Author's note:

One little word and you all fixated on the vault. Sorry, guys, but I wasn't allowed in. Batboys keep their secrets. –sulk-

Kiddo: Gold Star. You're the first to mention that. There are some answers in this chapter. (Now watch everyone scramble for your review to see what you said, mwhahah).

Adam: Unfortunately, that wouldn't work. Dick's not a prince by birth. Calling someone a prince doesn't make them one. As Bruce said, you can't buy a princedom. I don't think Starfire would approve of them lying to her people just so Dick can marry her.

Chapter 10.

Bruce listened intently as I told him what Starfire had told me. Tim looked on with a sense of horror and Alfred was quietly appalled. Finally, Bruce sat back and sighed, rubbing his eyes with a hand. "Dick," he began. "We'll help you with this. Without a doubt. But I need you to remember something."

"What?"

"You can't interfere with their culture."

I gaped at him. "But it's wrong."

"To us. To them, it's perfectly acceptable. That would be why Starfire's resigned to this." I was set to protest, but he stalled me with a hand. "I agree with you. I do. Having something like that hanging over your relationship, knowing that if you broke up, she'd probably have to leave and get married, it'll cripple you, which is probably why she never said anything. I'm almost certain there's an intergalactic law we can call on there so they can't force her to leave Earth. But as to the marriage itself." He sighed. "You might have to settle with never getting married."

I gritted my teeth. "Can we at least look through the laws with a fucking open mind?"

"There are other ways to pledge yourselves to each other," Alfred mentioned. "Outside the law."

I nodded. "Yeah, I know that, but—"

Bruce interrupted, "Dick, all I'm saying is that you need to be aware of the possibility this isn't something you can just solve."

I scrunched up my face, then sighed. He was right. I hate it when he's right. "Okay. Fine. As long as we can look."

Bruce nodded. "That's assured."

"I mean it," I said sternly. "A proper look. I'm not settling for anything unless every possible route is exhausted."

Bruce gave me a sour look. "When have I ever done anything half heartedly," he snapped.

I'd like to say we found a solution quickly. I'd like to say it was easy, straight forward, and the result would make everyone happy. That I went home that night and called Starfire up, proud and full of confidence, or even better, used the teleporter and went to her while she slept and woke her up with the news that I'd solved it. That she could marry me and there wasn't a damn thing Tamaran could do about it. Then got down on one knee and proposed properly and she said yes and we had awesome sex, got married and made a lot of babies.

Not a lot of things in life turn out the way you want them.

Starfire sent a note that most of the marriage documents were in Tamaranian and that she was busy translating them for me. I can speak Tamaranian, but reading it was time consuming, the symbols are akin to Chinese, one stroke changes the nuances of the word so it was better to let her translate it. For the moment we concentrated on looking through all the known treaties that the Justice League, and hence Earth, had with Tamaran and the surrounding planets, as well as any intergalactic law that we could call upon.

As it edged on toward midnight, and I completely missed my raincheck with Babs, Bruce sent me home. He promised he'd make a few phone calls in the morning, talk to the Justice League, J'onn in particular. I was pretty sure one of those phone calls would be to Starfire.

I returned home and found Starfire curled up asleep on my couch, wearing nothing but one of my shirts and panties, (I checked, they were red). She was lying on her side, her arms tucked up neatly under her head and her knees almost up near her stomach. Her masses of red hair tangled over the arm of the couch. I knew why she was asleep there, instead of my bed, it was obvious she wanted to talk to me. My laptop was open on the coffee table before her, a neat pile of documents beside it and an empty wine glass next to that. More documents she'd found or thought I could use. I glanced at the document open on the computer. The marriage laws, she'd been busy translating it here. Why hadn't she come to the batcave?

I left the laptop there, making sure it was saved and closed the lid. Kissing Starfire gently, just a little pressing of my lips to hers, I slipped my hands under her body and carefully lifted her. She roused a little as I did, shifting so she could rest her head on my shoulder and I heard her mumble my name.

"Shh," I whispered. "I'm home."

