Chapter 19

Prepare For Battle

Cyborg and Raven, having long since finished their meal, were taking a walk on the beach. Cyborg had drove them there after their meal, and were now enjoying the starlit sky as they walked along the sand. Dinner had gone rather well, to say the least. Apparently Jinx's affections for Cyborg had died off, or she simply found someone else. Either way Cyborg was glad about that. Not that he was glad about leaving a broken heart behind him, but the last thing he needed was an old crush of his ruining his first date with Raven. Their meal itself was great! Raven had eaten every bite of her fish, pasta, and sauteed asparagus, while Cyborg's steak, potatoes, and broccoli was a taste of heaven. Cyborg's arm was wrapped around Raven's shoulder, and her's around his waist. The only sound was the waves beating against the beach, and for the moment all they cared about was each other. Of course there was plenty of time to kill before they needed to get back to the tower, so that's why they decided to take a walk. The moonlight illuminated the sand and the ocean, and only the sound of the ocean waves and their footsteps could be heard.

It was the perfect night.

They didn't say much. They didn't need to say anything. All that mattered to them was being with each other; spending time together. But still, all good things had to come to an end. It was almost 11:00 at night now, and they needed to get back to the tower soon.

"Rae?" said Cyborg. "I hate to ruin a good time, but we need to head back soon."

Raven didn't say anything at first. But she turned her body to where she was facing Cyborg, and looked into his eyes. Her amethyst eyes glowed in the moonlight.

"On one condition." she said, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"Oh?" Cyborg said, smiling and rasing his eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

Raven said nothing, but instead she closed her eyes and puckered her lips together. Cyborg knew exactly what she wanted then. Then again, who wouldn't? He had to lift her up due to the size difference between the two, and he leaned in closer to her. He closed his human eye, and dimmed his mechanical eye out to resemble a closed eye. Then, their lips touched, embracing each other as they did so. The feeling that flowed through Raven was like nothing she ever felt before, even though this wasn't her first kiss with Cyborg. Moments later they broke the kiss, looking deep into each other's eyes.

"I love you." said Raven, her eyes reflecting in the moonlight as she smiled.

"I love you too Rae," said Cyborg.

With that said, they each headed back to the T-Car parked by the marina. It was about a 20 minute walk, and they made it there in due time. While Cyborg opened the passenger door to let Raven in, he glanced around for a bit. The city was right behind him, and it was full of the nightlife of Jump City. People going around clubbing, driving around in their rides, and some even heading to work for the night shift. He glanced upwards, observing the rooftops. He shut the door as soon as Raven was in and was about to head over to the driver's side, but something caught his eye. Something on a rooftop didn't quite fit, and looked as if it were someone standing up. Curious, Cyborg zoomed in to see what it was. His vison zoomed in as far as it could, but the object still wasn't distinguishable. Fixing his vison back to it's normal resolution, Cyborg walked to the driver side and opened the door.

Raven watched Cyborg as he reached under his seat and pulled out a pair of military binoculars, and one that looked very high-tech. He then stood outside the car and focused them toward the city. He looked on a moment, and then he lowered them. His face had grown a look that was best described as a mix between shock and stark raving fear. Raven was immediately concerned.

"Cyborg?"

He didn't answer at first.

"Rae?" he said after a moment. "You better come take a look at this..."

Raven exited the T-Car and walked around to meet Cyborg, standing next to him. Not taking his gaze away from the city, he handed her the specs. She took them in hand and looked through them. Cyborg didn't say exactly where he wanted her to look, so she spent a few moments looking around the rooftops. Finally, she saw what Cyborg had seen. At first the specs were out of focus, and she had to wait a moment for it to settle.

When the vison cleared, her blood ran cold.

Venom stood on the roof top. Standing there, staring down at them. The spider insignia as well as his white eyes and glistening fangs gave off an eerie glimmer in the mixture of the moonlight and city lights. He looked at them with a brooding glare, making them freeze where they stood.. He knew they saw him, and he could see them just fine. This caused thousands of questions to race through Raven and Cyborg's minds. How did Venom get here? How long has he been watching them? Did he find Spider-Man? Did he know that Spider-Man was hiding at Titans Tower under the alias of Ricochet? What of their friends? Would he follow them if they left? Did he already find them? Did he go to them first?

