Raven was up earlier than normal. She sat in the main room, a mug of hot tea warming slightly chilly hands. As she sat, slowly the sun began to peak over the horizon and Raven reveled in the beauty. The icy water began to glow as the sun shone on its surface. The snow covered town took on a golden aura and Raven felt a peace that she only seemed to find during these early morning hours. No one was up, even the creature were sluggish to move this chilly morning. It was just her and her thoughts, and even those were still. For the moment. She was so relaxed that she didn't even turn around when another mug of tea was placed in front of her.

"Thank you." she said quietly. She had felt Aqualad enter the room, but she did not want to break the moment. In response the young man smiled and sat next to her and turned to watch the scene before them. No words were exchanged for some time. Raven set down the empty mug and curled her hands around the new cup. She did not sip right away, instead she turned to Aqualad with a slightly sad smile.

"I will miss this view. I've grown rather fond of it."

Aqualad took a sip of his coffee. "It is an amazing view. But the West Tower has some amazing views as well."

Raven turned back to the view. She was feeling surprisingly open this morning. "Yes, but its not as relaxing. Jump seems to wake earlier than Steel City. So many people up and about that there is very little relaxation time."

Aqualad nodded in understanding. He looked into his cup. The dark liquid swirled and reflected his sad eyes "We will miss you too. I must say I have been dreading this day."

In a very unRavenlike move, she leaned a head softly on his shoulder. "Me too."

Aqualad leaned his head to rest a moment on her head. The two stayed this way until Raven felt the stirring of other auras in the Tower. With a sigh she sat up. "I guess relaxation is over. I better get breakfast in the oven. Its gonna be a long day."

Aqualad stopped her with a hand on her arm. "I'll take care of breakfast. Take your time today. You have to worry about making sure you are packed and ready to go." And with that he stood and picked up the empty mugs. In the kitchen he found the breakfast rolls that had been prepared last night. As he prepared the oven the twins came whizzing into the kitchen, nearly knocking over breakfast in their rush. This in turn caused Aqualad to begin to berate the two. This caused an argument to ensue and Raven shook her head. The morning routine had truly started.

Instead of stepping in (as she was getting used to doing) Raven stood and wandered from the main room to her own room. The sun warmed her room. This was something that she was getting used to. Despite her tastes for the dark and somewhat macabre, this room also had suited her. It was simple and could not be considered bright. Raven had actually considered performing a room makeover when she got back to the West Tower.

She definitely knew she would need to find a bed similar to this one. She had grown quite accustomed to the plush comfort of her current bed. She crawled up on the dark blue comforter and sat with legs crossed as she surveyed her room.

The curtains were drawn, allowing her a view of the wide expanse of water and sunshine. The light from the sun lit the room and flashed over boxes scattered around. Each was neatly labeled: books, clothing, bathroom, etc. One large box contained wrapped gifts for Christmas which was only a few short weeks away. Soon the room would be packed up and the team would be on their way to California.

Instead of taking one of the Titan vehicles that would get them there in a matter of hours, the team had decided this would be the last time to have a "team night" and so they were traveling over a few days and making a vacation out of the whole adventure. While the Titans East were out visiting their counterparts in the West, Jinx and Kid Flash would be watching the East Tower along with an occasional guest appearance from other honorary Titans.

Raven began to stack boxes near the door so they were ready to be moved later that morning. Near that she set a small duffle bag. This would have everything she would need for the 4 day trip. She even packed a uniform, just in case. Soon the work was done and all that was left were the items there when she had arrived her first day.

As she was glancing one final time at the now empty room, Raven again felt a wave of sadness. She really would miss this Tower and the friends she had made. When this adventure had began, she had only expected to survive life with new friends. She never expected them to pull her out of her shell as they had. They had truly become her family in a way that she had thought only the Titans West could be.

Before her mood could deteriorate more, a small explosion could be heard from the kitchen, followed by strings of expletives in both English and Spanish. Ravens eyes went black and she teleported to the kitchen, ready to clean up yet another breakfast fiasco. She knew she should have made the breakfast.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX

Meanwhile, the day had stared at Titans West as well. Robin was the first awake as usual, and he was groggily in search of coffee. He had not slept well the night previous and though he would have liked the extra sleep, too many years of early mornings had trained his body that come the sunrise, it was time to awaken.

Besides, they only had a few more days and their team would be together again. It wasn't that he disliked Bee. She was an amazing fighter, but she was used to being the leader, and on more than one occasion she and Robin had butted heads. She was an excellent fighter, and the time was much needed for Cyborg and Bee to figure out their budding relationship, but the team was not the same.

There was a reason Raven had been his second in command. She had read him like no other. One look and she knew what he was feeling and what he needed from her. She didn't follow blindly. If she didn't agree, she let him know and she didn't back down just because he was the leader. She made him explain his reasoning before she would follow orders she was unsure about. And yet she would back him up with the same degree of stubbornness.

Though as this little experiment had gone on, Robin had been forced to look at other aspects of his relationship with the dark empath. Before this he had not realized just how much he had depended on her to help relax him. She was the calm, serene Titan that helped to keep his obsessive tendencies under control. Something about Raven always calmed his mind, made all problems seem solvable. Unfortunately these characteristics were not easily found amongst the young crime fighting sect. In this new team dynamic, no one had a calming effect. Bee and Cy were either fighting or cuddling up and laughing together. Star and BB were endless balls of energy that never seemed to stop. No one had a still bone in their body.

But that was all going to change. In four short days, Raven would be home and everything would be back to normal. At least for awhile. Change was coming. Anyone who looked at Bee and Cy could see that, but at least for awhile, his team would be together again.