She curled her hand against my shirt and sighed, a small sound of contentment. I kicked off my boots at the door of the bedroom so I could pull the blankets down with my foot, then placed her on the bed. I removed most of my clothes and slipped in beside her. She rolled over as I did so, plastering herself along my chest and using my arm as a pillow.

"Dick," she sighed, sleepy, one hand moving so it was draped across my hip.

"Hey," I said as I lifted my head to tuck my pillow under it. "Didn't think you were coming tonight."

"I could not stay away."

"I'm glad," I murmured against her temple.

"I need to speak with you," she whispered.

"In the morning. I'll wake you before I go to work."

She sighed, succumbing to sleep, her forehead pressed against my collarbone. I snuggled closer and followed.

My internal alarm went off and I woke as the morning rays drifted over the horizon. Shifting, I opened my eyes to find Starfire watching me, her hair all mussed up and sleep sexy, and my shirt unbuttoned for a very nice morning view. "Hey."

"Good morrow."

"Sleep well?"

She nodded, then sighed, lifting her head to glance at the alarm clock by my bed. "I need to go soon."

I rubbed my face. "Yeah, me too." I blinked a couple of times and yawned. "Did you want to speak to me?"

Her eyes were soulful, she looked really concerned. "Please do not do this to yourself."

I sighed. "Star—"

"I know how it will end."

"No, you don't," I said. "I might be able to find something."

"And when you cannot? You will become despondent and then you will draw away from me."

"And if I don't try, I'll always resent the fact that I didn't do everything I could."

Tears filled her eyes. "My… culture… it is not as… nice as yours. Please. Do not look."

My brow furrowed with concern, I cupped her neck and moved closer. "Star, I have to. You know I do."

She closed her eyes. "I know."

"Nothing in the 'verse can stand against the bat boys," I joked.

Her eyes flashed open and she giggled. I laughed and grabbed her, pulling her on top of me. Still giggling she straddled me properly and pushed herself upright, her fingers on my chest before she scooped her hair away from her face and tucked it behind an ear. I took her hips and pushed mine upward. The glory of morning wood.

Although she wiggled, I saw she wasn't going to succumb to it. "I need to get to work."

"I can be really quick."

"Of that, I have no doubt," she teased.

"Heeey. Meanie."

She wiggled again, tantalising me. "Shower sex?"

I grinned. "Shower sex."

After we'd made good use of the morning wood, I saw her off at the teleporter while I rushed around to get dressed. I packed up the laptop so I could take it to work and read through it in a moment of free time, before I hurried off to work.

I conducted my morning routine quickly, then opened the laptop to skim through what Starfire had translated.

Tamaranians were tricky. There were a hell of a lot of clauses regarding marriage which is probably why most of them didn't. There was a lot I didn't understand, a lot was not translated to English and I struggled to translate as I worked. As adept as I was at Tamaranian now, there were a lot of technical words I had no clue for. Which were highlighted so Starfire could translate them for me. As I continued to read, it was becoming more and more clear that a marriage was about inequality for Tamaran.

If a warrior married above their caste, male or female, then they became something pretty damn close to property for their higher caste mate. All children of those married would receive their higher parent's status, unless it was an appointed for services caste. The only real sign of equality was when two warriors of the same caste married, but even then there were clauses concerning that.

She'd pre-empted me, Starfire had also left me the laws regarding children borne out of wedlock. Children to an unwed couple could receive the average of their parents' status, lying in between them but only if they were warrior caste. Which was preferable in most cases, by the looks. She'd also sent an in-depth document of the levels of status on Tamaran.

There were thirteen castes or statuses on Tamaran, as I discovered.

There were six castes of warriors where most of Tamaran seemed to be lumped into. Everyone born, except for the royals, automatically received one of these levels, based on their parents. It was from there, they were appointed to the other levels.

The lowest warrior level was called skorn. They were the lowest, the dregs, the cast offs of Tamaran. Warriors weak of body, weak of mind. General labourers. Once a skorn, there was little way of regaining status, but you couldn't be born a skorn, even if your parents were one. Skorn children were always one level above, able to regain honour. At least that seemed fair.

