Rating: M
Genre: Angst/Slash
Pairing: Sladin and TerraBB
Chapter Summary: Will love be able to live on during tragedy?

A.N. Oh my god, I am done! This is my first ever truly finished, chaptered, slash fic of any fandom! Thank you for everyone that stuck around to see the ending with me. I want to tell you that I'm recovering from the incident explained on my bio, so my other stories will be updated soon as well. Originally, I was going to make this have a super depressing ending, but I decided I didn't want to run Wynja out of tissues, so I made it as happy as I can imagine a Sladin story ending. Enjoy!

Chapter 13

The End

The shaking stopped for a moment and the three costumed men released their breaths that they hadn't realized they had been holding back. Batman immediately glared at Slade, accusation held in his narrowed, hidden eyes. "I believe that would be the workings of your apprentice." He blamed as though Slade was the one with the powers.

Slade ignored him in favor to check on Robin. "Robin, are you alright?" He asked instead of rebutting to Batman's blame with a sarcastic remark that would only anger the Dark Knight and not improve their situation.

"I'm fine," Robin nodded and then started to walk down the hazardous hallway. "But we've got to get to the Titans and Terra and stop them from fighting before someone really gets hurt." He chose to ignore the death glares that Batman and Slade sent each other over his head as he focused on the important matter on hand. If his father wanted to fight with his boyfriend, they were going to have to wait.

"This isn't over, Slade." Batman growled as they trailed behind Robin, carefully watching their step but keeping a fast pace through the labyrinth-like hallways as another earthquake shook them and threw them to the walls.

After recovering once again, Slade and Batman continued to shadow after Robin. "He's chosen me, Batman, get over it. Now that I know he's willing to make this work, no matter what he'll have to give up, I'm going to see to it that this does work out. It obviously would be more painful for him to loose me than you." Slade challenged and picked up his pace to pass Batman and be one step directly behind Robin.

The night air bit at Robin's exposed face as he instantly noticed the scene he had ran out into once he passed through the lair's doors. "Titans!" Robin shouted as he watched his friends. Beast Boy was yelling at Raven as she levitated him and herself above the ground while Starfire and Cyborg were facing off against Terra.

"You don't know what's been going on, things change, Raven!" Beast Boy insisted as he transformed into different creatures, ranging in sizes from a fish to a whale, in an attempt to get out of Raven's hold.

"We'll figure out everything later," Raven scolded as she concentrated on holding Beast Boy despite his decision to be difficult. "We have to get you and Robin out of here and get the city back. We can talk after everything has been fixed."

"He says that he doesn't want to go with you guys. So let him go, you witch." Terra growled as her hands and eyes continued to glow the bright yellow associated with her powers as she threw two boulders toward Raven. Starfire blasted one away with her starbolts and Cyborg was able to explode the second one before it got near enough to Raven to actually do any damage.

"Titans," Robin shouted again as he ran toward them, unaware of Batman and Slade as they continued to stand in the doorway and not follow him out.

Batman moved to follow Robin, ready to help his ward persuade his friends to stop, when Slade reached out a hand to stop him. "We have something that needs to be addressed, Batman, and I mean now." Batman stood still and turned to Slade, his attention fully on the man.

Running as fast as his legs could carry him, Robin sprinted out to the battle. "You've got to—"

"Robin!" Starfire shouted, interrupting him, and flew closer to the ground. "Has the Batman made you better? He has promised us that he would fix what Slade has done to you."

"Star," Robin fought the urge to sigh. "We don't have time to talk about this right now but you've got to trust me when I say that Slade's not the bad guy anymore and neither is Terra. Raven, put Beast Boy down and stop fighting Terra before she causes the entire lair to cave in on itself with her earthquakes." Robin commanded as he looked from one friend to the other.

Raven was the first of them to speak. "What should I do, Cyborg?" She asked her temporary leader as she completely disrespected Robin's orders. Cyborg's eyes widened as wide as Robin's did at the seemingly sudden act of treason. "You're still in charge until we deem that Robin is fit to lead again and not under the influence of blackmail or brainwashing." She reminded them all.

