Teen Titans copyright DC Comics/Warner Brothers

Batman copyright Bob Kane/DC Comics

Green Lantern copyright DC Comics

Danny Phantom copyright Butch Hartman/Nickelodeon

Static Shock copyright Dwayne McDuffie/DC Comics

On Dark Wings...
Chapter 35: Beyond Time & Space

Max was standing alone in an open area.
gazing out at the endless abyss of the Ghost Dimension.

he paid no heed to the passing spectors as his mind was currently on 'other' things.

namely..Wildfire.

It was no secret that he always thought the best of the young prince.
and, didn't feel like he was a worthy successor to the Tamaranian Green Lantern.

he'd tried to push such thoughts out of his mind.

but, the fact that Wildfire's Sister was not only his girlfriend..but mother of his child
made these old feelings resurface..and, only worsen his guilt and regret over his death.

Max groaned as he began to rub his eyes stressfully.

"it shouldn't of been me.." muttered Max

"anyone would've been better..just NOT me."

(("It wasn't your fault..")) said an echoed voice

Max looked, and saw "Raven Phantom" materialize before him.

"There was NOTHING you could do to change Wildfire's fate."

Max scowled.

"THAT, I already know and Accept.
what i AM having difficulty over, however..is why his ring chose me."

Raven II smiled.

"Max, the answer is so obvious.
you've just been so wrapped up in guilt, that you've made yourself blind to it."

"To what?!" said Max, confused

"Max..who was it that showed Blackfire kindness?
who was it that loved her, an showed her a better path.

who was it that broke thru her shell of cold bitterness?
and, made her a loving person who now cares for her sister, Starfire."

Max paused, pondering this.
Raven II then placed her hand on his shoulder.

"If Wildfire were here, he'd be PROUD to have you as his successor..
for you redeemed his sister, and united his family the best you could."

Raven II then cracked a sly smirk.

"And, to be fair..you being the Robin of Bludhaven.
and, standing in for Batman as Gotham City's protector is pretty impressive, too."

Max finally smiled, cracking a chuckle.

"yeah..i suppose your right.
though, I still wish Wildfire didn't have to die for Blackfire to redeem herself."

Raven II frowned, a tear standing in her eye.

"sometimes..there are things you can't change.
and..some Bad Things need to happen..before any real good."

Max eyed Raven's ghostly counterpart.

"the voice of experience?"

Raven II turned her head, hiding a tear.

"Rachel.." began Max, softly

"from what I gather, You and My Raven were once the same.
so, exactly what happened to you to make you like this?"

Raven II looked at Max.
then, finally exhaled..and, spoke.

"in..my universe..Beast Boy had a crush on me.
he cared so much about me, but..I never paid him any mind.

I ignored him..Insulted him, even.
and, yet, he STILL loved me."

Raven II shed a tear (which she wiped away.)

"one day..I yelled at him.
and, he didn't return to Titan's Tower..

a stranger found him, offered to "fix" my powers.
make it so I could express my emotions without losing control."

Raven II's lip began to quiver.

"but..t-the stranger turned out to be my father, MY Univere's Trigon.
Beast Boy, he..he sold his soul to my demon father..just so I could Feel without Fear."

"Did it work?"

Raven II grimaced.

"kind of..Trigon mystically removed my Demon Half, making me a Full Human.
but, he betrayed Beast Boy..by merging my demon half with him, turning him into a "monster".

he then took control over him using Dark Magic.
Beast Boy wrecked havok upon Jump City, and I was powerless to do anything about it."

Raven II faced Max.

"Then..I discovered THIS place.

S.T.A.R. Labs actually created an artificial dimensional gateway and, it led straight to this "Ghost Zone".

I made a risky gamble, and allowed myself to be bombarded by it's spectral energy.
I transformed myself into a Half Ghost..so I could save the man I loved."

"Loved?"

Raven II turned away at this.

"i..i did my best to save him.
but, in the end..my "Best" wasn't enough."

Raven II cried silently.
Max just looked down, frowning.

"i'm..i'm sorry, i didn't mean to-"

"it's okay." said Raven II

"Garfield gave his life so I could express my emotions freely.
so, I take ever oppertunity to Feel..even when it hurts the most."

