It was one month after the world had been saved from being enslaved by a megalomaniacal demon and his equally self-righteous twin sons. The Titans had tried with some success to continue on as if nothing major had happened but it was difficult. Starfire had grown attached to Noah in the day or so he had been in their care and was having difficulty coping. Cain and Abel's birthday was fast approaching and Beast Boy and Cyborg and Terra had insisted on throwing a party. Slade's rotting corpse was leaving a foul stench and Robin had demanded he find some way of getting rid of it. After being threatened by Cain, who had been threatened by Abel, he conceded into deodorizing every part of the Tower he had set foot in, which was limited to the living room and the hallway leading to the room he shared with Cain, who was the only one that could stand the putridity. And so it was that Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Terra planned the festivities, Slade patrolled the hallway and living room grudgingly spraying the air and himself with Oust while Cain kept a watchful eye on him and Abel balanced making sure Cain didn't try anything he would regret and comforting his hyper-emotional girlfriend, who was currently tearing up the room trying to find Noah.

"Starfire, he's not here!" Abel shouted as he barely ducked the mattress she had hurled over her shoulder. Her erratic emotions were making Abel feel queasy and it was hard enough staying on his feet without having to dodge his raging girlfriend's projectiles. She moved on to her dresser and swept the contents off of the surface. Her mood swung from blind panic to overwhelming grief. She fell into Abel and wept into his shoulder.

"He took him, Abel! Your future self came and took Noah!" Once again her mood took a dramatic turn and she grabbed Abel and slammed him into the wall. "Get out! I never wish to see you again! Leave!" Abel hurried out of her room and leaned against the other side of the door. Something slammed against it and he was knocked forward.

"Having fun?"

He looked up and saw Raven and Robin smirking at him. He got up and brushed himself off.

"Time of my life." He looked remorsefully at the closed door. "She's still hysteric. I don't get it, I knew she was emotional but I didn't think she would go ballistic. She threatened me with my life, for God's sake!" Abel rubbed his cybernetic arm and examined some of the scratches. A sudden wave of nausea came over him and he held his stomach. "I think I'm gonna be sick!" he said and ran off to the bathroom. Raven watched the door and also felt the hurricane of emotions raging inside. She rubbed her temples and looked at Robin. He was blinking his eyes and shaking his head. As they passed Starfire's room the wave strengthened and they hurried past it.

"Poor Abel…" Robin said as he ran his hand through his purpling hair. He had stopped using gel and his hair fell over his eyes. Raven brushed it away.

"You should comb it to the side…" He grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers.

"Since when did you care about appearances?" She pulled her hand away and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked.

"I don't. It's about practicality. How can you see where you're going if you've got a bunch of purple in your eyes?" Robin thought for a minute and grinned cheekily.

"As long as you're by my side I don't care if I see where I'm going." His grin broadened and Raven slapped him on the chest.

"You are such an ass." She said as she snuggled closer into his chest. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her on top of her head.

"I know, but isn't that why you love me?"

"If I wanted to date an ass, I'd try for Beast Boy." Robin laughed at this. As they passed the room that Slade and Cain were in they heard arguing and stopped to listen. Cain was shouting at the top of his lungs while Slade retorted in that annoyingly calm voice of his.

"And why not?" Cain shouted.

"Because, boy, you are not the one that resurrected me. It was your older self." Slade replied.

"What is the difference?"

"Maturity." Slade said with a laugh.

"How dare you?" Cain shouted, his voice deepening.

"I dare, boy." Slade said, unfazed by the sudden change of Cain's tone. There was a dull thud and Cain said something that couldn't be heard. The door slid open suddenly and Robin and Raven barely kept their balance. Cain glared at them reproachfully. Robin straightened and his lips tugged at the sides.

"Boyfriend trouble?" he asked. Cain's glare turned into a confused stare.

"I will let that pass." He said and pushed through them. Robin watched him walk down the hall and turned back into Cain's room.

"So, why is he still here?" Raven asked, pointing at Slade's motionless corpse. Robin shrugged and put his arm around her again, leading her down the hall.

"As long as Cain leaves him in his room, I don't really care." Raven pursed her lips and looked up at him. "What?"

"I figured as soon as you got the chance you'd want him in jail." She said

"Well, this is more fun. Killing Slade seems to be the only thing that Cain will willingly do, so I figure; why not take advantage of it."

"You're sadistic." Raven said flatly.

"I know, but isn't that why you love me?"

"If wanted to date a sadist, I'd date… well, now that I think about it, we don't know any sadists… except for…" she looked toward Cain's room and shuddered. "Actually, I never fingered you for the type to be a sadist."

"I wasn't until about two months ago, when we… you don't think it could be something to do with our connection?" he said.

"Let's ask Abel."

"Haven't you read the book of Azar?"

"Only half-way. Besides, he needs something to think about other than Starfire's mood swings. You'd think she were pregnant." Raven stopped when she said this. "You don't think…" Robin shook his head.

"Abel wouldn't do that. Well, not yet anyway. If he did I'd probably have to arrest him or something. Come to think of it we're underage too."

