Grant and Gar had reached the roof and both were still in a conversation. They were laughing and joking around, telling stories about past excursions. Grant was in the middle of an old story about his first time out on his own while Gar was listening to it with a smile on his face.

"I remember fighting this one girl who was such a babe man. Killer legs that went all the way up to her ass and it had such a nice shape to it. Only issue was she was trying to kill me so I had no time to flirt with her and try to put a move on her."

Grant walked behind the bar in front of the TV and grabbed two glasses for him and Gar. He put a couple of ice cubes in the glasses and handed one to Gar.

"By the time we got done fighting, not only did she wear me out, but she left me with such a hard on, I didn't want to go back to my dad and have to face him with my Johnson poking his head out."

Gar was laughing and Grant had a smile on his face, reminiscing of his past mission. Truth be told, he liked his sister's boyfriend and found himself warming up to the young green hero. They could carry on a conversation quite easily and often found themselves making jokes and sharing a good laugh. Obviously, he still cared about his sister and wanted to make sure that Gar knew that he should think twice about making a dumb mistake.

It didn't help that there were three other very attractive girls in the tower as well. Grant would admit that they were pretty, but like his sister, he found them more like family members. He had gotten to know them and instead of a romantic attraction, he found himself caring for them like a big brother would. Keeping an eye out for them and making sure that they were alright and being there if they needed someone to talk to.

Gar seemed to look at Cass like a sister and from what he heard, knew that those two wouldn't go behind anyone's back and fool around. The other two still were new to Gar and he wasn't sure how they viewed the boy. For his part, the green boy seemed to be all over his sister. He could see the way the two looked at each other and could tell it wasn't some crush that passes by with time, but genuine affection and caring for each other.

Grant grabbed a bottle of expensive looking scotch and poured some in both of their glasses. The two clinked their drinks together in toast and took a sip. Gar seemed to not even be affected by it while Grant had a look on his face like he was trying to play it cool, even though the drink was pretty strong and he should've gone with something a little smoother.

"So, what do you think of the team?"

Gar swirled his drink in his glass and looked down in thought. Obviously, he got along well with them so far. They seemed to have something that his previous team was missing, and that was camaraderie. Nobody could be pointed out as the weak link and they all seemed to have a good understanding of what it takes to make a team successful.

"I like them a lot. I knew Jaime and Cass before I came here and we always got along. When we meet up with Batman and her, I remember she would always be off to the side and never talked. Once we were able to get comfortable being around each other and time went on, I found her to be very nice and interesting. She never talked, but I'd tell her about our team and she would sit there and just listen. She'd throw in her two cents every once in a while, but never really interrupted me and seemed to just like to have someone to talk to."

He took another sip of his glass before continuing on about Jaime.

"When I first met Jaime, it was like we clicked. We'd joke around and play pranks on each other and the rest of my team and he was just fun to hang out with. We had other missions together where another member or two of my team would meet up with him and we'd kick some bad guy's ass and had a lot of fun. It's really nice to have two familiar faces on a team you just joined."

Grant sat there listening to him talk and nodded his head. He remembered when his dad first came to him about joining his team and he was very hesitant. He never liked meeting new people and was always stand-offish to people he didn't know. It took being told that Rose would be joining his father for him to give it consideration. Once he met the others and found himself getting a good vibe from them, he agreed to join and had to admit he was glad in doing so.

"What about the other girls?"

Gar smiled and shook his head. He liked Rachel a lot. She seemed to be the big sister of the group and gave off a vibe that was very protective. They got along well and he could see that she had warmed up to him. Whether it be that he was dating her friend, or she genuinely wanted a friendship with him was still to be known. Shae was the youngest and fit into the young sister that everyone babied. She was full of questions and Gar found her sarcastic humor to be amusing. She also seemed to like the boy and wanted to be friends, but like Rachel, he couldn't tell if it was because of who he was dating or genuine kindness.

"They're cool. Rachel reminds me of the big sister who protects the other girls and watches out for anything that could possibly be bad for them. She seems like the smartest and wisest of the four girls. We got along well and I could tell she was trying to show that she wanted to be friends, but I don't know if it's because I'm dating Rose, or if she actually wants to be friends."