"Get in the car." came Cyborg's voice.

Venom watched as the white and blue car sped off in the direction of Titans Tower, and snarled as he did so. He didn't like it, but he was wrong. First the two back on the tower's roof lied to him, and now the fleeing lovers was the next piece of proof. Spider-Man was indeed hiding with them. What got to Venom the most? The man back at New York was right.

"As much as I'd like to say 'I told you so'," came a familiar voice that made Venom's blood boil from the very sound of it. " I never was fond of those...Hollywood cliches."

Venom scowled as he looked back, seeing none other than Slade standing directly behind him on the other side of the roof top. He stood, but this time not with his hands clasped behind his back as he was last time in New York. No doubt he was expecting Venom to attack him again. Venom turned his gaze back in the direction the T-Car went.

"So you were right," Venom scoffed. "The Titans are housing Spider-Man, but that doesn't change our mission. The Teen Titans didn't murder our wife; Spider-Man did. We will not make innocents pay for the sins of others."

"Sins of others?" Slade asked. "They are housing a murderer, fully aware of what he's done and why he's running from you in the first place. You must realize, Venom. If they truly cared about the innocent, would they take Spider-Man into their home?"

"Keep talking Slade," Venom growled, not looking at Slade. "And the next time you see your mask it will be in an X-Ray on your next trip to the local proctologist."

"I'm growing very irritated from your insults," said Slade. "But nevertheless, if your branch of justice is to be served then you must destroy both Spider-Man and the Titans!"

Venom had heard enough. Without warning he leaped toward Slade with his fist reared backwards. Slade anticipated this and leaped backwards out of the way in the nick of time. The impact from Venom's fist into the concrete rooftop made a hole four feet around. Not wasting another second Venom ran for another attack. He swung his fist for Slade's head, which Slade dodged and countered with an uppercut. Venom was unfazed by the attack and retaliated with a full back-handed swing. Slade back-flipped to escape, causing an annoyed grunt to come from Venom's gullet. Slade landed with astounding grace, but was caught off guard by a strand of webbing attaching itself to his chest-plate. Venom had pulled back on the web rope which caused Slade to be jerked forward, only to receive an uppercut that sent him careening into the air and landing on a completely different rooftop four buildings away. Before he could get up, Venom had effortlessly leaped into the air from the previous rooftop and pinned Slade right where he was, leaving a Slade sized imprint into it's structure. Venom held tightly on Slade's neck, while using his superior physical strength to keep him from moving.

"We grow bored of this Slade," Venom said in disgust. "Preach all you want, but our fight is with Spider-Man and Spider-Man alone. We don't know what kind of beef you have with the Titans, but you'll just have to grill it up and eat it yourself! Whatever they may have done to anger you is no concern of ours! You do your own dirty work!"

With that Venom hurled Slade toward the other end of the rooftop, Slade barely catching his balance to land on his feet with one hand on the ground, not taking his gaze away from Venom.

"See you never." Venom stated before leaping off the end of the rooftop opposite of Slade.

Slade stood back up, brushing himself off.

"I figured you of all people would know this Slade," came Doc Ock's voice from behind him. "Attempting to control Venom would be like trying to make peace with a hungry Galactus; a completely and utterly useless attempt."

Slade turned to see Doc Ock, standing on the ledge of the building with his tentacles suspending themselves in the air.

"I figured that the Titans hiding the one he suspected of killing his wife would be enough motivation for him," Slade said. "Obviously, I was wrong."

Doc Ock walked toward Slade in order to shorten the distance between the two.

"It will not be that easy." said Ock. "Venom is nothing like your previous apprentice, Terra Markov. He's about as far from insecure as one can get, and he has full control of his abilities. But above all, he has no regrets. He firmly believes that all his crimes in the past were for the better."

"You would think, that a monster hell-bent on revenge would take an opportunity like this." said Slade.

"I'm afraid there's more to it than that," said Ock. "Venom is not your run-of-the-mill villain, Slade. He is insane, he is sadistic, and he's relentless. Above all, his mind is as warped, twisted, as sharp as razor-wire. In his mind, he sees himself as the hero and Spider-Man as the monster. So unless the Titans interfere with his battle with the wall-crawler, Venom will have no motivation to attack them."

