Author's Note: Alright, Chapter 1 starts the story up proper. At first glance, some characters might seem OOC. However, I see them as logical advancements and every little detail serves the story in the grand scheme of things. So, please, give them a chance...

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Chapter 1

Three Years Later

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Garfield Logan, clad in his simple street clothes, leaned against the school's fence. Noting the glaring June sun's glare, the sixteen year old changeling reached up to fool with his sunglasses and checked his watch on the arm's way back down.

2:55 PM

He sighed and gazed into the sky. It was a gorgeous day; the sun was shining, the birds were singing, the flowers were blooming… and the damned bell still wasn't ringing. Muttering under his breath, Gar turned back and faced the front of Jump City Western High School.

'I shouldn't be here.' He thought to himself. 'This is where it all went wrong.'

It was true. Had it really been three years? Three years since he'd seen her in the smoke. Three years since she'd pushed him away. Three years since Vic…

He stopped himself. His therapist, Dr. Bastion, had urged him not to dwell on the events of that day. He constantly reminded Gar what had happened the last time he had.

After the funeral and the un-official break-up of the team, he'd become despondent and depressed. Two of his closest friends hadn't spoken to him since that day, and that certainly didn't help things. Thinking back, he couldn't remember where the first pills had come from, only that they'd made life bearable again, at least for awhile. Had Gizmo given them to him? Or was it Adonis? It didn't really matter in the long run.

It was Star who had helped him. It was Star that had found him wandering the streets in a dazed stupor. It was Star that had cleaned him up and given him a place to stay. It was Star who had convinced the city to get him the help he desperately needed instead of sending him all the way down to Bell Reeve as a precaution. He'd promised to move on, to get past the events of that day… yet he was always here, waiting for her when she got out of school.

He looked down at himself. The once gangly form was now slightly more built thanks to one of his new stress relievers; the gym. He found that anytime he felt his mind drifting back too far, a few reps could take his mind right off the subject.

His thoughts drifted to the others. Raven was gone. The day Vic died, she'd simply vanished. She hadn't even attended the funeral. No one had any idea where she was.

Starfire had enrolled in a private school to better become acclimated to Earth, and she now shared a small apartment with Gar not far from Titans Tower, a gift from years of service to the city.

Titans Tower… Robin…

Dick had blamed Gar personally for Vic's death since he hadn't been there and had shunned Starfire when she had defended Gar from him. He still protected the city on his own, apparently operating in a new base below-ground. In the few times that Gar and Star had seen him, he was letting his hair grow out and making small changes to his uniform. Star had said that he was indeed on track with his destiny to become the vigilante called Nightwing. When trouble broke out and Dick was already there when they arrived, fighting whatever criminal it might be, he would just vanish. He was very much still holding a grudge.

The Tower itself sat alone and dark, a testament to what had been. Looking towards it, Gar felt the old familiar pain. 'Whatever happened to the Teen Titans?' he wondered.

He was startled out of his mental wanderings by the school bell at last ringing. He turned and watched as the swarm of uniformed students surged out, thankful for the weekend that had arrived at last.

Sure enough, there she was.

The years had treated the girl well. Like Gar, her gangly form had started to fill in nicely, taking away from the annoyingly super-skinny figure she used to have. As he did everyday, Gar thought to himself how well her uniform accented this. He made a mental note to ask Star if he could transfer to public schooling.

He could get used to spending all day with a bunch of girls in those uniforms.

She bid good-bye to her friends and walked to where she knew he was waiting. The other students, so used to seeing the green-skinned youth by the fence, passed him by without a second glance. She arrived by him and hugged him.

"How are you today?" she asked.

He hugged her back. "Just fine. School was good?"

She nodded and they started to walk. "Any plans this weekend?" he asked.

Without turning her head, she replied, "Actually, yeah. There's a new karaoke place that's opening up tonight. You wanna come?"

He smiled. She knew his weakness for karaoke. It was his other stress reliever.

"I knew you would." She said when he said nothing in return. She turned and smiled back. She noticed the sun-glasses. "So, what are you today? A secret agent?"

His green-skin made his blush hard to see, but he quickly pulled the glasses off and pocketed them. "No need. I'm already a super-hero."

That made her laugh.

