Chapter 20: A Heart of Stone

A/n** THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS YOU GUYS!! THANK YOU SO MUCHO!! Ai love you guys!! I got a bit over 25 reviews. and if some didn't count as a yes then, I don't care. but thank you sooooo much!!!!!! I LOVE YOU!!! ALL OF
YOU!!!!! Well. most. ^_^ anyways. yeah.

So. I hope you understand. about Raven and Robin. ^^;;; in this, Robin seems like he loves Starfire more, but in truth he loves Raven more. SO be
ready for the engaging of.. FLUFF ROMANCE!! Lol.

THANKS FOR LETTING THIS CONTINUE ONCE MORE!!!

Raven picked at her loaves of bread as people stopped by to have dinner at the diner. Her steaming hot cup of coffee sat there, waiting to be drunk.

"Not hungry?" the owner smiled. Raven shook her head.

"Do you have. tea?"

"Sure, what kind of tea would'ya like?" Millie offered.

"Herbal. um. Jasmine, please," Raven just kept staring at the dead sky. Millie nodded and set off only minutes later to arrive. The telekinetic female pushed away her coffee, in fear of being reminded of him.

"Would you like to stay here for tonight?" Millie let slip. Raven didn't say anything. "It is kinda cold, dear, and by the looks of it, I don't think you want to go back to home right now."

She was right. Raven didn't want to go back to the tower. but she didn't want to go home because of him. She sighed, not knowing what to do.

"Love, I'm always open," the women encouraged. "Anytime, alright?" Millie patted Raven's hand and followed the commands of the other customers.

Raven sat there for another hour. It was well a little past 10, but she didn't mind. Neither did Millie.

"Dear?" her husky voice asked in concerned.

"I think I'll go now," Raven announced.

"But you have no where to go," Millie stated. Raven stopped before she reached the door. She turned around to face the red-head.

"Then. do you mind. if I stay in here?" Raven stammered. Millie chuckled in a raspy voice and shook out her hair net as the place was closing.

"Of course, dear," she offered.

"T-Thank. you." Raven nodded. She followed Millie into the apartment on the floor above and showered and was dressed in Millie's daughter's clothes.

"Where did you say these clothes came from again?" Raven asked, afraid to wear the article of clothing. After all, she didn't want to wear dead people clothes.

"My daughter, she's off to college right now," Millie smiled. "She's in Harvard right now. She's a great student, I'm so proud of her." Millie smiled with little tears in her eyes. But she shook it off.

"I see. What is her goal?" Raven interrogated.

"A lawyer," She said. Raven nodded. "Oh! Here, I forgot to show you where you sleep." She marched Raven to her guest room and dusted out a few blankets and pillows. Raven stopped her.

"I can do it. I think you should get rest; you're very hungry as well. You should eat," Raven declared. Millie nodded.

"And whatever you want is yours," Millie instructed. "And you can stay here as long as you want." Raven nodded. She watched Millie bounce out of the door and sighed. She looked out the window and it seemed that the rain had stopped already. She decided to leave the next day.

She meditated, clearing her mind of all distractions. She seemed to get everything out of her head except for that guy who shattered her heart, the guy who shattered all promises, and the guy who shattered just her. Robin.

As Robin and Starfire were wasting their time at the buffet, all he could think about was her. Starfire although didn't notice. His mask concealed the look in his eyes.

"Are you not having a fun time, Robin?" Starfire pondered. Robin looked up at her and nodded. He grinned.

"Why wouldn't I have fun?" He inquired.

"I do not know," Starfire shrugged. "It is clear that you are worried about Raven. I wish to understand how it is you feel about her." She gently reached over and placed a hand over his.

"I love you. Isn't all that matters, Starfire?" Robin examined.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Starfire smiled.

The rest of the evening, they spent their date at an airport.

"What are we doing at an airport Robin?" She questioned. He kept quiet and smiled.

"Let's go out here," He said, pushing past the people to the runway of the airplane.

"Are we allowed to be out here?" Starfire cross-examined. He nodded.

"I got permission for the team to go out here," Robin stated.

"Hey!" A man flashed his lights at him. Starfire was scared enough to shiver. He remained calmed.

"I'm sorry Mr. Police!" Starfire screamed. "I shall not trespass ever again! Do not throw us in jail! Please!?" The man looked at her slowly and began laughing at her. "Why are you laughing? Are you not going to throw us into jail?" He laughed even harder.

"Star, he's not going to arrest us. This is James. He's here to er. um. make sure our dates go well tonight," Robin reassured. James was actually there tell them where to sit. She nodded.

As the manager of the airport showed them the safest place to sit, Starfire looked at the sky. She gasped.

"It is all so beautiful!" She exclaimed as the stars twinkled and the planes took off.

"Glad you like! Now you two can enjoy your dates now, see you!" James laughed and rushed inside.

Robin held out his hand and Starfire took it. They sat down on a blanket set over tarp. He breathed out fog and she inhaled the crisp air. He smirked while looking at her. He draped his arms over her and held her close.

They stayed out there, looking at the sky. They even stayed there until the sun rose. Starfire sighed away as Robin tried to stab the natural light.

He remembered at the Christmas party. Raven and he were dancing on the roof, alone to music playing over and over again. Their body was close to each other, just to keep each other warm from the snow, nipping at their skin. Her skin was so pale and soft it made him shivered, just from touching it. He remembered how nervous she felt, and how excited he was just to hold her. He remembered everything.

