DISCLAIMER: I only wish I owned this show. Nope it belongs to DC Comics and Cartoon Network.

This starts out as Rob/Star, but it progresses. I'm not even sure where I'm going with this...

It was late December, that much he knew.

A thick layer of snow had blanketed the city, dusting everything from the rooftops to the trees. In the moonlight each flickering shadow was as dark as the skies above, yet still they glistened. Why was that?

He gazed longingly at the city that he had once called his home. It wasn't quite as different as he'd expected. He had been away for quite some time after all. Sure there were a few new buildings here and there, but otherwise it was like stepping into a time warp.

He could easily pick out the older structures like the bank or the library—Wayne Tech certainly wasn't hard to miss. He chuckled to himself, the sound falling flat in the silence. Bruce never was one for subtlety (at least not when it came to business). For a second he wondered how his old mentor would react if he knew that his ward had stolen from his own company.

'He'd probably disown me.' The man thought, smirking a little. He bent over a little to get a better view, but it wasn't much help.

However nice, all the familiar sights were miniscule in comparison to what he was really looking for. He needed a better view of the bay. He just had to see if it was still there, if there was anyone there at all. He hoped so. He didn't like the thought of nostalgia without anyone to reminisce with. Then again he wasn't really alone.

He turned his head towards the girl with the fiery red hair and emerald eyes. She was marveling at the snow, trying to catch flakes on her tongue as they fell. He felt a smile tug at his mouth. At times she was still as adorable as ever. She'd never really lost that quality of endearment, which he found very refreshing. It seemed everyone he ran into from the old days had done a total 180o.

The girl turned to look at him as he lost himself in thought. "Are you able to see? Would you prefer a higher point from which to perch?" she asked.

He shook his head, "No, Kori. This'll be just fine…Do you think they'll still be there?"

She shrugged. "I do not know. I simply received a message from Garth and Roy that they were planning the 'getting of together' soon. I do believe on Earth this is the time known as 'Christmas'." Kori replied.

Her friend nodded slowly, and then sighed, "Well from this angle it's hard to see anything. I don't think a change in altitude would help. How about we just walk there?"

"That sounds nice. I wonder if they'll even recognize you Rich." She giggled. The pair started walking across the rooftops arm in arm before she gently floated them back down to the sidewalk.

"Who knows? There are days when I don't even recognize myself," Rich laughed, running a hand through his shaggy, black locks, "I'll tell you one thing—I do not miss the hair gel."

"Nor do I." she agreed as they passed the old rental store. Each building only seemed to revive memories—some better than others. It was nice to know some of their favorite places were still there. Photographs could only last so long, and the ones she had were fading. It was odd; her memories seemed to be doing the same thing.

As they passed a bookshop, she felt a small lump rise in her throat then recede. Her friend leaned over a bit to try and catch her expression. "I'm not so sure they'll recognize you either." Rich said, nudging her ever so slightly.

Kori smiled, and stared down at her feet for a moment or two, "Perhaps not, but I hope they shall."

"Well, your features are easier to pick out of a crowd."

"I shall try and take that as a compliment," she chuckled.

"It was meant to be. Thanks for coming with me, by the way. I don't really think I could've done this without you."

Kori nodded with a small smile, "It's only a walk, but alright…"

"Kori," he chuckled, "You know what I mean."

"…Yes. I do."

'Rob,' the half-robot said in a low, stern voice as he edged around the car, 'I hope you know what you're doing.'

'I do. Cy, I really think I have a chance here, and I'll have Starfire with me. Besides, I've been looking for some…solo time lately. I feel like I need to explore something other than Robin. The teen years won't last forever,' the other replied.

Cyborg sighed, 'Are you sure about leavin' me in charge 'cause Raven—'

'I want you to take over while I'm gone. I just can't see Raven charging into battle yelling 'Titans Go'!' he chuckled. His friend laughed as well, but with less humor.

'We're gonna miss you guys.' He said.

'Don't worry, Cy. We're always just an annoying ringtone away.'

