just tired.

As we stepped through the door into what I could call a "rec room", I was back to my alert, charismatic self. "Wow!" I exclaimed, running around the couch and staring out the windows. They were floor-to-ceiling, with only an inch or two of support beams between them, giving me a full view of the harbor at midday. It was gorgeous. I leaped right in front of the windows, wishing to press my nose against the glass and stare all day.

Of course, that'd be a horrible impression. It was so immature.

Instead, I vaulted myself onto the couch and said, "I can't believe you guys actually live here!" which was sort of the truth, because I really was blown away by their living space. Beast Boy did a flip from the back of the couch and sat next to me.

"Sukasa es mikasa," he said, which I have yet to understand. I suppose it means, "What's mine is yours" or something cheesy like that. I've never heard it before. "So, do you want the tour or..." He scooted closer.

"Got any food?"

Compared to my meager rations on the road, this was a feast. Spaghetti, apples, lasagna, pork chops, marinated steak, bananas, ice cream...

Star laid a wiggling plate in front of me. It looked like Jello with intestine pieces. "Would you like some homemade glork?"

Behind me, the Titans yelled, "NO!"

I sucked the plate dry. It wasn't bad, but it had a tangy aftertaste, which I don't like at all. "Hmm...tastes like sushi mixed with ice cream," I commented thoughtfully, although it wasn't entirely the truth. "Got any more?" After all, it was still pretty good.

She was elated. "I shall go cultivate the fungus!"

I suppose that last comment should have put me off the weird food, but I was too busy thinking of what to do next. "So, where's the bathroom?"

Cyborg and Beast Boy poked their heads in after I was done. "Whoa," Cy muttered. "Mud bath." The tub was filled to the brim with dirt, with handprints made by yours truly on the wall. It was a mess, but I was going to clean it up later.

"Yeah, guess I was due for a rinse." What a lame explanation. What was I, dense?

Oh wait. Yeah, I was.

"Mind if I use your sink?" I was used to washing clothes in someone's sink or bathtub, since I couldn't remember how to use the washer/dryer. See? Dense.

I listened to my Walkman while scrubbing countless shirts with generic hand soap, which hadn't destroyed the fabric yet. After about ten minutes, I was sick of my music and switched it off.

These people were great. They were smart, funny, and wicked fighters from what I'd heard. I could be a great asset to them, I know I could. But what if they didn't hire me on? Or worse...what if they did, and they found out about what I'd done? They'd fire me. They'd hate me, I'm sure.

So it's simple, Terra. Don't tell them, and don't excessively use your powers.

Easier said than done.

I finished washing and hung my clothes to dry. Then I stretched out on the couch and gave off convincing snores, though my head was too full to really fall asleep. I heard them talking about me, and my heart leaped. They were considering hiring me!

"I don't know..." Raven was saying.

"She would make a good addition to the team," Cyborg pointed out.

Robin finalized the decision. "Let's ask her to train with us tomorrow. We'll see what she can do."

My stomach sank into my feet. Train with them? Had I heard correctly? There was no way I could train...no way at all. I guess that's it, then. I just won't join the Teen Titans.

alright Auria, thanks to you and Rhi's Fics, Im going to start on my other idea. Unfortunately im waiting for something before i finish Chapter 8 of the other Fan fic of mine, but this one i can do in one chapter hopefully. ITS ALL YOUR AND RHI'S FAULT IM GOING PSYCHOTIC AGAIN! But still i thank thee for inspiration.

Okay, LOOK AT ALL THE CRAP I HAVE TO PUT UP HERE! This would be SO MUCH EASIER on ff.net, but I don't want to go there for some odd reason! So HERE YOU GO! This will be a fricking long post, so bear with me.

The man's face was blocked by a half-orange, half-black mask, with only a hole for the eye. One eye. I dimly wondered if he even had another one.

"Slade," Robin stated, and even the Titans looked surprised.

"Slade?" I echoed, and Beast Boy leaned over. "Bad guy. Way bad," he explained.

"He's downtown. Titans, GO!"

