Thank you to all who reviewed the first chapter! You have no idea how happy it makes me to read such positive responses. I was a little uncertain coming back to Teen Titans after so many years. It's been a while since I've even watched the show, and was worried that I might have gotten rusty in my D.C. Universe(s) knowledge.

Don't expect future updates to occur quite as frequently, however; I just happened to have some spare time this week in between writing lesson plans.

A few things to note:

1) Taking full advantage of knowing how the Teen Titans following seasons played out, I will be blending elements of both comic and cartoon cannon in here, on top of throwing in more than a few JLU references. Of course, there will also be a number of deviations and my own personal touches thrown in the mix. Expect anything, and prepare to be wrong anyway.

2) The idea of the story is "what happens to the Titansafter Starfire mysteriously vanishes?" and NOT "how desolate could I possibly make Jump City become due to the lack of a green-eyed, perpetually cheerful alien?". No offense to Star, but I had a very hard time believing that the entire city collapsed just because she wasn't around. There will be negative repercussions, sure, but not everything that comes out of her disappearance will be bad and not everything bad will come directly out of her disappearance.

3) I curse Wally West's existence in the Teen Titans universe. For one, his previously-established existence in the JLU'verse SO messes with my plans to meld the two smoothly. For another...as one of my favorite D.C. Characters, there was absolutely no way I could ignore him altogether. So again, I curse you, Wally, for being awesome.

4) One reviewer made a comment about how I brought Tim into the story while Dick "goes off with a broken heart." Oh, ye of little faith....

"What hurts the most was being so close." -Rascal Flats, What Hurts the Most

Chapter 2

It was a relatively slow day at the Watchtower as Wally West and his girlfriend, coincidentally a fellow League member, sat for their routine shift.

The twenty-one year old speedster had changed significantly in recent years, graduating from the more youthful moniker of Kid flash to the (somewhat) more respected role of the Flash. His signature color scheme of yellow and red remained, though it was the latter that now dominated his aerodynamic latex suit. He had noticeably grown as well, and while his boyhood physique had always been impressive, it now boasted the well-toned muscles of a fit young man.

What he continued to lack in maturity (and, some would argue, taste in humor), however, was more than made up for in years of experience gained both on and off the battlefield. Gone were the days of the hyperactive teenager who zipped from city to city as little more than an "honorary" member of any given team; he had a home, a reputation as one of the Justice League's Original Seven, and even his own place at the head table.

He even joked—more than once—about engraving his own visage onto the back of his chair.

The striking beauty at his side, too, had undergone a growth of her own since their first meeting, four years prior. While she managed to maintain her small, lithe frame through rigorous training and exorcise, the touch of womanhood had added subtle curves to her developing figure. The simpler, more mature black and purple body suit she now wore further accented these changes. Likewise, the gravity-defying pigtails that once defined her image had been abandoned in favor of allowing her thick hair to simply cascade down to the small of her back. Dark mascara and shadow accented the exotic features of her eyes, though her face was otherwise devoid of makeup.

Many continued to suggest a change of name to reflect the changes in her life, but she stubbornly chose to keep her childhood title. Still, as she came to take on the responsibilities of a protector, her more juvenile ways slowly diminished with each passing day. No longer selfish or even self-pitying, she carried herself with an aura of confidence that reflected the intensity of her ever-growing powers.

For all the differences between them, however, there was one thing that would never change: Wally would always be a shameless flirt, and go out of his way to prove it to her (...no matter how long it had been since she'd already said "yes").

"Honestly!" She rolled her eyes at yet another of his lame pick-up lines, masterfully hiding a smile at the same time. Making sure to avoid any direct eye contact, less she give in to that irresistible smirk of his, she pretended to be fascinated with the act of filing her nails. "Sometimes I wonder how you, of all people, managed to convince me to switch sides."

"I dunno. Maybe it's 'cause you have a thing for smooth-talking redheads?" Wally quipped, not in the least put off by her sarcasm. Often, he found it a major turn-on.

"Hmm, good point." She tapped the nail file against her chin, as if deep in thought. "Speaking of...you haven't seen Roy around here lately, by any chance?"

"Ha-ha. Funny."

