Trust

Author: Flying Star

Disclaimer: Do I have to spell it out, I don't own Teen Titans.

Whee!, I've finally reached the conclusion. To all those who reviewed, thank you so much. I admit, I probably put more effort into these last two parts. Well what are we waiting for, here it is.

Conclusion: An expression of feelings. ----------

( Titans Tower)

" GASP!" Starfire awoke with a start, her heart racing as she looked around in a panic, her mind trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. " I am in my room." she realized as the surrounding stuffed critters and other assorted items came into view.

* But..* she frowned, something had happened - some-thing? She sat up, and her eyes fell on her sheets, which she pulled off to reveal bandages on various parts of her body. But her gaze only focused on her left wrist. A brace was secured to it, and bandages were wrapped down the length of her arm. She tried to flex her wrist, but winced as pain lanced through it. " What happened?" she said aloud as she felt the swelling along her bandaged arm. " I feel like I fought off an army of Gordanian fighters."

" Your body took on a large dose of venom, and almost lost."

Starfire's head whipped around, pulling up her sheets as she realized she wasn't alone. Raven was levetating next to the bed, her legs crossed, head bowed in mediation. Her eyes opened as she lowered herself to the floor. In her crossed arms she held Beastboy, he was in cat form and currently curled up in a tight ball. Raven lightly placed him on Starfire's bed, where he meowed lightly in protest, but didn't wake up.

Starfire's gaze turned back to Raven. " Venom?" she asked. " What is venom?"

" A poison that rests in the fangs of different species of snakes." Raven grabbed Starfire's arm, peeling back a little of the bandage.

Starfire gasped as she saw the angry red and bluish-purple markings criss- crossing the visible portion of her arm. " Venom did this?" she asked in frightened wonder.

Raven nodded, replacing the bandage. " The bruises will fade in time. I managed to purge most of it from your system, but considering how long it progressed you're lucky to be alive. Snake venom, especially in such a large dose, can kill an ordinary human within hours, even minutes."

" But I do not remember being bitten by any such creature."

" Think what you want, but when Cyborg scanned you he found that your systems were flooded with it."

" And I am still alive, how?" Starfire was staring at Raven in disbelief.

I think because of your alien makeup, your immune system tried to neutralize the venom, and the internal effort drained you, but it also weakened the venom's lethal effects. Aside from that you suffered three cracked ribs, two broken fingers on your left hand, a bad concussion, and numerous cuts and bruises. Your worst injuries though were your concussion, and your left wrist. Do you remember what caused that injury?"

Starfire hesitated, trying to remember. " You did, I think."

Raven's face darkened slightly. " Not me, Starfire, the thing you met in there looked like me, but it wasn't. You're lucky to still have your hand though, whatever IT did to you, it severed every nerve, tendon, muscle and vessel in your wrist. Your hand was literally hanging, with just your skin to keep it from falling off. Now about your head.."

Starfire was shaking her head." What is going on Raven. One minute I am conversing with Robin....." her eyes widened as the events from earlier finally came rushing back to her. " I forgot about Robin! Is he well..is the helmet off...is he..."

" Starfire..STOP!" A few black-enshrouded stuffed animals flew across the room, striking the walls as Raven calmed herself. " Robin's...okay. The helmet fell off as soon as you fell out of his mind, and he's been up on the roof for the last hour." Raven's voice softened slightly as she glanced at Beastboy's slumbering form. " Listen Starfire, you have to take it easy. I healed your wrist as best I could, but I couldn't remove so much venom in such a short amount of time, you may have lasting damage. And again that brings me to your head, you were...out for awhile and I think for now you should rest...hey!"

Starfire was already up, her outfit on her body, a sling attached to her wrist as she braced herself against a wall. " I thank you Raven. But I must speak with Robin. " She turned to leave, but Raven's voice stopped her.

" I won't stop you, but at least promise me not to strain yourself. If you feel very dizzy, get back here right away." A underlying note of concern graced Raven's usually neutral voice.

Starfire smiled. " If I have a problem, I shall report to you." she turned, hiding the feeling of lightheadedness that crossed her features as she hovered up and floated out the door. She would talk to Robin, irregardless of her condition.

Raven watched her go, her expression darkening as she saw Starfire stagger slightly before flying out the door. She knew Starfire was lying, had expected her to lie, but...

" Yawn! Did I miss anything?" Beastboy leaned back, and realized something was amiss. " Hey, huh....?" He suddenly realized that the bed felt rather light, and looked back. " What! She's not here." his gaze turned to Raven.

" Yes. She finally woke up." Raven stared back.

