(A/N: HERE IT IS! THE FINALE YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! IT'S SUPER LONG AND GLORIOUS!)

The week went by like a flash, and before anyone expected it, Friday had arrived. Starfire came to Middleton an hour before the big game to practice with Kim, Tara, and the rest of the cheer squad. Of course, she did not come alone. Parked behind the football field was the big, orange T-Ship, which transported not only Starfire, but also Raven, Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg to the game. While the rest of the team sat in the bleachers waiting for Starfire to finish practicing, Cyborg noticed Ron warming up with the rest of the Mad Dogs on the field. He decided to walk over.

"Hey, man," he said as he approached Ron, who was significantly larger when covered in football padding. "Think it's gonna be a good game?"

"Huh? Oh, hey, Cy." Ron stopped stretching and replied, "I think so. The other team's not usually one of the ones we play. They're from around Jump City actually."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Murakami High I think. They're like a fancy prep school or something."

"Hm…yeah, I think that name sounds familiar." Cyborg paused for moment when he noticed a spare football lying on the ground. He picked it up and said to Ron, "I actually used to be a star football player before…you know."

"Really? I mean, not that I'm surprised, but…"

Cyborg tossed the ball back and forth between his metal hands. Somehow, playing sports always brought him back to the time when he had been a whole human being. By now, he had accepted his new life and even enjoyed it, but there was still something special about holding that football. "Yo, Ron," he asked, "want me to show you the secret to a perfect pass?"

"Sure!"

Cyborg positioned himself as if about to throw the ball. "It's all in the wrist and the angle. See what I'm doin' right now? Twice the distance of a regular pass. Go long!"

Ron obediently ran out across the field, his eye on Cyborg. Once he was far away enough, Cy threw the ball as hard as he could. It spiraled perfectly until Ron jumped up and caught it. He tucked it under his arm and jogged back over to Cyborg.

"Booyah!" they both exclaimed, high-fiving each other.

"You uh…you don't actually have any hard feelings about the whole booyah rivalry, right?" Ron asked.

"Nah, man, we're cool."

"Sweet, because I've got someone you and Beast Boy need to meet."

He led Cyborg back to the bleachers, where the rest of the team was still waiting. Raven was buried in a very thick, very old-looking book, her hood pulled up to block out the bright stadium lights. Beast Boy sat nearby, trying very hard to see the cheerleaders as they practiced at the far end of the field, and not being very successful. Robin was doing the same thing, but to his friends' surprise, he had opted for a much more normal outfit than the usual brightly colored Robin suit. He wore dark jeans and sneakers with a Gotham University sweatshirt. His face was still unrecognizable due to very large, very dark sunglasses, and his hands were covered in black gloves to avoid leaving obvious fingerprints around. However, he still looked much more like an average teenager and much less like a crime fighter.

"Hey, Titans," Ron said, commanding their attention. "You remember Bueno Nacho?"

"How could we forget, dude?" Beast Boy responded.

"Well, say hello to the one, the only, Hego!" Ron announced as a tall, muscular man in an orange polo shirt and glasses emerged from the shadows. "He works at Bueno Nacho."

"You told me to wait under the bleachers until you got here," Hego said, visibly confused. "I thought it was something important."

"Oh, but it is," Ron answered, his tone grave. "Did you know that Jump City has no Bueno Nachos?"

"No. I don't see what…"

"This wrong must be righted!" Ron declared. "I need you to do whatever you can so that these wonderful people," he gestured to the Titans seated in front of them, "can have all the Nacos they ever dreamed of. Okay?"

"I really don't have that kind of authority, Mr. Stoppable."

"Wait, did you just say his name is Hego?" Robin asked. "This is Shego's brother?"

Hego glared at Ron. "Why did you have to give away my secret identity?"

"Dude, it's totally fine," Ron explained. "They get it. They're all superheroes too. They just don't go in for the whole secret identities thing. Except sunglasses over here."

Hego looked over each Titan carefully. "You mean to tell me you're all superheroes too?"

"No," Raven deadpanned, "we just really like wearing capes."

"Yeah, man," Cyborg replied. "We're the Teen Titans from Jump City."

"That is amazing," Hego smiled. "Team Go is always interested in partnering with other teams like us. It's very nice to meet you all." His smile suddenly faded. "Did…did you say you knew of my sister?"

Robin nodded. "Shego. Yes, we've, well, met." He wasn't sure where to begin talking about Shego, much less what Hego would want to hear.

Thankfully, before Hego could ask for more information, Kim and Starfire arrived at the bleachers, both wearing the uniforms of Middleton Mad Dog cheerleaders. "Hey, girls, how was practice?" Beast Boy asked.

"Magnificent!" Starfire grinned, clasping her hands together gleefully. "We have the plans to use the starbolts at the end to…"

"Whoa there, Star," Kim reminded her, "don't give away the whole finale." She looked to the side and noticed Hego standing there. "Oh, hi, Hego. What's the sitch?"

