I don't know why, but I like the roof of Titans Tower. The view of the city is magnificent, but it doesn't really interest me. Instead, I like looking at the watery blue horizon that goes on forever. The waves reaching for the sky and being forever defeated as they try to conquer the land.

My mind is clear up here. The ocean is peaceful and thought provoking. Not quite as good as a mountain, but the next best thing.

And besides all that...it's a good place to sneak a smoke. Noir knew but, besides that, the Titans were unaware of it. I thought it was a good idea to keep it a secret...at least a little longer. I exhaled smoke from my cancer stick and kept my free arm under my poncho for warmth. The morning wind before the sun rose was cold, but in a good, refreshing way. The sky turned into a painting of orange and silver as the sun started to peek over the horizon.

The event the night before hadn't been much more than a light show. When the criminal was extracted from the red crystal, he was unconscious. Cyborg and Static Shock had hooked him up...to something or other...and let him sleep through the night. So I had done the same.

I took in one last lungful of smoke before negligently flipping my cigarette over the side of the roof. My mind wandered as I watched the sunrise.

I had kind of fallen into the superhero business. I had been on the wrong side of the law for most of my life. Then I became neutral. It wasn't until I'd met Noir than I started kicking bad guy butt.

A delicate, soot-covered hand reached through the flaming rubble, something glittering between the fingers.

I shuddered and unconsciously grasped the cross pendant necklace over my heart. Yes...Noir wasn't the only person who helped me get on the right path.

"You like sunrises, huh?"

I turned and saw Terra behind me, wearing a hooded sweatshirt just a little too big for her that I suspected was Beast Boy's. She walked over and leaned against the edge of the roof.

"I like sunrises a lot." I answered, turned back around to stand beside her and look out at it. "They're like promises that will never be broken."

Terra glanced at me.

"That was surprisingly deep."

"I'm a surprisingly deep fellow." I shrugged. "I reckon you're a fan of sunrises, too?"

"I like sunsets better, actually. It was just...I couldn't sleep. Bad dreams."

I remembered something.

"It didn't have anything to do with that guy we brought in, did it?"

Terra hugged herself, either from cold or something else, and waited a moment before she answered.

"Being trapped like that. Not being able to move or see or even think..." She shuddered.

"It must be horrible. I couldn't imagine it myself."

Terra didn't reply.

"Well..." I scratched the back of my hair under my hat. "You have to think of it this way: What are the chances of it ever happening to you? It's a little funny to be afraid of something that will probably never happen, right?"

Terra looked at me as if she wanted to say something, but it never came. She worked her tongue in her cheek.

"...Right." She finally said. She squared her shoulders. "I'm going back downstairs."

"Nice talking to you."

She turned back before she opened the door.

"By the way, I won't tell anyone you smoke. Just don't do it around me. It's gross."

I sweat dropped. She must have smelled it.

"Heh...t-thanks." I stopped. "And Terra?"

"Hm?"

"If you need to...I dunno...talk about anything...I've got a pair of ears that work pretty well."

She nodded and gave me small smile before leaving.

I stretched and looked back out at the horizon when she was gone. The sun had finally emerged completely.

A new day had begun.

TTTTTTTTTT

I stepped into the main room after my morning workout, wiping the sweat off of my face with a towel.

The main room of Titans Tower was always a hectic place, especially in the morning. You have nine super-powered teens doing their own thing while still half-asleep, only half-hearted trying to stay out of each other's way. I shimmied through them and already had my hands on a piece of toast when I noticed-

"Cyborg!" I called across the room. "Do you know where Noir is?"

"He went down to the beach, dawg."

I nodded to myself. He was probably meditating. I found a safe place where I wouldn't be trampled and looked around the room as I ate.

Starfire sat at what served as the kitchen table, pouring mustard over a literal mountain of waffles and licking her lips in anticipation. She was a little weird...maybe even more than a little...but still impossible not to love.

Raven sat on a small couch on the side of the room. Her legs were crossed and her nose was in a book. I noticed during my time here that she was a quiet one. But when she spoke, the others differed her a kind of respect they only reserved for Robin. Maybe even a deeper kind of respect.

Or maybe they were just afraid of her. She is pretty dark.

Robin typed away with gloved fingers on the main computer, all business as always. I figured that, sooner or later, he'd lighten up. But he hadn't yet, at least.

I had no idea where Static was. Probably messing around in the lab with our criminal. Beast Boy and Terra were missing, too, though I would have bet my bottom dollar they were together.

It was a strange group I found myself in. Teenage aliens and elves and sorceress' and robots. But what the heck. I'm strange, too, so I fit right in.

Cyborg sat on the middle couch, smashing away at a game controller.

"You want to play some Gamestation with me?" He said to me. "BB's AWOL."

I shrugged and walked over to the couch, stuffing the last of the toast in my mouth.

"Got Smackdown Superheroes? I love that game."