Robin emerged from the library and slowly made his way to Cyborg's room. He felt… well, he wasn't sure WHAT he felt, exactly. He felt angry that Dick and Babs for trying to meddle with his relationship, yet at the same time he was glad that they cared so much about him. He was angry about what he had just learned and what Starfire surely knew- that their relationship was likely doomed, but at the same time he desperately hoped he was wrong. He knew the only way to resolve things was to talk to Starfire, however unpleasant it might be.

As he moved towards the room she'd used to eavesdrop, he noticed that the door stood open. Looking inside, the Boy wonder noticed that the glass she had used to listen with lay fallen on the floor, a large crack testifying to the force with which it had hit. Furthermore, he noticed that the wall behind the door was cracked in the precise shape of the doorknob- something that could only have happened if the door had been flung open with great force. From this it was plain that the alien girl had left the room quickly, and in a state of emotional distress. Oddly, this made Tim feel a little better- after all, if Starfire hadn't been affected at all by what she'd heard it would have been a good deal less hopeful, a sign that she didn't care at all.

Tim paused briefly to consider where he could find her. The manor was large place, with dozens of rooms to hide in. Starfire, however, didn't know it very well at all- in all likelihood she hadn't gone beyond her room, the kitchen, the bathroom and the dining room. Quickly, the Boy Wonder checked these rooms and found them to be empty. Then he had an idea. Starfire always seemed to seek out high places when she felt distressed, so logically the roof of the manor would be the place she would most likely go after hearing something distressing.

Reaching the roof, he found Starfire staring out at the city. The sun was just sinking below the horizon, painting the spires of Gotham in red, while the stars began to come out. Under normal circumstances, Tim would have found the scene to be unbelievably romantic, and would have been thrilled to share it with Starfire. As things stood, however, he plodded over to the roof's edge and sat down beside the alien girl.

"So I guess there's no point in asking if you heard that, huh?" He sighed.

"I heard all." Starfire replied, her voice choked with emotion.

"Well, what do you have to say?" Tim asked. When no answer was forthcoming, he went on "I mean, Dick and Babs were right- you must have thought of the problems they brought up before this. So why didn't you say something?"

"I said nothing because I did not think I needed to say anything." Starfire replied in a quiet voice. "The issues your family mentioned were known to me, but I considered them unimportant because they were issues for the future."

"What?" Tim replied "Come on, Star- I know you better than that. You're just as capable of thinking long-term as any of us. Give me the real reason"

"Truly, Tim, I have given you the real reason. This is very difficult to explain…" Starfire trailed off at that, as she struggled to put her thoughts into English. Suddenly, she leapt to her feet and pointed to the sky. "Quickly, Tim, look there!"

Tim looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of a shooting star racing across the sky. Looking back at the alien girl, he saw her smiling. Normally, a display of such happiness from her would make him smile but now he found himself distinctly unmoved. "So?" He asked.

"Tim, please tell me what that was?"

"Huh?" Now he was truly confused. While Starfire's ignorance of Earth customs and her imperfect English often gave the impression of stupidity, he knew that her knowledge of science and mathematics far exceeded his own. "That's just a shooting star- you know, a meteorite burning up in the atmosphere."

"What if it had not burned up? What if it had hit us?" Starfire asked.

"That's almost impossible, Star- no one in history has ever been killed by a meteorite" Tim replied, honestly puzzled by the turn this conversation had taken.

"But what if it had?" Starfire repeated, her voice patient and calm.

"It COULDN'T Star" Tim replied, beginning to lose his patience. "The atmosphere of Earth is just too much of a barrier for anything short of a gigantic meteor."

"But what if it had?" Starfire repeated, just as calm as ever.

"Then we'd be DEAD!" Tim snapped, losing his temper. He'd come here hoping that Starfire would be able to quiet the many doubts that his conversation with Dick and Barbara had raised, but instead she seemed to be distracted by a damned shooting star."

"Correct" Starfire said with a nod. "We would be dead, and all of our worries about what might be in the future would seem very silly, would they not?"

Tim frowned. "So, what are you saying? Ignore the future and live in the now? I know you don't believe that, Star- I've known you to make long term plans."

