Disclaimer: Teen Titans are the property of DC comics and I am not gaining any sort of compensation for this work. This is purely a work of fiction so any similarities to situations or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Author's Note: So here we are in Chapter 3 already(I just can't stop writing). I want to thank you all again for being so supportive. I want to have a chapter written a week in advance so I will do my best to keep up so I can maintain my update schedule of once weekly at a minimum.

TT(Guest): Thank you for your review and kind words, I will be continuing this story about a chapter a week or shorter depending on how long it takes to write the next chapter. I like to stay a chapter ahead of the one I upload so if you see this, you know chapter 4 is written, edited and ready for upload.

3. Measuring ingredients

Garfield awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling, a feeling he was used to but not comfortable with from his years in and out of hospitals as a child. A few quick blinks to better focus later and he'd remembered where he was. The ceiling belonged to the guest room of his parents' home and the previous night's events came crashing back to him. How could he be so stupid as to believe she would change? Why had he held on for so long? Why did it hurt so much? He didn't want to leave the warmth of his bed, hoping in vain that if he never left, none of what had happened would be real. He was contented to just lie there, until his last breath if it meant Terra was still his.

Knock knock knock "Garfield, honey, we're having breakfast, why don't you join us?" Rita's voice pulled him back from his thoughts and reminded him that no matter how long he lay in bed, time still marched on. He composed himself, clearing his throat and answering.

"Sure, let me just get dressed and make my bed, I'll be down in a few minutes." He heard her walk away from the door and got up from the bed. He was delighted to find that his parents had left some clothes he'd forgotten to take with him when he'd moved out for him to wear. After getting dressed, he headed towards the dining room where the smell of banana pancakes filled the air, hopeful that a hot breakfast would help to fill the emptiness he felt. He sat down near his father and began drinking the juice that was set out in front of him, trying to avoid conversation for as long as he could.

"You can stay here until you can afford your own place." His father said, never putting the newspaper down to make eye contact with Garfield. "Your mother and I discussed it and it would be fine if you stay here temporarily until you can get your own place or you can pay us rent and stay here permanently. It's your choice." Garfield was surprised at the lack of questions, considering his parents' lack of approval of his relationship with Terra from the very beginning, a debate that quite nearly drove them apart permanently. Though he was thankful for the lack of a lecture from his father, he also couldn't understand why.

"Don't you want to know why I left?" He asked, quietly, never moving his mouth from his glass. Rita entered the room and placed a plate of pancakes in front of him.

"Steve and I agree that when you're ready to talk about it, we will listen. Until then you just focus on eating right and working hard." She smiled softly at him, taking a seat next to Steve, who began folding his paper and putting it aside.

"Whatever that girl did to make you want to leave is a blessing in disguise. She was no good for you son," Rita shot Steve a sharp look and he stopped what he was saying, quickly changing the direction of the conversation "Regardless of the circumstances, we are just happy to have you home." He began eating his meal and thanked Rita for serving him. Garfield only absentmindedly chewed his first bite, the taste suddenly souring in his mouth.

"She cheated." Steve and Rita looked up at Garfield, shocked and their food now completely forgotten, the eggs on Rita's fork slipping off and back onto her plate.

"Not just once, this wasn't the first time. I don't even know if it was the only guy she did it with. She would come home late a lot, she drank a little too much and sometimes when she would get home, she had showered. That was when I first started suspecting. Then I saw marks, small ones, hidden by her clothes at first but lately they've been more noticeable. At first I thought it was just a one-time mistake, or it would only happen when she was too drunk to know any better. She started erasing her messages and calls on her phone, I only noticed when I went in to call my phone when I lost it in the house. Last night was the last straw; she never showed up to pick me up. When she got home she had a hickey and was again drunk."

Garfield stopped eating, and his eyes welled up. He was waiting for Steve to tell him what an idiot he was, he was ready for the lecture but it never came. Instead, he found himself wrapped in both of their arms; they were whispering comforting words for him, while he cried finally allowing the full gravity of what had transpired to hit him. Thankful he was off for the next two days, he allowed himself to let go of all of the repressed pain and frustration Terra had brought on him.

"Kori LETS GO! We're going to be late if you don't get your ass in the car in the next 5 seconds!" Rachel laid on her horn allowing it to blare loudly through their garage. She'd been waiting in it for the last 15 minutes while Kori finished getting ready. She normally wasn't late but the fact that Richard had interrupted her in the shower was most likely the cause to Kori's tardiness, Rachel only knowing because her bedroom shared a wall with their bathroom.

"Coming!" Kori called out, running into the garage holding hands with Richard. With a quick peck on the lips, she bid farewell as Rachel put the car in reverse and opened the garage door. "Kori, I swear, if I'm late because of your little escapades with Dick in the shower this morning, you owe me big time." Kori only giggled, Rachel was all bark and no bite with Kori, true, she made threats frequently, but rarely upheld them. The truth being Rachel just couldn't find it in her to stay mad at Kori for long.

"I will wash the dishes for 2 weeks if we are late" Rachel only scoffed and drove onto the highway that lead to their work, quickly gaining speed and passing any slow moving traffic.

