Epilogue: Child's Play
Several months later…
"To us." Tim Drake said, raising a glass.
"To us." Replied Victor Stone, Gar Logan, Kory Anders, Noel Collins, and Raven, as they raised glasses filled with wine (Robin had allowed an exception, JUST THIS ONCE).
It had been a lot of hard work and even more heartbreak, but the Titans were finally done. Jump City was repaired and rebuilt, and though therapists and psychiatrists probably had enough business to last into the next millennium, Jump City seemed to be recovering from the horrors of the Final Night, as the papers had dubbed the Lord's rampage.
The T-Tower was back, better then ever, and all things had been replaced and improved thanks to a generous grant from the Wayne Foundation for having defeated the Lord.
And perhaps best of all, crime was down. Way down. Perhaps the fact that the Lord had destroyed the prison had something to do with it, but perhaps also it may have been humans finally getting a hint that their bad deeds could have serious consequences. Whatever the reason, Robin was certain it wouldn't last. Humans were humans, after all.
In any case, the Titans were treating themselves to a night out. Robin had finally perfected the hologram devices, and hence Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy looked as human as anyone in the room. Discarding their costumes for suits and ties (though Beast Boy's endless complaining had nearly made them let him come here in his underwear, for all they cared), the Titans were enjoying a night where they weren't superheroes, but teenagers.
"Man, one thing I wanna know, if this restaurant is so good, then why are the breadsticks so hard?" Gar Logan complained, trying to gnaw the end off of one. "Maybe we should carbon date them!"
"Plus, can anyone tell just what they are serving? This entire menu is in French!" Victor said. "Maybe I'll have this." He said, pointing.
"I don't think you wanna eat that." Noel said.
"Why? What is it?"
Noel leaned over and whispered in Victor's ear. Victor turned green.
"Aw man, why couldn't we have come here in costume! I bet they would have made us cheeseburgers then!" Victor complained.
"Yes, and we'd get hounded for autographs, and women would throw themselves at us…well, myself and Noel anyway." Tim chuckled. "OW! Kory, did you just kick me?"
Kory looked innocent.
"Right. In any case, I just want a night where we don't have a stop a crime, or beat a bad guy, or save the world. I just want a night where we can just be ourselves."
Ah, yes, a night where the Titans can just be themselves.
This will not do at all.
"HM MPH MPH HM!"
The Titans looked up.
"What was that?"
"HM MPH MPH HM!" repeated the muffled yell, and then a man stomped into the room.
He just seemed perfect for the situation, in a weird opposite irony kind of way. He was fat and bald, though it was hard to tell due the weird metal mask he wore over his face. He wore a dirty tank top under a strange apron, and jeans for his pants. On his back was strapped something the Titans couldn't make out.
"MH HMMPHH MH!" The man yelled. The patrons of the fancy restaurant were looking at this man in confusion, and finally he made a noise of frustration and flipped the mask up.
"I SAID NOBODY MOVE!" the man yelled. He was ugly as well as being fat and bald, and the patrons finally reacted in fear as this unpleasant man walked in and yelled at him.
"Who are you?" one of the patrons asked. The man grinned, as this was his big moment, and pulled the device he had on his back off. It appeared to be some kind of blowtorch.
"I AM…THE WELDER!" The man yelled. At their table, the Titans simultaneously had their jaws drop and the urge to burst out into laughter wake up and be repressed.
"The Welder…wait, wasn't that one of the suggestions Victor and Gar made while they were playing that game the day Noel joined?" Kory said.
"Good god, HE EXISTS." Victor said in shock.
"Man, maybe there's a Purple Man running around somewhere too…" Beast Boy muttered.
"Now, I am interested in the basics. Cash, and whatever shiny objects I can pawn off! And you'd better listen, or…" the Welder said as he flipped the helmet down again. "Hmmpphh mpphmmm hmmm pmh hm!"
"What?"
"Mwargh!" the Welder said under his helmet, flipping it back up. "I will weld you! Don't look at the flame, it WILL damage your eyes!"
And the Welder flipped the mask down again and turned on the torch. All the nearby patrons recoiled. The Welder turned it off and flipped his mask back up.
"Ok, hand it over!"
"Ho Boy…what say you Titans…" Tim said.
"I think considering what I've seen, I think we can take him down without even leaving the table." Noel replied, as the Welder began robbing people, gesturing at them with his torch if they resisted.