Grant took a sip of his drink and grimaced again. He'd have to talk to his dad about why he preferred scotch over a nice smooth glass of whiskey. Nodding to Gar, he let him continue on.

"Shae's pretty cool as well. With her being the youngest, I could sense that there's a high amount of protectiveness over her. She seems like she could hold her own though, and can be quite the badass. Like Rachel, she's friendly, but I don't know if that's because she's friends with Rose and just wants to be on her good side."

Grant nodded his head. Gar seemed to be very observant and he could tell that he picks up on small details. He decided he'd let him know that the girls actually did like him and he wasn't just being sucked up to because he was dating their friend.

"They like you. They can tell you're a good guy and that you care about Rose. They've also seen what you had to put up with and don't want you to feel like you're going to be put through the same bullshit you had to deal with being on the Titans. My dad wanted this team to be like a family and treat each other with respect and kindness. Far different than what he used to be like, but it's a welcomed change."

Gar nodded his head and looked at the glass in his hand. He could tell that Slade had changed since they fought him. He didn't know if it's because he finally saw that what he was doing was wrong, or if he just had a sudden change of heart and wanted to start helping people. He liked this Slade though, and he hoped he could make him happy and stay on his good side.

Grant took another sip, which had started to become easier in doing so, and decided to ask him what he thought about Muhammad and himself.

"How about Muhammad and me?"

Gar chuckled a little bit and took a sip before answering.

"Muhammad is pretty chill. He looked like he was a tough guy, but I think that's because he's got more muscle on him than the rest of us. Pretty down to earth guy and seems like he takes pride in helping people. I can tell when we're gonna be down in the trenches I can trust him to have my back."

He turned to Grant and gave a smirk before taking another sip and giving him an answer.

"Now you my friend, are someone I gotta watch out for. When we first met I thought I was gonna be filling my pants with piss and poop after I found out you were Rose's brother."

Grant threw his head back and laughed. This made him really find the boy amusing. He had enough respect for Grant in the fact that he was dating his sister, but also had the guts to joke around a bit.

"But you're a good guy, man. You look out for everyone, like an older brother should, and don't take a lot of crap. I'm glad you're alright with me dating your sister. She is really one in a million dude."

Grant nodded his head and smiled at the boy. This kid definitely had his blessing and he could tell that he wouldn't have to worry about plotting a way to hide his body should he mess up.

Now came the interesting part; finding out what his ultimate intentions were with his sister. He wanted to make sure this was serious and wouldn't become an issue if they broke up. It would definitely be awkward for the team and effect the chemistry of it. He had a good gut feeling, but wanted to make sure and have his mind at ease.

"What's your true intentions with Rose?"

Gar looked down and smiled. It wasn't a smile filled with humor or mischief, but one that had nothing but affection and admiration. He knew that Rose really liked him, and he really liked her. Grant seemed to like him and he found himself enjoying his company. He never really had an older brother, and found himself looking up to Grant and wanting to make him happy. He knew this team looked at each other like a family and he was hoping he could find his way into it.

"I know it's early and we haven't really had a fight or any real major issue, but I'd like to get to know her. If things work out, it'd be really nice to marry her."

Grant watched him with raised eyebrows. This kid had some balls to say that about his sister. But looking at his face, he could tell it was honest and genuine.

"She's a nice girl. I mean, I know you're her brother and want the best for her, but I swear to you man, I'm not going to hurt her. I couldn't imagine being the guy who broke her heart and do something horrible to her. She's the first girl to actually want to help me and find a way to make sure that I'm happy. I've never had that before and being with her makes me want to become the best man I can be."

He turned his head and looked Grant in the eyes to let him know how serious he was. Grant was surprised at the brutal honesty in his words. It pleased him to know that Rose found this guy that wanted a future with her and that he would look out for his sister. Not too many people he came across cared about her more than just her body. And he NEVER found someone that actually wanted to improve themselves to become the best they can be for her.

Smiling, he reached over and patted the boy on the back.