Interesting how the sound of the name had similar connotations in English.

There were various ways of promoting through the more general warrior levels, and demoting down to the skorns. Most of the promotions through the warrior levels seemed to be by marriage or acts of courage in battle. There were a number of tournaments in Tamaran too, that could be entered to gain social status, but since those were death matches, it wasn't always a sure fire way to gain status. Demotions were due to acts of cowardness.

Above the warrior caste were the appointed castes. You couldn't be born (except royalty), you had to prove yourself worthy.

The Grand Ruler, who could actually be anyone as long as they were appointed by a Grand Ruler or vanquished a Grand Ruler, was the highest, only marginally above the by birth royalty. If the Grand Ruler perished without a clear successor, the crown would fall to one of the five Tamaranian royal families, and would be decided by last man standing combat. Optional, I found, as usually the crown went back to whichever family had it last, in this case Starfire's family.

The Grand Ruler was advised on matters of state by one representative from each of the five royal houses. And'r, Ras, Poz, Ny'r and Cen. Starfire's very aged uncle, Natand'r, childless, unwed, apparently undesirable because he was something called a T'ari, took on her family's responsibilities to advise Galfore, but Starfire said she was taking on that roll more and more. I had noticed a lot more communication between her and Tamaran. Nice to know the reason.

Next caste below the royals was the generals, warriors of great renown and given status by royalty in most cases. Leaders of their armies. There had to be some sort of great service to Tamaran before one was named, and they had to be named, not born. They were the only ones, other than royalty themselves, that were allowed to marry their bloodlines with the royals, although the royals could mix their bloodlines with whoever they chose, the child would not have birth status as a royal unless born in wedlock. Out of wedlock, they were given the status of their lower parent, unless of course their lower parent was made royal, which actually happened once, then biological children were given royalty status. And, unlike the normal marriages where the higher status was given ownership of the lower, it reversed itself in the case of royalty.

Starfire really would be a prize.

Royal children were ornaments. Power while unmarried, but able to be married off as a prize on a whim, or given away to prevent war.

After that were a few more appointed levels. There was a level entirely dedicated to medicinal members, doctors and nurses. One for bodyguards for the royalty and generals. They had a complete level for diplomats too, although it was lower rather low, lower than the majority of warriors. Starfire made a note against this level, saying that off worlders who breed with Tamaranians were usually seen as having diplomatic status, although their children could be given warrior status. The diplomatic level was where I was, we'd done the paperwork years ago so I had permission to touch her on Tamaran.

Galfore, I discovered, had been part of the educators level, which included anyone that taught, k'norfka, teachers and weapons trainers alike. The caste was surprisingly high, higher than the warriors. Tamaranians valued their children it seemed.

Strangely enough they had two offshoot castes. One for scientists and scholars, another for producers, anyone that made something, like food (farming, not cooking), cloth, buildings, weapons, armour. There was also a title that could be earned by acts of technological or medicinal advancement for Tamaran or diplomatic decisions and that particular status was never lost, even if a warrior was demoted. Not possible to be demoted from the offshoot castes, only appointed to them.

Oh, and the appointed levels, like the medicinal and diplomat caste, their children didn't get to share that level, no matter if their parents were married or not, they were given the highest warrior status level. You had to earn those levels.

It was all very confusing. I could see I could spend years deciphering the levels and not scratch the surface.

A clearer picture was forming in my mind as to why she didn't want to get married. Why she'd baulked so long over whether or not she wanted to get married and gave me an answer that wasn't really an answer. Amenable, my ass…

But then… seeing what it was like on her planet, the ingrained knowledge that she'd be property of the person she married, I could understand. Didn't mean I was going to stop looking. Once we had a way to get married, then we could take as long as we wanted, as long as Starfire needed.

She'd always shared her culture openly with us, but I was beginning to see she only showed us the fun stuff, like blorthog. I didn't doubt she would have told us about this if we'd asked, but we'd always just assumed Tamaranian culture as the same as she was. Light-hearted. Sure, Blackfire had tried to marry Starfire to a slug, but there were cultures in our world that had diplomatic marriages like that.

