Fair warning: this chapter has non-explicit references to two consenting people having a sexual relationship, so beware.

A day later, Gar's healing factor and Cyborg's care had taken care of his most grievous injuries, though the scars still looked a little fresh to me. I gathered some supplies, and Cyborg gifted him a new uniform, with the same color scheme as his old one, only with the same type of armored padding mine had. I created a portal back home, through which we all stepped.

I did not expect the cops.

Two Seattle PD officers jumped when they saw us, reaching for their handguns. "SPD, identify yourselves!" -one of them shouted.

They ought to be commended for their bravery, considering who they were pointing those things at. Garfield immediately got defensive, but Cyborg was ready to smooth things out. "Relax, guys. Justice League business. Sorry for getting the drop on y'all."

He produced an ID card from a compartment on his right side, which the lead cop took, examined, then returned, holstering his weapon. "Right. What're you Leaguers doing at a regular old crime scene, huh?"

Cyborg frowned. "We didn't know it was a crime scene. We were just investigating reports of suspicious activity. What happened here?"

The other cop answered. "Local business owner, in her early twenties. She disappeared after the neighbors reported bright flashes and what sounded like an explosion. Shame, too, that woman actually got me to like tea of all things."

I felt a small swell of pride at that. Gar gave me a knowing grin. "Anyway, there's plenty of signs of struggle, and some of her things are missing, so we think we're looking at a robbery gone wrong. Her living room looks like a warzone, so I'm betting that's what the neighbors thought was a detonation." -said the other cop.

"Do you have any leads?" -Garfield asked.

"Only some blood. It doesn't look great for her, I'll be honest. Do you need us out of the way? CSU's already swept through the place."

Cyborg nodded. "We'd appreciate it, thank you. And sorry again."

The cops nodded, reported our arrival, and left. As soon as their patrol car was out of earshot, Garfield and Victor burst out laughing. I merely smirked.

"Man, that was great." -said Cyborg.

"Very. I'm sad the guy is gonna miss out on his newfound love for tea, though." -I said dryly.

Garfield snorted. "Was he a regular?"

I shrugged. "I don't remember him, so probably not. I don't mean to brag, but the White Raven was quite popular around here. I only really remember my most loyal customers." -I said with a smile, which quickly turned bitter at the prospect of having lost all of it.

He recognized my changing mood immediately. "Hey. I'm so sorry about this. But, you'll get through this, Raven."

Cyborg nodded. "Yeah, and we'll be there for whatever you need."

I smiled sadly. "Right. So, help me look for anything that might look out of place."

We split off, with Cyborg taking the first floor, Changeling the second, and me going through the store proper. I scowled, seeing the establishment I'd worked so hard to keep pristine look so...abandoned. Books were strewn around the floor, knocked out of the shelves, and cups had smashed into a thousand pieces, all because of my fight with the would-be assassins. I took a cracked picture frame from the floor - me with my regulars, the guys and girls who'd stay at the store way past closing time, helping me clean up, reorganize the bookshelves, and just talked with me. The people I was just building strong friendships with, and who I'd very likely have to forget about, now. Bella, Jonas, Carlos, Edith...I would miss them very much. In such a short time, I'd left whatever remained of my 'shell' behind thanks to their kindness and friendly attitudes. I'd never say it, but being back with the old gang...it kind of felt like a step backwards at the moment. Only time would tell how long that feeling would last.

Seeing nothing really standing out as missing, I went back to the house. I found Cyborg kneeling in the middle of the living room, which was scorched and torn beyond recognition, scanning with all his sensors. After a quick check around the kitchen and bathroom, I walked up the stairs.

When I reached my room, I found myself experiencing a nasty mix of involuntary desire and annoyance. Garfield was holding a rather revealing pair of lingerie I owned, looking confused by his find.

I crossed my arms, frowning. "I highly doubt two trained assassins and a former superhero came here to panty raid me." -I said, somewhat angrily.

Garfield had the decency to look a little bit ashamed, but he made no move to put the underwear back in its place. "Who were you planning to wear this for?" -he asked quietly.

"Not you." -I answered simply.

He pursed his lips. "No, I get that. You never wore anything like this when we...y'know."

I rolled my eyes. "If 'had sex' is a little too difficult for you to say, I'd suggest 'slept together' instead. And no. I didn't. I didn't expect to see you here the other night. Much less so showing you those. Put. Them. Back"

Garfield looked mortified, finally putting my undergarments back in place and sporting a mighty green blush. I wasn't embarrassed. Not by the lingerie, or remembering our rather short-lived sex life. Part of my sabbatical had been dealing with the fact that I'd chosen Beast Boy as my first, that I'd put so much trust in him, and in the end, I'd been disappointed. I had fallen in love with him, and in doing so, I'd turned a blind eye to many of his faults, chief of which was his apparent refusal to mature and really act like the responsible, adult superhero he was supposed to be. Of course, I had just as many flaws, if not more, which is why I did not fully blame him, even if he'd turned me away after sharing my intimacy with him. My year away served to make me come to terms with what happened.

So far, his behavior was a mixed bag, with this latest antic qualifying as vindication for letting the relationship end.

"I'm sorry." -he said honestly. He was feeling shame, but I could feel there was also some lingering jealousy behind it. Perks of being an empath, I suppose. Nothing really escapes my notice on that front.

"I haven't been with anyone, Garfield. It was meant as a silly birthday gift from a friend. Not that you deserve to know." -I told him, then backed out of the room, scowling all the way down to Cyborg.

He looked at me oddly. "I'll talk to him." -he said.

I groaned slightly. "Your sensors, I assume?"

He nodded, slightly amused. "I'll be honest, I could've lived without the confirmation."

"I could've lived without all of what just happened."

Cyborg chuckled. "Don't worry about it. He's just a little lost, still. His last couple of years haven't been nearly as good as yours. And I know he feels terrible about this whole situation with Speedy."

I sighed. "The boy needs to mature. I could understand it, back then. He'd basically felt like we'd all abandoned him...but now? That was seriously out of line."

"And I'll make sure he understands that. For now, though, we have work to do." -he reminded me.

I took a moment to collect myself. "Right. I assume you found nothing of value?"

He shook his head. "Typical magical residue, explosive compounds. Blood from the bad guys and BB."

Garfield chose that moment to come into the room, looking a lot more contrite. "I didn't see anything wrong up there." -he said, with a pointed look at me that said 'sorry'

I nodded slowly. "Looks like the White Raven is a dead end." -then I muttered. "Emphasis on dead."

Cyborg put a comforting hand to my shoulder. It felt oddly distant, thanks to the armored padding. "We should check the spot you found them at, BB." -he suggested.

Garfield cheered up at that, turning into a red bloodhound and barking at us so we'd follow. I shared a raised eyebrow with Cyborg, and floated after him.