Disclaimer: See chapter one.

AN: This is the chapter I've been waiting to post. Out of all the chapters I have, I have 4 (maybe 5) that I've had written or ideas plotted down, that led to the development of this story. One was Roy's chapter on his drug addiction. This is another one. Hopefully you all enjoy it!

Chapter 11

He Who Rises

(Years after Trigon, Brother Blood and Tokyo; more than one year after Garth's death and almost a year since Starfire's leaving. Takes place 4-5 months after Chapter 10).

The crisp spring air was cool, refreshing and smelled like clean cotton in the early morning hours. The sand was wet and cushioned her steps as she trudged along the beach, feeling her cape billow out around her shoulders.

She was still in her uniform from the night before. A simple robbery that had backfired, had required her and Wonder Girl's clean up well into the morning daybreak light. The young woman - younger than Raven, she assumed by only a few short years - had retired to bed with drooping blue eyes and a giant yawn. Raven declined to join her.

Roy would be waiting for her. And she wasn't sure she could face him.

Kicking a pebble, she took a deep breath, testing her senses. She could feel everyone in the tower, cozy and sleeping fitfully - except for one. She didn't want to think about him either.

Their Christmas had been less than stellar. She and Roy had been at odds since Donna's arrival, so they didn't exchange presents, and he got drunk and fell asleep early. Beast Boy and Cyborg had spent time with the Titans East at the home Tower; she smiled fondly as she thought of Victor and Karen, cuddled up on the couch, warm colors of the glistening tree highlighting their features.

All she felt was warm love from the both of them. She hadn't mean to snoop in on them as she descended the stairs of the tower to the main room for a cup of tea, but seeing Victor happy, seeing Karen comforted, gave the empath a sense of joy that she rarely had in her life. Greedily, she drank it in, hidden in the shadows, and turned to let them have their privacy.

Robin didn't leave his room until much later in the night. And they had run into each other.

Neither of them could speak, staring at each other in the dark hallways of their shared tower. He was wearing a pair of ridiculous sleep pants from Star and she had just finished showering, and had changed into a pair of blood red cami and shorts sleepwear. Her hair was dripping wetness from her shower and she still felt the effects of Vic and Karen's romance. He looked cagey, wounded and ready to fight.

She hadn't expected anyone to be awake, roaming the halls at 2AM, let alone her former leader.

And then his eyes had caught hers', and everything hit the bottom of her stomach as his eyes turned hungry. And haunted.

Before she could think, he had her pinned against the far wall, both hands over her head in a lock that she couldn't - wouldn't - break. There wasn't anything but dead air between them. He had leaned forward to kiss her - she was sure of it - but had stopped suddenly, like a bucket of ice had fallen all over him.

She knew she shouldn't have wanted it as much as she did. She knew she should've pushed him away before he even touched her. She knew - somewhere - she was still angry at him, for abandoning the team after Star left, after abandoning her, but it had melted away once his hand had encased her wrist, and her hot back was pinned against the cool metal.

Then he pulled away, darted back to his room like a scared mouse without so much as a "sorry", and Raven fell into a heap on the hallway carpet, heart beating madly, and tears pooling into her eyes. She didn't know what it meant - was he lonely, did he really want her, was she just a substitute? - And she didn't want to know what it meant. It was just too painful.

Internally, she was thankful he hadn't kissed her. She couldn't bear that guilt if he had.

Since then, neither of them had been left in the room together. She pushed Roy further away, she threw herself into working more on old case files (since the city had taken an unexpected break from real villains), meditating, sparring with Gar, anything to distract her from the almost.

She continued to walk, and found herself at Aqualad's memorial, so lost in thought she barely remembered getting there. Carefully, she traced his name with her index finger, feeling the hard casing scrape the flesh of her digit. It distracted her, numbed her to the world around her.

"I hope you've found peace. Wherever you are, Garth."

Softly, she felt a tickle at her senses, and glanced up to the Tower's windows, seeing Roy's eyes from the distance away. She always had felt a connection to the man, opposite of anyone else. He was a burning, pulsating aura, which completely consumed her mind when he was near. And yet, his warmth and spice made her think of him as a fire - untamable, but comforting and wild. She felt strongly for him, she could feel her emotions inside of her rebel when she tried to deny it, but she was at odds with herself.

What she had seen when she had touched Donna, what Fate had shown her, was her decision. Did she let that vision come true, or did she take what she wanted? Did she give Roy his future, or did she make a new one for him?

Dropping her eyes, she walked to the edge of the ocean, and crossed her arms over her chest in thought. The vision was shown to her for a reason. It was shown to her, to make her understand.

But did she have to listen?

