wow...at long last, the conclusion to the abc trilogy. lol. Aftereffects was the first story i wrote for fanfic, and now, almost four years ago, the storyline is finished. I'm sorry this took so long to post; ive worked on this last chapter more than anything else for this site, plus when i was finally ready to post, my internet crashed for a couple months. i feel pretty damn great about how this worked out; hopefully i havent forgotten to wrap anything up. the characters have grown a lot...and if robin sounds very different from the way i used to write him, thats the idea. he IS very different.

anyway, nuff explanations. on with catalyst!

Fields stretched as far as the eye could see, yellowed grass swaying and rippling in the slightest breeze. He stood, no feeling in his body, eyes gazing at nothing, mind occupied by emptiness. There was only the shock of whatever level of existence he still possessed - he had expected no such thing.

And as quickly as the truth of it registered, it lost all importance. He walked - no, drifted - vaguely through the tall grass, feeling himself sinking deeper into its protection, disappearing slowly inch by inch...

"Rich!"

The voice drifted pleasantly on the wind, interesting enough to make him pause. He turned slowly - and then he was gifted with sight, a blind man seeing the sun. How had there ever been anything else but she?

Her skin glowed, as though infused with sunlight in its barest essence, her hair was long and free on the breeze. A smile lit her infinite eyes.

"Let's go home."

He drifted forward, victim to her gravitational pull. His fingers closed around hers, and all the heat of the sun roared through him.

Darkness.

At first, Robin thought he was still unconscious, forcefully knocked into a dreamless sleep. But no. Too much clarity for that.

Maybe his eyes were closed. He commanded the muscles, feeling the familiar sensation of blinking.

Darkness.

Panic seized him then, undiluted by the grogginess he had expected after their little ordeal. His quick breaths rasped loudly in his ears. Trigon had caught them, reeled them back in like a fish on a line. This was some new level of Hell, dredged up especially for him. Now, he would have to find blind.

And Raven? How had she fared?

"Hey..." said a familiar voice.

He jumped, trying to remember exactly how the mechanics of speech worked, and whether he should even use them.

But the voice continued.

"Yeah, he is...no, he just opened his eyes like, five minutes ago. Is she...? 'Kay. Will do, bossman."

Beast Boy's voice lacked much of its usual squeaky energy. Maybe his voice was finally changing...or he was simply exhausted.

A deep sigh, footsteps, the creak of a chair...

"You alive in there, Rob?" There was no hint of humor in the question.

It seemed to take the words longer to get to his mouth, but when they did, they were clear. "Not entirely sure."

Beast Boy laughed weakly. "Well, if you're talking and moving, that's a start, right?"

Robin's lip twitched upward. "Unless this is a dream, of course."

The smile died before it could be fully formed as Hell rushed to the forefront of his mind, and Beast Boy's question gained new meaning. "How long have I been dead?" The words felt absurd on his lips, no matter how true they were.

Beast Boy sighed deeply; clearly it felt just as wrong to him. "Three days."

He swallowed hard, bile rising in his throat as the panic made a comeback. His eyes strained against the darkness, no longer able to ignore its significance. Instinctive fear born so many lifetimes ago had his heart knocking against his ribs like a battering ram. He fought for a good breath to choke out the one and only question. "Raven...where's Raven?"

Beast Boy's voice had a new edge to it. "She's ok, Rob. She just woke up too. I think -"

He cut off at the click of a door opening.

He was flawless in the light of the meadow. He seemed to move with the grace of a lion, muscled shoulders rolling slightly, his bare chest capturing the light of the sun on perfectly smooth skin. There were no scars, no bruises - no pain. Just perfection.

And his eyes...no longer a dark, murky lake, now a clear stream, crystal blue, noting hiding beneath the surface. They sparkled with child-like innocence.

His soul was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and holding his hand was Heaven...

Until she fell away, and came crashing down to Earth.

