This is my first story, I hope you all enjoy!

Note: I may go through and revise some of this later, to correct any fragments or run on sentences ;)

Chapter 1: Routine

The sun persists into rising and it will be moments before Starfire will wake up and begin a new day. I sit at the end of her bed, starring at her clock. It ticks as the needle rotates, pointing at each number as it passes. Once the thin needle makes a rotation, the big hand slightly moves once, and once the big hand moves 60 times, the little hand will point at the number that comes next. I don't know how these clocks work, really, but all I know is when the big hand is on the 12, and the little hand is on the 8, that's when it'll ring and wake her up to start the day.

Right now, the big hand was on the 12, and the little hand was on the 7, which means the thin needle will have to make 60 more rotations. I was ready to get out of bed now, and I didn't feel like watching the clock anymore. So I jumped off her bed and walked out of the room.

The hallways were dark and quiet, but believe it or not it's common for the others to be up at this hour. Robin is usually up early watching the morning news. I would sometimes crawl in his lap and watch it with him. He is usually still in his pajamas, eating a bowl of cereal or a strawberry pop tart. If I'm good, he gives me half, and I don't hesitate to accept any offer of food. As a matter of fact, I eat anything that is dropped in front of me.

This morning was different. He broke off a tiny piece and placed it on the ground. I was about to give him a strange look but I couldn't resist. Food is food, and it was calling my name. I scarfed it down and he leaned over to scratch my back.

"That's it for today, you little rascal" He said "you're getting fat, remember?"

It's true, I've been gaining a lot of weight lately, so I'm not allowed to eat as much as I used to. The vet gave me a prescription for some special vitamins and recommended Starfire to feed me this special diet food that tastes terrible. I used to dread taking the pills, she would have to hold me down and pry my mouth open every night. Then she would bribe me into taking them, with sweet delicious bacon bits, in this case: the only good meal I have every day.

After when Robin left, I went to explore the tower some more to see if anyone else was up. Cyborg is usually down in the garage working on the car, shining it, changing the oil, and calling it his baby. I sometimes sit and watch from a distance as he makes several modifications to make the vehicle perfect. I sometimes think he's wasting his time, because I have never seen a single scratch on it.

Raven is usually up on the roof chanting her usual "azarath, metrion, zinthos." I never understood what those words meant or why she meditates upon them every day, but if she's not meditating, she's usually sitting in a dark corner somewhere in the house reading a novel or old tone. I remember going into her room once. It was so dark and scary inside. I didn't stay long because she discovered me and swatted my behind with one of her books. I never went back in there again.

And Beast boy…is never up. He's always the last one to get out of bed. When there's no combat practice, he'll sleep in till 10, 11, 12, sometimes 3 in the afternoon! Who knew a body could stay in a bed that long!

Well, I take that back. I have spent most of my life asleep, but that's because my species needs to rest at least 14 hours a day. Star and I sleep for about 8-9 hours a night. Then I'll take several naps throughout the day for about 2-3 hours. Most of the time is when they go out to fight crime but Starfire usually takes naps during the week and I always join her when she does.

Right now, I wasn't tired. I went to the lower level of the tower to see if there was anything productive to do. All the sudden, I find the mail sitting in front of the door. The mailman must have stopped by early probably to avoid coming into contact with me. The last time he saw me; I jumped on him, and started to lick his face. There was another time where I bit his leg real hard and it caused his britches to fall down. I think he's scared of me, but I wonder how he even gets on our small island every morning. There are no roads to connect the tower, and even Cyborg's car needs to use hover rockets to carry everyone across the water. Should it be impossible for anyone to get here?

I take the mail in my mouth and carry it to the main room. I've been trained to do that, because apparently owners do it with their dogs and Robin has somehow gotten me to do it to. It's a journey up the steps but I've been better at climbing them. I gently placed the mail on the coffee table in the main room.

I was about to go back into Starfire's room when the alarm clock rung, and she was finally getting up. I guess a lot of time passed when I climbed all those staircases. I darted in her room, jumped on her bed, and licked her face. She laughed as she rolled over and turned the alarm off.

"Good morning, Silkie..." She murmured as she reached over to stroke my back. I happily cuddled closer to her, allowing her to wrap me in her arms. Lying back down, she pulled the covers closer to her and buried her face deep in the pillow.

