A/N: Welcome to the first and saddest of the timelines! Garfield and Raven grew apart and never reconciled.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Teen Titans, although I would like to own that common room.

It was a face that he'd never expected to see again. He had sometimes dreamed about it, and in his dreams she was always there, young and beautiful, just like he remembered her looking.

But neither of them were young any longer, and attractiveness was something that had fled from him long ago. She, too, had changed so much, but deep beneath the mask of old age and the smell of death, he could still sense the Raven of younger days.

A heavy hand caused his shoulder to droop as a deep voice asked, "You alright, man?"

Garfield glanced up at Victor, who towered far above him. "Yeah, I'm alright. You?"

"I'm dealing. It was nice of Marlene to come."

"She said that she wanted to meet Raven." Garfield glanced over his shoulder. Marlene, his wife, was standing a few yards away, chatting with Barbara. Marlene saw him looking her way, and sent him a wink. Garfield couldn't suppress the smile that hijacked his mouth.

A voice crackled to life through the speakers, asking everyone to please take a seat, as they were about to start. Garfield and Victor achingly moved to a pew on the front row of the auditorium. Marlene came to sit beside Garfield, intertwining her fingers with his. He gripped them tightly, drawing comfort from her touch and trying to ignore the gnawing feeling of despair in his belly.

The stern reverend standing in the box coughed into the microphone once more as Mas and Menos sped into their seats with a flash of light. "Thank you," drolled his nonplussed voice.

The two speedsters sank a little farther into the pews, causing Garfield to chuckle. Marlene stabbed him in the side and hissed "Shhh, you'll get us in trouble, too."

The reverend did, in fact, gaze sternly down at Garfield for a second before officially beginning the service. "I would like to welcome you all to this service in celebration of the life of Raven Roth, daughter of Arella Roth, Teen Titan, and hero to countless people across the world. Although it is well known that Raven struggled with her unspeakably horrible heritage and past, she managed to rise above it and create a legacy that many will no doubt follow for years to come. Here to present some final words about Raven is Batman, a close friend and former teammate."

The gnawing feeling grew stronger as Nightwing – er, Batman – er, Richard mounted the steps. The hero had foregone his cowl and cape for his simple domino mask to complement his dark suit. This is either a throwback to his Titan days, or a tribute to Tuxedo Mask, thought Garfield. Part of him wanted to whisper the joke to Marlene, but the stronger part zeroed in on the words that Richard began to speak.

"Thank you all for coming out today," he said, attempting a smile. Garfield, the master of fake smiles, saw right through his charade, and realized that Richard was as torn up about Raven's death as any of them. Somehow, that realization made the gnawing feeling turn into a sharp blade. "I didn't always know Raven. I didn't know her when she was a small girl, a half-demon feared by the people around her, growing up in Azarath. I didn't know her when she was first taught to fear herself and her emotions, or when she decided to flee Azarath to find help. I didn't even know Raven when she first came to earth looking for a place to live away from fear and Trigon's influence. But I knew her soon afterwards.

"I knew her when she looked at a terrified alien girl and gave her help instead of reacting violently. I knew her when she tentatively reached out to her fellow teammates, offering support and friendship. I knew her when she dealt with the betrayal of a teammate with grace and wisdom. I knew her when she let us throw a party for her birthday, even though she was terrified at what that birthday signified. I knew her when she fought courageously against her father, and with the power of her will exiled him from Earth. I knew her when she put herself into uncomfortable situations, and rescued a team of children from the clutches of the Brotherhood of Evil." A wailing cry was heard from the back of the auditorium, causing everybody to wince. As one, the people in the pews turned to watch a tall, red-headed man run out of the back doors, followed closely by a blonde woman. The knife in Garfield's gut twisted sharply.

"Who was that?" whispered Marlene quietly as Night – Richard tried to gather himself again at the front of the room.

