Okay, let me start out by saying this story did not begin with me.

It was originally posted by the writer whom I know only as OobluebubblesoO as "Resurrection," and was to've taken place sometime after the episode "Aftershock, Part two," of the Teen Titans. The premise…well, you'll read it, it's fairly easy to place.

OobluebubblesoO posted several chapters, before a drunken driver rendered her unable to continue. Those of you who write, you know that we don't write for money, or fame, or glory, or to show everybody how smart we are. We write because….we sorta have to. It's what we do. If you don't write, you may not understand, but if you do….you know what I'm talking about. So aside from wrecking her life, the accident prevented her from continuing a most important part of it. I corresponded with her (through her friend, XxinLovingmemoryxX), and she very graciously gave me her approval to proceed. Please, please, everyone who reads this: drinking and driving is a remarkably stupid idea. It costs. It may not cost a life, but it does cost money, loss of driving privileges, and it can cost the universe of a stellar-grade talent such as OobluebubblesoO. Don't do it. Dying isn't the worst thing that can happen to you. Not by a long shot.

As to how this story came about (scratches head), I….dunno. I had copied the story to my computer, in Word format, and, late one night, got really really bored (always a dangerous condition for me) and began just….doing little things. Punctuation. Spelling. A word change here. And, oooh, italics would look so cool there….

Before you could say," "sneak," "snake," "snuck," and, of course, the pluperfect,"(had) snucken", I had something like what you see. As I said, it's not, originally, my story, and I'm not trying to highjack it. So: fair warning: the first few chapters aren't mine; I've altered them only the tiniest amount in order to preserve continuity with later chapters, and in keeping my best to the animated series/comics canon. And it's not finished, by any means. It is a collaboration, and a tribute, and it is written with the earnest hope and heartfelt prayer that OobluebubblesoO will overcome her handicap and write some more. I look forward to reading it!

Oh, I guess I should mention: I don't own any of these characters. Wish I did…

Rated M for future chapters and language.

Resurrection: Phoenix Ascending

A Collaboration between OobluebubblesoO and Nitebreaker

Chapter One: After the Fire…

It had been two years.

It was a bright June day, the sun shining radiantly through the sky, clouds rolled lazily past in big puffy forms, and birds chirped happily outside the T-shaped building.

An 18 year-old green-skinned boy lay curled in his bed, his head hidden by the sheets and his body curled into a semi-fetal position. Words echoed through his head, unbidden, unwanted…

'Haha, Beast Boy, you're so funny!'

'Are you ok, Beast Boy?'

'Destroy me quick!'

'I have to stay.'

'I'm the only one who can stop it.'

'You were the best friend I ever had.'

'Beast Boy.'

'Beast Boy.'

'BEAST BOY!'

"SHUT UP!" he finally screamed, bolting upright, then throwing his pillow into the door, his breathing labored and heavy, a cold sweat glistening on his skin.

It had been two years.

Two years since the girl he liked so deeply was turned into a cold piece of stone on this very day, saving Jump City and all of its residence, including the Teen Titans.

Her name was Terra, and she had done horrible things.

She had given herself over to a man who was deeply twisted, letting him brainwash her into a virtually mindless slave to do his bidding, hunting the five of them down one by one. The betrayal was deep, cutting through every Titan like a rusted metal knife, leaving aching edges and deep wounds that couldn't be fully healed, and a haunting memory that would not fade with time.

"Beast Boy! My friend, are you harmed?" Starfire asked worriedly, knocking rather hard on his door.

"I'm fine, Star, just go away." He said, somewhat rudely, and fell back onto his mattress. His arms were outstretched, his hair, grown a bit longer than…back in those days, splayed across the pillow and his green eyes were staring at the ceiling.

"Beast Boy, please, do you not wish to go pick the flowers and take them to Terra's memorial?" she asked. Internally, he cringed at the thought and reflexively rubbed his shirt just above his heart.

"Not right now, Starfire, just go on without me."

He could hear a faint sigh and then her footsteps retreating down the hallway. Good, some privacy. Starfire was a good friend, but sometimes a guy just wants to be alone.

Maybe he could go visit the memorial, by himself. Just by himself. His depression might go away after he got it off his chest and maybe, just maybe he'd be back to his old tofu-loving, video game-playing self. Maybe.

He picked through his pile of clean clothes and pulled on something nice to visit her, a black-collared long sleeve shirt and some black jeans. He slicked back his hair and opened his window. With little effort, he morphed into a crow and flew out over the blue sea that surrounded his home. The sea glittered brightly, whitecaps shining in the sun, almost as if nature herself was cheering his decision. His thoughts were all on the former Titan: her pale blue eyes, the silken blonde hair, the peach colored skin, and the laughter that turned his insides to jello.

'You were the best friend I ever had.'

'I wish we were more than friends.'

He swooped into a nearby garden and quickly picked a few flowers, taking the purple and white ones, her favorite color combo.

