Chapter 14

Gotham City Gala

Robin woke up at 9AM. Robin got dressed and he smiled at what he saw. Starfire was still sleeping. Robin leaned down and kissed the top of her head. She groaned and she stretched.

"Is it time to wake up already?" she said. Robin chuckled. "Yes, come on, we have to get up and go shopping for the gala." Starfire sighed and she sat up. "You are right." He kissed the top of her head.

"Come on, let's go grab some breakfast." She nodded. They ate and they headed to the garage. "Are we not taking that bike today Richard?" Robin shook his head.

"No, we can't put the clothes on the bike. I have a car in here. Bruce gave me this garage because I liked to do mechanic work."

He walked to the back corner and he took a cover off of a car. Starfire looked at it with widened eyes.

"That is a beautiful car, Richard." Robin smiled. "Yeah, Bruce bought me this when I turned 15. I built it myself."

Starfire marveled at the car. "What is it?" Robin smiled. "It's a 1967 Shelby GT 500." Starfire nodded as she took in the beautiful car. It was a bright red with black interior.

"It is very nice." said Starfire. Robin walked over and opened the passenger door. "Princess Koriand'r." he said. Starfire giggled.

"Thank you Mr. Grayson." She got in. Robin started it up and it fired up beautifully. Robin smiled and they peeled out of the garage.

They made it to the mall. "Do you want me to come with you?" Starfire shook her head. "No, I want my dress to be a surprise."

Robin smiled and nodded. "Okay, meet you at the food court when you're done?" Starfire nodded. He handed her a card.

"Have fun." he said. Starfire smiled and nodded. Starfire walked into dress shop after dress shop. Finally at the last one, she found the one. She paid for it and she met her boyfriend at the food court.

"I didn't take too long did I?" Robin shook his head. "No, come on, if we get back we might be able to fit a small nap in." Starfire nodded. Robin grabbed the dress bag and her shoes and they headed back to the car.

They made it back to the house and they hung their clothes up. Robin looked at his watch. 12PM. "We can maybe squeeze in a thirty minute nap." Starfire nodded. "Perfect." Robin chuckled and they both fell asleep.

Robin was woken by a knock on the door. "Yeah?" Alfred walked in. "It is time for you and Ms. Anders to get ready, sir."

Robin nodded. "Yes, thank you Alfred." He nodded. Robin woke Starfire up. "Come on beautiful. Time to get ready for the Gala." Starfire nodded.

Robin stood at the bottom of the staircase and he fiddled with his bow tie. His jaw dropped as he saw his girlfriend.

Her dress was a pale pink and one shoulder. Her hair was part up, secured with a diamond hair pin. She looked at Robin with a smile. He walked up the stairs and he took her arm with his, and they walked down the stairs.

"You look stunning." said Robin. Starfire smiled. "Thank you. You look very handsome." Robin smiled. They walked over to Bruce and he had a woman on his arm.

"You look very nice, Ms. Anders." said Bruce. Starfire smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Wayne." Soon it was time for dinner.

Robin pulled a chair and Starfire sat down. He sat next to her. "It is nice to see you again, Mr. Grayson." said an older gentleman.

"It is nice to be back in Gotham, Mr. Evans." He nodded. "And who is your lady friend?" Starfire felt all eyes on her.

"This is my girlfriend, Kori Anders." Starfire blushed and smiled. "Hello, it is nice to meet all of you." she said.

"It is nice to meet you Ms. Anders. Tell me, how did you and Mr. Grayson meet? What do you do?" he asked.

Starfire started to panic. She looked over at Robin. "Well, Ms. Anders isn't exactly from here." came a voice.

They all looked over at Barbara Gordon. Robin glared at her. Barbara just smiled. "So you know Ms. Anders?" asked Evans.

Barbara smiled and nodded. "You could say that. You could say that she is out of this world, right Dick?" she asked. Bruce could feel the tension in the room. He cleared his throat.

"So, Mr. Daniels, Mr. Evans, please tell us about your plan for the Arkham expansion." said Bruce. Starfire sighed in relief.

Robin put a hand on her leg. Robin looked at his girlfriend as she tried to calm herself down. He looked across the table at Barbara and he glared at her. She smirked at him and focused on the conversation.

Once dinner was over, Starfire disappeared. Robin grabbed Barbara's arm. "You really enjoyed that didn't you? Making her uncomfortable?" Barbara smiled.

"I don't know what you mean Dick. I was trying to be a good friend." She walked away. Starfire sat on a stone bench on the back balcony and she sighed. "Perhaps this isn't where I belong." she said, looking at the ground.

"You are just now figuring that out?"

She looked up and there stood Barbara. "You don't belong here. You don't belong in his world. Tell me, what exactly do you do for the group? Robin's the leader, Raven has her magic, Beast Boy can shift, and Cyborg has his weapons."

"All you do is create a distraction for Robin. He is always getting hurt or put in danger because you are the one that always gets captured. You are nothing but a burden on Robin and his team. Admit it."

Starfire glared at Barbara. "You don't know anything about Robin, his team, or me." Barbara scoffed. "So I don't know that you were the reason that aliens were seen on earth not only three years ago, but a few weeks ago? That on the news that there was a giant green burst of energy close to the tower?"

Starfire flinched slightly. "Admit it Starfire, your team is better off with you. How can you promise that your magic won't put your companions in danger? How can you promise that you can keep it under control? Think about it."