"I'm still tired" She whispered with a soft yawn. The alien princess closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

I like to get up early, and it bores me to death waiting for her to get up. She does this every day, because apparently she's too tired to wake up once that alarm clock rings.

I have developed a number of innocent-appearing ways to get her out of bed. First of all I would start to wail loudly, which never works because she'll just stuff her head underneath her pillow. Then I go for plan B: nibble all over her face. That sometimes gets her attention, but the best way to get her out of bed is to tug the edge of her nightgown, and she'll usually roll out of bed from there. It's strange though, because she used to be a morning person, but now she'll do anything to get as much sleep as possible. Let's face it; I'm her real alarm clock in the morning.

I bit the edge of her gown hard as I tried to get her up. There are literally teeth marks from where I've previously done it. She moaned softly and chuckled a little bit. Then finally, she threw the sheets off her and started to get up.

"Okay, Silkie" She laughed "you win...I'm up, I'm up, I'm up…"

She sits up and stretches out her arms, blinking a few times to adjust to the light.

"Alright boy" she said, standing up from the bed "let me go get dressed, and we'll get something to eat, ok?"

Once she got dressed I followed her into the main room for breakfast. The rest of the titans have assembled to eat together. Except Robin, who had already eaten, and left to go patrol the city. The aroma of bacon, scrambled eggs, buttermilk waffles, and syrup flowed through my nostrils. My mouth began to water and I hope they will share some with me.

Starfire flew over to the table and sat at her usual spot. Grabbing a plate, and filling it with the mouth watering food "Good morning friends!" she happily shouted before she started eating.

Cyborg turned from the kitchen and gave her a warm-welcomed smile "Hey Star! How's our favorite princess doing?"

"Good!" she replied "thank you Cyborg!"

I pass Starfire and look up at the table, my tiny eyes widen at the sight of the amazing cuisine. I wanted to burry my face into those pancakes, and scarf down all those eggs. Starfire noticed my desperate pleas and laughed.

"There's nothing here for you Silkie" she said "come on, let's go get some of YOUR food"

Yuck. That brown crunchy stuff that I had to revert to ever since the diet started. She stood up and walked over to the cabinets. She took the bag out and poured some into my bowl. It's not that bad, but it's nothing compared to the delicious meal she and her friends were having. It's not fair. Why do I have to diet in the first place? Just because I gained a few pounds doesn't mean I'm fat. I wanted what they were eating...I think I'm going through withdrawals...

But I eat the chaw anyways, because if I don't, then I'll have nothing. I was hoping to finish early so I could catch the table scraps. Unfortunately they finished before me, because the table was being cleaned, and the leftovers were stored away in the fridge.

I felt Starfire's hands clip the collar around my neck, attaching the leash that goes with it. It was that time of day again. "Come on boy" she said "let's go into town!"

I couldn't wait to see where we're going to explore today. She always takes me into the city at least once a day, but only if she wasn't busy with missions.

It was the best way to spend time with her; we would go to the park, the beach, the meadow, the pizza parlor. Sometimes one or two of the other titans would go with her. But I usually prefer that she's alone with me.

The first place we went to was the pet store in town, I have been in there several times, but I often get in big trouble for eating the merchandise.

As we walked inside the huge building, my nose was met with so many smells, that I raise my head to get the best whiffs possible. Even though everything sold is meant for dogs and cats, Starfire still gets things that I can actually use, like chewy toys, and biscuits.

When she had finished shopping, we strolled around town, and then she decided to take me to the park. It was unusually quiet today, probably because today is Monday, and everyone is usually at work or school. She walked me down the pavement and we would occasionally relax and observe the nature. I ate some bugs, chased a few butterflies, and rolled around on the damp grass, which was covered with morning dew.

Starfire laid out a picnic blanket under the shady tree and sat on it; I crawled in her lap, and observed the nature with her.

"Isn't it a beautiful day?" she asked me "I wish my friends were here to see this! It's so beautiful! If only it would snow, oh how I want to see it so badly!"

It's been an unusual winter this year. It's the middle of January and we haven't had any sign of snow yet, which was a huge disappointment to Starfire last Christmas because she is extremely fascinated by it. Every day, she would go outside and just play in it. Make snow angels, build snowmen and even catch the white flurry flakes with her tongue. I do hope that it will snow at least once for her this winter

I looked up at the sky and saw gray bulky clouds; I shivered as the 40 degree wind flew past us. I looked up at Starfire who didn't look cold at all.

