"How are things going?"

Such a loaded question. With the headache I had had since returning to Titans Tower in San Fransisco, I felt as though I could have gone off at any minute; the question, as idiotic and simplistic as it sounded to me, made me simmer a bit more. I'd been pushed before. This whole thing was pushing me dangerously close to the edge.

Thankfully, I have self-control.

"What would you like to hear about first?" I asked, unblinking behind my black mask.

"How is Rose doing?" Nightwing asked. Obviously. I knew that would be his first question.

"Well...that's tough," I said. I didn't want to break this too harshly to Dick...for some reason, he liked the psychopath. "On the professional side, she's impulsive, quick to anger, and inappropriately lethal if left unchecked. On the personal side, she's promiscuous, decadent, and paranoid. She's convinced that the rest of the team wants her gone; she can't seem to get along with any of us in a normal way except Kid Devil, and if that isn't symbolic..."

Nightwing laughed. "Give her some time," he said. "I have faith in both of you."

I straightened up and tried to stay focused on the camera. "Thanks," I said. "That's gonna help a lot the next time she shows up naked in my bed...while I'm busy kicking her out, I'll make sure to mention to her that you "have faith in her." Maybe she won't try it again if she knows."

"She did what?" Nightwing asked.

"You heard me," I said, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

"Well, that's a little unexpected..." Nightwing said. "Well, look, Tim...I know that Rose is a bit more...forward...than the kind of girls you're used to, but maybe having a little companionship would be good for you."

I took a second to respond to that. "Would it be good for her?" I asked, rhetorically.

"Well, you said she's having trouble getting along with you all in a normal way..." Nightwing said. "Maybe it'd...loosen her up a bit."

"That's not even funny," I said.

"It's a little funny," Nightwing said. "Your sense of humor isn't completely dead, as much as you'd like to pretend it is."

"I thought you were calling for a status report," I said. "Was that for the status of the team, or my sex life?"

Nightwing shifted uncomfortably. I'd been like his little brother for years now; although he'd undoubtedly enjoyed goading me a moment before, hearing me talk so frankly about sex must have unnerved him a bit. Good. That was my intention. "How is the rest of the team doing?"

"Kid Devil seems to be adjusting fairly well," I said. "He has a bit of an outsider complex, like Rose, but for the most part, he's here for the same reasons most of us came in the first place – because this is a place to get away from the overbearing watch of mentors. Cyborg is still recovering – he's been avoiding overexerting himself. Spends most of his time in those self-diagnostic sequences down in his chambers. And as for Cassie, well...I don't even know Cassie anymore. She's angry at everyone and everything, and that seems to go double for me."

"She feels like you abandoned her," Nightwing said, reasonably.

"Did I?" I asked. "She was hurting pretty bad after Connor died...I should have stuck around and helped her through it...instead, I went running off with you and Bruce."

Nightwing paused a moment to compose himself correctly. "We all did what we had to do after the Crisis," he said. "You, me and Bruce...we all needed to figure out who and what we were. In that state, you probably wouldn't have done your friend much good."

"Yeah..." I muttered, unconvinced.

"Anything on the other Titans?" Nightwing asked, trying to sound casual. I knew what he was getting at, though, and I really didn't want to talk about it...so I avoided it.

"Well, Speedy is off with Connor Hawke, Beast Boy is still running with the Doom Patrol, Bart doesn't have his powers anymore and is retired, and Raven...we have no idea where Raven is," I said. There was an "and" on the tip of my tongue that I suppressed quickly, but I'm sure Nightwing saw it.

"And...what about Starfire?" he asked, still trying to sound casual.

I swallowed. "Dick, I...we've been looking. You know that, because I'm sure you have been, too. No one on Earth knows what happened to Koriand'r. She never came back from the confrontation in outer space, and the ones who did come back – Vic included – don't know what happened to the ones who didn't. I'm sorry."

Nightwing nodded, grimly. I could practically see the grimace behind his mask. Not in love with her anymore my ass.

"Other than that...well, you know how it was here since we left with Bruce...they've been going through members left and right. I'm trying my best to hold things together, but if Rose and Eddie can't get over this outsider thing, Vic can't get his head back in the game, and Cassie can't get her head out of the game for more than five seconds at a time, I'm afraid its all going to fall apart again. The family here was always a little wacky, but now its just...dysfunctional."

"You'll get over it," Nightwing said. "I have faith."

"If you're so convinced that I can handle anything here," I said. "Why bother with the status reports?"

"What, these? Two reasons," Nightwing said. "One, they're just in case you need help and are too stubborn to call me or Bruce and ask. Two, I just like to bust you up every once and a while. Keeps my self-esteem high."

"You're funny," I said. "If there's anything to report, I'll call you. Rest assured."

"I will. See around, Tim."

"Good-bye, Dick."

After our good-byes, were finished, I pressed a button next to the display panel and it went dark. I pushed back my chair and stood, by back and knees cracking. I stretched, trying to get the kinks out – that "status report" had turned into an hour long conversation. Not that I minded. I didn't get enough chances to speak with Dick personally anymore. Not since I'd decided to move to Titans Tower on a more permanent basis.

That particular decision had come after Bruce brought up the possibility of adoption again. Sure, I'd gone along with it – I'd loved the idea, actually; Bruce and I really were family, despite both of our attempts to avoid the idea. Bruce wasn't my only family, though. When Vic had asked me to come back to Titans Tower and live here for a while – long enough to get the team back on its feet.

So...here I was. Back living in the Tower...fighting alongside a couple of old friends and dearly wondering if they were really still my friends. Bottom line – I didn't know how to help them. So instead of trying too hard, I just went out each day and put on my "leader" face.

I hope Rose isn't in my room when I get back there. I could use some sleep – without having to kick a naked psycho out of my bed first.