A/N: I'M BACK! Finally. I haven't been dead, I just had the worst writer's block in the case of the world. But it's over and this is the result. Rated for gore and a lot of implications. And yes, it's completely based off of the My Chemical Romance song of the same name. Which means there isn't much of a happy ending. I warn you now.
"Hello, Gotham City Police, this is Kori Anders speaking," she spoke into the lifeless gray phone on the large oak desk. In her tight white button-down shirt and khaki skirt, the auburn haired girl was a long way away from the original job she held as a member of the Teen Titans. Not even the large green eyes held a place for the Starfire that once existed. To Kori, that was now just another person in her mind.
The days at Gotham City Police Headquarters were dull and very routine. Just answer the telephone and act more like a receptionist than the personal secretary for the chief of police. And once phone call number fourteen was over, she got the 'exciting' task of sorting files. Yesterday, she got to re-alphabetize the Ga's-Go's. Today was Go's and onward.
It was in the Gr's that she found something of interest. The file belonging to a Mr. Richard Grayson. The name both struck a nerve and sent chills down her spine. It also brought back memories she preferred keeping locked away tight.
By eighteen, she'd learned the ways of Earth well and had matured past the naive fourteen year old she had been upon entering Earth. The Titans were drifting apart and were on the verge of disbanding. What made her actually leave though was walking in on Robin and some girl doing things she was certain she would never see him do. A broken heart was enough to fuel a hatred of the teen years. That way, at thirty, there'd be no major regrets. Just say you hate someone, never speak to them again... it's the easy way out. She couldn't take any more pain in her life.
Still, curiosity had always been beyond her control. Kori peeked at the file, astonished by what she saw. Richard Grayson had a file. In the past year he had 2 DUI's (driving under the influence), one which led to a car accident and paralysis of the person in the other vehicle. To think goody-boy Robin had actually started drinking. It just seemed beyond him. It made her wonder, if she had become so vastly different, then what had happened to the Boy Wonder?
At 5 o'clock her boring old work day was through and she got to walk through the cold winter weather to her dump of an apartment ten blocks away. It was the biggest disadvantage to her job besides the constant pick-up lines from the officers. It also occurred to her as she left the building with her jacket, purse, and scarf that the skirt had not been a smart idea.
By the third block, it was fairly dark and creepy in the busy Gotham streets and her legs were numb. Her flat slide-on shoes also made her arches feel like hell. The caffeine buzz that usually kept her feeling alive until she got home had worn out two blocks ago too, which is why she decided to take the turn down East Fuller Street to go to the nearest Starbucks.
As the once-alien was turning the corner on to East Fuller Street, she was knocked over into the freezing snow by a tall man wearing all black. Grumbling, Kori attempted to get up before she realized she was no covered in the gray slush found so commonly on city streets in the winter.
"You could at least say sorry," Kori snapped, trying to clean off her ruined khaki skirt. The stranger had dark, neatly trimmed hair that looked like it had been cut just a few days prior. He turned as if ready to respond, yet both suddenly froze up.
"Starfire," he whispered. Kori's eyes were suddenly fourteen again, eating up the once handsome features of Richard Grayson. The man was still quite thin and muscular, yet their was a desperation in his blue eyes that hadn't been there when he took his mask off at seventeen.
"Robin," Kori replied just as awe-struck, standing up again. It was then she realized that he now had the height advantage over her. "I was just thinking about you. Where are you going in such a hurry?"
"Uh... well, just come with me. If you're...uh... not going anywhere important," Robin spoke, drawing out an awkward choice of words. "I know a place not too far from here..."
"I have not seen you in twelve years and you expect me to leave with you at a moment's notice. I must tell you that is an extremely peculiar situation," her strange drawl of English suddenly came back.
"Uh, sorry, it's just that it's been so long. I figured we should catch up a bit. You've definitely changed," Robin commented, looking the woman over. She was still in an awfully uncomfortable situation, especially concerning the now drenched skirt in the freezing air. Still, the feelings she had at fourteen hadn't gone away and being in a warm car with her ex-boyfriend would be a lot better than being in the cold.
"Alright," Star smiled, moving quickly alongside Robin. She continued looking over his still youthful features when she noticed the large black backpack he carried. It was obviously filled, she just didn't know with what.
Robin stopped at a black sports-car parked alongside the street. He even bothered to open the door for her. At least he still had a little class. It was silly to see Robin driving a real car instead of his motorcycle. Even at eighteen he relied solely on it.
The interior was a tad less impressive than the sleek exterior. It was clean, but on the floor was a mess of cd's and assorted articles of clothing. Tucked into the rear-view mirror was a picture. Starfire snuck a peek at it as Robin was getting into the car. She was surprised to see it was a picture of the two of them at seventeen, when they had actually been dating.
It was hard for her to believe they had actually dated because the relationship was so short-lived. After about two weeks of perfection, he tells her they can't be together because every psycho-villain was going to use this against them. It was the noble hero speech. It wasn't long after that when Robin started bringing a different girl home every night and Starfire gave up on love entirely.
Robin sat comfortably in the driver's seat, turning the car on and takign the car out of park. Yet the speed he took on had an edgy feeling that surrounded and worried Starfire.
"I like the picture very much," Starfire commented quietly. Robin smiled, his eyes never leaving the road.
"It's pretty much the only thing I saved from the Titan's days. So what have you been doing in the past twelve years?" Robin asked.