"I'm not exactly sure." Cyborg admitted as he looked from Raven to Robin and back up to Raven. "He sounds like himself and everything, but something has to be wrong with him if he believes that Slade's turned good. Can you do a quick mind sweep; see what's wrong with him, Rae?" Cyborg asked as he kept his cannon locked on Terra, not letting his guard down despite what Robin had ordered.

"You've got to be kidding me." Robin growled as he bunched his hands into fists, angered by his friends' distrust.

"I can't hold Beast Boy and enter Robin's mind at the same time; it'll drain my powers too quickly." Raven admitted as Beast Boy continued to struggle in her hold.

"I think it would be for the best then if we knock him out for now. Don't hurt him or anything, just to get him unconscious so we can get him home and fix him up there." Cyborg determined.

"I don't want to fight you guys," Robin frowned as he pulled out a bo-staff and twirled it as he slid into a defensive position. "But I will if I have to." He took a deep breath and prepared himself as he watched Terra's eyes begin to glow again as well.

"Cut it out, all of you." Slade suddenly appeared behind Robin and grabbed his bo-staff out of his hands while Robin was surprised and unsuspecting. "You're acting like the bunch of children I always knew you were." He scolded. "We have a serious situation on our hands." He growled as he glared around the group until his eye landed on his apprentice. "Terra, control yourself and stop shaking the earth under my lair before you collapse the place."

"But, Slade," she frowned and stopped glowing as she stood up straight. "I haven't been creating any earthquakes. I only used one when my temper got out of hand for a moment because Raven decided to hold Beast Boy against his will," She accused angrily, never missing a chance to throw some blame onto Raven. "But it wasn't aimed toward your lair or anything." She promised as she looked around at the Titans. "If you don't believe me, you could even ask them." Starfire and Beast Boy nodded but none of the other Titans made any sign to help defend her. Raven only scowled.

"Great," Slade sighed and retracted Robin's bo-staff to its original size then handed it back to the boy. "Then our problem is worse than I thought and just got even more out of control. Listen, I don't care if you believe Robin or not, you need to stop fighting right now and come with me or else the entire city will be destroyed." He began to move but abruptly stopped and glared over his shoulder when he felt that none of the Titans were following him. "Do you want to die and destroy this city and countless others as well? I think not, so follow me." He hissed out and continued to return to his lair.

"Guys, you have to believe me, we can trust Slade and Terra right now." Robin begged his friends to believe as he followed after Slade. If something big was going on that it had Slade worried enough to not stop and scold or mock the Titans on their loyalty issues, than it had to be a big problem. Terra cast a glance at Robin and Slade but turned to Raven before she actually moved.

"Put Beast Boy down so we can go help. Because it's obvious that you three are too stuck up to swallow your pride and listen to the guy that's put himself through so much for you all and led to a lot of victories over the years." Her glared matched the iciness of Slade's own as she crossed her arms over her chest and waited. She thought, smugly to herself, that she really was becoming a lot like Slade since she was even scolding her enemies on what they were doing wrong.

Raven sighed and gently placed Beast Boy back on the ground. He ran to Terra's side and they grinned at each other for a moment, their smiles passing a confirmed message that they were both fine, before they quickly hurried to follow after their pseudo family to aid them for whatever the problem was.

"Well, I think we should follow too." Cyborg finally broke the silence between the remaining Titans. Starfire gasped in shock as she floated down to him.

"Surely you do not believe that Slade has truly changed. Robin would not be with Slade unless the bad man was threatening others or us. Slade must be up to something not good and must be stopped." Her hands lit up with her fury to emphasis her point.

"If Slade is behind something," Raven spoke up as she put in her opinion. "Then it would be for the best if we knew what it was and were close enough to stop him before he does it. Besides, we need to keep an eye on Robin and Beast Boy. It's best to try and lull them all into a false security and be kept around then be pushed out of the picture."

"Good point, Raven." Cyborg nodded and Starfire nodded reluctantly as well as she realized that her friend did indeed have good points. "Let's go, Titans." Cyborg ran after the others and Raven floated behind him.