Before the couple could exchange any more witty banter, however, the intercom lights on her side of the panel started to blink, signaling an incoming message. She leaned forward, entering the standard security persuades with one hand to ensure proper channel isolation and encryptions were in place. The entire sequence took less than half a second, at which time, she activated the monitor.

To her surprise, Superboy's image appeared. "Hey, Jinx."

"Hey, yourself." The former villainess gave a half-hearted wave, subconsciously flinching back into her chair. Even though she had never personally fought the young Clone of Steel, she also had never felt entirely comfortable around anyone who fell under the category of Titan. "What's up?"

"We have a bit of a...situation down here. Are Batman, Wonder Woman, or the Green Lantern around?"

Wally poked his head into view, not bothering to hide his curiosity. "Sorry, but no. All three are off on missions today. Why them, specifically?"

"Because, according to our records here, they're the only ones who've dealt with a villain like this before."

Flash and Jinx shared a look, and the latter immediately set to work searching the Watchtower database for any records of shared missions involving the trio in question. It was a testament as to how much of Wally's interest had been piqued that he remained absolutely silent as the pink-haired beauty sorted through dozens upon dozens of folders, narrowing her search further each time. As a result of her distraction-free work, she was done in half a minute.

A single entry stood out.

"No way..." Flash's eyes widened as he speed-read through the briefing over her shoulder. "Don't tell me it's the same guy?"

"I'm pretty sure it's not. But still, we've never encountered anything like this before. Any information we could get would be seriously helpful."

"I'll bet," Jinx murmured. Her delicate fingers danced across the keyboard at a speed that made her boyfriend proud. "I'm sending the files to you now. You should have them in less than three minutes."

Flash leaned back in his seat, arms folded. His brows were furrowed together in an unusually serious expression as he turned back to the young Titan and asked, "What exactly is going on down there?"

There was a brief pause.

"Do you remember that one Titan who went missing a few years ago?"

Flash nodded. He'd heard about it from Shayera, who'd heard it from Batman, who in turn had learned of the situation first-hand from his original sidekick. "Never met her myself, but Jinx fought against her a few times back in the day." He gave a quick glance towards his girlfriend; if she was affected in any way by his casual tone towards her less-than-honorable past, she didn't show it. "What about her?"

"Let's just say...we found out where she's been."

o*0*o

The current incarnation of Teen Titans, Starfire soon learned, had been nearly three and a half years in the making.

Ironically, it were the two youngest of the group who had been around the longest; Más y Menos, born Manuel and Miguel Rodriquez, arrived from Guatemala just a few months after Starfire's disappearance. Possessing the shared abilities of super-speed, their gift came at with a rather unique condition: physical contact needed to be maintained between the two brothers to activate it. Still, at the then-age of ten, they had assimilated fairly easily into the daily lives of the Tower. Even the language barrier proved to be a minor hurdle, as they worked diligently to master English in just a few short years.

"And we use the term 'master' loosely," Donna commented, though not without humor.

In an act that fully demonstrated their level of maturity and growth, the twins simultaneously stuck their tongues out at her.

Superboy had been next to join the team, meant to take on the position of leader following Robin's sudden and unexpected departure. As a being created from the combined DNA of Superman and arch-villain Lex Luthor, Conner Kent struggled for a long time with his identity—who he was, and what his extremely bizarre parentage made him. The fact that he was initially looked upon as "Dick Grayson's replacement" did little to help matters. Even now, he seemed to carry an aura of sadness with him whenever he went, as if feeling the constant need to prove himself.

"Believe it or not," Virgil commented once Conner had left for the communication room, "He's actually pretty good at his job whenever he takes that stick out of his—"

"Virgil Hawkins!" Donna hissed in disapproval, placing both hands on her hips. "What have I told you about that kind of language in front of the twins?"

"Oh, please. Everyone knows the first words of any language you learn are the swears."

Donna's eyes narrowed further; within seconds, Virgil was visibly squirming under her intense gaze.

He sighed. "Sorry, Princess...."

Donna Troy, affectionately dubbed 'Princess' by most of her teammates, had come to fill a void left by the near simultaneous departures of Beast Boy and Raven. Orphaned at a very young age, she had been taken in by the Amazonian tribe that Wonder Woman called home. There, the women trained her in the ways of their matriarchal warrior society, including expert fighting techniques and an extremely feministic view of the world. She was quick-tempered, highly-opinionated, and extremely loyal.

