With or Without

1. :queen in the mirror:

"We'll never forget each other," Robin said gravely.

"Always," Starfire said, heartfelt. "No matter if we are with or without each other, and for the better or for the worse, we will always remember."

"In sickness or in health," Beastboy added, unable to resist, drawing a smile from the tighly drawn faces.

"I know I haven't always told you guys," Cyborg said hesitantly, "but you guys have meant more to me than anyone else."

"We're family," Raven said simply.

"And we always shall be," Starfire interjected.


Starfire shook her head slightly. "They have opened fire again?" she asked the girl beside her. The girl, with long dark green hair, shook her head tightly. "Damn," Starrfire murmured quietly. "The second time in three days." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "We must send in the Peacekeepers; there's no doubt about it. If they can't control their gunmen long enough to debate a three-day peace treaty there'll be no hope. We have to show them we're still in control."

"For how much longer?" someone asked wryly, causing Starfire to turn and see her brother, Grayfire, striding towards her. "They're getting ready to denote their bomb."

"Then we have to stop them before they do," Starfire said tightly. "Jadyar, call the Peacekeepers, try to get Yarsil on the videophone with me if you can." The green haired secretary--Jadyar--beside her nodded briskly and headed off down one of the halls where staff members were running back and forth.

"We can't keep this up much longer," Grayfire said evenly. "The Peacekeepers are already spread too thin; a dozen minor skirmishes have sprung up." Grayfire was her army consultant; he was a general of the Peacekeepers, the royal army.

"I know," Starfire snapped, then sighed. "Forgive me. This is putting us all under strain."

"And none more than you," Grayfire said lightly, resting a hand on his sister's shoulder. "You're getting thin and pale. You're stressing out. You need a break."

"And where will I get one?" Starfire asked wearily. "I am in charge of these negotiations as the head of the Council, you know. And they are not giving me any chance to relax."

Grayfire watched her carefully, but he knew it was true. She squared her shoulders. "They've called a meeting in ten minutes; I have to get dressed. If you get Yarsil, tell him about the new open fire, if he can, have him call me back if they're still in session. We need to get this thing under control before the entire city explodes."

Grayfire nodded curtly and Starfire proceeded alone past the double doors into the wing specified as her own. The creators of the Council had knows many years before that the Head of the Council would need rooms such as this; the most luxurious room in the city, maybe the country. "I need it," Starfire murmured to the room. The stresses of her job far outweighed any benefits, especially with crisises like this going on.

She took a deep breath and opened her closet, looking for the long, formal ceremonial robes worn before a full Council. They were long, to her feet, violet with green trim. She pulled them on hastily, the many-layered skirt sewn together for such hasty occasions such as this. Over her vanity she pulled out the jar of white face powder, making sure her face was completely white before pulling her long hair up in the traditional knot, feathers in place. I should see about changing the laws, she thought, only for the millionth time. Having to wear full formal dress every time the Council meets is ridiciolious, especially as often as it meets now.

Pausing one last time, Starfire stared into the mirror, into her own reflection. Her green eyes were sunken and tired, her red hair tied up formally but still feeling like a weight on her head. Her hands shook slightly on the vanity, and there were dark circles under her eyes the powder could not conceal.

With a sudden, odd stab of memory, she glanced at the picture on her vanity, the only one she still kept. Herself as a child, merely fifteen, on Earth, surrounded by her friends, most of them smiling. Robin, Cyborg, Beastboy, Raven...she wondered what happened to them now. But yet an odder thought crossed her mind: What would they think of me now?

Comforted yet haunted by the memory of her friends, she walked out of her room with her head held high, shoulders squared, ready to face the close questioning of the Council. Bring it on, she thought grimly before she walked into the full courtrooom.