Not letting her emotions for Robin affect her, what she felt for Roy was different but just as strong. And as she had talked with Vic, she could be happy with Roy. She could see herself with him, forever.

But that vision was also very telling. And Raven was nothing but logical in most decisions of her life. Would it hurt just to be selfish, just once?

Just then, a splitting pain erupted behind her eyelids, like a dagger stabbing her through the back of her skull, making her scream out in agony. She dropped to the wet sand, feeling the water seep into her skin as she clutched her head in unbelievable pain.

As suddenly as the pain hit her, it stopped. Halting mid scream, Raven opened her eyes to look around, feeling an aura she had thought long gone.

Turning to the south, to the area her friend had last been seen, she saw a figure emerge, riding the waves like a professional surfer on a board. But this young man had no board, and the waters bowed to him like a craft to a master.

He reached the beach, dark eyes looking into her purple ones, and reached out a hand to help her up.

She went quickly, mouth open in shock. "Aqualad?"

Smiling, he nodded, before falling limply to the ground, head hitting the soft sand. She fell to his side, cradling his head in her lap. "Aqualad! Garth! Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

At first when he woke up, Robin was sure there was a fire in the kitchen.

He heard splashes, shouts, a strange sort of giggle, and then something that sounded like a soggy sock. But considering the alarm wasn't going off, and the Tower residents were being relatively quiet - for a bunch of metahumans - he assumed it was nothing more than an early morning breakfast food fight.

Until he walked into said kitchen, and saw Aqualad – at least he thought it was him, as his hair was into a strange high ponytail and he looked to have aged years - on the counters, Raven's cape under his head as Roy smacked his cheek lightly. Donna was running water, wetting a cloth and Beast Boy was rubbing his chin, pacing.

And Robin felt like he was in a dream.

"What the-" he muttered, voice still groggy. Raven's eyes looked up, surprised and worried. He looked away, remembering very well what had happened the last time he had been enthralled by those orbs.

"He's alive Rob!" Gar shouted, popping into his face. His hair was all over his head, he was missing a sock and was wearing only one glove. "He's alive!"

Placing one hand on to Gar's shoulder, he tried to calm the young man long enough to figure out how. Glancing to his friends, his keen eyes quickly took in the unconscious man's scratched face and arms, the long hair that was pulled high on top of his head, and the sheer tight muscles hiding under black fabric that wrapped around him like a second skin. That hadn't been the uniform he had been lost in.

His hair also hadn't been that long. He was also supposed to be dead.

The metal doors opened, and Vic approached.

"This better be good at 5 in the morning..." He said, trailing off, as he saw his team working around an unconscious Aqualad. A man he too thought was dead.

"What the..."

"Tell me about it," Rob remarked, pushing BB over to Donna who was applying the washcloth to their fallen friend's head.

"How?" Vic whispered, eyes taking in the scene before him. At Richard's shrug, he snapped into action. "Right. Roy, Gar, grab Aqualad. Raven, I need you to transport him into Medlab. Donna and I will meet you there to run tests."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Without warning, Raven waved her hands into the air and black magic encased Roy and BB as they held the limp man still. Donna dropped the cloth into the sink and kicked the fallen dishes aside, running to the elevator. Cy brought up the rear.

Robin stood, in the now quiet kitchen, wheels turning.

The sun was high before Robin moved from the console. He had been using all data to project Aqualad's course after falling into the ocean. He used charts, wind patterns, water currents, known migration paths of whales, dolphins and sharks; any information that he could think to find possible areas that Garth could've ended up.

Or how he had been saved.

Robin refused to give into the bubble of doubt, of anger, of disappointment in himself at not finding his friend - a fallen member of his team - and focused instead on his data. He could use data. He could prove somehow, in some form, he had been safe. Somehow.

He didn't think about how he had failed him; how he had failed BB.

He wouldn't think about Raven and what happened a few months earlier either.

In fact, Robin didn't want to think about anything. Nothing but data.

"And he lives," A voice joked behind him. Groaning, Robin glanced back at Donna and shot her an annoyed look.

"Har Har." He typed something else. "How's Garth? Is he awake?"

Moving to sit on the console beside him, Robin barely paid attention to the white tank top and jeans his friend sported. For some reason, Robin never noticed Donna like he did other women. "He's in and out of it. Raven is trying to reach him mentally. Beast Boy is losing his shit." They both snorted though they knew it was a serious matter. "That little dude is shouting orders, giving commands. If Cy hadn't shot him up with medicine, the poor little guy would be foaming at the mouth."

"BB and Garth were close. BB didn't forgive himself when Garth died. Well, disappeared." He clicked a few more buttons. "None of us did."