I lingered behind, unsure whether I should stay here or if they would even let me stay here alone. Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven were all outside and Beast Boy was in the doorway when the changeling caught my eye.

"You comin' or what?"

A grin spread across my face and I hooked arms with him, taking on the danger together.


Apparently, this Slade guy was attacking diamond mines, trying to wrestle off with a fortune of newly-mined precious stones. His robotic minions were attacking the miners, who scattered upon our arrival.

"Titans, GO!" Robin yelled, and the team sprang into action. I automatically leaped into the air, catching a boulder and taking the minions head-on.

"You guys ready to rock?" I addressed a nearby crowd. I had always wanted to say that...! Below me, the battle raged, but I was having a bit of difficulty getting this metalheads off me.

I'm not sure who fired, but they were finally gone, and I was able to get down and hold off some others. Oddly enough, I hadn't seen a glimpse of Slade, and I could tell it was bothering the other Titans too. What was he after?

Beast Boy and I were back-to-back, trying hard not to get overrun by the robots. I could see a ton of them converging on BB, so I tried to send the ceiling down on them.

Even before I'd started, I knew it was an ill-fated move. I could feel my power welling deep inside me, threatening to take over. And it did. My goggles broke and the piece of ceiling I wanted stretched closer to me. It tumbled, breaking the robots in half, but I cuold see a dark green blot in the midst of them...

"BEAST BOY!"

Everyone stopped their fighting and turned to look at me. I knew what was coming. They would understand the danger I possessed; they would kick me off the team...

Halves of Slade minions crawled from the pile of rock, dragging themselves by their arms. In a fit of rage I crushed them in columns of rock from the ceiling and then took off running.

The tunnel was dark and I was starting to get a stitch in my side, so I slid down the rock wall and curled into the fetal position.

"Why can't I do this?" I asked no one in particular. Maybe myself...maybe God or somebody...

Suddenly I heard footsteps. I peeked from my hiding place and saw a Slade minion running through a conjunction in the mine...but wait. This guy was thicker-set than the minions, and he had much more armor on...

This had to be Slade. I took off, following a few feet behind him, but I was still tired and the stitch was back in no time, so I sent the ceiling down, blocking his path.

"Looks like I've got you," I told him. He whipped around, tripped me, and threw a bomb at the ceiling. My mind knew what was happening, even if my body hadn't figured it out yet.

"Actually, Terra," he said smoothly, "I've got you."


He had been planning this. He was smarter than most people I'd ever met, maybe even smarter than Robin. He had been expecting me to follow him and trap him, so he could capture me.

But...why? He hardly knew me; I doubt he knew my name.

What did he want with me?

I crawled backwards on the ground as floorlights lit the passage he'd trapped us in. Oh my God, was he gonna rape me or something? That sick b*****d! Maybe if I threw enough rocks at his sick, sick head he'd leave me alone!

I wonder if he touched little kids like Michael Jackson does?

If he hadn't been wearing a mask, I would have seen him grinning. "Hello Terra."

Oh s**t! He really was gonna rape me! I tried to run, but the wall was right in front of me. It would take too much concentration to move it; I'd already lost control before today, and I couldn't exert myself further.

Oh well. I'm sure Beast Boy would understand if I just let him...take my virginity and I'd be free to go...

"I'm glad we're getting a chance to talk," he continued. His voice was as ***** as I'd imagined it.

I stood and tightened my fists. "Mind if I talk with my hands?" I swung and a multitude of rocks snaked their way towards him.

He dodged them, or else they missed on their own. "Good, Terra," he complimented, "unless, of course, you were aiming for me."

He had a stick not unlike Robin's that he swung at me. I could feel the air around it as it grazed my arm. I sent another wave of rocks at him.

He was way too agile, damnit! Why didn't he sit still and let me kick his a**?! He dodged every attack I threw at him!

And the whole time, I wondered...What did he want with me??

He had me pinned against a wall. I couldn't bear it anymore; I said, "Why are you doing this?"

His voice had a grin in it; it was oiled with *****. He said something I didn't really pay attention to, so I said, "You don't know anything about me!"