"He is going to give the Titans the Bueno Nacho they deserve," Ron told her.

"Actually, I just want to hear about my sister," Hego explained. "I understand you've all had dealings with her recently. How is she doing?"

Kim and Starfire exchanged a look. "Well," Kim began, "it's kind of a long story. And pretty complicated."

"She's not still working for that madman trying to take over the world, is she?" Hego asked.

"As far as I know, they're still working together," KP replied, "but their relationship's been a little interesting lately. She started working for someone else for a while, then came back to him."

"A good guy?" he asked hopefully.

Kim shook her head. "Worse."

"Oh." Hego looked down, disappointed.

Starfire stepped toward Hego and placed her hand gently on his super strong shoulder. "Friend Hego," she said, "I believe that Shego still has the good in her. She could have destroyed me, but she did not. She saved me. I believe it is because we have something in common." She held up her other hand and allowed a green glowing starbolt to appear in it before letting it fade away.

Hego's eyes widened. "You have the same powers! But…how?"

"The part of the rainbow comet that Shego was hit by contained the same mineral that was injected into me during experiments by my captors," Starfire explained. "I have additional powers as well from my home planet, but the bolts of energy are the same as your sister's."

"Imagine that," Hego marveled. "Now you have to come to Go City. The others just have to meet you." His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, read the message on the screen, and sighed. "Speak of the devil," he said. "Mego is trying his hand at Open Mic Night, with poems about himself obviously, and if nobody listens, his precious ego is doomed."

"Is he a good poet?" Kim asked.

"Terrible. But we're related, so you know how that works. Family sticks together. I'd better go." He turned to leave, then stopped and spoke to Starfire again. "I'm serious about coming to Go City. We're always looking for any connection to our sister. I want to hear the whole story, in detail."

"I shall be there," Starfire assured him before he finally exited.

"Look at you making new friends everywhere," Kim teased.

Starfire giggled, then walked away to sit beside Robin. Kim and Ron also sat down together. "You ready?" KP asked her boyfriend.

"I think I can handle a few west coast prep school kids," Ron bragged. "We've got this one in the bag."

"Just don't disappoint Barkin," Kim reminded him. "I have him first thing Monday morning and the last thing I need is for him to be grumpy while he's grading my homework."

"You don't need to remind me, KP," Ron pointed out. "I have to work a shift at SmartyMart with him next week. I swear, that guy is literally everywhere."

Their conversation was interrupted by Tara's and Bonnie's arrival. The brunette flipped her hair, then said, "Um, Kim, Liz is having, like, a major hair emergency, and none of us are about to take the field until she fixes it. Could you maybe do something squad captain-y? Like actually help?"

Kim rolled her eyes and stood up. "Duty calls, I guess. I'm on it."

Bonnie opened her mouth to say something derogatory toward Kim, but immediately shut it when she noticed Starfire's bright green eyes staring at her. Instead, she and Kim hurried away to go help Liz. Tara remained behind and sat down next to Beast Boy.

"Hey, how's it going?" she asked him.

"Good," he replied. "You're going to kick some serious butt tonight. I'll bet the other team's cheerleaders can't even do a single cartwheel."

Tara laughed. "Beast Boy, that's not very nice!"

"No, but it's funny. That's what matters." He looked up and noticed that a few people had begun to take their seats in the bleachers on the other side of the field. "So who are we crushing tonight?" he asked.

"Murakami High," she answered, twirling a strand of blonde hair around her finger. "They're not from around here, so I doubt it'll fill up."

A shadow passed over Beast Boy's face. "Murakami High," he muttered. "I know that name."

"Yeah, I think they're, like, from Jump City or something," Tara nodded. "Crazy coincidence, right?"

"Yeah," Beast Boy whispered. "Coincidence." He looked as hard as he could at the slowly filling bleachers, searching every face, but recognizing no one.

Tara noticed the serious look on his face. In the week that they had known each other, she had rarely seen him in a less than happy mood. Naturally, she was concerned. "Beast Boy," she asked, "what's wrong?"

Beast Boy stopped looking and shook his head suddenly, returning his face to its usual smiling position. "Nothing. It's fine. She's not—I'm fine. I just used to know somebody who went to Murakami. At least, I think she did. She said she did. She said a lot of things. I don't know. She's not here, though."

"Oh." Beast Boy's explanation sounded like it was missing some details, but Tara didn't feel like he wanted to say any more.

Beast Boy, realizing Tara's discomfort, quickly turned his back to the Murakami crowd and said, "Hey, Tara, you know what you need?"

"What?" she asked.

"Your own personal mascot." He shapeshifted into a small, green bulldog, identical to the Middleton team's logo, and chased his tail.

"Awww!" the blonde cheerleader exclaimed, picking him up and giving him a hug. "You're so cute!"