We walked around the park a little more, and then on the way home, we stopped by our favorite ice cream stand, only to find it unattended.

Preparation for the winter here was drastic because the city's population is large in springs, summers and falls. But the hot-dog stands, ice cream shops, and even the popcorn machines were all shuttered and closed, many with cards notifying when it'll reopen. It's probably because no one wants to stand outside in this kind of weather, especially since it was cold outside.

Luckily, we found a coffee shop that was just around the corner, but Starfire tied me next to the lamppost because there was a large sign that read "No pets allowed" on the window of the restaurant. She went inside and I watched her through the window, she's never taken me here before, but it looked like she and the waitress were acquainted with each other.

I heard the commotion inside of the customers, probably stopping by for coffee before work, and they were folded over their cups, taking small sips of their hot beverages. Starfire came back out with her cup. I didn't know she was a coffee drinker. As a matter of fact, none of the titans are huge fans of coffee. But the aroma wasn't coffee; it was a chocolate chip frappe chino.

"mmm mmm" she said taking a few sips "these are so delicious!"

She unties me and walks me back to the tower, finishing her drink along the way. When we got back, she gave me the new toy she bought me at the pet store and I suddenly grew attached to it. It was a red rubber ball that squeaks every time I chew it. I have had hundreds of chew toys, but none of them last more than a week. She buys them because it keeps me from chewing on everyone's stuff. These toys are meant for dogs but it was her idea in the first place. The titans have thanked her greatly for that.

I played with my ball for a few more minutes and then I grew tired of it. It was now covered with teeth marks and slimy from my saliva. I nudged the ball near the corner of the room and decided to explore the tower a little bit. Nothing much was happening. The Boys were training in the gym and the Girls were reading and painting their fingernails in the main room. They were talking about some sort of movie that was supposed to come out in a few weeks, about some girl and her vampire/werewolf boyfriend. I'd expect Raven to be into movies like that, but apparently Starfires a big fan of it too for some odd reason.

As I continued to walk down the hallway, I started to feel real sleepy. So I went back into Starfire's room and took a short nap on her bed. I woke up about an hour later when she came in to dress out of her uniform from combat practice. When all the sudden, Boom! A blast of thunder is heard from outside and it started to hammer down rain.

I look out the window, and watch the raindrops fall from the sky and splatter on the ground below us. The river sways as the wind and the gusts carries and crashes it against the shoreline. Lightning flashes and another loud Boom shakes the roof. I find myself pressing against Starfire's leg for support.

"Aww it's alright Silkie" She said "it's just a thunderstorm, were safe in here"

She closes the blinds and carries me to her bed. We lay there in the dark for a few minutes. But the lightning still illuminates the room. She strokes my back as I cuddle closer to her. For some reason, I have a huge fear of thunderstorms. I've been trying to overcome it, but somehow I never did. Although when I find myself, snuggled up to her, listening to her heartbeat, I always forget what is going on. Starfire always finds a way to calm me, especially with her scent, her heartbeat, and the warmth of her chest. She pulls me closer and kisses the top of my head. I leaned up and licked her in the face.

Once I started to get comfortable, the alarm goes off in the tower. The room starts flashing red, and that only means one thing: There's trouble going on in the city. I didn't want her to leave but she did. Without a word I heard her sigh as she rushed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. As she left, I remember what she was wearing, and the air in the room started to get cold. Even though it wasn't snowing yet, it must have been around 20 degrees outside, and I was concerned because she didn't even leave without a sweater.

I crawled off the bed and peeked out of the window. The T-Car was already hovering across the stormy river with everyone in it. I wonder who they're about to face. Control Freak? Cinderblock?...Killer Moth?...

Anyway, while they were gone, I did some exploring and wandered inside the kitchen. Lately, I have been practicing my refrigerator opening skills, and yesterday while they were out, I was finally able to do it! Poor Starfire gets blamed for everything I chew up, spit up, or throw up, so she's the one who gets stuck with cleaning up my messes.

I promised myself I would be more careful next time but when I went to open it I found it childproof locked near the top where I couldn't reach it. Now I have no way to open it at all...that's just great.