Raven II then cleared her throat and, spoke once again.

"So..any ideas on what to do about YOUR Trigon?
he won't stay trapped in Skulker's Lair forever."

Max sighed.

"i'm working on that."

Raven II eyed him.

"you haven't the slightest idea what to do, do you?"

"none what-so-ever." said Max, annoyed with himself

"Unfortunently, i'm no Batman when it comes to expecting the unexpected.
or, having a contengency plan for just about everything."

"I'm sure even Bruce Wayne has his bad days, Max.
you can't let a few mistakes dictate you and your abilities."

Max looked at Raven II.

"You..have any ideas?"

Raven II crossed her arms and, made a face as she pondered this.

"hmm..that's a toughie." said the Ghost Girl

"I would get the ghost of Trigon's father.
the one entity that even Trigon fears, but I have NO IDEA where he is."

"Anything else?" asked Max

"Being stuck in the Ghost Dimension limits us.
Otherwise, i'd get Jason Blood to show Trigon what's what."

Max exhaled sharply, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Right..guess we'll just have to cross that bridge IF and WHEN we get to it."

"and, that would leave our 'Current' plan of action?"

Max eyed Raven II sternly.

"I trust Static (and, those other two)
will set free the captive metahumans in WraithCorp.

so, our primart goal is STILL to get Blackfire out of this dimension.
and, to a safe location where she can get looked after..

if not for her medical treatments then, at least for her apparent pregnancy."

Max groaned as he rubbed his eyes, again.

"i still can't believe my Komi is going to have a baby.."

Raven II looked at Max.

"I know it's none of my business.
but, how did, uhh..you two, uhh...end up D-Doing it?"

Max eyed the parallel earth Raven.

"I mean..was it YOUR idea, or-"

"It wasn't that simple." said Max, quickly

"Then..how complicated was it?!"

Max let out a deep breath..then, spoke.

"The..first time me and Blackfire ever, uhh.."made love"
it happened late one night, I was asleep..when I heard a knock on my door."

Raven II had her finger on her chin, listening intently.

"Mm-hmm, Mm-hmm..go on."

"when I looked at the clock, it was Five Forty-Seven.
I got up to answer the door..and, there was my dear Komand.

her eyes were filled with tears, and she had noticable streaks on her cheeks.
she told me she was awoken by a terrible nightmare, and couldn't go back to sleep."

"What was the nightmare about?" asked Raven II

"Her past..she told me she saw nightmarish versions of the hardships she had suffered as a child.

given that the originals was enough to keep me up at night..
I never bothered to let Blackfire tell me of all she saw in her nightmare."

Max sighed, looking down sadly.

"part of me doesn't want to know.
I mean..Blackfire is TOUGH, the toughest girl i've ever known.

i've NEVER seen her bawl like a baby.
she didn't even cry that much when I was in the Oan Infirmary."

"but, what she saw was enough to finally break her." said Raven II, getting it

"I was concerned, that's all.
i just..i don't like seeing her in pain, ANY pain: I love her that much."

"Okay..so, when did it go from That to..(clicks tounge twice)"

Max scowled at her.

"NOT..like that, RACHEL."

"oh, I Know..i'm just asking."

Max exhaled.

"Well..First, I brought her into my apartment..it is why she came, afterall.
i was willing to stay awake and comfort her as long as she needed-"

"Until she was calm enough to go back to sleep?" questioned Raven II

"yes..Exactly.
I even made her something to eat out of courtesy."

Max took a moment to think.

"yeees..I remember, now.
I fixed her some sausage patties, some bacon and an egg-and-cheese sandwich."

"Anything to drink?"

"orange juice."

"ah."

"ANYway, we spent most of the time talking.
well..SHE talked, I mostly dried her tears and comforted her."

"Right..business as usual, i guess.
So, when did it start getting intimate from there?"

"i'm..n-not really sure." said Max, stuttering

"guess it really started when I told her how much I loved her.
Blackfire then asked me the impossible question: "How Much?"

Raven II looked at Max, her eyes wide.

"what'd you say?"

Max sighed.

"i said..I said: "MORE than my own life, baby."
I told her: "I'd soon die a-hundred deaths, then let you be hurt again."