The bleachers on the home side of the football field were beginning to fill up by now, but they were far from crowded. The game had at least twenty minutes until it was due to start. While Beast Boy was otherwise occupied entertaining Tara, a small, skinny, blonde girl took a seat among the Murakami fans. She blended in so easily with the other students her age, that by the time Beast Boy transformed back into his human shape, she was lost in the crowd.

Ron sat on the edge of the second row of bleachers, drinking from his water bottle. Coach Barkin would call him over any minute now, so he had to relax while he could…

"Ron," said a voice suddenly right behind his head.

He spat out his water. Turning around, he saw the Raven had slid across the bleachers to his side. "Aw man," he said. "Why do you have to do that? You know, sometimes you can be pretty…"

"Creepy?" she finished for him.

"Well, yeah."

"Okay," Raven said. "Note to self: stop being so creepy around Ron."

"It's a good note," Ron commented.

The empath rolled her eyes, then turned so that she was facing Ron more directly. Her face, while still not very emotional, shifted into a slightly friendlier shape. "Listen, Ron," she said, "I know I said I didn't completely believe that you had Mystical Monkey Power."

Ron was suddenly very interested in what she was saying. "Is this…an apology?"

"In a way, yes," she conceded. "I was wrong. I should not have made assumptions about you, and for that I am sorry. But there's something else I need to show you." Out of her cloak, she pulled the book she had been reading earlier. It was leather bound, very thick, and very old judging by its looks. "You have great power in you, Ron," she explained, "but you can't control it yet. I once had that problem too. My power is of a different nature from yours, but the basic principles of control are the same. The exercises in this book are very helpful for that."

Ron was surprised. "Are you…are you actually giving me one of your books? Your magic books?"

"Only for as long as you need it," she clarified. "It is very valuable, so you must take very good care of it. I remember how I felt when I wasn't in control of myself, and I know how much better everything became when I could do what I wanted with my powers. This book might not solve all of your problems, but it should give you a good start."

She handed over the book. Ron cracked it open and flipped through its pages. He had never been much of a reader, but ever since leaving the Yamanouchi Ninja School, he had become very curious about how to enhance and use his Mystical Monkey Power. "Thanks, Raven," he said. "I might actually read this one."

"You're welcome," she replied. "Mind if I give you a piece of additional advice?"

"Sure," he shrugged.

"Try meditation. It might seem tedious, but it really does help. It's all about finding your center and maintaining focus. Like this." She closed her eyes and crossed her legs, repeating in a calm, low voice, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"

Ron mimicked her sitting position and did the same thing. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Azarath Metrion Zinthos…hey, this is actually kind of relax—"

"STOPPABLE!" Barkin's voice echoed from the field. "GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"

He opened his eyes and hopped to his feet with a salute, "Yes Mr. Barkin!" He picked up the book and slipped it into his gym bag. "Thanks again, Raven. I'd better go."

Raven cracked open one eye. "Good luck," she told him as he hustled away. She then closed her eyes and continued to meditate. Football games were not her style, and she would need some serious quiet time to be able to handle this one.

One row above her, Starfire leaned back in her seat, sipping on a water bottle filled with mustard. Robin looked at her sitting there in her cheer uniform and smiled. He leaned back with her and stretched his arm around her shoulders. "Having fun?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," she replied. "The leading of cheers is most enjoyable." She turned to look at him and remarked, "I see now why it is that you do not often dress in this manner."

Robin, instantly self-conscious, sat up straight looked down at what he was wearing. "Why?"

"Your eyes are blue."

The Teen Wonder groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Seriously? I thought the sunglasses would work."

"Robin, do not worry," Starfire assured him. "I can only view them because I am in such close proximity to you. Anyone seated any further away would never identify you."

He dropped his hands and sighed. "Well, that's a relief, I guess."

Starfire set down her drink and asked her boyfriend, "So what is the occasion for you to dress in this manner tonight? This is the first time in many months that you have appeared in public without the mask."

"I thought it would be nice to take of the mask for once," Robin explained. "I mean, I like being a hero. If I didn't, I would have quit by now. But sometimes, it's nice to just be myself sometimes and not worry about the mask and what it represents. I had to learn that the hard way, but it's pretty clear to me now. And anyway," he added, leaning forward so that Star could see over his glasses and into the bright blue eyes of Dick Grayson, "if you're the only one who can see my eyes, I really don't mind that."

Starfire blushed, knowing how much trust that signified. "Truly?"

"One hundred percent. Besides, I wanted to look at least semi-normal tonight. It's your big moment with the cheerleaders. How much do you really want to be seen on your big night with a guy parading around in practically neon green tights?"

His girlfriend shook her head. "Robin, you do not need to pretend to be normal for me. I care for you because you are you, with or without the mask. I would not have felt the embarrassment to be seen here with you."

Robin thought for a second, then laughed. "And to think I used to say the exact same thing to you. We've come a long way, haven't we?"

"You could say that," Starfire agreed, before leaning in and kissing him briefly on the lips. She tasted like mustard, but Robin didn't mind. He kind of liked mustard.