"But not about love- my people do not believe in planning love" Starfire sighed. "Tim, you must understand something about my people. We were at war with the Gordanians for a very very long time. It was a very bloody war as well, with battles that often killed virtually all the soldiers on both sides. Our warriors spent every day knowing that they would most likely not survive their next battle, much less the entire war. To dwell on this would make any form of love impossible, for how can you give your heart to one that may be dead tomorrow? For this reason, it became customary among my people to treat matters of the heart as matters only of the present. To love unreservedly and without hesitation while love was possible, and to deal with any problems or consequences only as they occurred. Over time, this became our normal attitude towards romance- we love in the now, for we cannot say what will come tomorrow. For this reason, I did not give future problems any thought for they are for the future."

Tim nodded- that made sense, he supposed, and it made him feel much better to know that Starfire hadn't been just hiding things from him, or worse, that she didn't care. Still, it wasn't a perfect answer. "That's true, Star" he said "But we aren't in a war now, so…

Starfire frowned as she cut in. "Are we not? I feel our friends Raven and Beastboy would disagree. Do you think that it could not have been you or I picked by the Joker? Do you think Raven does not regret every time she failed to express her love for Beastboy?"

Tim was silent as he considered this. It was true that their lives were exceptionally dangerous- nearly as dangerous as a soldier in wartime, now that he thought of it. What Starfire was saying made a degree of sense. But he shook his head. "It's not that I don't agree that our lives are dangerous, Star, but I don't know if I can just ignore these problems now that I know about them. "

Starfire sniffled- she should have known that Tim would not be able to adapt to Tamaranian thinking. It was too much to ask of him to change his very nature- Tim was methodical and preferred planning to improvisation. She forced herself to refrain from crying. "I see." She said, her voice as neutral as she could make it. "Will you then be… breaking up with me?"

"No" Tim said, a smile beginning to spread across his face as he put his arm around the taller girls shoulder, drawing her close. "No. We're going to figure out how to solve these problems together Star. You know your culture better than I do, and you're great at coming up with unexpected solutions to problems. I'm a good planner, and I never give up. Together, I know we can overcome anything! We can't talk now, but after the big Wayne Charity Ball next week, we should have some time…"

Starfire thought she would burst with joy.

Beastboy was awoken from his light nap by the sound of the door to his room opening. From their seats in front of the television, his two guards Tony and Sid glanced up long enough to be certain that it was Charlie coming in and not an intruder. Once they reassured themselves that all was well, they turned back to their movie.

Charlie looked over at the screen and snorted- he'd seen Party At Blood Bay already, and frankly he hadn't thought much of it. He moved over to the bed and tapped Beastboy on the shoulder.

"Hey, kid" he said, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb his friends and their crappy movie. "C'mon, you got an appointment in five minutes."

"I do? For what?" Beastboy sat up, still a little muddled from sleep. "I don't remember making an appointment… Is it that Hollywood director John Luca? Did he get my fan script for Episode I: The Fainting Marmoset?"

Charlie gave the green boy a long long look. Since they'd been together, he'd found himself coming to like the little green goofball. The kid was all right, most ways, and Charlie hoped he wouldn't have to make anything bad happen to him. That being said, there were times when he would give a lot to know what went on in that fuzzy green head. "No, kid. The boss says you have an appointment, so you have an appointment. I don't know any more than that. Let's go, times a-wastin'. "

The two made their way down the long hallway towards the elevator. Charlie walked behind Beastboy and although he didn't appear to have a weapon, Beastboy had a feeling this wouldn't be a good time to make another escape attempt. Charlie's eyes were fixed on him, and his last attempt had left him in no doubt that there were plenty of other guards around. Besides, he still felt guilty over what might have happened to Charlie if he'd actually succeeded in breaking out of ….wherever he was.

When they reached the elevator, Charlie hit the button for -2 and the elevator started to move down. Charlie turned to Beastboy and smiled. "No kicking in the controls this time, okay? The guy from maintenance bitched for a week last time."

Beastboy snorted. "Dude, tell him it was an accident. My foot just slipped, I swear."

Charlie laughed. "I'll do that, just to see what color his face turns."

Beastboy smiled just as the elevator doors slid open again. "I bet you five it's some shade of purple."

"Nah, he's a skinny little guy" Charlie replied as they headed down the new hallway. "Best he'll manage is some shade of pink. Here we are."

