With shaking hands I pulled out my box of Marlboros and placed a cigarette in between my lips, hungrily taking a drag the moment it was lit. I exhaled the smoke slowly, feeling the nicotine run through my body and pull me into a relaxed daze. I craved one all day while I was at work – what a nasty habit I fell into. My roommate, Peter, was to blame. The guy smoked a pack a day, and after only two months, I was not far behind.

"Raven, you did really well today. Terry is really enjoying your work ethic." My friend and coworker, Mandy, leaned up against the brick wall behind us, also having a smoke. "You're really breaking out of your shell with this whole waitress gig, but I knew you would."

"Well, at least my acting is convincing to Terry, that's all that matters to me. Honestly, I can't stand half of the people who come into this damn bar. The food isn't even half good."

"It really isn't the food they come for, Rae." Mandy laughed and pressed her cig into the ashtray, immediately pulling out another. "They come for the beer, booze," she looked at my fitted, V-neck shirt. "And boobs." We both rolled our eyes and laughed together. I hated to admit it, but she was right. More than half of our customers were middle-aged men.

Most people shunned the idea of being in their middle twenties and working at a bar with nothing else really going for them – but me, nah, I loved it. To finally break free from my past was liberating. Fighting with the Titans was fun and all, but it was time for a change. I did not want to go against evil anymore; I wanted no part of it. After Trigon was finally destroyed, it was my breaking point. I could finally get out and do what I've always wanted: to live a normal life.

None of my old teammates really talked to me anymore. Not because they didn't want to, but because there was no time. I saw them every now and then – quick glances of them bringing some sort of criminal to justice. No part of me regretted my decision and desired to go back – that part of me was dead.

Work went rather smoothly for the most part. I finally began to close at about two in the morning. We had a few lingering customers, but they weren't a bother. Mandy gave me a quick hug, dropped her apron off in the back, and left to go home to her boyfriend and kid. As for me, I stuck around a little and did some extra cleaning before clocking out. If it was allowed, I did anything I could to make a little more cash than usual. I didn't really have much to go home to other than Peter. For a while living with him was awkward; he had a huge crush on me. When I finally got it through his head that it would never happen, we have become such great friends and life has been fairly smooth.

"Are you still open?" The entrance doorbell jingled behind the female's voice. I continued to look at the bar counter while wiping it down.

"You bet – this is a twenty four hour bar, hon." There was a moment of silence.

"Raven?" I paused, looking at my reflection in the polished, now clean surface. That voice – it was so familiar. It was so…peachy. I looked up and my mouth fell open.

There stood a tall, orange woman with blazing green eyes. Her scarlet hair was thick, wavy, and fell way past her hips. Next to her was another woman with the same skin tone, but bright blue eyes and blonde hair. She was well over six foot. Both of them were wearing very tight, revealing dresses that only fell past their mid thigh, which did not surprise me.

"Starfire!?" I was completely baffled while she let out a giggle. "Oh my God, how are you?"

"I am well, friend Raven." She sat on the stool behind the counter and pulled out the other for the woman next to her. She continuously gave me bashful looks and hid behind Starfire. I didn't think much of it.

"Good! How is Robin? You two doing well still?" I asked, turning to get them some drinks on the house. I think Starfire drank? Why else would she come to a bar. The woman with her cleared her throat awkwardly in response to my question while Starfire suppressed some giggles.

"We are no longer together. It has been two years, my friend. I turned to her with wide, curious eyes. Starfire directed her attention towards the bombshell next to her. "Raven, meet my cousin, my wonderful girlfriend, Xena." She smiled and I pressed my lips together, taken aback by both cousin and girlfriend in the same sentence. Perhaps cousin had a different meaning on her planet. Either way, it didn't really matter to me nor was it my business. I stuck out my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Xena." At first she didn't reach out, but it was due to shyness – I could sense it. I would assume she was not accustom to Earthly ways yet – Starfire had been here much longer.

"Yes." She smiled and grasped my hand gently, and that was it. She let it go and huddled closer to her girlfriend, pressing her large breasts against Star's shoulder. I poured them their drinks and set them down, winking at my old friend.

"They're on me, Star." She smiled back at me and I turned to tend to the gentleman on the other end of the bar.

"Friend Raven, please, call me Kory." I looked over my shoulder and gave her another smile, one of reassurance.

Starfire and her girlfriend stuck around for well over two hours. As the night went on and the drinks kept coming, they got closer and closer. At first I was taken aback by it all, more so of her no longer being with Robin because she was so into him. I left the team when they were only dating for a year or so, which wasn't super long, but they were friends long before that. It was apparent that Xena already was making her way happier, and that was all that mattered; I was glad for her.

"Raven, go home." Terry placed his hand on my shoulder. "You are working way too much overtime. You know I love you and you're a hard worker, but you can't keep doing this to yourself. You're going to be absolutely exhausted." I set down two more drinks for Kory and Xena, sighed, and turned to my boss.

"Alright, alright." I began to untie the apron from around my waist. "I'll head home." Maybe I was a lot more tired than I thought. I turned on my heels to say goodbye to my old friend, only to find her tongue down Xena's throat and her large, orange hand groping her girlfriend at the same time. I pressed my lips together and turned around back towards the exit without a word. I'll catch her another time.