Disclaimer: i dont own Teen Titans or Twilight.....they belong to the cool people (except whoever cancled the TT series)
OMG...FFFFFIIIIIINNNNNAAAALLLLLYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That took forever! But it's done now! So you don't have to kill me!
Okay so during these past few weeks i've learned some very important tips for life that i thought you should know:
Tip #1: Never EVER watch Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel before going to bed. I swear i didn't sleep untill about 3:OO in the morning!
Tip #2: If your a christian and your church has a Deciple Now....DO IT! It's soooooo much fun!
TIp#3: I jumped up and down for this because TEEN TITANS NOW PLAYS ON BOOMERANG EVERY WEEKNIGHT AT 9:30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I swear when we first found out, me and my little borther jumped up and down singing to the theme song!
Tip #4: For all those who know what i'm talking about....The fifth Maximum Ride book comes out March 16th! And the fifth Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Titled: the Last Olympian) comes out May 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woo-Hoo!
Okay so i'm gonna stop ranting on about unimportant stuff and let you get on with your life :-P
PS: MUCHO IMPORTANTE! Okay two of my bestest friends are going throught a really really really rough time with their families. Please Please with all your heart pray for them. Also pray for my other bestest friend because her grandmother just died last night from cancer. So please with all your heart, mind, body, and soul.......pray for them and their families. I will be so happy if you do :-)
10. Red Roses and Ivory Keys
Robin slowly gained consciousness. The dimmed lights of his bedroom slowly came into focus as he opened his eyes. Robin groaned and put a hand on his head at the slight pain that had come from Raven's powers. He slowly sat up into a sitting position on his bed. He closed his eyes again, rubbing his temples to stop the migraine. Stupid dark magic he thought silently.
"That 'stupid dark magic' just saved Star's life Robin. I'd be a little more thankful for it if I were you," Robin didn't open his eyes to acknowledge Edward's comment. He could sensibly feel his heart drop down to the earth's core from the guilt he felt. He felt ashamed, and, he had to admit, scared. He shook slightly as he remembered himself attacking Star. It was something he hoped that he would never experience again.
Robin sighed loudly, then sniffed the air in his room. Metal, horses, and an indescribable dark smell inhabited the air.
Robin sighed with frustration. "Are you trying to make me feel worse?" he asked, his voice somewhat distant. He opened his eyes as he leaned his head against the backboard of his bed. The others just stared at him, almost feeling the guilt radiate from him. Robin turned his head towards Raven, who had her hood up and was staring at the floor. Obviously, she blamed herself for the whole situation.
Robin looked at her with remorseful eyes. "It wasn't your fault Raven," he said to her in a small voice.
Raven opened her eyes and looked at her leader. "But it was," she said, her voice cracking a little. "If I had put the shield up then…" She flinched as a nearby lamp was encased in black and exploded.
Edward looked at her, "Raven relax, if anyone is to be blamed it should be me. I should have reminded you to put it up."
Robin stared at them astonished. "Are you kidding? I'm the one who was stupid enough to go get bitten when you told me not to."
Beastboy just sighed, not really feeling like going through this. "Dudes, it doesn't matter whose to blame."
Cyborg nodded, "Yeah, it's nobody's fault. What does matter, is how we're going to deal with it."
Edward paused as he looked at the boys then sighed. "I agree with you guys. Robin do you remember anything from your…."Edward paused, trying to look for a better word to describe Robin's attack.
Robin answered before he could think of one, "I remember pretty much all of it. I also remember feeling…I guess you would say 'present' during the attack. Like the real me was in my mind, silently watching. It was like that part of my brain was shouting out for me to stop while another presence was controlling my actions."
Raven's expression suddenly lit up. "So that's what I felt. I thought that it was something like a conflict in your mind. And I felt you slightly overcome your temptation right before I knocked you out."
All of a sudden, Edward laughed. Everyone looked at him as if he had just said 'I'm Hitler, and I'm gonna eat a purple doorknob'.
Robin raised an eyebrow at him. "Um…care to explain? Your enthusiasm is confusing us."
Edward simply shook his head in amazement. "You, my friend, are some fighter."
He went over and placed a uplifting hand on Robin's shoulder, grinning down at him. "At this rate…you should be immune to Starfire's scent in a few weeks at the most. You're fighting back when you don't even realize it."
Robin gawked at him, "Are you serious?" Edward nodded. Robin just sat where he was, dumbstruck. Everyone in the room laughed at the silly expression he had on his face. Even Raven smiled at her so-called 'fearless' leader.
Robin, seemingly ignoring everyone's laughter, just sat there, his joy lifting the guilt from his body for the moment. Just then, he saw a flash of scarlet out of the corner of his eye. He turned towards a small wooden nightstand next to his bed and saw a fully bloomed, red rose.
