This story is rated thusly because of graphic depictions of torture and violence. Mind you, it's cartoony Monty Pythonesque torture and violence, but torture and violence nonetheless.

Candy Coated Nightmare

Chapter 1: Sleepless Nights

Deep bags under her eyes and a lethargic gait signaled that not all was well with Starfire. The alien teen shuffled through the kitchen of the Teen Titans building, opening the refrigerator and peering inside sleepily.

"You look awful," came a voice from behind which jolted Starfire awake. She blinked and turned to face the source of the comment. The dour visage of her fellow titan Raven greeted her. A smile flickered up on the alien's lips, though it was a shadow of it's normal brilliance.

"I, uh, just have not been sleeping well as of late," Starfire stated with as much cheerfulness as she could muster, "I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern."

"Bad dreams?" questioned the gloomy titan probingly.

Starfire was a bit surprised at the statement. "Y-yes. How did you know?"

A dry smirk, barely perceptible on Raven's tightly controlled features, tugged at the corners of her lips, "I sleep lightly. As a result, I tend to hear things others may miss at night. Tossing and turning. The odd scream. Things like that."

Starfire's cheeks pinkened in embarrassment. "I hope I did not disturb you too much with my... nocturnal behaviors," she murmured sheepishly.

"Not too much," Raven replied matter-of-factly, "I'm used to the sounds of screaming." The dark haired teen folded her arms over her chest, "So, go on. Tell me about these bad dreams of yours."

A pained expression passed over Starfire and she sighed. "I... I can't tell you," she replied miserably, "Not because I don't wish to, but because I can't remember them. All I do remember is that... that there was something horrible there, in my dream. Just horrible!"

Raven pursed her lips gently, a light frown marring her face, "Mm. That is difficult. It's hard to resolve if you can't remember it."

Starfire waved a dismissive hand, forcing a smile on her face, "Please, do not worry. I'm certain the condition is only temporary. I will simply... wait it out."

Raven's eyes narrowed slightly and she opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by an alert klaxon. Moments later, Robin burst into the kitchen, "Raven! Starfire! Overload has attacked a robotics factory. Let's go!"

Without another word, the pair hurried out to join their comrades in arms.

Electricity arced through the factory as Overload began to meld with the assembly line, still chugging away through the chaos.

"We can't let him take control of the industrial robots!" Robin called out, "Cy, you and Beast Boy keep him occupied while Raven and I circle around. Star, you..." The Boy Wonder's voice faded off as the alien girl was no where to be found, "Where's Starfire?"

Said alien girl was fast asleep, nestled in a small nook. She snored loud enough to be heard above even the din of the factory. The other Titans just stared blankly for a moment.

"You just... stay right there, then," Robin continued, turning quickly back to the task at hand, "Titans, go!"

The four spread out and did as planned, Beast Boy transforming into an orangutan and trapezing through the mess of wires and pipes, harassing the electronic enemy. Cyborg pulled a large recycling bin from it's bolted position on the factory floor and hurled it at Overload. The electrical villain took the bait and turned towards the pair, batting angrily at them both.

Meanwhile, Robin and Raven managed to circle around behind the beast. Oblivious to their actions, Robin produced a small flare from his belt and lit it, sparks flying from the top as it burst into flame. He held it up and motioned first to Raven, then to a small fire sprinkler on the ceiling. Raven nodded in understanding and motioned out to the flare, her eyes glowing brightly as dark energy surrounded it and lifted it quickly towards the ceiling. Suddenly, the sprinkler erupted into a gush of water, others following suit as an alarm sounded. Overload screeched in pain as the water poured onto him, eventually extinguishing the electrical form, leaving only the small disc like core.

Water pattered on Starfire's head and she stirred in her sleep, murmuring quietly, "Ah, nothing is more pleasant than morning showers."

Again, this was greeted by a set of blank stares.

Back at the Titan's Tower, Starfire sat on the couch, looking both miserable and pathetic. After the police had arrived to take the disk away, the titans had roused their teammate from her slumber. It was quite an embarrassing ordeal for the alien teen.

"Star, we want to help," Robin said with concern, "Please, you have to tell us what's going on."

"I was tired and dozed off," Starfire replied lamely.

"In the middle of a battle?" Cyborg queried with an arch of his eyebrow, "That's not dozing off, girl. That's narcolepsy."

Starfire sighed heavily and ran a hand through her hair, "I'm deeply sorry, everyone. I must have been more tired than I thought. I... I haven't been sleeping well recently. Terrible nightmares."

"What kind of nightmares?" Beast Boy asked, snacking on some potato chips.

"I can't remember!" Starfire exclaimed unhappily, "All I can is that there was something terrible there, in my dream. I know nothing else."

Robin paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "Hm. Normally this wouldn't be much of a concern, but if it's affecting you badly enough to cause problems like today..."

"We gotta do something," Cyborg finished with a nod.

"Like what?" the green titan asked with an upraised eyebrow, "It's not like we can just go in her dream or something."

"Yes we can," came a voice as Raven stepped out of the shadows, "With this." In her hands was a small mirror.

Beast Boy blinked, staring at the mirror, "H-hey! Isn't that... uh... I mean, isn't that the mirror we used during your little temper tantrum, Rae?"

Raven grimaced at the green titan's description, but nodded, "Yes, it is. Although tuned to me, I can temporarily change it so that it focuses on Starfire. Sort of like changing the channel on a T.V. We can then use it to get into her dream and find out what's wrong."

Robin paused then nodded, looking towards Starfire. "Well, Star?" he asked, "Would you be willing to do this? I don't want to force anything; your dreams are your own. But we might be able to help."

With green eyes shining brightly, Starfire clasped her hands together in joy. "Oh, surely I am as gifted as the Running Voot of Davort Seven!" she exclaimed happily, "To have such friends willing to aid me in such a way! I gratefully accept your offer, friends!"

Robin smiled, "Great. We'll do it tonight, then. Get ready for bed, Star."