Her body felt wrong, as though only half of her had made it back to inhabit it. Or maybe something was taken while she was away. With every breath, she waited for something, something so common place she could barely remember what it was, now that it was gone.

It was when she reached, spreading her dark feelers out in search of him, that it finally came to her.

There were no feelers, no supernatural sensors. There was nothing to reach with. There was only her body, only her mind. No Nevermore. No infinite space and gateways to other worlds. No emotions. No dark magic, no demon heritage.

Just Raven. Alone. In the tiny confines of her now entirely human skull.

Claustrophobia set in as she beat futile fists against her invisible cage, pushing and stretching to no avail. The walls did not give.

"Robin!" she cried out in her mind, desperately projecting the thought -

It rebounded, echoing back at her in the one, small, dark room.

Her eyes flew open then, suddenly vitally necessary, when they had always seemed secondary to her true sight. Now they were her only hope of finding him.

She was in her own room, but someone had drawn back the drapes. Sunlight made it nearly unrecognizable.

Bruce Wayne sat in the armchair, watching her silently. She would have been taken aback by the look on his face, had there been any room left in her for surprise. The usual dark circles seemed permanently etched now, bruise like and purple. Haunted eyes stared out of his handsome face, which seemed to have aged twenty years since she has last seen him. She got the impression that he was untouchable now, nothing anyone could do would compare to what he had already experienced.

They stared at eachother in silence for a moment, each acknowledging the other's pain. At last he spoke, in a voice that sent chills down her spine.

"He's in his room." He looked away, staring out the window at the steel waters of the harbor. It seemed a physical release.

"Bruce..." She whispered, throat tight.

"No, I'll find him later." His eyes closed, forehead wrinkled as though something was hurting him. "You're the one he needs."

She was frozen for a moment, desperate for some way to help him, yet knowing full well he was beyond help. Soon the panic was too much, the need to see Robin too great. No longer able to fly, she ran faster than she ever had in her life.

"Out."

The word was harsh, yet the voice that uttered it was like music. His heart picked up a steady drumming, every nerve on fire as the longing became unbearable, a terrible ache burning him up as he strained against the darkness for one glimpse of her face.

He heard Beast Boy's chair creak again, his quick footsteps, then the click of a door. No protest this time.

No sooner had the door shut than she was beside him, her warm breath on his face, her cold hands moving up his chest. He choked, a dry sob building in him; there was still nothing but darkness. Agony, to have her so close and be robbed of the beauty of her face, the intensity of her eyes.

And then she was sobbing too, a tear falling on his cheek.

"I can't...I can't feel you." Panic broke her words apart, tears dragging them up in pitch. "I can't -"

Then she was pressed tight to him, heat racing like wildfire across his skin until they had one body, one soul. Her lips touched his, and they responded ferociously, hard and unforgiving and desperate - while hers did the same.

His hands flew, as though trying to touch every bit of her at once. One moment, stroking her ivory cheek, the next, tangled in her silky hair, now preoccupied with the smooth arch of her back - hers did the same.

He found her name on his lips every time they left hers, soft and delicate, harsh and urgent, achingly beauty - he heard his own whispered back to him just as often.

And still she managed to push herself closer, arms wrapped tightly around him, little sobs of fear ripping the air; it wasn't close enough.

He understood, in the most infinite depths of his soul, what she needed, what she had lost, and what he could give her. With a quick, controlled movement, Raven was buried in the sheets, and cold air grazed his bare shoulders. he captured her lips in earnest now, letting his weight crush her to him, surrounding her, comforting her, his hands gentle on her soft, fragile body. Whatever fabric separated them, kept them farther apart, was quickly disposed of.

He held her to him, but saw only black, the darkness that he feared so much. And the tears still streamed down her face, because she was blind in a much more vital sense.

Raven let her fingers trail along his smooth skin, tracing invisible patterns, writing love notes. He sighed contentedly, a smile on his lips, eyes closing - no doubt he was tired. That was quite a workout, for a dead-man.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than a shroud fell over her momentary happiness. All the scars were gone, except the largest.