"On the contrary, Terra," and he flicked my butterfly clip from between his fingers, "I know everything about you."

My clip! I didn't even know I'd lost it!

"I've been watching you for some time," continued Slade, his one eye never leaving my two. "I know why you're always running away--"

"NO!" He knew? He couldn't know! No one knew!

Unless...

He grabbed my wrist and twisted my arm, slamming me against the wall. Sharp edges dug into my back, gouging my skin.

"Earthquakes, avalanches, mudslides"--he let go of my arm--"Everywhere you go, you try to do good, and everywhere, you fail."

I unconsciously rubbed my aching arm.

"But it doesn't have to be this way."

And suddenly, my arm didn't hurt as much, and I was actually listening.

"I can help you--child."

Eww, so he still was kinda *****. But, hell, I'd give him a chance. "You...can?"

He nodded, then bent to scoop up a stray rock. "Right now, you are...rough...around the edges. You need more than obstacle courses to hone your power." He rubbed the rock, scratching away its fragile shell. "Come with me Terra, and I can teach you to shine." The last of the shell crumbled, revealing a raw, uncut diamond.

So I suppose I'd established he didn't want to rape me. "My friends said you're--"

"You don't really believe they're your friends?"

What? I stood with my back to him. "They took me in, gave me a home..."

"--and once they find out what's wrong with you, they'll turn on you."

No! I clenched my fists again. His words had a wrongess to them that I couldn't place, but I was listening anyway. "Beast Boy--"

"--can't keep his mouth shut forever. He'll tell them."

"He promised." Can't I finish a goddamn sentence, you ***** lied."

Finally I whipped around, my power growing inside me against my will. "SHUT UP!" I screamed. "JUST SHUT UP AND LEAVE! ME! ALONE!"

Suddenly I felt the all-too-familiar swoop of energy in my abdomen, building up towards my throat. Oh no! My eyes widened and I sank to the ground in the fetal position.

"Don't lose control, don't lose control--"

Slade was still standing there. "How can you lose something you never had?"

I let out another scream as a tornado built around me and intensified. I felt my body float into the center, feeding it. I couldn't stop it. I was going to die here, with only this serial rapist as a witness.

"No one understands you, Terra," he projected. "I'll be waiting."

All right, so I had no witnesses to my imminent doom. I gripped my head and wished to God for Tylenol.

Then there was a tiny pop! behind me, dimly heard over the roar of the tornado, and Beast Boy's voice was calling, "Terra!"

I carefully opened my eyes. He was floating near me in the twister, his hands stretching towards me. I blinked and my vision cleared a bit more.

I reached out to grab his hands.

They met and the tornado died.

This should have been an omen as to what would happen next: Our hands fitting perfectly together, and how our friendship stopped the storm...or was it really friendship?

In a split second there were three Terras inside me: The smallest one thought BB was a friend, a slightly bigger one wanted to be his girlfriend, and the largest remembered the warning Slade had given her/me.

He would betray me? The one who had stopped me from tearing down the mine?

I jerked back to reality and realized we were on the ground; my hands were on his shoulders and his arms were embracing me.

I said the first thing that popped into my head: "You won't--"

"I won't tell, Terra," he assured me. "I promise."

I leaned into his chest and felt a lock of hair drift into my eyes.


As we journeyed back to the Tower, my two Beast Boy Terras debated with my Slade one, and thankfully, my BB ones were winning, despite their small size. I decided to take the Titans up on their offer, should they mention it tonight.

Once we got inside, Cyborg cooked dinner and there was no word of an offer.

Three hours later, I had lost hope. Maybe I had misheard their conversation earlier. Maybe they didn't mean to ask me after all.

I combed the Tower for all my supplies and packed them into a backpack I found in the workout room. I hoped they wouldn't mind me borrowing it forever.

When I got into the living room, the backpack high on my shoulders, heads turned. All at once people were beseiging me with "Don't go!"s and "You can't!"s. Finally I shook them off and said, "Well, it's been real."

I made for the exit, but the door opened to a large metal wall. Cyborg pushed me back inside with a "Hold up".

I pretended to be surprised. "Okay, what's up?"