"Her skills," Robin stated simply, "Include flight, lightning-fast reflexes, hand-to-hand combat, and an impeccable ability to emasculate most any guy at will and Conner in particular."

Donna smirked to herself at this, lightly blowing on her nails and shining them on her top.

Not long after Donna's (begrudging) assimilation into Man's world, Robin had returned to the team...only then, it was Tim Drake wearing the mask. Younger and greener to the crime-fighting world than most of the others, it was only the legendary Dick Grayson himself vouching for the young boy that the Titans finally accepted him among their ranks.

Initially, there had been a great deal of unease as to whether a the new Robin had any intentions of reclaiming the role his predecessor had held within the original team. This led to an unspoken air of hostility between Tim and Conner for a long time to come, even though Tim never once said a word about taking over. If anything, he only ever wanted to be a team player. It was this simple misunderstanding, however, that kept him away from the Tower for long durations of time, working numerous solo missions before he felt his own team would be able to trust him.

Around that time, Cyborg—the last the the original Titans—finally made his departure.

"See, his papa offered him a job at the S.T.A.R. Labs," Miguel explained. "He said it was too good of an opportunity to not accept."

"We communicate sometimes," Manuel added, sharing a knowing smirk with his brother. "He has great taste in Gamestation games."

Static, who was next to arrive, was a rarity among his teenaged superhero peers in that he had lived his entire childhood without the burden of metahuman powers. It wasn't until an unfortunate accident involving the release of severely unstable chemicals—an incident he referred to as the Big Bang—that he and his former partner developed their crime-fighting abilities. In his case, the ability to generate and manipulate electricity at will.

Oddly enough, he was also one of the few to have a history with the Justice League themselves. The first instance had been more coincidental, having been summoned to the Watchtower as little more than a glorified battery recharger when their energy core died out. Somehow, he wound up aiding in the defeat of some villain by the name of Brainiac before it could take over the entire system. Not long after, he again assisted the Green Lantern known as John Stewart when his ring had been stolen by someone bent on destroying Stewart's life and reputation.

"Not bad for a rookie," Donna smirked.

Virgil stood up and took a mock bow. The twins gave him a round of thunderous applause, complete with Manuel whistling.

In spite of everything, Starfire had to cover her mouth to smother her giggles.

Just then, the room's sole remaining occupant chose to rise. Her legs wobbled for a moment, the muscles weak from lack of recent usage, before she steadied them enough to wander over to the kitchen area. They carried her as far as the entrance before she stopped, staring blankly ahead.

Donna was the first to notice, motioning at Tim with a subtle jerk of the head.

The boy was on his feet in an instant and quickly made his way to the white-haired girl's side, stepping into her direct line of vision He spoke in a voice too low for the others to hear and, when she answered in an equally low manner, smiled and grabbed her hand.

"Come on," they heard him say. "I'll show you how to make one."

Everyone else had gone strangely silent; with a few turns of the head, Starfire quickly realized that their attention was focused intently on the young couple. Curious as to what had them so captivated, she turned back to watch.

Tim opened the refrigerator door with his free hand and began pointing to a variety of shelves and containers. The girl moved only when he rattled off the name of something she was specifically looking for, emerging a few seconds later with a jar of mayonnaise, bag of lettuce, and what looked like half a tomato. She placed them on a cutting board near the kitchen sink.

Meanwhile, Tim was scanning through the freezer with a deep frown.

"Hey, Virgil!" he called over his shoulder. "Do you know if we have any more bacon left over from this morning?"

The boy in question thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Sorry, man. I think we're all out." To his credit, he looked genuinely sorry. "Lemme guess: Rose wants a BLT?"

"Yeah."

"We shall go!" Manuel abruptly stood up, saluting the group, then turned to his brother. "¿Estás listos?"

"Si!"

Clasping their hands together tightly, the twins sped off in a gust of wind and random flying sheets of loose-leaf paper. They returned approximately thirty seconds later just outside the kitchen, fresh package of bacon in hand.

"Awesome!" Tim grinned as he accepted the package. "Thanks a bunch, guys."

"De nada," they replied in perfect unison, before returning to their previous seats on the living room floor.