"And what are the odds of the Titans fighting alongside Spider-Man?" said Slade.

"It is possible," said Ock. "After all, the Titans have grown quite an affection for Spider-Man; especially the one called 'Beast Boy.' But it would be dangerous, and could foil our plan completely."

"How?" said Slade. "The Titans have held their own and proved their worth a hundred times over. So, explain to me how they could match the might of a monster like Venom?"

"Simple; the weapon that the robot wields." said Ock. "It utilizers Venom's greatest weakness, and a well-timed and concentrated blast from it would reduce even the most deadly symbiote on Earth to a lifeless puddle."

Before Slade could respond, a ringing noise from Ock's communicator came. Ock reached into his pocked and pulled it out, reading who was calling.

"What does my foul-mouthed nephew want now?" Ock scoffed as he answered it. "What is it Gretchen?"

Slade observed Ock's facial expressions change as he continued to talk. The first was a look of disdain, possibly caused by an outburst from Gizmo.

"What?...You must be joking...really? Ah, so somehow he survived the attack from the Sentry during the Ryker's Island breakout. Where did you find him?...I see...so we lost a lot of men...what? Mammoth and Dr. Chang too? That's too bad. What about you? ...I see. Doesn't sound fatal, but nevertheless extremely painful. Go to the sick bay and I'll have a look at it myself...yes, proceed as planned. Quarantine him until given further instructions; let no one get near his holding bay...yes...Very well. I never thought I would say this, but I'm proud of you Gretchen...yes, I'm with him right now. We will return to base shortly. Treat those injuries of yours and remain in the sick bay until I arrive. Ock out."

Ock closed his communicator, a smile on his face.

"Speak of the devil," said Ock. "We found him."

Back in Titans Tower...

Starfire and Robin had just exited the elevator, entering the living room of Titans Tower. Their night had gone rather well, from the dinner to the movie. The food wasn't by any means top class, but it was nourishing. The movie itself was fun, and unlike some didn't leave Starfire confused from the character's speech pattern. But their favorite part was no doubt watching the sunset. The colors of the sky at dusk always fascinated Starfire, and being close to each other was worth the entire night.

Still, there was something that Robin couldn't get off his mind. Last time the team just went out for a picnic lunch at the park, the media had a field day. Thus Robin was real gun-shy about going out into public without at least some sort of disguise. While Robin was glad that their date wasn't interrupted, Robin couldn't help but wonder what was keeping the reporters so scarce.

"Robin?" came Starfire's voice, filled with worry. This broke Robin's train of thought. "You seem troubled. I believe the proper question for this kind of situation would be, penny for your thoughts?"

"Well," Robin said. "Don't you find it a little weird that there weren't any reporters or anything around? Remember what happened last time..."

"Yes," said Starfire. "I do remember those that worked for this city's central source of information, but I do not particularly miss them today. Still, their absence was very odd, to say what is least."

Before either could say anything else, Raven and Cyborg came barging in from the stairwell. Both looked as if they had seen a ghost. Starfire would have asked how their date had gone, had it not been for the morbid looks on their faces.

"Friends!" she said, her face having a mixture of shock and worry. "What on this Earth has happened? You look as if you had just encountered a Yautij hunter craving the innards of it's hapless prey!"

"Worse," Cyborg in a low voice. "Where's Ricochet? He needs to know something right now!"

"We don't know," said Robin. "We just got here. What's going on?"

"It's Venom." said Raven, her voice showing the first hint of emotion they had heard in a long time. That emotion was fear. "He's here. We saw him on the roof tops. He must have been following us for hours."

Robin and Starfire turned pale. Not a second later Robin made a mad-dash for the TV and hit the power button on the remote. Immediately hit put on channel six. Already the news was completely overrun with Venom sightings. In addition to amateur photos and video-clips often showing Venom web-swinging away or leaping from one roof-top to another, there were also countless people, from kids to cops, claiming that they had saw Venom in the city. He was first sighted on the beach by the docks, and previously sighted in Jump City's downtown area. The reporters had stated that they have yet to discover Venom's motive and reason for being in the city. All of the videos and pictures of Venom were blurred and out of focus, and barely visible. This sure explained why the media was seemingly nonexistent while they were out.