Starfire remained still for a moment before she frowned. "I shall only go to keep an eye on Robin and Beast Boy." She promised herself aloud as she flew to catch up with the others.

"I'm rather surprised you guys actually decided to trust us. I thought you guys only gave out your trust once." Terra glared as a way of greeting in the foyer of Slade's lair next to Beast Boy.

"Where are Robin, Batman, and Slade?" Raven asked as she decided to ignore everything from Terra that wasn't helpful or even close to be informational.

"They don't have time to wait on you guys. We really do have a big problem and we have to fix it," Terra grimaced. "Apparently, I triggered a set of earthquakes by hitting a big fault line while we were fighting. Also, moving all of those boulders out of the ground to throw at you weren't helping the fault line problem." She frowned as she began to lead them down the hallway.

"Yeah, but it's not your fault that Jump City is, like, fault line city capital of the world." Beast Boy brought up as he tried to raise Terra's self-esteem before she started to blame herself for losing her powers and endangering lives like Slade said she did.

Terra opened her mouth to comment but the earth started to rumble beneath their feet again and they all quickly pressed themselves to the wall for support. Debris fell from the ceiling and large cracks ran through the floor as the Titans and Terra clung to the wall. Beast Boy and Terra held hands as the ground shook beneath, threatening to swallow them whole, until the quake passed.

"They're getting worse," Terra assessed as she looked at the cracks as they ran along the floor through the walls and up to the ceilings. "Come on, let's hurry to Slade before another one hits." Terra took off running, her long legs poundings on the uneven ground as she pumped her arms. The Titans followed behind her as she took one turn after the other and finally came to a stop before a blank stone wall.

Terra quickly ripped off her glove and pressed her bare hand to the wall. A glowing green screen appeared below her hand, scanning her fingerprints and then a doorway suddenly materialized from the wall.

"Watch your step." She hastily warned as she descended down the stone stairway. Beast Boy trudged loyally behind her, casting a quick glance over his shoulder at the others. Cyborg sighed, switching on his shoulder light, and then followed after them. Raven and Starfire continued to float as they decided it was easier and more efficient.

At the end of the dark stairway, a light shone through another door and the teenagers found themselves standing in another hallway. "All of these hallways look the same," Cyborg noted to himself as he followed after Terra as she took off running once more.

"We're almost there, come on." Terra urged as brushed a strand of long hair out of her face to trail behind her with the rest as she picked up speed and stopped before a steel door. The door opened automatically and she cringed.

"…were you thinking, Deathstroke? To be so irresponsible as to build your lair not only near a fault line when you have an untrained geomancer but on top of an active volcano, I can't believe--"

"Well it saved on heating." Slade replied dryly as he continued to tap away at the large console he was standing before. Different lights were blinking dangerously and a bunch of the screens were blank or going wild with static electricity.

Batman glared and clenched his fists by his sides. "This is not a joking matter, Slade." He bit out bitterly.

"Neither is it the time nor place to be scolding me like you're my father. So either shut up or do something useful like briefing these stubborn heroes on the problem." Slade growled as he glanced from one screen of bubbling magma to another screen where the floor was slowly sinking into an increasing bit of lava. "Damn it," he cursed as he furiously began to type again.

Batman fumed and then began to type away on another part of the console. Robin gulped and looked away from the grown men to his teammates. "Alright guys, here's the thing. When Terra shook the ground outside she was standing directly on a fault line that she increased its size and range until it hit the normally dormant volcano that this lair rests on and made it active. It wouldn't have been a problem but now the fault line's range has spread even more, due to the rising heat, so the earth is starting to weaken and the range is only continuing to increase.

"If we aren't able to either put the volcano to rest again or stop the fault line from spreading, Jump City will be completely lost." Robin glanced behind as Slade cursed again and another screen went blank. "The cracks that the quakes are making are only making paths for the lava to flow in. At this rate, the range is increasing at thirty-two inches per minute and rising, fast, approximately by seven inches per half minute. Jump City will be lost within the half hour. In the next hour, all surrounding cities will be destroyed as well." Robin reported as he shifted from one foot to the other, uncertain and worried.