Robin reached out to it slowly, taking with his right hand. And as soon as he touched the stem, he knew who it was from. He smiled as he brought the rose up to his face, and took his time inhaling the relaxing fragrance that came from it. He only realized after that, that everyone was staring at him.
Beastboy scratched his head. "Dude, is that from Starfire?"
"No Beastboy, it's from Keira Knightley." Raven said, each word dripped in dry sarcasm.
Beastboy looked at her, shocked. "Dude! That's awesome!"
Raven groaned and rubbed her temples with her hands, "I. Give. Up."
Edward spoke up," Never mind her Beastboy. How did she get inside to put it there?"
Robin looked at the others, "Did anybody put it in here for her?"
Edward shook his head, his eyes staring straight ahead, "From what I'm hearing, neither Bella, Alice, Nessie, or Jacob have come in here. It was Starfire."
"Wasn't it you, Beastboy, who was guarding the door to Robin's room?" Raven said, staring at the green changeling.
Beastboy, who was trying to move his hands in two different directions at once (A/N: which, I know from experience, almost nobody can do), stared at Raven "Huh?"
Cyborg thought for a second, "Yeah…it was Grass Stain that was guarding the door."
Raven went ahead and answered the question, "Which means Star snuck past him."
They all sent accusing looks at Beastboy, who tried his best to look innocent.
He gave them all a nervous laugh, "Uhh…hehe...you see,…um…it's quite a funny story.." He stuttered, trying to find words that would prove his innocence.
Cyborg gave him a sly look, "You were guarding the door as a dog, weren't you?"
"Hey! You said to guard the door, and Rottweilers are one of the best guard dogs out there!" he shouted, throwing his hands out to his sides.
Edward looked at him, "And…."
Beastboy dropped his arms and let his head drop in defeat, "She had a tennis ball."
Edward, and Cyborg both hit their foreheads with their palms. Raven dropped her head into her hand, then took the pleasure of slapping the back of Beastboy's head and watching him as he fell from the impact after he let out a small "Eeehh!"
Robin just sat back against the backboard of the bed again, laughing softly, the rose still in his hand.
---------------------------------
Robin and Edward were walking towards the common room. The others had gotten bored with watching Edward make sure that Robin was okay, so they had left a little while ago. Robin looked at Edward, and went ahead and asked the thing that was on his mind.
"How did she take it? The attack?" Robin asked Edward. He had to make an effort to say the word 'attack', but he forced it out of him. He figured it couldn't be that bad, since she had snuck into his room. Robin had the rose in both hands, absentmindedly twirling it around by the stem.
Edward looked down at Robin, who was staring straight as they kept walking.
Edward looked forward again. "Well…..she was stunned at the least. When we got back to the Tower her mind was just blank. Like everything was erased from it. She sat on the couch, staring into space for about thirty minutes. Then she suddenly got up and said that she was going for a walk. She came back an hour later, back to normal. She was smiling and humming to herself. After that she asked Raven if she wanted to meditate and she just went back to her all-to-familiar lighthearted self."
Robin stared straight ahead, thinking about what Edward had just told him. Star wasn't the best person at handling shock. It would take a while for her to get back to normal. She also was better when someone talked to her about it. Mainly Raven or himself. But handling it in and hour and a half? And by herself? That didn't seem like Starfire at all.
Robin looked down at the rose he held in his hands. She had gotten this for him, snuck past Beastboy, and secretly put it on his bed-stand. And even with Edward's special ability, she did it without anyone noticing. She must not have been a single bit afraid of him. That small thought warmed his heart. He was going to have to have a little one-on-one talk with her later.
While Robin was thinking, he noticed how Edward's expression lit up.
"What's up?" Robin asked him.
Edward looked down at him, out of his daze. "My piano's in." he simply said.
"Huh?" Robin said, confused.
"I told Carlisle to send my keyboard to the Tower. I miss playing on it. I'd much rather the original grand piano I have at home, but I can't really get it here. So I'll just stick with the keyboard," he finished with a smile.
They had just reached the end of the hall and waited while the metal doors swished open to reveal Cyborg, Nessie, and Beastboy setting up a beautiful, slick black grand piano.
Edward's eyes went wide at the sight, "Or not."
Cyborg looked up and saw them, "Oh, hey guys! We're almost done here. Just a few more screws left. Man Edward, when you said that your dad was sending a piano, you didn't lie! I mean, who disassembles a piano then ships it in like twenty boxes to another state?"
Edward looked down at Robin. "You don't mind do you?" he asked.
Robin smiled and shook his head. "Not in the least. Besides, I could use some music." They both turned back to the gorgeous piano that was standing before them. Robin took his time taking the sight in. First of all, it definitely wasn't factory made. He went up and stroked the rim above the pure white keys. He chuckled as his senses recognized the smell and touch. "Is this oak?" he asked Edward.