I might've said some other things, but I remember her kissing me afterwards.."

Max paused as he tried to recollect the past events.

"i've kissed Blackfire before..but, this was "different".
it was DEEPER, Longer..more passionant, like experiencing my first kiss all over again.

i became so consumed by my love for her, that I embraced her.
it felt like the whole world just..melted away, and all that mattered was us."

"I'm guessing THAT is when the "fun" started, eh?"

"something like that..though, I dnn't remember it that clearly.
it was like were were taken over by some unkown force that guided our actions."

Raven II chuckled.

"Yeah..CLEARLY."

Max cast a glare at Raven II.
who cleared her throat, and tried to act serious.

"So..you and Blackfire "did it" that night."

"once, and ONLY once."

Raven II smirked.

"one time, and she STILL got pregnant."

"I honestly didn't think we COULD have kids.
not with all those scientist on TV claiming Humans and Aliens have conflicting DNA."

"Apparently, that isn't the case with Tamaraneans and Humans."

Max crossed his arms, huffing.

"CLEARLY.
had I known, I wouldn't of put Blackfire in this position..least not right now."

Raven eyed Max.

"are you saying you have "second thoughts?"

"NO!" snapped Max, suddenly

"No, I would NEVER reject any child of hers.

what I'm TRYING to say, is that had I known she could get a baby from me.
I wouldn't have made love to her that night..least not with protection or anything."

"But, she has a baby NOW."

Max sighed.

"Yes..i know.
but, I refuse to consider it a "mistake"

just a Gift that me and Komi are recieving earlier than expected, that's all.
I am NOT going to kill it, or give it away, simply because I didn't plan for this."

Raven II smiled.

"good to know."

Max exhaled sharply.

"all that matters to me right now is the safety of Blackfire..
and, whatever son or daughter is currently growing within her."

"I sense it's a boy."

Max eyed Raven II.

"a boy..your SURE?"

Raven II nodded.

"yes..i sensed it's soul."

Max took a moment to ponder this.

"a boy.."

Max narrowed his eyes.

"we'd..better get back to the others."

[Meanwhile, Back at WraithCorp]

KA-POW!

Scarlett yelled out as Batman knocked her into a machine.
as lost conscienceness, Batman looked to Helix and glared.

Helix just smirked as she took the "green lantern" power battery.

"that doesn't belong to you." growled Batman

Helix smirked at the Dark Knight.

"That's never stopped me before."

Batman approached the red skinned woman.

"give it to me."

Helix eyes flashed RED.

"Okay..if you insist."

Helix held the lantern up to Batman.
it then charged bright green, and suddenly fired an energy beam.

Batman had little time to react.
and, took a full blast in the chest.

the force of the impact knocked him a few feet away.
Thankfully, his batsuit's armor held up, incinerating only the "outer skin."

Helix smirked as she approached the downed Batman.

"Wow..that suit really CAN take a punch, can it?!
still..I wonder just 'how much' it can take before it finally fails you."

Batman glared up at Helix as she aimed the Power Battery at him again.
But, before she could do anything..an Alarm Sounded.

(("CRITICAL POWER FAILURE..")) Began a computer voice

(("TOTAL SYSTEM SHUTDOWN ON T-MINUS TEN..NINE..EIGHT.."))

Helix grinned.

"WHOOPS!, looks like that's my cue to leave." began Helix

"but, Don't Worry..you'll be PLENTY busy with all the captive metahumans running loose soon."

coincidently, Scarlett began to wake up.

"Ah..Scarlett: right on cue."

Scarlett grumbled as she stood up and approached Helix.
Batman struggled, but was still quite dazed from the energy blast.

"it's time to take our leave."

"NO!"

Helix ignored Batman as she drew out a gun-like device.
she fired a beam, which materialized a pulsing portal.

Helix smirked at Batman one last time.

"TA!"

Helix walked thru the portal, and disappeared.
Scarlett took one last time to snear at Batman..then, followed Helix.

the vortex disappeared in a bright flash of light.

Batman groaned as he finally managed to stand up.