"Uh – I think it was Timmy," replied Garfield. "He was one of Raven's 'kids.' His power his basically the same as Black Canary's."

"That would explain a lot." Garfield glanced at his wife's face, but it was calm, and her heartbeat was steady. Victor's sniffling, however, was loud in Garfield's enhanced ears, as was the shuffling in the microphone as Richard drew his sleeve across his face.

"Ahem," Richard murmured. "I – I knew her when she defeated the brainwashing influence of Brother Blood, and saved me in the process. I knew her when she closed the doors between Death and Life, and when she worked to discover, use, and control her powers to a greater extent than she had before." Here, Richard glanced guiltily at Garfield, but only for a second. "I knew her when she left the Titans, her family, to fight the evils of the world on her own. I knew her for a long time after that, but I never saw her again."

With a final, painful twist, the knife found Garfield's heart. His hand crushed Marlene's in a violent spasm, and the blood from the wound gushed out in the form of tears. Victor's hand rested again on his shoulder, but the action only caused a beast to slip out – Garfield's lips curled back, and before he could do something drastic, he shifted into a mosquito and flew up, up into the rafters. He settled on a wide beam and shifted into a hawk, observing the ceremony from above. Only a few pairs of eyes had followed his trail, but they quickly turned back to Richard.

The hawk's sharp ears picked up the heartbeats of each guest in attendance. Each body in the room had life and breath in it, except for the one they were gathered around. Hers – Raven's. She was gone. She was really gone.

"I kept up with Raven through correspondence, as did a few other members of the former Teen Titans. From her letters, I learned that she had done a lot of brave deeds out in the world. She met many new people, and saved many lives. She did it quietly, though, as was always her way. Raven was never one for attention, as any of us who lived with her knew." Here, a few chuckles. Garfield pictured her old room the way he best remembered: a shut door, the sliver of a face appearing in the opening and a violent "What, Beast Boy?" thrown in his direction.

"She did what she did for the sake of doing good, and making a difference." Another set of images: Raven catching a bus with her powers as it careened towards a baby carriage; stopping a beam before it fell on terrified citizens; standing in front of her father as a ray of pure white light; rescuing him with her soul self before he was crushed beneath Dr. Light's crazy machine.

"She settled down, at the end, in a Chan Buddhist temple in China. She said that it reminded her of the peaceful, meditative ways of her people; and with her age and the strain of her lifestyle, her mental control began breaking down. The monks offered her a place to live in rest and comfort, and in her final selfless act, she gave the last of her strength to defend them from a terrorist group. They say that the bullet that killed her was quick and effective, and that she felt no pain." The last word was cracked and broken, and filled with sorrow. "I pray that they were right, and that Raven left this world without any more struggle or sadness."/

Richard turned towards the open casket at the front of the room, where the woman-who-was-not-Raven lay silently. "Thank you, Raven, for your life. We celebrate it here today, all of us. We remember you."

Garfield felt a wave of rage well up in his chest, unreasonable and unwanted, yet strong enough to carry him from the rafter to the back door of the church, and from there to the outside world. He blindly flew away from the church, looking for something he wasn't sure of. He knew it when he spotted it, though – the tower, standing on its island in the bay, looking for the most part as it had when he had lived there with her.

The green hawk landed softly onto the roof of the tower, hoping that Cyborg 3.0 hadn't installed any security measures up here, and that he could have space and peace. It was a little after three in the afternoon, so the sun shone fully off of the blue waves and the city buildings that surrounded Titans Tower. Garfield slipped back into human form, wincing and stretching his arms. Flying sure wasn't as easy as it used to be. One of these days, he wouldn't even be able to do the shortest of flights. The thought re-ignited his rage.