" And you didn't wake me because...." Beastboy crossed his arms, and began tapping his foot.

"She left to find Robin. And besides, you looked too peaceful all curled up like that."

" Well I am cute." Beastboy turned into a kitten for a moment before walking over to Raven.

Raven shrugged as she felt Beastboy's arm drape across her shoulder. Earlier it would've irked her, but now she squeezed his other hand saying, " Those two, I'm surprised they haven't admitted that which they know."

Beastboy shrugged. " It can be a hard thing to admit, and it can make you do crazy things." he yawned again. " Any luck finding out where Slade is and what the heck he planned to do with Robin?" He sat down on Starfire's bed, motioning Raven to do the same, which she did.

" No, I only managed to trace the signal he was using when he interferred. Seems he wanted Starfire out of the way. I don't know what he did to her, but those zombie versions of ourselves that I told you about earlier, seemed to have been created by him. I guess he tried to intergrate himself into Robin's thoughts with that remote that Cyborg found. With it he was able to still communicate with the helmet."

Beastboy winced. " But Star's going to be okay, right?" he said, changing the subject while wrapping both arms around her.

Raven pulled her hood down. " In time, her body's still very weak, physically and emotionally. But she should be fine."

" So, you didn't tell her, did you?"

Raven sighed. " I tried but she didn't let me."

" Should've tried harder."

" I don't think she's ready. How do I explain to her that she was near death for three weeks, and just now has awakened for the first time? "

Beastboy frowned slightly, but nodded. " I see your point. Though I'm sure Robin will tell her."

" You're probably right." Raven said as she slightly cuddled up into Beastboy's embrace. " I can't believe I'm saying this, but, wanna go see?"

Beastboy grinned. " Thought you'd never ask." - - - - - - - - - - ( Titans Tower- Roof)

Despite still feeling very fatigued, Starfire arrived at the steel door leading to the roof fairly quickly. Turning the handle, she pushed it open, and began her search for Robin. It didn't take long. Maybe he wanted her to find him, or perhaps he considered the area a comfortable place, but he was now sitting on the same ledge that she herself had stood near when her feelings of worth had taken a nosedive. She still remembered during the whole situation with her sister, how Robin had assured that no one could take her place, how her heart had leapt at the fact that he had taken the time to seek her out and keep her from making a grave mistake.

Starfire smiled. Robin always knew how to make her feel better, even in her darkest of times, when she didn't let the others see how much of an outsider she felt like. How she sometimes felt more like a liability with her constant misrepresentations of Earth culture. And somehow he would find her, and remind her that there was nothing wrong with trying to fit in, and that he didn't mind correcting her.

She focused her attention on Robin's posture. His knees were drawn up all the way to his chin, his hands wrapped around them. His shoulders slumped in a way that seemed to suggest an air of defeat. His back was to her, and as she watched he let out a low sigh.

" Cyborg, I told you. Tell Raven and Beastboy I don't want to talk about it."

" Then do you wish to talk to me?"

Robin's head raised, his legs slowly unbending as he turned around. His eyes widened in surprise. " Starfire?" he sat motionless for another moment before.." Starfire!"

Starfire suddenly found herself back against the door, an openly sobbing Robin hugging her tightly as he continued to mutter her name.

Starfire felt an overwelming sense of de'ja vu. The image of the disguised Robin coming to mind." Robin...I."

" Star, I'm so sorry. I didn't think and I almost got you killed."

Starfire stared, confused. " Robin." she gently pryed him off, holding him at armlength with her good hand. " Please slow down. Why do you feel the need to be sorry? It is I who needs to apologize."

" NO! I mean please let me explain." Robin quickly added as he noticed Starfire's hurt expression. " When I saw you, lying there so still in the hospital bed. And then having Raven tell me that the chances of you ever waking up from your coma were slim. I..."

" Coma?" Starfire interupted. " What is a coma?"

"Oh that's right, you don't know. Um, how to explain. I guess you could say that a coma is when a person's body is injured to the point where it...basically shuts down. But sometimes you can go into one for no apparent reason. But when you do you go into a deep sleep."

" What is so bad about sleeping?" Starfire asked in confusion.

" This sleep is different. A person may never wake up, forever trapped in a dreamless sleep, unaware, unconscious, almost unliving. And even if the person does awaken, the person may never be the same. I really don't want to go into it."

Starfire blinked. " Oh."

Robin sighed. " To continue, when I saw you there, so still on the bed, I realized that I was the cause of your injuries. Not directly," he added as he saw Starfire open her mouth to protest. " but you went after me, even though you knew the danger, and you almost died doing so."