Clapping a hand on to his shoulder, Donna grasped it in comfort. Somehow she knew he meant himself too. "You know, I get why you asked me to join."

Raising his eyebrow and fighting back a smirk, Robin nodded. "Oh. And why is that?"

"It's obvious." She stood and floated into the air, legs curling under her torso. She had done that since she was a kid – lanky, thin and super opinionated. "You wanted someone here to kick you back into shape. You felt bad after Garth, if not terrible, and then Star left, and you were like, 'wow, what do I do now? Oh I'll call Wondergirl and she'll come kick my butt and I'll be good to go again'. But by you hiding, it isn't making my job easy."

Robin chuckled and hit another key, just to watch the screen change again. "You caught me. That was it. I need you here to get me back into the saddle."

"Duh," she winked. "But again, I can't do my job if you keep hiding." She tapped his forehead. "What's going on in there big boss man? What aren't you saying?"

Slowly his smile died away, and he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back into his chair. What was going through his head?

He couldn't figure out Garth's arrival and his failure to protect him.

He couldn't lead but he missed it. Batman had been in constant contact, telling him to take back control. Leading made Robin - Robin. But he still feared his failures would lead to his team's destruction. So he continued to let Cy lead. They were doing fine without him anyway.

He missed Star. Her constant bubbly personality, her naive nature, her black and white view of the world, her scent, her touch... he missed her. And there were days that it hurt to even think about her. And those days drove him near insanity because he couldn't stop thinking about her.

It was that type of day that had driven him to almost kiss Raven.

She looked as godly as Artemis, the Goddess of the night in Greek mythology. Her skin smelled like lavender, her hair was dripping wet, making her shirt stick to her and her eyes... they captured him.

He'd like to say it was because he missed Star that he pushed himself on to Raven. It had been almost a year since she had left, with only one call to know she was even still alive. He was a man, he liked women, and he could blame hormones or loneliness.

But he knew that wasn't the case and hadn't been for some time.

And that what was always going through his mind - how just the sight of Raven could undo him and how their link was missed more so than he missed Star.

But instead of saying any of this to Donna, Robin just shrugged.

"Right." Donna shook her head. "You know, Boy Blunder, you're human. You make mistakes. It happens. Wallowing in it isn't you, and makes for some nasty forehead wrinkles. You need to snap out of it and get back to being leader."

"Miss me huh?"

Rolling her eyes, Donna was saved from answering by the main room doors sliding open. Roy's tired face popped into view and waved Donna over. "Hey! There you are. I need your help in the Medlab."

Jumping up hurriedly, she landed on the ground quickly. "Sure! Be right there!"

Robin watched as Roy left and Donna just stared. Shaking his head, Robin groaned. "Unbelievable."

Donna shot him a dark look. "What?"

Gesturing to the door, to her, then the door again, he smirked. "What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Says the blushing warrior princess."

"Shut up!" She turned away, one hand going to her left cheek. It was burning.

"You have a crush on Speedy!" Robin yelled, as Donna shushed him loudly, as if drowning out his voice.

"Quiet! I do not."

"No?" Robin crossed his arms again. "Then what's with the flustered expression, Wonder chick?"

Robin watched, as one of the strongest women he had ever known, began to twist her hands uncomfortably. If it had been any other time or a different guy, Robin would've never let her live it down. But it wasn't and this was something else entirely. "I don't know."

Taking pity on her, her old leader stood and patted her shoulder. "Be very careful Donna. Roy has eyes for just one woman on this team. And unfortunately, it's not you."

Nodding, the Amazon sighed. "I know. And I try every day to get rid of it. But I can't help it. And he's just super nice, and really funny, and he has the greatest laugh." She trailed off, shaking her head. "Goddess, I'm a freak! Raven and him are basically dating, and here I am talking about her boyfriend!"

Robin snorted, ignoring his own guilt at making a move on the empath too. "Your secret is safe with me. Just be careful."

Making a mock salute at her oldest friend, Donna smiled. "Right. Because careful looks so good on me." Winking, she leaped into the air and took off to the medlab, leaving Robin to his musings.

Tara entered the visitor security pass into the outside console, her pale blue jacket wrapped tightly around her. The wind was fierce and the small island was normally colder than the rest of the mainland. She waited impatiently as the doors opened and she stepped inside, only to see Cyborg grabbing a few things from a small storage opening behind a metal door.

"Uh hi, Victor." Tara greeted uncomfortably. She couldn't place it but being around the members, save Beast Boy, made her tense and anxious. She knew Raven didn't like her, she knew Cyborg watched her and she knew Arsenal studied her. Wondergirl gave her a wide birth and only BB ever touched her - even with a brush of his shoulder to hers'.