"Hate to break up y'all's party," Cyborg interrupted, with a look indicating that he was well aware of everything that had just been said and enjoyed all of it immensely, "but Wade's got something he wants you to see."

Within the week after defeating Slade, Wade and Cyborg had made some changes to the Titans communicator system. Now, both Wade's computer and Kim's Kimmunicator were part of the Titans network, and could both send and receive transmissions to and from any of the Titans. Cyborg lifted up his arm so Robin and Starfire could see the caller.

"Hey, guys," Wade said, waving at them. "I was just telling Cyborg something about Slade, and he said you should hear it to."

"Go, Wade," Robin replied.

"Okay. Remember when I hacked Slade's system to retrieve Starfire's and Shego's powers? Well, I had to use a really complicated algorithm to figure out the final password to unlock it. I didn't know of any special meaning behind it, but Cy said you guys do. It was Jericho. J-E-R-I-C-H-O. Like the city in the Bible."

Robin paused to think. "Jericho," he said. "We know someone named Jericho. He's an honorary Titan. He fought with us against the Brotherhood of Evil."

"That's what I was saying," Cyborg nodded in agreement. "I can't think of any known connection between him and Slade. Can you?"

Robin shook his head. "No, not that I know of. Starfire?"

"I am not aware of any either," she replied.

"I thought it was just a Biblical reference at first," Wade explained. "He wouldn't be the first supervillain to use one. But depending on what you know about this Jericho guy, it might be worth looking into."

"There's not much on his file," Robin told the computer genius. "Jericho keeps to himself most of the time, and he can't speak in his own body. There was some accident when he was a kid, I think."

"Perhaps Slade has the connection with the accident," Starfire suggested.

"Could be," Robin said. "Good work, Wade. We'll look into it and see what we find."

"Glad I could help," Wade replied before ending the transmission and disappearing from Cyborg's arm screen.

Cyborg and Starfire noticed the thoughtful look on Robin's face. "Robin, you ain't about to go all Slade crazy again, are you?" Cyborg asked. Starfire sat on the edge of her seat for Robin's response.

Robin shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I've learned my lesson. I can check up and Slade and Jericho when we get back, and believe me, I will, but right now, I'm here to support my friends. That's what's important now."

Starfire and Cyborg each let out an audible sigh of relief.

Just then, Ron ran back to take one more sip of water before the game. Robin waved at him to get his attention. "Hey, Ron! Check your bag! Side pocket!" he shouted.

Ron obediently unzipped the side pocket of his gym bag. His eyes widened as he pulled out a small, circular Titans communicator. "No way!" he exclaimed.

"Thought you deserved it," Robin said. "Congratulations, honorary Titan!"

Ron saluted his sidekick role model with a giant grin on his face. "You will not regret this, Robin, I swear!" he added as he placed the communicator back in his bag and jogged back to the field.

"LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE MIDDLETON MAD DOGS!" the announcer shouted, filling the both sides of the field with his booming voice.

"Aw yeah, let's get this started!" Cyborg shouted, taking his seat in preparation for the commencement of his favorite sport.

Starfire noticed Tara leaving the now human Beast Boy and Kim Possible on the edge of the field waving at her. She stood up. "I must go. I must be with the squad during the game."

"Okay," Robin said. Before she left, he added, "Hey, I was wondering, do you actually like the bright green tights? Because I've been thinking about what Ron said about changing it up. You know, being less of Batman's sidekick and more of my own thing. He said black and blue would look better, didn't he?"

"Yes," Starfire replied. "I believe that the word he used was 'badical'."

"Badical," Robin repeated. He recalled images from his childhood of his father's Flying Graysons costumes. He'd had many different ones, but the one that stuck out to him now was black with a bright blue bird. Badical indeed. "He might be right. I've always liked those colors."

"It is worthy of consideration," Starfire agreed, "but at the moment, I must be with the other leaders of cheers!"

"Right. Sorry. Good luck!"

The game between Middleton High School and Murakami High School was an exciting one. Although the two teams were approximately equally matched, Middleton was able to keep a slight lead for the majority of the first half. Starfire, Kim, Tara, Bonnie, and the rest of the squad shouted out cheers of encouragement the whole way through. Toward the end of the first half, Murakami pulled ahead. With less than a minute left on the timer, Ron ran the ball to the end of the field, scoring a touchdown and tying up the game at halftime. The Middleton crowd went wild.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Cyborg shouted, waving at Ron from the bleachers.

"Way to go, Ron!" Robin and Beast Boy cheered.

Even Raven was somewhat enthusiastic. "Nice job," she said.