"Well," Robin began, "we thought it over and--"

"We wish for you to stay here, with us!" Starfire giggled.

"You mean..." I implied.

"We want you to be one of the team," finished Robin, holding out a communicator. I'd had about three seconds to admire it before:

"But you'll need a little more training. I understand you have trouble controlling your powers and--"

My hand released the communicator and I rounded on Beast Boy, eyes wide in disbelief.

"You told him?"

"Terra, I--" he began.

"You promised!"

"Terra, I didn't--"

"You lied to me! You lied!" And I tore out of the room, catching a rock as I ran and sailing over the harbor.

As I replayed the scene in my head, my Slade-Terra smirked and said, See? I told you.


I didn't know exactly where to find him, but I'd give it my best shot. I went back to the canyon where the Titans had found me the day before.

Was that it? It feels like a year ago...

Slade said he'd been watching me, and that's why he knew about me...but...

Back in the mine, I'd had a thought that scared me, but backed Slade's claim. I'd thought that maybe...what if Beast Boy had told Slade? What if that stalking thing was just an alibi?

But why would BB tell him? Slade was their enemy...

Or maybe I was just letting my imagination go. I couldn't rule out stalking just yet.

I landed at the cave I'd slept in two nights before. Sure enough, as I'd hoped, he was waiting for me.

I ran a couple steps and then crumpled to the rough, rocky ground, sobs shaking my body. "You were right!" I moaned. "They really did betray me; they hate me, just because I can't control it--"

Slade strode forward, half his face in shadow--or was it just his mask? His fingers lifted my head by my chin, and my two eyes were locked to his one. I could feel my face heat up...now that we would be partners, what if he did rape me?

"Do you wish to hurt them?" he asked.

"What?"

He spoke to me as if I were a little kid. "They hurt you. An eye for an eye, right?" He helped me to my feet, but I insisted on brushing off my own tears.

He was speaking of Hammurabi's Code. Eye for an eye, limb for limb...it was so logical, and right then I wanted nothing more than to hurt him...to shatter that sweet green face, to break that liar...

And I knew the perfect way how.


The next three days were spent with basic rock-lifting exercises, something Slade insisted on me doing. I knew how to lift a goddamn rock; I begged to be moved up, but he insisted I stick with the basics.

"Patience is the key to control."

Bullshit, I thought irritably as I levitated the largest boulder I could muster.

Then there was lifting rocks with Slade atop them. He jeered at me so much I wanted to send that rock flying, smash that b*****d into a wall.

Every night I'd slip into bed, and he'd come into my room and remind me that the Titans were traitors and that my mission was to kill them. Like I could forget. I was sick of people hurting me, and I was ready to stand up for myself.

One day I asked him, "How did you know I couldn't control my powers? Were you really following me around?"

He nodded.

"Well, Beast Boy was the only one who--"

His eye snapped open. "I thought something like this had happened."

I sat next to him. "What're you talking about?"

"When he sought me out, I'd been wondering if we were talking about the same person. He said he knew of a girl who couldn't control her powers, who'd had run-ins in the past and was scared." He turned to look at me. "I hoped he was talking about you. He said you were nearby and I could..."

I tuned him out, my body shaking with rage. So he had told! That jackass! I felt my agony and anger double.

He told me hundreds of things about his past skirmishes with the Titans, and about how each of their powers worked. And yet...he refused to tell me a lot about Robin. All he said was that I had an advantage because Robin had no powers and his gadgets were nothing compared to Cyborg's. That, and I was taller than him. But both Robin and Raven remained a mystery to me.

Weeks passed and I could feel my power subsiding. It didn't come in sharp spurts and gushes; now it was a gentle flow I could always tap into. Slade said it was time for me to hurt the Titans like they'd hurt me.

Slade handed me a newspaper-wrapped parcel and instructed me to change. He added, "Get to it, apprentice," before sending me away.

So that was it. I was not a Titan, never would be a Titan. I was Slade's Apprentice.

In my room, I unfolded a black shirt with a T in yellow and yellow shorts. What was I, a bumblebee? Black and yellow is retarded.