All their actions just made Tara feel unwelcomed. But they gave her a pass to enter the tower – during strict visitor hours and only when the entire team was there - and they let her continue to hang out. She wasn't allowed to walk the halls alone nor was she allowed to look through doors or cabinets unless she had an escort. She knew it was because she was civilian and they were heroes, but for some odd reason she felt it was mostly because it was her.

"Hm?" The metal man said distractedly. He looked up, bright red eye honing in on her signature. "Oh Tara. Hi." He adjusted the box of items. "Hey listen, today is a crazy day. Maybe it isn't a good thing that you're here right now."

"Oh." She wrung her hands, feeling immediately stupid for not calling first. BB had always said she was welcomed and she just needed a distraction from her studies; Rock science dating and biology was often a hard course load for her handle. She had just wanted an hour or two to play video games and listen to BB talk about everything - the man had a gift for gab - but now she realized how unlikely that was to happen.

She even wore her favorite shirt; a shimmery blue top with butterflies. For some reason, she thought Beast Boy would like it on her.

Cyborg shifted his weight and sighed deeply. "It's not a big deal. Come on up with me. I'll get BB and he'll explain it to you." He waved her closer, noticing the sheer relief painting her pale face pink. He didn't know if this was the real Terra or not, but he could see the crush she had on BB. Who was he to stop it?

Of course he would, if she ever tried to hurt him - or the team - again.

Quickly, they shuffled into the elevator and landed on the medlab floor. He didn't stop to explain what was going on, but he moved into the room. Garth was lying on the far bed, Raven sitting next to him, both hands hovering over his unconscious face. Roy and Donna were mixing tubes together at his desk, following his strict orders of what to add to which tube. Gar was unfocused, sitting in a chair in the corner, watching Garth.

"Hey BB," Cy called out, handing the items off to Roy. The shifter barely blinked. He might've given him a bit too much sedative; but the kid needed it. Or really, Cy needed him to take it to let them work. "Tara is here. Thought you might want to see her and get out of your head for a bit."

BB shook his head, finally seeing the young woman standing beside his leader. Roy, holding the cardboard box looked between them, then to Cy uncertain. "Is this such a good idea?"

"Especially with a disabled teammate," Raven interjected, dark purple eyes sharp. Cy held up his hands. He knew both were just being cautious and protective of Garth; but Cyborg knew in his heart, he wouldn't let anything happen to his friends. Tara wouldn't have a free moment to try anything, even if that was her end game.

"It's fine. BB, take Tara upstairs and chill out for a bit."

BB opened his mouth to protest. Donna cut him off. "I'll come get you if anything changes." Her bright smile deflated Beast Boy's refusal and he stood, quietly.

"The moment he wakes up," he said to Donna as he walked beside Tara. Giving him her best "scout's honor" that she could, BB took it for it was and left through the elevator, blonde girl following only a step behind.

Roy whistled. "Anyone else think this is a bad idea?"

"Me," Raven muttered, closing her eyes to focus on Garth again. She began chanting, tuning the rest of her teammates out.

"I'm with Rae," Roy commented, unloading the items Cy dumped on him. One had the strangest claw on a head of a long cord; he'd rather not know what that was for. "She could be working for Slade. Or anyone else. And you just let her see Aqualad at his weakest."

"Trust me," Vic said, picking up a clipboard and walking to the giant electronic screen showing all of Aqualad's vitals. He began writing. "We'll be fine."

The TV was still on its blank black screen. When they had entered, Robin had excused himself hurriedly. Tara wasn't even sure he still existed never ever seeing him when she visited.

And since catching eyes with each other, Gar had felt something beastial stir inside his gut.

He was angry. Plain, red and furious.

"Want to play that racing game?" Tara was saying. Her voice sounded musical. It held back the beast for at least what seemed like minutes, but when she stopped speaking, it roared to life.

Beast Boy didn't know what it was. Only that it felt like the same pressure from when he had attacked Raven and battled Adonis. Did that mean he always had this beast inside of him?

What was he now? A fucking werewolf?

"We could play that battleship game Donna always beats Cy at? She said it was a lot of fun. That'd be something to take our mind off things."

Then it was there. A snap. He roared, louder than a lion, louder than a wounded wolf, and slammed his fist into the coffee table. It split into two halves. And his arm was long, hairy, and muscular with an ape's hand.

Tara stopped talking. He pushed himself out of the green sectional and took off to the ocean. He had to get away from her and the tower. He was angry, he was hurt, he was reeling, and he needed to breathe. He had to go.

Tara let him.