(("..FOUR..THREE..TWO..ONE."))

the lights finally went out, replaced with dim red.
Batman could hear distant rumbling and feel faint vibrations.

he knew what it meant: MASS ESCAPE and RIOTS.

"d*mn." cursed Batman

"BATMAN!"

Batman looked and saw Static (and, two others) run up to him.

"You okay!?"

Batman groaned in response.

"i'll..live.
but, more importantly we have a problem."

[Ghost Zone]

Max and Raven II returned to the rest of the Titans.

they found they Starfire had quieted down now.
though, tears were still present in her emerald green eyes.

Nightwing was the first to acknowledge Max's presense.

"MAX, you..okay?"

Max shrugged.

"yeah..i just needed some time to think, that's all."

Max looked to Blackfire (who was still comforting Starfire)
he exhaled sharply, then walked over to his pregnant girlfriend.

"Komi..look, i'm-i'm sorry.
I should've told you about Wildfire soone-"

"it's alright.." said Blackfire, calmly

"I understand why you didn't tell me.
in retrospect, i don't think i would've taken the news too well."

Blackfire paused to wipe a tear from her eye.

"i..i take comfort in the thought that he is in a better place, now.
not THIS place, i hope..but, a Better one."

Max said nothing at this..he only silently agreed with her.

Blackfire then began to cry some more.

"but..the WORSE thing about this..
is that now..(choke, sob) i..i can NEVER..a-apologize to him..for all i've done."

Blackfire cried..which tore Max up inside.
Starfire then sat up, and embraced Blackfire.

Blackfire continued to speak.

"ever since..i nade up my mind to change, to b-be BETTER for you..
All i ever wanted was to find my baby brother..and, be the sister i SHOULD'VE been.

but, now..i..I CAN'T!"

Blackfire buried her face in her hands, and cried harder.
the other Titans had no idea what to do or say to make this better.

Max was just as clueless..but, tried anyway.

"I'm..s-sure he knows, now." said Max

"wherever his soul now resides..I am sure he knows."

Blackfire tried to stop crying.
she looked up at Max..her LOVE, and narrowed her tearful lavender eyes.

"tell me you got him.." said Blackfire, darkly

"PLEASE tell me that Atrocitus is Dead, or imprisoned somewhere.
Tell Me that my brother's killer was brought to justice, and is PAYING for his crime."

Max frowned, looking down.

"i..i tried.
i tried to bring him in (reguardless of the guardians protests) but..i failed.

I not only failed, but Arisia Rrab, Wildfire's girlfriend got seriously hurt during my 'unsactioned mission'

the guadians were so mad, that they exiled me to frontier space.
where I was required to engage in solo training until i learned to be a "team player."

Max looked at Blackfire.

"and, that's how I met YOU."

Blackfire looked shocked.
then..looked down, exhaling sharply.

"so..he still roams free."

Max nodded.

"and, Continues to lead his Red Lanterns
on a single minded campeign of Hate, Rage and Death."

"Maybe we should stop talking about this.." said Raven, finally

"if we truely have any respect for Wildfire.
we should remember him with Love, not with Hate and Anger."

"Yes..friend raven is right." said Starfire

"though I mourn for my dear brother..
I also take joy in the eventual birth of my sister's child."

Blackfire looked at her waist (which had gotten "bigger" for some apparent reason)
Max finally sat down beside her..and, gently held her hand.

"i..i spoke with Rachel.
she..she says it'll be a boy."

Blackfire widened her eyes at this.

"a boy?..
i'm..i'm going to have a SON!?"

Max nodded.

"yes.
and, if it's alright with you..I already have a name for him."

Blackfire looked at Max.

"tell me."

Max took a moment to remember.

(("You're a..a Green Lantern."))

(("yes, i-i am..Ryand'r."))

"ryan." said Max, softly

"i..I want his name to be Ryan."

Blackfire's eyes became moist (as did Starfire's)
Blackfire then smiled, and snuggled up to Max.

"that name..is PERFECT.
Ryan shall be our son's name."

"oh, GOOD LORRRRD!" exclaimed a voice

everyone widened their eyes at this they all immediatly got up and looked around.

"Can you two possably get anymore SAPPY!?"