It was time for the halftime show. The Middleton Mad Dog cheerleaders took the field. Rufus scampered over to the sound system and pressed play, starting the music. The squad executed their routine flawlessly. Starfire was perfectly coordinated into the show. No one would have guessed that she wasn't really a member of the squad. Finally, they reached the grand finale. The girls split into two groups, each one forming a human pyramid, except for Starfire, who hung back. Kim was on top of one, and Tara on top of the other. The both struck a pose on top of their pyramids, then reached across to grab each other's hands, locking their arms. Starfire jumped high into the air, grabbed onto their arms, and swung up onto their shoulders before leaping up into the air, flying above the heads of the crowd. She somersaulted once in the air, then released two bright starbolts, which exploded into fireworks. Finally, she gracefully descended to the ground, where the rest of the squad had already dissembled their pyramids, and struck a final pose with all of them, shaking her pompoms with glee.

The routine received a standing ovation. The loudest applause, of course, came from Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Ron. Even the other side took notice of the fireworks display at the end, particularly one very small, skinny, girl with straight blonde hair.

The game resumed. Although both teams played well, the Middleton Mad Dogs came out on top. Ron used Cyborg's special throwing technique to pass the ball to a teammate in what became the final touchdown for the home team. Finally, the timer ran out, and cheers erupted from the Middleton fans. The football players high-fived each other, then formed a line to do the same for their worthy adversaries. This act of sportsmanship completed, the crowd left the bleachers, half of them heading to their cars, while the other half spread onto the field to congratulate their favorite players. Though wading through the sea of fans was not easy, the Titans managed to all find each other.

"Now that's what I call booyah-worthy," Cyborg said, high-fiving Ron.

"Dude, you crushed it!" Beast Boy agreed.

"Thanks, guys," Ron replied once he had removed his helmet. "Anyone seen KP?"

"Here!" his girlfriend shouted, pushing her way through to find him. Starfire and Tara were with her. "That was a great game, Ron. Even Mr. Barkin is probably impressed."

"Not impressed enough to save my English grade though," Ron qualified.

"Probably, but that's on you for not reading the book. Ever."

"Okay, true."

Starfire bounded up to Ron and gave him a big hug. Finally letting go, and allowing him to breathe, she found her place next to Robin and said, "This was such a wonderful night. I have had so much of the fun!"

Robin smiled and put his arm around her. "Your cheer was amazing, Star. All of that applause was for you."

She blushed. "I did no more than the rest of the…"

"Starfire," Tara interrupted, "he's totally right. That was epic."

Kim heard someone say her name and looked around. She heard it again, and could identify the direction it was coming from, but not who was saying it. "Hey, guys," she said, "I think someone's calling me. They're over there somewhere. Mind if I slip out real quick?"

"No problem, KP," Ron said, "but don't forget the after party."

She crossed her arms and smirked. "You mean Bueno Nacho?"

"Open all night, baby!"

She laughed. "Oh, don't worry, I'll be back. It'll only be a minute. It's probably Monique or somebody."

She slipped out of the little circle of teen heroes and pushed her way between Middleton parents and students, looking around for someone she recognized. Suddenly, she heard her name again, loud and clear, coming from the edge of the crowd. She followed it and looked around, trying to identify its source.

"Excuse me," a voice said behind her. "You're Kim Possible, right?"

She spun around and saw a short, skinny, teenaged girl with blonde hair covering half of her face. "Yeah, that's me," Kim said. She was used to being recognized in public, thanks to her habit of being in the news frequently. "Who are you?"

The girl smiled a very small smile and shuffled her feet in the dirt. "You don't know me," she said, "but I go to Murakami High, and I heard about what you did with the Titans to save Jump City. I wanted to say thanks."

Kim smiled warmly. "It was no big," she said. "Just another day saving the world."

The stranger shook her head. "No, it was a lot more than that. You're not the first outsider to try to fight with the Titans, but you did a lot better than most people would. You saved the city."

"Like I said, it's totally no big," Kim replied. "It's just what I do."

"And that's what's awesome," the girl responded. "You're a real hero. That's not something it's easy to be. A lot of people have tried to be heroes, and a lot of them have failed. It's especially hard when you're dealing with someone like Slade. But not for you. So thanks for saving my city."

The girl turned to walk away. Kim stood in place for a few seconds, thinking through the conversation she had just had with the strange girl. Suddenly, something clicked. She ran after her as fast as she could, catching up to her just as she reached the parking lot.

"Terra!" she called out.

The girl froze, her back still facing Kim. "That's not my name," she said.

"You know what it's like to deal with Slade," the cheerleader said, stepping closer to her. "You said it's hard to be a hero. You know others have worked with the Titans. They told me about you, Terra. I know it's you."

The girl turned around, half of her face still hidden behind blonde hair. "That's not who I am," she stated. "I'm an ordinary girl, trying to live an ordinary life. I'm not a hero, and I don't want to be. Not everyone can handle being a hero. That's why I'm so glad the Titans found someone like you to trust. You're a better hero than I'd ever be."

"But you were a hero!" Kim insisted. "You saved the day at the last second. Raven told me everything."

"No," she answered. "That wasn't me. I'm not who you think I am."

"Then who are you?" KP demanded.

The girl looked Kim straight in the eyes and said, "I'm not the girl you think I am. I'm not the girl Beast Boy thinks I am. I'm just your basic average girl, and I'm not here to save the world."