There was so much darkness in her culture too, well; I saw it as a darkness. More and more I was beginning to see why her culture had no word for nice, why its closest equivalent was weak. Everything about it was built on strength.

Meticulous planning can be thwarted by a simple wrong step. A stray bullet can change a life. A miscalculation could be the deciding factor in a victory or a loss. A stupid fucking document was messing with my life. Nothing is ever certain. For all my want for a fast solution, it wasn't coming. The ground was actually getting boggier, secret clauses and traditions that Starfire hadn't mentioned.

My laptop screen blipped as an IM popped up, dragging me from my thoughts. Odd, I hadn't thought I'd logged in.

*Bastard*, the message read. I should have guessed.

I glanced around quickly before I replied. *Hey, Babs, what'd I do now?*

*Aww, gee, I don't know. Could be the fact I didn't get any lamb last night. Could be the fact that you proposed to Kory and I had to find out through Tim. I thought we were friends.*

*Don't be like that. I was planning to tell you last night, you know. Did Tim also tell you everything else?*

*Yeah. That sucks.*

*You're telling me.*

*Need a hand?*

*Not yet, still translating crap.*

*More than happy to help.*

*Thanks, Babs. I'll let you know.*

*And, you know, if it doesn't work, you can always run away with me.*

I snorted and grinned. *Bite me, Barbie.*

*Oh, you so did not call me that.*

*Read it again, seems I did.*

*Bobsnar.*

*Bye, Babs. Work. Sorry about the lamb.*

*Yeah, yeah. Talk tonight.*

I closed down the laptop to allow what I'd learnt to simmer in the back of my mind while I went on with my police duties. I hit the police gym after work with Hackle and Rogers, in general we do this at least three times a week, although Rogers and I are more into actually working out while Hackle likes to ogle the girls. I get my fair share of being ogled at, I suppose, a lot of people do try to pick up while at the gym. I don't parade around shirtless like Hackle does though, that would just invite questions about my various scars.

I checked in with Beast Boy, seeing if he needed me to do anything for Cyborg's wedding. He was in a little bit of a frazzled state, apparently Cyborg's suit wasn't ready yet and neither were ours. I suggested that I contact Alfred and have him organise the refitting to take a bit of the frenzy off. Beast Boy went through a couple of the jokes he'd planned to put in his best man speech. I suggested he pull a few of them back, just a little, and gave him a few pointers on what direction he should really be heading. I made a mental note to have him run through his speech with me before the wedding.

Bruce had no news for me that night, so I went on patrol instead. I would have sent him the marriage laws to review, but I'd emailed the document back to Starfire with my notations, questions and translating trouble, so Bruce was still working on some diplomatic solution that could keep Starfire on Earth if anything happened to me or our relationship. He said there were a couple of things they were trying, but he'd tell me when he had more information. I really wanted that knocked on the head before anything else. It was the most important thing, for Starfire's sake.

I really wasn't surprised in the slightest when Raven turned up, halfway through my patrol. I was standing on one of the taller buildings, perched on the awnings, watching and listening to police reports through my earpiece when I heard her squawk.

Just because I wasn't surprised, doesn't mean I wasn't a little annoyed at her impudence. I don't particularly like the other Titans coming to Bludhaven without invitation, especially when I'm on patrol. They don't do it often, Cyborg and Beast Boy are the main offenders and Wally… wow… Not a damn thing I can do about it when Wally comes down because he's bored. And you know, for once, just once, I'd like Starfire to be the one to surprise me and join me on patrol.

Still, Raven's like a sister to me. If she'd come, it was important. "Hey," I said in greeting as she stepped from her raven.

Surprisingly, instead of standing there and glaring or whacking me upside the head, or whatever I'd thought she'd come for, she rushed me, tucked herself under my arm and hugged me around the chest. "Hi."

Not that a Raven snuggle isn't appreciated, it's just very rare, and normally involves something bad. "Um… Okay… dare I ask?"

