"We know you have trouble controlling your powers," Robin had said, the communicator still held in his hand. Terra had never taken it.
"You told!" she had screamed at Beast Boy, betrayal in her eyes. Without another word, she turned around and ran, not ever looking back. She had disappeared, lost somewhere within Jump City, and that was the last Raven had ever saw of her.
Until tonight, that was.
Just as Raven left the old apothecary shop that she loved so dearly, musing over her newest potions, she had seen her within the dim light of the street lamps. She looked tired, worn, heavy bags under her eyes.
Terra hadn't seen her, it being too dark for her to see clearly at all.
Raven looked her over once, curiously, then turned her back, not bothering with her. Terra could take care of herself, as she had plenty of times before. She didn't want to see them again, and Raven was perfectly fine with that.
But still, when Terra started coughing, she stopped, turning back around to look at her.
When her coughing ended, she rubbed her throat, and let out a groan. A spike of worry rose up in her, and Raven hesitantly took a few steps closer to her former friend. If she had ever been that. With a closer look, Raven could see that she wasn't doing as well as she had hoped. Terra looked thin, and even though she was holding a burrito in front of her, Raven knew that she hadn't eaten much for a long time.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and her skin looked sallow. She was moving slowly, but perhaps that was just because she was so sleeping. Raven knew that it was well past midnight, and most people were normally asleep at that time. Or at least in bed.
Terra finished eating her burrito, and threw the wrapper in the nearby trashcan. Spinning, she was about to walk away when she saw Raven standing in the shadows, watching her.
Her first instinct was to pretend she hadn't seen her, but Raven was an empath. That much Terra remembered with perfect clarity. She would have known that Terra was ignoring her, but then the thought came to her: Why should she care?
'Because you still want to be her friend,' came her thoughts.
Looking down at the ground, she said, "What are you doing here?"
"Getting new potions," Raven replied in her usual monotone voice. "And you?"
Terra looked up at Raven, still hidden within the shadows. She gave a shrug and looked away. "You know, just living life."
A moment of silence passed between them.
"You sound ill," Raven said to her. She watched Terra closely, gouging her reaction. An expression of sadness passed her face, one of regret, before she quickly hid it away. Raven had to admit, she found it almost endearing to see her starting to control her emotions.
Almost.
"Yeah, well, the weather's been bad lately."
Terra tried to play it off like it was nothing, but another coughing fit gave her away. Raven watched in silence, feeling somewhat sorry to see Terra this way. She felt for her, she honestly did. In ways, Raven could relate so much to Terra.
Terra was alone and out on the streets, something that Raven had been for a good majority of her time on Earth. When Terra had even become part of the team, she was scared about her powers, another thing Raven could relate to. Raven came to realize that if Terra's powers had been demonic instead of Earth-Based, Terra's life was have mirrored hers.
"You need medicine," Raven told her, taking another step forward.
"I'm fine," Terra responded automatically, not even thinking about her words.
Raven shook her head.
"Look, I don't care if you hate me. Or if you don't want anything to do with me. But listen to what I am saying; you need medicine, Terra."
At the sound of her name, Terra shuddered.
"Why do you care so much?" she whispered.
"Because…"
Raven chose her words carefully.
"Because you deserve to be healthy. And safe. You were my friend once, and I care whether or not you're in good health."
At her words, something in Terra softened. She flicked her eyes back and forth between Raven and the sidewalk, not sure where to look. There was so much happening in her head that there really was no place to look. Facing Raven was the best option, she decided.
"Thanks…really…but um…"
Terra found that she didn't have an excuse.
Sensing that she was finally giving in, Raven took a few more steps into the light. Terra could see her clearly now. She was dressed as she always was, with her black bodysuit and blue cloak, but her hood was down, and she seemed…comfier somehow.
A bag dangled from her hand, from the local apothecary shop, and Terra didn't need to be told what was in it.
Terra had never called Raven's a witch, and she didn't think she would. Though she did have a good reason to. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"Fine," Terra said at last, giving in. "I'll take some stupid medicine. Where is it?"
"You don't understand," Raven said back. "I'll heal you with my powers; potions are no better than some over-the-counter syrup."
Heat rose to Terra's face as she thought of Raven healing her. She remembered Raven's powers from back at the Tower, the blue mystic magic seeping from her fingertips and connecting with her being. Terra had no doubt that Raven could take whatever ailment she had away from her…but the thought was so intimate…
"Is that a problem?" Raven asked, her voice softening.
Terra's words stuck in her throat, so she just shook her head, no. It wouldn't be a problem.
"Come on," Raven said to her, gesturing for Terra to walk with her.
With a sigh, Terra stepped up to her, walking along the sidewalk next to her former friend. They said nothing for the longest time, only watched as their shadows grew and shrunk as they passed the yellow light of the street lamps. It didn't occur to Terra that Raven might be taking her back to the Tower.