A few hours pass and the titans come home. Starfire happily flies in, covered in a purplish-red goop from head to toe. This usually indicates they were out fighting plasmus again, another typical but easy bad guy to take down. The rest of the titans walk in and take off their dirty and wet coats. Most of the thunderstorm passed, but the worst of the storm occurred while they were out. Cyborg leaned over the table wiping his face with a rag

"Glad that's over with" He said "fighting that guy gets old after a while..."

Raven floated it and lowered her hood "at least it didn't take too long" She said "it was freezing out there…"

I heard Raven's voice shivering once she said that and I noted her hugging herself for warmth. I looked over at Starfire who was barely dressed for such weather. Her casual uniform wasn't enough, and I don't understand how she could have easily survived that. Beast boy was the last to come in, and when he did so, he glided past the other titans and patted her on the back, hard enough that he almost knocked her over

"Way to go Star!" He shouted "You totally creamed that blob!"

Cyborg perked up "Yeah!" He shouted "we wouldn't have done it without ya, girl!"

Starfire blushed and looked down at the floor below her "Thank you guys" She chuckled "it was nothing, really..."

She looked exhausted as she flew over and leaned against the couch. Robin looked over at her with a concerned look on his face.

"Star, I want you to dress warmer next time" He said

Starfire looked up at him "But Robin, I'm not cold.." she murmured, but I could tell she was. I saw her trembling when she said that.

Robin sighed "Please listen to me" He said with a serious tone "it's for your own good..I don't want you getting sick, alright?"

She always says that she's not affected by earth's radiation, but a long time ago, when they were fighting the brotherhood of evil, she got separated from the titans and collapsed in the snow. Starfire has lived here for years, so she's starting to get used to earth's radiation and culture. I've noticed an improvement in her grammar and she's less naive that she once was. If you ask me, it seems as if she's becoming a different person. The curious alien princess is becoming more sophisticated.

She looked up at Robin, gave him a small smile, and nodded her head slowly, accepting the promise he wanted her to make.

"Okay" she said quietly.

Robin smiled, happy that she was listening to him "Good" He said "Now then, I'm headed back down there to file the police report, do you want to come with?"

"No" She said "I want to stay."

"Okay, well I should be back before dinnertime." Robin said

"Alright" She whispered "Sounds good."

Robin looked around and realized the other titans had left the room. At times like these he would try and make a romantic move and he's always the first one to do so. They usually only smooch when they are alone, but I've seen them do it lots of times. Starfire always happily goes along with it, but that's another thing-I noticed that she's always the first one to pull back, never making their moments last too long.

I remember a few months ago when they first came home from Tokyo, She and Raven had a conversation in our room while they helped each other unpack. She told Starfire that since the relationship was now official, she needs to be careful. Robin will start becoming more hormonal. In other words, if push comes to shove, she needs to be the one in control if she ever felt like he started pushing things to where they shouldn't go...if you know what I mean by that.

But now, they were going for quite a long time. Then, after about fifteen seconds she uttered a weak moan and I watched her legs twitch and stumble forward. Robin reacted and instantly caught her, both looking slightly surprised. Starfire had a dreary look on her face as if it completely took the energy out of her.

"Whoa!" Robin shouted "are you alright?"

"Y..Yeah" She said weakly "I think so"

"Sorry about that, I guess I got carried away..."

"No It was me"

"No Star, it was my fault. I should have been more careful. I'm so sorry..I'm just uhh, gonna go now.."

As he babbled, he backed away from her with an extremely embarrassed look on his face. He stumbled and fell backwards after hitting his heel against the couch. He quickly got back up and scratched the back of his head, and then he turned to leave without saying another word.

I looked at his face when he left. He was mildly blushing the entire time. The love-struck embarrassed look was also quite common around here and it only happens when he's around Starfire.

Starfire watched him go with a surprised look but she smiled and decided to relax on the couch. She starred off into space for quite some time. At first I thought she was fawning over him but..No. She was frowning and her eyes were droopy. I may have been mistaken but she also looked like she had some trouble breathing. She took a few deep breaths and the sudden sensation went away, then she picked up the remote and started to watch TV.

I started to get worried but I assumed it was nothing. She looked fine now, and I wasn't concerned anymore. I curled up in her lap and watched one of her favorite shows with her, and this is what we did for the rest of the afternoon.