She sighed, small, content. "Ask what?"

"Why you're all clingy?"

"Demon half," she muttered. "Hormones. Whatever. You smell nice. Musky."

Okay. Not good. "Um…"

"Beast Boy's on set. Starfire's with Clair going over things for the wedding. Cyborg and Sarah are doing a family dinner. I know you're busy, but you were also the only one alone. Demon half is demanding sex."

I gulped and put my hands on her shoulders. "Rae, as much as I love you, I'm not—"

"I know. Not asking you too. Need physical contact. Hug me."

"Oh. Okay." I wrapped her up in my arms. "I can do that."

She squeezed me tighter, actually rubbed against me although I could tell it embarrassed her. "Azar, we never expected the hormone change to be this bad," Raven muttered, the fingers of her left hand making little clenching movements on my back. "Why I have to go through both human morning sickness and the demon equivalent is beyond me. Gar's worried because I'm craving raw meat."

"Ick. How far along are you?"

"Just about the twelve week mark," she mumbled into my chest. "It's supposed to be settled by now, but it only seems to be getting worse."

"Things never happen the way you want them to."

"So I hear," Raven peered up at me. "Need to talk about it?"

"I feel like I've done nothing but talk about it," I told her.

"Okay," she murmured.

I blinked. "Okay? Just like that?"

"Yup." She snuggled in a little closer, her ear directly over my heart. The beat seemed to soothe her. "You're reading as emotionally stable, if a little unhappy but that's to be expected. I'm going to put that little outburst at the bar down as being hangover induced. As long as you're talking to Starfire."

"I am."

Raven sighed and nuzzled. "Pushing the boundaries here, can you stroke my back?"

I cringed and hesitated. "Rae…"

"Sorry."

"Just transport us back to my place. Little nervous about reporters up here, we're pretty visible."

We were almost instantly wrapped in her raven. The world swirled for a moment before we reappeared in my living room. I found myself pushed backward, forced by her powers until I was lying on the couch and Raven practically crawled on top of me and curled up on my chest. "Sorry," she said again, "So sorry. Can't help it."

I pulled out my communicator with one hand as I stroked her back with the other and hit Beast Boy's emergency line. He took about a minute to answer it. A very long, embarrassing minute. "Dude," he complained. "I'm in the middle of a shoot."

"Dude," I said. "911. Your wife is on my chest. She's fucking nuzzling my neck. Get here now."

"Shit," Beast Boy exclaimed. "Where are you?"

"My place."

"Comin'. Hang in there."

Personally, I was just glad she was sticking to neutral sort of zones. I'd be, and I'm sure she would be, completely embarrassed if she'd dipped her hands too low, or tried to kiss me. I was just so very fucking glad there was a certain part of me that wasn't reacting to her, although that could change pretty damn quick. I was human after all. I cleared my throat. "So… um… hoping for a girl or a boy?" I asked, my hands more restraining her now than soothing.

"It's a boy."

"You know already?"

She gave me a sour, Ravenesque look. "Yes."

"Wow. Beast Boy must be pleased."

"You could say that. He's revelling in his virility."

"Yeah, I bet."

"Azar, Dick, I'm so sorry for this," she told me, panting lightly, her lips against my neck.

I cringed. I was really grateful my uniform was one piece, I was pretty sure she'd have her hands up my shirt otherwise. "You get to explain this to Star."

"I will. I promise."

Hands. Hands. Watch those hands, Rae. Shit. "Knee!"

"Azar. Sorry!"

You could say that again.

"Recognised, Beast Boy, T03. Welcome."

"Oh, thank Azar," Raven said and practically attacked a harried Beast Boy as the secret door swung open to reveal him. He eeped as he was pushed up against the wall and mauled. Whatever restraint she'd contained was completely gone as Raven dug her hands into his pants—

I averted my eyes. "Spare bedroom," I suggested, getting off the couch and grabbing my computer in one motion. "Use it. I'm outta here."

"Thank—" Beast Boy tried to speak as I brushed by him to use the teleporter, but Raven's lips wouldn't let him.