'Hey I designed those things; don't be dissin' my tunes, man.'

"You know it seems so long ago, and then sometimes it's like I just left yesterday." He whispered.

"Yes," Kori said, straightening her cap. Rich reached over and wrapped an arm around her. Well at least some things hadn't changed.

"So how are Garth and Roy?" He asked.

"Same as always, I suppose. Roy did dye his hair, but perhaps that was the twins' doing." She said with a little giggle.

"Pink or green?"

"Neon blue."

"Oh, well that's not so bad. Could have always been a polka dot job."

"I've heard plaid mentioned once."

"How would you even start with something like that?"

Kori shrugged. Minutes later they went by an old café, which was just barely lit. Inside, there was someone she recognized, though she didn't know his name. He'd been a companion to a friend of hers. He was not wearing his normal black t-shirt with the skull, but there was a skull drawled across his left arm in black. She half expected him to look up, but he did not. He went on, reading his book and drinking his coffee.

As happy as she was to spend this time with Rich, she had missed her friends; each one of them meant so much to her—even Jinx had grown on her in time. It seemed so odd that there were only so many titans left. At one point they'd had more than enough trouble dealing with just a handful of their numbers.

She wondered who had gone, and who had remained. Who would be there to greet them at the door when they arrived?

Her heart felt heavy with worry, yet light with anticipation. After years of separation and training, she was finally coming homing—they were finally coming home. She couldn't wait to show off her improved English. She was doing so much better. And Richard could show them the new costume—although it wasn't hard to guess what persona he'd taken on.

"You alright over there? You're awful quiet."

Rich's voice stopped her in mid-thought. "Hm? Oh, no I'm fine. I was just thinking." She said, leaning against his shoulder.

"Thinking? I hear that's dangerous," He chuckled, "Memory lane?"

"No, not exactly. What about you?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I'm…wavering at the moment. I'm not sure if I really want to go through with this." Rich replied.

"You don't want to go?"

"I do and I don't. I mean, people were pretty mad at me when I left." He muttered, looking slightly forlorn. She smiled and took his hand in her own.

"It has been ten years, I am sure the storm has passed." She whispered.

'You're leaving us just like that! To what—find yourself?'

'Robin this is ridiculous, the titans need a leader. You can't just go running around the world in search of Hades knows what!'

'Have you gone out of your mind! What about Slade? Have you forgotten about him? He's still out there, still watching, still plotting.'

'So let me get this straight—you're abandoning your Slade quest, you team, and you're taking Starfire with you? Way to go, bird brain.'

Some of the harsher ones came from the newest titans, but the message was crystal clear. But what did they expect? The team couldn't stay together forever. Nobody lasted that long—even Superman had talked about taking time off.

Of course, a lot of the world's criminals were packing it in. The workload was getting lighter…for now. There's no telling what the future would hold for heroes, especially the titans. Who knows where they would be in twenty years? Strike that. Make it fifteen. Starfire had already seen something along those lines before and he didn't like it.

But that was when Starfire disappeared. The time line had been fixed for the time being. What harm would a few years away really do? They had plenty of people to hold down the fort while the alien and the bird were away.

Yet, still it wasn't enough for some of the others.

Through the years, time had been very kind to the both of them.

Robin had finally grown into Nightwing. His hair was longer and much sleeker then it was before; it reached about halfway down his neck. He was much taller—6'1" perhaps—and he was muscular (muscular, but not a monster). Clad in a black and blue suit, he was something to fear in the dark.

Truthfully, he was glad to be rid of the red, yellow, and green. Not only was he tired of the traffic-light jokes, but it was almost a rite of passage. He was a boy anymore. He was a man, and the world recognized him as such.

Starfire had grown some too, though not quite as much as he. Her hair was a darker shade of red, cut to shoulder length—after awhile she got tired of dealing with all of that hair. She'd switched out her old costume for something more traditional for her age, but a little modified. She didn't want villains getting any…ideas in their heads.

