Disclaimer: I don’t own the Teen Titans.

Author’s Note: This is most certainly not one of my better works, I'll admit. It's managed to avoid my periodic story purges over the last few years for reasons I'm not altogether sure of, and will likely continue to do so for quite some time into the future. Maybe I'm getting sentimental in my old age, although being in my early twenties might put a bit of a snag in that theory.

You see now, sire, the fruits of victory. Next to a battle lost, the saddest thing is a battle won.
-Marshall Saxe to Louis XV after the French victory at Fontenoy, which left 7000 dead and wounded

Alas!

The alien princess sat on her bed, her sad eyes looking at the sun set outside her window. It had taken years for her to gather up the courage to reveal her feelings for him. Today had been The Day.

He had noticed something different about her when she’d entered the training room. She looked terrified of something- of him. He walked up to her, put his hand on her shoulder, and asked her what was wrong.

She had blushed and stammered, and dug her toe into the floor behind her. Slowly, nervously, she had bared her soul to him. She’d admitted to the feelings she’d felt since he’d unlocked the restraints on her hands, and she had prayed that he felt the same way for her.

He had removed his hand from her shoulder and turned away, apologizing. He said that, as leader of the team, he couldn’t afford to love her.

She had quietly accepted what he said, told him that she respected his feelings, and walked away.

And now, she was in her room, with tears in her eyes, watching the sun fall below the horizon.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

The green Titan sat on the roof of the tower, his sad eyes cast upwards to the night sky. It had taken years to gather up the courage to reveal his feelings to her. This night had been The Night.

She had noticed something different about him that evening in the common room. He had looked nervous about something- guilty, even. She had tried to ignore him, and focused intently on the book in her hands, hoping that he’d go away.

He’d sat down on the couch beside her, and stared down at his fidgeting hands.

She’d given an exasperated sigh, cursing him for what she knew was coming.

Nervously, like a child confessing to breaking a vase while his mother was away, Beast Boy had bared his soul to her. He’d admitted to his feelings for her, and he’d prayed that she felt the same way for him.

She had only wished to “be friends.” She had said that she couldn’t afford to love.

He had quietly accepted what she said, told her that he respected her wishes, and quickly walked away.

And now, he was up on the roof, with tears in his eyes, staring at the moon overhead.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

The robotic Titan had noticed something different about his two energetic friends.

One hadn’t told a joke in days. He hadn’t even noticed when his tofu breakfast was replaced by eggs and bacon. Listlessly, the green Titan had eaten the contents of his plate, sat down on the couch, and watched television for the rest of the day. He had even turned down numerous challenges from Cyborg to play the Gamestation. Cyborg had promised himself that if Beast Boy accepted the challenge, he’d let his friend win a few.

One hadn’t been seen to fly in days. Mornings were no longer “glorious,” and her hugs- rarely given, were no longer bone crushing. She hadn’t even noticed when they ran out of mustard. Listlessly, the alien princess had sucked on a bottle of ketchup instead before sitting on the couch with Beast Boy to watch TV for the rest of the day. She hadn’t even been interested in watching “World of Fungus,” instead opting to resign herself to the tripe Beast Boy kept on the screen. Cyborg promised himself that if she’d show interest in Friday’s movie marathon, he’d let her choose every movie they watch.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

The leader of the Titans had noticed something different about his two energetic friends.

One hadn’t pranked him in a week. Robin actually felt safe in the bathroom, for once. He didn’t like it. The Boy Wonder had promised himself that he wouldn’t make Beast Boy clean up the results of his next prank, if only he’d pull one.

One hadn’t made a grammatical mistake in her speech for a week. Last Monday wasn’t “the Day of Presidents,” but “President’s Day.” She hadn’t even asked which President the day had been for. Robin had promised himself that if she asked, he’d explain in such intricate detail that she’d be able to pass any civics test thrown at her.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

The empath had noticed something different about her two energetic friends.

Raven had found herself unable to detect them approaching her for the past week. No longer could she feel when Starfire woke up, or when Beast Boy walked into the room. The pair had fallen off her emotional radar. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t throw Beast Boy out the window the next time he did something stupid- she would laugh, instead. She had promised herself that she would go to the blasted “mall of shopping” if Starfire asked- she would even pretend to enjoy herself. If only they would feel…

Alas, it was not meant to be.

The changeling sat alone on the rocks by the sea.