She might not have known her well, but she knew that characters like Raven didn't do that sort of thing. Raven wouldn't take her back to the Tower, for her trust had been too badly shaken to let Terra back into the sanctuary of her home.
But where is she taking me? Terra wondered.
She got her answer soon enough when Raven rounded the corner, taking her into a back alley way and stepping up to a large, outdated phone booth. Terra couldn't actually believe that old things like those were actually still around. She punched in a series of numbers, and the door flew open.
"Come," she said to Terra, and Terra stepped into the booth with her.
Before she knew what was happening, a sudden lurch drove her stomach up into her throat, the world was spinning around her, and the air was driven from her lungs. When she was able to compose herself again, she found herself in a completely different space. Looking around, she saw that it was a fairly large room, equipped with most of the stuff she had seen in the Tower.
"This is one of those 'safe houses,' isn't it?" Terra asked her.
Raven nodded, and set her bag down on a nearby table.
"There should be medicine in here, shouldn't there be?" Terra eyed all the cabinets that were lined up on the walls, trying to see past them.
"Not just medicine. We have enough equipment to supply an entire hospital if need be."
Terra was about to say something back, when an irritated scraping sound rang through the air. Raven had pulled a chair out, offering it to Terra to sit down. Still wincing from the pain of the sound, Terra obliged and sat down in the chair she offered.
Raven's hands came to the sides of her head, and Terra felt the soothing coldness seep into her skin. It was like chilled honey, eerie and mystical in feeling, working its way into her bloodstream. From the sides of her eyes, Terra could see the blue glow that had formed around Raven's hands, dancing around her fingertips. Raven's hands moved lower, focusing now on her throat.
The rawness that had been bothering Terra all night suddenly disappeared. She swallowed, finding that it was no longer painful, and her sinuses were clearing up. Nothing burned anymore, and she felt her mind clearing.
It became so relaxing, Terra never wanted Raven to stop.
Everything felt cold and warm at the same time, and her skin felt like it radiated freshness. Breathing in deep was like a reward, and she filled her lungs with the sweet air.
"See? That wasn't so bad?" Raven asked her.
Her hands dropped back down to her sides, and Terra was left with only the lingering feeling of Raven's hands healing her.
Nodding, Terra said, "That was wonderful, actually."
She thought she saw a smile smile tug at the corners of Raven's lips, but Raven didn't smile. All her time at the Tower, all the time the two of them had spent together, Terra hadn't seen her smile.
Cabinet doors were opening, and Raven pulled a bottle of medicine out; a thick, syrupy cough suppressant, and a small bottle of pills used to fight off colds and fevers. Placing them in front of Terra, she told her to take these after she had left.
"You won't be staying?" Terra asked Raven.
After the words had left her lips, Terra realized how foolish she must of sounded. Of course Raven wouldn't be spending the night here. Why would she? The healing process must have made her more amorous than she realized. Since her eyes were focused on her hands, clenching and unclenching in her lap, she didn't see Raven shake her head.
"I'm needed back at the Tower. My teammates are expecting me, and I can't just run off…"
An edge of bitterness crept into her voice, and Terra felt herself grow angry. She knew that she was referring to her. Terra regretted it, running off, but she didn't need Raven throwing it back into her face and mocking her.
"I was scared, okay?" Terra said defensively.
"Of what?" Raven snapped back. "We offered to help you. Beast Boy never told any of us your secret, we could figure out you had trouble without him telling us."
"You just…you just don't understand!"
"I don't?" Raven asked. "I don't understand what it's like to be afraid of my powers? I don't understand what it's like to be afraid of myself? I don't understand what it's like to be shunned or hated? Let me explain this, I understand all of that. I've walked in your shoes before, I know what it's like to be outcast and afraid."
Raven leaned in close to Terra, and Terra shrunk back away from her.
"But here's the difference between you and me. I took a chance. I trusted people, with my secrets and my fears. I put my heart into their hands and they never abused that. You should have trusted us too; we had already accepted you for what you were."
Terra didn't know why, but tears spilled from her eyes. She suspected that part of it might be from shame. She let her head droop, and her blonde hair spill around her like a curtain, hiding her weak emotions from Raven.
Even if she was an empath, she didn't need to see her tears.
"Please don't do that," Raven said, feeling dizzy with the powerful emotions Terra was sending her way. She cupped Terra's chin in her hand, lifting the girl's gaze to meet her own. Terra didn't resist. She knew that Raven was right.
They had accepted her, and she still turned her back to them.
Raven wiped away Terra's tears with her thumb, trying to calm her back down.
"Please, just go," Terra told her. "Please."
With a sigh, Raven left Terra in the safe house, flying the rest of the way back to the Tower. She wondered if Terra would still be there in the morning, and if she was, Raven would go see her. Her former friend, her former teammate. But she didn't want to give up on her.
But why, she didn't know.