"There's... something I don't understand," I said, my arms folded as I looked out the window. I turned to face Starfire, who sat cross-legged on my bed. "I don't know how I was able to come back here. Everything leading up to now convinced me that the movie would be it for me. You even told me, when you came back from the future, that our friends' last memories of me where of the movie. What changed?"

Starfire smiled and crawled off my bed. She stood next to me and looked out the window. "Perhaps at the time when it was first asked, the answer was so because none of us realized how much you would touch our hearts and find a place within them. Even when the reason you were here was finished, our friendship allowed our worlds to stay connected and let you back in."

"Another thing, now that I think about it..." I said. "Raven told me that she had a vision about my fate at the beginning of the series. In her vision, I failed to defeat Jane in Tokyo and died. But then during the beginning of the second season, you said that I did defeat Jane, but I couldn't come back after the series ended. Two depictions of my fate... but in the end, neither came true. I lived and defeated Jane, but I was able to come back."

"What are you thinking?"

"I think... the first depiction, Raven's, was supposed to come true at that point because I had just entered this world. I wasn't close to any of you. But then as the series went on, I joined the Teen Titans, and began to form the deep and close relationships I have with you all. So... by the time the second season came, Raven's depiction of my fate would no longer happen and your depiction officially became my fate.

"But then the story continued. I learned to grow and flourish as a person and I continued to grow closer to you all, creating more fond memories and friendships with you and others I met throughout the series. So, when the movie came, neither depictions existed. A new one was created: I lived, and once the movie and series was over, I was able to go back into this world and start a new story."

"We were able to change your fate," Starfire smiled at me, "because we love you so much."

I smiled and turned to the window. "Thanks."

Starfire nodded, patted my shoulder, and left my room. I turned and stepped over to my bed. I ran my hands over the cover to smooth it out.

In the corner of my eye, something silver flashed. I turned to face my mirror, and my eyes widened. A briefcase was tucked behind it, the corners poking out so I would find it. I slowly walked over and pulled it out from behind the mirror. I gasped at the yellow R on the front. I set the briefcase on my bed and knelt before it. The cryptic lock on the top of the briefcase already had the code put in. Anxious excitement rumbled in my stomach. Slowly, I opened the briefcase.

A small, scattered pile sat inside the briefcase. At the top of the pile was a cut-out of a newspaper article. "HALY'S CIRCUS DEBUT: THE FLYING GRAYSONS", it read. The left black and white picture captured two adults, a man and a woman, on trapezes. The man reached his hands out to the young, airborne boy. The right picture showed them standing on one of the pedestal boards, frozen mid wave. Roses decorated the ground, and people were on their feet and cheering.

Underneath the newspaper article were a few colored pictures. I laid them out on my bed. Each picture was of the Graysons, whether taken during one of their performances or a portrait to show a closer look at their dazzling appearances. I picked up one of the close-ups. The parents both had pitch black hair that reflected the spotlights in the background. The father had bright blue eyes, and the mother had green eyes. The boy, who looked to be eight in this picture, sat on his father's shoulders. His smile was so great, his eyes were closed. The corners of my lips twitched into a small smile. I set the picture down.

I peered inside the briefcase and noticed the wooden corner of a frame at the very bottom of the pile. I pulled out more newspaper articles and pictures, gradually changing from the Flying Graysons to the heroic acts of a certain dynamic duo to the Teen Titans. A smaller version of our portrait in the front entrance lay on top of the frame. I pulled it out and placed it to the side. Soon, all the contents were in a pile on my bed.

All except for one. I picked up the wooden frame, which had been turned upside down, and flipped it around. My eyes widened as I stared at the picture... my picture. There I stood, my real self, wearing a fake smile and the familiar clothing that hung in my closet.

My stomach dropped. My heart picked up its pace. Panic rose in my throat. I placed everything back inside the briefcase, snapped it shut, and lifted it by the handle. I trudged out of my room and down the hall. I hid the briefcase behind my back as I entered Ops.

"Where's Robin?" I said, staying close to the door.

"I don't know," Cyborg called over his shoulder while he and Beast Boy played video games on the giant TV. Raven glanced up from her book.

"Last time I saw him, he was heading for the roof-" Beast Boy said. Before he finished his sentence, I stepped out of the room and continued down the hallway. At the base of the stairs, I gripped the railing and began to climb.

I opened the door leading to the rooftop. I lifted my free hand to shield my eyes from the low sun. My body trembled as if cold, but no breeze was present.