The medlab shook; once with the roar, then with the other loud collapse of something breaking. Donna and Roy looked up together as Cy punched in a few codes. Raven cracked open one eye and sighed.

"It's Beast Boy." She shut her eye.

"Should we go see if he's alright?" Donna asked. Raven shook her head.

Without looking to Donna, Cyborg continued punching in vital readings and codes. "Nope. Let him work it out in his own way. We've seen this before."

"You weren't the Naomi Watts to his King Kong," Raven deadpanned, earning a quick look from Roy. She'd rather not explain the details.

"He'll be just fine. Let's focus on Aqualad."

Raven hummed and her eyes snapped open, shocked purple highlighting her pale skin. "He's waking up!"

The remaining teammates rushed to her side, just as Garth's inky black eyes blinked at the harsh sterile hospital lights overhead.

"So you seem pretty upset," Terra said slowly, long blonde hair waving in the late winter breeze. She had chosen to be lax about the breaking of the yellow table back in the tower. Who was she to get worked up over it?

Gar was hurt. He needed to release it. Tara wasn't a meta. She didn't know what he went through. She decided to let him have his space and chose to understand his ways.

The wind was cold and he could see his breath, but Gar chose to ignore it and focus on the pain inside his chest.

His best friend – his old rival, his old teammate – was alive. He was back. He was safe and more powerful than anyone could've hoped to see of him.

But he had been gravely hurt. He had lost his memories. He had gained unknown powers.

And Gar couldn't help but blame himself. If he had just looked harder for him, if he had continued to search…

"Yea. Guess you could say that."

"Gar." Tara called out, and his green eyes lifted to look back at her. She was so beautiful, but it ached to see her look so much like the girl he used to know – and yet wasn't anymore. It ached somewhere deep inside. "What's wrong?"

He sighed, and crossed his arms over his chest, warding off the cold. His light blue sweater wasn't doing anything to keep the cold air of April on the coast from biting at him. He shook his head. "You wouldn't understand even if I told you."

He heard her shoes squish through the wet sand and sat on the driftwood beside him. She sat close and for a brief moment it gave him comfort. It gave him peace. He desperately wanted to just hug her, and feel like everything was ok.

But she wasn't the Terra he remembered.

"I might not understand, but it can't hurt to tell me, right?"

Shaking his head, Gar snorted. "You don't know the half of it." Telling the girl he used to love – and probably still did – something, wasn't just a moment of not understanding his situation. It was hurt that she couldn't understand – even when she had fought and played with Garth years ago. It hurt to think of everything lately.

But he needed to talk to someone. Cyborg was running tests on Garth, Robin was scanning all old reports and grids after Garth had been lost. And Raven was…

Well. She was doing Raven-type things. He didn't really feel the need to ask what she was doing. She just was doing it.

BB would much rather talk to Rae or even Donna, but having Tara right there, warm, open, and looking like she had the night they had snuck off for their first date made him feel homesick. So, he started talking.

"Garth died. Like a year ago. He was captured after Robin's birthday party, and Slade was behind it." He glanced up at the mention of the man that had done so much damage to them all – but she didn't even blink. "And he gave a choice to Robin. Either help Garth fight, or save Raven, who was falling into the water unconscious."

"He chose Raven." She supplied.

He licked his lips. "Yea. He chose Raven." He snorted again, turning to look at the sea. "I hated him for that. For weeks, months. I hated him. Because Garth was dead and he was alive, and he stopped me from searching to get him back. I hated his leadership, I hated his apology. I hated him." Anger stirred in his belly but had since fizzled out, blending into a cold, numb feeling.

He looked back at the blonde woman, that dark gross feeling in his stomach rising like bile up his throat. The same tidal wave of feeling that had hit him, standing on the beach, Raven leaning against him for support and Bee standing in front of him. Blocking the view to Garth's memorial. "But then, I started to understand. Rob, made a choice. He's human. He chose and it cost us a friend. But he made a good choice – the water was black, it was dark and we didn't know where Slade was. He couldn't risk us searching with a hurt teammate. I got that – later. But I think I would've hated him more if he had let Raven drown, and helped Garth defeat Slade."

Tara's kohl rimmed eyes narrowed. "Why is that?" Her voice wasn't more than a whisper. Every hurt BB had inside him was pouring out. Things, emotions, thoughts that he had let go were coming out, and he didn't want to stop it. He just wanted someone to confide in. He just needed to let it out.