A silence filled the air between the two teenagers. The blonde girl finally broke it after several seconds. "The Titans have been through a lot," she said. "Someone hurt them once, and it hasn't been easy for them to let people in after that. They let you in. That means they've finally moved on. It's about time they did, especially Beast Boy."

"I'm not so sure he has," Kim replied.

"Judging by how much he likes that cheerleader, I'd say he has. If not, he's at least getting close."

"But does he know you were here? Do any of them?"

"No." That word was said with a tone of strict finality. "No, and they won't. They don't need me. They need each other, and they need you. If they knew I was here, they'd think I was someone else. Someone I'm not, and someone I can never be."

"But Terra…"

"I'm not Terra!" The sudden burst of emotion surprised Kim. The girl noticed and calmed her voice a great deal. "I'm not Terra," she repeated. "If they still think I am, then it really is best they don't see me. I'd hate to get their hopes up."

Kim stared at her, bewildered. "Then why talk to me at all?"

"Because you did something I know I never could have done," she answered, "and I thought I should thank you for that. Some people aren't meant to save the day." Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She took it out and looked at the screen. "My ride's here. I have to go." She began to walk away.

Kim ran ahead and stood directly in her path. "Listen, I don't care if you're Terra or not," she said, "but you clearly care a lot about the Titans, and they must care a lot about you. Can I at least tell them you were her?"

"No," the girl answered, shaking her head. "I'm not ready for that."

Kim sighed. "Okay. You're not ready. How's this: I promise not to tell them tonight, on the condition that you promise to talk to them as soon as you are ready to do so." She quickly added, "And don't think that gives you an easy out, because if it becomes clear that they're never going to hear from you, I have a website and I'm not afraid to use it."

The blonde girl looked away thoughtfully for a second, then finally conceded, "All right, it's a deal." She chuckled a little and added, "You know, with that website threat, you wouldn't make too bad of a villain."

"Maybe," KP admitted, "but I have a feeling I won't have to follow through with it."

The redhead stepped out of the way and the strange girl ran off into the night, presumably to one of the many cars lined up at the curb. Kim watched her go until she was too far away to see, then turned around and returned to the crowded football field.

By now, the fans were thinning and both players and cheerleaders were heading to their respective locker rooms. Kim found Starfire and Tara and did the same. The girls quickly changed into their street clothes, most of them gushing about how well Starfire did on the routine.

"Thank you so much, friends," she said, embarrassed from all the attention, "but it was truly nothing."

"Um, no," Liz insisted. "It was, like, totally awesome."

"Yeah," Marcella agreed. "I wish we could have fireworks in all our routines from now on. Right, Bonnie?"

Bonnie crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Noticing that the entire squad was looking at her, she gave in. "Okay," she said, "I guess it didn't totally suck."

Kim whispered into Starfire's ear, "That's a pretty big compliment from her."

"What was that?" Bonnie snapped.

"Oh, nothing," Kim replied.

"Friends," Starfire smiled, "I am so glad that you have enjoyed my company, but I am afraid that I have the other responsibilities. I cannot always be here for the leading of cheers."

"Well then," Tara said, "I think I speak for the whole squad when I say that you are welcome back anytime you're not too busy with hero stuff. Right, girls?"

A chorus of affirmatives responded. Starfire felt so wonderful and welcomed. Finally, she was a part of the normal, teenage world. And to think it was all because of her very abnormal abilities!

One by one, the girls filtered out of the locker room until only Kim and Starfire were left. At this point, they were both fully dressed in their normal clothes. Kim examined her appearance in one of the mirrors and started searching through her bag for her eyeshadow. "You know, you really can come back anytime," she said as she searched. "I don't mean just for the squad. If you ever need someone to show you earth stuff, or just a friend, I'm totally here for you."

"And I for you," Star replied. "This experience has been most wonderful."

After having examined every crevice of her duffel bag, Kim finally sighed and zipped it up. "I could have sworn I had my eyeshadow here, but I guess I left it at home. Maybe one of the other girls has it. Oh well." She placed the strap over her shoulder. "Almost done? Ron wants us at Bueno Nacho, like, now."

"I shall meet you," the alien assured her new friend. "I am aware of the way."

"You sure?"

The orange-skinned girl smiled. "Totally," she said, mimicking the lingo of the cheerleaders.

Kim laughed. "Okay then. See you there!" She walked out of the room alone.

Starfire walked over to the mirror and ran a brush through her hair a couple times, just to smooth out a couple stray hairs caused by the performance. As she put the hairbrush down, she noticed something green and black standing behind her. "Have you been here the entire time?" she asked without turning around.

"What do I look like, a creep? I've only been here a minute. I have better things to do than listen to teenagers rambling about boys and lip gloss."

"I did not hear you enter."

"When you've been in the breaking-and-entering business as long as I have, you learn a few things about not being noticed."

"Oh." Starfire at last turned around and faced Shego, who was leaning against one of the lockers. "Then might I ask what this visit is about?"