They resumed the game they'd been playing for the better part of the year. He tried to match her pace perfectly, and she kept switching it up to throw him off. By the time they reached her house, they were breathless and giggling like children. She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face and headed into the house. "So, I'll see you there." She said as she headed for the door.

"Wait! Why don't I pick you up? We could go together."

She stopped in her tracks and sighed sadly. It had been months since something like this had happened. Every time, she thought it would be the last time. Yet, every few months, he would re-open the wound. She turned to him.

"Gar, we've been over this." She started, repeating the spiel she always gave him. It's tone was cold and emotionless from the countless times of repeating it. "I know that you had feelings for this 'Terra' girl, and I accept the fact that it's only because I look so much like her that we've become such good friends. But I'm not her. And we're just friends. That's all. Okay?"

He lowered his head. "Yeah." A moment passed. "Sorry."

She smiled gently. "It's okay. I'll see you tonight?"

He nodded, and she went into the house without another word.

He turned and walked to the nearby corner where he found his usual thatch of bushes. Once concealed within, he shed his street clothes and packed them into the waiting parcel he'd left there earlier. Now clad in his uniform (the only clothing he had that would stay on during a transformation), he looked back one last time, slung the back over his shoulder, and instantaneously morphed into an eagle. He flew into the clear, blue sky, leaving his thoughts with the girl he left behind.

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Through her bedroom window, she watched him leave. Three years now, and he still hadn't given up on her. She shut her eyes and wondered why she kept denying what she felt for him. Her heart quickened every-time she hugged him, every-time she felt those arms encircle her. What had begun as a simple friendship had evolved into something more… at least, for her, anyway.

And then, there was the voice, of course. The voice of the dead girl.

Not even her step-parent's knew about the voice. It had been there for three years now, ever since the day that other hero, Cyborg, had died, and it kept getting stronger, more insistent. Deep down, she knew what… who… the voice was, but she refused to acknowledge it. She told herself that it would tell her that the instant she allowed herself to feel anything for him… she would be doomed.

She continued to trick herself into being unhappy. But that was okay. She was a sixteen year old girl. Unhappy was good. Unhappy was safe.

Unhappy was normal.

Exhaling softly, she closed the blinds and set to getting ready for the night to come.

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With a frustrated grunt, the former Teen Titan known as Starfire closed the 'Advanced Calculus' book with a snap. She glared at it. How could the Earthling's mathematics be so…so… incomprehensible.

Her Tameranian temper flared and emerald green energy blasted from her eyes, disintegrating half of the book. She dropped the smoking bits of what remained of it to the floor and reclined in her chair. After rubbing her eyes, she looked around at her small apartment. The four room area was cozy, yet comfortable. Once through the main door, a left turn would bring you to the kitchen, while a straight shot lead right into the living room. The two doors to her right lead to the bathroom and bedroom. It was more than enough space than she required, especially considering what the city had initially offered; a permanent suite in Jump City's most luxurious hotel.

Still… it was no Titans Tower.

She was now seventeen in Earth years, and yet she still found herself thinking back to those days before the death of Victor. Before Dick had…

The slam of the door jarred her train of thought. "Oops. Really meant to do that quieter." Gar entered the apartment and dropped his bag on the floor by the door. "Hey Star." he called.

She pulled the chair back into it's upright position and looked at him, eyes glaring. "Where have you been all day?"

He stared back, taken aback by her tone. "Whoa there. Since when have you been my baby-sitter?" He thought about it. "I mean, you are technically my legal guardian, but still…"

She continued to glare. Years of intensely studying English (amongst other languages) had allowed her to better convey her thoughts without slipping up the way she used to. As a result, her often-times tone of naivety had all but vanished. "Gar, your tutor called me. He said that you've been neglecting your studies… again. You know that maintaining your grades is the only way to stay in the school. The school drops you, the city's leniency disappears."

He turned away, pulling the street clothes out of the bag. "I know. But can I get a new tutor? The one they gave me is terrible. Maybe someone twenty-five to thirty years old, female, long black hair, and a love for green guys with pointy ears…" He trailed off, but she didn't take the bait. She just kept glaring. "And in answer to your question, I was out."

"Out?" She repeated.

"Out."

"Is that all the information I'm going to get?" She asked. Her glare softened slightly.

"Yes."

"Are you going to speak in one word sentences all night?" A smile was tugging at her lips now.

"Maybe."