"Because Raven is the best person on this team," he sighed, rubbing his left eye. He would never admit to becoming teary-eyed over the dark girl. "After Robin saved her, and she saved the world, we talked. And I got the inkling since then of how much she cared about him. How much she needed him. And I thought 'wow! This guy is lucky, he doesn't just get one great girl, but both of them'. And then he kind of pushed Raven away and something in her broke. Something that had been built, had been taken from her. And I don't know if you've ever seen something finally happy after so much hurt, break, but it's not pretty.

"And Raven isn't the type to just like someone. She has reasons and lists them on a paper. If you get into that circle, you've earned it. Robin earned it. Then destroyed it. And I've been jealous of how easily she gave everything to him, and how he just ignored it. I mean, Cy and I had to earn her trust and friendship. And hell, I still feel like I'm earning it. But Rob? He got it all without a thought or fight or broken mirror. So when she was healing, and he didn't leave her side, I thought 'well, it's about damned time.'. And I just wanted him to get how much she needed him. But he never did. And then I realized, I would've killed my best friend, if he had let Raven die. I would've killed him. Because she deserved so much more than what he was giving her, and her death would've been for nothing."

BB closed his eyes, willing that darkness in him to leave. "Rob made a choice and he learned to live with it. Now, Garth is back, and we all have to face that he failed him. That we all failed him. Again. And it hurts to know I not only hated Robin, that I would've killed him if Raven died, but that I didn't get nearly as upset when Garth died – and I'm so angry at myself for that."

The green man start to shake with sobs, and Tara, unknowing of anything else, wrapped him into her slender arms. Her pale skin clashed horribly with his green, but she held him. He gripped her shirt and buried his head into her shoulder, like a dog seeking comfort and cried.

She wasn't sure how long they stayed, but she refused to move until Gar didn't hold her like the world was the ending.

"This is the seventh test, Cy." Garth said tiredly. He was starting to think he was losing too much blood by the way Cyborg kept taking ounces from him.

And although it had been some time, he still felt at home around his friends.

"And we'll run like seven more, to figure out what happened." Donna quipped from behind the massive mechanical man. She was sorting papers while Cy was looking through his telescope. Roy was leaning on the far wall, watching.

"I may need sleep before that."

"As far as we know, you've been asleep this whole time." The brunette continued, pushing a few colored objects into Cy's hand. "So suck it up buttercup. You wanted our help. You've got it."

Garth sighed, but smirked all the same. He felt his face droop, stress and tiredness creeping into his pores. Looking to Roy, he raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. She's yours'?"

The brunette's cheeks flamed to a new shade of red and Roy smirked lazily. Cyborg looked up, red eye analyzing the situation before his mouth could open.

"Actually, I got the dark girl. But Donna is just as effective in shutting you up."

Garth's eyebrow shot up. He whistled low in his throat. "Raven, huh? And here I thought Boy Wonder-"

"Enough," Vic interrupted, earning a dark look from Roy and a curious glance from Donna. "Garth, I'm going to hook you up to a few other machines in the next room. I'll have Roy and Donna finish with the results in here." He stood, waving the young man forward. "And maybe you can tell me how it feels having a ponytail now..."

The two members walked into the connecting much smaller medlab room, and Donna was left with Roy.

They hadn't really spent time alone. He was normally glued to Raven's side, but recently, she had noticed their distance. Raven almost ignored him. Donna didn't understand why. And it wasn't really her business either.

She turned, lost in her thoughts, and tripped over Vic's stool. She began to crash forward, only to find two stiff male arms circling her waist, holding her. She held her breath and cracked one dark oceanic orb open as Roy peered at her in concern. "You alright?"

"Just peachy," she lied. Her heart was in throat and her palms were sweating. She couldn't explain the pull toward Roy, but knew it wasn't good. Hadn't Robin just told her to be careful? She had to ignore this - whatever it was - as best she could.

He let her go, taking the tubes of liquid from her hands. Some were Garth's blood, some were other samples mixed into it. Vic was trying everything to figure out Garth's increased power levels and newfound abilities. Donna and Roy had been enlisted to help as Raven was off searching the island, and Robin was on computer duty. BB was... well. He was healing.

"Thanks," Donna muttered, cheeks heating up as Roy smiled.

"Sure. Need help?" He gestured to the tubes and the far counter. She nodded and followed him, noticing the ripple in his shoulders as he moved, and the way she just barely fit under his chin. She hadn't meant a man in a long time that she didn't rival in height in her boots.

Carefully taking the tubes from his hands, Donna placed them into the spectrometer just as Vic had explained to earlier. Roy didn't move as she settled the machine and plugged in the right codes.

"Can I ask you a question?" He asked, suddenly.

Not knowing what else to do, Donna nodded. She heard him sigh and then pace. He had both hands clasped behind his head, and looking toward the sky, as if asking for divine answer.

