A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the story.
Every cell in my body rejected Bruce's plan—mostly because it made me out to look like a complete moron. That was part of my punishment of course.
Not more than an hour later, the doorbell to the Tower rang. We lived on an island with surveillance cameras covering every inch of the terrain. The doorbell had been Beast Boy's idea of a joke, and Cyborg of course went along with it. To top it all off, it played the opening notes of the Power Rangers theme song. It had been so long since they'd installed it that we'd all forgotten that embarrassing fact. I was sitting on the couch in the common room broodily watching Beast Boy and Cyborg play their racing game when the bell went off. Everyone froze, and then Beast Boy and Cyborg fell on each other laughing.
"Idiots," grumbled Raven, who was hovering by the window with a book in her hands.
"I'll get it," I groused. I already knew who it was, and I couldn't bear the humiliation of Beast Boy being the one to open the door.
A courier was waiting for me when I stepped out of the elevator. His hands shook as he handed me a thick envelope with elaborate calligraphy spelling out 'Starfire' across the front. I tipped the guy, who nearly tripped over himself to thank me, and then I signed the brim of his hat for his trouble in booking a ferry all the way out to the island.
"Starfire, you've got mail," I said dully when I returned to the common room. Her eyes sympathetic, she took the letter from me. She knew the outline of Bruce's plan, and she was eager enough to participate if it meant getting the chance to meet my family and see where I grew up. The boys paused the game to hear what the letter said.
Dear Starfire,
I have been trying to find an appropriate way to thank you for rescuing me the other day. Come join me this evening at Wayne Manor where you will be my honored guest.
Kisses,
Dick.
Kisses?! Bruce really ended the letter with kisses?!
Understandably Beast Boy and Cyborg were howling again. Beast Boy ran across the room and snatched the letter from her hands to read it for himself.
"Look, the first letters even spell out his name. What a loser!" He bent double, holding his stomach. My face was red and my fists were shaking at my sides. Some people think Batman doesn't have a sense of humor. That's not true. He has one, it's just not funny to anyone else but him.
"I find Dick Grayson to be very charming," said Starfire regally. I put my head in my hands. Beast Boy choked.
"You're not actually thinking of going, are you?" asked Cyborg. He wasn't laughing anymore either. "Um, baby girl, I don't think you know him as well as you think you do." Great, and now the fun part begins...
"What do you mean?"
"Dude, he's almost as big a player as Bruce Wayne!" exclaimed Beast Boy. "I heard for his birthday last year he rented a yacht and invited the crew from Crazy Chicks Unleashed to film an episode on board."
"Why would he wish to celebrate his birthday with girls who are mentally unstable?"
Uh oh. I heard the faint tremble in her voice. Beast Boy's mouth opened and closed for a moment before he looked to Cyborg to explain. Cyborg glared at him before looking to Raven for help. She rolled her eyes.
"It's a TV show about girls that are willing to take off their clothes in public." Starfire, who still didn't completely understand the concept of human modesty, frowned until Raven added, "The women objectify themselves for male attention." Anger flashed in the depths of Starfire's green eyes.
"Is this true?" she shot at me.
"I don't think you should go, Star," I said, and I didn't have to fake a sense of overprotectiveness. Bruce was going to use my reputation against me. The last thing he wanted was for me and Starfire to be together. If she went to Gotham she was going to get hurt.
She squared her shoulders.
"I think you are all being unfair. You are the 'jealous' because he is good-looking and rich." She turned on her heel and started walking toward her room.
"Rob, man, stop her!" hissed Cyborg seriously. "You have no idea what Grayson will do if he gets her alone. The man's a serious playboy." If only, I thought bitterly. I wished I was half as smooth as the papers made me out to be. I probably wouldn't be in this mess if I was. Still, I had to make a token effort.
"Starfire, if you're going, I'm going with you."
"Dude, so unfair!" Beast Boy whined. "Can't we come too?"
"Someone has to run patrol. Slade's still out there, remember?" That was probably the wrong argument to use, because Cyborg's jaw dropped when he realized that instead of staying behind to track down Slade myself, I was trailing after my girlfriend to keep her from falling for my alter ego. Ignoring him, I held out my hand to Starfire, "let's go."
"Oh Rob, before ya go," Cyborg called as we reached the sliding doors. I turned, grimacing. He and Beast Boy had their cheeks side by side and their hands over their mouths.
"Kisses!" they shouted, before dissolving into laughter again.
"I am sorry you had to endure the ridicule," Starfire said as we flew over Jump. She was holding me beneath my arms, flying as fast as she could without risking my health. I loved it.
"S'okay," I replied, pretending to run as a cloud passed beneath my feet. "Come on, Star. Show me what you can really do." I tilted my head back to look up at her and she arched a brow in challenge.
"If you insist."
An hour later I was wind-swept and slightly nauseous, but still cheering for more. Starfire defied the rules of physics in ways I'd never seen any of the airborne superheroes do. Her body was like a ribbon, looping and spiraling effortlessly through the air. Diving through the air with her reminded me of the circus. At one point she dropped me and I somersaulted seven times before her hands caught mine again and she pulled me out of the dive with a laugh. If I could have one superpower this would be it.