Within minutes he was at the entrance of the shrine, a large hole that led into the chasm that held the last place on Earth she ever touched. With a deep breath, he walked into the dark hole and felt his way through the achingly familiar rock. Beast Boy switched on his flashlight and walked through the narrow tunnel, ducking every now and then, realizing he had gotten taller since he first came here. Was it a lifetime ago? Or did it just feel that way?

Streams of light shone through the top of the cave, illuminating the pathway enough to where his flashlight was no longer needed. He recognized the same cracks in the wall and floors, the same boulders that lined the cave walls and the same smooth grooves that was once magma.

"Hi, Terra, sorry I haven't visited in a while, it's just that I. . . . . ." he began.

Reality telescoped and time seemed to stop, his grasp on the small bouquet slackening, the flowers falling to the floor. His eyes went wide with shock, his mouth agape in awestruck surprise, and each muscle felt as if it were encrusted in ice.

She was gone.

A pile of rubble lay where her statue (where she) once was, and a small trail of it led to the alternate exit on the other side of the cave. He threw himself towards the pile and searched frantically through it. She couldn't have crumbled into bits, she COULDN'T!

"Terra. . . .Terra. . . . no, Terra, please!" he cried as he felt his fingers begin to sting as the rocks dug into hands. Tears sprang into his eyes and ran down his cheeks.

"TERRA!"

The boy looked at his now-bloody hands, the salty tears dripping down his chin and onto the pile of rubble that was once his friend.

"Terra. . . . . ." he whispered, placing his forehead onto the rock, a choked sob escaping his quivering form.

He froze again, his nose twitching as he sniffed the rubble. Even in human form, his sense of smell was extremely acute. Her scent was too strong; when he visited last year her scent was there, but faint and washed out by the rain.

With only a thought, he changed into a bloodhound and sniffed the rubble eagerly, the scent flooding his senses as he followed the trail that was the strongest. He followed the rubble that led east towards the alternate exit. To his amazement the trail was not rubble, not rock at all, but bits and pieces of the metal armor that Terra had been wearing two years ago, crumbling into fine dust with every step.

Beast Boy howled, a high pitch sound, and dashed after the path laid out for him, his heart racing wildly as he sought eagerly for any chance sight of her blond hair or her thin body.

His ears perked forward and he heard a frail scrabbling sound and….something erratic; breathing, maybe? Another howl; he ran forward again, her scent now enveloping him.

It was possible, it was possible; the green dog remembered those long hours of study and research to reverse the effects of her state. His friend Raven had tried multiple spells and magicks , but all had failed, until one day she had tried one that had taken every ounce of magic out of her, leaving her bed-ridden for three days.

'This spell never has a definite outcome; it only works with intentions that are pure of heart.'

'Do you think with our intentions it'll work?'

'I don't see why not; we all loved Terra. But the catch is, it isn't totally up to us. The spell looks into the person being revived. And it never tells you when or whether it will actually take place. It could happen anytime between thirty minutes or thirty years.'

'WHAT?'

'Calm down, Beast Boy. This spell looks deep into the person it's reviving. It digs into their very core, their soul, and it takes the time out of every bad thing they've ever done. Think of it as prison: whatever bad deed she's done, that delays the effects of the spell.'

"I've got to get out. . ." said a weak voice; pebbles tumbled down the steep slope and hit the green dog in the face.

Her body was wrapped in bandages, her hair scraggly and mussed, and her hands pushed feebly at the large boulder blocking what was once an exit.

"TERRA!" Beast Boy yelled once he changed back and the green teen dashed towards the girl, who was now startled and pressed into the rock.

"BEAST BOY!" she cried and ran to him, although it was more like tripping and falling. They both rolled across the rock in a tangle of limbs and landed on top of a very jagged rock. He held her in a tight hug as she cried his name over and over again into his chest.

"Terra, Terra, you're back." He whispered and rubbed the girl's back. No coherent sentence could get past her hysterical sobs.

"Beast Boy, I'm so sorry, I just. . . you guys, with Slade and I. .!" she babbled between her crying, her blue eyes shining with tears, wide with regret and guilt.

"Shh, shh, it's ok, it's ok. I'm here, we all forgave you. . . .it's just. . . Welcome Home, Terra." He sighed softly, burying his nose into her hair.

"It's good to be home." She whispered back, hiccupping into his chest.

Beast Boy's communicator made a loud beeping noise, signifying a call. He took it out of his pocket and his grin stretched wide across his face, his old self coming back.

"Hello?"

"Beast Boy! Where are you?"

"I'm at Terra's Memorial. . . . and Robin. . ?" his green eyes gazed into the pale blue ones which were now round and nervous, a lock of her blonde hair covering one of them. He smiled warmly and moved it so he could see her face fully.

"What is it, Beast Boy?"

"Tell Raven to bring some spare clothes. And have Cyborg pick up some pizza."

"What? Beast Boy what are yo-?"

"Just trust me, Robin, you'll see when you get here."

The green boy hung up his phone and then grinned down at his old friend, his only emotion, happiness and joy, dominating every other sense he had.

"Aren't you excited to see the others?"