Robin stood near the edge and gazed at the city in the distance. I approached him, stopping a few feet away. He turned halfway over his shoulder and looked at me. Mustering up a scowl, I thrust my arm forward, holding the briefcase out, and looked away. Robin was silent.

"Take it," I said. Robin still didn't speak. My grip tightened on the briefcase's handle. "I don't want it."

More silence.

"Why?" Robin finally said.

"Why?!" I scoffed. "I know exactly how this will go; I get my hopes up, only to be brutally disappointed. There's always something better, there's always someone better, and when it comes, you'll leave without a second thought... without even considering who you're leaving behind."

Robin scowled deeply and fully faced me. "Ciela... I am not your father."

Rage rose inside me. I glared at Robin, stepped closer, and harshly shoved the briefcase against his chest. He didn't budge.

"How dare you say that! Don't ever think that for once you are anything like him, because you're not!" I cried. "You know how to be kind and caring to those around you. You lift people up instead of tear them down. You're always so nice to me, and you always say such nice things, even when I'm mad at you or when I'm acting like a complete idiot, but never once have you held that against me. You've always seen the good in me a-and believed in me a-a-and cared about me... and he... I... I..."

I squeezed my eyes shut as tears fell. My white knuckles ached from how tightly I gripped the briefcase's handle, and my fingers trembled against Robin's chest. Robin reached up and rested his hand over mine. I slackened my grip. Robin took the briefcase out of my hand and set it on the ground. I wiped my eyes as I cried. Robin stood up straight and pulled me into his arms. My arms, which were up from trying to dry my face, were pinned between our bodies.

"Let me go," I said. I planted my hands against his chest and tried to push him away. "Let me go!"

Robin remained silent, only tightening his arms around me. My strength drained from my body, and I ceased my pathetic attempt to escape. I gripped his shirt.

"...I hate him," I whimpered.

Robin reached up and rested a hand against the back of my head. "I know."

We remained like this for a long time. My crying slowly diminished into sniffles.

"You know, after spending all this time with you, I thought that, by now, I would know everything about you. It's clear that there's a lot that I don't know... and there's also a lot you don't know. We're both still strangers to each other," Robin said.

I opened my eyes. Robin released me, and I stepped back. He smiled.

"I don't want that. I want to change. How about you?"

Robin stretched his hand out to me. I stared at it. Perhaps a minute passed by, but Robin didn't falter. Slowly, I raised my hand and placed it in his. Our fingers intertwined. His hand felt so warm. Robin shifted closer to me. I lifted my eyes, just in time to see him lean towards me. A tiny gasp escaped me as my eyes widened.

Robin froze. He leaped back to create space, yet he didn't let go of my hand, and covered his mouth.

"I-I-I'm sorry," he stuttered, a wild blush on his cheeks. He refused to meet my gaze.

My heart pounded powerfully. I held my free hand against my chest and felt the tremendous quaking underneath. My face felt warm, and my eyes shook.

Wait.

With the little strength I had left, I squeezed Robin's hand. Robin turned his head back to me. Words failed to come to me; even if they did, I lost the power to speak.

Robin lowered the hand covering his mouth back to his side and stepped closer to me. Once again, he leaned in, but this time, he didn't stop. He kissed me gently, like he was afraid I would shatter from fragility. The warmth from his hand and lips spread to the rest of my body.

Soon, my lungs screamed for air. We pulled away, both sucking in deep breaths, and stared at each other. The silence was mind-numbing. Robin reached up and brushed a piece of hair behind my ear.

"CALLED IT!"

We whipped our heads towards the door to the inside. Our friends were crammed in the doorway- how long they had been there was unknown to me. Beast Boy pumped his fist in the air.

"Oh, yeah! Totally called it! Pay up, Metal Butt!" Beast Boy cheered, his hand underneath Cyborg's nose. Cyborg slapped a twenty-dollar bill in his hand with a grumble. Beast Boy pocketed the cash with a grin.

I reached up and touched my lips as my face grew hot. Slowly, everything sunk in. I snuck a glance at Robin, who glared at our friends with red cheeks. Our clasped hands were visible for everyone to see. Air bubbled in my chest and traveled up my throat. The corners of my mouth twitched. I covered my mouth and laughed.

"You've got to get better at your betting skills, Cyborg. After all, you also owe me," I giggled. "In fact... Raven also called something." My friends looked at me. I smiled. "Tomorrow's my birthday."