"This is complete bullshit," he growled into the wind, his fists curled and teeth bared against some unseen enemy. "Raven, why did you – have to go? Why did you have to go before I said goodbye?" His growl turned into a cry, and then a scream. "Why did you leave me? Why didn't you give me a second chance? Why did we have to get so old – so damn old?" Garfield shifted, almost uncontrollably, into a gorilla, and slammed his giant fists into the concrete. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but the physical pain eased some of his emotional turmoil. Even so, he curled up onto the cracked pavement and sobbed harder than he had since Terra's betrayal. Back when they were all so young. Why couldn't things have stayed that way? a small voice whimpered in the back of his mind. Why couldn't we be young forever, all together in this tower? What I wouldn't give to make her laugh just one more time; to kiss her just one more time. I was such an idiot. Such a fucking idiot.

A new smell and the sound of footsteps alerted his senses that someone had entered the territory of the roof. Almost immediately – and a little shakily – Garfield rose to his feet, and prepared to face the newcomer. He beat back the animal instincts screaming at him to attack the intruder on his privacy when he saw that it was Cyborg 3.0. "I'm sorry to interrupt," the teenage half-robot said, "but, is there anything I can do to help, Mr. Logan, sir?" She came closer and extended a box of tissues. "I can leave you alone if you want, but I heard a sound and came up to investigate. I – I know the funeral was today, but I couldn't go because of an emergency maintenance problem with the tower. I was really sorry I couldn't go. Ms. Raven seemed like a really cool person."

"Sh - she was," rasped Garfield, his voice shot by his sobbing. He gratefully took the tissues from her, and didn't protest when Cyborg came to sit on the ground beside him. She glanced at the broken concrete with a grimace, but didn't say anything while he blew his nose and dried his face. The rage in his mind was calming, but he could still feel it writhing just beneath the surface.

"Do you want to talk about it?" the cybernetic girl finally asked.

Garfield brushed off the question with a smile. "Listen, I'm sorry for intruding. This was the only place I could think of to come for some privacy."

Cyborg shrugged and kicked her feet over the edge of the building. "You lived here at the beginning, right? When the Titans were founded?"

"Sure did. It was really, really cool. The Titans really made me who I am today."

"Uh, an old guy crying on a roof?"

Garfield choked, and cracked up laughing. He really couldn't help it. The image of himself in that position seemed so ridiculous and insane, it was a wonder that Cyborg hadn't just immediately called the cops and had him put in a high-security asylum.

Cyborg joined him in his laughter, and the two wore themselves out before descending back into amiable silence. "You know, Mr. Logan, you're a pretty cool guy," said Cyborg. "Why don't you come by the tower and visit some, like Batman and Mr. Victor do?"

Garfield grimaced. "First, it's just Garfield. Not Mr. Logan. And second, I, uh, left some pretty bad memories here." He was feeling surprisingly open to talking with this virtual stranger. But it surprised him only a little. He had always been friendly, and sometimes it was easier to deal with people who didn't know all of your flaws and deep, dark secrets than it was to deal with those who did. "Broken friendships that just never healed, stuff like that. I was pretty stupid back in the day. And then I continued to be stupid for years until it was too late to fix anything. And now… the person I let go is gone for good."

"Wow. That's… really sad."

Garfield said nothing, but reveled in his despair, staring at the point where the sea met the sky, until Cyborg spoke again.

"You really loved her, huh?"

Garfield's head jerked up. He looked, startled, into the pair of young, hopeful hazel eyes in front of him. How had even she seen right through him? "Yeah, I loved her a lot."

"So, she can't really be gone, right? I know I don't know a ton, but her influence and her love left a mark on your life. Like a horcrux, I guess. So, she can't really be gone, as long as you and everyone who loved her remember."

"Okay, Dr. Cyborg. That was really, really cliché."

"Call me Dr. Cyborg again and see how 'cliché' I can be, old man." They both chuckled. "So, do you wanna see her statue?"

The statue. Of course, they would have made one for her. He had forgotten about that part of it. "Actually, I would like that a lot."

