Chapter 15

The eve before their graduation ceremony, and the members of the Team showed up at full force at Headquarters. Megan, Donna, Anissa, and Harry, being the guests of honor, stood at the forefront of the headquarters, with big smiles on their faces.

"We did it," Harry said. "We survived high school."

Donna and Megan just smiled and Anissa laughed. Thankfully, those three had survived a lot less high school they she did. They did not have to go through being an awkward Freshman, and oh boy, during those first few weeks, Anissa was a very awkward Freshman.

Thankfully, she got better.

"So, what are you going to do?" Mareena asked.

"Oh, well, I want to study more about law," Megan said with a shrug. "I think it might help me, do my work here in the team. Plus, I really found the CSI stuff really fascinating...although I did think of acting...although Marie did say it was a thankless gig."

"It could be something you do on the side," Harry offered her.

"Oh, well, I want to study Archaeology," Donna said. "Or maybe, become a teacher of some sort, and pass on what I know to other people. I mean, be an inspiration to an entirely new generation."

"Mmm, that would be interesting, wouldn't it?" Anissa asked. "You know, I could become a doctor...Mom really wants me to and it's something that I can fall back on, if the entire being an athlete thing does not pan out."

"Well, whatever you do, you'll be great," Harry said.

Anissa just smiled. Yes, because she worked too hard on anything she tried, all the way to the point of insanity. Everyone turned to Harry and wondered what he was going to do with his life after school.

"So, what about you?" Helena asked.

"We're dying to know because...well you can do anything," Whitney said.

Harry laughed, he did not know about that. With the knowledge he got from Cadmus, and really just spending a time with some brilliant women, like Caitlin, like Karen, like Lena, he had limitless options. Of course, Harry wondered in some respects if he is more qualified to teach the subjects.

"Well, I don't know," Harry said. "Maybe, I'll get a few doctorates and give Jesse here a run for her money."

Jesse just laughed and moved in closer to Harry.

"You know, I might be heading for another one, in a couple of months," Jesse said. "Joining you guys at Met-U….I wonder what kind of adventures we could have."

"Meet a few people, get some work done," Harry said. "Well, the future is…."

The door slid open and Rebecca Grayson popped her head in. The first Robin and the leader of the Teen Titans had been greeted. She moved over and wrapped Helena up in a hug and shook the hands of the members of the Team, especially Donna, Megan, and Anissa. She leaned in and kissed Harry and pulled away.

"Graduation day, it's always a big one," Rebecca said. "Honestly surprised you didn't take college courses at night, like Barbara did. But, then again, Babs has been an overachiever, and I think she's found a way to function mostly off of four hours of sleep a night."

Harry just broke into a smile. Rebecca grew a little bit more serious and turned to Thea, who had been casually turning up at the party.

"Any luck on finding her?" Rebecca asked.

"No, no luck at all," Thea said.

Rebecca did not know what to say. She wanted to give Thea hope that the other Thea was out there and there was still hope she would be found. Still, with each passing day, it was hard.

"So, I wanted to congratulate you all on graduation, and you Mareena, I understand you're taking an assessment which you will move you up a level in your studies," Rebecca said.

"Yes, two full weeks of testing, starting the second week of June," Mareena said. "Rigorous exams….speaking of which...Harry...could I ask you a favor…."

"No need to ask," Harry said. "I'll help you prepare."

Mareena just smiled. She knew Harry had a whole lot on his plate, and there had been a lot of things going on, regarding him. He had been working on the project with Lena, helping Marie and Megan track down Marie's attacker, helping Thea rundown on the original Thea.

"I'll help too," Zatanna said. "I...don't know as much about your brand of magic as Harry does, but I'm a quick learner, I swear."

"Zee, any help is appreciated, thank you," Mareena said.

"There was another reason why you're here, isn't there?" Helena asked.

Rebecca just broke into a smile. Being the daughter of Bruce Wayne, Helena had been obviously observant, to the point where it was almost very amusing.

"Yes, I wanted to congratulate these four, on their graduation," Rebecca said. "But, next weekend, we're holding a surprise party for Raven. She's a bit down for some reason, and I think having you guys there, that might perk her up."

"With her birthday around the corner, she's down?" Whitney asked. "She's turning sixteen, isn't she?"

"Yes, and well, I was hoping all of you would be there," Rebecca said.

"Well, I can't speak for the rest of the team, but I'll be there," Harry said.

The rest of the team all nodded in response. Rebecca just smiled, appreciative they would turn up. And hopefully, it would be a nice quiet gathering of the Teen Titans and the Team, without any problems, unlike the last time the two groups got together.

Wishing thinking perhaps.

Graduation day had arrived and a number of individuals showed up at Happy Harbor High School to attend the ceremony. One of them had been Anissa's family. Her mother and sister, who Harry had already met, and Lynn and Jennifer waved towards Harry and Anissa's father, had been looking over towards Harry.