Shego looked around the empty room, then answered, "That's a pretty good question. Honestly, I wasn't planning on this, but I felt like some things needed to be cleared up."

"For instance, you saving my life?" Starfire guessed.

"Among other things, yes," the villainess replied. "Mostly that. I thought I should make it clear that whatever happened back there, whatever sense of goodness took over for that brief moment of time, I'm still the bad guy here." Starfire arched an eyebrow. "Look," Shego continued, "I've worked really hard to get where I am. I don't need that to be ruined just because I dropped a stupid crystal."

"But you did not drop the crystal," Starfire countered. "You threw it. You knew that it would return the powers to me and allow me to escape. I saw you do it, and so did the other Titans. You chose to save my life."

Shego grimaced. "Ugh, that sentence really stings."

"It stings because it is the truth. You can pretend otherwise, but you are wrong."

"You were buried under rubble. How could you have seen what I was doing?"

"I know that you would not have destroyed me. You were a hero once. In that moment, you were a hero again. You still could be a hero if you desired it."

Shego crossed her arms. "Yeah, like I'd ever want that. I left that path a long time ago. Even if I wanted to come back, I'm too far gone at this point. The whole saving people thing is over for me. I am evil, and that's how it's going to stay."

"Unless my life is danger."

There was a pause in the conversation as hero and villain stared each other in the eyes, neither of them blinking. Shego finally broke it, "You know what? Fine. You're right. I saved you. But that doesn't mean I'm going soft. If literally any of your little friends had been buried instead of you, I would not have cared."

"So you do admit that you cared?"

"Never said that."

"I see." Starfire looked Shego over, unsure what to make of her. She had always believed that there was some good left in Shego and that they shared a special bond, but she had never expected her to actually seek her out and talk to her about it. "Then, if you did not care, why is it that you returned my powers to me?"

Shego thought for a moment, then replied, "I guess I'm just bad at killing people who still believe in me. I absolutely hate my brothers, but I doubt I'd ever leave them to die. Maybe I just couldn't bring myself to let the one person who had been trying to understand me to be killed, at least not without giving her a fighting shot. For the record, you saved yourself. I just gave you the power to do it."

Starfire stepped closer to Shego. "Then you are, perhaps, a bit good on the inside still," she said. "You said that to be evil is to have the guts to destroy, but you could not destroy me."

"Oh, I've got the guts all right," Shego corrected her. "You think I pulled any punches on Slade? I thought he was dead, and I wanted him dead. If you and your friends hadn't been there, and there hadn't been all that self-destruction chaos, I would have finished the job."

"But you did not 'finish the job' of me," Starfire argued. "I have said that we share the bond because of our powers. Do you believe this to be true?"

"Maybe. I don't know. How should I? It's not like I have any other frame of reference."

"Frame of…?"

"Forget it. It's an expression. Look, I just wanted to make it absolutely clear that it was a one-time thing. I'm done saving people. That goes for you and all your little superhero friends. I'm bad to the bone, princess. You have to accept that."

"Then why do you sound like you are attempting to convince yourself?"

Shego froze.

Starfire continued, "Please listen to me, friend. If you do not wish to return to the life of the hero, then that is your choice. I cannot force you to do the things you do not wish to do. I do still have the belief that you are not so far gone as you think you are, and I wish that you may see this as well. I also have the belief that the powers given to us are the same for the reason, and the reason is that we are meant to be friends, and to understand each other. You have the right to disagree, but I would not do so without performing the examination of the self first. I am aware that you do not want it, but if ever you are in need of the friend to speak to about these things, I shall be there, and I shall be willing to be the friend."

Shego tossed her wavy, black hair. "I don't need friends, and if I did, they wouldn't be you." She turned away as if to leave, then stopped and faced Starfire again. "That being said, you're not as annoying as I expected you to be." She hesitated, then added, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but if you ever needed someone who doesn't mind getting her hands dirty, I might not be completely opposed to being that person."

Starfire grinned with joy. "Then you do consider me the friend?"

"Oh heck no!" She placed her hands on her hips and leaned away for emphasis. "In fact, if you say 'friend' one more time, you can forget I even mentioned it. I'm just saying I might not completely hate you, and maybe, just maybe, I would be willing to occasionally associate with you. That's you only, not any of the other Titans, or Kim. Definitely not Kim. But we're not on the same side, and we're definitely not friends. Got it?"

Starfire nodded. "Yes. I have got it." The other woman began to walk away again. "Shego?"

She stopped and groaned. "What? I thought this conversation was over."

"Where is Kim Possible's shadow for the eyes?"

Shego smirked and unzipped the pocket on her boot, pulling out the small makeup container and tossing it up and down in her gloved hand. "I like to keep her on her toes," she said. "It's fun to mess with her a little."

"It is wrong to take what is not yours."

"Yup. Your point?"

"You will not leave this room with the shadow for the eyes. You have nothing to gain from taking it."