"Agreed. He doesn't strike me as much of a threat…but the key is, can we take him down without getting up or giving a clue that we are the Titans? You don't have your mask on Tim: people could draw a connection." Raven said.
"Yes…but people are looking at him…so let's see…" Tim said. He carefully twisted his arm and a Birdarang fell into his palm.
"Man, do you ALWAYS have one of those?" Victor said.
"Yep…ok…" Tim said as he cocked the weapon in his hand. The Welder drew close, relieving some rich people of their possessions.
"No one's looking Tim now!" Raven hissed.
Tim threw the Birdarang.
"WHOA! IS THIS REAL!" The Welder said, ducking his head to look at a diamond ring an old woman had. The Birdarang flew over his head, through an open door a bus boy happened to be going through, bounced off a wall, and landed in a cooking pot. Later that night, a man would complain his pheasant was far too tough.
"Ah dammit! That was my only one!" Tim cursed. "Now what?"
"Hey Noel, haven't you been training to use the Shimmer in your non-Savior form?" Gar asked. Noel looked nervous.
"Well yes, but it is VERY hard…"
"I'll be impressed." Raven said.
Noel immediately closed his eyes, concentrated, and the Shimmer slipped from his palm and down to the floor. He'd trip the Welder, and the moron would hopefully fall on his face and knock himself out.
"Right, all in the bag!" The Welder said as more rich people gave him their things, even as the Shimmer slid over the floor. "Man, what a great haul! And no one to horn in! It makes me happy!" The Welder said, as he started skipping, taking a few bouncy steps that went right over the Shimmer. Noel grunted and withdrew the strand.
"Sorry guys. I can't do that again, and transforming will draw attention." Noel said, noting the giant flash of light.
"Ok Kory…think you can nail him with a Starbolt?" Tim said.
"Without drawing attention? It will be difficult, but I will try…" Kory said, covering one finger with her hand as she focused a golf ball sized Starbolt on her other finger. The Welder had moved back down the row and was near the back again.
"No one's looking again, now Star!" Raven whispered. Starfire aimed and fired.
"Oh, a nickel!" The Welder said.
The Starbolt flew over his back as the Welder bent to pick up the coin, lighting up a Cherry Jubilee that had been left nearby. The Welder looked up at it.
"Man, you rich people sure are wasteful! Good food and you're burning it!"
The Welder's sentence kept him from seeing all the Titans facevaulting behind him.
"Ok…I guess we're gonna have to get up…shall one of us raise a ruckus or…" Gar said as he pushed a breadstick around on the table.
"I guess…wait Gar, what did you say about those breadsticks?" Raven said.
"They're as stale as your Dad, as in stale as hell…" Gar trailed as Raven snatched the breadstick. A slight smile came to her face.
"Azarath Metrion…"
"Yes! Ok, I'll just go rob those kids and then take off! At last I succeed in a robbery!" The Welder said, and turned around.
A Raven propelled breadstick nailed him right between the eyes, and he stumbled back and then fell over as his eyes rolled back into his head, knocked cold.
"See, I told you the breadsticks were too hard." Gar said.
"Ah, stopping a wacko with a piece of welding equipment. Mere child's play for a bunch of Teen Titans." Cyborg said. The Titans had eaten and left, turning off their hologram generators and getting back into costume.
"Yep, we ARE good." Beast Boy said.
"So, shall we patrol tonight or go home?" Starfire asked.
"Let's go home, one "supervillian" is enough for…" Robin said.
A giant plume of smoke appeared on the roof, and as the Titans recoiled slightly, it cleared as the Amazing Mumbo stepped out.
"Oh man…why…why…why…" Robin muttered.
"TITANS!" Mumbo said. "I have figured it out at last! I have left my wand at home, but I have devised redundant remote controls so I can use it from here! Now you'll NEVER beat me!" Mumbo crowed.
"I say seven minutes." Robin said.
"Two here." Beast Boy said.
"I say we can beat him in twenty seconds…hey where's Savior and Raven?" Cyborg said.
"I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count. We can do this by ourselves." Robin said.
"Joy! A battle against a villain who only desires to beat us and not kill us, eat us, choke us, or destroy us and our civilization! How refreshing!" Starfire said. Mumbo looked confused.
"Is your battery fully charged this time Cyborg?" Beast Boy asked as they move in.
"Oh shut up!"
"I will win this time Titans! Now for my first trick…" Mumbo said as he waved his hand. Nothing happened. "What's going on! Why am I not defeating you?"