"Maybe we should have some handcuffs handy next time?" Raven smirked at his stunned expression.

"When's 'next time'?" he asked after he had caught up with her.

"Sometime soon, I think. In fact, I'm sure of it."

TT

Abel laughed.

"So, our personalities aren't being intertwined?" Raven asked. Abel stopped laughing and grinned.

"No, no. Our personalities are all intertwined."

"So, why are you laughing?" Robin asked with his arms spread at his sides.

"Because you don't know why you're girlfriend loves you! I don't know if that's a worldly funny thing, but I find it hilarious that you, a trained detective and mentally connected to her, don't know."

"I was screwing around, man!" Robin threw his arms up.

"I know. It's the prospect of you actually not knowing."

"Do you know why Starfire's so attached to you?" Robin retorted.

"Yes." Abel replied slowly.

"How?" Raven asked with narrowed eyes.

"We talked about it. It's because we're the only Tamaranians on this planet. At first it was simply primal, but expanded a bit. I really love her and she really loves me."

"I thought it was pretty quick…" Robin said speculatively. "Is there anything else we should know?" Abel shook his head.

"If there is, it's not in the Book of Azar. Anything else?"

"If our personalities are intertwined, who's the sadist?"

"Cain and I."

"Ah. You?"

"Yeah. If you'd been there when I killed Slade then dislocated and broke my counterpart's arms and shoulders and then threw Carthatagon into the wall, you'd understand."

"I'm scared of you now."

TT

"Do you really think we should invite the Justice League?" Cyborg asked.

"Not the whole league. Just Batman… maybe Superman… and everyone else…" Beast Boy answered

"It's Batman I'm talkin' about, dude. Robin's never mentioned him. Don't you think there's a reason?"

"Cy's right, man." Terra said. Beast Boy frowned.

"Should we talk to Robin about it?'

TT

"I don't see why not." He said.

"Really? It's just we figured, since you never talk about him, that you two might've been on ice."

"No. I've just had other things on my mind. It was Batman's idea that I come. I think he's even got a new Robin."

"Another you?" Raven said jokingly. Robin smiled at her.

"What are we gonna do about Slade?" Terra asked. "He's bound to know about him."

"I don't know…" There was a crash followed by a small explosion and then silence from the direction of Starfire's room. "Do you think we should go see if we can help?" They all nodded in agreement and headed off. When they arrived at Starfire's room they saw Cain leaning against the wall with a smug smirk on his face.

"What are you smiling at?" Beast Boy asked. Cain pointed at the door as it opened and Abel stepped out, his hair was untied and all over the place and the look on his face told them that he had done something he greatly regretted. He slumped against the wall and slid to the floor, burying his face in his hands. Raven rushed to the door and looked inside. Starfire was floating and glowing with crimson light. Her eyes widened and she stared at Abel.

"You…"

"Yeah…" his voice was a near whisper.

"What?" Beast Boy said impatiently. "What did he do?"

"He…" Robin began. "He altered Starfire's memory…" Everybody gasped and Cain's smirk grew into a sadistic smile.

TT

The Titans had taken council in the living room.

"Why? Why would you do that?" Raven questioned calmly. Abel closed his eyes and sighed.

"Her grief was tearing her mind apart. I'm still not sure what was making her like that, but it was driving her into a state of insanity. I went in and altered the memories of Noah, made her think he was Cain's son."

"What!" Cain shouted, but was slammed into the ground. He stood with a scowl and resumed his position against the wall.

"Abel, you know that you have to alter any memories that are connected to that one."

"I know. I also altered our relationship. Since I couldn't completely change what she feels about me I made seem like we're very close friends, and that I've been here since she came and Cain came a little while after she did."

"And Slade?"

"She still remembers him as being a manic sadist. I changed the circumstances of his presence here. I made seem as though Cain had killed and enslaved him."

"You seem to know what you're doing. Are you sure you want this?" Raven asked.

"I don't really have a choice now, do I?" Abel replied with a snort. "If I tried to take back what I did, both of our minds would be destroyed."

"What about what you said about you're attraction to each other being primal, because you were the only Tamaranians on earth?" Robin asked.

"I made it seem as though she had gotten over it, because of our age difference. I'd like to be alone for a while." He got up and left.

Abel sat on the edge of the roof, the wind tugging at his braided hair. He watched the setting sun half-heartedly; it somehow reminded him of what he had done to Starfire. Abel looked up slightly when he caught Starfire's sent in the air. He knew she sensed something was wrong and turned to look at her. He smiled at her and she cocked her head to the side, not entirely convinced.

"What troubles you Friend Abel?" she asked as she sat down beside him. She had noticed him wince and placed her hand on his shoulder. He gently removed it and stood.

"I don't want to talk about it…" he made his way to door but stopped at her voice.

"Is it because of Noah?" He drew in his breath sharply.

'It didn't work?' he thought.

"I know you had grown attached to him when Cain's older self had come to take him away…" Abel sighed.

"Yeah, Star. I'll be okay soon, I promise." Starfire pursed her lips and turned to watch the setting sun, when he had left.

"I hope so friend… I cannot bear to see you in so much pain…"