"I like your answer. I didn't really have any doubts, but I just wanted to make sure. Like you said, she is my sister after all, and I look after her because I want the best. And you are. You have my blessing, and if you two get married and I have you as a brother-in-law, I'll be perfectly okay with it."

Gar smiled and raised his glass. Grant reciprocated and they gave one more cheer before draining the rest of their drinks. Like before, Gar had no reaction to the burn, while Grant made a face and set it down on the counter. They sat in silence for a bit, enjoying the breeze and coolness that the shade provided them. After a minute or two, Grant breeched another topic.

"How do you feel about your old team?"

Gar turned to look at him with a questioning look.

"What do you mean?"

Grant shrugged and faced forwards to begin his explanation.

"Well, think about it. You were with them for almost 6 years. That's a long time to spend with one group. I know it ended badly, but I'm sure there were some good times."

Gar shook his head.

"Yeah but things change. Once you feel like you're an outcast and are constantly verbally, and in some cases, physically abused, it's time to move on."

That caught Grant's attention. He knew that the Titans had said some strong words to the boy, but he never knew there was any physical harm.

"Physical abuse?"

He received a nod.

"Who did that?"

Gar sighed and ran a hand over his face. If it was anyone else, he would've brushed it off and deflected. But being that him and Grant had started to form a friendship and bond, he began to trust him and figured he'd open up a bit.

"Raven had some anger issues. If I irritated her, or made her upset, she'd fling me out the window, not even bothering to open it, or throw me against a wall, or even send the pans flying at my face. At first I just took it as banter, but after a while, it started to feel like I had to walk on eggshells around her or I'd be on the receiving end of her tantrums."

Grant narrowed his eyes. That rubbed him the wrong way and he found himself not liking the girl.

"What a bitch."

Gar chuckled and nodded his head in agreement.

"Funny thing is, I used to have a crush on her. I'd find a way to get her attention, albeit, a stupid way to get it, but just being acknowledged by her made me feel good. But once I got my head on straight and started realizing she was treating me wrong, I immediately stopped having feelings for her."

He finished off in a distant voice. His eyes became narrowed and face became focused. The memories came rushing back towards him. All the times of her screaming at him and demeaning him, calling him names, and the countless times her carelessness ended with him in the medical room stitching up cuts where glass had to be dug out from. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been for having feelings for such a cold girl.

Grant could see that he had that look on his face like the one he had in the main room earlier. He was stuck in his head again and reliving old memories. He didn't want the boy to do that so he figured he'd try to lighten him up. Giving the boy another pat on the back, he got his attention.

"Her loss man. She didn't appreciate what she had and now you're gone. You've got Rose, and believe it or not, I think she cares about you more than you'll ever know. Focus on being with her, and don't let Raven's actions affect you. You're a good guy and deserve better and to be happy."

He received a smile and a nod. He gave him a fist bump and the silence came over them once again. Both men had started to feel a brotherly bond being formed and were both happy and determined. Gar felt happy knowing that he had made such a good decision to leave and join this team and had received Grant's blessing to date Rose. He wanted to make Grant proud and let him know he wouldn't let him down.

Grant was happy that his sister was dating such a good guy. He wasn't someone that fooled around and genuinely wanted her affection. He had been through a lot and suffered quite a bit. He didn't know all of his past, but from what he was told, he didn't like most of it. He wanted to make sure his new friend was looked after and taken care of and wouldn't be put through what he had been on his previous team.

The silence was interrupted when the door opened to reveal Rachel and Rose. Both were greeted with a smile, Gar's growing when his eyes landed on Rose. She gave him a beaming smile and both girls walked over to join the two that were seated.

"Hey guys. Sorry to interrupt, but Slade wants us to start Gar's medical examination. We also need to put you in the facial recognition program."

Grant saw Gar very briefly tense up when Rachel had mentioned the medical examination part, but saw the boy quickly recover. He gave him a curious glance before nodding to the girls.

"No problem, me and Gar here were just finishing up story time. I'll leave you three to it and go see what dad wants me to go do."

Giving a nod to the girls and a quick fist bump to Gar, he got up and made his way over to the door and exited.

