-Flashback-

*Pant* *pant* *pant*, Beastboy took big gulps of air as he crouched in the training room with Nightwing. His leader stood there looking down at his teammate. He too was taking a few extra breaths, but not as much as Beastboy. He recovered sooner, then relaxed his body and stood at his full height.

Beastboy feeling a little self conscious, hurried to stand.

"That's it for today" Nightwing said before going over to the wall and grabbing two towels. He returned to Beastboy and offered one. He hesitated for a few seconds before looking at his teammate. "Can we talk Garfield?"

Beastboy looked at his team leader, not knowing what he wanted to discuss, but accepted the towel and nodded his head.

"Sure Dick, what about?"

"It's about the training that we've been doing this week," Nightwing said as they walked to the bench that was against the wall in the training room. They both sat down, and Nightwing tried to think of what he was going to say, and how best to word it to his friend.

"You've made some improvement in your hand to hand fighting, but I think you need to make a few changes." He looked at his friend's confused face, then prepared to give him an honest, but critical review of his fighting prowess.

"I think you need to find something different in your fighting abilities Garfield… you need to make changes and not completely rely on shifting into animals to fight our enemies. If your overpowered, or your shifting is disabled, you cant fall back on the physical fighting that your currently at" It hurt Nightwing to say this. Ever since he suggested one on one training between the team years ago, he'd notice a pattern that repeated itself when it concerned Beastboy. Gar always put up a decent fight to who ever he was partnered with, but close calls and undecided victors had been turning into defeats. He cringed when he thought of the remarks he make to BB before, when he didn't hesitate to point out his flaws and tell him to fight better. But now, after seeing Garfield perform in these spares, he had to take a different approach.

Gar was surprised as he sat on the bench, anger began to rise within him. But he pushed it down and tried to think about what Nightwing said. Raven used to tell him to always think about the situation and that he shouldn't jump to conclusions so soon. So he calmed himself and tried to think about his leaders words.

Nightwing had said that he should try to change his fighting style, what he really meant was improve it. Like it wasn't good enough. Before his anger could rise up again, his thoughts drifted to the rest of the Titans.

When they first became a team, Cy was already a force to be reckoned with. And as the years went by he grew stronger. His tech grew stronger. He was able to lift more, take more damage, become more efficient. His metal frame, his sonic cannon, his intelligence was always advancing. No one told him to improve, he strove to better himself and was achieving that every year.

And Starfire. After her transformation a few years ago, she too got stronger. Faster. More agile. She would always take a beating from their enemies, but lately she would brush attacks off and blow right through them. Her starbolts grew bigger, hotter, and faster. Maybe it was natural for Tamaranians to grow stronger, but she never slacked off. She was right there with the rest of the team, putting in effort to be better.

Nightwing? What couldn't he do? He was the only member of the team without powers or upgrades, but that didn't stop him. He trained to his breaking point, then trained to surpass that and more. When he wasn't leading the team, or doing the job duties of being the city's protector, he was training. Beating the villains with his tech, overpowering them with his martial arts, outsmarting them on the field. There was a reason he was the leader.

And Raven… Raven was limitless. With her powers, who knew were the ceiling was for her. Her vast knowledge of magic, her ability to fly, teleport, and heal grew stronger over the years. There was nothing she couldn't learn, train and adapt, and achieve as a super heroine. There was no magical book or artifact that she wasn't willing to study. No magic wielder that she shied away from speaking and learning from. Lately, she had spent a lot of time combing over any magical literature that she could find. No matter where she happened across it.

Then there was him. Beastboy. The shape shifter. Bear? Yeah. T-Rex? Sure. Cheeta? They're pretty fast. But was that it? He never questioned or doubted his powers. He embraced them and charged forward to make a difference and do good with them. But his team were growing in their abilities, and were passing him up. He couldn't stop the feeling of inadequacy from spreading in his gut.