"What…What are we going to do?" Beast Boy finally asked the question on everyone's mind.

Robin bit his lip for a moment and then lowered his eyes to the ground. "We're not sure yet." He sighed, frustrated at himself. "We have a theory but unless Slade has the correct materials, the theory isn't even going to be tested."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Terra asked desperately as she looked at Slade's back to Batman's to Robin's sad face. "I mean, we can't just rely on one theory anyways, right? Heroes always have backup plans, for every situation. We can't just let this happen!" She screamed in the tiny room, becoming slightly hysterical.

"Apprentice," Slade snapped, not even bothering to look away from the console as he continued to type frantically. "You need to calm down; only a level head will help us through this situation. And we do have more than one solution to this problem."

"Slade," Batman growled, his voice leaving no room for argument. "We can't possibly impose that--"

"Don't you dare start lecturing me on what we can and cannot impose on Terra. She's a lot more capable than you may think, Batman." He hissed the name in disgust. "She can make her own decision on whether or not she wants to perform the task but it's only fair that we suggest it and allow her to know."

"What?" Terra asked eagerly. "What can I do to help? Just name it! I started this problem, I want to fix it." She took a step forward, determined to hear the suggestion at the very least. Any suggestion was better than no suggestion at all.

"Terra," Robin clenched his hands at his side. "It's too dangerous. It would take too much energy out of you and you wouldn't be able to escape if it didn't end up working, not to mention--"

"What?" Terra demanded, taking another step forward. "Tell me, Robin, I need to make this better."

"No one blames you for this, Terra. This area has always been unstable. You don't have to try and redeem yourself for an accident." Robin insisted as he ignored her demand.

"Robin," She frowned, the guilt inside her rising instead of falling, all of the 'accidents' that she had caused over the years returning to her. "Just tell me."

Robin stared at her and finally sighed. "There's a chance that if you focus all of your energy on the core of the volcano then you'll be able to stop the magma flow. But it would require you to be at the very core and the chances of you surviving, not to mention what your powers might do if they backfire," he paused and sighed again. "There's just a very low chance of you coming out of this alive, Terra."

"There has to be another way." Beast Boy demanded as he gripped Terra's hand.

"But there isn't, Beast Boy, I messed this up and I have to fix it." She squeezed his hand. "I'll do it," Terra turned to Robin, Slade, and Batman. "Just tell me where I need to be."

"Terra, no!" Beast Boy pleaded. "Please, there has to be another way."

"I'm afraid there isn't." Robin frowned and stared at the floor. "I'm sorry but--"

"What are you sorry for?" Beast Boy growled. "You're not risking your life or the life of the person you love! You're just--"

"Terra will be stopping the magma," Slade interrupted and placed his hand on Robin's shoulder but the boy refused to look up. "I will be down on my lowest level trying out my latest machine that will hopefully be enough to stop the earthquakes. It was a prototype that I've had incase Terra ever lost control of her powers but it still should work for what we want to happen."

"Wait, you'll be using the thing on the lowest level that makes everything collapse to block off the aftershocks or something like that?" Terra asked as her eyes widened. "Doesn't that mean you'll be close to the magma flow? And how will you escape in time before everything collapses?"

"He won't," Robin bit out, still not looking up as he avoided everyone's eyes. The room went ungodly silent as everyone stared at the Boy Wonder.

"Slade already went into detail about how the machine is designed to cause cave-ins in every area that's unstable in a thousand meter radius." Batman explained. "Apparently, he already took into perspective that something like this might happen and prepared for it."

"Wrong," Slade narrowed his eye at the caped crusader. "I just believe in being prepared for everything. Plus, Jump City is known for having fault lines in the Earth already, thanks to a few hundred battles that have destroyed this city countless times. So it's not too unimaginable that things might get more explosive than normal. Especially since I was prepared to train an inexperienced earth mover; I'm proud to say I never had to use this machine because of her." Slade glanced at Terra and she smiled at the mention. "But I am glad that I'm prepared since now we have some chance to survive."

"Some chance?" Cyborg asked as he glanced from Terra to Slade and then to Batman. "So wait, Slade and Terra will be sacrificing themselves for a chance that things might stop? How much of a chance exactly do we have?"

