With a soft flicker the last of the flames vanished, and Robin was only vaguely aware of it, still in shock amid the carnage that Bumblebee had unleashed.

"It had to be done," she said calmly.

"No, it didn't," Raven spat back. "He was beaten, you didn't have—"

"I don't care what you say. Deadshot didn't deserve to live."

Raven took a moment to steady her mind. She could feel the pure hatred locked within Bumblebee. There was no trace of remorse, no vestige of guilt, over her attack. The cheerful, optimistic, generous and fair girl that had once existed clearly had vanished alongside Speedy. In its place, only a bare shell of her former self remained. Probing the other girl's thoughts, Raven could not feel any emotions separate from rage. She had indeed changed, and Raven was unsure how to approach the situation.

"No!" Robin shouted, drowning out Raven's concentration.

She turned to see Robin standing where the flames had once stood, frantically looking around. "What is it?" she asked.

"Gemini's gone," Robin answered weakly. "There's nothing left of her." He sank his face into his hands for a moment and then looked upward. "Damn it!"

"We'll find her," Raven said, hoping to steady Robin. "The most important thing is that we've dismantled the New Brotherhood. There's little she can do right now."

Robin turned to answer, but he seemed to stumble on his feet, swaying briefly from side to side, his face twisted in a look of confusion and pain.

"Are you okay?" Raven asked, stepping toward him.

He groaned in agony and clutched his ribcage, staggering forward in a doubled over position. His breathing quickly deteriorated, leaving him gasping for air. Raven leapt to his side, but not before he crumpled to the ground.

"What happened to him?" Bumblebee asked.

"I don't know," Raven responded, checking his vital signs.

Amid the whirring sound of helicopter blades, floodlights burst into the building, blinding the two girls. Even above the tempest of swirling air and the roar of its rotor, a booming voice echoed. "This is the JCPD. Do not move! We have the building surrounded and sealed. Attempt to evade us and you will be fired upon."

Despite the chaos, Raven could feel the building filling with additional bodies. A tactical response team, no doubt. It would not be long before the police were upon them. She fought hard to distinguish identities, to separate the minds of enemies from those of friends, and amid the noise and elevated emotions of every individual it was a daunting task. Though only a flicker, she could feel a small group of allies several floors above her, back toward the carnage of her fight with Jinx.

"Grab his arm!" Raven shouted to Bumblebee, already taking hold of one of Robin's biceps as Bumblebee quickly understood and firmly grabbed the other.

A steady stream of machinegun fire splashed toward them from the helicopter's direction as Raven and Bumblebee lifted upward in flight and surged away from the spotlight and into an area of the floor still covered in darkness. Bullets ripped through plaster and brick, but the concentrated volley was useless and frantically the search light scanned the surrounding area, seeking to again locate the vigilantes. Unbeknownst to the officers aboard, it would turn out to be a fruitless search, as Raven and Bumblebee had vanished upward through the ceiling.

----------

A hazy pinprick of white light caught Kid Flash's attention, and abruptly he stopped and looked to his right, closely followed by a slow moving Beast Boy. Sure enough a bright circle had indeed appeared—though a much larger one than he had grown accustomed to seeing—and Raven, Bumblebee and Robin flew outward from it.

"Beast Boy!" Raven said with genuine happiness. "You're okay!"

"Bumblebee?" Kid Flash asked. "What are you…?" his voice trailed off as he noticed an unconscious Robin in tow. "Is he alright?"

"Time for all that later," Raven said quickly. "JCPD are combing the building, and we need to get out."

"Where's Starfire?" Beast Boy asked.

"Not here," Raven answered. "But near as we can tell she's safe. Has anyone seen Cyborg?"

Kid Flash shook his head. "Not since we entered the building."

Raven shifted her hold on Robin's limp body slightly and reached into her belt, immediately cursing when she saw her communicator was burned beyond repair. She again adjusted Robin, turning him toward Bumblebee so Raven could access the back of Robin's belt, and snatched up his communicator. Though scratched and missing flecks of paint, it came to life when she opened it. Several long seconds passed, Raven's anxiety increasing rapidly as the screen remained a fuzzy grey. "Come on," she mumbled.

Finally Cyborg's face appeared on the other end. Not giving him the time to speak first, Raven quickly said, "Are you okay?"

"Good enough," he replied. "Are you with anyone?"