She walked back into the house. Starfire looked at the ground and she shut her eyes. Was Barbara right? Was she really a burden to her team? To her love? She heard the door open. "Kori, there you are."

She looked up and Robin walked over to her. He took in her face. "Kori, is everything okay?" She nodded. "Yeah, everything is fine." Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Kori, we have been friends for years. I know when something is bothering you." Starfire shook her head.

"It's fine. Come on, let's enjoy our night together." She got up and walked back into the gala. Robin sighed. He followed her back in. There was some dancing going on. Robin held out his hand.

"May I have this dance?" Starfire gave him a small smile. She took his hand and they started to dance on the floor.

"You really do look amazing tonight. And I wanted to thank you for coming with me." Starfire looked into his eyes and she nodded.

"Thank you for inviting me." Robin smiled. "Well considering how our relationship started, I figured that we both deserved a break from our hero times. You once asked me must we always be heroes. And I brought you here that we can both be heroes and we can be together."

Starfire looked into her boyfriend's eyes. She smiled and he laid her head on his shoulder as they danced across the floor. "I love you Kori." Starfire looked into his eyes. She locked her arms around his neck as they danced.

"As I love you Richard. So much." Robin locked his arms around her waist and they danced. Soon the gala was over. They walked to the room hand in hand. "Did you want to talk about what was bothering you tonight?" asked Robin, taking his bowtie off.

Starfire looked at Robin as she took her hair down. "I was just a little overwhelmed with tonight. That's all." Robin sighed and nodded.

"I'm sorry if you felt pressure." Starfire shook her head. "No, it's just I wasn't ready to answer the questions that we were asked. And I was surely surprised by the way Barbara was acting." Robin nodded.

"It's a little hot, do you mind if I sleep without a shirt?" he asked. Starfire blushed slightly. "No, not at all." They got into bed and Starfire wrapped her arms around his torso. Barbara's words were still echoing in her head.

Starfire woke up the next morning before Robin did. She looked up to his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful.

She looked at his wrapped shoulder where Joker had shot him two nights prior. Then she started remembering all the times that Robin was put in danger because of her. Skotadius, Blackfire, Joker.

Perhaps Barbara's words were true after all. Was it better for her to leave him, or leave her team? Should she return to her planet, where she belonged?" Robin shifted in his sleep and he opened his eyes. He looked at her face and he could see fear and pain in her eyes. "Kori, what's the matter?"

Starfire shook her head. "Nothing, just had a nightmare. She got up and she grabbed her clothes for the day. Robin sat up and looked at her. "Did you have another one of your nightmares?" he asked.

Starfire looked at him, and nodded. "Yes, I still struggle with them every once in awhile." Robin got up and hugged her from behind. "Why didn't you wake me?" Starfire shook her head.

"Didn't want to wake you. So, what are we up to today?" she asked, hoping that it would put his mind off the way she was acting. "I don't know. What would you like to see?" he asked.

"Why don't you show me your childhood here? You have seen where I have spent mine." Robin nodded. "Great idea. They took the car out and Robin took her everywhere from his childhood. From his school to where he took his driving test.

The arcade where he played games with his friends. "I find it amazing that I can see so much of your childhood in one place." She said.

"Are you hungry? There's a wonderful little café." Starfire nodded. "This has been a nice day. It is a shame that we have to leave tomorrow morning." Robin nodded. "Yeah, I forgot how much I missed this place."

She looked at him. "Richard?" He looked at her. "If Bruce or Barbara asked you to return to Gotham, would you?" Robin shook his head.

"No, Bruce and I get along a lot better now that we don't work together. We were always fighting. I hated the way he treated me like a child. And he let Barbara train with him behind my back." She nodded.

"I am glad, that you get along better now." Robin nodded. "The night I left here was the same night I met you. I didn't want a team, I wanted to work solo. But I met you along with the other titans. You were the one that brought us together."

Starfire smiled. "I couldn't be happier that I escaped that day." Robin put a hand on hers. "I just wish I could have saved you sooner."

Starfire looked into his eyes. "My ordeal is not on you. You are not expected to carry my burdens or my pain. Those are for me to bear. That is in my past. And I have left it in the past." Robin nodded.

"Okay." Robin looked up and groaned. "You have got to be kidding me." Starfire turned and there stood Barbara and an older gentleman. She locked eyes with them and she walked over to them.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Grayson." said the gentleman, holding out his hand. Robin stood up and took it.

"Good to see you too, Commissioner. Kori, the is James Gordon, he is the Commissioner of Police. Commissioner, this is Kori Anders. Starfire stood up and she took his hand. "It is nice to meet you Commissioner." He smiled.

"You as well, Ms. Anders." He looked at Robin. "So Grayson, Barbara has told me you helped catch the Joker the other night. Is Gotham going to have their boy wonder back?"

Robin shook his head. No, sir. And Kori was there and she was the one that took the Joker down." Gordon looked at them in shock. "Oh funny, Barbara didn't mention that." Starfire smiled and Gordon.

"I'm sure it just slipped his mind, sir." said Starfire. "Besides sir, I have my own city to protect now." said Robin. He nodded.

"That is a shame. "You are Barb made a great team." Barbara smiled. "Dating or not. We were an great duo." she said with a smile, looking dead at Starfire. She felt a stab of jealousy. Starfire got up and walked away.

"Kori!" called Robin. She didn't stop. Robin got up to follow her. He looked at Barbara and he shook his head at her. She just looked at him with a smile.