"Even I'm not that cruel Kori." She said with a laugh. True to her word, they were not in fact late, arriving just a scant 3 minutes before their shifts. Kori noticed Rachel scan the kitchen for a certain blonde man who was to work with them that evening. Though she feigned ambivalence, she very clearly cared for him. Their friendship was a complex one, he tried to make her laugh and she did her best to seem unfazed, but they were obviously growing close, having a respect for each other on a deeper level. Kori headed into the dining room as Rachel set out to do her daily routine of stocking and preparing for the night's rush. She made her mental checklist and walked into the cooler to grab a few things and take note of what needed to be thawed. Heading into the cooler for more meats, she found it was occupied by a crying Garfield. His back was turned to her and his body was shaking. The bags of steaks and shrimp in his hands that she'd come in for.

"Gar? Are you ok?" she said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. He turned around quickly and forced a smile.

"Hey Rae, uh chel, sorry, I was just trying to stock everything before you came in, I guess I'm working fry but it didn't need to be stocked." His voice was still cracking from his tears and she only raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you're ok? I'm here to talk if you need it." With that, the emotional dam flooded, Garfield cried again leaving Rachel to stare at him in his pain. Then something he'd never expected to happen, happened, he felt Rachel's small arms tenderly wrap themselves around him, one hand moving up to cradle his head to her shoulder, the other wrapping around his back. She rubbed small circles around his back until his last sobs left him. Pulling away from the hug, she handed him a handkerchief and smiled softly.

"Better clean yourself up; the guys will eat you alive if you don't. Don't worry about returning it; I have a billion of them. I don't know what's going on to make you feel this way, but I'm always willing to listen." She pulled out a paper from her pocket and wrote down her name and number on it. "Here, you don't have to call or text, but if you're feeling down and want someone to talk to don't hesitate to contact me." In just a few short minutes she had now done two things to completely surprise Garfield. He stared at her for a moment, the surprise clear on his face.

"What?" though she was happy to see the tears gone from his face, she did not like the grin that was settling in.

"Nothing, it's just, you strike me as someone who doesn't give her number out, I mean, you like your space, and the hug? I thought you hated being touched." He rubbed the back of his neck and tucked the paper away in his pocket.

"Well, awkward and uncomfortable as that was, I'm not completely heartless. That number is for only serious reasons. Don't prank or drunk dial me and don't give it to anyone." She smirked at him and grabbed the bags of meat that were dropped onto the floor. She headed out toward the cooler, stopping to look over her shoulder "Don't take too long in here; we're going to need your help tonight." Her mask was back on; she headed back to her station, Garfield not far behind her. The night went smoothly, Garfield distracted from his problems and Rachel being exceptionally helpful whenever he looked as though he was going to fall behind. The usual plans of going out after work were being made and, as usual both Garfield and Rachel politely declined. Staff filtered out, one by one, until only Rachel, Garfield and Kori, who was finishing her shift, remained. Richard was already waiting for Kori so they could spend some time alone together after work. Kori walked in from the bar area with a glass rack, stacking it behind Rachel "I am leaving friends; I will see you all tomorrow." She sent a small wave to Garfield who was putting clean dishes away as Rachel washed them. She walked out, her arm around Richards, the sound of her laughter fading as they walked towards their car. After placing the last glass rack into the machine, Rachel looked around to survey their handiwork. They certainly were a good team, efficient with an attention to detail that even made Richard happy.

"Gar, you can leave if you want, I don't mind putting the last rack away and breaking the machine down." She started wiping the area where the dirty dishes once rested and Garfield simply wagged his finger.

"Uh-uh Rae, never leave a job undone, I will stick it out with you until we are completely done." He smiled at her and opened the dishwasher to put away the glasses. She smiled back and finished breaking down the machine and wiping any stray water droplets making the stainless steel shine again. They locked up the back door and cooler and turned out the lights together. Making their way to the front door, Garfield felt the despair return with every step closer to the door. Rachel noticed his shoulders slumping further and further. They stepped out and she lit a cigarette.

"Listen Gar," She said, exhaling the smoke, "I don't know what has you down, but you can't let it control you. Learn to master your emotions, and things will be much easier. Trust me." Garfield smiled at her "Thanks Rae, I'll keep that in mind." She only stared at him for a few brief seconds longer and walked to her car.

"See you tomorrow Gar, have a good night." She noticed his truck suspiciously absent from the parking lot, a small sedan in its stead with a male driver. She'd assumed Terra had something to do with his mood, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him about it. Finally reaching her home, she went into her room for some clean clothes and a towel. As she set her phone on her dresser it pinged and vibrated

New Message from: XXX-XXX-XXXX Hey Rae, thanks again for your help today, I really appreciate you giving me a shoulder to cry on. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight.

It pinged again as she read the message

New Message from: XXX-XXX-XXXX Oh yeah, this is Gar, save my number if you want or need it.

She smiled at the phone screen, of course it was Gar, "You dummy, who else do you think I let cry on my shoulder today?" saving his number and sending a reply, she placed her phone down again, heading to the bathroom for a well-deserved shower.

New Message from Rae: Anytime Gar, keep your head up, it will get easier. Goodnight.

Garfield smiled at his screen, lying on his bed still dressed in his work clothes. Maybe last night his whole world fell apart, but tonight, everything felt OK, because he knew that even if it was just in this moment, he wasn't alone.

Afterward: I just want to apologize about the weepy mess BeastBoy was in this chapter, but its just what I saw in my head. He'll be back to his usual self soon, I promise.