Entering the room, Beastboy let out a low whistle. The whole room was filled with medical equipment. The pieces he could actually identify included a CAT-scan, an EEG machine, a blood-pressure station, and an X-Ray machine. Added to this were dozens of advanced looking equipment whose purpose was a mystery to him. Standing in the center of the room was a blonde woman with thick glasses and a very nervous expression. Charlie nodded to the woman who hesitantly returned his greeting,

"June here is going to be running some tests on you" Charlie said, taking a seat in a corner near the door.

"Hiya, June" Beastboy said, extending a hand. The woman flinched away. Beastboy frowned, then smiled. "It's the skin isn't it? Yeah, some people get put off by the green. Don't worry, it's nothing contagious." To his surprise, this actually seemed to make the woman more jumpy. He was about to make a few jokes to put her at ease when Charlie gave a low whistle.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you, man." The guard said "I think the Boss told her not to talk to you or else, and knowing the Boss he probably told her just what Or Else would mean for her and her family. Just let her do her tests and go home."

June nodded frantically and Beastboy silently submitted to the testing. It was actually a sobering event for him- Charlie and the others were so friendly with him that he'd almost forgotten that whoever they worked for was likely a very bad person. Who had very bad plans for him. As he slid into the CAT-Scan, Beastboy suddenly felt very afraid- the kind of fear he'd thought he'd left in Sunnyside Hospital. He concentrated on the calming exercises he'd learned in therapy and continued them throughout the long, long battery of tests.

They weren't much help. Not even the pain of the blood or marrow extractions could entirely take his mind off his circumstances.

A/N
A bit of joy and a bit of sadness. Such is life.

As promised here are some…

TITAN TIPS!

Jimmy Exposition sez PLEASE NOTE: All tips reflect the personal experience and opinions of the author. Please treat them as such.

Hey, Jimmy, do you mind? I'm trying to work here.

Jimmy Expositions sez: Sorry, but it had to be said.

Yes, yes, thank you. Now go back to your sewer, or whatever. Sheesh. MOVING ON!

1)Do Your Research

Consider this the big tip, the Eleventh Commandment. Let's say your story is about one of the Titans being put into a coma in battle. Look up how a person can be placed into a coma, what kinds of treatments they're likely to receive, what sort of therapy they'll be facing afterwards. Doing so makes your story a bit more believable and that really helps the reader get immersed into it. In contrast, lack of research will always be noticed. To use our coma example, if the character springs from the hospital bed and rushes straight into battle, it can really kill the mood- turning a moment of heroic recovery into something from a bad soap opera.

2) Remember that you are writing about Superheroes:
The Teen Titans are a group of heroes. This means that fighting crime is the primary focus of their lives. Whether it be by training, by patrolling or though pitched battles with evil, this part of their lives should always be a big part of the story. This doesn't mean that you can't write a love story or an angst piece but it DOES mean that you should at the very least reference their lives as heroes. Toss in a battle against an ineffectual villain to act as comedy relief (the Titans villains really lend themselves to this). Have your pair's first 'date' occur during a patrol through the city as they look for clues. Just remember that the battle against evil is a huge part of their lives and shouldn't be ignored.

3) Avoid Clichés as much as possible. If you must use them, subvert them.

I can't tell you how many stories on this website boil down to either "The Titans are ordinary teens in an ordinary school" or "the Titans meet a girl with Mysterious Powers ™ and a Dark Past ©". Try to be original- it's difficult to find ideas that haven't already been done (I've counted four stories where the Joker comes to Jump that were written before mine) but it's really rewarding both for you and the reader. If you do use the stock storylines, mix it up a little. Maybe it's a BABY with mysterious abilities that just turns up in the middle of town, and the Titans have to look after it, keep it from wrecking the Tower AND find its parents. Maybe the 'high school' is actually a trick by Brother Blood, Mad Mod or Control Freak to keep the Titans out of the way. The point is, strive to be different.

4) Build the World

One thing I've always found to be good in stories is when the author does a bit of world building- that is, when he or she fleshes out things the show left unexplained. For example, I thought it would be good to explain how the Titans get on and off their Island, so back in chapter twenty I made up the Jump City aquarium and its viewing tunnel. I'm not saying to write a full chapter about the guy who makes the Titans their pizza (although… hm….) but by fleshing out the setting you make the world of your story seem a bit more real. This is especially true for Teen Titans stories, since the show wasn't great about fleshing out the setting.