"Is that really him?" Starfire asked, frightened. "It is difficult to see him..."

"Yeah, sorry about that." a deep, guttural, and vaguely familiar voice said over the intercom. "We've always been a little...camera shy."

Before any of them could react, Venom's face had appeared on the giant screen. They all froze at the very sight of him.

"Greetings, Teen Titans," he said. "We've heard a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet your, heh, acquaintances. It's a shame we couldn't meet under better circumstances..."

Building up all the courage he had, Robin stepped forward.

"What do you want, Venom?" Robin said sternly. He mentally kicked himself for asking that. He, and all the Titans for that matter, knew exactly what Venom wanted. He wanted Spider-Man's head on a platter. Venom merely leered at Robin, his face looking as if he were raising a non-existent eye-brow.

"And you are?" Venom asked.

"I'm the leader of this team," Robin said, not saying his name.

Venom paused for a moment, but when it came to him he realized who Robin was.

"Oh!" he stated. "You you're Robin, the famous Bird-Boy taken under the wing of the Batman of Gotham City. Now we remember. Sorry, we didn't recognize you without that green speedo."

Robin put the obvious insult aside.

"But nevertheless," Venom continued. "That's not a question you should be asking. We think a more, shall we say, immediate question is on call here. How about, 'how did you get this frequency in which to contact us?' That ever cross your mind, shorty?"

Robin and the other Titans were both taken aback. How did Venom acquire the means to contact them?

"Here's how," Venom said before any of them could ask. "The little green guy fixing to get in blondie's pants was, heh-heh, gracious enough to let us...borrow his little communicator. Looks more like a toy walkie talkie than something a superhero would use, but whatever works."

Little green guy? That could only mean one thing. This time, Starfire was the first to step up. She flew up toward the screen, her eyes glowing green. Her fear was buried under her fury of someone harming her friends.

"What have you done with our friends?" she barked, her eyes bellowing green smoke. "What have you done with Beast Boy and Terra?"

"Feisty one, aren't we?" said Venom, evidently unaffected by the uncharacteristic tone in Starfire's voice. "Don't worry, pretty one. You're friends are just fine."

"Where are they?" Raven said, cold and stern.

"Pardon the bad pun, ice queen," Venom said "But they're just...hanging around."

The Titans slowly looked upward, and to their horror both Beast Boy and Terra hung by their ankles from the ceiling. Both were unconscious. Save for their eyes and noses, they were completely cocooned in a web-like substance exactly like Spider-Man's own webbing. Before Robin could give any orders, Raven and Starfire took action. Raven used her powers to dissolve the webbing while Starfire quickly flew up and caught their sleeping forms, one in each arm. She flew back down and gently laid them on the couch. Robin rushed to check them for injuries while Raven went to them ready to heal said injuries. Now it was Cyborg's turn to take role of the leader while Robin was busy.

"Okay, freak," Cyborg said as he stood his ground, voice giving off no fear. "What do you want with us?"

"First off," Venom started. "You shouldn't play stupid; you're not good at it. Second, we think you know exactly what we want, and that it has absolutely nothing to do with you or you're teammates."

"Oh really?" Cyborg asked with a hint of sarcasm as he smirked. "And what might that be? Wanna borrow some sugar or something?"

"Funny guy," Venom commented. "But no. We were think more along the lines of, oh, what's the word we're looking for...revenge."

This time, Cyborg had nothing. No witty comeback nor a strong statement. At this point Starfire, Robin, and Raven were looking on as well, Terra and Beast Boy still out cold on the couch.

"We'll get to the point," said Venom. "We know that you're housing Spider-Man, and that he's been hiding here from me ever since he murdered our wife. So...where is he?"

The Titans were stumped. To Cyborg it didn't come as that big a surprise. Venom was a lot smarter than most people gave him credit for, and that was their downfall many a time. With all the other Titans they were all distraught and confused. How exactly did Venom find out that Spider-Man was there? Robin intended to find out.

"How did you know Spider-Man was here?" Robin said sternly. "Who told you?"