The vampire nodded, "Live oak actually, straight out of the heart of Louisiana's forests. You should go hiking there sometime, it's simply breathtaking. Anyway, the tree had been torn up by a hurricane, and I didn't want it to go to waste. So I contacted an old friend of Carlisle's who specializes in making furniture, and I asked him if he was up to it. I was surprised when he called me three days later telling me I could come pick it up."
Robin nodded, still running his hands along the piano's rim. He moved his hand down to the front, pressing a few of the ivory white keys. They made a soft sound, not the mechanical drone of a electric keyboard, but a real enchanting sound of a piano.
The whirr sound of Cyborg's drill finally stopped and he got out from under the piano. "Done!"
Suddenly, the metal doors to the right hallway swished open. Bella, Raven, and Alice stepped through it, followed by none other than…..Starfire.
Robin stared at her, wondering how she couldn't be afraid. That's when they caught each others gaze. They both froze for a moment, just staring at each other. Robin waited for her reaction, not knowing what exactly to expect. Then, to his amazement, she threw him one of her beautiful smiles. "Hello Robin, I assume you are feeling better?" she asked him kindly.
Robin stood still out of shock more than anything. She hadn't flinched, backed away, hesitated, nothing! It was like he had never attacked her.
Beastboy and Cyborg cocked their heads to the side. "Uh…Star.." Beastboy started.
"Yes?"
Beastboy paused, his mouth hanging open, "Um…do you remember hitting your head on anything?"
Now Starfire was confused, "Um…no. I am pretty sure I have not suffered any head injuries recently. Why do you ask?" She looked around at everyone else, who had the same confused and concerned expression on their faces. That's when she caught sight of the beautiful piano in the middle of the room.
She floated over to it, her eyes wide with astonishment. She lifted her hand and tentatively stroked the black and white keys. She looked back at the others. "Please, what is this device?"
Cyborg walked to her and smiled. "It's called a piano Star. See you press down on the keys and they play music." He then demonstrated by playing a few notes that seemed to linger in the air, calming everyone's mind with their beautiful sounds.
Suddenly, recognition shone all across Starfire's face. "On Tamaran we have a musical instrument almost precisely identical this one. Of course, this one in particular sounds much more glorious."
"Did you ever learn how to play it?" Bella asked the red-head.
"Yes, I did. Though I may be, how do you say it, 'rusty' from not playing for so long." Starfire said while softly playing a few random keys to keep the peaceful atmosphere in the room.
"Well…there is one song that I remember."
Raven levitated the piano bench down behind Star so she could sit down. "Let's hear it," she said with as much enthusiasm she could muster.
Starfire nodded and sat down on the bench. She played every key to get a feeling of where to place her hands. After testing it out a few times, she put both hands on the keyboard and began to play.
Everyone's mouths dropped in astonishment. The music that floated from the piano was beautiful, soft and calming. It was a simple song, nothing too fancy or overdone. They way she mixed the high and low keys made a soft lullaby that seemed to relax everyone in the room. Star hummed to it, creating a soft echo that blended in beautifully with the music she made on the piano. Her hands were on opposite ends of the piano. Her left on the low notes, and her right on the melodious high notes.
The music reached Robin, and he closed his eyes and simply listened. He could tell it was some sort of lullaby. Something that would put any troubled mind into a deep, serene sleep. Something that could scare all the monsters away, and leave you feeling loved. It was something original and mystical at the same time. It was the reason Robin liked live music more than the recorded ones. Robin opened his eyes and stared at Starfire again. But there was something different with her. She was staring at the keys intently, the smile no longer on her face. Something was bothering her, he could tell. He could always tell. He took a glance at Edward, and it appears that he was reading her mind. His expression was brokenhearted.
Star ended the song, the last notes lingering in the air until they faded completely. She sat there for a little bit, just looking at the piano. She felt someone's hand on her shoulder and saw Edward looking down at her. "That was beautiful Star."
She smiled up at him, "I thank you, but I am afraid I know no more songs. Do you wish to play. After all, it is yours." She paused for a second, silently sending him a message. Edward nodded, answering both her silent and spoken questions at the same time.
Star got up, allowing Edward to sit down. "How about I play Esme's favorite?" He looked towards Bella, Alice, and Renesmee. They all gathered around, excitedly approving his question. Cyborg, and Beastboy also got closer, excited to listen to another song. Raven gave a small glance at Star, who had backed away from the piano to give everyone some more room. Raven thought of going to talk to her, but decided to give her some alone time instead, and headed to make sure Beastboy wasn't going to break the grand piano.
