A/N: So this chapter (and most likely the next) is going to be pretty short compared to the others in this story. I apologize for this, but I feel its unavoidable. Think of these two chapters as a bridge connecting the first half of the story to the next. My deepest thanks goes out to everyone who's been reading. Take care. - Sir Alwick.

To The Cretin: Glad to see your still reading. You sure do know how to make a geek feel appreciated. Hope you're doing well. :)

I

Bringing his toes to the edge of the roof he took a deep breath. It was a long way down, the highest point in the city. From this dizzying altitude he braced himself, closed his eyes, stepped forward and fell. The cold racing air met his face as he rocketed head first to the ground, the scenery racing by in an incomprehensible blur. With each passing second he gained speed, quickly reaching his terminal velocity as closer and closer he came to the ever widening pavement.

There was a moment, somewhere between too soon and too late, where time would seem to stand still and the world as he knew it would simply cease to be. It was always here that he found himself. It was in this moment that he felt things long buried come racing to the surface. Fear and excitement, an unbridled sense of joy and enthusiasm... His stomach reeled, he got goosebumps. Raw emotion rocked his body like pounding ocean waves and all at once he was awake. All at once, he was alive.

He raised his arms. He clenched his fists and with just the right amount of pressure, the glider wings from within the walls of his costume came snapping out into position. Holding his arms firm, arching his body, his wings caught flight and he rocketed back up into the sky. Cutting through the evening air he lost himself. He laughed and hollered with the unrestrained joy of flight and he wondered how he could live so long without ever really knowing.

Setting down on the nearest rooftop, he took a knee and settled himself. He took breath, allowed the smile to slip naturally from his face. He refocused his thoughts. His senses were sharp, his mind was clear. He was ready. He stepped to the ledge. Another Bludhaven night was in the air, waiting to greet him, and he was ready for anything.

II

The sun was halfway through the sky when Starfire's sleep cycle ended. Eyes cracking open she found herself, knees together, head resting against the slanted end of her sleeping pad, her hair pooled out below her. Light poured in through the windows the same way it had when she'd fallen asleep. She groaned, inhaled deep and sighed with an almost bitter emphasis. Somehow her pad did not feel as comfortable this particular waking as it had in more recent sleeps. There was a good reason for this, one she felt she already knew, but had no desire to address. It therefore instead remained a forced mystery, shoved to the back of her brain to be ignored and forgotten.

The nude form beside her, that of her new husband, shifted, exhaled. Readjusting himself, rotating, he faced her, his ear meeting the canvas. His eyes slipped open, blinked, and then offered her a warm and pleasant welcome complete with a tired but charming smile.

"Pleasant wakings," said Kessa'd somewhat sleepily.

"Pleasant wakings to you as well," said Starfire.

There was a gentle silence as, reaching, Kessa'd began softly caressing Starfire's cheek. As the steady tide of consciousness continued to envelop them both, there soon came a look of contemplation to Kessa'd's eyes. Though it struck her as unusual, the young Empress offered no acknowledgement, only a small smile and gentle sigh as she moved against his touch.

"You were dreaming," said Kessa'd finally.

"Pardon?"

"A short while ago I awoke to find you talking in your sleep."

"You did?"

Brushing a few stray strands of hair out of her eyes, Kessa'd nodded.

"What was I saying?" asked Starfire after a beat.

Kessa'd shook his head, said, "I'm afraid I really can't say. It was more muttering I suppose. Not really anything I could make out. You were smiling though, so it must have been a pleasant dream."

"Must have been."

"Do you not remember it?"

Silently biting her lip, Starfire felt a twinge of guilt nibble at her insides, a small stab at the space between her ribs. It pained her, the realization that at that moment anything out of her mouth would have invariably been a lie.

"I am afraid not," she said after a few moments.

"Hmmm," said Kessa'd almost thinking to himself. "That's a shame."

There was another brief silence. Kessa'd's gentle ministrations continued. "I myself had a wonderful dream," he said finally. With a warm smile and a devilish glint in his (only) emerald eye he slid closer.

"Is that so?" said Starfire.