"I've got everyone else with me. You need to get out of the building fast, the JCPD—"

"I know," he interrupted. "I see them. But don't worry, I'm in the neighbouring building, which they haven't started searching yet."

"Can you slip out without being seen?"

"Shouldn't be a problem."

"Good," Raven said. "Get out fast. I'll take care of the others. We'll meet up at the Mills Overlook again, until we can figure out where we're going."

"See you there."

Raven shut down the device and slid it onto her belt. "Bumblebee, can you support Robin's weight?" she asked. "I need both hands free."

"Yeah," Bumblebee answered, letting Robin lean uncomfortably on her.

Bright lights from the circling helicopters lit up a nearby corridor as the vehicles swept around the building. Raven raised both her hands into the air and her eyes flashed a powerful white. A magnificent spiralling orb of white appeared above their heads and rapidly expanded outward until it encapsulated each of them. And a mere second later, the entire thing collapsed into itself, revealing an empty room.

----------

Detective Crocker and Lieutenant Fischer leaned against one of the squad cars as Lieutenant Clancey calmly walked over.

"Any sign of them?" Fischer asked.

"None," Clancey replied, shaking his head. "The helicopters spotted a few of them a while ago, but since then no one's seen a thing. Looks like all of them got out."

"And the Brotherhood?" Crocker asked.

"We still don't know what to make of everything," Clancey answered. "The remains of a base of some kind were found up on the fourteenth floor. High yield explosives, automatic weapons and ammo, plus detailed biographies of the Titans and plans for the attacks on the prison and police station. At this point it's looking like the Titans can't be blamed for a lot of this."

Fischer snorted with contempt. "That still remains to be seen. Miller and Mayor Schwindt won't reverse their decision just like that."

"I know," Clancey continued. "But I'm just telling you that given what I saw up there, I don't blame the Titans for some of the actions they took. Either way, we'll let the politicians sort things out. In the meantime, we've got a few bodies that need to be pulled out."

"Yeah?" Fischer asked.

"We found Deadshot on the thirteenth floor, with a massive hole in his back. And Phobia's a few floors above that. From the looks of it she took quite a blast to the face. We've also got that metal guy who attacked the station. He was at the edge of the neighbouring building."

"How did he get there?" Crocker asked. "I don't remember hearing any other combat on the street."

"There was a hefty amount of damage on the fifth floor of that building, and the windows are shattered just above where he was found lying on the street, with cracks all around him. He definitely fell."

"And we've already got that woman who was fighting with you locked up," Fischer said to Crocker. "Do we know about any others?"

"No one else was seen," Clancey replied.

Crocker suppressed the urge to curse. He knew Gemini had somehow found a way to disappear and avoid any detection. No one else in the JCPD knew about her involvement, and he could not mention her without the risk of revealing his alliance with the Titans. For now he would be forced to keep quiet.

"Did you see anyone else?" Clancey asked toward Crocker.

"Other than the ones we already have?" Crocker replied. "No."

"Well there isn't much more we can do tonight," Clancey declared. "I'm going to order my officers back, and I'll leave the remainder of the search up to your detectives for now."

"Works for me," Lieutenant Fischer said. "I'm sure the next couple of days will be interesting for all of us. We'll just have to see what Miller and Schwindt decide to do."

----------

The coolness of the night served to somewhat lower the tension of the entire group. Raven stood alone at the edge of the hill, staring downward at the cityscape beneath. Though exhausted, she knew perfectly well at least one of them was required to remain awake, both to watch for danger and Cyborg's expected arrival. After Raven administered several individual healing sessions, Jinx and Robin steadily improved, at least enough for her to temporarily cease worrying. Jinx's wound, though serious, was quite simple to examine and treat—Robin was the enigma.

He had only very briefly gained consciousness, and demonstrated a particular disinterest and unwillingness to reveal exactly what was wrong. Though the burns on his chests were indeed still troublesome, they were not the source of his current situation. He was fighting something internally, wreaking havoc on his body and mind, but without a full range of equipment Raven would be unable to properly diagnose what was occurring.

She let her eyes longingly drift toward the bay, her vision settling on the nearly blackened Tower—their home. For the time being it was heavily occupied by JCPD, and for as long as Commission Miller and Mayor Schwindt proclaimed them to be vigilantes, it would no longer be a safe and welcoming place.