Nightwing looked at his friend, and saw that Garfield was thinking over what he had said. He was ready for Gar to angrily defend his contributions to the team, and he was ready to try to simmer down their upcoming argument. But then Garfield stopped, and thought over what he'd been told. After some time, Beastboy looked over to Nightwing and said, "I'll think about it."

Seeing that Beastboy gave some kind of positive response, he stood up and grabbed his water bottle and towel.

"Thanks Garfield, I didn't tell you this to put you down. I don't want you to think I don't appreciate what you are on this team, our family. But ever since these new villains we've been encountering, I think this will be a good opportunity to see where you can take your powers. I'm willing to help you any way I can, and i'm positive that Victor would be too, but you need to be the one to take the first step. Think it over, come up with some ideas and let's see were that leads." Then Nightwing left, to tend to his responsibilities as the team leader.

Garfield slumped on the bench and let his mind wonder about what Dick said. Not much was coming to him, so looking around the training room, he got up and headed to his bathroom for a quick shower.

-Later-

*Clack* Beastboy leaned over and looked at the controller on the floor. It had fallen from his hands while he was playing the game console. He leaned down and hovered his hand over the controller and paused. After a few seconds, he picked it up and leaned into his seat on the couch. He placed both hands on the controller with a firm grip, but... It didn't feel right. It didn't feel like before. It was different. When he and Cy would game for hours, or when both of them along with Robin would try to beat each other at racing and fighting games. It didn't feel the same when he would sit and play alone to beat Cy's high score. He looked down at it, then up to the giant TV in the common room. So he put the controller down, turned off the TV, and headed toward the hallway.

He walked passed the bathroom, then the utility closet, then the guest bedroom that had once belonged to a titan. He walked until he stopped, and looked around to see where he was. He looked over to the lone door on the wall that read "CYBORG." He knocked.

"Come in."

Victor never locked his door, and wasn't bothered when someone needed him and interrupted what he was doing. So Beastboy pushed the keypad and the door swooshed open. He walked in, and saw his best friend sitting at his desk. Victor was looking at his laptop, he glanced up and after seeing Beastboy, said "Hold up BB, let me send this e-mail real quick." Then he returned to typing on the keyboard.

With Cy occupied at the computer, Beastboy looked around the room and remembered how it used to look. When Cy's room was just a table he used for a bed, and tools and spare parts lining the wall. Now... now it looked like an office. With papers, and binders, and a few computer that were turned on, cycling through computer gibberish. He walked over to the countertop along the wall, looking over the stacks of paper that were organized. He lifted one of them and read the title sheet.

"Thermal Reaction After New Installments" scribbled under the title, was a note from someone he didn't know. 'Great suggestion Victor, i knew you were the right person to go to on fixing our problem. Cant wait to meet up again and discuss the results. Peace.'

Cy was in STAR LABS, talking and mingling with scientists. He wasn't just a hero to them, but a genius and fellow pursuer in engineering and science. Victor had come into the common room one day and said someone from the lab had reached out to him. They wanted to pick his brain about some computer, or machine or something. But he was excited, and after a whole two days away, returned with stars in his eyes and appreciation from lab workers that he didn't get from the tower. Soon after, Cy was receiving projects and e-mails from the lab. But he didn't mind, he enjoyed it. He had a hunger for new things that their home wasn't providing to him. And before they knew it, Cy's future was just starting.

He remembered when Cy was in the garage, tuning the T-Car. When they would joke around, Cy would talk about the cool upgrades he was giving their ride. How after he was done, they'd go upstairs and play games and get into friendly arguments. Now... Now there were no more tune-ups in the garage. No more arguments about tofu and meat. The tower had long been settled, no longer needing improvements. The T-Car was already at tip top shape.

"Yeah BB?" Cy closed his laptop and gave Beastboy his full attention. Garfield put down the papers, making sure to place them exactly where they were before. He gave Victor a smile.

"Just wanted to see how my best bud was doing." He walked over to the desk and looked at his friend.

