The Cave hadn't changed at all. The people, however, had changed a great deal.

I was drinking in the Main Hall when Dick came in from one of the hallways and came up to Roy and me, seething.

"Roy," he said roughly, "You know the rules. No outsiders. I can still kick you out of here."

I stepped forward. "I'm not really an outsider, Dickie." I felt like a repellent when Dick stepped back, shocked. "Yeah, it's really me, Dickie."

"But–" Dick stuttered, "how?"

"I was resurrected by the Brotherhood," I answered.

"I've heard of them," the smart-ass nodded. "They bring back people they believe will bring back balance between good and evil." He paused. "They're usually people who died young."

"Well, doesn't that make sense," I said drily.

"Dick, what is–" M'gann walked in and stopped mid-step at the sight of me. She didn't say anything, she just ran up to me, tears in her eyes, and hugged me to the point of blocking off my air. "You don't have to explain," M'gann said. "I've got it all."

I returned the hug. "I've missed you, too, M'gann."

"What is all this noise about?" a voice called. Right on cue, Conner walked in followed by a little green preteen and two other boys.

"Sorry I was disturbing your beauty nap," I smirked, slipping out of M'gann's arms.

Conner's eyebrows scrunched together when he finally recognized me. "And life gets even more complicated."

"Who are you?" the green one demanded. "And why is M'gann crying?"

I walked up to him.

"You're Garfield, or Gar, right? Also known as Beast Boy?" Gar nodded slowly. I lie smoothly, "Dickie told me about you. I'm an old friend. My name is–"

"Erin Sullivan!" said the shorter of the two normal colored boys.

I was stunned and looked to Dick for some help or even an explanation.

"This is Bart," Dick introduced. "He knows certain things because he's from the future."

With the red hair, green eyes and sense that Bart was on a sugar high, I took an educated guess and asked, "He's related to Wally, isn't he?"

Dick nodded, hiding a smile at my intuition.

"I can't believe I'm actually meeting the Erin Sullivan. You," Bart, talking a hundred miles an hour, pointed at me, "are on crash warrior. Your history is insane. You were the team's first technical analyst and then there was the bomb and you–"

"Went traveling," I interrupted. I looked to Dick again. He nodded, showing his approval of my lie. Bart looked confused, but I ignored the look to turn my attention to other kid in the group. "I feel like we're leaving you out."

"I'm Jaime Reyes," he said. "Also known as the Blue Beetle or the kid who talks to himself, but you knew that already, didn't you?"

"I did," I admit. I knew a majority of the new team, but only because of the Mirror. "I was being polite. I was raised that way."

"If you guys will excuse us," Roy said as he put his hand on my back, "I'm going to show Erin to her room."

Dick stopped us a few feet away and whispered in my ear, "I'll talk to Bart about keeping your history on the DL. We don't want your story drifting into the wrong ears."

I nodded to show my appreciation.

Roy and I stopped in front of my old room. My name plate hadn't been removed, but that didn't stop me from being surprised when the door slid open for me to see that my room had been left completely untouched.

I ran my hands over the old wooden desk; my fingertips came away covered in dust.

"No one could bear to touch anything after–" Roy stopped suddenly.

"You guys could have at least cleaned it," was my sad attempt at a joke. My heart wasn't in it anyway.

I turned to see Roy with sadness in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I still can't believe that you're here," he whispered.

"I have a hard time believing it myself," I said honestly, "but we both know that there's something really bothering you."

A faint smile came to his lips. "You always could see right through me."

I sighed. "You're avoiding the question."

"I didn't hear one," he snapped. Same old Roy.

I crossed my arms and faced him square on. "Let me rephrase then: What. Is. Wrong."

Roy collapsed down on the bed. He slumped as if the world was crushing down on him.

"You had told me that you've been looking down on me these past five years. That means you've seen everything. Every stupid mistake, every idiotic decision I've made, you've seen it." Roy looked up at me with eyes so full of self-hate. "How can you even stand to be near me?"

I sat down next to him on the bed. "Red, I didn't leave you when I found out you were a clone. Why would I avoid you now? We're human. We all make mistakes and decisions that we regret. All we can do is to spend the rest of our time trying to make it up to the mistakes."

Roy finally looks at
me. "You hung around the philosophers on the other side, didn't you?"

I laughed. It felt nice to laugh after so long left in solemnness.

Roy gently touched his fingertips to my cheek. He leaned in and I let him come so close our lips were barely touching, not enough to be called a kiss.

Then that annoying voice called a conscious chimed in.

"I can't," I choked as I stood up and turned away from him.

I heard the bed squeak as Roy stood up too.

"You can't what?" he asked.

I turned to face him. "You're married, Red. As much as I would like to, I can't just ignore that fact. I'm not that kind of girl."

"You didn't seem to mind a few days ago," Roy muttered.

"I was dead a few days ago," I snapped. "I didn't think I would ever see you again. I wasn't exactly working within the rules of the living."

Roy didn't say anything. I don't think there really was anything he could have said. He just gave me a long look and then he left me all alone with my thoughts in my room.