As We Fall

Author's note-Sorry it took me so long to finish the story. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy:

Chapter eighteen: Normal

Starfire coughed hard in an attempt to clear her throat. She had accidentally swallowed some of whatever had been blasted at her. Once she was able to inhale she glanced up wearily to see Raven standing over her. Despite her face being partially covered her expression was stern. The taste in Star's mouth made her feel ill and she dropped her gaze trying not to be sick. She suddenly realized she wasn't wearing much clothing and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to cover up. Raven sighed heavily before draping her cloak around her friend's shoulders.

"Thank you," Starfire quietly accepted Raven's help. The empath arched an eyebrow still feeling irritated by the situation. Not only did Robin run off to 'rescue' her against their suggestion but he had gotten captured by her as well. Raven didn't have to read anyone's emotions to know something had happened between the two of them and it bothered her. There was something suspicious about the isolated location and the lack of clothing her friend was wearing. Before this whole mess she probably would have never thought Star was capable of anything inappropriate but she didn't really know what she could do now.

"Whatever," she finally grumbled as she turned back to the entrance of the cave to see her other teammates assisting Robin. Cyborg was holding him up by his shoulders as Aqualad gave him several smacks on the back before he coughed up the water he'd managed to swallow. "Is he going to be alright," Raven called from across the room.

"Robin!?" Starfire glanced up immediately as concern for his safety hit her like a wave.

"He's gonna be fine, just caught him off guard," Cyborg explained. His answer didn't seem to ease the Tamarranean's fears. She could remember everything that had happened, how badly she had behaved and the guilt that accompanied this knowledge gripped her hard.

"Hey," she looked up again to see Raven staring down at her, still looking annoyed, "Did you not hear him? He said he's okay. So quit it with all the worrying, it's giving me a headache." Starfire quietly nodded back before getting up slowly. Without another word, she followed Raven over to the rest of the team as Cyborg hoisted Robin up on his shoulder. They quickly moved towards their ship where Beast boy and Speedy were waiting.

"That was oddly easier then expected," Speedy commented as they loaded up.

"Disappointed," Aqualad arched an eyebrow as he got into his seat. Speedy waved a hand in denial.

"No, just felt like a wasted trip."

"I can find you some trouble if you're bored," his teammate joked.

"Nope, I'm good," Speedy shifted more in his seat.

The rest of the trip home was awkwardly quiet as Starfire stared out the window, unwilling to make eye contract with anyone else. She was having a hard time coming to grips with everything that had happened. It would have been one thing to not remember but she could recall everything. She wasn't sure how they would ever get past this. How could they ever trust her again? She could practically feel the anger coming off Raven who was sitting across the way. She dared to glance over at Robin who was seated diagonally from her. He seemed lost in his thoughts but he didn't appear as angry as Raven which gave her a small glimmer of hope. She couldn't imagine a world where he was angry with her. The most she had ever experienced him being mad at her. As she recalled the past several days she couldn't remember any point where he was angry with her. He had always spoken to her kindly even when she had been so hateful. It reminded her of her sister which made her feel sick to her stomach. A small sound managed to escape her lips as she pulled her legs up and buried her head against her knees.

The sight of Jump City on the horizon should have brought relief to the weary Titans but none of them showed it. There would be plenty of work to do once they got home and for all they knew Cadmus was still there, waiting for them to return. This homecoming had them all on edge more than anything else. Cyborg was the first one in the door, cannon ready in case there were still unwanted guests present. Speedy was right on his heels, arrow in place on his bow. There didn't seem to be any signs of life inside and Cyborg motioned for the others to come in as well. Aqualad took the rear making sure no one came in from behind them. There was still evidence of the attack as well as some of Starfire's more rage filled moments. She couldn't help but cringe at the damage she had caused.

"Doesn't seem to be anyone here," Speedy mentioned in a quiet tone.