As the hours passed into morning, Robin and Starfire left to eat breakfast.

"That was an enjoyable date," Starfire smiled. Tired as she was, she felt over joyed just to have Robin as her boyfriend.

They sat in the comfortable red seats of Millie's Diner and were served.

Meanwhile, Raven cleaned her clothes in the laundry-mat connected to Millie's diner and the apartment. When the clock struck 9 AM, Raven put on her clothes, left for the bank and returned with a few hundreds retrieved from her account.

'Thank you for letting me stay here. I washed your clothes and cleaned all your rooms. Fair well.'

Raven left that note to Millie on her counter in her apartment, threw 5 hundred dollars there and fled the building through the main doors of Millie's Diner. or tried to flee.

"Raven?" a cheery voice hummed. She recognized that voice right away. Starfire-

"What?" she groaned.

"So this is where you've been hiding out," Robin smirked, pretending he didn't care at all.

"What about it?" she sneered. His mouth formed a straight line, trying not to frown or show any hint of despair.

"It is just that, you did not want to see us. It had hurt us, Raven," Starfire spoke for Robin.

"It did?" Raven gestured. "Oh well." She was playing the same exact game Robin was. She averted her head away and walked out, but was held onto by Robin.

"Don't you even care for us?!" Robin yelled at her. Starfire tried to close the conversation by separating them, but they both ignored her.

"Please! Stop!" She screamed over and over again.

"Well?" Robin asked again. Raven looked at him.

"Do you care about me?" Raven snarled. She closed her eyes and turned her back against him.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Robin implied. He was staring down at her clenched fist.

"Answer me!" Raven roared.

"No. OK!? NO!" Robin replied.

"Then I don't care about you," she retorted. He held onto her shoulder with his right hand. She shrugged it away and started walking. Robin just watched.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Starfire sounded out. Robin stayed fastened to the ground, watching Raven walk away from him. "Robin?"

"Of course she will!" he barked. She held back from hugging him. They returned to the warmth of the diner.

"Hey. it's you!" a tall, muscular man with grey eyes and black hair smiled. Starfire turned to see that man pointing at her.

"Yes?" she asked. "Are you in need of some assistance?"

"No, but you will," he smirked. "Heheh!" he did a hand-spring towards them and got into a fighting stanza. Starfire took a step-back, jumped towards him and tried to punch him. He grabbed her fist and threw her out the window.

"That's the second time in less than a year, Robin!" Millie yelled from the kitchen.

"We'll pay for the damage!" Robin responded while throwing freeze disk at the man. "Who are you!? What do want!? And who are you working for?!"

The man smirked.

"I'm Cold Stone and I'm here to kill you all!" he laughed in his deep, echoed voice. Robin lifted an eyebrow.

"What kind of name is Cold Stone?" he asked.

"And what kind of name is Robin!?" he yelled back. Robin sneered under his breath.

"Oh, that throw had given me quite a few injuries," Starfire said, rubbing her head.

"You're next!" he indicated towards Starfire. Cold Stone ran towards her. He grabbed her and stopped in the middle of the street causing car to halt and crash into one another.

"Let go of her! Hey!" Robin ordered. Cold Stone didn't listen. Instead, he withdrew a box made of lead and opened it to reveal a smooth, oval stone attached to another lead chain. Starfire tried with all her might to get loose, but his arm was too heavy and strong to push away even for her. "What're you doing to her!?"

Cold Stone laughed again and graced the stone across Starfire's cheek bone.

"Ahhh!!!!!" Starfire yelled, feeling herself become paralyzed. Robin looked at her shocked and with wide eyes.

"Stop it! Now!" Robin yelled, racing over to her.

"Hah! Catch me if you can!" he jumped to fly away.

"What's going on?" Raven asked serious. She had teleported to their area when she felt a strong presence of an omen.

"Look for yourself," Robin trailed off. She took a quick glance at Starfire. She had become frozen. Her skin was so rough and pale to the point of dark gray. Her eyes were wide open and her hands clutching air by her neck. She stood still.

"She's stone?" Raven asked, touching her arm. She used to be so warm, but now, the Tamaran was cold. "How?"

"Someone named Cold Stone turned her into this," Robin breathed. Raven nodded.

"Meet me at the tower. I'm going to teleport there with Starfire," she stated. He agreed and took a taxi to the ferry dock. With special permission he had taken a police boat.

While Raven was at the tower, she placed Starfire in her room and went to check on the other two.

"Cyborg?" she called out first. "Beastboy?" She walked around to find the halls and their rooms were deserted. She headed into the kitchen and found no one. After re-checking the bathrooms, bed rooms, and gym, training room, guest rooms, roof, attic, basement and closet she heard a door-bell ring.

She started to head to the door passing into the rec room.

"Why didn't I look here? They're probably playing games, again. Pathetic people," she thought aloud, feeling a little remorse after not searching there in the first place. She found what she wanted to find in the first place, but not exactly how she wanted them.

"Raven! You here!?" Robin yelled. He traveled through the kitchen to the rec room where Raven was standing in shock. "Did you find-" She turned around to see his face in shock as well.

"Beastboy. and Cyborg." Raven began.

"Are stone." Robin finished.

A/N** Did I mention... THANK YOU!?!? THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL REVIEWERS!!!!!!!