The girls's attention then was focused on Gar and watched as he got out of his seat. He picked up the glasses and rinsed them out before putting them in the dish washer.

"Alright, let's go get this over with. Who's doing my medical exam?"

Rachel raised her hand briefly and spoke.

"That would be me. Being the healer automatically qualifies me as team doctor. Rose will be joining us to make sure everything goes smoothly."

Rose walked over to Gar and reached out her hand, beckoning him to take old of it.

"Come on babe. It shouldn't take too long. Once we're done, the team is going to have a bond fire up here so we can look at the night sky and cook out."

Gar nodded his head and placed his hand into hers. He brought her hand up to his mouth and placed his lips onto it, giving her hand a gentle kiss.

"Alright mamas. You two lead the way and I'll be right behind."

Rose smiled at him and turned to Rachel. Giving her a nod, she turned and the girls lead Gar down towards the medical room.

The Titans had reached the common room and were all drained. Physically drained from the adrenaline wearing off, mentally drained from the stress they were currently suffering from, and spiritually drained from the scenes at the bank. They walked over to the couch and all four sat down. Robin had his head buried in his hands and was mentally berating himself for what he had said to his teammate. He didn't mean for the words to slip out. He wasn't thinking when he said it, and he had regretted it immediately when realization came plowing into his senses. He knew he screwed up big time and from all the media speculation about his green teammate's future, he knew this was only going to make things worse.

The rest of the team was in no better shape. Cyborg had his head hanging in worry and defeat. Although it was a victory on the battlefield, the team's morale had suffered a heavily damaging blow. He was beating himself up for not going after his friend, and at one point, best friend. If he would've done something, instead of sit there and watched everything, things might be better right now.

The girls were in similar mindsets. If they didn't just sit by and watch everything go down, they might have been able to fix the current situation. Raven was the worse of the two. Her conversation earlier with Beast Boy should've given her a hint that he wasn't in the best of moods today. He had been distant and at times cold, but his words were biting and venomous. It was almost like he was waiting for an opportunity to present itself for him to leave, and he was letting her know that they were no longer friends, nor was he with any of his other teammates.

Starfire was in tears. She wasn't sobbing or being boisterous, just genuine fear and worry. She felt as if her world was changing too quickly and she wasn't at all pleased. Her normally friendly and loud teammate had become cold and wanting nothing to do with her or her friends. She was trying to figure out where it went wrong and she couldn't help but feel like she had a share in it. Maybe if she had helped him by giving him a kind word or letting him know he was valued, he wouldn't have changed so much. If she had stopped the others from their berating at the fight three months ago, it would've helped matters.

After a prolonged and suffocating silence, someone finally spoke.

"Why did I do that?"

All heads turned to the traffic light colored superhero with his head still in his hands.

"How could I say such a thing? What type of idiot am I for calling him that?"

Cyborg, ever the one to try and think logically, offered him some help.

"Hey man, tensions were high and you weren't thinking straight. I'm sure-"

He was cut off loudly and abruptly.

"That's not the point! He's been given a lot of shit from the media and we haven't been helpful either! This only makes things worse."

Starfire tried to speak next.

"Friend Robin, I'm sure friend Beast Boy knows it was a mistake. Maybe you can apologize-"

She too was cut off.

"Star, you don't get it! None of you do!"

He stood up to look at his team.

"All the mean and cruel things we've said to him and called him and he just took it on the chin. The ONE time he called any of us anything remotely hurtful, he apologized for it profusely."

He turned to look at Raven and all knew what he was talking about. He stood outside banging at her door and when she wouldn't open, he went on a rant outside her door about how sorry he was. In the end, she forgave him and gave him one of her few and very rare hugs.

Raven dipped her head in shame as she remembered all the times she had cut him down and called him names and physically hurt him as well. Anytime he messed up, he recognized his fault and apologized. But her pride and self-righteousness wouldn't allow her to humble herself and do the same.

The room was silent again, as they all realized what Robin said was true. Beast Boy never bad mouthed them. He joked around and called them by their nicknames that they didn't take too much pride in, but that was about it. Until recently, he just smiled and shook everything off. But now, he had changed and none of them had seen that smile in three long and grueling months.