"Seventy-five percent," Robin sighed as he finally looked up and lifted his hand to rest atop of Slade's. "But apparently it's worth it since it's either seventy-five percent or a seventeen percent chance with our only other plan which is," Robin sighed again. "Really, nothing; we have no other plan except to wait and see if the magma and quakes will stop on their own."

"Exactly," Slade pulled his hand away. "Which is why Terra and I must leave now while we can still work with our only plan; time is running out. Terra, say your goodbyes, I'll be waiting in the hallway." Slade nodded and quickly made his way out of the room.

"Terra," Robin held out his hand. "I hope you know, you're still a Titan, and it was an honor working with you." He smiled as she gripped his hand.

"Thanks, Robin. I'm sorry about, well, everything I've done but I hope you understand why I did it and you don't hold a grudge or anything." Terra grinned.

Robin nodded his head. "Everything's forgiven; you're about to make a huge sacrifice; the true mark of a hero." They released hands. "Now, if you'll all excuse me. Batman, Titans, I'll see you guys at the arranged meeting point." He headed out of the room, a solemn expression on his face.

"Robin," Starfire grabbed his arm as he passed. She didn't want him to leave again; he had been gone far too long. "Where are you going?"

"I need to say goodbye, Starfire." Robin refused to look at her as he pulled his arm out of her hold.

"Goodbye," she paused, her voice filled with her confusion. "Goodbye to friend Terra, yes?"

"No, I have to say goodbye to Slade." Robin explained.

"Why?" She asked. "He is your enemy, is it not the good of riddance that he will be leaving us?"

"No, it's not good." Robin turned his head to the side, smiling. "Because," he paused, "I love him."

She gasped as he left the room, Raven muttered, "I knew it," under her breath and Cyborg simply thought that he was malfunctioning. Beast Boy felt sympathetic to his friends but silently watched Robin leave.

Robin stepped out into the hallway and glanced to his left to find Slade waiting for him, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "Saying goodbye is always the hardest part."

"I know," Robin took his time as he walked to Slade. "I'll walk you there," Robin held out his hand in offering. Slade pushed off of the wall and gripped the boy's hand, giving it a slight squeeze as they began down the hallway.

"Terra," Batman interrupted as Starfire continued to sob and squeeze the blond as tight as she could. "You need to leave now. Slade said that the mouth of the volcano is in your training room. That is where you need to be in the next five minutes or else we have no chance."

"Right," Terra gasped as Starfire released her and turned to Cyborg as she continued to sob. "Hey guys, just, thanks, you know?" Terra smiled as she turned to Beast Boy. "Beast Boy, I don't know what to say."

"Titans," Batman interrupted once more. "We need to go meet Robin at the top of Titan's Tower. It's the safest point in Jump City right now." The three Titans stared at him as he narrowed his eyes. "I'm trying to give them a moment alone," he gritted his teeth. "Now move." He barked and Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven hurriedly left the room. The caped crusader followed after them.

"Terra, I…" Beast Boy gripped her hands in his own as he looked up into her sparkling blue eyes. "I love you, Terra, and I wish I could go in your place because I would in a heart beat. And I--"

"I love you too, Garfield. But I'm glad I'm the one going." She pulled him into a hug to quiet him. "You have a future, you have friends, and you have to make up for my mistakes. I miss Jump City being the bright, fun place it once was. Make it that again, and make sure you have a lot of fun for me, okay?" She sniffled as his arms wrapped tighter around her. "I want you to promise me you won't become some sort of Emo after I'm gone. I want you to keep telling jokes because I know you'll find someone else who likes them just as much as I did."

"Terra, I'll never forget you. And I promise you that no one else in Jump City ever will either. I'll get a parade named after you or something, okay?" Beast Boy pulled away, tears shining in his eyes.

"Yeah, that sounds cool." Terra smiled even as her tears began to stream down her face. Beast Boy cupped her cheek and leaned in for a kiss.

"I will always love you, Terra," he promised against her mouth. She pulled away from the kiss and wiped her eyes.

