NOTE: I am back! I know it's been a while and you guys may not remember who I am anymore but I will try to refresh your minds! Well, this time I am back…with a vengeance! This story is the last part of the Trilogy that started with "Secrets of a Traitor" and continued with "Trust", so if you are going to read this, you may want to read these two stories first. They are not that long and not that boring, I can assure you that much.

SUMMARY: Star defeated Slade. Red X sacrificed himself for Star, and Robin and Starfire are finally together. Yet, things are not as they seem. Shadows from the past come to haunt the Titans down, especially Starfire…and then Robin.

DISCLAIMER: Don't own the Titans

Modified the last paragraphs 04/19/05

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RED SHADOW

Prologue

"It has been almost a year since our dearest friend died. He vanished in the air after he gave his life for us. A year has passed since his presence taught us the valuable lessons of life, love, death and trust. He was different from all of us. He may have been the same age as us but he acted like he had lived longer than we had, and he probably did. Never gave up on his dreams and achieved his goals, even if that cost him his life and, at the end, it did. He was willing to give his life for the one he loved, so he gave his life…for me"

Starfire flew upwards, her eyes and fists glowed a bright green. She was furious. Her gaze was upon those who had caused them so much pain. She was going to destroy them, no matter the cost. Robin knew this and it hurt him. Starfire had changed so much since Red X had died for them. She was the same caring and loving person around them, but when the time to battle arrived, her attitude changed entirely. She was merciless, feisty and sometimes even vengeful. Starfire hurt when she fought, and Robin hurt along with her as well.

"What happened to you, Star? When did I allow this to happen?"-Robin thought

Robin and Starfire had been dating for a year now and sometimes even Robin could not assure that he knew who Starfire was when she was battling. However, he also knew she could not control herself even if she wanted to. Robin could recall all those nights on the roof when, after a bloody and miserable battle, Starfire would cry her eyes out regretting how much pain she had inflicted on the criminals they fought. Robin would be there to comfort her and bring her back to reality. The reality he liked; the reality in which Starfire acted like a hero, not like a murderer.

It was as if she was avenging Red X in every criminal they encountered. Like if she was trying to make Red X's death worth the pain and the sacrifice. Even knowing that Red X had not being forced to die and took the decision by himself, Robin knew that the circumstances made Starfire feel guilty about his death. Even though she had not found a cure for his disease, Robin knew she believed she could have done something more for Red X. In everyone else's eyes, including Red X's, she had done what she had to and maybe some more. Unfortunately, in Starfire's eyes, she had failed Robin, she had failed her friends and she had failed Red X. In her eyes, it was all her fault.

"Starfire, hang on!"-Robin yelled

Robin had lost himself in his thoughts so much that he had not realized that Starfire was loosing control over herself again. She was recharging after eliminating many of the new and mysterious enemy's henchmen. He had to calm her down before she hurt herself again.

"I can handle them, Robin"-Starfire said

"I won't leave you alone"-Robin said

Starfire ignored Robin's reply and began charging her starbolts. Her gaze went from one henchman to the other. She then started to blast them one by one. However, this was not enough. Whenever she blasted one, two appeared on his place. She blasted those two and four came out. As strong as she was, she was being outnumbered.

"Leave…me…alone"-Starfire said

She began blasting the henchmen faster and with more strength. She had begun alternating starbolts with eye laser beams. She was not going to allow them to win. Not this time. Starfire screamed to recharge.

"Starfire, stop!"-Robin yelled

Robin ran towards an angry Starfire while he tried to get her attention. He knew that, as soon as she lost control, it was going to be hard to stop her. Last time she rampaged this way, Raven had to constrain her with her powers to keep her from hurting innocent bystanders. That time she had hurt BB as well. Robin was very close to Starfire now; he could hear her grunt every time she threw a starbolt. She was getting tired but she was not going to stop now. Some henchmen ran towards Robin and he easily stopped them by using his always reliable Bo Staff.