"Am I not a good guy?"

Donna paused, red lips puckering. She cleared her throat and gestured to the room. "I'm not sure how to respond to this. It seems like a trick question."

He barely smirked. "You're a woman. You know how women operate." He was talking as if her words hadn't registered. "Women have never confused me. In fact, they seemed easy to read. I love women. Always have." He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "But Raven isn't like normal women. She's standoffish, then hot. She makes jokes, then goes stoic. And now, she wants us to stop seeing each other. And I can't help but feel, that I must not be a good guy." His burning eyes caught hers' and held them in a heavy stare. "So, am I a good guy?"

Donna had barely had any alone time with Roy, let alone bonding time. She had purposefully stayed clear of him without the group present because of her stupid body, and the emotions she was feeling for him. Maybe they went to the occasional bar for a shot of whiskey, but she never had more than one, and they always sat in silence at the bar.

But now, faced with a direct question, Donna had no choice but to interact with the archer.

"Well." she started, seemingly, thinking over his question. Truthfully, she was trying to be as non-biased as she could be. "I think you're a great guy, Roy. But like you said, Raven isn't a normal woman. And maybe, you need to understand that before thinking you did something wrong."

He opened his mouth, and then shut it, like a fish out of water. "So you're saying, I shouldn't think it's me, but maybe her, and focus on that?"

She shrugged. "Sure?" She had no clue if what she said was right; she was just trying to make it out of the conversation alive. That was her only hope.

Roy's face split into a blinding smile and Donna felt the urge to smile back. He was pretty cute when he smiled – he even got a small dimple on his left cheek.

"I can do that." He glanced her up and down, pretending to flirt. "You're pretty helpful, sometimes Princess." He winked and Donna rolled her eyes.

"Shut up."

The doors to the medlab opened, and Cy's grinning face popped back into the room. He waved them forward, like a kid with a new toy. "We figured it out!"

"How is he?" Robin asked as Raven turned from the window, watching as Tara encased BB into her thin arms. Her long cape was muddy with dirt and wet snow. Since Garth had woken up, Cy had tasked her with searching the island, see if anything would turn up with Garth's arrival to help them understand the situation more. So far, it hadn't.

She sighed. "He's hurting. More than one would think."

"Looks like your powers are amplifying." He commented lightly, bringing his cup of black coffee to the computer console. He had only left to change his clothes into something for bed. Night had descended before anyone could blink.

Raven remained quiet and pushed from the window. "No. You don't need empathy to feel his pain."

"I can only imagine how upset BB is," Rob replied, watching the steam rise into the air. He let his mind wander and looked over at his teammate.

She removed her cape and dropped it on to the living room floor, a soft splat echoing around them. The coffee table was resting to the side, ready for Cy to rebuild. Robin tried in vain not to look at her legs or the dangerous curve of her waist, he really did. But it was a losing battle.

Reigning whatever was inside of him under control, he began to push buttons on the console.

"Learn anything about Garth?"

He didn't stop as he sighed. He could feel her coming closer, sensed her, though it was muted. He desperately craved the bond they once had, but he couldn't push her about it. He couldn't even ask her about it. It was Raven's choice. And he would respect it.

"He says he was knocked out after Slade's final blows. He said he remembers bits and pieces of images. Lights, a few voices, a purple energy. But that's it."

Raven hummed, growing closer. Her hand landed on the back of the chair, brushing his naked shoulder. He stilled. "He also said it was extremely cold - even for his body. Perhaps, an arctic circle?" After he had woken up, Raven had asked the superpowered teen everything she could think of to figure out what happened to him - even using his memories to put together the story.

But it wasn't much of a story.

He looked back at the mystic, puzzled. "You think he was caught into something - a current and taken north?"

"Purple lights would indicate northern Aurora Borelis, right?" She rubbed her temples tiredly. "I've been through his memories. He can't remember anything else. He got his powers somehow. He was saved somehow. We just need to figure it out from his fragments."

"And quick. He wants to go back to Atlantis, and needs as much information before facing Aquaman." Robin shook his head. "He seemed pretty intent on getting back home."

"You believe he's holding something back." She said quietly. Robin shrugged, ignoring the urge to grab her hand.

"Why else would he be in such a hurry to get home?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Because he misses his family? He's been gone over a year."

"And aged three years. Something happened that he isn't telling us." Robin went back to typing on the computer, working a theory out with various researching tools. Raven looked at his back, arms crossed over her chest, hip cocked as she watched. She didn't feel like reminding him that she had already gone through the other young man's thoughts. Again. Apparently, Robin wasn't running on logic that evening.