"Once again, the little green guy was such a big help to us," Venom gloated. "You'd be surprised what people would say when you have the neck of their loved one in the palm of your hand."

The Titans paused momentarily. Starfire was growing more nervous by the second, and at this point her body was shaking rather uncontrollably. Raven was on edge as well, a single beat of sweat rolling down the side of her face.

"...what did he tell you?" Robin asked cautiously.

"Everything." said Venom. "He told us absolutely everything. From the old friendship between Spider-Man and you're friend Cyborg to the alias 'Ricochet' he was hiding under. We have to admit, this was clever on the wall crawler's part. This was easily one of the last places we would have ever looked."

"But," Venom continued. "All good things must come to an end sooner or later. So, this is what we want. Tell Spider-Man that he is to meet us directly at the city's center, and that he is to come alone. As heinous a crime as housing a monster may be, that doesn't change that you and your friends give up your lives as adolescents in order to protect innocent lives. And endangering the lives of heroes is something we aren't so quick to do. Oh, we almost forgot. If Spider-man isn't at the city's center at exactly twelve noon, then we'll just have to...vent our frustration...on the people of this city."

The Titans stood silent, stunned. They knew from what they saw on Spidey's tape and from what they heard that Venom was a monster, but they never expected him to be clever and manipulative as well.

"We'll be seeing ya," Venom said in a cold voice. "Later."

With that, the screen went blank. The Titans stood silent, still, pondering what was going to happen next. Cyborg couldn't help but feel like he let his friends down. After all it was Spider-Man's enemy that came to their home and attacked Beast Boy and Terra, not one of theirs. Starfire couldn't remember a day when she felt more nervous than now. Even on that day when the Gordanians captured her before she met Robin, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy she wasn't this antsy. Raven was calm for the most part, but couldn't help but feel an overwhelming feeling of anxiety over Venom being in town and virtually breathing down their necks. Naturally, Robin was taking it harder than everyone. Being the leader he always felt as if it were himself to blame for the team's hardships. Nevertheless there was little any of them could do at this point, except wait for Ricochet to return so they could tell them the news.

Starfire walked over and stayed with Terra and Beast Boy to make sure they would be alright when they awoken. Raven went over to the kitchen in order make some tea. Not that she had the intention nor the desire to drink any, she did it so that she would have something to take her mind off Venom. Cyborg and Robin spent the time pacing around the room, each lost in thought over what to do and how to give Ricochet the news.

After what seemed like hours, Ricochet finally returned. He walked in the door and noticed everyone still awake.

"Oh, what's up guys?" he asked as he went for the refrigerator, oblivious to his friends' thoughts. "Man, I had some night." he continued as he looked for something to drink. "First I met up with a bunch of frat boys and we end from one bar to another, and of course they made me the designated so I couldn't have a single beer. Not that I'm into booze or anything, but still. I managed to ditch them and I decided to go grab a bite to eat." He finally found a soda and he shut the fridge, opening his can and taking a drink. "And let me give you guys some advice. If you're ever out for the night, do not eat at this diner called Teb's. Man, just thinking about that greasy mess that they had the gall to call a cheeseburger makes me wanna hurl! And another thing is-"

At this point he turned around to actually make eye-contact with them, and his words were cut off by the looks on the Titans' faces. Starfire, a mix between fear and sadness. Raven, her usually deadpan frown with a hint of anger. Cyborg, a somewhat blank expression with an added frown. Robin, a look that was best described as a mix between an 'I'm sorry' look and an accusatory 'how could you?' glare. Extremely taken aback, Ricochet was afraid to ask.

"Uh..." he said uneasily. "What's going on?"

The Titans each glanced at each other for a moment, mentally asking themselves who should tell him what happened. After much reluctance, Cyborg finally stepped forward. Ricochet didn't like the grim look on Cyborg's face one bit.

"Vic?" said Ricochet. "Mind telling me what's going on? Because this whole stoic atmosphere is starting to freak me out, uh, a lot!"

"Pete?" Cyborg said in a low voice as he motioned toward the couch. "You might wanna sit down, cause what I'm going to tell you ain't gonna be pretty..."

The next morning...