"Get out of my way!"-Robin yelled

Robin fought every single henchman that got in his path to save Starfire. He was attacking them without even thinking, his main goal being to get to Starfire and get her out of the trance she was falling into. Finally, Robin was able to stand below her and began calling her name. She did not respond.

"Darn it"-Robin whispered

Robin saw Starfire stop what she was doing and their eyes met. There was something in Starfire's eyes that did not belong to her. She was upset, at something; something that Robin had not seen. Starfire prepared her starbolts and aimed at Robin, she then threw her starbolts at him. Starfire sent an attack to Robin's direction.

"Starfire, no. It's me Robin!"-Robin screamed

Robin was too concentrated in trying to get Starfire's attention that he did not notice when one of the henchmen had aimed his gun at his back. Robin turned but he had not enough time to react to the attack, yet at the end, he did not have to. Starfire's starbolt had hit the enemy, saving Robin's life. Robin's eyes widened to see the man behind him stumble down to the ground and die right on the spot. Starfire had saved him, again.

"She wasn't going to attack me"-Robin thought

Robin felt ashamed of what he had thought about Starfire just seconds ago. He had doubted her. He had feared her and feared for his life. He had felt threatened by his girl. It was then that Robin realized that he had lost all trust in her. His feelings had not changed, but his fear had been greater than his love for her just seconds ago. It was time to make it stop.

"Starfire, that's enough!"-Robin yelled

"I am not finished. The enemy is still present"-Starfire said

"I'm not asking you that, I am ordering you to stop now"-Robin said

"But Robin, I am almost done, if perhaps I was allowed t--…" Starfire could not finish her sentence. One of the henchmen blasted her with a gun and Starfire began falling. Robin ran towards her and caught her just in time. Robin reached for his communicator and informed the rest of the Titans, who were in another place in the docks, that they had to retreat. Robin did not think Starfire was severely hurt but he did not want to take any chances either. In seconds, the Titans left the docks and, as fast as the Titans disappeared, the mysterious henchmen did too. Robin carried Starfire to his R-cycle and drove away from the scene as fast as he could. He stopped a few miles away from the docks and called to check on the rest of the Titans.

"Did it happen again?"-Cyborg asked

"Almost did"-Robin answered

"We are on our way to your position. Be there any minute"-Raven said

"Roger, out"-Robin said

Robin laid Starfire on the ground and examined her carefully. She had some bruises and some scratches but she was fine. Her hair was a little bit messed up. Robin used his fingers to comb Starfire's hair and while he was at it, he found a big and bloody bump on her forehead.

"When did you get this, Star?"-Robin thought

Starfire reacted at Robin's further examination of the bump and opened her eyes. She blinked several times and focused on Robin's face. He smiled at her and placed her head on his lap.

"Are you feeling ok?"-Robin asked

Starfire moved her eyes from his face and examined her own body. She was glad that everything seemed to be in place and nothing was broken this time. She then looked around her and saw that they were not at the docks anymore. Robin had moved them to the side of the road in the middle of nowhere between the docks and the city.

"Did I…hurt someone?"

"No, relax. You did well"

"Where are the others?"

"They are on their way. Are you hurting?"

Starfire did not feel any unbearable physical pain. Sure, some scratches itched and she needed a shower but there was nothing to worry about; nothing to worry Robin about, that is. She felt so miserable. She had not been herself in battle lately and Robin had suffered along with her. How could she hurt him like this? How could he deal with the same situation over and over again? He should have been tired by now. Even though she could not see his eyes she knew Robin was extremely concerned and somewhat afraid. It was then that Starfire realized he was still awaiting her reply.

"I am not hurting, Robin. Are you ok?"-Starfire asked

Robin smiled and helped Starfire stand up. Robin hugged Starfire with all his might and realized how fragile she felt in his arms. Regardless of the acts of outstanding heroism she had performed in the past, Robin would always have the necessity of protecting her from everything and everyone. Though sometimes he felt that he was the one who needed protection and that she was the one willing to protect him until death. This last part being the one he was most afraid of.