"Break it, you bought it. I'll be at the Nightwatch."

Beast Boy was still trying to slow Raven down to give me time enough to leave so I wouldn't be catching any sort of eyeful I didn't want to. He gave me a brief wave as I vanished through the teleporter. Once at the Nightwatch, I breathed a shaky sigh of relief and ran my hand through my hair.

Activating Gretchen, I locked down the teleporter at my apartment. It wouldn't do to have someone, namely Starfire, arrive and see the panties that were probably on the floor by now.

I sighed, sat down at my desk and opened the marriage law file again.

The next few days passed in a bit of a blur.

Raven showed up rather sheepishly to apologise the next day. She looked completely embarrassed about it all, standing there not looking me in the eye and twisting her fingers like Starfire would. She said since she saw me as a brother, she'd assumed that physical contact would suffice, but unfortunately, her demon half didn't quite see it that way. She told me she'd already spoken to Starfire regarding what had happened, who had apparently had been most amused over it, although Raven suggested that Starfire restrained herself for Raven's sake. I'm sure teasing would be coming from Starfire a fairly soon. I told Raven not to worry about it. Really. I just sort of wanted to scrub it from my mind. She promised the next time the sex craving rose; she'd stay clear of me. I jokingly said she should go to Starfire and invite me and Beast Boy to watch, and received a smack and we were back to being brother and sister.

I actually made some headway in the Evans case. I found his media employee, someone who was accepting bribes to print an absolute shit storm about unfair treatment and police brutality and how the Judge's good name was being sullied. A whole bunch of controversial evidence regarding the bribery just happened to fall on the desk of the editor of that particular newspaper the same day the news broke in another newspaper about the bribes and the same evidence was mailed to police.

I patrolled as Nightwing, stopped a riot, several robberies, a rape and a murder. Went on a case under Gingers' watchful eye. Helped out Beast Boy with his best man's speech. Helped calm Cyborg who was having last minute nerves.

In among everything else I had to do, I kept going on trying to find a solution for Starfire and my problem. It wasn't coming easily.

I did find sort of a loophole. There were cases were royals were also given general status. Very hard, very rare, usually some catastrophe had to occur for that to happen, but then they were allowed to marry who they chose.

Starfire was the last breed able And'r royals, Ryand'r was lost, Natand'r was T'ari, Komand'r banished and imprisoned. There was huge pressure for her to wed so as to not lose the linage. Starfire would have to do something really terrible to become banished, and I wouldn't ask her to do that for me, or she would have to do something absolutely spectacular for Tamaran, save it from the brink of destruction, so she could become a general and chose her own husband.

Hell, it would probably be easier for me, an off worlder, to become a general and ask for her hand… hey, now there's an idea.

One which was quickly discarded. There had never been an off worlder general. Not once. No precedent for it. Even races who'd done Tamaran a great service were never given the status of general. As much as Galfore liked and respected me, he wasn't about to name me a general just so I could wed Starfire.

Bruce found a way for Starfire to stay on Earth, much to my relief. He was in the process of drawing up a document for her to review before they sent it to Galfore. Starfire wasn't entirely sure she liked the idea, but she consented. It involved her being in the employment of the Justice League as a diplomat for Earth until such time as she released herself from duties. She didn't have to actually do anything, it was all on paper. Intergalactic laws prevented the removal of diplomatic members from a planet by the birth planet unless the employment planet agreed. A very old, obscene law, originally designed to help asylum seekers but useful nonetheless. It gave her a sort of renewable citizenship of Earth.

Even though, knowing Starfire, if we ever split up she'd most likely feel duty bound to return to Tamaran and marry like they requested, it was a massive weight off my shoulders knowing she couldn't be forced and that it would be her decision.

Now Starfire was protected, it was time for me to look in depth at what I wanted.

Then, it all didn't matter because I woke up and it was the morning of Cyborg's wedding day.

Author's Note: All that stuff about the statuses/castes, purely made up by me. Not from the comics. It's supposed to be a little confusing, since Dick's reading and translating in Tamaran and probably getting some of it muddled.