DISCLAIMER: Don't own the Titans...never happening!

NOTE: Hey SushiChica...are the muffins good?? :P

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Chapter 14

Hope

They all turned to see who had spoken and saw Starfire looking at them. She was awake but still on the ground, she tried to get up but she could not.

-"I am too weak to stand up"-Starfire said

-"Star, get out of here"-Robin said

-"You can't do anything Star, you'll just get more hurt"-Red X said

Red X and Robin were right. Starfire had fought and gotten hurt and sedated many times in so little time, yet she was not going to give up on them. She decided to save any strength she may have used on standing up and use it to defeat Red X from where she was. She slowly turned herself face up and saw her friends trying to stop Red X. Even though they were very tired and had tried everything with no good results, they kept fighting. They would not allow him to take her away, and they would certainly not allow him to separate the team.

-"Starfire, I am ordering you to leave this instant"-Robin said

-"What? You don't give orders to her! Who do you think you are?"-Red X asked

-"He is my friend and means no harm. And you are not allowed to speak to him in such hideous manner!"-Starfire said

Robin smiled when he heard Starfire say this.

-'She does care'-Robin thought

Red X saw Starfire. She was been serious, way serious for his taste. He then turned and looked at Robin who was still smiling at the thought of Starfire defending him. Robin looked at Red X and with a cheerful smile and low and calm voice told Red X a phrase that Cyborg used in occasions like this.

-"Boo-yah!"-Robin said

Red X growled and glared at Robin. He had been hurt with Starfire's comment. He then turned to see Starfire still on the floor. Starfire looked back with absolutely NO fear on her face.

"You have injured my friends and have tried to take Robin's place...NO ONE can ever take his place"-Starfire said while her eyes and fists started to glow brightly getting ready to attack.

-"Starfire, you know I won't attack you"-Red X said

-"But I will!"-Starfire said

-"Starfire, why do you care so much for them?"-Red X asked

-"Because they are my friends. And I love Robin"-Starfire said

Starfire's confession distracted the Titans. All of them had wide opened eyes and mouth and were trying to process Starfire's words. Starfire loves Robin. They definitely did not see that one coming, they knew there was something between them but they never thought that Starfire would just go out and say it, just like she did now. Red X also did not think she would tell Robin her deep feelings, and certainly not in front of everyone. He was mad now but mostly he was deeply heartbroken. Red X reacted and used this opportunity to set himself free from the Titans by using his energy to blow them away and they all ended up on the ground again.

-"Ouch!"-BB said

-"Yeah, man...OUCH!"-Cyborg said

-"That is going to leave a mark"-Raven said

Red X's last attack had been stronger than all the other he had used against them. The Titans hit the ground very hard and could barely turn to see what Starfire was about to do to Red X. Starfire was mad, Red X had tried to take Robin's place, then he had allowed the HIVE to beat Robin up and tried kill him; then he had taken her away from them and destroyed their beloved Tower and now he was hurting her friends, with no other intention of annihilate them once and for all. Starfire glowed as the Titans had never seen her before. The energy she was letting loose could be felt, even if they were far away from where she was. Starfire lifted her arms and put them together on top of her, aiming at Red X current position. She slowly started making a huge starbolt to hit Red X. Red X did not move, he just stayed there looking Starfire's anger grow and knew that her powers were increasing significantly and that if she attacked him this could easily be the end for him.

-"Are you really going to use that thing against me, Star?"-Red X asked

Starfire did not answer right away. She looked at Red X and then remembered that her friends were around her. They had ended up on the ground and hurt because they were trying to help her and save her. Of course she was going to attack Red X. With this thought on her mind her starbolt grew stronger and brighter. However, she also remembered that Red X had killed Slade, for her. She also remembered that he had protected her and taken care of her when she needed the most. How could she just attack him? She knew he was not exactly evil. Red X and her were very similar. Regardless of Red X being a human, he was still somehow "strange" to this world. He was brought to this world with no past, no friends and no other purpose than to destroy the Titans. It was not his fault Slade had created him to serve him and apparently he had no other choice but he made one up. He helped the Titans be better both in their fighting and in their lives. Red X was not a bad person, he just did not want to be alone. He wanted friends, a family, someone to look up to and someone to take care off. His actions, both good and bad were not making Starfire's decision any easier.