"WHOSE THERE!?" snapped Nightwing

"up HERE."

the group looked, and saw a figure standing atop a floating piece of earth.
it was a furry woman with cat-like eyes, fire red hair and cybernetic arms and legs.

"SCARLETT!" exclaimed Jinx, recognizing her

Scarlett smirked as she dropped down to them.

"Man, I just about gagged halfway through that mush.
What is it with you Teenager and "feelings!?"

you act like this is the fr*ckin "Young and the Brainless."

Max eyed Scarlett.

"I don't know who you are..but, I'm pretty sure i DON'T like you."

Scarlett just smirked cruely at him.

"Yeah, I have that affect one people.
But, your probably gonna like me even less in about a few minutes."

"Huh?-YOW!"

Without warning, Scarlett suddenly extended her robotic arm.
snagged Max's chest with her taloned hand and reeling him in.

she was now gripping Max.
his face inches from her own.

"MAX!" exclaimed Blackfire, fearful

"YOU have something I want..and, i'm not leaving until I get it."

Max eyed Scarlett.

"get WHAT?"

"You're RING."

Max scowled at this.

"You know..i'm getting Reeeally sick and tired of people ALWAYS wanting to take my ring from me."

"Just fork it over!
with your Battery gone, you won't be needing it."

Max responded by blasting Scarlett with an energy shot from his Power Ring.
Scarlett snarled as soon as she recovered, while Max stared her down.

"This thing may be on a Reserve Charge.
but, I think it'll be enough to handle YOU."

Scarlett smirked.

"Don't be too sure..I can take you down in ONE STRIKE."

Max charged his ring.
making it glow bright green.

"i'd like to see you TRY."

Scarlett smirked.

"As you wish.."

Scarlett quickly drew out a gun-like device.
fired, bombarded Max with some unknown energy.

"WHOA, HEY!
WHA-What's going O-!"

Max began to fade.
then, disappeared in a flash.

"NO!, MAAAAAAAAAAX!" shrieked Blackfire

the whole group were shocked.
Blackfire then glared at Scarlett, her eyes glowing full violet.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!?" shouted Blackfire

"I sent him to another universe, of course.." replied Scarlett

"or, to be more specific..Helix Facility in our Home Dimension.
We need some time to study his Ring and Power Battery."

Blackfire charged, and grabbed ahold of Scarlett.

"bring. him. Back..NOW!"

"oh, don't worry..you'll get him back.
in fact, lemme do you a favor, and get you out of this Ghost World."

Scarlett forced Blackfire off of her.
then, like a sharpshooter, she fired her dimensional gun at each of the Titans.

making them all disappear in a flash.

"HA!, perfect score." chuckled Scarlett, proudly

[Gotham City]

all is quiet in Gotham..

suddenly, bright flashes emminate.
followed by the Teen Titans materializing onto the street.

"Ohhh..man." groaned Cyborg

"what happened!?"

Nightwing looked around..then scowled.

"it looks like we're back home."

Blackfire took a few steps forward.
she then stopped in her tracks, and trembled.

whining in her throat..she finally let out a loud scream.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Blackfire fell to her knees, feeling defeated.
Jinx ran over to her friend, and knelt down to him.

"Blackfire..it's ALRIGHT: we'll get Max back."

"HOW!?" snapped Blackfire, suddenly

"That WRETCH sent him to another universe!
there's no way I can follow her, I can't save him this time.."

Raven II narrowed her green eyes.

"maybe all of you can't..but, I can."

everyone looked at Raven's ghostly counterpart.

"How?!"

Raven II smiled as she drew out a green scroll.

"with THIS."

Author Note:

Not much to say about THIS chapter. Only that it has alot of talking, and mostly focuses on Helix and Scarlett.

I at least explained the circumstances behind Max and Blackfire's "first time" and, may've revealed the ending to "Raven Phantom" while I was at it.

I also felt it would be right if Blackfire's baby were named after the now deceased Wildfire (his tamaranian name was "Ryand'r", which easily translates into "Ryan")

Yeah, I know. Scarlett aducting Max may seem "random"

but, this is cross-dimensional shared universe. this kinda thing is neccesary for overall storytelling.

Next Chapter will have quite a few crossovers.