Robin let the team sit there and think about what he said. Even he felt some shame and regret at his actions in the past towards his teammate. What he said at the bank really just added to the load and he could feel that his teammate was lost and if not, very close to being so.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know if he should go talk to him. Chances are, if he even opens the door to his room or acknowledges him in the gym, he'll just blow it off and act like he's not even there. But it wouldn't hurt trying. At this point, he figured he had nothing to lose. He walked towards the door that lead to the other parts of the tower with one goal in mind; find Beast Boy.

Cyborg spoke up.

"Where ya going man?"

Robin didn't even turn around when he spoke.

"To go find him."

Cyborg looked at him as if he was losing his mind and was doing something stupid.

"You really think that's a good idea?"

This stopped Robin. He turned his head and spoke to Robin in a low and quiet tone.

"Do we really have anything to lose at this point?"

That shut him up. He knew Robin was right. What would it hurt? If they just left him be, it'll make the gap continue to grow. Maybe if they acted and tried to do something, it'll help them be able to get back their teammate.

With nothing else coming from Cyborg, Robin ventured on out the door and into the hallway. He trekked down past all the rooms and finally reached the floor that held Beast Boy's room. He noticed something right outside his door and made his way over to it. As he reached it his heart stopped.

Picking up the item, he immediately recognized it. It was Beast Boy's Titan communicator. No one ever left it behind; it was the cardinal rule. For it to be discarded outside his door, couldn't mean anything good was going to greet him. He quickly put in the code for the door and when he stepped in, his heart sunk.

"Oh no."

There was nothing in there. All his clothes had been taken out of the closet and it was now empty. No TV or desk sat in the corner of his room. His collection of comic books and video games were gone as well. The only thing that remained was the bed they all had when they first got their rooms and a nightstand that he had dug out of the storage room to place his lamp and a few of his possessions in.

Robin immediately whipped out his communicator and sounded an alarm.

"Titans, get to Beast Boy's room now. That's an order!"

As soon as he closed his communicator, he heard a portal being opened and felt a breeze. He turned around to see the other three outside the door to the bedroom. Cyborg stepped forward to ask what was going on.

"What's the emergency-"

He shut up and became as still as a statue. He looked around and saw the room in the same state that greeted Robin. Nothing was there. It was like there had been no Beast Boy in the first place. If it weren't for the bed and night stand, he would've thought that nobody had even been in this room. The girls followed in and halted their footsteps. They too were in shock. Their teammate had left. It was too late.

Starfire burst into tears and Raven just slumped up against the wall. Her eyes became unfocused and her mouth hung open. Beast Boy finally had enough. He was gone. She couldn't believe it, even though she knew deep down it was a long time coming.

Robin immediately went into leader mode.

"We need to find him."

Cyborg turned to look at him and raised his arms up.

"How are we going to do that? We have no idea where he went and on top of that, what if he doesn't want to be found?"

Robin narrowed his eyes. He knew Cyborg had a point, but he wasn't going to give up. He messed up and he was bound and determined to fix it.

"He was our teammate. I don't care if it takes us months or years, but we're going to find him. We dug ourselves into this mess. Not you, not Raven, all of us did. We all share the blame. We need to find him and get him back here so we can apologize."

With that he walked out the door and left the other three to figure out what to do. Truthfully, he knew this was about as difficult as it could get. Beast Boy could be anywhere, and for him to have all of his stuff being taken with him as well, he knew that he had help. If only he knew who had helped him, he wouldn't believe it for as long as time had existed.

Author's Note

I want to thank everybody who has decided to keep up with the story. I can't thank you enough for the support and I greatly appreciate it. I want to give a quick shout out to TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne. Your reviews and monologue of every chapter has been awesome. If anyone else wants to leave a review, you are more than welcome to.

Another person who is deserving of a shout out is Lucian Naruto. You've given me some ideas to incorporate into this story and I want to say thanks for reaching out and messaging me.

I hope I can keep you all interested in the story as it continues on. If any of you want to send aPM, I'll do my best to respond to it as soon as I can.

Thanks for the continued support, and I promise there's more to come.