It was a good six inches long, nearly one wide - thick, zigzagging, angry pink. She traced it ever so lightly, her eyebrows pulled together as she felt the steak rip through her own heart. Her arm slid around him carefully, feeling the identical scar higher up on his back. The ridges of his spine were just a breadth to the left.

She drew in a sharp breath, pulling her arm back. "I'm surprised it didn't nic it..."

Robin smiled wryly, eyes still closed. "It did."

Horror filled her, her fingers automatically clenching on his arm.

He let out a subdued chuckle, eyes opening as he rolled his head to face her. She was still pained by the milky film that obscured their gorgeous blue; something he had apparently picked up on, since he kept them closed most of the time.

"Do I seem paralyzed from the waist down to you?"

She blushed automatically, then smacked his cheek lightly. "No, I guess not." The color drained from her face as her eyes were once again drawn to the scar. "Does it hurt?" she whispered, unable to keep her voice from shaking.

His lips tightened slightly, body tensing. "No," he said, too quickly. He forced a smile, letting out a long breath. "All in all, I think I got a pretty good deal."

It was his turn to frown now, as he reached out, searching for her face; she guided his hand. "Much better than what he did to you." Now his voice was shaking, his eyes somehow still able to reflect pain. "I wish I could have taken it all... He had no right, no reason to -"

She pressed a finger to his lips. "It had nothing to do with you. Trigon was simply seizing the opportunity to punish me for my defiance." She pressed her face against his palm, keeping it in place with her own. "In some ways, it's a relief. Now I'm cut off from Hell, from the evil of my heritage..."

The sadness in his eyes deepened. "And from all the good that came of it. From your mother." The sigh was more of a growl now, as his fist hit the sheets in frustration. "How horrible that must be... What could that have felt like...?"

She couldn't entirely suppress the shiver that rocked her frame. It had felt like someone was ripping her in two, or rather, gutting her - scraping out her insides and sowing her up empty. It was a Hell the likes of which she had never experienced, one that she still suffered from.

She stroked his face, making an effort to smooth out the worry wrinkles. "It's over now; I adjust quickly. Besides, I still have the thing that matters most." She layed a gentle kiss on each of his eyelids.

The scowl vanished, to be replaced by a mischievous smirk as he gather her into a fierce hug, kissing her neck instead of her lips; a happy mistake. She was just as easily appeased. It was hard to feel pain for long, when they were finally free to be together.

Robin's fingers trailed along the wall, footsteps hesitant as he placed each carefully. He was forcefully reminded of a game he used to play when he was a kid - tying a dishrag tightly around his eyes, he had tried to find his way to different rooms in Wayne Manor. Many antiques had been broken in the process.

There was something incredibly comforting about being able to take off the blindfold.

The bottom dropped out as he tripped, falling through the darkness, foot no doubt snagged on one of Beast Boy's shoes. The house wasn't exactly blindman-friendly.

A pair of small hands caught his arm, steadying him. "Careful there!" came the automatic response.

His face lit up, as hers appeared in his memory. "Mina!" Without thinking much, he caught her hand and pulled her into a hug. She seemed stiff, but he ignored this little factor; a hug was the least he could give. "I was hoping to run into you...maybe not quite so literally."

She patted his back awkwardly, and he let her pull away, keeping a hand on her arm.

"Why is that?" she asked cautiously.

He hesitated then, the tone in her voice making him wonder if he had acted with too much familiarity. "I just, uh...wanted to thank you for everything. It means a lot to me, and Raven..."

Her tone became worried. "How is she?"

Robin frowned. "I think...I hope she'll be all right." He cleared his throat, in an attempt to dislodge the lump. "What about you? What do you make of...all this mess?" He laughed nervously, his mind flashing through everything that had happened since they met. He lingered particularly on one or two things.