Peter Parker had spent almost an hour staring at himself in the mirror. Having gotten out of the shower he was wearing nothing but a towel. He was looking at himself, thinking about what he should do. Cyborg's words last night had caused such a shock that he had nearly fainted. And hearing about the attack and Beast Boy and Terra was like salt in an open wound. The worse part of it? He blamed himself. He knew that Venom would find him sooner or later, and that he was originally only going to stay at Titans' Tower until he got his strength back, thus going on the run again. But something happened that he didn't count on. In addition to rekindling his friendship with Cyborg, he also bonded with all the other Titans as well. With the exception of Raven of course, who never trusted him from the moment she laid eyes on him. But his friendship with the others compelled him to stay. This lead to his downfall. Now, Venom was there, in the city and out for blood; his blood.

It was too late for him to run away. No matter where he went, it would only be a matter of time before Venom caught up with him. So, he had no choice. This would be his last stand with Venom. He was finishing it once and for all. Two men go in, one man walks out.

As straightforward as it was, it was easier said than done.

He turned around and looked over at his bed, his red and blue costume washed and ironed. He dropped his towel and walked over to the bed, picking the costume up and presuming to get dressed. First, he started with the leggings, pulling them up and adjusting them so that they would fit him right. That was always the downside to skin-tight clothing; one thing goes wrong and the whole thing comes apart.

Next came the shirt. Nothing to it. Just lift it up and pull it over, adjusting it so it would stay constant with the lower half.

After that came the web shooters, which also lay on the bed. Cyborg had tuned them up so they would use the webbing more efficiently, and the last of the ten cartridges had a fiery surprise for Venom if worse came to worse. Cyborg had added magnesium to the webbing solvent, thus making it burn like napalm. And with fire being one of the two exploitable weaknesses to the Symbiotes, it would do well in a pinch. Parker planned on using them too. After the web-shooters were locked and loaded, next came the gloves. All he had to do was slip them on.

Lastly, the mask. He picked it up and held it in his hand for a moment, wondering if through it's eyes would be the last things he'd ever see. He slowly brought it over his head and pulled it over, going past his chin and down to his neck. He then turned again in order to face the mirror once more. And there was none other than Spider-Man in all his glory. It did feel good for Parker to be back in his costume, but he wished that he could have done it during better circumstances. Nevertheless, he had to do what had to be done. There was no avoiding it; not this time.

He sighed. "Well...here I go."

Before leaving his room, he picked up a sealed envelope on his dresser, addressed to his home back in New York. He then left his room and headed for the exit, which he had to cut through the living room first in order to get to it. As he got closer, he could hear talking. It sounded like the Titans were preparing a for a mission, as he mostly heard Robin talking. He entered quietly, and to no surprise he saw the Titans sitting on the couch with Robin talking in front of the monitor. They didn't seem to notice him, so he listened for a moment.

"Okay Titans," Robin said, calm but stern. "We need to provide Spider-Man with all the support we can give him, and we need to stay sharp and not stray for a second. If we all stay together, I believe we can defeat Venom just like we-"

"No!" came a voice equally stern. The Titans turned in the direction of the voice, and none other than Spider-Man stood at the entrance to the east corridor. He stepped closer, walking toward where Robin was. He stood there for a moment looking Robin through masked eyes, and Robin stepped aside and sat where the other Titans sat. Spidey stood his ground, looking over his friends.

"Look," he said, calmed down. "I know you guys want to help, but this is a battle you just can't get involved in. Believe me on this; I looked up all the villains you guys ever fought in that computer in Vic's room, and trust me. Venom is out of you guys' league. He's nothing like anyone else you fought. He doesn't care about small things; he doesn't want to make you his apprentice, he doesn't want to make you betray your friends, he doesn't want to steal your technology, he doesn't want to take over your home planet, and he doesn't want to lead you to the end of the world. Right now he only cares about one thing; ending my life. And if he sees any of you fighting alongside me, he won't waste a second to kill you too. This is my fight, and I can't let anyone else get involved and get hurt. Or worse, killed."

The Titans didn't speak for a moment. They just sat, occasionally glancing at each other with looks of sorrow and confusion on their faces.

"Look," Spider-Man continued, voice going low. "I know this may sound grim...but I honestly don't think I'll make it out of this one; at least not in one piece. So, in case I don't make it...I'll say my good-byes now..."

