Two Years, Nine Months and Four Days

"What happened with Nightwing, and why are the Titans scattered all over the globe?"

Starfire's face froze at Raven's words. "Whatever do you mean, Friend Raven? The Titans have always had a global presence after we did the finding of the Honorary Titans."

"Dammit Starfire, you know what I'm talking about. Why are we not together anymore? How did the Teen Titans fall apart like this?"

With a sigh, Starfire's shoulders fell. "Come with me, Friend, and I shall explain everything." As the other Titans protested, Starfire whipped around, eyes and hands glowing an unearthly green. "I will not have Raven hear of all of your biases. Even though Friend Robin wounded me deeply, I shall try to give a clear photograph of the situation."

"...You mean a clear picture, right Star?" A *thumph* was heard as Cheshire slammed her hand onto the back of her lover's head. "What was that for, Chesy?"

"We all knew what she meant, Roy. Now let the ladies go and discuss things." Turning to the aforementioned girls, she tried to give them a sympathetic smile. "Don't judge him too badly, Raven. Remember who he was raised by."

With those ominous words ringing in her ears, Raven slipped along behind Starfire as they left for Starfire's loft in the Tower.

- - - oOo - - -

"So, why did you really take me aside?" Raven spun her friend around once they had arrived in her loft.

"Because, Friend Raven...There are things involved in the fight that the others may not know, and I do not wish to be the one to inform them."

"What do you mean by that, Starfire?"

"It began about a year after you left...

- - - oOo - - -

Twenty One months beforehand...

"Alright team, I think that it's time we really got down to this." Robin paced in front of the large vid screen in the Commons, overlooking the city for a brief instant before facing his team.

Moving his eyes over them, he saw the assembled youths. His team, his... fami-No. Maybe once, but no more. Batman had been very firm on this point when Robin had visited recently. Attachments only slowed you down.

Cyborg. The mechanical man who had proven his strength, courage and dependability through even the darkest of days.

Starfire. The beautiful alien who had captured his heart through her innocence and hopeful spirit.

Beast Boy. The irritating changeling who, despite Robin's best guesses, had actually proven himself an adequate teammate.

Speedy. The man who Robin would never have expected to join his team. Although a new teammate, his long range skills were proving an adequate substitute for loosing Raven.

...Raven. The person with whom he was closest, and subsequently, had to either learn to accept her loss, or bury the pain. He had never dealt with acceptance well.

Cheshire. He could see Speedy holding his arms around his pregnant girlfriend. They had come to the Tower, after Bumblebee had kicked them out in a fight that also ended her brief relationship with Cyborg after he had taken their side. In fact, Robin had nearly denied them access to the Tower, but the look on Cyborg's face hinted that if he did, then they wouldn't be the only ones walking away that day.

He had, of course, later torn Cyborg a new one in what he had thought was absolute privacy. But after Beast Boy had shifted from spider form and argued for Cyborg... things started to go downhill. Robin and Beast Boy had never been on the best of terms after the Beast Incident, as he liked to call it. He refused to believe that Beast Boy, the resident joker, could keep that... monster contained. He just didn't have the maturity or strength of will necessary to control his darker, more primal impulses.

Shaking his head to clear it from its temporary reverie, Robin looked over the expectant faces of his teammates. "I've called you all here to discuss a lingering issue. Now, I know that we've been doing well in out fight to protect the city. Villains are mostly contained, Slade hasn't appeared for years and the overall crime rate is down. But we still aren't prepared for the recent breakout of the Brotherhood of Evil. The Doom Patrol is woefully unprepar-"

"Excuse me?"

Robin looked at Beast Boy, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. "What's wrong, Beast Boy? Do you have something to add?"

"Dude, they're my family. Not only that, but they've had years of experience fighting the Brotherhood of Evil – experience that you can't discount."

"When did you learn the word 'discount', Beast Boy? Besides, it's clear that they aren't as equipped to deal with them as we are – they've spent years chasing them down, yet we managed to capture them within a single year."

"Don't insult them, Robin. You're making this personal." Beast Boy stood up and pointed his finger at Robin angrily.

"And if I am?"

"Then I'll-"

"Don't. Stop it, both of you." Cyborg's large hands rested on both of the males shoulders. Robin leaned against the hand, itching for the fight, while Beast boy had bared his fangs, growling quietly under his breath. Dropping his shoulders, Beast Boy blew a short blast of air from his nose and then stalked off to the back of the couch before jumping into a crouch on the back.

That's right you backed down. I'm the team leader here. Robin smirked as he saw his opponent walk away. "Alright team, as I was saying, we're not ready for the Brotherhood if they decide to come back here for vengeance. We're down a man, here."

"Ummm, hello? Speedy here. What am I, pickled sardines?" Robin could see Beast Boy trying to control his gag reflex while Cyborg smothered a chuckle. Cheshire rolled her eyes, while Star seemed confused.

"Speedy, I am counting you. But no matter how good you are with a bow, you don't have telekinesis. You don't have anything that can really give us the drop on opponents like Rave-"

"Stop it. You're not going to replace her."

"Beast Boy, enough is enough. It's been a year – she's not coming back."

Beast Boy walked up to Robin and shoved him up against the wall. Shocked, Robin didn't even think to react. He had never acted like this towards him, not since the episode with the Beast. "Let's get one thing straight, Bird Boy. We. Are. NOT. Replacing her. Got it? Good." His piece said, Beast Boy walked away, flexing his fingers. The others stood in shock at what had just happened. Starfire looked over the group sadly before sparing a tear for her green friend.