She sighed, then withdrew her arm; Robin reached for the wall to steady himself. "Honestly...I have no idea. Everything's so...I'm so different. I barely know myself anymore."

He could almost feel her blush as she choked back the words, afraid of saying too much. "I know what you mean," he said, gently so as not to belittle her own suffering.

"I don't regret it." How he wished he could see her face. He hadn't realized how much he had come to rely on it over the past months. "If I had it all to do over, I know I still would have pulled you off the street that day. Seeing you..." she hesitated, and he burned for her words, "Not whole, no...but happy."

The distinct heartbreaking sound of tears filled her voice. He reached to comfort her, but got only empty air. Stupid blindness.

"I think that makes it all worth it. I wish the best for you and Raven."

"You're leaving." It wasn't a question; the fact was plain and unshakable.

"Yes." He could hear her sniff, no doubt trying to clear her tears and put on a brave face. "I don't really have a reason to stay anymore." She laughed, like the joke was on her.

Robin wished he could contradict her on that statement. He wished he could say she had a home here, fighting with the Titans. But he and Raven could hardly resume herowork, Cyborg was...gone, and Beast Boy and Star were exhausted. There were no Teen Titans left. Just broken spirits and empty spaces.

"Where will you go?" He was shocked to feel his own eyes burning; this girl had become more of a friend to him that he would have thought possible.

"Oh, you know... Wherever the wind takes me. Actually, I was just on my way out..."

Shock brought him up short. "Now? But...aren't you going to say goodbye? Raven, at least, would -"

"No, no, really - I'm crappy at goodbyes, so just..." She hesitated, and he knew this was about when she started biting her lip. "Just tell her to take care." Her feet shifted...

"Wait! Mina, I..." How to put this feeling into words? He reached to stop her, and she caught his hand - out of courtesy. "I'm so grateful for everything, and...so very sorry for -"

"Shh, don't, Robin. There's nothing to be sorry for."

Dammit, why couldn't he just see her face! She squeezed his hand gently, and he stood frozen, wondering what words exactly were blocking up his air passages. All too soon, she let go.

"Well...see you around.," she said lightly, tears creeping into her words again. This time there were footsteps.

A large part of him wanted to stop her, to tell her to stay, even though it didn't make sense. To her a reason to stay.

But before he could grasp what this meant, he heard the elevator doors close.

"See you around," Robin whispered to no one.

The tears seemed to have simply run out. Her eyes were bone-dry and burning, no doubt an ugly shade of pink. She focused simply on putting one foot in front of the other, still trying to convince herself that she was really leaving. More importantly, that the Tower, the Titans, and everything that went along with them, was no longer her concern.

That she was supposed to simply forget him. That he was happy now.

The fact that she was not didn't matter in this equation.

She seemed to grow colder with every step she took.

"Goodbye to you," she breathed into the wind. "Goodbye to everything that I knew..."

Her heart broke free from her chest, choosing to stay behind on the rocks.

"You were the one that I loved, the one thing that I tried to hold on to."

"I know I have to tell him."

The room was so silent that the clock sounded like a gong. Raven sat cross-legged on the bed, studying her hands, marveling at how untalented and human they were. She said nothing.

Bruce dragged in a long breath, as though just remembering he'd forgotten. "I don't know how. I don't want -"

She kept her eyes down, recognizing the hitch in his voice. He laced his fingers through his limp hair.

"I can't hurt him now. Not when he's -" He came up short, looking for the word.

She smiled wryly, then glanced up through her eyelashes. "Happy?"

His face could have been stone, for how well it reacted. "Happy...he really is, isn't he? You have given him happiness."

Raven blushed, picking at a loose thread. "We've given eachother happiness," she mumbled. She found it harder to look at their long, complex history through her simple human mind. The here and now seemed to have plenty to digest.

The silence made her chance another glance - her eyes widened, mind backpedaling. For Bruce now looked almost skeletal; dejected, haunted and resigned. It occurred to her too late what this concept must have meant to him.