Each of the Titans stood up, standing side by side and almost completely still. He decided to start from the right and move left. First, there was Robin.

"Well Robin," he started. "It's fitting that I say bye to you first. After all it was you that let me stay here to begin with. You're a good sparing partner, and you're not a bad leader. For letting me stay here, I couldn't be more grateful. Thanks again."

With that Spider-Man and Robin shook hands, Robin's grip seeming unusually limp. No doubt the fact that he couldn't help was getting to him.

"Be careful out there, alright?" Robin said.

Letting go of Robin's hand, he moved on the next Titan in line, Starfire. Her face was easily the saddest one there, and to no surprise she was on the verge of tears.

"Star?" said Spider-Man as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "You have a wonderful gift. Your kind nature is something that's extremely rare these days, and in a perfect world people would follow your ways rather than fight. In fact if more people were like you I probably wouldn't even need to be Spider-Man, and I'd be at home right now watching the game with my Uncle Ben."

Starfire couldn't take it any more. She hugged Spider-Man, but no so much to hurt him as she did before. He tenderly returned the hug, lightly patting her on the back.

"Be careful, friend Spider-Man," Starfire managed to choke out.

"I will," said Spider-Man. "Take care of yourself, okay? Oh, and take care of Robin while you're at it."

Their embrace broke, and Spidey moved on to Beast Boy. Due to the difference in height, Spider-Man had to kneel down a bit in order to be eye-level with him.

"BB?" he said. "Being Spider-Man has given me a lot of things, but it also had taken many things away. One of them is the ability to father children, because my radioactive blood makes it impossible for a baby to survive after birth. Mary-Jane and I learned that the hard way..."

Beast Boy lowered his head for a minute, not liking the idea of a newborn passing away shortly after birth.

"But I tell you this," Spider-Man continued. "Even though I haven't been here very long, you were the closest thing to a son I ever had. And if by some miracle I'm allowed to father a child without it passing on, I'd want it to be just like you, little buddy."

BB smiled a little, and Spidey stood back up and lightly ruffled BB's hair.

"Stay out of trouble, okay?" said Spider-Man playfully.

"Hey now," BB playfully retorted. "What have I done otherwise?"

Next, Terra.

"Well Terra," he said. "I didn't know you for very long, but that doesn't mean I can't say good-bye to you too. You're a spunky girl, and you and BB seem to hit it off pretty well. Take care of BB for me, alright?"

Terra smiled. "Sure thing, Spidey." she said as she shook his hand.

Spider-Man moved on, and then came to Raven.

"Well," said Spider-Man, rubbing the back of his head. "I know you didn't trust the second you laid eyes on me, and you probably still don't trust me. But that doesn't change that fighting alongside you has been a pleasure, and I hope I make it through the day so that sometime I can do it again."

Raven just stood there. While the look on her face was rather dull, her eyes spoke for her.

"Thanks..." she said meekly.

So, that left one more Titan. None other than Spider-Man's friend, Cyborg.

"Vic?" he said. "Well, what can I say? You're the best friend a web-swinging jerk like me could have, and I'm glad that you were there for me when I needed a place to stay. Believe me, I'd probably be lost in Vancouver right now if you didn't bring me back here that night on the docks. So once again, thanks a million."

Cyborg smiled as he and his friend did their old handshake they did often after beating up some bad guys back in the Big Apple.

"No problem, Pete." he said. "It was my pleasure."

"By the way," Spider-Man said as he held up the envelope he brought up earlier. "Do me a favor, will ya? If something happens, make sure Mary-Jane gets this letter. And tell her..." he sighed. "Tell her I love her...and that I'm sorry for leaving."

Cyborg gently took the letter from him. "Consider it done, Spidey."

Spider-Man said nothing afterwards. He headed for the nearest exit, though in no particular hurry. Who could blame him? It wasn't everyday you had to fight your very ant-existence.

End Chapter 19

Next Chapter, the moment you've all been waiting for, Spider-Man vs Venom! Who will win? What will the outcome be? Will the Titans intervene? What are Doc-Ock and Slade planning? Find out in Chapter 20, The Amazing vs The Lethal!