"Swamped. But nothing i cant handle." Victor said with a smile. "What about you, what are you getting up to?" he said as he leaned back into him office chair.

Beastboy realized he didn't have anything worth talking about and looked away to the computers against the wall. He looked around some more before returning to their one on one.

"Nothing." He tried to play it cool. Victor made that face, that face when he was trying to remember something. So Beastboy waited.

"Did you ever finish your collection?"

'My collection?' Gar didn't say anything. looking confused.

"Your comic collection. You were getting all the issues in your favorite series."

"... yeah. I finished it a while back." He answered with a frown forming on his lips. He turned away and said "Actually, i just remembered, i need to talk to Raven real quick." He rubbed the back of his neck and headed for the door. He turned and said "See you at dinner?"

Confused, Cy looked at his friend before saying "Can't BB, i just finished up these e-mails. Now i need to look over a few machinery manuals for the lab. Take a raincheck?"

"Sure, don't work so hard. See you later Cy." He said with a smile, then he headed out. He stood outside Cyborg's door and stared out into nothing. 'Did you finish your collection?' He leaned against Cy's door and slumped. Victor was working on some advanced forms of machinery, thermal whatever, and he asked him how his comic book collection was going... He felt like a real kid right now.

"Oh, Garfield. How are you doing this glorious afternoon?" Beastboy looked to Starfire as she floated above the carpeted hallway. He straightened up and put on a smile and replied.

"I'm doing good Kori, how are you?"

"Wonderful, I'm feeling much better after all the 'reading up' I've been doing." Beastboy looked down and saw the scrolls that Starfire was carrying. Scrolls? Had she gotten them from Raven. Seeing Garfield looking at her papers, she spoke.

"These are the royal practices and laws of Tamaran. It has been some time since I've read them, and i wish to relearn them." She told him shyly. Garfield looked at her, and remembered that Kori was royalty back on her home planet. Then, he realized for the first that maybe... maybe she would one day return to her home to lead her people. A knot formed in his stomach at the thought. He'd never thought that she would leave Earth, but if her people called... would she answer? Would she leave to take her rightful place on the throne of Tamaran? What about Dick, what about the team... what about him? He squeezed the knot down, and smiled.

"You'll memorize them in no time Star. And make sure to add all the cools things you've learned on Earth. I hope we left a good impression on you." She smiled and thanked Garfield before floating off towards her bedroom.

He started in the direction of Raven's room. But stopped. Raven was away, aiding the Justice Leagues magical department. The members of the JL had finally looked past Zatara's earlier remarks about Raven and were finally reaching out to gauge her knowledge and skill.

He headed to the roof.

-

He sat at the edge of the roof, and looked out to the ocean view. He watched the tide come in and the seagulls fly overhead. Why did he not see this coming. Why did he think that they would be the 'teen titans' forever. Other than a few new villians that came out of the wood works, trying to make a name for themselves, crime was lowering. Dick wasn't going to train in their gym forever. Kori wasn't going to experiment in the kitchen for years to come. Victor wasn't going to fix around the tower until they retired. And Raven... she wasn't going to read on the couch till they were old and grey. They had to grow up, they WERE growing up. But he just stayed right were he was all these years.

"Yes Garfield, i'll go out with you."

He remembered that special day. That day was the second most important day of his life. And he jumped and danced and spun. Hugged her till she growled at him, then he released her before giving her a shy laugh.

Would she get tired of him? Would she see that he was still the kid that she met all those years ago? No. He wouldn't let that happen. His family was growing up. He remembered the Bloodhaven newspapers on Dick's desk. Kori's calls to her home planet, then her royal paperwork. Victors visits to STAR LABS that were stretching from days to weeks. And Raven... he had practically pushed her to the Justice League. But he wouldn't mope, he would grow right along with them. He didn't have to change who he was, he didn't have to turn serious and stuffy. He just had to change and find 'something.' And he would. for himself and the others. For Raven.

-Flashback End-