-'How can I do this? What do I do?'-Starfire thought

-'Do what you must, Star'-Red X told Starfire using his mind

-'Who said that? How did you know what I was...'-Starfire asked

-'Told you Slade had given me some "gifts"'-Red X answered

Starfire was very surprised of Red X's "gifts". He could fight very fast and strongly; he could fly, he could use telepathy, and who knows what else he was capable of doing. Maybe he was a clone but he had all the feelings a normal human could have. He could feel pain, anger, happiness, fear and...love. And that love for her was making her doubt herself now.

-'You have honest feelings for me Red X, and I thank you for them. However, you endangered my friends and for that I cannot forgive you'-Starfire thought

-'I am sorry, Star. I just wanted the best for you'-Red X replied Starfire's thought back

-'I know, my friend'-Starfire said

Starfire cried a little, the Titans did not know what had happened in those moments that none of them had spoken. Raven knew what had happened because she had been able to read both their minds and heard the conversation between them. Raven also felt bad for Red X's fate. Starfire wished Red X had done the bad things he did. She knew he was just following orders from Slade as Robin had done too when he was his apprentice, and she did not give up on him, no one did, but this time it was different. Regardless of what had happened he was true to her. She wished things did not have to be this way but there was nothing anyone of them could do now. The damage had been done and there was no turning back.

-'I'll make this easier for you, Star'-Red X thought

Red X put his arms in the same position Starfire had them, and he also aimed at her. Starfire cried even more as she remembered this situation had happen before.

-'This is NOT Robin!'-Starfire mentally repeated herself

Both Starfire and Red X aimed at each other. Red X's bolt got bigger and Starfire matched it. They were staring at each other, none of them wanted to be the first one to attack.

-"I'm done with you!"-Red X said

Red X knew that if he did not attack first, Starfire would never do it either. He needed to provoke her and attacking was the best and only option he had. Red X yelled as his bolt got gigantic and Starfire did the same. Without thinking, Red X shoot his bolt at her. In the same manner, Starfire shot her starbolt at him. Red X's bolt was fast but it was created to weaken during the path so Starfire's bolt would destroy it and then hit its actual target: Red X. Starfire knew about this but she was not going to stop now. Starfire made his bolt go faster and as planned, the bolt destroyed Red X's attack leaving a blinding light that made everyone close their eyes.

-"If this makes you happy...if he makes you happy, there is nothing I can do, Star"-Red X whispered as he saw his end coming.

The starbolt Starfire had shot was very powerful and even though she had increased its speed it was still kind of slow, at least for Red X. However, he just stayed there, he did not want to move. He looked at the other Titans; Raven, Cyborg, BB and Robin. They were all true friends to Starfire and she deserved to be happy, even if that meant for him to not be there with her like he had before and like he wanted to so bad. He could not take back what he did to them and to her, but he could end the suffering here and now. Starfire's starbolt was getting closer. His eyes had tears, and so did Starfire's eyes. Everything was moving so slow for all of them. Memories of him being with the Titans appeared in his head. He had been so close to succeeding in his plans. He was so close to being happy and it was all gone now. The reason why he had done everything he did was now going to eliminate him. He was going to get attacked by the one he loved the most: Starfire.

Starfire's starbolt was so close to him he had to close his eyes a little. He could have easily escaped that attack but he did not really want to. He smiled, closed his eyes completely and prepared to fully receive the impact. Starfire saw this and it hurt her eve more to attack him. She knew he was not going to fight back, and she knew the reason too. She closed her eyes and did her best to not loose control of the starbolt and its path.

-"I wish for you to be happy, Star"-Red X said

-"Goodbye, Red X"-Starfire said

And then he got hit.

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NOTE: Please don't hate me!...By the way, one of my dear readers asked me about how did I come up with the idea of a clone (yeah, that's you catqueen13 :D) and you may not believe it but the whole idea came to me while I was listening to Hoobastank's song "The Reason", specially the last verse. If you are able to listen to it, you will understand :D