"Possibly because my systems are jamming the signal you were using to remote control your wand." Cyborg said, smirking.
"But…you…I…ah nosenuggets." Mumbo said.
The beating was less severe then Mumbo expected. After all they had seen, Mumbo really wasn't so bad.
Noel had always mixed in some blue with his Savior costumes, but tonight it was finally a perfect white: all white down to his boots. Raven was in her usual, and the two danced along the rooftops holding hands. Well, floated and Shimmer-sprang along the rooftops anyway.
They finally stopped above a nightclub, which was filled to the brim. Loud music pulsed from the roof. Normally it would annoy Raven, but somehow it seemed right.
"The youth are getting back to normal. This city is getting back to normal. I thought it would never happen." Raven said.
"We humans are a resilient species." Savior said, slipping his arms around Raven's waist. She leaned back against him, closing her eyes.
"Do you think he was right though? In some way?" Raven asked.
"All people are right in some way in their claims. The Lord, ironically, said it best. Life is not black and white. Nothing is. But it's up to us to make sure that the shades of grey remain distinct as well. If not, they all become the same…and we lose any uniqueness we have. No absolutes, no sameness. It's not a bad way to live, sometimes." Savior said.
Raven turned back around to face Noel.
"Kiss me."
And the man known as Savior, Noel Alexander Collins, did so, and the two embraced under a full moon as they shared one of the bright things about humans and heroes.
The music swelled under them, as Noel broke the kiss.
"Care to dance?"
Raven nodded, and Noel took her hand, and under the moon they spun and twirled and laughed and loved.
(And we closed with Evanescence, or at least we did in the original version. Now all we get is)
The End.
And so ends Black and White. It's funny how some things turn out. And perhaps it is time for some shocking revelations.
The name's Legend Maker. I like to write. So does my older brother, and he is also a fanfiction writer on this site, though he asked me not to give out his name. But it is obvious to the few people who know that we are related: my brother got me into writing and taught me everything I know, and hence our styles tend to be very similar.
And my brother also created a character named Noel Collins, aka Savior.
And my brother also refused, for four days straight, to stop singing "TEEN TITANS!" after he found out I liked the show and he saw the opening. And believe me, if you think Puffy Amiyumi are annoying, you should hear my brother trying to do an impression of them. I told him to stop, he would not.
So, I took REVENGE!
You see, he had clearly marked Savior to be a totally original character. Not any comic universe, but just a normal world where a man suddenly finds he has great powers. My brother's take on the whole superhero mythos and how it might work in real life. But he would not stop singing TEEN TITANS! Well brother, you asked for it!
So I took up my keyboard and started writing. Black and White was only meant to be three chapters. Then I would present it to my brother and laugh. Ha ha, your character is in a TT fanfic!
So I did that.
And the damn bastard liked it.
And hence this happened. For you see, I found writing this fun, and after my brother read the first three chapters, he suggested that this would be a good place to "test out" some of the other characters he created.
Yes, my thievery goes on. While I did all the writing, my brother did the ideas. He created Killjoy, Aberration, and Asphyxiation. The only one I can really lay credit to is the Lord of the Night, and even then not really. You see, I was still ticked he wasn't mad, so I changed plans. I took another one of his original characters, and basically projected him through a prism, distorting the character so he changed from a somewhat insane anti-hero to a totally insane villain. If some people have figured out who my brother is, you can probably guess which character of his I modified/parodied/ripped off to make the Lord. That worked, somewhat, so I topped it by taking three of his other characters and warping THEM to create Murdercrow, Sizzle, and Shadowmaster. Mission succeeded, I annoyed my brother! And in the process wrote a fairly good fanfic.
Well, this story is over, but I will return to the Teen Titans with Savior. I have some other ideas, which will appear in my new fanfic Wings of the Eagles, and Savior impressed enough people so that they stole him for their fanfics (just kidding! But remember, Savior was created by MY brother, and he has a copyright on him and all his characters, so don't be trying any thievery! I barely got away with it and I'm his sister!). If you want another "real" continuance, I STRONGLY suggest you read Bobcat's "The Epic of Gauntlet", which is a basic continuance of this story and introduces more new characters, villains, and a lot more fun then my gloom and doom writings.
So that's it, it's over. I am Legend Maker, and remember…
T-E-E-N
T-I-T-A-N-S!
Teen Titans, LET'S GO!