Their collective gasps shook the air.

"Quick! We need streamers and confetti, stat!" Beast Boy cried as he dashed into the Tower. "Where did you hide the cake mix?!"

"Oh, no! You are not in charge of the cooking!" Cyborg said, chasing after Beast Boy. Raven rolled her eyes and leisurely followed after them. "We are not having a repeat of last time!"

Starfire turned back to me and Robin. She flashed a big, bright smile before heading inside.

Robin looked to me. "Shall we?"

I turned to him with a smile and nodded. I crouched down and lifted Robin's briefcase in my free hand. I hurried forward, tugging on his arm, and pulled him inside.


I thanked the cashier with a smile and picked up my lunch tray. My phone vibrated consistently from my impatient friends who waited for me. I rolled my eyes and walked over to the condiment table. I set my tray down and pulled out my phone.

Calm down, guys. I'm on my way.

A string of texts immediately followed, but I ignored it and pocketed my phone. I grabbed a few napkins and set it next to my meal.

Whispers rippled from the tables behind me, traveling slowly between students. I lifted my eyes and searched the room for the source of the whispers.

Jane walked across the cafeteria, tray in hand. I stared at her with an unhinged jaw. Her long, black locks had been chopped, hovering an inch above her shoulders, and she walked with her head lower than ever before. She sat down at an empty table. My heart raced, but the feeling inside was different than what I was used to when I usually saw Jane.

Go talk to her, my thoughts urged me. My feet obeyed, and I slowly covered the distance between the two of us. More whispers penetrated the noise. Jane looked up as I stood on the other side of the table.

"Jane..." I said. "You're back in school."

"Yeah," Jane said. There was a bit of a pause. "Would you like to sit?"

I was taken aback. "S-Sure." I sat down. My phone continued to vibrate. I pulled it out, muted it, and stuffed it into my backpack. Jane picked up her chicken sandwich and took a bite out of it. As she chewed, she stared at me. I shifted uncomfortably.

"How was your summer?" Jane said.

"Not very exciting, I guess. Things started to pick up again when school started." Jane nodded. I scratched the palms of my hands nervously. "I... see your friends didn't come and sit with you today."

Jane wiped her mouth with a napkin. "They're not my friends anymore," she said quietly.

I raised my eyebrows. "What happened?"

Jane looked away. "I don't know myself. My parents told me that I... disappeared... for over a month. I don't know where I went; I came back with no memory of anything. I couldn't move or do anything, so I was rushed to the hospital. My summer was occupied with therapy and rehabilitation; I didn't have time for friends, so they all went on without me. None of them seemed to care."

I knit my eyebrows. "I'm sorry..."

Jane shook her head. "No. I deserve it after everything I've done. I didn't even expect you to sit. I thought you would chew me out... You have every reason to, after all." Jane looked at me. "Why are you here? Why are you talking to me? I've been an absolute monster to you since we met. How can you be so nice to me despite everything I've put you through?"

Jane lowered her eyes to her food. I stared at her in bewilderment. I shook my head. "Don't say something that isn't true. I had a friend who reminded me of you. They made a lot of mistakes- we all do. But no one deserves to be alone. No one deserves to be treated badly. If we ever do encounter that, we all have a chance to walk away from what hurts us." I held a fist to my heart. "I've been learning to be stronger. The past still hurts, and sometimes my thoughts take a turn for the dark side, but at the base of it all, who I've become and what I stand for act as my crutches, and my loved ones help to hold them up."

Jane squinted in disbelief. "You've changed a lot since I've known you."

I smiled. "So have you."

Jane leaned back and smiled. She climbed out of her seat.

"I'll walk you to class, if you'd like."

I nodded and stood up. We threw our trash away, added our trays to the towering stack, and walked out of the cafeteria. People standing against the walls and walking past us glanced our way before looking at each other in confusion. We stopped at the door to my classroom.

"By the way," I opened my backpack and reached inside, "I got something for you. Think of it as a 'welcome back' gift."

I pulled out a Teen Titans necklace, an exact copy of mine except it was its original gold color. Jane took the small, plastic package and stared at the necklace with wide eyes.

"I haven't watched this show since I was a preteen." A nostalgic smile spread across her lips as she traced her thumbs over the plastic. "I still remember all the details of it. I was a huge fan back then."