"Family is everything to Robin. I think more than anything now, he's glad to finally be able to enjoy it - and give it the time it deserves."

To her intense relief, he seemed to brighten a little. A tiny twitch (meant to be a smile?) cracked his scowl. "You really think you two will want to hang around an old bat like me?"

She smiled back warmly, placing her hands over his icy ones. "Unquestionably."

"What will I do?"

Her eyes looked less fiery emerald today, and more haunted forest.

"When everyone is gone...where will I go?"

Beast Boy caught the tear carefully, balancing it on the tip of his finger. he blew it away, like an eyelash.

"That's easy. I'll stick with you, you stick with me, and together we'll figure out what the hell to do with the rest of our lives."

He smiled brightly, though he was tired, though he was still reeling from death and loss, and change. He smiled just for her.

And she smiled back. Almost emerald. "Together," Star agreed, gripping his hand like the lifeline it was.

"Do you remember it?"

It was dark, both to his eyes and the rest of the world's. They lay in his bed, closely entwined, surrounded by shreds of ripped up newspaper. Her hair was on his face, her smell making his mind foggy.

"Take those off - you could never fill them."

"You will never see Raven again."

His body was perfectly disciplined as the fire of remembered pain burned up his mind, his own inhuman shrieks ringing in his ears.

He let out the breath furtively; no hint of tension would give him away as he kissed her head softly. Simply inhaling her smell seemed a good antidote for any distress. "No, love. The last thing I remember is -" he amended quickly, feeling her stiffen now, "- seeing you come back." He chuckled softly, running his hands along the fluctuations of her body. "I was on cloud nine."

They were quiet for a moment, each pacing their breaths to match the others.

"What about you?" His tone was guilty, as though ashamed for even bringing it up. "Do you remember...anything?"

Robin writhed in agony, choked groans issuing from him in place of screams; she smiled. Amusing

She threw him with all the force she controlled, seeing her target with clear intent. A human dartboard - but which was the dart? Her lips pulled back in anticipation -

Raven was grateful that her body no longer told on her emotion. She shifted slightly, hiding a shiver by snuggling closer to his warmth. "No," she sighed, no hint of her incapacitating guilt escaping in the casual answer. "Only when Slade...put me under..." Pain wracked her body. And when I - woke up."

Silence reigned once again, but it was fraught with tension. Robin held her just a little closer, stroking her hair and laying soft, forgiving kisses on her forehead. Raven placed the once-healing hands over the monstrous scar.

She didn't buy it.

And neither did he.

He looked good, considering the fact that he'd been dead a few days back. He was wearing his hair differently these days; no more indestructible spikes. It fell in natural waves to his shoulders. An improvement, if you asked Bruce.

The absence of his mask was good, too. It made him feel as though he had just run into Richard Grayson on the street, having not seen him for the last five years. 'Look how grown up you are!' he might say. Or maybe, 'Shooting up like a weed!' Was Robin this tall? He couldn't remember...

The difference only enhanced his awareness of his mistakes. He had known so little about Robin. He knew nothing at all about this boy.

Except the expression. It was compassionate, if a little hesitant.

"Bruce...I'm so sorry. I know what it feels like, to believe that you've lost...a father figure. I...I know what you're going through, and I know it's...terrible. But you have to realize you aren't alone." Whatever he was feeling over the news of Alfred's death was firmly suppressed. There was only concern...for Bruce. Guilt twisted in his stomach.

"Raven and I will be there, if you need anything. I'll be there...as long as you want me to be."

He shook his head slowly, not comprehending the sudden loyalty. "Squirt...you don't have to do that. I'm not -"

"I know I don't have to." Richard gripped his shoulder tightly, his eyes still managing to flash that little fire of determination through the fog. Suddenly, Bruce felt like the youngster. "I want to. There's no way in hell I'm going to let you rattle around that house alone." He chuckled, slapping the shoulder in a friendly way. "Besides, who would tell you when to go to bed, or how much is too much whiskey?"