Starfire was left nearly speechless at the display, a nostalgic pain tugging at her heart as she watched Tim demonstrate to Rose the ways of the microwave. Never once did he raise his voice at her, not even when she accidently tried to cook the entire package in one go. He then motioned to the cupboard where they kept the kaiser rolls, nudging them closer to her when they proved just outside her reach. Patient and understanding, while still instructive. Rather than patronize her by just making the sandwich himself, he took the painstaking time to guide her every step of the way.

It reminded her of how her Robin had spent hours upon hours helping her learn the mysterious of everyday Earth customs and appliances.

But it was more than just that. The sheer level of not only teamwork, but of genuine closeness the Titans of this time seemed to share was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Few words seemed to be necessary for them to understand the needs of a fellow teammate, and even fewer to do what needed to be done. The synchronicity amongst themselves was so precise that even the most mundane of tasks was met with efficient cooperation.

Nothing like that ever occurred in her time. With the exception of herself and Robin, her teammates had never so much as referred to one another by their first names. Starfire wasn't even sure she knew most of their first names.

Virgil was the first to notice the single tear making its way down her cheek. "What's wrong, Starfire?"

"It is just..." Wiping at her eyes, she looked up to see Donna and the twins also looking at her in concern. "I am surprised at how...close you all seem to be. Do you not fight amongst yourself, or experience the...'typical roommate stuff'?" She tried to recall the exact phrase her Robin had spoken not too long ago.

...or had it really been all that long ago after all? She wasn't sure anymore...

Donna surprised her by letting out a chuckle.

"Oh, don't get us wrong. We used to bicker and get on each other's nerves all the time." Here, she glanced back over toward the kitchen. Her smile gradually faded as she watched Tim help Rose pile the steaming hot bacon on top of her sandwich. "It's just...hard to find a reason to argue after Rose came along. I guess you could say she's the one that brought us all together as a team."

"How so?" Starfire asked softly.

"Tragedy does that sort of thing to people," Virgil interjected. He, too, wore an uncharacteristically forlorn look on his face, eyes glazed over as they recalled something from an all-too-recent past. "Seeing what happened to her first-hand...well, it kinda put things into perspective. Before we knew it, we'd all banded together to help her get through things."

"Tim usually does most of the work, given their history together, but we try to help whenever we can," Donna added.

A heavy aura clouded the room, one that Starfire grew all too aware of. She glanced over the four Titans' faces—Donna, Virgil, Miguel, and Manuel—and felt a shiver trickle down her spine. Their eyes were lined with dark shadows, as if each had been through their own personal hell. She then looked back to where Tim was bringing Rose over to sit with the group. The girl seemed content to nibble on her sandwich he had helped her make, but hardly flinched when he reached up to brush away the stray hairs from her face. Like she was suddenly no longer aware of his existence.

"What happened to her?" Starfire finally brought herself to ask.

At first, no one said anything. Looks were shared between the new Titans, each wordlessly seeking assistance in the burden of answering. In the end, it was Tim who began the tale, eyes never straying from Rose's face as one hand still gently wove through her tangled tresses:

"Rose used to be a fierce villain known by the name of Ravager, working exclusively under her biological father's command. Stealing, destruction, you name it. She would have done anything to gain his love and trust." His voice began to crack at this last sentence. Clearing his throat, he quickly regained composure and continued. "But she also had a phenomenal gift that he coveted: a sort of Second Sight. She could see glimpses of a person's future. The only problem was that she couldn't fully control it."

Starfire felt her heart pounding in her chest as Tim's soft voice echoed off the walls of the large room. She was already beginning to dread the outcome of his story, given Rose's current state and her own prior knowledge of how far a villain would be willing to go to get what he coveted.

"Now, it turns out Romeo over here had been trying to convert her for quite some time." Virgil spoke up suddenly, motioning at Robin with his thumb. "Apparently, they'd been meeting in secret for months. The night...it...happened, he'd even gone as far as to give her a communicator."

"That communicator was the only reason we found her," Donna pointed out.

"Hey, I'm not saying it was a bad move on his part or anything." Virgil held up his hands in defense. "Merely stating the facts."

"Anyhow," Donna emphasized, turning back to a wide-eyed Starfire. "As soon as Robin got back to the Tower that night, we got a distress signal. The rest of us, of course, had no idea what was going on at the time, so we just followed Robin as he led us directly to the signal...and that's where we found her."