"I got a job right when I left in the police office. I transfered to Gotham at twenty-one and I'm now the secretary for the chief of police," Star spoke softly. Robin's hands clutched the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles pale white. This reaction didn't go unnoticed by the Tameranian woman. "And you?"
"I went to live with Bruce Wayne for a while. After he died, I became president of his company and inherited everything. Nowadays, I'm kind of on permanent holiday until I get my head cleared. I've been a mess lately," he still hadn't taken his eyes off the road. They were out of the city now and approaching Cedar Hill Park, one of Star's favorite spots. "And have you found someone?"
"Truthfully, no. I dated a few people but, well, it didn't work out. And you?"
"The same."
"You seemed to be quite the womanizer when I left," Starfire commented with a glare. Meanwhile, Robin parked the car at the gate of Cedar Hill Park.
"There's a pair of jeans in the back-seat on the floor that would probably fit you. I'll be out by the gate," Robin left the car, his face uptight and serious. Star turned to the back-seat and grabbed the pair of jeans hesitantly. She slid them on and left the soaked skirt in the car. She hated to think of whose jeans they were.
Once Starfire vacated the car, Robin began silently walking. She followed with caution, noticing he still had the backpack with him. Still, she knew the park pretty well if a situation did occur. He led her to a dark grove of trees where she usually sat when she was here anyway. There was a picnic table beneath the tallest tree and Robin sat down on it, motioning for her to sit beside him.
"Star, I still don't get it. Why did you leave? The Titans still had a few good years left in them," he murmured, a bit of bitterness left in his voice.
"No, they did not. We all hardly knew each other. Friend Raven and Beast Boy were sharing a room, Cyborg was never home, you had a different woman every night, and then three was me, poor pathetic Starfire who was still caught up in all she had to learn," tears stung at the edges of her wide green eyes but she refused to let them fall. No more tears for him.
"I didn't know you knew," Robin spoke quietly, placing his head in his hands, then running his fingers through his hair. While Robin was starting to break down, Star's temper was flaring up.
"Why do you think I left? I saw you and some girl together and it hurt me. It still hurts," she had practically yelled at him, but by the last word she was full-out crying, as much as she didn't want to.
"I'm so sorry, Starfire," he whispered. She couldn't respond, she just kept on crying. Robin pulled her close to him, letting her sob into his shoulder. Both knew they had never stopped liking the other and both knew that was exactly what kept them from being with other people.
Starfire stopped crying and moved her head a little higher to the crook of his neck. She kissed him once there, then led a trail of kisses up to his mouth. He kissed her back with a passion they had only known once before, that time they were together at seventeen. His hands were now around her waist and hers were in his hair.
Things were getting a bit heated when they both began to hear the sirens. Robin stopped everything and looked around terrified. Starfire stared at him, a wave of fear sweeping over her.
"What is it?" She asked him, her voice almost two octaves higher.
"Come with me. We need to get out of here," Robin took her hand and started running back to where the car was parked. They reached the car and Robin hopped into the driver's side and turned the car on without a word to Starfire. He just sped down the road like something was after time.
"Robin, what is going on?" Starfire questioned, fastening her seatbelt. At the speeds Robin was approaching, it was a wonder he didn't have his on too.
"You asked where I was going in such a hurry. Before I met you, I robbed the bank on that street," he admitted coldly, taking the car to a dangerous speed.
"Why?" Was all that she could mutter.
"I don't know. Maybe just to understand what being alive was for a minute. I really don't know," Robin's eyes had taken on the cold distant look again that was usually accompanied by the word slade. Starfire didn't know what to say or do anymore. The Kori Anders side of her head said to get out of this situation before she became an accomplice. The Starfire half said stay with him and protect him for all the times he protected her.
She didn't' have any time to make a choice. The car was speeding furiously on the deserted road. She had no choice but to stay with him.
"I'm sorry to drag you into this, Star. If anything happens, just get out of here. Just know, I love you and I always have," he was looking at Starfire now instead of the dark road. She smiled, even though she was terrified out of her mind.
"I love you too, Robin," she whispered and he returned the smile.
And the next thing either of them knew, the car hit something. Starfire felt herself thrust forward, but still managed to see Robin bashing into the windshield. The car had completely stopped moving and all was quiet except her shallow breathing.
In a desperate attempt, she found his wrist, checking for the pulse that no longer existed. Kori bit her lip, trying to hold back the hot tears that were about to escape again. If anything happens, just get out of here, Robin's words came back to her. Before leaving the totaled car, she managed to grab the picture of the two of them from among the broken glass.
She was very grateful for the jeans he had given her now as she walked alone down the side of the curving road. Opening her cellphone, Kori dialed for a taxi. She only then noticed the sickly smell of blood that had followed her in her walking away from the car. Her shaking hand darted to her forehead and came away wet with blood. So she had been hurt somehow in the crash.
Still, she kept walking. Richard had told her to get out of there so she was. As she reached Cedar Hill Park's gates, she came to the conclusion that they had only gone about a mile before he crashed, even though he'd been driving ridiculously fast. It came to her advantage though because then the taxi could pick her up at the park.
Her mind kept replaying the night over and over to her in her head. And suddenly she had truly become Kori Anders again. She didn't care though. At least for one night, she was able to be the sweet, innocent Starfire again. And at least for one night, she was his.
A/N 2: Please review! Constructive criticism greatly appreciated.