All right. Since we, hopefully, hooked people into the story with that last chapter, we'll give some clarification for this one. This story draws from the Teen Titans cartoon and the comics, both pre and post-Flashpoint. The original five Titans are in their twenties by this point. The chapter titles are going to be named after songs, shows, or movies. Also, please review. We own the rights to nothing of this story.

'Happy Trails' is performed by Dale Evan Rogers

They weren't teenagers anymore; they hadn't used that particular adjective for some time. Cyborg had already moved onto the Justice League and most of the other original members, including the honorary Titans, had been offered positions amongst the world's premier superhero team. Some had accepted, others formed their own teams, and others yet had gone solo. Robin, after he had become Nightwing, had been one of the first members of their team to be offered a place with the League, but he had turned them down for the opportunity to mentor the young metahumans and others who sought to become heroes. Raven, Starfire, and Changeling, formerly Beast Boy, had decided to assist him in this venture and they had spent the past several years putting together a complex network of teams of young heroes and heroines as well as training them. The intent was not to encourage youths to endanger themselves, but to guide them, knowing they would join the fray regardless of any sanctioning from their elders. By becoming involved with the new kids who sought to enter into the life of heroics, they were training them, teaching them how to survive, and how to save lives.

Nearly a week after the discussion about forming a new team, an emerald spider monkey was ripping through the drawers within Changeling's room, sloppily tossing suits and other clothing into the open duffel bag. Bounding over to the cluttered desk, the small primate began to collect various knickknacks that littered it before leaping to the bag and depositing his prizes. With a slight grunt, he sprang to the shelf filled with a wide range of video games, movies, and shows that he began to pick through, setting a number of them aside. The process was interrupted by a soft knock at his door.

"Garfield, may I come in?"

Hopping to the floor, the monkey changed into a heavy-bodied boar and teased, "Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin."

The door pulled open, revealing a less than amused Raven who leveled a peeved stare at her teammate until he returned to his human form. He grinned at her as he set a stack of discs in his bag and waved her in. "What's up, Rae?"

Naturally, the team had matured since their time as teenagers. Changeling had grown taller and sturdier, gaining several inches on Nightwing but not nearly as heavily muscled. He had discarded the old Doom Patrol uniform for a short-sleeved white suit with purple patterns around the waist and the sleeves. His claws had grown out and he now wore fingerless glove and forewent footwear entirely. Verdant hair was still a complete and utter mess lacking any form of organization, but he preferred it that way. The sorceress appeared much the same as she had in her youth though there were a few more curves to her figure, a more serene expression, and a more regal design to her outfit. Her hair had grown out, reaching beyond her shoulders. After Cyborg had left for the League, the pair of them had ended up bonding, becoming regular confidantes. It was a peculiar symbiosis, but one that worked out well for them especially since the morphling had toned down the constant flow of jokes.

Raven appraised her friend as he continued packing before she said, "I still detest this plan, Garfield. There's something else going on, isn't there?"

He paused and while his smile didn't fall, it lost some of its jovial gleam, "Just trying to right some old wrongs."

Stepping further into the room, she laid a comforting hand upon his firm shoulder, ceasing his actions for a moment as she softly chided, "Garfield, you were young. You didn't even realize what you were doing, so stop with the blame and self-pity."

"Ouch," he winced with a smirk, "Not afraid to cut to the quick are you, Rae?"

"I've found that if I don't get right to the thick of it, you're likely to lose focus," she returned, crossing her arms over her chest. It was faint and very few would have been able to distinguish it from her usual flat tone, but Changeling's ears twitched and his smile brightened as he heard the teasing note to her voice. When she spoke again, the tone was gone, "I'm still not sure that I approve of this idea, Garfield. Individually, they are powerful foes-"

"Potential foes," he interjected.

"-but I prefer not to dwell on the possibilities should they join forces to wreak havoc. I'm fairly certain that it would end poorly for you," she finished as though he'd never made a comment. At her final sentence, he stopped, clutching at his side as he stumbled back from the drawers he was rifling through and groaned.

"Ooooohhh. Right in the self-esteem."

"I'm being serious, Garfield," she snapped, annoyed by his antics. The organization and cleanliness of his room aside, it was something of a flashback to their earlier years and as he met her eyes, he was consumed by an almost overwhelming sense of nostalgia. He smiled at her, not his typical cheeky grin or a mask to hide his inner turmoil, but a true representation of the joy and contentment he felt. Taking a step forward, he surprised the short woman by pulling her into a hug that she returned after only a second's hesitation. The physical contact amplified her already impressive empathic abilities and she was soon awash in the unique multitudes of her friend's emotions. Training from Mento had instilled him with rather impressive psychic barriers, which had astounded her in their early days and prevented her from touching upon the sorrow he kept buried in his heart, but he released them as he held her close. Bittersweet was the best way to describe the torrent that flowed into her, seasoned sadness accompanied by an intrinsic joy with life and its continuance. There was a sliver of fear, nervousness at the new journey he was embarking upon but it was not without excitement, an eagerness to seize upon this new chance. It was all followed by a heady swell of affection that Raven had found every time she managed to touch upon his emotions.

They stayed like that for a few seconds before his psychic barriers were back in place and he released though he did give her shoulder a gentle squeeze as he promised, "I'll contact you regularly and let you know how everything's going. I swear, I'm going to be fine."

"No reason to ruin the only respite I'm going to get from your constant prattling. Though if you do get yourself hurt . . . I swear upon Azar, Garfield, that I will patch you up just so I can kick your ass."

Content with the warning, she turned and exited the room, her cloak swirling behind her. Garfield laughed after her though the sound wasn't entirely certain. "That's a good one, Rae. Cause you're joking, right? Right? . . . Rae?"

