"Go back," I whispered, holding Star's hands close to the symbol on my chest. "Change the past. Make sure none of this happens. We'll be a team again, with you." I gave her a small smile despite the ache in my chest, and even though Star looked weak and uncertain, she nodded. She was brave and strong, just like I remembered her. Her hair was brilliant, her eyes filled with so much innocence and hope. There were tears in them, but she stepped through the portal anyway, clutching the stolen artifact so tightly I was sure that it would crack.

She reminded me of a happiness so sweet and so innocent, I had almost forgotten it existed. But I couldn't go back to that. Happiness like that, it came with a price. Maybe others were okay with that, but the happiness I've found now… it's dark and twisted, exhilarating and enlightening… and it's completely for free. The happiness she showed me again, the one she practically represented, it was an addiction. And it hurt too much when it was taken away. I learned that the hard way.

The portal closed behind her, and the former Teen Titan team and I stood there for a second. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for something. Maybe we had all thought that everything would change for us; that her return would have altered our memories, corrected the wrongs of our world. There was nothing. I sighed in relief. Nothing, because just as I had thought, her return only created a different time stream. That meant ours' hadn't changed at all.

Cyborg creaked behind me, and I turned around. All of them looked so tired, so old. The weight of the years were straining their shoulders. Starfire, just as she always had before, gave them hope; hope for a new life, new meaning. Usually that hope didn't let them down. It looked like this time it did. I smiled.

"Well," Beast Boy started, and I winced at the croak and slight shake in his voice. "That was fun, but I'm getting old. This is gonna cause some serious joint pain!"

My smile widened. Of course no matter what Beast boy had gone through, he still had that weird little personality. He looked exhausted, and the balding head didn't go unnoticed, but that twinkle in his eye was there, just like always.

A big metallic hand rested on Raven's shoulder, but she said nothing. From what I heard, she didn't say much anymore. Her face was covered in shadows and instead of that neutral line her mouth always seemed to settle in when we were just teenagers, she had a frown. Cyborg shone brilliant blue again just like he once did, and glared at me.

"You didn't tell her, did you?" He asked gravely. That managed to take the twinkle out of Beast Boy's eyes, and Raven's frown deepened. I stopped smiling.

Beast Boy gave a small cough, "Do we really have to mention this-?"

"We can't act like it never happened," Cyborg said, keeping his eyes locked on me. "He's still the enemy. He's still working for Slade." Raven growled at this. Cyborg tightened the grip on her shoulder, "The fact that he helped Star get home doesn't change a thing."

"I'm betting you wish it had," I scoffed softly. I compacted my bo-staff, hooking it on my belt. "You wouldn't have bothered otherwise, right?"

"We did it because she's a part of our family," Raven said. "There's nothing we can do to change anything for us now. If no one else could be happy, she had the right to."

"I'm happy," I said. "There's a bigger world out there, you know. With people, and things like coffee and doughnuts. You don't have to stay here and brood in one-man circuses about the things you couldn't do." I grabbed the Titan communicator, dropping it on the floor and crushing it under my heel. It was only useful for one call, anyway. I just wasted it. "I know that things got hard when Jump got destroyed-"

"You helped him do that," Beast Boy reminded me. That seemed to open a world in his head that reminded him of all the other pretty little bad things I've done, and he took a step back, away from me.

I glared. "I was stupid, back then. And Slade was going through a hard time-"

Cyborg scoffed. "I don't recall anything being bad enough to commit genocide." He pulled Raven closer to him. "And I don't recall you having any valid reason to help him."

"The point is," I continued, "Jump got destroyed and the attempt at reversing Global Warming threw the world into eternal winter. A lot of people died. There's no more Gotham, just like there's no more Jump, just like all the other cities that withered away when the cold hit." Warp started to cry, and Raven seemed to debate whether she could turn her back to me before she did just that to pick him up from the cold floor. "There are still people, though. While you guys are wasting away, people out there are rebuilding. Whether you like it or not, the world is going to move on without you if you don't get off your asses and rejoin them."

Raven slowly took off her hood. "Let it go on without us. I'd rather be here, alone, than be out there when your boss decides to take advantage of the situation."

I rolled my eyes. "Been there, done that." I turned around. "World domination isn't really his type. Besides, maybe you should be out there keeping the threat of world domination in check. With half of the JLA gone, we all know they'll need help restraining Savage."

"Could be saying the same about you," Cyborg said.

I paused, raising an eyebrow. "The world domination, or the keeping said threat in check?" I spun on my heel to face them again. "Like I just said, not really his type. And by 'him', I mean 'us'."

"We realized that," Raven said. "We meant that you could be helping."

"I am," Nightwing said. "It's hard to get jobs if everyone who would be willing to hire us don't have money. Even Lex is tight on his bills. No people, no work. If we help with the rebuilding process, we get more customers, and we get paid. Simple."

Beast boy shuffled slightly. "Is that really the only thing you care about now? Money? What happened to you, man?"

I scoffed. A lot, actually. I had gotten tired. I had given so much to a world that only seemed to hate. I've watched people I love die, and I've watched them come back. I've seen them broken; seen them contemplate a death that they discovered had nothing other than darkness. What was life worth if there was no heaven or hell waiting for you after? What does life mean if it doesn't mean anything once you're gone? What was the point in trying if you're going to die anyway?

"Stuff," I said. "And this isn't about money. It's about honor . If money is the way that it's shown now in days, so be it. I'm not going to complain. Keeps me fed, keeps me clean."

I waited for a response, but none presented itself. I started to walk towards the exit, confident enough that none of them would attack me from behind. They didn't have the heart. They always let prejudice lead their way. There was no book as to what was right and what was wrong when it came to them. Just feelings and gut-instincts.

I was opening the door when I heard Raven ask, "Why Slade?"

I turned around again, giving them one of my infamous smirks. "Why not?" I said, and made note of showing them how I hooked on Warp's tech on my belt. Cyborg's eyes widened, because I had swiped it straight from his hands , but I was gone and hidden out of their sights before he could finish saying, "Hey!"

The only sound after that was Warp's crying, and I chuckled to myself. Slade would be proud.