"Maybe I'll just take it because I can. Because I'm evil."

"Maybe you will return it because you do have the good that you claim to be without," Starfire countered. "Or maybe you will realize that I am the stronger and faster of the two of us, and that you will not get away so easily."

"Maybe." Shego stood there for a moment, as if contemplating her options, then tossed the small container up into the air. Starfire jumped up and grabbed it. By the time her feet hit the ground and she looked around, the green woman had disappeared.

Starfire thought about the conversation that had just occurred as she zipped up her bag, with Kim's eyeshadow safely inside. Shego had wanted her evilness to be absolutely clear, but instead had left Starfire with even more doubt about it than before. As she pondered Shego's offer, Star confirmed the suspicion she had long had. Maybe Shego wasn't ready to call it friendship, but she would never have offered to help a hero she didn't feel some respect for at the very least. Perhaps she really wasn't that far gone. The only question remaining was whether Shego had returned Kim's makeup out of goodness, or because she knew Starfire would have stopped her anyway. As she took off flying toward Bueno Nacho, Starfire smiled. She had a good feeling which one it was.

Shego had made a point of parking her motorcycle, a new one Drakken had gotten her partially to convince her to keep working for him after their ordeal with Slade, as far away from Middleton High School as possible while still being in reasonable walking distance. She had an evil reputation, after all. Damaging it for one conversation was nowhere near worth it. It was hidden in the bushes behind Bueno Nacho, which was now packed with high school football fans getting their late night Naco fix. She slipped silently through the shadows, carefully avoiding eye contact with anybody near the building. Just as she was about to reach her destination, someone walked straight into her.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" the teenage girl said, struggling to balance three bags of food in her arms. She had straight, blonde hair and a small shape. "I was just grabbing some stuff for my friends for the road, and I guess I got distracted…"

"Uh-huh." Shego really just wanted to get out of there. She noticed a fourth bag lying on the ground, picked it up, and handed it to the girl as quickly as possible. "Here, enjoy your whatever-it-is."

"Um…okay then. Thanks." The girl placed her chin over the final bag to hold it in place, then looked Shego over. "You know," she said, "this might sound weird coming from total stranger, but your outfit's pretty cool. You look like you could be a superhero."

"Guess again, honey," Shego said, looking around to make sure nobody else heard her. "The hero thing is so not for me."

To Shego's surprise, the girl smiled. "Yeah, same here," she said. "I used to imagine myself as some bigshot hero, but that isn't me anymore. I made a mistake, and I changed. Some people I know, though, they still see me that way."

Shego nodded knowingly. "Kid, I know what you mean. Not everybody's a hero. Some people just don't get that."

They looked at each other for a moment, then the blonde girl laughed. "I can't believe I'm telling my life story to a total stranger!" she said self-deprecatingly. "Well, that shows how well my brain is working today. Anyway, I'd better go before this stuff gets cold…"

Shego glanced over to the bushes, where she could barely see the outline of her black and green motorcycle. "Yeah, and I've got to…go do something. See ya, kid."

She walked past her as quickly as possible without looking suspiciously rushed. The girl began to walk away, then stopped and turned around. "Hey, I think I've seen you before," she said. "Weren't you in the news recently, like when the bridge almost collapsed? No offense, but there aren't that many people with green skin." Shego froze. She figured she had two options: knock out the girl and take off, or prepare for a fight with whatever law enforcement was surely in the area. Plan A seemed like the safer one.

Before she could proceed, the girl said something she didn't expect. "You know, for a bad guy, you really don't seem so bad. And I've seen some bad."

Shego shook her head. "You got me all wrong, honey."

"No, I don't," the girl replied. "I used to move around a lot. I had some…issues. Anyway, I was in Go City for a while. There was a giant mudslide one spring. You and your brothers made sure no one died in it."

Shego turned around to face the small girl and crossed her arms. "I don't remember that. That's not me anymore."

"I know," said the strange girl. "I used to be someone else too. I'm not a hero either."

"Right." Shego turned to leave again. This time, she made it all the way to the bushes, where she pulled out her motorcycle and began fastening on her helmet. She pulled it out into the parking lot and prepared to take off. Before she did, the blonde girl walked over to her, still balancing the four bags of Bueno Nacho food.

"I meant what I said," she told her. "Maybe you're not a hero, but you're really not so bad."

Shego looked the girl over curiously. "You're not so bad either," she replied quickly before speeding away into the night.

(A/N: THE END! Okay, seriously though, thanks so much for getting through this super long thing with me. This is the last chapter I'm going to write for A New Apprentice. I have a few sequel ideas in my head, but it'll most likely be a long time before any of them are published because I've figured out I can only do one fic at a time with my schedule and I have a lot of other fandoms I want to explore. That means my next and probably only project for a while will be the Gravity Falls/Twin Peaks crossover I already started, so if you're a fan of either of those shows, please check it out! Again, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing my first ever published fanfic. It's been a lot of fun and you all rock!)