"We could watch it together sometime and brush up on your trivia. This show has helped me in ways you'd never imagine." An idea hatched behind my eyes. "Oh, yeah! My friends and I are going out for ice cream. We're celebrating my birthday today, and I think it'd be fun if you came along."

Jane stared at me, speechless. The corners of her mouth twitched, and a wide, bright smile filled her face. Her warm, green eyes lit up the hallway.

"Thank you. I'd like that."

I returned the smile. The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"I'll see you later," I said.

Jane nodded and turned to walk away. She paused and glanced over her shoulder.

"Happy birthday," she said. She waved and walked away.

I waved until she disappeared into the ocean of students. I lowered my hand and gripped my necklace with a smile.

This is it. I finally found it. My fingers tightened around the tiny, colorful charm. I finally found where I belong.


AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I Belong's ending theme is "Now is the Start" by A Fine Frenzy.

I'd like to take a moment for some special thanks and shout-outs. I've received some great ideas throughout the story that I've added, and I want to make sure the credit is given. Unfortunately, some of the ideas were suggested by people on guest accounts, but I'm still going to point them out, so I hope they know I'm talking about them:

AlternateAvenger - have Jane enter the Teen Titans world

Smiling Seshat - for calling me out on my cookie cutter writing and giving me the push I needed to stop it.

Mia (Guest) - Ciela and Jinx's friendship. I still remember when I received your first review. I was sitting in my high school government class, and my jaw dropped when I saw your giant review.

Guest - Expanding Ciela's friendship circle (Kole, Kid Flash, etc.)

Hello (Guest) - for making me reevaluate my entire life concerning the romance of the story

Guest - The first use of the term "Cielbin"

Amber (Guest) - Ciela's birthday

Marsmiko - "The Lessons" scene from Titans Together

grapejuice101 - Ciela's nightmare in Calling All Titans! and for making an awesome Polyvore poster for I Belong

Anonymous-1 (Guest) - Your story suggestions blew my mind because you unknowingly predicted the end of I Belong. I legit threw my phone across the room when I saw your review (which resulted in my older brother scolding me for throwing my phone).

Rosezelene Ezra - Having the opportunity to be interviewed for a college paper

and finally,

Draconos13 - For being around since the very beginning of the story. Your punny reviews were always great to read.

I... I'm kind of speechless right now. It seems like yesterday I was posting the very first chapter of this story. I had absolutely no idea the crazy year-and-a-half that laid before me. Tuesday was a day that I looked forward to each week because it meant continuing Ciela's story and hearing from you all. I hope each of you know how much you mean to me.

I Belong is a special story for me. I have never invested so much of myself into a story before. I'm thankful for it, because it's saved me countless times. 2016 was a very hard year for me. It was my last year of high school, and after I graduated, I spent that summer very alone and very depressed. It has carried into these past two semesters of college. There were a lot of nights last year that I cried myself to sleep. I have a Jane of my own in my life- myself. I'm blessed to have never experienced bullying from an external source, but I can't say the same about internal. My mind is like a teeter-totter. Most of the time (thankfully), it is cheerful and full of daydreams, but sometimes it turns against me.

That's why I'm so grateful for this story. Whether I was writing at my computer or going about my daily schedule, I was constantly engaged in my story. I came to realize how much Ciela and I have in common. In my darkest moments, I leaned on my characters for the strength to make it through. Just like Ciela said, this show has helped me in ways you'd never imagine.

I'm also so grateful for you guys. It was an absolute blessing for me to get to know some of you. You're all so kind and supportive of me, Ciela, and the story. I couldn't have asked for a better fan base- I wouldn't want to! Thank you for everything!

Now, you're definitely wondering about the sequel. Yes, I am going to be making a sequel to I Belong, and it will be about Young Justice. I finished the show at the beginning of January, and I thought, "How can I NOT?" I already have seasons 1 and 2 mapped out, and I'm super stoked. I can't wait to have Ciela interact with the Young Justice characters.

So, about when it's coming out... Not right now, that's for sure. Maybe not even for a few months. I really don't know. With the announcement of YJ season 3 back in November, I'm going to wait until the release date is announced before I start thinking about publishing. I'm keeping my Tuesdays open, just in case. Of course, I'm still going to work on it while I wait. If I didn't, I would go crazy. In the meantime, I'm keeping my eyes and ears open and alert for any news.

It was an absolute honor and pleasure to be your weekly escape from reality. I truly cannot express how grateful I am to each and every one of you. I love you guys so much, and I can hardly wait for the day we meet again.

Until then, stay tuned!