His eyes burned - something that Batman was not familiar with. He felt himself wake up a little, the ache of loneliness now a dull roar. "Let's not forget who's the boss," he muttered, ruffling Richard's hair in mock condescension.

The day was free of rain, but unassuming clouds still blocked out the sun, settling gloom on the island and what was left of Titan's Tower.

What was left of the Titans moved silently through the rubble, each flinching with every step.

Robin found the pole he had been pinioned on less than five days ago. Raven came across a small bit of Cyborg's armor.

No one really knew what they were supposed to do.

Slade's body was a reassuring lump among the metal teeth; the birds had had their choice picking by now.

Blindness had not hindered him much in locating it. His other senses picked up its location with the force of an electrical current, and he knew this place so well he could almost see in his mind every rock he stepped on. He had little trouble, apart from the occasional stumble. The fear of falling was slowly leaving him as he gained confidence in himself once again.

Robin was fixated on the mess; formally the worst part of his life. His fingers trailed across the bits of ripped fabric emotionlessly; no eye gleamed from behind the mask. He removed it idly, letting out a pungent odor and a few random maggots. He doubted there was anything left to see, anyway.

"My worst enemy," he muttered, entirely to himself. "The insurmountable obstacle - the horror lurking in the dark." In the absence of sight, it was easy to recall what Slade had been. "The voice in my head. The devil on my shoulder..."

He gripped the mask tight, oblivious to everything but. "And yet, just as susceptible to worms as I."

Raven's voice came from somewhere in the darkness. "Search his pockets."

He didn't question, merely obeyed. There was plenty to be found, but he soon felt the object she had in mind. His fingers closed around the ring, feeling the perfectly cut petals and leaves. He tucked it safely into his pocket, whispering an easy curse. "Bastard."

With that, he gathered the body in his arms - mask and all, and carried it well away from the rocks. Shoving a metal pipe into the muck, he carved out a respectable hole - deep enough to ward off all but worms - and dropped the stinking remains into the damp darkness.

"Here lies Slade Wilson," he muttered, each word punctuated by a shovel-load of dirt. "May God have mercy on his soul."

There was no insincerity. Just an empty message - and perhaps the hint of guilt. By all rights, he should be rotting alongside Mr. Wilson - the burial was a very small thank-you note.

He stood for a moment over the settled dirt, each breath sending a pain echo through his scar - nothing would shift it for several years at the least. Yet he felt no release - merely repose. A smallish break. The typical breather that Slade allowed before his newest attack, designed to lure him into a false sense of safety.

"Still lodged in that wonderful mindset, are we?"

"Leave me alone." Robin tugged pointlessly at his too-long hair. "I need to think."

"Robin?"

He jumped, breath rushing out in a little gasp. It took a minute to compose himself. So easy to sneak up on a blindman. "Yes," he breathed - statement or querie?

Her hand gripped his shoulder; he nearly shivered with the foreigness of it all. "They found...we gathered up..." She choked, the only sound the howling wind. She didn't need to finish.

Robin stepped carefully, and Raven led him to the edge of another hole. He was frozen - what to say, when the dead was once a friend?

He felt, more than heard, the silent gathering. He shifted uncertainly, hands clasped in what was hopefully a reverant posture. "Dear Lord, our Eternal Father, we ask You to bless this grave site, and the remains that inhabit it, and we ask that You ferry this spirit safely to the other side." He drew in a deep breath, shocked by how well he remembered long abandoned principal. "Here lies Victor Stone, Cyborg, a great friend and a great ally. May his soul rest, forever in peace. Amen."

Four voices mumbled a subdued "amen." Robin assumed the duties of burial, shoveling dirt onto a person he had once considered his best friend. Nothing felt real, because nothing was possible. it simply couldn't be.