"You should talk to Gar." She simply reminded him, leaning across the console to grab a folder. Robin glanced to her hand, then arm and nodded.

"I will."

"Good. I need to get back to the lab, to give Cyborg my findings." Without thinking, Robin turned in his chair and captured her hand.

The touch was blistering to the young woman, and her heart thudded painfully in her chest. Robin's sky-colored orbs were looking at her, daring her to move. Something in her begged to leave, that whatever was happening was not good. Whatever he was thinking wouldn't end well for her. But another, much bigger part, didn't feel like running.

"Robin. Let go of my hand."

"Does he make you happy?"

She didn't have to think of whom he was, that he meant. Or even why he asked. Licking her lips, Raven nodded. "Yes. Yes, he does."

He nodded and something sad seemed to cross his pale face. Without thinking, he leaned forward, and pressed his lips to hers' in a chaste display of affection.

But the zap was enough to knock the air from Raven's lungs. Pulling back slightly, Robin looked into her eyes, pushed one strand of purple from her grey cheek and smirked. "I'm glad Raven. You deserve it."

And without another word, he pulled away and returned to his work.

Raven didn't look back as she darted for the closest exit.

"Gamma rays." Vic stated proudly, as the team gathered into the small office beside the medlab. The same office he had sat in for three days while Raven healed from her coma.

"Like the comic shit?" Roy poked fun, earning a hard glare from their pseudo-leader.

"No, like the stuff that changes cell make-up." Gar responded. At the rest of the team's surprised looks, Gar smiled. "See, my family was good for something."

Donna snorted and Vic patted him on the shoulder. Whatever had been bothering him seemed to be lifted from his shoulders for the time being. "Right, gamma rays. Garth came into contact with some and it sort-of jump started his evolution."

"And body growth," Robin continued, looking at the charts before him. "You found residue in his cells?"

Vic nodded. "Not a lot, which meant it must've happened right after the battle with Slade. The rays hit him, encased him, he floated around, was rescue, then revived. When he was revived, he became conscious and came back here. The only memory that made sense."

Garth rubbed the back of his neck, feeling his skin tighten without water for a long period of time. "That's why I thought it had only been a few hours, when really it had been fourteen months."

"And why you look thirty." Roy quipped, earning a hard glare from his best friend. "You've got some greys along the temples, man."

"Shut up."

"So, now what do we do?" Donna asked. Vic looked to Raven for a response but noticed her in the far corner, shut off from everyone.

Letting her have her time, he shrugged. "We have no idea how this will affect Garth. But, we know how it happened. Now, we need to figure out who saved you."

"That isn't nearly as important as getting back to Atlantis." Garth interrupted, standing tall. His uniform was frayed, cut at angles and sides, covered in debris and dirt. His face was starting to wither from the lack of water. "I know I need to be there."

"We don't know how they'll respond to you coming back," Robin commented, leaning forward on to his knees. "They didn't even reach out to us when we communicated the news. We don't know what's going on down there. You could be not welcomed."

Garth smiled, face crinkling. "Aquaman took me in when I was much younger than you were with Batman. He's my father. He will want to see me."

Raven perked up in the back, eyes searching as her head tilt. "You're worried something happened to them. Something you're supposed to stop."

Garth looked back, then glanced to Cyborg. His startled look melted into determination. He hadn't been expecting Raven to pick up on that. Apparently, she had grown just as much as he did. "Unfortunately, I was showed something. A vision. I need to get home to make sure it doesn't happen."

"We can help," BB jumped into a sea horse, then his normal form. "We can help you do anything you need. You only just got back. We shouldn't let you do anything too big yet."

"BB is right," Cyborg reminded. "You're still healing."

"I'm fine." His dark eyes glistened. "The power levels I have are something that only a handful of people would understand." His dark eyes found Raven and smiled. "Raven understands, since she has full control of her gifts. With this level, I can sustain myself for much longer and after much more troubles." He turned to leave, only to be stopped by Roy.

"What did you see? Down there in the ocean?"

There was a tense pause as Garth shifted weight on his feet. Sighing, he said: "War."

AN: There will be more to this. I promise.

If anyone is looking for where I got Aqualad backstory or information, I'm basing this off of his changes in the comics (plus or minus a few things), and how his backstory relates to his current situation – saving Atlantis. This is Aqualad's coming of story arc in my head-canon. Much like Roy is on his way to his', how Robin is on his path, Raven is on hers', BB is going to be on his' soon, and Cy has maybe a quarter left of his arc until the "adult" comes. Donna, we haven't even touched her coming of yet, nor Star's. This about their life progressions, stuff I'm having way too much fun writing about.

Drop me a line and let me know what you think!

Peace