The suit came with a kickass belt though, so I wasn't entirely complaining.

Once I'd donned the outfit, I stepped into the hall to find my master. He was awaiting me in the control room, countless computers beeping around him.

"Ready to go," I announced, flexing my arms. "When do I take off?"

"Now."


It was evening by the time I'd reached the tower. I could hear voices from the roof, but as I was flying up there, a volleyball came streaking past me.

Convenient.

I swooped down and caught the ball, then chucked it as hard as I could. Dead silence from the rooftop.

"So," I said conversationally, "which team am I on?"


"TERRA!"

I stepped off my rock and removed my goggles, swinging my hair back nonchalantly. Suddenly I registered Beast Boy and Starfire fighting over who got to talk to me first. How cute, I thought, but reminded myself how they had hurt me.

Starfire fired her Starbolts at BB's gorilla a**, getting him out of the way. It was a good thing I'd inhaled at that moment, because suddenly I couldn't breathe.

"Hello long-lost friend! You remember me, yes?" She didn't let go.

I struggled to answer. "O-Of course, Starfire. I still have bruises from the last time you hugged me." Which, sadly, was only a slight exaggeration. She dropped me and I flexed my arms, trying to get the kinks out. Beast Boy snuck up meekly behind me.

"So...uh, how's it, I mean--er...what's up?" he asked. He looked so adorable when he was confused. I couldn't help it; I gave him a big hug.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite rock-'n-rolla!" Cyborg said, joining the party.

I slapped high-fives. "Cyborg, Robin, what's shakin'?"

"Good to see you again," was all Robin had to say. What a jerk.

"Good?" Beast Boy asked, blocking my view of the Boy Wonder. "Who's he kiddin'? It's great to see you again! I didn't think I'd ever see you again!"

Well, this is certainly awkward. They're happy to see me, and I hate them.

"Hey Raven, wake up, Terra's back!"

Raven hadn't moved from where she was meditating and hadn't said a word thus far. What a b***h. "Super. Help yourself to anything in the fridge and don't forget to lock the door when you leave."

"But...I wasn't planning on leaving this time."

I turned to face the Titans who were actually happy to see me. "I'm ready to take you up on your offer. I wanna be a Teen Titan!" My greeting was met with blank stares and awkward glances.

Oh no...This means they found someone else... "Right. Got it," I said, turning around. "Didn't realize the offer had an expiration date." I knew I had to get them to accept me! It was part of Slade's plan! If I didn't get in, the whole thing was--

"The offer didn't expire," Robin said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "We're just...concerned."

"Yeah, last time when you freaked out and ran off," Beast Boy explained, "you couldn't really...you didn't--"

"You couldn't control your powers," Raven stated point-blank. Beast Boy squeed; he'd been avoiding the subject in case it brought me discomfort.

He'd really done that...? It was so...sweet.

No. They hurt you...you are here to hurt them, to get back at them.

Don't forget your mission!

"Duh!" I exclaimed. "That's why I left! Robin said I needed practice, so I've been practicing!" I did a backflip onto my rock, levitated three more, and took to the skies.

Slade had told me I could make up whatever story I wanted to explain my absence. He also said I could improvise whenever necessary, and here I did so. I did as many flips and tricks as I could without looking like an idiot. Finally I jumped off, sending all four boulders into the sky, where they met and exploded.

Wow...I hadn't meant to make them blow up like fireworks, but the Titans were impressed nonetheless. I grinned.

The smirk was wiped off my face as an earthquake rumbled through the city. As soon as they recovered, all of the Titans' gazes turned to me.

Oh my God! Was that really me!? I could feel my face turning bright red. "Wasn't me!"


It really wasn't me! I was so relieved I could die.

Small blips appeared all over the city, circles resonating from their respective epicenters. Earthquakes. NOT mine.

"They're all over the city."

"Way too many to be natural," I commented, ignoring Beast Boy as he popped up behind me.

"That's because they're not earthquakes," Robin said, making a line connecting the epicenters. "They're a trail. Something's moving under the city..."

Does this mean that, since it's not me, I get to be a Titan?