Once duty was fulfilled, the weight of inevitability fell on everyone's shoulders.

Raven remained firmly on the sidelines. She watched Robin with worried eyes, forcing herself not to hover, swallowing back fear when he tripped. she listened to his quiet musing with a sudden stab of uncertainty. it didn't sound like him at all.

Sometimes, every bit of him changed; shifting into a complete stranger. The words he chose, his voice, his mannerisms, the way he looked at her...none of it fit. She took it as proof of all he had suffered: a mental scar much like the one that marred his chest. She would simply have to find ways to bring him out of it.

While everyone's heads were ducked, eyes helplessly fixed on the jumbled mess at the bottom of the pit, Raven's were darting from one face to the next. She found herself straining her eyes more lately as she desperately tried to glean every last drop of insight from what she saw. She had never realized how much her powers for responsible for, until they were gone. How could people stand all this guesswork? It was so unbelievably frustrating.

And so she stared, comparing what she saw with the mental image of what she remembered. She started with the one that had always been the easiest.

It was hard to suppress a gasp. The Starfire she had known was one of simple thoughts. Morals came easily to her; the sense of right and wrong was instinct. So was the ability to find the silver lining to any situation. She was quick to offer whatever she thought her friends needed. Her only flaw was a certain lack of self-confidence; she was fatally prone to embarrassment.

The girl who stood at the grave, hand solemnly tucked in Beast Boy's, bore no resemblance. Her mouth was pulled down at the corners, worry lines permanent in her forehead. Her eyes were a tired, murky green. her skin had lost its healthy orange glow, her hair its lustrous shine. The bags under her eyes suggested a succession onf long, tearful nights - but their was no emotion now. just an air of defeat, resignation.

Staggered, Raven moved on to the owner of the hand Star gripped so tightly.

Oh, Beast Boy. The eternal optimist. Physically incapable of withholding a joke in any situation. Whenever the tension was building, he was there to lighten it. Whenever anything was uncomfortable, he was there to change the subject. And piss a lot of people off in the process. Raven had always recognized that, though he was essentially a cheerful soul, his need to laugh when others cries was an inability to cope with his own emotions. And a desperate attempt to find his niche within the Titans - and the rest of the world.

This boy was making no attempt at laughter. His green eyes glistened with unshed tears, his mouth tight, stress lines surrounding it. And that was it. She could read no more from the most expressive person she knew - aside from the way his body was angled subtly toward the girl with the red hair.

Mina: gone. No goodbye. She hadn't really expected anything else.

Cyborg: too painful. Her mind shied away.

And then there was Robin. She watched him shovel dirt over their friend, not flinching as all the others did. He was (indirectly) the source of her greatest frustration.

No matter how mysterious or evasive he had been, Raven had taken comfort in the fact that she could always look inside, if she had to. Now that option was gone, and she was left only with what he gave her, only what she could glean with her eyes. And he had a terrible habit of portraying the opposite of what he felt within.

She sighed, realizing she hadn't been breathing much in the last few minutes. As her eyes wandered over his face, lingering on the mask that no longer seemed to belong there, she had to admit that this was not the thing that hurt her most. It was his mind itself that she missed, not what she learned from it. It was the act of being closer than anyone else could, knowing and feeling more than anyone would imagine. It was the flavor of his thoughts, and the way she saw herself through them. Security. Love. Entanglement.

No matter how hard she tried, Raven would never have that again.

A phantom pain shot through her chest, bringing tears that only grew stronger from the lack of reaction. She realized slowly that the others had drifted away, and Robin stood still, breathing hard, hand subtly placed over his chest. How much did he hide from her? What did he see, alone in eternal darkness?

She took his hand, understanding Star's tight grip as the simple contact soothed her raging emotions.

"I believe this is yours." His voice was rough, but she could tell he tried to soften it.

He took her hand, fingers tracing from nails to wrist and back again. He slipped the ring on its rightful finger. "I suppose a diamond would be more fitting," he muttered, still not quite himself.