"Indeed. It was nightfall. The moons were full, and I was atop the highest plateau in Sodrin K'ari making love to the most beautiful woman in the entire history of Tamaran."

"Were you now?" said Starfire with a knowing smirk.

Kessa'd nodded.

"It is a shame you had to awaken then."

Kessa'd mock sighed in disappointment, said, "Very much so, yes."

Rolling, shifting on the pad, Starfire turned until she faced the opposite wall. "Well, I would not wish to keep you from such a dream," she said over her shoulder. "Perhaps if you resume your slumber now you may find yourself there once more."

Kessa'd chuckled. Again he slid closer.

"Oh, but my dear, Koriand'r" he whispered. "I was much rather hoping you would join me in making such a dream a reality."

The warmth of his body enveloped her as he snaked his arms over her hips. She could feel his arousal, the firm warmth of his erection, pressing into her lower back, rubbing enticingly against her bare flesh. It was a sensation that should have excited her, and yet sadly did not. She was not completely unfeeling. Certainly she felt the usual warm tingle, the gentle tremor that always accompanied such an intimate embrace; of course her body quivered at the feel of his fingertips lovingly caressing her neck and chin; the touch of his palms upon her breasts; of his fingers sliding and rubbing against her cunt. The physical was not the problem; it was elsewhere. The truth was that in her mind and in her heart, she felt nothing. Kessa'd's ministrations, the thought of his hard nakedness, it served only to excite her in the most involuntary of ways. Though her body could have easily committed itself to the act of love making as it had already done several times before, the same could not be said for the rest of her.

"I apologize, my love," Starfire said finally. "But I cannot right now. My mind is...occupied."

Kessa'd's disappointment was clear. He looked away for a moment, then nodded. "Of course," he said, his voice still managing to possess the most understanding of tones. "Just as well, I suppose." Getting up he crossed the room to the bureau, his arousal fading with each step. Retrieving his royal garb he said, "I have matters to attend to anyway."

Raising up, Starfire said, "The new palace guards?"

"Yes, I wish to look them over. Just a minor inspection to see everything is well."

"I take it they already meet your approval."

"Indeed. I hand picked each and every one. Except old Galfore of course. The rest are all members of my former squads. I trust them all with my life. Good soldiers. The palace could not be more secure."

"That is most reassuring to know."

Kessa'd said nothing further, only pulled on his black tights and gave a warm, albeit somewhat forced, smile. No longer feeling tired, Starfire floated to her feet. Crossing the floor in the opposite direction, she moved to her own bureau.

Kessa'd dressed quickly. He neglected the more casual royal garb in favor of the militaristic battle attire. Once finished he went to Starfire, offered her his embrace.

"I shall join you later once my business is complete. Farewell." Though he did his best to hide it there was little warmth in his words. He made for the door, opened it and nearly ran into Vira who suddenly appeared on the other side, her arm raised, her fist ready to knock.

"Oh goodness," exclaimed the woman. "Please forgive me, My Lord."

Kessa'd offered the woman little heed, only nodded, maneuvered his way past and continued on his way.

Holding her fingers to her lips, chewing her nails nervously, Vira entered the room with renewed caution. She looked to Starfire. "Oh dear, did I upset him?" she asked with evident concern.

Starfire was quick to calm the woman's fears. "Worry not, Vira. You have nothing to fear from him."

"But Lord Kessa'd did seem a bit upset. Did something happen? Oh nope, nope, don't answer that. None of my business."

Vira was quick to usurp Starfire's dressing duties. Taking the young woman by the shoulders she positioned her as she always did in front of the mirror and proceeded to fetch all the required garb as item by item she outlined the day's events. The chief of the Outland tribes to the south of the kingdom was to be a distinguished guest that day. There was also some business concerning the head merchants and...

It was around when Vira reached the meeting concerning the great pilgrimage to Killico Valley for the Sand Flower harvest when Starfire suddenly felt herself the victim of the most unusual sensation. Spreading rapidly through her insides, it overcame her entire body in an instant. Neither pain nor nausea, it was more an overwhelming warmth, a powerful and unrelenting heat. Starting at her stomach it radiated outward, spreading to her chest and extremities. The bureau rattled as she stumbled. Fraught with dizziness, dropping to one knee, she stared at the floor, took deep breaths, struggled to right herself.