"Beast Boy. . . . I don't think they'll be happy to see me." Terra confided softly, her gaze flickering down to the floor and her hair covering her eyes again.

"Of course they are!"

A bright green light shone through the cave entrance the Titans were coming from, signifying that they were here. That was fast, even for them.

"You ready, Terra?" he whispered to her.

She squeezed his hand and gave him a timid smile.

"Yeah. I-I g-guess."

'I'm alive, I'm standing with Beast Boy in a cave. I can feel the warmth of his palm, I can see him, I can even smell him. Is that cologne he's wearing? I never noticed, before.'

Terra was still a bit dazed, her mind reeling with the sudden rush of events; she hadn't really been using it since she last saw the Titans, how long ago was that? She remembered feeling terrified before she finally let all her feelings go into her last attack, the one that she hoped saved Jump city. She squeezed her friend's hand, seeking some reassurance. Starfire's bright green light shone brighter as they got closer and she could hear Cyborg's metal feet clanking against the cave floors. The blonde girl began to tremble. She could feel her legs shaking.

'I can't do this, not after all I've done.'

"Terra, it'll be ok," Beast Boy whispered in her ear, as she shivered and goose bumps rose on her arms. She used her blonde hair as a shield from their faces; the locks covered her pale blue eyes. Her free hand fiddled with the tattered cloth that was her only clothing for now.

"Yo, BB, where are you?" Cyborg hollered.

"In here, guys!" Beast Boy shouted back excitedly. Terra still trembled and Beast Boy leaned into her a little, putting his arm around her, supporting her.

"Beast Boy, my friend, are you-" Starfire gasped and her light went out for a moment as she gaped in shock, but she quickly regained the energy and ran full speed to her old friend.

"TERRA! TERRA, IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!" Starfire squealed with joy, her Tamaranian strength catching Terra in a death hug. Terra gasped for breath. Beast Boy could have sworn he saw a piece of Terra's soul trying to escape from her mouth.

"Terra . . wha-" Robin was now staring speechless. Then a grin spread across his features as Cyborg, catching up, almost dropped the pizza that he brought.

"Star. . . fire. . . . can't . . . breathe!" Terra grunted and Starfire released her with an embarrassed apology. Robin was beside her in an instant and so was Cyborg, both grinning happily.

"Terra, I'm glad you're ok!" Robin said with pure delight, Terra gave him a timid smile in return, thankful his delight was not false. Cyborg ruffled her already messy hair.

"Nice to see you. Hungry?" He held out the pizza in front of her and her mouth watered instantly. She had gone so long without food, her senses were now roaring with the demand of the delicacy in front of her and she nodded, taking a piece and biting into it; it scorched her tongue but she didn't care, it was food and that was all that mattered. But in the midst of her eating she realized that one was missing.

Raven.

She swallowed the last bite of her slice and gulped it down, finding it a little hard once she began to remember the fight they had in the oil: Raven's sudden rage burning through Terra's memory as it showed her how truly angry the dark teen could get. Her eyes flickered around for the hooded Titan, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Raven?" Robin asked following Terra's gesture not too long afterwards, he called her name a few times and then stopped and picked up the clothes Raven had carried.

"She must have left," Cyborg concluded and Terra felt her stomach twist.

She wasn't surprised, but after the warm welcoming from the other Titans, she had kind of hoped Raven would at least give her a 'hi'. But after her betrayal, Raven had hated her; she could see it in her violet irises just before she turned to stone.

"We'll check on her soon enough. Here, Terra, here's your old clothes, and then you can sit and eat." Robin said and set her clothes down in front of her.

Just then his communicator began to beep; Robin answered quickly.

"Raven? What's the trouble?"

"Killer Moth just released a swarm of his experiments on the city. That's why I'm not there right now."

"We're on our way. Hang on," Robin commanded, then shut his communicator. He looked at Terra apologetically, and she shook her head with understanding. They were the Teen Titans; stuff liked this happened all the time.

"Beast Boy, you take Terra home. The rest of us will handle Killer Moth." Beast Boy nodded and was already standing close to the blonde, the three of them dashed out of the cave and left the pair alone once more.

"Sooooo, you must be wanting a long hot shower and some drinks with the pizza, huh?"

Terra, who was still in a bit of a blank state, reawakened from it and nodded, her lips turned into a smile at the thought of a shower. She felt dirty and grimy. As for the food, she wanted to swallow the pie whole.

"Come on, Terra . . . Let's go home." The green young man's hand was outstretched, waiting for her to take it, just like before, and without any hesitation whatsoever, she did. They made for the cave entrance.

Home.

She hadn't heard that term for a while, either. She closed her eyes, letting Beast Boy guide her, and remembered her various treks before she met the Titans. Her search for a home, a place where she belonged, where people would love her and want her near; but it was always thrown away every time she lost control of her power and caused devastation.

Tears budded in her eyes; one leaked over her bottom lip, down to her chin, and she smiled joyfully at the thought of her destination.

Home.

She was going home.

And even though no one noticed it, the universe got just a tad larger that day….

To be continued.