Edward was now playing a fast-paced, and exuberant song. All the others around the piano were laughing and tapping their feet. They were so into it, that nobody saw Starfire slip out of the room, and into the hall. That is, if you didn't count Robin.
------------------------------------------------
Robin silently followed the beautiful alien out of the room. He looked in Star's room, but she wasn't in there. There was one more place to check though. Robin walked down the hall more until he came to a set of stairs with a door at the top. He climbed the stairs, and went through the door that led to the roof of Titan's Tower. Just as he had guessed, Starfire was standing near the edge, staring out at the horizon. Robin slowly walked up next to her, but keeping some distance. He didn't want to accidentally attack her again. "Hey, Starfire are you alright?"
She nodded, still looking out at the ocean. "Yes, I am fine. Just…a little sad."
"Did that song you just played have anything to do with it?"
Starfire looked at him. He could tell that she was going to avoid the topic, but he had to know why a simple song made her like this.
"It was nothing. I am truly fine Robin. You do not need to worry."
Robin sighed. "I thought we had the whole 'worry' conversation already."
"It was nothing Robin. You would not understand," she simply stated.
"Starfire, I understand enough to realize that you're not okay." he paused, waiting as his words sunk in. "Why aren't you afraid of me?" he asked her.
Starfire stared at him, bewildered. "Why should I be?"
Robin gaped. "Starfire, don't you remember? I almost killed you two days ago! You're acting like nothing has happened."
Starfire was getting a little agitated. "I do remember Robin. Do you actually think I could forget something like that?"
"Well, your acting like you've already forgotten! I'm your boyfriend Star, I think I should have the right to know what's going…."
"There is nothing wrong with me! Why are you thinking that I need help?"
"You just left the living room after playing some song, silently asking Edward to cover for you! If that isn't a sign than I don't know what is!"
"Well, it is something you cannot handle! You have never went through what I went through!"
"I bet I have Star, if you would just…"
"I know for a fact that you have never…."
"…tell me what's wrong. I know exactly…"
"…been in your…"
"…what's going on…."
"….life an…."
"…..if you just tell…"
"..EXPERIMENT!"
They had both been shouting at each other by now, their sentences overlapping each others. They had been unconsciously walking towards each other, which left them about a foot away from each other. But when Star shouted that last word, Robin was left silent.
He stared at her in astonishment. "A….what?"
Starfire stared into his eyes, breathing deep. "That lullaby, was my mother's. I used to play it for the small children on the ship where I was a prisoner. We were captured, me , Blackfire, and my brother, Ryand'r. We were captured by a horrible race called the Psions. On their ship and planet, we spent out lives being experimented on. One of which resulted in these."
She silently conjured up a small star bolt, and held it in between both of them. The soft green light cast shadows across their faces, like when a child held a flashlight under his chin. She made the star bolt disappear and let her arm drop.
" I played that lullaby for all of those children who were younger that I was. Most of them went through the same torture that me and my siblings went through. And for a moment, they could forget where they were, and what my happen. I lost a lot of friends in that prison. Now my parents have passed on, I do not know where my brother is, and Blackfire may be cursing my name as we speak. I am not afraid of you Robin, because I cannot bare to lose another person that I love."
Robin didn't say anything, but pulled Starfire into a tight hug. Star wrapped her arms around his neck and clung tightly to him. Robin ran his hands up and down her back, trying to stop the visible shaking of her body. "Shhh Star, it alright. I'm sorry."
They stayed there, in each others arms for a long time. They didn't know how much time had passed, but before they knew it, the sun had started setting. Starfire had finally calmed down, but they still held each other tightly, not wanting to let go. That's when Robin realized something. "Starfire…"
"Yes?" she said softly.
"You were right. The small baby steps didn't do anything. All it took was one big jump."
Starfire looked up at him, confused. He smiled down at her. Then she realized where she was. Robin was hugging her. The gap between them had closed a long time ago. He was holding her in his arms, and not trying to kill her.
She gasped and backed away till they were arms length apart. "Robin…." She couldn't put it into words. Robin finished for her
"We did it! I'm immune to your scent!"
He pulled her back into a tight hug and swung her around in a circle. Both of them ecstatic and laughing.
Starfire gazed up at him, "Robin I cannot believe it!"
She grabbed his hand and led him towards the door. "Come we must tell the others!"
And with that, they both ran down to tell everyone that Robin was officially a 'vegetarian' and that Starfire was finally safe.
Yippie!!!!!!!!! Happy ending for once!!!!!!! Okay so if you want a little example of what Star's lullaby was like, i suggest you listen to the piano on Already Over by Red (it's kinda hard to hear during the middle of the song but it's there) or Can't Take it In by Imogen Heap. I'll try to get the next chapter in quicker than last time!
Lurve all ya'll!
~Oliver