"Dad, this is Harry, and Harry, this is my father, Jefferson Pierce," Anissa said.

"So, you're the Harry that Anissa's talking about," Jefferson said, giving Harry a good looking over.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Pierce, I've followed the work you've done for your community, but what impresses me most is I'm sure Anissa would not be half the person she is, without a father like you," Harry said.

"Call me, Jeff, Harry," Jefferson said. "I have to say ...surprised when I got the news you and my daughter were involved...well for the reasons. Guess you have to expect the unexpected.."

Jefferson had been a bit distracted by everything going on back home. Things escalated after Aresia's attack, with various factions seizing opportunities. There had been various reporters about how well Tobias was after the attack, but Jefferson would not rest until he saw the man in the ground.

"Well, it does," Harry said. "A pleasure to meet you."

"I bet you thought that I would be having some words with you about your intentions with my daughter," Jefferson said with a smile and a clap on Harry's shoulder.

"Well, no, because I figure you would know better than anyone that Anissa would break me before you could even find out about anything," Harry said.

Jefferson just laughed and clapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Oh, Harry, you know I couldn't break you," Anissa said. "Heaven knows, I tried."

Jefferson raised an eyebrow and turned to his daughter seriously.

"Just because I'm not going to give Harry a hard time, does not mean there's certain things a father should never hear," Jefferson replied.

Jennifer laughed at her father's amusement. Harry turned over towards her.

"So, how do you like the phone?" Harry asked her.

"Love it, best thing you could have gotten me," Jennifer said.

"Hard to pry it away from her fingers to get her to focus on her studies," Lynn said.

Claire and Lois arrived. They both smiled.

"Claire Kent, and….Lois Lane," Jefferson said. "I hope you're staying out of trouble, Lois?"

"And when have I ever gotten in trouble?" Lois asked. "And did you get…."

"Yeah, I got it, it was a big help," Jefferson said. "Anything to make that bastard's life harder."

Kara, who had come up with Lois and Claire just smiled. She moved over and wrapped her arms around Harry, smiling.

"Well, I'm going through the entire graduation thing last week," Kara said. "Off to college with me. Although I've been taking some courses at night to get prepared. Shouldn't be too hard."

"Not after being on the Kryptonian Science Counsel," Harry said. "Speaking of which…."

"Oh, I loved reading about Lyta, she was amazing, a pioneer," Kara said practically gushing.

Harry smiled, he figured Kara would like a copy of the book, given that he gave one to Lena. Karen and Caitlin appeared, and Harry knew they would. Megan had been talking in the distance to J'onn, and Donna had been talking with Diana and Hippolyta, who had shown up to attend the ceremony.

And speaking of Lena, there she was.

"First step to a brighter future," Lena said. "And you have your entire summer open to work on the project."

"What project is this?"

Claire appeared behind Lena and Harry. Harry just stepped back, a bit anxious as both of his mother's locked eyes with each other.

"Something, Harry and I are working on," Lena said. "I'm surprised he didn't tell you."

"No, he didn't," Claire said.

Harry moved over with Kara, towards Caitlin and Karen. Claire and Lena had been having a conversation in undertone, and Harry tried not to overhear it. Caitlin in particular, threw her arms around Harry and gave him a very long and passionate kiss, excited about Harry's accomplishments.

"If it wasn't for you, I would be a mindless weapon of mass destruction," Harry said.

"No, you would have been something without me," Caitlin said.

Off to the side, Lois lead Claire away from Lena. Lena, acting as if nothing happened, moved over, as Sam and Ruby had now arrived, to see Harry graduate. Harry tried not to listen in to a private conversation, but he could hear a few choice words from Lois.

"Oh, Clara's still a bit...sore about Lena," Karen said. "You should really make her a bit more sore because of you more often...so she doesn't get uptight about those things."

Harry had been spending a lot more time with Lena as of late.

"Claire thinks you bond more with Lena, because you have a lot more in common," Karen added.

"It's not my intention to make her feel excluded," Harry said.

"I wouldn't worry about it, it's not your fault," Karen said. "There's just a lot of friction between those two, and….well, it's not my business to pry. I've tried to sit them down, but the minute one arrives, the other makes an excuse about how they need to be somewhere."

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt a blur hit him and wrapped him up into a hug.

"Thank you, Harry," Ruby said with a grin. "How did you get it anyway? Not only an autograph from Alison Blaire, but a personalized message from her. I'm going to save it forever."

"Wait, you….how did you do that?" Kara asked in surprise. "And why didn't you get me an autograph and a personal message?"

"And tickets to her summer tour, oh those are so hard to get," Ruby said practically gushed.

"You better be careful, or my daughter will be planning her future marriage to you," Sam said.