"Alright, old man. This is an exclusive tour, so no touching anything, and no turning into a giant gorilla and smashing anything else." The girl stood and help out her metal arm to help Garfield to his feet.

"Unless you've got a copy of Mega Monkeys 6 in there, you should be safe," he said reassuringly.

Cyborg giggled. "Oh, geez, don't even mention that game to me! I would burn down the tower if that thing even entered the building."

"Hey, nice taste in games! I think that the Titans are going to be alright, as long as you're here." Garfield flashed her one of his patented smiles, which she returned. The two made their way into the cool shelter of the tower. It smelled sort of the same, with a mix of teenage hormones, sweat, and junk food. But underneath was 50 years' worth of entirely different scents. Homesickness clawed at his senses as Cyborg – this new Cyborg – led him past the common rooms. That room used to be his own. That room had been the original Cyborg's. And that room had been Raven's. They walked past a gym that had been renovated with entirely new technology and machinery, and into a common room that reflected the neo-culture with neon and giant screens all over the place.

"It's pretty different, huh?" said Cyborg with a grimace. "But it's not all different. If you wanna come by sometime, I have an old-school game station with Mega Monkeys 3. We could totally play."

Garfield nodded, but was silent, lost in reminiscing.

Cyborg descended one more flight of stairs and pressed her hand to a controller pad. A hydraulic door hissed open, revealing a dark chamber. The lights flickered slowly to life. The room was wide, open, and strewn with violet and white flowers. Several statues lined the sides of the room, remembrances of Titans past. There was Jinx, carved from marble and larger than life, near the front. He wandered farther into the room, glancing past Wally's statue, and Pantha's, and Jericho's, and Kole's. So many had passed on since he had distanced himself from the Titans.

But there, in the back corner, illuminated by a violet spotlight, was a perfect replica of Raven as she looked when she first became a Titan. The carver had put her in her original uniform of a leotard, elfin boots, and cape. Her hood was down, and her eyes stared challengingly ahead. Her legs were folded in front of her, and her hands were held out in a meditation pose. Garfield stared at it, feeling a mix of emotions storm inside of his chest. Sorrow at the loss of her soul from the world, rage at himself for letting her go from him so easily, and happiness in the memories and love they had shared, even if it had been for such a brief time. He gently reached out and touched the statue's cheek. It was cold, and strong, and seemed such an appropriate tribute to her memory. "Goodbye, Raven," he whispered.

There was a shuffle of feet and a cacophony of noise as what Garfield could only assume were the mourners from the church arrived to appreciate the statue as well. Garfield let his hand fall away from the effigy and stepped back just as the mourners began to file in. First came Richard, followed closely by Victor, who was holding Marlene's arm. Richard gave Garfield a dismissive look, but Marlene cried out and rushed to her husband. "Garfield, where were you?" she asked gently as she buried her face in his neck. "I was so worried when we couldn't find you at the church. I wasn't sure if you were going to hurt yourself, or if something was going to happen to you and nobody would know." Garfield held her close and breathed in her scent – wildflowers and jasmine.

"I told her you were probably here," said Victor, appearing behind Marlene. He crossed his arms and smirked. "Did you get it worked out, green bean?"

Garfield smiled genuinely at his friend. "Yeah, I think I got it worked out, Vic." He held Marlene out and looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry if I worried you, babe. I just had to deal with some things that I haven't wanted to deal with for a while. I'll… tell you about it when we get home."

"Excuse me," came the voice of Cyborg 3.0 from a few feet away. "Mr. Victor, and Mr. Garfield, would you like to play a round of Mega Monkeys 3 with me before you leave? It would be a total honor to watch you guys play together. Also, I hold the high score now, and I'd like to know if either of you 'legends' have what it takes to beat me." Garfield turned to Marlene, who smiled, and then to Victor, who had a dangerous gleam in his eye.

"You're on," both old men said at the same time, as they turned away from the ghosts of the past and into the future.