There was another pregnant pause.

If possible, Starfire felt the room grow colder.

"She was lying in a pool of her own blood," Tim finally stated. The hand not stroking Rose's hair was clenched tightly into a fist on his lap, to the point where his whole arm shook. "In some twisted attempt to control both her powers and her free will along with it, her own father drugged her to the point where her mind could no longer control itself. Her visions began to meld with reality until she could no longer distinguish between the two; she'd even gauged her own eye out to mirror a wound he had received a long time ago. She...could barely recognize me..." The painful memories washing over him anew, Tim closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the side of the girl's head.

Rose froze for only a moment before continuing to take another bite of sandwich, as if nothing had happened.

Starfire's hands flew to her mouth. She could feel her limbs trembling as she tried to visualize the scene in her mind. The pure terror of finding one that Robin so obviously cared deeply about must have been unimaginable. Regardless of whether she had been hero or villain, nobody deserved such a fate. Especially one so young. Hot tears stung at the corner of Starfire's eyes as she struggled to find the right words to express her remorse.

"How...horrible..." She finally managed, though they hardly seemed to do justice.

Donna moved to sit at Tim's other side, placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "When we arrived, all we saw was Tim cradling her in his arms, distraught. We just kind stood there at first, not knowing what to do...but then, Conner started giving out orders. Not forcefully. Just...telling us what to do. What we'd needed to hear."

"That was probably the first time we listened to him without question." Virgil nodded, leaning back in his seat. For the first time since the conversation had taken its dark turn, he managed a weak smile. "And we've been listening to him ever since."

As if on cue, Conner Kent chose that moment to reenter the room.

"I found out something particularly in...terest...ing..." his voice trailed off as he noticed the palpable tension in the air. With a look of concern, he turned to Donna in silent question.

The young Amazonian warrior, however, dismissed his concerns with a wave of the hand. "Well, don't keep up lowly Earthlings in suspense, Kon. What did the Justice League have to say?"

Her abrupt change in tone lighten the mood considerably; everyone—with the exception of Rose—sat up a little straighter as a very confused Superboy made his way over to the side control panel. Inputing a quick series of commands, he opened one of the drives and inserted a small compact disk. With one last raised eyebrow at the team, he shook his head and activated the system.

The large television screen before them flickered a few times, then settled on a series of complex algorithms and stock images.

"Apparently Warp is not the only guy to ever claim to posses time-traveling powers," As he spoke, the image of a man wearing an odd cerulean and white suit appeared. "About a year ago, some lunatic named Chronos took three of the Justice Leaguers for quite the ride. To the past and the future."

Donna's eyes went wide. "I remember Diana telling me about that! First, they ended up in some place straight out of an old Western film, and not long after, a futuristic Gotham City. According to Batman's accounts of the latter, she'd temporarily vanished not long after they met up with a few future Leaguers—" her eyes subconsciously flickered over to Virgil, though the boy did not seem to notice, "—thanks to Chronos seriously messing with the flow of time."

"And what became of this Chronos?" Starfire wanted to know.

Conner typed in a few more commands, and more text appeared. "It says here that he was trapped in an unending time loop, forced to relive the moments just before the whole mess began, keeping him from ever acting out his chaotic plans."

"Oh, great!" Virgil threw his arms into the air as he leaned further back into the large sofa, kicking his legs onto the coffee table. "So all we have to do is find a guy who could not only be anywhere, but during anytime, figure out a way to trap him in a perpetually recurring time loop using his own powers, and manage to do all this without getting our very existences erased." Sarcasm leaked from every word. "And here I thought this was going to be a challenge."

"Nice attitude there, Virg." Tim spoke up. "From the way Starfire's story sounds, all this guy wants is some antique clock that isn't technically supposed to exist anyway, not mess with the very fabric of space and time."

"Doesn't mean he can't." Virgil quipped back.

"Does not mean he has not already," Manuel corrected, drawing everyone's attention. "He said he was to steal the Clock, yes? But it seems as if señorita Starfire was not part of this plan."

"This is true," Miguel nodded in agreement. "He did not mean to bring her to this time, yet he did. How do we not know this has already begun to—how you say—disrupt our world?"