Instead of just two single straps of metal running across her torso, she'd covered her arms and most of her chest with it, leaving her midriff bare. Her skirt was a darker purple and had been lengthened by just an inch. The rest of her attire had been left as it was. She didn't want to change her jewelry; most of it was her mother's. She couldn't bear to part with it.

Most of all, she was still beautiful.

She was just as beautiful as the day they'd met; in fact, she was even more so now that she wasn't trying to pummel him. He let his mind wander through the memory with a silly smile on face. That was the day they all met. Truth be told, it took awhile to form the team, but once they had it…

Good grief, he sounded like an ex-football player talking about the glory days. Ten years wasn't that long in retrospect, right? It was just a decade. Just one decade…oh, who was he kidding? It was like saying a tiger is only a type of housecat.

How had he gotten himself started on this? It was beginning to get depressing. Of course, how could he get it out of his mind? He never could quite erase the image of everyone's faces as they drove away on the R-cycle. Some sad, some angry, some confused; Raven's had been blank as usual. If he remembered correctly, Raven was in an asylum in the future Starfire had seen. Again, that was a different scenario (although he would laugh if he found Beastboy balding).

"Rich…look." Kori pointed straight ahead. Surely enough, in middle of the bay on a small island sat a gigantic 'T'. It had been repainted; or rather the metal had been replaced. The lights were on in almost every room, and he could see figures moving around. They were mere silhouettes, but it was enough.

Kori looked at him with a small smile. "Well?" she pressed.

He nodded, grasping her hand tightly before they lifted off the ground. As they glided through the air, he noticed that she was going a bit faster than usual. The wind whipped and wrapped itself around him as they flew at lightning speed. Looking down he noticed that he was so close, he could reach out and run his fingers across the surface.

"Incredible." He breathed. He'd never seen the bay quite like this...

And then they were on land. It was almost as if they had never even been on the water. She was excited. Of course, who could blame her?

Both ex-titans took a moment to straighten themselves out and Rich went up to knock on the door. One second…two seconds…three seconds…four-the doors slid open with a familiar hiss. Standing there was a tall, lanky pale guy with blonde hair.

"Hey! You two actually showed up! What was the hold up?" he said, leaning against the door frame.

"Um, do I know you?" Rich asked sheepishly.

"Know me? Duuuudeeeee. It's me…Beast Boy." The guy said, pointing at himself.

"Beast Boy?"

"Yeah! Cyborg found a way to de-green-ify me. Pretty cool, huh? Well, come on! You gotta get in here! They're dying Speedy's hair red and green! It's gonna be wicked! I'll see you inside!" and with that the shape shifter darted into the living. Rich chuckled.

"Well…"

"I suppose we couldn't have expected everything in this city to stay the same." Kori said, taking his hand.

"I suppose not." He shrugged his coat off and left it in a little corner with everyone else's before inching his way towards the doors.

"Shall we?" she whispered. He nodded.

"On the count of three. One…"

"Two…"

They didn't even make it to three before the doors flew wide open. They'd forgotten about that mechanism. It seemed like almost everybody was there—Titans East, Jinx and Kid Flash, Red-X (Rich made a mental note to ask about that later), those three kids Raven had 'baby-sitted'—speaking of Raven, where was she? She wasn't anywhere in the crowd that he could see.

"There you guys are! I was wonderin' if the bird was ever gonna show up!"

"Cyborg! It's wonderful to see you in working condition!" Kori cried, spinning around.

"Yeah, I'm running just fine. So where have you guys been? I was beginning to think you weren't gonna come." He laughed.

Rich shrugged, "There was a hold up in Moscow."

"What were you doing in Moscow?"

"...It's a long story—hey where's Raven?" he asked, scanning the room.

"That's a long story." Cyborg replied gulping down a glass of what looked like Eggnog.

Rich's head snapped up, "She didn't go crazy, did she?"

"No! No…listen I'll tell you everything you need to know, but first—you gotta try the waffles!"

Well, maybe things hadn't changed so much after all.