"My scan shows the same. That's weird considering the front door was left open," Cyborg added before going over to tinker with the security system controls. Beast boy said something about his room before disappearing up the stairs. Raven mumbled something under her breath about no one wanting any of his stuff before heading into the living room to better evaluate the damage there. Robin took a minute to thank Aqualad and Speedy for their help and even though they offered to stick around to help get things back in order, he declined politely. It was clear they just wanted to get things back to normal. The other Titans said their goodbyes before going to their ship and leaving. Starfire wondered into the kitchen unsure of what she should do while Robin went over to see if he could help Cyborg. "Yah know you could have let them stay and help," Cyborg mentioned and quickly received a grunt back.

"Kind of just wanted to get things put back together. Besides they've done enough for us, didn't feel right asking for anything else." Cyborg shrugged in response.

"Well this is all set. I've got updated pass codes programmed in and rebooted the system," he stated as he stretched his arms over his head. Robin blinked in shock that he fixed it so quickly. At the same time he was also relieved knowing they would be somewhat safe in case there was another attack tonight.

"So...," he heard Raven from the living room and turned his attention in her direction, "you planning on telling us what happened before we found you two?" She was looking at Starfire but shifted her gaze towards Robin as well to see how he'd react. Star dropped her gaze towards the floor as Robin seemed to choke on nothing before red stained his cheeks. Raven leaned against the back of the couch with her arms crossed. The room became awkwardly quiet before Cyborg broke the silence.

"We got enough to do, let's not worry about that right now." Raven rolled her eyes and pushed off the couch. Despite her silence Robin could still feel the judgement coming off her in waves. The entire situation made him feel exhausted and he didn't want to deal with any of it. He already knew he had to iron things out with Starfire and wasn't entirely sure how to do that. If Raven was still angry with him that was her decision and he doubted he could convince her otherwise. It all felt like too much this second for him to process. After a couple of hours cleaning and putting the Tower back together each teammate eventually made it to their room for the evening. Like most nights, Robin was having a hard time sleeping despite how tired he was. He worried about leaving Cadmus out there after they seemed to infiltrate the Tower so easily. He couldn't help but wonder if they would try again. Would they be ready if they were attacked again? Concluding he wasn't going to be able to shut his brain off, he decided to head out to the kitchen to get something to drink. As he entered the main area he immediately noticed two suitcases next to the front door. Turning towards the kitchen he found a note half written. It looked like Starfire's handwriting but the letter wasn't finished.

"I did not know what to say..." He looked up to see her sitting on the couch in the dark.

"Star? You okay?" She smiled ironically to herself as she clasped her hands tighter on her lap.

"You have asked me that a lot lately. I am not so sure I am okay," she admitted. Robin's shoulders dropped as he started moving in her direction. Before she knew it he was sitting right next to her, concern etched into his expression.

"We've all been through a lot lately. All we can do is try to move forward together." He managed a sad smile as he reached over to place a hand on top of hers.

"I do not think it is good for me to stay. I have hurt my friends,...I hurt you." Her gaze shifted over to see how he'd react.

"Star, I don't want you to leave. I'd miss you," he told her.

"I do not think the others want me here anymore." She felt his fingers tighten around her hand.

"I will handle the rest of the team but trust me, no one wants you to leave." She let out a heavy sigh.

"Raven would be okay if I left. She does not seem very happy with me."

"She's not happy with me either, I wouldn't let it bother you." His statement brought a feeble smile to her face. It became quiet between them for several minutes before Starfire finally spoke.

"I behaved very badly, to everyone. I don't know how to make it right," Robin shifted closer to her and brought an arm around her shoulders.

"None of us were at our best, it's not your fault you just responded differently then the rest of us."

"But I cannot help but feel ashamed of my actions." She heard him sigh and glanced over.

"I can't exactly say I am proud of what I did either. I was so determined to handle the problem myself instead of asking for help. Things probably wouldn't have gotten that bad if I had just contacted the other Titans." Starfire reached up and squeezed his hand on her shoulder.

"I think we will both be okay," she replied as she leaned against him more. Resting his head on top of hers he felt his eyelids begin to feel heavy before drifting off to sleep.

-End-