A rustling in the bushes caught her attention, but already Raven could feel Cyborg's presence before he slipped into view.

"Any updates on what's been happening?" Raven asked.

"Very little, I'm afraid," he replied. "JCPD searched the building for a little while longer and then moved out to the surrounding buildings. Robin's motorcycle has been impounded, by the way. But I did manage to catch a glimpse of Detective Crocker with other officers. Looks like his part in all this is going to stay a secret."

"I'm glad," Raven said. "We could use a friend on the inside."

"Sorry it took me a while to get here. I had to do some quick self-repairs. Plus it's hard to move on foot through the city, even at three o'clock in the morning." Cyborg looked behind Raven, over to where the others slept quietly on the grass. "How is everyone?"

"All things considered, not too bad. Kid Flash and Beast Boy just have pretty superficial injuries, and Jinx should recover in a short while. It's Robin I'm worried about. Remember how I told you something felt different about him? Well he's definitely going through something. He's not in any real danger right now, but he's going to need steady treatment to keep him from getting worse."

Cyborg took a deep breath. "I can tell you what's wrong with him."

"What?" Raven inquired. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I know what he's going through."

"How long have you known?"

"You have to understand that I didn't say anything only because it would have been a dangerous thing to deal with during all this. And even though it is a pressing concern of mine, it paled in comparison to Beast Boy's disappearance and everything else."

"Tell me what it is, Cyborg."

Not knowing how she would react upon learning of Robin's secret drug addiction, Cyborg knew it was time to tell her. And it was at the very least a comforting thought to know that when he was done talking, Robin would have another friend who believed in him and was willing to do whatever was necessary to help him through the inevitable difficulties.

----------

Three Days Later

A fleeting breeze drifted amongst the Titans as they stood unwavering in the cool evening, the setting sun spreading orange and pink across the sky. Days had passed by rather uneventfully, and the mood was sombre. Raven had led the group well beyond the city's limits, into the fields and rocky hills that stood silently northward along the Pacific coast. There the group rested and recovered from the intensity unleashed by the New Brotherhood, giving the time necessary for each of their wounds to gradually lessen. Still there was much work to be done before Jinx or Robin would be ready to tackle even a minimal obstacle, but the groundwork had been laid.

Kid Flash slowly walked up to Raven and nudged her arm slightly, directing her a few steps to the side where they would be out of earshot of the others.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Of course," Raven answered.

"Why did you help Jinx?"

"What do you mean?"

"When she sided with the Brotherhood, you just had so much rage in you, and I know you were willing to do anything to stop her."

Raven shuddered at the comment, knowing he was right. "I was. But the only reason Jinx was doing any of that was because she thought you were dead."

"Yeah, but you didn't know that. So why suddenly help her without any hesitation? I was almost afraid you'd let her die."

"I helped her," Raven began, "because I could feel the uncertainty in her emotions. When she saw you, Jinx really was confused and unsure. There was no deceit, no sense of anger or betrayal. When I fought her she was filled with so much hate, and I couldn't understand why. I didn't even care why. But then all the anger vanished when she saw you, and she felt so remorseful for her actions. And even though I didn't know everything, I knew that she really wasn't with the Brotherhood at that moment."

"Has she said anything to you?"

"Her and I talked for a bit yesterday, and she apologized for attacking me and explained what Gemini and Phobia had done to her. I honestly forgive her for everything. And more importantly, I trust her."

Kid Flash smiled, the first time in the last few days. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Hey," Cyborg called to them. "Bee's ready."

Raven and Kid Flash returned to the group, where Bumblebee had finished putting together a small grave for Speedy. They had nothing concrete with which to commemorate him, no belongings or possessions. But with delicate care, Bumblebee had arranged a picturesque bed of flowers, filled with an assortment of colourful plants that could be scavenged from the surrounding fields, and then wrapped a line of white stones around the garden.

Even with the threat posed from the ongoing investigation by the JCPD into their current whereabouts, each of them had decided it was important to take the time to honour Speedy. Not many words were said while the wind ruffled the flower petals, but at the end Bumblebee stepped behind the garden and cleared her throat. Choking back tears she said,

"Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow

I am the diamond glints on snow

I am the sunlight on ripened grain

I am the gentle autumn's rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush,

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. I did not die."

Quietly she looked down at the flowers, lingered for several moments, and then walked back to the others. It was a long while before any of them could take their eyes away from the simple memorial.