"Are you coming or not?" It was Robin; he and Raven were waiting for me.

"Does this mean I'm on the team?" I queried.

"It means we could use your help."

I nodded affirmitavely and raced for the stairs. I know I'm accepted...I know I am... I didn't notice the two as they stalled behind me.

I caught up to the changeling and grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, guess what?"

His eyes sparkled. "You're in?"

"Almost. I just know he's gonna let me."

Then Robin and Raven raced to join us and I shut up, just in case my bragging was a negative to Robin.

Ooooh.....great fic so far, Auria. 3nodding

Wait...when did I say Terra hated Robin? I''m drawin'' blanks here. And you''re only saying that because YOUR OC makes out with the b*****d in your fics.

And Ryan....I can''t watch ANYTHING around that retard...

Arriving in the middle of the city, we encountered...a worm. A big, giant, metal worm with a laser beam attached to its forehead like Raven's jewel. For a moment, I was perplexed as to how a worm could cause earthquakes with such a smooth body...

..and then a thought occured to me. Well, more like a train of thoughts. Ignoring everyone else around me, I wondered:

Slade was attacking the city. With a worm.

I was his apprentice.

He had sent me on ahead, never speaking to me of this plan.

What...did...he....want...?

At this point, my train of thought derailed as the worm lunged toward us to attack. Raven was ready to stand the defense.

"Azerath Metrion--"

"I got it!" I yelled, knocking her away. My rock shield sent the worm tumbling backwards, shrieking like Godzilla and smashing countless numbers of cars. At once I felt a tad guilty, but at the moment, I was caught up in the thrill of a real fight with a real team.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were attacking the thing where it met the ground, but when their attack failed, the worm attempted to scorch them with its laser. I rushed to Beast Boy's side and got him out of the way, levitating a rock to carry us to safety.

"Good work, Terra!" Robin yelled from his standpoint. "Now help me get in his face!"

It took me a second to realize he was talking about the worm. I lifted a series of boulders for him to climb, stairlike, and throw exploding balls into the worm's machine-guts. As they ruptured its intestines, I knew it wouldn't work. The worm hardly even moved.

I knew how to end it.

Mustering all my strength, I levitated a massive rock. This was the largest I had been able to hold onto back when Slade trained me, and that was with him on it too. I found that I didn't need so much energy now. Maybe his training did work...

Suddenly I could feel my energy being sapped, and it was becoming harder to control the rock's movement. Before I'd even begun to wonder why, I saw Raven across the street from me, her black aura enveloping my rock.

"What are you doing!?" I cried, gritting my teeth against her power.

"It's too dangerous!" she yelled back. "Someone could get hurt!" Then she pulled back with her hands, moving the rock away from me! God, if she kept this up, I'd lose control again!

"I know what I'm doing!" Now it was tug-of-war; I pulled the rock my way.

For a few seconds, we gripped the rock in our respective powers. Then the power began to fluctuate between us. I couldn't get a grip anymore, and I was sure Raven was having trouble as well.

Robin dropped from his attack, wherever he'd been. "Look out!!"

Too late: the worm's final attack was a laser blast to our rock. The combination of all three powers sent the rock into an implosion, the resounding shock of which blasted us backwards. Picking myself up off the pavement, I glared at Raven, only to see her doing the same to me.

"Way to go."

It was a few minutes until I registered the worm's disappearance from the surface. Joining the others at the mouth of its tunnel, I found them talking to Slade on Robin's communicator. If he tried to talk to me, I'd kick his a**.

b*****d! You didn't tell me this would happen! I thought I was your apprentice!

The conversation was over in ten seconds flat. Slade had dropped a hint about following the worm down the tunnel.

I thought of my orders to destroy the Titans and wondered if this would be a good time to do it. We woud be miles underground. All alone. Surrounded by rock. It would be a crime against villainy not to take this chance. I decidedly took up the rear as my teammates descended into the cavern.

Unfortunately, I couldn't seal the entrance; it would be too noticeable. I would have liked to keep them where I needed them, but there was still a need to be discreet.