Her smile fully broke through, lighting up the room as it always did. "Then your tutor must truly be terrible."

He smiled back, and the two long-time friends were soon laughing. After putting his street clothes back on over the uniform, he sat down on the couch next to her chair that doubled as his bed. He looked over at her, taking in her snug jeans and tank top. "Got a date tonight?"

She smiled as she picked up the remains of the 'Advanced Calculus' book. "Roy is coming over, yes."

Gar blanched. "Roy? Again? Didn't you guys break up recently… for, like, the third time?"

He thought back to the previous nights that Roy had been over. He couldn't decide which was worse; the ridiculously loud sounds the two made when they were 'getting along,' or the ridiculously loud sounds they made when they were fighting. Either way, he'd be kept awake half the night. He made a mental note to crash at Titans Tower East in Steel City.

'Come to think of it,' He thought, 'we still haven't told the land lord about that energy burn on the wall. I wonder how that happened, anyway…?'

He quickly shelved the thought, not really wanting to know the answer.

She examined the charred book and showed it to him. "Do you have any idea how stressful just reading this is? Yes, we broke up. But we are still friends. And besides…" She smirked. "He's good for relieving my... tension."

Two things occurred to Gar almost simultaneously. One, he still couldn't believe how quickly the culture of Earth had corrupted Star once the team had fallen apart.

And two, he regretted ever showing Star 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.'

She looked at him. "You? Do you have any plans?"

He looked down. "Yeah. I'm going to check out this new karaoke place..."

She nodded. "Yes, I heard about that. Down at the old amusement park." She giggled. "You and your karaoke."

He chuckled. "Yeah, T said the same thi…" He cut himself off, realizing too late that he'd said too much. He looked over and caught her shocked face.

"Gar…"

He jumped to his feet and checked his watch. "Goodness gracious. Look at the time. I have just got to be running." He opened the large trunk next to the couch and selected another outfit, stuffing it into his bag.

"Gar…" She tried again, but he was already half-way to the door.

"I'll probably crash at Titans East's place, so don't wait up. And say 'Hi' to Roy for me…"

"GARFIELD LOGAN!"

He froze at her raised voice. Slowly, he turned. She was standing now, her arms crossed. That look was back on her face.

"You were seeing T again?"

"Yeah. What about it? She's my friend. That's what friends do, Star. They hang out."

"That girl, nice as she may be, is not Terra…"

"You don't know that… and that's not the point!"

He met her gaze with his own defiant look, realizing he's walked right into her trap. At this, her face, instead of showing triumph, softened into one of pity.

"Gar, you remember what Dr. Bastion said. The more you stay in the past, the more stuck you'll become."

He held the gaze for a few moments more, then turned back to the door. "I know, Star. Believe me. No one knows that more than I do." He left, slamming the door shut behind him.

She shook her head. 'When will that boy learn?' she thought to herself. Her eyes caught the clock, and she cursed loudly in Tameranian. Roy would be arriving shortly. She set to cleaning up. She noticed something lying on the ground while picking up the assorted clutter. It was a picture frame that had been knocked over when Gar had slammed the door. She picked it up and looked at it.

Thankfully, it hadn't broken. It was one of the final group shots the team had taken, just after the defeat of Brushogun in Tokyo. Raven blew a bubble from the gum she was endorsing. Gar was sitting on Vic's shoulders who was flashing a peace sign. Dick's hand was tightly holding hers, their fingers entwined.

She traced a finger down his face. "Dick…" she whispered softly.

She felt the threatening sting of tears, and remembered what she'd just said to Gar. As the first tear slid down her cheek, the much older sting of the strike that had ended that youthful happiness returned.

"Robin… you…. You hit me…"

"You would take his side. Stay away from me from now on. Both of you."

Her eyes narrowed and she faced the picture down. That was the past. She would not be like Gar.

She could, and would, let the past go.

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Author's Note: More set-ups ahoy! What will happen at the kareoke bar tonight? Tune in next chapter to find out. A couple things to point out.

1. The 'Whatever happened to the Teen Titans?' line is my little shout out to Neil Gaiman who recently wrote the fantastic 'Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?' and also wrote a short story called 'I, Cthulhu.'

2. Special thanks to my dearest friend Kristen for helping me flesh out Star. Only with her backing would I go the route I did.

So, until next time, remember; a little review never hurt anybody.