"Well, I wouldn't be the only one in this family, who is thinking about that, Mom," Ruby said.

Kara put her hand on Harry's shoulder and Harry turned towards her, smiling.

"Yes, Kara?" Harry asked her.

"How did you pull that off?" Kara asked. "And tickets….did you….you did, didn't you?"

Harry just grinned. "I really have no idea what you're talking about."

Seeing two of Megan's fellow cheerleaders, Karen Beecher and Wendy Harris, turn up, drew Harry's attention away from trolling his cousin. And Kara's pouty face was very amusing, with Karen just patting her on the shoulder.

"So, it's it?" Wendy asked.

"Things will be less interesting without you guys around,' Karen said.

"Oh, you'll be going through it all next year," Harry told them.

"I know," Karen said. "But, that feels like forever."

"Trust me, with the exams, it goes by pretty quick," Harry assured them.

Oh, they really would, although filling the gaps left behind from Megan and Donna, was not going to be easy. Although, Wendy and Karen would no doubt have no shortage of people showing up, many of the women followed Anissa's lead and tried out more traditional sports than cheerleading.

An older gentleman appeared at the stage for the Graduation of the Happy Harbor High School class of 2011. The Principal of Happy Harbor, A Mr. Stanley Lieber, appeared at the top of the stage.

"Parents, students, true believers of education, welcome," Mr. Lieber said. "I come before you, after a turbulent last couple of years, with the future. Some people call this day the end, but no, for these fine understanding individuals before me, it's a new beginning. And I've seen many of these people over the years, grow from boys and girls to the men and women you see before you. And I am going to say that the future is bright. But, what is a legacy? True, for some of us, our legacy is not fully appreciated until after we die. And truly, some students who should be up here today, tragically passed away over one year ago today due to an unfortunate attack. Which we have sought answers for, but are no closer to getting the truth to than we were just one year ago.

Harry reached over and clasped Donna's hand. Anissa, sitting in the row behind her, put a hand on her shoulder.

"But, regardless, we should not waste time thinking about what might have been, but rather celebrate what is coming forth in the future," Lieber said. "And the future, true believers, will be rather bright, with all of these people moving on, to careers which will pave the way for the future. Who knows what they will create in the future? Who knows what barriers they break? Each and every student on this stage has worked tirelessly to get to where they were, and they gained a bit more knowledge along the way."

Lieber allowed a moment for applause.

"True heroes never die though, but they live on through the people they have inspired through life, and truly they will inspire countless more generations to come, in death," Lieber said. "For those, who have lived a long fertile life, it is even sad to see them go. But, the real tragedy is seeing those perish, before they could fully be appreciated."

Another applause followed.

"And if I leave one thing behind, it is that my efforts will have inspired someone to strive to greater expectations," Lieber said. "And now, before we honor those with is today, I would like a somber moment, dedicated to those who have perished or passed on."

Silence, silence so loud the pin could.

"And as a wise old friend told me years ago, with great power there must also come great responsibility," Lieber said. "And now, I present to you, without further adieu, I present to you the Happy Harbor Class of 2011."

Harry, Megan, Anissa, and Donna, among their other classmates came up, came up, shaking hands with Mr. Lieber as they get their diploma.

"It's a pleasure to have you at this school, Mr. Kent," Mr. Lieber said.

"And it's a pleasure to have a chance to know you, sir,' Harry said.

"And may you achieve great things," Mr. Lieber said. "Excelsior!"

The two shook hands, as Harry walked off the stage, to a loud round of cheers from the many friends and family had been here. Despite all of the things he had done, surviving high school and walking out from his diploma.

A jubilant mood had happened for all on this bright, sunny, cheerful day.

Raven walked past several heroes, members of the Team, members of the Justice League, and her own Teen Titans. They appeared, their faces blanking out one by one. A sinister chorus of "Happy Birthday" echoed through the hallway.

At the end of the Hallway, flickering in the light, rested a large birthday cake with sixteen candles.

"Blow out your candles, Raven."

"No, I won't," Raven murmured.

A sinister laughter echoed throughout the hallway. The candles blew up one at a time until a wave of dark energy glowed from the cake.

"Happy birthday, dear daughter."

Her teammates turned to stone first and crumbled to dust, followed by the other heroes. Black Canary, Power Girl, Batman, the Martian Manhunter, they all fell one by one. The last being Superman who exploded into a shower of dust right before Raven's eyes.

Raven dropped to her knees, screaming, symbols glowing into her chest and neck. She shook madly as the images of the world burning around her spun around. Raven clutched her head.

"Get out! Get out! Get out!" Raven murmured.

In bed, Raven jolted up, hands shaking. Raven breathed in deeply and entered a meditative state for several minutes to try and calm her nerves, but nothing was working.

A page ripped from the calendar, counting down the days of Raven's sixteenth birthday.

"Time's running out," she said in a low voice.