"They have a point, Conner." Donna stated, shooting Starfire an apologetic look. "No offense, of course."

Starfire nodded, but remained silent.

"But this could be a good thing." Robin continued. "Think about it: if all Warp wanted was to ensure the success of his future by stealing something he already knew was supposed to be stolen, wouldn't he also want to make sure that absolutely nothing happened that could hinder his profitable outcome?"

He was met with a room full of blank stares.

"...in other words," the boy sighed. "There's a good chance that he might want to find Starfire himself before returning to his own time. That means he might still be somewhere in the city looking for her."

"That's a pretty long shot, Tim." Conner stated. "I mean, how do we know that she wasn't meant to arrive here after all? For all we know, it could have been a part of his plan all along."

"Aye-aye-aye, mi cabeza!" Manuel spoke for himself and his twin as the pair grabbed their heads.

"I'm with them." Virgil added, wincing. "All this time-travel stuff is giving me a migraine."

"That's not all it'll give you if Tim's theory is wrong." Donna frowned, placing her hands on her hips for as she glared at the trio. "You could at least try to take this seriously."

"I am. I think this is all seriously messed up."

"Regardless," Conner interjected, and the argument abruptly ceased. "We should probably start searching the city for any signs of him, just in case. If what Tim says is true, he can't be too far away." The monitor switched to a detailed map of the City, with a location roughly three miles from the Tower blinking red. "Start with the location Starfire first landed in, here, and work your way in out."

"I'll take the South area," Donna raised a hand.

Miguel and Manuel stood up. "We shall go North."

"I got the East side," Virgil nodded.

"And I'll cover the West," Conner finished. "What about you, Tim?"

"Well, first, I need to drop Rose off at Arkham. It's been a few weeks since her last visit," he explained, then turned to Starfire. "After that, we should head to Blüdhaven."

"Why? What is there?" she asked.

Oddly enough, Tim grinned: "Backup."

o*0*o

Starfire shifted uncomfortably as her back pressed against the cold metal of Tim's motorcycle. It was not just the vehicle, however—(she shouldn't have been surprised that the Robin of this time chose a similar means of transportation)--but the place which it had brought them to.

The entire surrounding area of Arkham Asylum seemed to radiate hopelessness and abandonment. Darkness blanketed the skies, though the sun had barely begun to set, casting every last nook of the building in shadow. Many of the windows had bars over them, and not a single trace of plant life could be found. It was all stone and marble. Hard, cold, and unforgiving.

A gust of wind blew through the rusty gates just then, creating an ominous creaking sound. Despite her tolerance towards the biting cold, Starfire shivered.

Tim had offered for her to follow them up to the main entrance, but she had declined out of sheer respect for Rose's privacy. As it was, the young couple had only a few precious moments together before the large doors opened and a red-haired woman wearing a white coat greeted them. Words were exchanged, the woman having recognized Rose immediately. Tim placed a loving kiss on the girl's forehead before turning away, leaving her in the doctor's care.

He said very little when he returned to the parked motorcycle, and Starfire had the grace not to pry.

"You sure you don't want to wear a helmet?" He asked as he straddled the seat.

She shook her head, insisting she was fine without it, and climbed into position behind him. The thought of wrapping her arms around his waist felt more wrong than she cared to admit, but it could not be helped. Her eyes fell to a particular spot on the ground to one side as Tim revved up the engine, looking anywhere but at his back.

"Please do not take offense," she began as the motor roared to life, "but I have flown at far greater speeds than your vehicle is capable of traveling. Tell me again why I could not simply fly to this Haven of Blood?"

"Trust me, Starfire. When it comes to a place like Blüdhaven, you're gonna wanna stay as close as possible."

With that, he pushed back the kickstand with his foot and the pair drove off.

o*0*o

As desolate as Arkham had been, Starfire knew the instant they crossed the border of Blüdhaven that Tim had been right about her staying close.

Rats scuttled through the litter-filled streets, red eyes glowing under the cover of shadow-filled alleyways and sewer drains. The few brave (or perhaps foolish) enough to wander the streets wore heavy bags under their sunken eyes, frantically scanning the area with every step. The women were scantily clad, wreaking of marijuana and alcohol, while the men clung tightly to the tattered trench-coats shielding them from the world.