"I've got to go now," She smiled one last time before she ran out of the room. "Okay, Terra, time to go be a hero."

"The power has obviously been lost but the machine has a backup generator." Slade stopped in front of a darkened hallway. "This is as far as you go, Robin." He decided just as the ground began to move again. Robin stumbled closer to Slade and wrapped his arms around the man's waist.

"You promised me I'd never have to see someone I love die ever again." Robin reminded as Slade placed his hands on the boy's shaking shoulders. "You can't do this to me, Slade. You can't make me fall in love with you and then get yourself killed; I won't allow it."

Slade smiled sadly behind his mask. "You and I can't always get what we want, Robin. It's better this way."

"No it's not." Robin muffled himself as he pressed his face into Slade's chest. "I need you." The words were whispered softly but Slade managed to hear them.

"Dick," Slade pulled the boy away from him. "I know it seems like you can't possible live without me, but trust me, you'll move on. You'll find someone else to love and you'll forget all about me. You're young; you will fall in love again. After all, I did."

"No, I'm staying with you, Slade," Robin stomped his foot down for emphasize even though it was a childish notion. "No matter what you may say, I am not going to leave you. You're not even a hero but you're willing to sacrifice yourself for a city you could care less for. That's not right, that doesn't even make sense."

Slade sighed and dropped to his knees so he could be at Robin's level. He reached out and cupped the boy's face, using the pad of his thumb to wipe away the tears on the boy's cheeks. Robin's eyes widened; he didn't even realize that he was crying. "I knew that I would end up destroying you, Robin." He spoke sadly as he reached up and unhooked his mask. He settled his mask over Robin's heart and used his other hand to bring Robin's head closer so he could seal his lips over the boy's soft mouth.

Robin's hands came up to rest over Slade's as he continued to press his mask against his chest. He closed his eyes and moaned into the kiss, opening his mouth for Slade to plunder at will. But then the kiss was broken and just as Robin opened his eyes he was shoved back and away.

Slade was on his feet and his hand slammed a hidden button, making the button sizzle and break as a metal door appeared out of no where and slammed close in front of Slade, locking him in.

Robin's eyes widened and he screamed as he ran forward, dropping Slade's mask as he pounded on the door and looked in through the small glass window. "Slade, you can't do this!" Robin shouted, more tears streaming down his face now.

"This is our goodbye, my little bird. You have to live to fly another day with your friends; the world still needs a Robin to announce the beginnings of a new season of hope." Slade smiled as he looked past the glass at the upset boy.

"But I still need you." Robin confessed louder. "You can't leave me alone. You don't even care about other people! You promised me you wouldn't leave me!"

"Robin," Slade spoke calmly as he watched the boy start to loose his control. "I'm not doing this for Jump; I'm doing this for myself and for you." He chuckled softly, blue eye shining from the reflection of the glass. "Who would have known that you would have a positive influence on me?"

"I'd rather have you alive and committing crimes!" Robin screamed as he continued to fruitlessly bang on the metal door.

"Maybe you'll find someone else to turn from the dark side. Maybe your new enemy," Slade shrugged as he turned away from the glass and began his trek down the dark hallway.

"I don't want a new enemy! I want to die with you, Slade! Slade, you can't leave me like this!" Robin continued to shout as the man disappeared from view.

"Apprentice," Slade tapped into his communicator on his arm. "Are you in position yet?" He asked.

"I'm," she sniffled, "Almost there, Slade. Are you in that room yet?"

Slade pressed his hand to the wall and felt a slight decrease. He leaned away from the wall and, with a grunt, kicked the hidden door open. Just as he had said, the machine was still working and the room was lit. "Yes, I'm there now."

"Okay, well, I'm in the, whoa!" She shouted through the communicator, causing Slade to wince. "Well, I'm in what's left of the training room." She floated above the room on a large boulder to land on the only remaining pillar of land in the middle of the flowing lava.

"Apprentice, you know what you have to do." Slade spoke through the micro-piece and Terra nodded then remembered that he couldn't see her.