We were nearly to Gotham when we encountered a blue-clad figure waiting for us in midair. His red cape flapped impressively in the breeze.
"Superman!" said Starfire, startled. He bowed his head, and then shot me a faint smirk.
"I was sent to tell you that Starfire must arrive in Gotham alone. I will take Robin back to the Titans." Before either of us could protest, he turned and pointed out the distant pinprick that was Wayne Manor. "Starfire, Dick Grayson will meet you there." She and I exchanged a look. Someone was watching us. Reluctantly, she nodded.
"Very well. Thank you, Superman." To my utter humiliation, she laid me in Superman's outstretched arms like I was a baby. He chest rumbled with laughter as I tried to wriggle into a less-emasculating position.
"Farewell, Robin," she said, giving me a salute before she continued on her way.
"Hang on," whispered Superman. I braced myself as he put on a burst of speed and shot us straight back the way I'd just come. In less than a second we had gone forty miles before he turned in a ten-mile arc and started back toward the Bat Cave.
"What was all that about?" I demanded when he slowed down enough that my stomach had time to catch up to me.
"Someone was watching you. When you get inside send a message to the Titans that they are not to leave the Tower for any reason until you get back."
"What if something happens to the city?"
"I will keep an eye on Jump for you."
"So why didn't you tell me Bruce was listening in?" I asked petulantly as the entrance to the Bat Cave came into view. His chest rumbled again with barely restrained laughter.
"What did you want me to say? Did you think he wouldn't ask questions if I cut you off and told you not to speak?"
"You could have given me a hint at least?" I crossed my arms over my chest.
"I did!" he laughed loudly. "As soon as you started talking about Slade I tried to change the subject back to you and Starfire. I even stared at Bruce a couple of times so you would know I wasn't alone, and you still didn't get it." Oh. And here I'd thought that his love-sick self just hadn't been listening.
"He really does care about you, Robin. He wouldn't worry so much if he didn't."
"He's just worried I'll accidentally spill the beans on his secrets," I mumbled.
"Do you really think he doesn't have a plan in place in case someone figures out the truth? He's Batman. He's got twenty!" Clark laughed.
By then we were inside the Bat Cave. It was strange to be back there. Everything was familiar. Nothing had changed. It was just as dark and gloomy as ever. Nostalgia made my stomach give a strange lurch. To my right the Batmobile spun slowly on its revolving platform. A series of black motorcycles were lined up along the wall behind it.
"Ahem." I spun around to see Alfred standing by the enormous consul. He had one hand behind his back while the other held a pile of expertly folded clothes.
"It is good to see you again, Master Robin. I have taken the liberty of—"
Before he could finish, before he could put up that silly wall of formality between us, I took a leaf out of Starfire's book and attacked him with a hug. He was so surprised he nearly fell over.
"It's great to see you again, Alfred!"
"You as well, Master Robin," he replied, smiling. Alfred was the one good thing about Wayne Manor. Whenever Bruce pushed me too far or expected too much of me, Alfred had always been there to put me back on my feet again. He had been the only one who understood that I needed a shoulder to cry on after my parents died.
"If you need me, I will be in Jump," said Clark from behind me.
"Thanks Clark."
"Master Dick, you must change quickly. Miss Starfire is already at the gate waiting for you and I fear the paparazzi are most intrigued by her arrival." Just like old times. I snatched the clothes he had brought for me and leapt into the shower just long enough to rinse the gel from my hair. By the time I finished changing he had the elevator door opened for me.
"You've gotten slower, Master Dick," he said sagely. "You used to make the change in under five minutes."
"I'm a little out of practice. It's been a while since I had to try and be in two places at once."
"If rumors are true, it has not been quite so long," he said slyly. I sent him a bland expression. Great, Alfred was laughing at me too.
I sprinted down the long corridors of Wayne Manor to the front door. A pair of doormen were there to pull open the heavy oak doors before I even reached them. If they wondered where I'd come from, neither said a word. An obnoxiously long series of steps separated me from the front gate where I could distinctly see Starfire's brilliantly red hair gleaming in the light of the reporter's cameras.
The moment they saw me hurrying toward her the flashes went off like crazy. I had to put up a hand to shield my eyes. Relief and amusement lit up Starfire's face as well. Automatically I reached out my free hand to pull her against me.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Starfire is here as my guest. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't try to scare her away." Leaving them with that tantalizing tidbit, I turned and started back up the stairs. One reporter was more bold than the others, and Vicky Vale ran to intercept us on the second tier.
"Dick Grayson, when did you return to Gotham? Reports had you in Jump City as of yesterday."
"Wayne Enterprises owns a private jet," I said coolly. Vicky stepped back and looked Starfire up and down.
"What does the heir to the Wayne Empire plan for an evening in with the beautiful alien superhero?" Insinuation dripped from her voice and I curled my arm protectively around Star's waist.
"Checkers."
With that ludicrous reply, I pulled Starfire with me the rest of the way up the stairs. Starfire looked up at the enormous house and gulped. I squeezed my fingers reassuringly against her skin. The doors opened for us just as before, and we stepped into the Entrance Hall. Starfire looked on in awe at the mahogany wood paneling and the marble floors, but I was staring hard at the man in the center of the room. Bruce inclined his head.
"Nice of you to visit, Dick."