Starfire interupted again. "Why does everyone keep saying that I almost died? Raven cleansed me of the poison and I feel fine."

"Starfire," when Robin's gaze met hers, she reeled back in surprise. His face showed a weariness that was so unlike him, a sense of hopelessness that was now just fading.

" When we brought you to the hospital, the doctors were skeptical that you would awaken. Even with Raven's purge of the poison and the patching up that they did of your wounds, you still refused to wake up. It wasn't until a week ago that they allowed us to take you home, making sure that at least one of us would be around you in case you recovered, and..."

" How long?"

Robin blinked. " What?"

Starfire returned his gaze, her voice surprisingly calm. " How long was I in this slumber?"

Robin sighed. " Three weeks."

Starfire inhaled sharply. " Three weeks..." she muttered, sitting down on the ledge. Robin sat down next to her. " I did not know, I felt nothing."

Robin nodded. " A coma can be like that. But the important thing is that you're awake and well. You are feeling okay, right?" he raised an eyebrow.

" I am fine. Just tired. " Starfire sighed when she saw his skeptical look, somehow he always knew. " No, I am not fine. I feel exhausted and weak, but I do not wish to return to that slumber." she sighed, changing the subject. " Robin, may I ask you something?"

" Sure whatever you want."

Starfire swung her feet lazily, trying to think of the right words. " When Raven told me of a way to retrieve you, she asked me if I was willing to risk my life for you. I did not hesitate when I agreed to go. I knew that I would find you or die trying." she hesitated.

Robin was silent as her gaze focused on him.

" What I mean to say is that everything that has happened has made me realize how much you mean to me." she stopped, taking a deep breath. " Ever since I first saw you I have felt these feelings for you, and only now did I realize how much you mean to me." her voice became almost a whisper as she stared at her hands. " I know it is silly but I...I love you Robin." she turned her head, slumping down when Robin remained silent. She felt a few tears run down her face. Maybe she was being foolish, she wasn't even from this planet. Maybe...

" I love you too, Star."

Starfire's head raised as she looked at Robin. " What did you say?" she asked hopefully.

" It seems to be something we have in common. Having to admit our true feelings. But make no mistake, I've loved you ever since I met you. I guess I was just too stubborn to admit it."

" As was I." Starfire said, smiling as she wiped away her tears. " But now that we know, I never want us to be apart again."

" Same here, Star." Robin said as he gazed into her eyes, and cried out in surprise as Starfire suddenly fell forward. He grabbed her, just before she hit the ground, and heard shouts from the roof entrance. Looking up he saw Raven and Beastboy running up to him. " How did you two get here so fast?" he asked as he gently lifted Starfire into his arms.

" Um, eh heh, we've actually been sortof...spying on you." Beastboy backed away slightly.

" Exhaustion." Raven said, interupting any argument that could occur, though it seemed that Robin didn't mind. " I told her to rest."

" But she'll be okay, right?" Robin asked, worry lacing his voice.

" Yes, just get her back into her room, and let her rest."

Robin nodded as he started down the stairs, Raven and Beastboy behind him.

" You go on ahead Robin, I'm going to make us dinner." Beastboy called out as he turned into a fly and flew past him.

Raven shook her head, heading for Starfire's room. - - - - - -- ( Kitchen - 30 minutes later)

" I told you, we're having real meat this time! Not that tofu crap!"

" Dude, tofu is the basic ingredient of life. I am so not having something that could come from my hide! " Beastboy argued, turning into a cow for emphasis, before returning to his regular form.

" Could you please quiet down. Starfire's sleeping right now." Robin glared at the two from the kitchen table. He was having a hard enough time just sitting there, but Raven had assured him that Starfire would be alright, but she needed to rest, alone.

" Maybe in your world, but not in mine." Cyborg said, ignoring Robin. " And we're having real milk too. You don't have to kill a cow to enjoy milk." Cyborg went to the fridge, pushing aside the bottle of soy milk as he reached for the half-gallon bottle of 2% milk.

" Yeah, well. We're still having tofu burgers, you carnivore." Beastboy slid past Cyborg and pulled out a block of tofu.

Cyborg glared down at him, before lifting him off the ground. "We're having burgers made from real meat, and that's final." he hissed.

Beastboy squirmed in his grip, finally turning into a cobra to escape.

" GASP!"

Beastboy hit the ground as a Starbolt whizzed past Cyborg's now empty hand.

Starfire, who was standing in the entry to the room, trembled slightly as she lowered her hand, the green glow of her eyes starting to fade. " Beastboy? I...I am...I did not mean to..." she stuttered, trembling harder as she stared at the now human Beastboy.