She was already gone or otherwise ignoring him and when no comment returned to his query, he sighed, "Oooh boy."

Returning to his packing, he began to gather the photographs and frames scattered about his room, detailing everything from his time in Africa to the barbecue they had hosted just last week for the future champions of justice. Starfire was quite the shutterbug as well as ridiculously photogenic and she was more than happy to share the snapshots that she had managed to capture. As he piled them into his bag, careful not to bend any of the unframed pictures or break the simple frames, he couldn't help but smile at each and every one of them. He paused for an instant as he found a picture of Raven with her 'children.' Against her wishes, Melvin was a member of one of the teams while both Timmy and Teether were impatiently awaiting their opportunities to follow in their adoptive sister and mother's footsteps. The picture had been one that he had commissioned the Tamaranean to capture on the sly; a shot of a sleeping Raven, tired out from a hectic day with her surrogate brood who were piled along and atop her. As he placed the photograph into his bag, there was another knock at his door.

"Friend Garfield? Do you need any assistance in packing?"

He called back, "I don't, but you're welcome to come in, Star."

"Excellent."

His door opened to admit the ever-hovering extra-terrestrial who peered around his now Spartan domicile. She gave a sigh, "It shall be most sorrowful to see you leave. You make this place brighter."

"Please," he disagreed, "That's all on you, goldie. Just make sure you keep doing so or Miss Doom and Mr. Gloom are gonna sink this place in darkness."

Giggling at him, she swooped down, collecting him in a tight hug that temporarily cut off his ability to draw breath. Regardless, he returned it with as much fervor as he could though after a minute, he tapped out on her shoulder blade. Out of all of them, Starfire had probably changed the least in regards to her physical aspects except for Cyborg. She had grown, only their absent member standing taller than her, and her form had only become more alluring. After doing a photo shoot for a modeling agency on a whim a few years back, she was flooded regularly with generous offers to make another appearance by a number of different companies. Her outfit was designed to facilitate her solar absorption abilities and did little to hide her figure. Despite the, according to several groups, scandalous outfit, Starfire somehow managed to maintain a pure almost innocuous nature. Finally, she released him, dropping him to the floor and he took a moment to decompress his skeletal structure.

"Yep, definitely gonna miss that," he said, popping his spine.

"I'm presuming that is not all that you will miss," she noted slyly.

He stared at her for a moment, pursing his lips before wagging a finger at her, "Star, you're too witty by a half. Presuming you're thinking what I think you're thunking. Thinking? Yep, thinking."

"I am thinking of a particular deep affection for a certain-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Stop right there. The walls have ears. And eyes. Sometimes noses, too, but that was a very weird night, and that soymilk might have been a few days past its expiration date."

"I wish you would tell her," she pressed.

He shook his head, "She doesn't need that sort of complication in her life."

"So you're running away."

Her tone and features expressed obvious disdain for his choices, and Changeling turned away from the emerald eyes, unable to meet them as he shuffled his feet against the carpet of his floor. Rubbing the back of his neck, he blew out a breath and retorted, "I'm giving myself a chance to find somebody else, Star. To figure out what I'm really feeling. You know?"

Their gazes met again and Starfire's eyes softened slightly as she nodded resignedly, "While I still disapprove of the reasons behind your decision, I do understand your why."

He smiled softly at her and nodded, "Thanks, goldie."

She hovered there for another moment before returning the smile and capturing him in another tight hug that he returned with as much force as he could muster. They were the positive members of their team, the bright and shining who refused to let their own shadows rule them and tried to shed light into the lives of their friends and loved ones. It was left to them to maintain optimism when nobody else could and to remind the others that there was more to the world than just its dark, hideous side. When they actively went to train the teams, it was often them that the younger heroes turned to when looking for compassion. After they learned that Tamaran was a planet placing a heavy emphasis on its warrior culture, most revised their hope that she would go soft on them in combat practice. After a moment, they released each other, smiled, and stepped apart from each other before Starfire floated away. He smiled after her before returning to the task at hand.

Ten minutes later he was ready to leave and he struggled for an instant before managing to get his duffel on his shoulder while remaining standing. Heading towards the door without toppling over, he triggered the door to open and nearly walked into his friend and leader. With a yelp, Changeling nearly toppled backwards before Nightwing grabbed a hold of the straps of his bag and helped right him. Giving a sigh of relief, the shape shifter nodded to him in gratitude, "Thanks, dude."

"No problem. Looks like you're all ready to go."

He nodded, "Yep. I was gonna fly out there."

"Weren't you always the one complaining about how your powers make you work out too much?" he arched an eyebrow.

"Dude, squeaky wheel. What's up?"

"Well, I figured I would offer you the usual advice and warnings. You know, the usual leader stuff," he grinned.

"Thanks."

"So, make sure the team trains. If they start to splinter, you need to give them a common enemy. In most cases, this will be you. Even if you doubt your decisions, don't let them see that. Be sure of what you're saying, what you're doing. Lead by example. Don't take advantage-"

"Dude," Changeling clasped the former protégé of the Bat on the shoulder, "I got it. Look, I've spent the last decade watching one of the greatest commanders in history do his stuff."

Nightwing smiled and nodded at the statement, but before he could express his gratitude, the green man continued, "And Captain Kirk continues to inspire, even to this day."

Shaking his head at his friend's antics, he offered his hand and offered, "Well then. Good luck, Gar. Remember that if you ever need a hand, we're here for you."

Shaking the hand of his dark-haired friend, Changeling beamed at him, "Yeah, thanks."

With his farewells completed, he headed down the hall, morphing into an oxen to better facilitate the carriage of his luggage.