We spent an hour wandering the labyrinth the tunnel created. The worm had constantly doubled back on itself, crossing its path and making three-way forks and confusing the living hell out of us.

The silence of the tunnel was overwhelming. No one made comments, except to mention how cold it was or ask how far down they were. Raven hadn't said a word, and I knew she was still fuming over our fight, as was I. I may have been having second thoughts over BB, but Raven I'd be happy to get rid of. She was such a stuck-up b***h.

However, I did need them to trust me. I motioned for Raven to fall back so I could apologize.

"So...sorry," I began, "about our little tug-of-war back there. You know I wouldn't have hurt anyone."

She wouldn't look at me. She stared resolutely ahead, ignoring every word I said. Finally she grunted, "Whatever."

"Whatever"!? Didn't she understand my efforts? "Look, I don't know what your deal is, but get over it! If I'm gonna be a part of this team, we have to get along!" I was so sick of compromising right there. I knew I shouldn't have let my temper reign free, but all I wanted to do was siphon it off.

Raven stopped dead in her tracks, as if she couldn't believe this had just come from me. Then she said, "You're not part of this team. Not yet. And if you endanger my friends again, you never will be. The next time I tell you something's too dangerous, TAKE MY WORD FOR IT."

She'd said it all so fast that I had no time to get a word in edgewise. I stared at her back as she stomped after the rest of the team, her cape billowing behind her slightly. Beast Boy appeared on my other side, grinning apologetically.

"Why does she hate me?" I asked, picking up my walk again.

He shrugged. "Uh, she kinda hates everyone. Don't worry about it--Raven just needs time to get used to you."

I turned my head to meet his eyes and smiled.

"I think she's still getting used to me anyway," he added. Finding that highly believable, I giggled.

We emerged into a dead end moments later.

"Dead end," Raven commented as we entered. No, really? Point for me.

It was a large cave, perfectly cylindrical, and there was no trace of any worm being down here.

Cyborg's scanner began beeping faintly. He and Robin followed its beep like a metal detector until it went quietly crazy.

"I'm pickin' up electronic vibes, machinery, and...a heartbeat."

"Slade," muttered Robin.

I strode forward, confident of my usefulness now. "Let's dig down there and see what's up." No sooner had my powers activated that another earthquake rumbled through the city, causing too-big-for-comfort rocks to fall from the cave ceiling. In the process of dodging them, I ended up next to Raven, who glared at me.

"Are you gonna look at me like that every time an earthquake happens!?" I demanded angrily. Before she could answer, a much larger quake let loose and suddenly we were surrounded by three more enormous worms.

"Titans, ready!" Robin yelled. As soon as we assembled, the worms thundered past us and through the opposite wall.

The following silence was broken by Beast Boy yelling at the ends of the worms, "Hey! The good guys are back here!" He turned to look at the rest of us. "Dude, we got snubbed."

"Because we are not their target," said Starfire pointedly. She hovered near the new tunnels.

"We have to go after them!" I cried. Wherever they were going, it wasn't good.

"We have to go after Slade," Raven insisted. It took me forever to figure this out, but here lay the major difference between us.

"Split up," Robin instructed. "Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, follow the worms. Raven, Terra, we're going after Slade."

Oh God, why me and that b***h? Once we were positioned, I pointed out, "I can dig a tunnel on my own. Why does she--"

"Raven can move earth almost as well as you," the Boy Wonder explained. I was satisfied to hear the almost. "I'm going to need you both to get to Slade. We're digging through solid rock." He paused to check his coordinates. "Roughly half a mile down."

So? I can handle solid rock. "No problem," we chorused. I let loose my power the same time she did. Unfortunately, we were about evenly matched as far as speed went.

Time to mess with her mind, I decided. "Is that as fast as you can go?" I loved the witty banter exchanged between hero and villain. It was my favorite part of the job.

"Not even close," she shot back, stretching a bit further ahead of me. I gritted my teeth and thrust more energy into the blast.

"Take it slow," Robin ordered. "I don't know how stable the rock--"

We didn't hear him. We were too busy attempting to outdo the other with our awesome rock skills.