5) Original Characters

These can be really hard to use well, as it can be hard to keep them from becoming the stars of the story. After all, they're YOUR creations, so naturally you want to show them in the best light, with the best abilities and to give them the best dramatic moments. A (surprisingly) good OC can be found in the story These Black Eyes. Yeah, he's overpowered but the other Titans are given a lot of time to shine on their own.

The exception here is Original Villains. These often work really well, balancing out the Titans lackluster rogues gallery. Plus, if a villain seems to be way more powerful than the heroes, it just serves to build dramatic tension.

6) Spell check

I know, I know-I'm pretty bad about this myself, but it still needs to be said. Double check your spelling and grammar, because some mistakes can be pretty significant. When Raven is Meditating, she's achieving a state of balance through intense personal reflection and mental effort. When she's Mediating, she's acting as a moderator between two disputing parties. It's rather a large difference and one that drives me absolutely nuts.

7) Characterization is KEY

Unless you're writing an AU story, the characters you write should hew closely to the ones in the show or the comics. If the situation doesn't seem to fir the characters, then one or the other needs to change. Of course, everyone has their own interpretations, but what follows is how I view the characters

Beastboy:

Beastboy is at once the deepest and the shallowest character. He's been through more than any of the Titans- more suffering, more adventure, and more traveling. At the same time, he's very much a kid at heart with a slight tendency to whine. Don't overplay either side of him- he's a guy who's been through a lot, but refuses to let any of it get him down. In terms of intelligence, Beastboy's probably a lot smarter than he looks (he'd have to be) but has very little schooling. 'Book Dumb' is a good term.

The Beast is, in my view, nothing more or less than Beastboy's Id (to use the Freudian)- instinctive, untamed, and selfish but still fundamentally a part of him.

Starfire:

The term Team Mom fits Starfire- she cares for everyone and tries her best to look after them. She's extremely ignorant about human customs and conventions, but that is very different from being naïve or innocent. She grew up with Blackfire, so she probably knows a good deal about lying and betrayal. She's a member of a fierce warrior culture with a very open sexuality (in the comics) so Innocent doesn't really fit either. She's also very intelligent as can be seen by how WELL she's managed to fit into an alien culture which, believe me, ain't easy. She also speaks very formally, with no slang or contractions.

However, never forget that she is an alien. That doesn't just mean she's going to act weird or mispronounce words. It means that her biology and psychology are likely to be very different than what we call normal. Emphasize the little differences and she'll seem less like a strange human girl and more like an alien visitor.

Raven

Raven is pretty much the opposite of Bwastboy. She's well-educated, very mature and fundamentally Stoic (as in the philosophy). That being said she's lacking in what might be called Real World experience. Raised by monks, remember, so don't expect her to know a lot about relationships or finance or anything outside of what a Classical education would teach. She also has difficulty expressing herself, mainly due to her inability to express emotions. Her humor tends towards the dry and sarcastic, but shouldn't be cruel or bitter. Emphasize that her lifestyle isn't the one she'd like, it's the one she's stuck with.

Cyborg.

First off, include him- so many stories just gloss over the Metal Man's role in favor of Shippable characters. Cyborg has the biggest Identity issues of all (Man Vs Machine, Vic Stone vs Cyborg, etc.), and some pretty serious self esteem issues. He's also the Big Brother of the team- willing to lend a hand or an ear when needed but always ready to tease. He still has his own goals and his own life, though.

E) Robin:

Robin is the hardest to pin down. The show's creators say he's kind of a blend of all three Robins, and I can see that. Dick Grayson's acrobatics and bad puns, Tim Drake's brusque leadership style and planning abilities, and Jason Todd's trust issues and brooding attitude. If you decide (as I did) to focus on just one 'Robin', be consistent. Don't make your 'Dick Grayson' brooding and dark, for example. Remember that while Robin is a hardass (no matter who's behind the mask), it's because he wants his team to succeed. Think Drill Sergeant not Sadist.

F) Terra

Hoo Boy. In the comics, Terra was everything the bashers claim: A heartless, slutty bitch who used the Titans for her own ends. In the show, she was made out to be less evil and more deceived- Slade's tool rather than his partner. Whichever version you choose, be consistent. Not much else to say.

And that's pretty much it. I hope you guys find these tips helpful.