"We need to talk Starfire. This situation cannot go any longer"-Robin answered

Starfire nodded, not wanting to break the moment. She felt so secure in his arms. It was moments like this that she felt nothing could stand in between them. Moments like this made her feel that she could defeat anyone and anything to be able to end up in his arms one more night. Moments like this made her life worth the pain and the nightmares. He was the reason why she got up from bed everyday and she was the reason why Robin got out from bed as well, even if she did not know about it.

The communicator beeped and the Titans informed Robin that they were a couple of minutes away from them and that they would had been there in no time if BB had not forced them to stop so he could get lost in the forest and "go". Robin told the Titans that they would get ready to join them as they arrived so they could all make their way back home. It was the fifth night in a row that these mysterious henchmen appeared and attacked with no other apparent reason but to wake the Titans at the middle of the night and break their slumber.

"I have a visual of you. Don't stop the T-Car, we will follow you"-Robin said

In seconds, the T-Car passed right by them and Robin and Starfire followed on the R-Cycle. After half an hour of driving, the Titans arrived to their giant "T" and parked their vehicles in the garage. All five of them used the elevator to get to the living room and felt happy to be home. Cyborg went to the kitchen to make himself a "light" snack before "hitting the sack". Raven said she needed a shower and made her way to the bathroom. BB was too tired to make something to eat so he limited himself to take his tofu leftovers to this room, putting all the content of the dish on his mouth and tossing the empty dish somewhere in his way to his room. Robin told Starfire that he would cure her scratches so she should go with him. Starfire agreed and after finding the first aid kit in Starfire's room, both of them made their way to the roof.

Once on the roof, Robin carefully cleaned Starfire's scratches and bumps and paid special care on her forehead. Starfire winced a little but Robin reassured her that the small pain was part of a greater relief later on. Starfire knew it; this was not the first time she had gotten hurt in battle lately. It was as if she was becoming less alert every time they fought. She knew this was not good news for the Titans as a team as they had to be watching over her and some of them have had gotten hurt in the process.

"I am sorry"

"What for Star?" Robin asked without stopping his job of curing her.

"I am sorry for becoming a burden to you and to the team"

Robin knew she had somehow become a burden to the others but not to him. He was willing to sacrifice his life for her and saving her would never become last in his list. However, he knew that something needed to be done before Starfire's rage was uncontrollable and brought their doom. Robin sighed and kept putting bandages and band-aids on Starfire.

"You know you will never become a burden to anyone, especially to me"

"You just say that because you do not want to hurt my feelings"

"Do you really think I see you as a burden?"

"I do"

"Then don't. You should know better than to think like that. You know how I feel for you and what it means"

Starfire blushed at Robin's response. She should have gotten used to Robin expressing his feelings for her in one way or another but she had not. Remembering all the situations they had to go through in the past to be in the place they were now was painful. All the problems, all the misunderstandings, all the lies, all the distance between them had made her suffer back then but had rewarded her now with his love and his presence. She was so incredibly lucky that she was afraid her happiness would end any moment. She had always being afraid of that.

"Regardless of what you say Robin, I do know that my attitude in battle has not been the best. I have risked your lives and put you in unnecessary danger"

Robin finished curing Starfire and held her hands. He examined her face as to try to figure out what was really going through the Tamaran's mind. Her eyes did not glow as usual and her face was covered in sadness. Robin hated to see his girl this way.

"Thank you for your help"

"Don't worry about it"

Robin cupped Starfire's face with his hands and rested his forehead on hers. He closed his eyes and concentrated on her presence; the presence of the real Starfire, the caring Starfire.

"Star, I have being thinking about this whole situation and I have made a difficult decision"

Starfire did not like the way he spoke. He spoke seriously and concerned. "You did?" This was the only reply Starfire could come up with.

"Yes, and before I tell it to you, I want you to know that every decision I make is for the well being of the team and its members"

"I understand, Robin" Starfire said while she deeply sighed, expecting the worse. "What is it that you have decided?" Robin touched her lips with his fingers and sighed.