Robin placed a arm around her shoulder whispering, " Are you okay, Star?" He didn't wait for an answer as he gently guided her back to her room. Once on her bed he sat down next to her and asked, " Why are you out of bed?"

Starfire stared at her hands, her voice low, but slightly shaky. " I could not sleep. And when I heard a noise coming from the eating area, I went to investigate. I am sorry for my behavior Robin, but seeing Beastboy in that form brought back some bad memories."

" Of when you were in my mind?" Robin asked quietly.

She nodded. " Yes, I remember most of it now." she raised her left arm. " I was injured by a non-living form that resembled our Beastboy. He became that cylander-like creature and bit me. I guess my mind did not separate the reality from the nightmare quickly enough. Please let Beastboy know that I am sorry for my actions."

" Don't worry, I'll tell him, I'm sure he'll understand." Robin sighed, his gaze focusing on Starfire's assortment of stuffed animals. " Nothing good came from that nightmare, eh Star." he muttered.

" There is one thing."

" Oh, and what...wMmph!" Robin's eyes widened as Starfire's lips met his once again. But unlike in the nightmare, he was all too aware of the sensation, the wonderful feeling of warmth that passed through him as he returned the kiss with equal force. They stayed liplocked, neither wanting to break the kiss, until the pressing need for air caused them to reluctantly break apart.

" That..that was wonderful." Starfire commented happily, her cheeks flushed red. " I have wanted to do that since the last time was not as joyous, when you were the Red X."

" I think I understand." Robin nodded slowly. " Not much chance to enjoy the kiss when you're fighting for you life."

" Agreed. Perhaps you can tell me why you were garbed as such?" Starfire yawned.

" Uh, not right now, Star. You need your rest." Robin stood, pulling back the covers, at which Starfire reluctantly laid down.

As Robin placed the covers on her she asked, " Robin, promise me you will not pursue Slade again without our help."

Robin gently kissed her on the forehead. " I promise, Star. If he tries anything again, we'll go after him, but only as a team."as he left the room he said, " For now, let's focus on what's important right now, our relationship." the door closed behind him.

Starfire closed her eyes, a smile on lips as she slipped into a deep sleep, dreaming dreams of the dark-haired boy who had stolen her heart. - - - - - - - ( Epilogue)

( Interior of Slade's hideout)

" The Titans believe that they've won." Slade said as he typed a few commands into his console. " But they're in for a nasty shock."

(Flashback: Three weeks earlier, after Robin was freed from the helmet)

Slade pushed a button, bringing in the Scarecrow's face on the monitor.

" I see the results were less than satisfactory." the Scarecrow said.

" Actually, the results were exactly as I expected." Slade said as he brought up a short scene from the nightmare. " I knew the Titans would find a way to rescue their leader."

" Then why did you even ask for my device when you knew it would fail." the Scarecrow frowned as he examined something off-screen. " And why is there an extra port hooked to the helmet? You didn't tamper with it, did you?" his face darkened more.

" I merely had to compensate for the broken power cord that the Titans destroyed. Nothing was changed, I assure you. Anyway, you will be rewarded for your compliance."

" For something that broke too easily. How can call this a victory? My helmet didn't work."

" But that's where you're wrong. The helmet wasn't for rendering their leader useless. It was for information, information that I will put to use in my next plan. Robin will fall to me, he will beg and plead, and in the end I will own him, my new apprentice."

( End flashback)

Slade pushed a few more buttons. The extra port had allowed him to gain direct access to Robin's thoughts., showing him firsthand, his weaknesses and strengths. Trying to engage Robin in his mind had been slightly foolish on his part, but now he had what he needed. He looked up as the monitor flashed the bio of each Titan, minus Robin, onto the screen. Each one showing their body on a nanoscopic scale. He turned to his waiting robotic henchmen.

" Ready the Chronoton Detonator, and load the nanoscopic probes. It's time to bring my new apprentice to me, and bring about the end of the Titans." - - - - -

Yes, I'm done! For those of you who are thinking. So why was Robin dressed in the Red X outfit and what nightmares did he confront? Well that, my friends, is for another story. That is, if you want me to, I can write a one-shot in which Robin explains to Starfire what happened in his mind. Also the epilogue scene is basically an extension into the episode " Apprentice", with Slade readying to call Robin and the Titans and bring about his plans to turn Robin into his apprentice.

So please review. But please no flames. Believe it or not, this story was originally going to be only a few pages long, but it sortof blossomed into a larger fic.