Vira was at her side in an instant. "Empress?" she said, worry clear in her voice. "Empress, what's the matter? Are you ill?"

"I am not sure. I feel strange."

For several moments Vira remained by her side, gently rubbing her back like a concerned parent. "I'm going to go and fetch a doctor," she said finally. She had just turned to leave when Starfire abruptly called her back.

"No, no, Vira, wait," said the young Empress. Even as the words left her mouth already she could feel the strange sensation leaving her, retreating back into nothingness, leaving her with little more than a feeling of confusion. "I believe I am fine now."

"Are you certain?"

Starfire smiled and said, "Yes. Thank you. If you would just bring me some cak'l juice."

"Yes, of course, Your Highness," said Vira. "You just sit and rest. Ol' Vira'll be back in a flash."

Though she would not act on the strange sensation until later that day, already a single thought was forming in the back of Starfire's mind. The source of the sensation may not have been the great mystery it appeared...

III

Grayson took a deep breath, cracked his knuckles. His opponent did the same.

"You ready, old timer?" said the young man.

"Bring it," answered Grayson with a confident smirk.

There was a countdown. A voice said, "Fight," and so they did. The youngster was quick on the attack, immediately laying into Grayson with a flurry of punches and kicks going from high to low to mid, up and down and back again. He favored the ten hit combo, this one. He knew several and he threw them at Grayson with unrelenting speed. For the moment blocking and ducking were Grayson's only options.

"Oh oh, what you got? What you got?" the young man teased. Swaying back and forth, taking to the air he executed a flying jump kick, easily transitioning into another multi-hit combo.

Despite the young man's boasts, little did he know the tide of battle was changing. His combos were fast, but far too predictable. High punch, low punch, low kick, mid... The patterns were easily cracked and with each repetition Grayson was growing ever wiser. Very quickly it became a simple matter of waiting for the right openings. And unfortunately for the youngster, such a skill was almost second nature to a fighter like Grayson.

Blocking and ducking, throwing poking punches and kicks anywhere he could, throwing in a reversal here and there, Grayson slowly depleted the young warrior's life. Finally with one final artificial smack, Kid Flash's on screen avatar cried out in defeat, flew backwards through the air and smacked the ground with an audible thump.

"Player 2 Wins!" declared the announcer, barely heard over the chorus of cheers coming from the common room's other occupants.

"Dude, you actually beat him," said the young Robin.

"Not just beat him," said Wonder Girl, eyes wide with smiling bewilderment. "Annihilated him."

Grayson could not help an embarrassed smile. "Ah It's no big deal," he said, sitting back against the sofa, resting his arms along the top.

"No, no, no," came Kid Flash suddenly, speaking as if trying to deny the entire outcome. "That was luck. Blind stinking luck. Pick a guy! We're going another round!"

Returning to the player select screen, the two selected their fighters. They chose the arena and seconds later the computer voice returned, saying, "Round 1! Fight!" They did. There were smacks and thuds as the two's avatars resumed their previous war, exchanging punches and kicks; blocking, reversing, taunting. Kid Flash repeated every mistake he'd made the previous round, and just like last time, Grayson made him pay dearly for them. Two rounds later and...

"Player 2 wins!"

Robin laughed and said, "Oh man! Brutal! Seriously, man, that was amazing."

From the corner of the couch, his arms folded casually in front of his chest, Superboy rolled his eyes. "No, it wasn't," he said almost tiredly. "It's a videogame. There's nothing amazing about pretend beating someone up."

"Oh, don't mind him," said Wonder Girl. "He's just mad cause he stinks at this game." She leaned in close and whispered, "He always ends up accidently breaking the controller every time he plays."

The attempted secrecy was a lost cause as Superboy very quickly shouted, "I do not!"

Wonder Girl smiled arrogantly, held out a controller to the red S'd teen, dangling it by its chord from one finger. "Care to play me then?" she smirked.

Superboy only harrumphed, sank slightly lower in his seat.