"Yeah, I know." She clenched her hands into fists at her side as another section of the volcano started to erupt. "And if it will save our boys, then I'm not afraid to do it.

"That's a good way to think of it." Slade agreed as he began to tap rapidly at the keyboard in front of him. "Just calm yourself and try to focus all of your energy into one spot of your body. When I tell you, release all of your energy below you." He was easily typing a hundred sequences a minute as he spoke to her.

"Right, I got you, but I think the connection is starting to break up. I keep hearing this loud, fuzzy noise." Terra commented.

"That's me breathing," Slade finished typing in the access code and quickly checked the actual machine for any possible damage. "It's quite hot down here and I believe the air is heating up as well as everything else."

"Oh," Terra was a little worried. "You're really going to die, aren't you, Slade?"

"Yes," he replied as his brow creased. "Damn, a wire is shot. I have to replace it." Slade mumbled to himself as he quickly reached into a draw below the keyboard and began looking for a new blue wire.

"I'm going to die too. This is really the end." Terra smiled bitterly. "Life kind of sucks like that, huh? Once you're happy, things have to start to fall apart so you're not happy anymore."

"Life does seem to have it out for some people." Slade replied bitterly.

Terra took a deep breath as she started to focus on her energy gathering in the palm of her hands. She watched as her hands began to glow the yellowish hue they normally did when she used her powers. "Slade, when we're dead, can you introduce me to your family? You know, you're wife and son. I mean, we were kind of like a family for a while, right?"

"We're a family, apprentice." Slade reassured her as he finally found a spare wire and began changing it for the broken one. "And, Terra, I'll be proud to have you as my daughter, even in whatever afterlife we end up in."

She smiled and didn't wipe away the tears from her eyes as she felt the ground begin to shake under her feet. "Thanks," she whispered. "Dad,"

"Terra, whatever happens in the next life, I hope you end up happy." Slade finished the switch and activated the machine. "It's time for redemption, Terra."

Terra closed her eyes and focused as she felt her energy start to rip out of her. She screamed as her eyes glowed and her body floated into the air due to her power. Slade smashed his communicator and leaned against the wall as he waited for the world to end, thoughts of what was waiting for him and who he was leaving ran through his head.

The walls were shaking, rocks were falling from the ceiling, and a large crack was forming under Robin as he simply sobbed and leaned against the door that Slade had gone through. He sighed and wiped at his eyes as he looked up. Robin wasn't surprised to see Batman standing in front of him.

"He knew about me, about us, about everything, but he never told anyone." Robin admitted. "He wasn't as bad as you thought."

"True," Batman nodded as he extended his hand to his ward. "And you know he wouldn't want you to die a senseless death."

"Yeah," Robin smiled as he sniffled and grabbed Batman's offered hand. "Death by a cave in because I was crying; doesn't sound too heroic to me."

Batman shook his head in agreement. "It'll be tough, but you'll survive." Batman advised as he turned and began running down the hall. Robin nodded and began to run after him. He quickly stopped and back tracked down the hall to pick up Slade's discarded mask. He held it to his chest, a small smile forming on his face, and began to run again.

"We've got to hurry," Batman called behind him as he dodged a falling stone and jumped over another growing crack in the ground. "This place isn't going to last for much longer."

"Take a left up here," Robin suggested. "It's a shortcut and leads out closer to Titan's Tower." Batman headed into the suggested tunnel, Robin picking up speed only to run into Batman's broad back. "Why are you stopping?"

"It's caved in already." Batman cursed as he turned around. "Come on, we're losing time." The dynamic duo raced down the hallway as the walls all began to shake more fiercely.

"There's the exit!" Robin shouted as he watched a large boulder land just in front of the exit, blocking half of it.

"Quickly," Batman barked, watching the rest of the rocks hovering above the exit. One more strong tremor and they would fall, blocking off the last exit. He made a dive out of the exit and barrel rolled to stand upright.

"Robin," he turned around and his eyes widened as he watched the rocks come crashing down, blocking off the exit completely. "Dick!" He shouted and dove forward, Batarang in hand as he began trying to dig rocks out.