"I also want to let you know that, in this particular case, I also took us in consideration to make this decision. Can you keep this in mind?"

"I will" Starfire answered and grabbed Robin's hands and removed them from her face. She wanted to see Robin's expression when he gave her whatever news he had for her. She wanted to read the truth of the words from his face. Not even his mask would cover him from expressing his true feelings to her. She could see right through him and he knew it.

"Starfire, I think it is better for all of us and especially for you if you…take a break…from the team"

Starfire stared blankly at Robin, trying to process what he had just said. She heard "take a break" and "better for us", but not in the correct order. Starfire's eyes filled with tears and she collapsed to the floor on her knees. She thought Robin was breaking up with her and that he did not want her near them any longer.

"Do you want me to leave the Tower?"

"No, no, no…Star, look at me" Robin answered and got on his knees in front of her. He held her by her shoulders and gently forced her to look at his face.

"I don't want you to leave the Tower and I don't want you to leave me. I just think you need a break from crime fighting and maybe get some help to overcome whatever it is that is making you…" Robin stopped. How could he tell her that she was going crazy and that she needed to see a doctor to calm her down because he had failed as a leader and as boyfriend in trying to make her feel better?

"Loose it?" Starfire finished and Robin slightly nodded.

"Y-yes, I want you to get help…professional help. I have done everything I can but it's not helping. I want you to get better, we all want. Do you understand me, Star?"

"I do, Robin. I know it is for everyone's best. I do not want to suffer anymore either"

Robin hugged Starfire and allowed her to cry on his shoulder. She was officially out of the Titans. She had to take care of herself to be able to take care of the others. When did she allow this to happen to her? Again, she felt, this was all her fault.

"I want you to stay here. I will go with you tomorrow to see a doctor. We will get through this Star. You will get better and I will be with you all the way"

Starfire's sobs became less deep and she hugged Robin back. She had to get better for him. She had to get over her nightmares and her fears. She had to get over the fact that Slade had tried to kill her twice, that he almost succeeded in both attempts, that an innocent life had being lost in the path, that she and Robin had said and done mean things to each other. That she had failed Red X on finding a cure for his disease, depriving him of the life he so much deserved. And most of all, that she had willingly and ruthlessly killed Slade, and even though he was dead, he still haunt her in her dreams and she still saw his face on her enemies. Starfire needed to bury that past along with his feelings of despair once and for all.

"I will do it for you, Robin"-Starfire thought

Robin stood up and helped Starfire stand up as well. It was late and both of them needed to rest. Robin held Starfire's hand and pulled her to the door that lead inside the Tower, not before pushing her to the wall and kissing her for a long time. It did not matter how long they had being dating, kissing her always felt like the first time. After they had kissed for a while, both of them abandoned the roof and Robin walked Starfire's to her door.

"Are you sure you will be alright?"

"I will. I just need to rest and so do you"

"I will see you in the morning then" Robin said while Starfire opened her door. He did not miss the chance to kiss her again before she went inside her room. He put his hand on her back and pushed her against him. She had to hold onto the doorknob so she would not fall during the kiss and after it was done she only smiled and blushed.

"Good night, Robin"

"Good night, Star"

Starfire went inside her room and closed the door. She went to her bathroom and took a quick shower and, in no time, she was fast asleep on her round bed. She was too tired to even be afraid about her recurring nightmares, yet this did not mean that she would not have them tonight again.

Robin's last thoughts were of Starfire. He always thought about her before he slept, and tonight was not exception.

Titans Tower became silent; silent as the night that surrounded the giant "T" that our heroes called home.

TBC…

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AN: This is only the beginning but I must tell you that this story will be very different from the ones I wrote before. You may also see some OCness but remember that this story is a culmination of two previous stories in which the Titans have changed and evolved. This does not mean that I will make Robin wimpy or Raven a sweet girl or Starfire a bi#$. Think of the plot and characteristics as what it is: a development of the characters based on the two previous stories. Thank you for reading, hope you like it and see you soon!