There came the hissing sound of the common room doors. "Well, whatdoyaknow," Cyborg's voice boomed. "The rumors are true." Moving towards the back of the sofa, the big man was all smiles as he said, "Three rare sightings in one week. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."

"How's it going, Cy?" smiled Grayson.

"Not bad," answered Cyborg.

Any further conversation the two old friends would have had was interrupted by an overly excited Robin going, "Ooh ooh, Cy, you've gotta face Nightwing."

"Oh, definitely," agreed Wonder Girl. "Two old masters facing off. Winner take all. I like that."

"Well, see now that wouldn't be fair," said Cyborg with a casual shrug. "Nightwing here already knows I'm the king at this game."

"Since when?" said Grayson.

"Since always," said Cyborg.

"Care to prove it then?"

The room "Ooooh'ed" and then fell silent.

Cyborg, the picture of confidence, made his way around the sofa, the young Titans clearing a path for him as he walked, giving him all the space he needed. Sitting down beside Grayson, he picked up a controller. Slowly he turned, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Let's rock."

Grayson smirked. The two selected their fighters and for the next twenty minutes it was as if time had never moved. Round after round the two traded victories back and forth, each match peppered with good natured trash talk. The elation was clear on their faces. They loved this. For the brief time that the two of them played, they were teenagers again. Round three of the last match ended in a stalemate. Fists collided simultaneously and both onscreen avatars fell to the ground in mirrored defeat.

The room erupted in "Oh's."

"Ain't gonna get any closer than that," laughed Cyborg.

"Truce?" said Nightwing.

"Truce," answered Cyborg before slyly adding, "For now."

"And so the two masters parted ways," said Kid Flash in mock seriousness. "Destined to fight again."

Grayson handed off the controller to an eager to play Robin. Cyborg did the same for Wonder Girl, and the two friends made their way to the back of the room.

"I think these past weeks have been the most I've seen out of you in years," said Cyborg leaning against the kitchen counter.

"You did say not to be a stranger."

"Yeah well, forgive me for this, but in all honesty I didn't actually think you'd listen to me."

"Should I take that as a hint to get going?"

"Aw calm down. Jeez, since when are you the sensitive type?"

Grayson chuckled. "I've kept on a fairly strict schedule for a while now," he said. "I just figured maybe it was just time for a change."

"Does this mean you'll be coming back to Jump City?"

At this Grayson shook his head. "Sorry, Cy. Bludhaven still needs someone looking out for it. And right now that someone's me."

"I hear ya."

There was a loud beeping sound. Not quite like the Titan alarm, it carried far less urgency, making it not so much an alert but more of a notification. Again and again the loud beeping came from the large monitor at the front of the room.

"What's that?"

For a moment Cyborg appeared at a loss for words. "That's an incoming message from Starfire," he struggled out finally.

Grayson's heart sank, the wind all but completely gone from his sails.

"Ah okay," he said, doing his best to sound unaffected. "Well, I won't keep you. I need to hit the road anyway."

"Hey, uh, you don't have to leave. It shouldn't take long. The girl's usually really busy these days..."

Grayson simply shook his head. Shrugging good naturedly he said, "That's okay, Cy."

Cyborg could only nod in return. The two old friends parted with a casual fist pound and Grayson made for the exit. The doors opened just as the call was received.

"Hey, what's up, Star?" said Cyborg.

"Victor, I have the most wonderful news."

The doors closed with Grayson on the other side, drowing the conversation.

IV

Cyborg was in actuality one of the last to find out. The first beyond the usual (Starfire and the palace physician that tended to her) was Vira who took to the information with a level of glee never before demonstrated. Galfore was next. Responding with a similar enthusiasm the old man seemed to lose decades almost becoming a young one again before her very eyes. Kessa'd of course followed. His initial reaction was more of a stunned silence. That was before emotion completely took over causing him to take his new bride in his arms and spin circles with her around the room. Soon afterwards came the official announcement. Like a shockwave it went forth, outward and outward, across the kingdom and beyond.

In the end though, for many, there was very little surprise. It was an event that was a long time coming. The newly crowned couple of Tamaran, Empress Koriand'r and Lord Kessa'd, were to have their first child.