"No," Raven assured, tucking herself into his shoulder and breathing deeply again. "This one's perfect."

She couldn't imagine wearing anything else.

"Raven..."

She stiffened, fingers clenched around him. His voice sounded so very like the Robin she had found pinned to the wall, the life flowing out of him with every drop of blood. She had hoped never to hear it again. "What's wrong?"

"Is it over?" he muttered, almost as if he was beyond caring about the answer. She felt him push his face a little deeper into her hair, his arms tightening around her waist until they were joined at the hip.

Her eyes burned with sudden tears as she rubbed his back soothingly, enjoying the silky feel of his button-up shirt. "Yes, Richard. By the grace of God, it's over."

Strange words, coming from a half-demon. But she found, to her surprise, that she felt their truth in her very bones.

He pulled back, his face set in hard, unreadable lines. But she could read the meaning in his kiss - hard, soft, lingering...

He was sealing the deal.

The Titans disbanded - it was barely a conscious action. We all knew that our reign had come to an end. It was time to step aside, open the floodgates for the next wave of children who thought that talent and a noble heart could conquer evil. It was their right of passage, after all. Fading out was ours.

Star and Beast Boy stayed together, as I'd always hoped they would. They depended on eachother, completed eachother. I like to believe they found happiness out of this nightmare, though I can't be sure. They ceased contact just a few years after the split. I don't blame them. It's all just bad memories.

I never spoke to Mina again, though I looked for her when age gave me insight into what I had done. That last night plays in my darkness so often, as I see, through my own experience, what walking away from the Tower felt like; the loneliness and rejection that must have filled her, and the fruitless hope that someone would follow.

But the more I searched, the more I realized that, no matter how much I wanted to, I shouldn't find her. I can't give her what she needs, and anything less is cruel. Better to leave her alone to heal, no matter how much it hurts me.

I saw her face once, in a small, black and white newspaper photo. A wedding announcement. I didn't recognize his name.

We never did hear from Dr. Crane after that night. The final plans for Project X also disappeared; we assume he kept them for himself, plotting away somewhere out of sight. Or dead from infection.

Hopefully dead. Most likely plotting.

Bruce. How strange to watch the invincible Batman age and weaken. Losing Alfred took a heavy toll on him; after that, his strength seemed to go so fast. Not that he's stopped fulfilling his duty to Gotham. He doesn't have the excuse of blindness, after all.

Seeing him so alone knocked down all the walls I had built against him. It was so clear that everything he had done had been a mistake born out of children raising children. He had done the best he could for someone who had no idea what family meant - and all of it was done out of love. Any rivalry, any resentment I felt toward him seems so pointless now. He took me in when I had no one. I'm the only family he's got left, and I'll be damned if he's going to lose me.

As for me?

It's impossible to simply drop something you've held tight for years, no matter how resolved it appears to be. Obsession has a way of worming into your personality until it practically speaks for you. Some days, I feel much the way I did that day Beast Boy pulled me out of the surf. Others, I'm just happy to be alive.

I guess it doesn't help that the object of my obsession made more comebacks than Kenny. No matter how much I know that he is rotting in Hell...my mind still waits for that comeback. that final scream is still ringing in my ears...

But like I said, half the days every breath I take feels like its own miracle. I'm alive, and I can spend the rest of my life with the one I love. The memory of Raven's face is the brightest spot in the darkness, and her voice calls my heart to beat every morning. All the other details feel so trivial. After all, who could ask for more than half of perfection?

So here we are. The curtain call on this tale of unfortunate events. This is where we stand, after five years of Hell (sometimes literal) and insanity (sadly always literal.) Nothing is unchanged. No one is whole. But I still have the thing that matters most.

Is it over?

Hell only knows.

omg the end. i hope youve enjoyed the ride as much as i have! love to anyone whos still reading, love to all the friends that have disappeared over the process. thats all folks! -dusty