Buildings loomed over them, tall as mountains, filling the blood-colored skyline with ragged paint jobs and broken windows. Stains of varying shades—mainly red—ran up and down the sidewalks, mixing with the dirt and broken glass. A few bricks lay scattered about, where they had either tumbled down from the structure above or had simply been removed.

"I do not like this place," Starfire's brows furrowed together.

"That's putting it mildly," Tim stated bluntly as he parked his motorcycle in a vacant nook behind what used to be a small pawn shop. "Pardon my language, but I f---ing hate this place."

She did not question the logic in leaving behind what appeared to be a valuable means of transport, trusting that Tim knew what he was doing, but that did not stop her from glancing behind ever few steps as they headed towards a large cluster of bars and strip clubs. She winced as they passed by a dimly-lit building with windows large enough for her to see exactly what was occurring just beyond the glass. A glimpse brought heat to her cheeks; a second glance made her sick to her stomach.

"Don't let them see you frightened," Tim whispered. "Most of these street scum are smart enough not to mess with us, but you gotta make 'em think you could take them in a fight without breaking a sweat...which, I might add, you probably could."

A weak smile tugged at her lips, knowing that Tim was more than likely just trying to ease her discomfort. She was grateful for the attempt.

Roughly half a minute into their stroll, Tim stopped and looked up. Starfire tried to match his gaze, but the new Boy Wonder was reaching for a nearby fire escape before she could find what had caught his attention. She floated gently beside him up the building, refraining from asking any questions in case they were trying to do the 'sneak attack,' and made very little noise when she landed on the rooftop. Only then did she see what Tim had been after, and the sight caused her to inaudibly gasp, freezing on the spot.

A young man casually sat on the opposite edge, resting one arm atop a bended knee as he stared out onto the city below. His back was to them, though the side of his face was just barely visible. The outfit he wore looked to be all black, clinging to his well-defined physique like a second skin. His hair, too, was black, swept back to fall just above his shoulders in fine, silky strands.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he called out suddenly.

Starfire's eyes widened, and she took a step back instinctively before realizing that he had been speaking to Tim.

"Can't a guy just stop by and say 'hi' anymore?" The boy replied in a joking manner. By this time, he had made his way over until he stood directly in the man's line of vision.

"Never said he couldn't." A pause. "How's Rose doing?"

Tim's eyes noticeable softened at the mentioning of the white-haired girl. "She's...better. I just dropped her off with Doctor Kane for a visit."

"Lemme guess. You were in the neighborhood, and decided to stop by."

"Not quite." Tim smirked. "Actually...I brought you a present."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Turn around and you'll see."

Starfire's breath caught in her throat as she watched the man slowly turn his head to look at her. She remained rooted to the concrete ground as his eyes flickered over her face for a fraction of a second before recognitions set in. He was on his feet almost instantly; from there it was as if his entire body froze, as much in shock as she.

"I don't believe it..." the words came out in little more than a whisper, but the wind somehow managed to carry them to her ears. "S...Starfire? Is it really you?"

Not trusting herself to speak, she simply nodded.

He took a tentative step towards her, never once breaking eye contact. Seconds later, he took another...then another...until, finally, only a short distance separated the two. They continued to stare at one another in silence for several moments, at a complete loss for words.

He was taller than her now, she absently noted, by at least a few inches. She had to look up to meet his piercing gaze, still obstructed by that opaque mask. His arms and chest had broadened, and she could clearly make out a set of rippling abs beneath the thin cloth covering his torso. Before she could stop herself, her fingers had traveled to the blue symbol spread across his chest; her eyes followed the outline of what looked to be a large bird. One much larger than the diminutive Earth robin.

An almost inaudible sigh escaped his lips then, and she looked back up...only to realize that she could no longer see his face. The tears that had been threatening to overwhelm her since her arrival in this new world finally erupted, flowing freely down her cheeks and blurring her vision. With the last of her energy, she collapsed into his warm, strong arms, burying her face into his chest as she cried. She cried for the time they had lost together, for the old friends she missed so dearly, and the misfortunes that had already befallen her new friends.

Nightwing held the distraught girl tightly to his chest, pressing his face into the top of her hair. It didn't matter to him that they had an audience—he had lost her once before, and now that he had found her again, he wasn't going to let go anytime soon.

TO BE CONTINUED...