He had pretended not to notice when he’d walked in on them. The pair had tried to be quiet, hiding on the couch, but his animal senses had heard… everything… before he’d even entered the room. He had made himself a sandwich, and left Robin and Raven alone in each other’s arms.

Then he’d gone to the rocks by the sea. He needed to be alone, he needed to think.

He’d lost everyone he had ever loved.

His parents were cruelly torn from him.

Terra had chosen Slade instead of him, and been rewarded with a stony tomb.

Raven had given her heart to another- a more worthy man than he.

Was he not good enough? Did he not deserve to be happy?

No, he wasn’t. No, he didn’t. Who could love an green-skinned freak like him?

The green Titan stood up and walked into the ocean before him, transforming when the water reached his knees.

Fish didn’t need to feel.

The empath watched from her window, but realized far too late what she saw happening before her.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

Cyborg pulled every string he could. Aqualad had found Beast Boy in the deepest parts of the ocean, in the form of a giant squid. The T-Sub couldn’t take the pressure of the depths. He’d tried once, and nearly killed the four occupants of the vehicle before admitting defeat.

In the depths of the ocean, the sun’s light couldn’t reach him, just as he couldn’t reach her. Beast Boy was surrounded by the darkness- the darkness that would forever remind him of his unrequited love.

Raven had broken down that night at the dinner table, crying over and over about how it was “all her fault.” Robin and Starfire had comforted her. The empath couldn’t help but notice the robotic Titan slip out to the garage to work on his car, his meal untouched.

The alien princess sat on the roof, staring up at the cloudless sky.

She had pretended not to notice when she’d walked in on them. The pair had tried to pretend that they weren’t together- that he was playing the Gamestation while she was reading. But Starfire was not so easily fooled- she had heard them talking each night as she walked past Robin’s room. She had gotten her ketchup and left Robin and Raven alone on the couch.

Then she’d gone to the roof. She needed to be alone, she needed to think.

She thought about the past two weeks- the fourteen days since The Day. She hadn’t flown since that fateful afternoon. She couldn’t conjure up the emotions required to attain flight- the unbridled joy she needed to free herself from gravity’s grip. Then, she contemplated Beast Boy’s descent into the inky blackness of the sea, and was astonished to find herself hovering in the air.

She took the hint her powers gave her, and flew into the night sky, never to return. Beast Boy had found solace in the darkness of the deep, she would find her peace in the icy dark of space.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

Robin had done everything in his power to find the alien princess’s whereabouts. It took Cyborg three days to repair the T-Sub from their attempt to reach Beast Boy, and another three days to reconfigure it for space flight. By the time they had left the atmosphere, Starfire was long gone. All they found was her communicator floating in the asteroids between Mars and Jupiter, a faint pink imprint of a pair of lips on the front.

The leader of the team and the empath noticed something different about their robotic friend. They found him eating tofu eggs one morning, and a mysterious dent the size and shape of his fist appeared in the hood of the T-Car.

The leader of the team and the robotic Titan noticed something different about their dark friend. They had found herself in Starfire’s room, playing with some tiny wooden replicas, her fingernails painted the brightest shade of pink any of them had ever seen.

The robotic Titan finished packing his possessions into the T-Car. He couldn’t stay in the same tower as Robin and Raven any more- he was far too angry, far too sad. The Titans East had extended their hands to him, offering him a spot on their team. He’d immediately accepted.

His former friends stood outside the tower, watching their friend leave them behind. His last words to them echoed inside their heads.

“I don’t know how you two do it- how you can stand to look at yourselves in the mirror each morning, much less each other.”

The empath stared at the ground. The leader of the team stared at the clouds in the sky. Neither looked at the other. After a few minutes they went their separate ways, never to meet again.

Alas, they were not meant to be.

Author's Note 2: I figured I'd revisit this story, and explain where it came from.

When I first started reading this website, I ran across a story (which I can't find again, or else I'd cite it) that was initially about Beast Boy and Raven being in a relationship- Beast Boy was openly in love, while Raven appeared to... endure... the affection. Over the course of a year, she started spending more and more time with Robin, and before long ended up bluntly confronting Beast Boy in the hall, accusing him of spending the past twelve months in a fantasy world that she could no longer be a part of, and walking off hand in hand with Robin. Something really bothered me about that (it's probably the reason I became so enamored with Beast Boy and Raven) and this is what came of it.

You know, in case you were curious...