He's still not over her...

- - - oOo - - -

"Wait, what do you mean 'not over her'? Are you talking about Terra? What on Earth does she have to do with this?"

"Friend Raven... Beast Boy never truly loved Terra."

"What are you talking about? She was his whole world!"

"No, Friend." Starfire laid her hand on Raven's shoulder, shaking her head slowly. "Do you wish for me to continue?"

- - - oOo - - -

Twenty One months previous (cont.)

Robin had ignored his green teammate's dire warnings, and had gone ahead and announced auditions for a spot in the Original Titans. There had been more than a few people vying for the spot, including Hotspot, Red Star, Argent and Jinx.

Robin had dismissed Hotspot out of hand – he was a wild card, and considering how he had to deal with an increasingly moody shapeshifter... he didn't have the time or energy to waste bringing both in line.

He didn't trust Jinx's criminal past – although Kid Flash had somehow reformed her, after he had dumped her she had blurred the lines between hero, villain and vigilante. Another liability that he couldn't afford, and she didn't have pregnancy nor Cyborg on her side (although he had looked hopeful at the prospect of her joining...) like Cheshire had had.

Red Star... Red Star would have been a good fit. He was once part of the army, so he had not only professionalism, but a strict discipline that Robin could appreciate. After staying at the Tower for a few days, though, Red Star had declined Robin's offer, stating that if he was to join a team, he would choose one that wasn't coming apart at the seams. Robin couldn't understand what he meant by that for the life of him, so he ignored it. Red Star had been getting a little too close to Starfire as well, so it was just as well.

So he was left with Argent. She was, admittedly, a good fit, at least power-wise. Her powers were similar to the infamous Green Lantern Brigade, and both her and their adaptability was highly useful to say the least. Although she wasn't a telepath nor empath, Robin was sure that he could pick up some of the slack, with Cyborg's help.

"So, Argent. Congratulations. You've been selected from our pool of potential applicants to become the next Titan."

Argent looked around, seeing not a single other applicant left. "Er.. thanks, bro?"

Robin cringed slightly at the New Zealander's accent, reassuring himself that he'd get used to it in time. Forcing a smile onto his face, he extended his arm and handed her an official Titans communicator. It was similar to the Honorary Titans communicator, except that it had more functions and increased durability.

Seeing the communicator, an honest smile passed over the goth's lips as she received the device. Robin's heart lightened as he saw her smile, and he could finally reassure himself. This is really going to work.

- - - oOo - - -

It had been three months since Argent had joined the Titans, and the situation had gone from bad to worse. It wasn't Argent's fault, however – in fact, she had been doing extremely well. She had successfully bonded with Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, and even with Beast Boy, to a degree.

The problem was with Beast Boy. He never out and said it, but there was always a sort of tension between him and Argent. They both knew that it wasn't Argent's fault, but Beast Boy couldn't seem to dispel the slightest hint of resentment that always rang between him and the gothic islander.

The tension between them was nothing compared to the tension between the Boy Blunder and the green changeling, however. Robin's opinion of Beast Boy seemed to lessen with each successful mission that the Titans completed. At first, it was minor stuff. Not congratulating Beast Boy on a job well done, merely nodding his head firmly in place or 'accidentally forgetting' to invite him to planning sessions.

Beast Boy's powers had also started to evolve again, causing more problems and reasons for the two to fight. He became increasingly aggressive in battle, and had started to question his orders. More disturbing to Robin, however, was Beast Boy's eyes. Where before they had been shining green and carefree, now they where a golden yellow with mere slits for pupils, looking much like a predatory cat's. Robin grew more wary around him even in public – he always seemed to keep at least one teammate between them, always having a quick excuse as to why.

Eventually Robin didn't even bother with the courtesies. The nods faded, apologies for forgetting to invite him to strategy sessions ceased, and excuses for not being near him dwindled. Of course, this cause even more friction between the two when Robin's plans failed on account of Beast Boy not knowing what was going on. It was a vicious cycle, one that was doomed to explode sooner or later.

The end came three months after Argent had joined them. It had been a typical battle against Mumbo Jumbo, with the usual insults. Names like 'Garbage Can', 'Sixty to Zero' and 'Robin's little pet'. After a lucky shot by Speedy took out Mumbo's hat, Cyborg quickly made his way over and ended the magician's show.

"What the hell was that, Beast Boy? You could have had Mumbo five minutes ago! You were right behind him, and he wasn't even looking at you. Why didn't you do anything?"

"Because, Boy Blunder, if I had, things would have gotten worse."

"Oh really? I don't see how that's possible. Because of those five extra minutes, here's what you cost the team – seventeen of Speedy's arrows; including three specialty ones, parts for a new hand for Cyborg, and how about the manpower hours that Star's going to be out of commission for?"

"Boyfriend Robin, I am fine. Truly. My kind are most resilient to damage." Starfire winced as she put weight on her leg, and she knew it was a mistake as soon as she saw a dark look pass over Robin's face.

"See what you've done now? Hell, I don't even know why I keep you around. We don't need you."

"Rob, man, don't go there..."

"Cyborg, please just be quiet. He needs to hear this."

"What do I need to hear, Bird Boy?"

Robin slammed his bo staff down on the ground beside Beast Boy, startling him. Clenching his fists in anger, Robin started to yell out in anger. "You need to hear the truth, freak!"