"Batman, what are you doing?" Robin asked as he watched his mentor with a smile. "I was right behind you." He allowed a small smile to form on his lips as his mentor stared at him for a split second with a dumb folded expression on his face, only to quickly be replaced by his regular cool composition.

"We need to meet up with the rest of the Titans," Batman reminded as he replaced the Batarang and started to head toward the general area of the Titan's Tower.

Robin nodded and looked back at what was once Slade's lair. He frowned and gripped the man's mask tighter in his hand as he followed his mentor back to his old life.

It was three weeks back into the normal routine. They had stopped their first villain as a full team yet again, proving that Jump City truly was it's normal self once more. Yet Robin still felt like the rest of his team was treating him differently.

Actually, Raven and Beast Boy were treating him like they always did. Starfire and Cyborg seemed to be the only ones that were still a bit uncomfortable around him. And that somehow made it seem worse. Cyborg and Starfire were his best friends, no offense to Raven or Beast Boy, but he could joke easily with Cyborg and he could talk to Starfire about anything. But that was a thing of the past now.

Robin had desperately tried to explain to them how Slade had meant more to him than what they thought. He had defended himself by saying it wasn't Stockholm Syndrome, even though Cyborg continued to believe that was the case, and he had tried to get his friends to understand that he truly had loved the man. But they refused to believe that Slade was a good man who had just made a lot of bad decisions.

Beast Boy had looked at him and nodded. He did understand Robin, mainly because he felt the same way about Terra. Robin and Beast Boy had started hanging out with each other more. They would talk about Slade and Terra in fond ways, reliving the week they had spent with them.

They also visited the memorial to the two with each other. They would talk quietly as they walked to the outskirts of town where the private monument was held but once they arrived they would remain silent until they were back at the Tower.

It was near Slade's old lair. The Titans had agreed that it was better to have it there than in the middle of town, since most town folks still held grudges against the fallen two, despite the sacrifices they made. They were unable to move most of the rocks that had covered the entrance, also a bit afraid that if they did it would collapse and possibly upset the volcano and begin the lava flow all over again. But there was a slight crevasse in the hill that they had set up as the memorial sight.

Two large, polished stones were in the middle. The jewelry box that Beast Boy had made for Terra and her butterfly beret rested atop of one, along with fresh roses. Indented onto the rock were the words;

Terra

A Teen Titan

A True Friend

Beast Boy knelt in front of that rock and placed his hand over her name.

On the second rock sat a mask and a long forgotten controller.

Robin knelt in front of the memorial and wiped at the few tears that had rolled down past his mask. He wasn't sure how long he sat there but he eventually heard the footsteps behind him but he continued to kneel in the same position until he felt Beast Boy's hand on his shoulder.

He looked up and felt a bit of comfort from his friend's understanding smile. Standing up with Beast Boy's hand still on his shoulder, Robin started to walk out of the cavern. He knew that Slade was right; he was destined to live on, no matter how much his heart ached.

He cast a quick glance behind him at the grave and sadly smiled.

Slade Wilson

A Dedicated Solider

An Unforgettable Soul

"Hey, Robin," Beast Boy spoke up suddenly when they were outside of the memorial. "Was that always like that?" He asked as he motioned toward the blocked lair's entrance. Or what use to be the blocked entrance. "I thought Cyborg didn't want us to move any of those rocks because it might still be unstable."

"I don't think Cyborg moved those rocks." Robin turned to smile at Beast Boy as he watched his friend's eyes light up.

"Do you think…?" He didn't dare ask, in case he would jinx it.

"All I know, Beast Boy, is that villains never stay down for long." Robin grinned and clapped his friend on the back. "We simply have to wait; time will tell if love will live on."

A.N. So I typed this chapter out and then quickly posted it all for you, so forgive me if it's not up to quality as the rest of the chapters. I'm just glad I finished this! Oh, I might do an one-shot as a sequel but do not ask for a chapter sequel because you will not get it! DO NOT ASK FOR IT PLEASE I NEED TO WORK ON 'A DARKER SHADE OF LOVE!' So, go read that story instead and keep this one as a pleasant memory.

Now I'm off to sleep! Ta-ta my lovelies!