----------

Later in the evening, once the sun had fully set and given way to a star filled night, Robin assembled the others for a discussion. "Since I know everyone is thinking about it, I thought it was time to talk," he said. "Where do we go from here?"

"I don't see why we can't just keep doing what we've always done," Cyborg remarked. "Jump City still needs us."

"I didn't want to speak for everyone," Robin answered. "Nothing's changed in the last few days, and we're still considered criminals."

"We know it's not going to be easy," Beast Boy stated. "But it's our home."

Raven turned to look at Jinx and Kid Flash. "You two shouldn't stay with us any longer. Central City hasn't made any decrees against you, but it still wouldn't be good to remain attached to us right now."

"Same goes for you Bumblebee," Robin agreed. "Given what's happened here, it might not be long before Steel City evaluates passing the same laws against the Titans East."

"I know," Bumblebee said. "I'm sure it's already being discussed."

"None of us are going to have an easy time," Raven remarked. "If we all decide to keep acting as we have done, to keep protecting our cities, then we'll need to be extremely careful what we do from here on out."

"And there's still the matter with Starfire," Beast Boy interjected. "We can't keep her locked up."

"I'm not sure what kind of a choice we have right now," Robin said sadly. "If there's any hope of reversing the law against us, we'll need to keep our image clean. Breaking Star out of prison isn't going to achieve that."

"Robin's right," Cyborg stated. "The best thing she can do is cooperate. It might help show the city that she's not an enemy."

"But we should still get in contact with her in some way," Raven said. "I can get close to the prison, and let her know that things are okay. And that we're still with her."

"Definitely," Cyborg agreed.

"We'll head back to Central City in the morning," Kid Flash said, turning to look at Jinx. "I'm sure word's reached them about everything happening here."

"The best thing we can do is meet with the mayor when we get back and see if things are still okay," Jinx added.

"What's going to happen to Titans East?" Beast Boy inquired.

"I honestly don't know," Bumblebee responded. "Without Speedy, we might not have enough to keep the team functioning."

"Just make sure you stay out East for now," Robin said. "Where you might not be affected by what's happening here. Let us take the heat." He paused, carefully rubbing the centre of his chest.

"Everything will be okay," Robin continued. "Our situation isn't very different from when Batman first started. For more than two years he was officially considered a vigilante, and all officers were ordered to shoot on sight. All he had was a single ally within the Gotham City police—Lieutenant Gordon. Right now we have Detective Crocker. He can keep us informed, and let us know when things are getting worse or better. There's still a city that needs protecting, and laws or not we're staying put."

----------

Beast Boy perched on the ledge of the small apartment building, careful to remain within the shadows of the large stone gargoyles flanking him on either side. The day was bright, and despite the fact that there were few places to truly remain hidden, even a green bird aroused very little suspicion. Of all the Titans, it was certainly most simple for him to sneak into the city limits. Though the others had been somewhat reluctant for Beast Boy to take such a risk for this particular task, they had easily relented. They knew just how important it was for him to do this. He had to see it for his own eyes.

Finally a loud bell rang, and minutes later crowds began filing out of the building across the road, groups of people laughing and sharing stories. He scanned the faces, the identical uniforms of white collared shirts and dark ties making it exceedingly difficult. And then he caught of glimpse on the far side of the courtyard, and peered carefully.

It was indeed her. Terra exited the school, walking quietly alongside two friends down the front steps. She looked exactly how Beast Boy had remembered her, and she looked genuinely happy. There was no fear, no terror. Phobia's image had been powerfully compelling and vivid, and even though Beast Boy wanted to believe that it was all an act, and that Terra had never been anywhere near the Brotherhood, there was a small part of him that would only believe it once he had seen her unharmed.

Beast Boy smiled at the sight. Yes, she was okay. And with that knowledge, perhaps he would be okay too. As the sun's rays shone down upon the city, Beast Boy flapped his small wings and soared upward into the sky, happy to know that even though things change, happiness could still exist.

----------

And that's the end of my Teen Titans trilogy. I really hope everyone enjoyed this story. I know I didn't wrap everything up nicely in the final chapter, but in a lot of ways it's more realistic for problems to still exist. If nothing else I hope the story was believable.

Let me know what you all think about it. And once again, thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a review. It motivated me to keep writing.