Chapter 6: Coming Out of the Dark
A/N: Once again, not the end of the story, but ya gotta admit, it is a lot easier on the eyes than what's been happening up till now. This story is going to be a lot longer page-wise than its predecesor. By the end, "Can You Stand the Rain?" was 36 pages and 13 chapters long. This one is all of 23 pages and I'm only just now going into chapter 7. I noticed that many of my reviewers have been crying along with the characters as they face the trials in the story. I just want you guys to know--this chapter is the one I cried writing.
When the Titans arrived back at Titans Tower that night, Robin was only half conscious. He knew that Cyborg was carrying him and he knew that as they walked, Starfire held his hand but that was about the extent of it. If Starfire let go for even a second to open a door, Robin would panic, so she found herself floating along side Cyborg and following along until Robin had been tucked into his bed. Starfire spent the remainder of that evening washing the dirt, sweat and blood from his face, head and arms, as well as holding his hand and talking to him, even though Raven told her that he would more than likely not respond for a while.
Robin would sleep for three days before finally waking from his deprivation-induced sleep and every day of it, Starfire would spend her time talking or reading to him, relaying what the team was doing, both for fun and during their missions, and she even told him about Jinx and Torque. She attended to every need of his that she could think of and if possible anticipate but between this and remaining a functioning member of the team, by the end of the third day, Starfire was not looking so perky as she used to.
Creeping upstairs to the kitchen at 1:30am, Starfire looked rough. She was stiff from falling asleep over Robin's bed or in a chair. She had neglected her own physical need to eat on a regular basis and was starving by this time. Too tired to make sense out of anything in the refrigerator, Starfire eased herself up onto one of the stools beside the island in the middle of the kitchen. She looked around at the empty living area and then rested her head on her folded arms. The sharp poke in the forehead she received barely registered as her engagement ring, but it reminded her well enough: if she didn't return soon, Robin would begin to worry that he indeed had been making her up and that this was still some trick of Slade's. Taking a deep breath, Starfire forced herself to stand and took a step back toward the door that led to the hallway. When she did, she found that her knees wouldn't hold her, and she collapsed to the floor. Out of the shadows, Raven soared to her side and knelt beside her.
'Starfire!" she cried. Starfire could barely hold her eyes open when Raven rolled her over to face her.
"I must...see to Robin...he will worry if I am not present..." Starfire muttered, her words hardly comprehensible. Raven sighed, sitting down more properly on the floor and drawing Starfire into her embrace.
"Star, you can't keep doing this to yourself," Raven murmured. "You can't even stand up, you're so tired."
"I must...I must..."
"No, Starfire. I sent Beast Boy over to sit with him for tonight. You are going to bed," Raven insisted gently. Softly, Starfire started to cry and covered her face with her hands.
"Star...what's wrong?" Raven asked, concern evident in her voice.
"I simply wish for Robin to be well..." Starfire wept. "Is there nothing more I can do for him?" Raven's eyes welled with quiet tears and together the two cried. Raven said nothing for several minutes, she merely sat and held Starfire close, comforting her as she sobbed.
"I love him so much, Raven!" Starfire cried her tears an uncontrollable flood falling over her cheeks.
"I know," whispered Raven. "But you can't help him when you're like this! He loves you too much to watch you suffer with him."
"But Raven..."
"I know...if it had been Beast Boy," Raven interrupted, her eyes shining with tears, "I would have done the same thing, and if I were you right now, I would expect you to do to me what I'm doing now." Raven aided Starfire into a kneeling position.
"Starfire of Tamaran, as once you were a sister to me, so now I am going to be a sister to you," Raven said, helping Starfire up off the floor and putting Starfire's arm around her shoulder as she walked with her down the hall. Raven brushed out Starfire's long red hair and then tucked her into bed. She handed Star her teddy bear and then quietly shut off the light as she tiptoed out the door. Raven remained a few minutes beside the door to make certain that Starfire didn't try to get up and go back to Robin, and then decidedly turned to go back to her own room. When she turned around she and the bright green pair of eyes she was met with gasped in surprise.
"You scared me!" Raven whispered.
"How's she doing?" Beast Boy asked softly.
"She'll be okay. She just needs to sleep and then get some food in her stomach tomorrow," Raven said, wrapping her arms around Beast Boy and hugging him. He held her close, inhaling the scent of her hair for a moment as she relaxed in his arms.
"You mean later this morning. I think it's going in three in the morning by now," Beast Boy said, still holding Raven's hands as she slowly pulled back out of the hug.
"How are our guests adjusting?" Raven asked.
"Okay I guess. Torque isn't as tough as she makes herself out to be. As for Jinx, well, let's just say that Cyborg's got her number," Beast Boy replied with a grin. He gestured toward the living room and Raven followed. There, asleep on the sofa, was Cyborg, and under his hulking, massive arm, curled up beneath a blanket, was Jinx.
"What happened to her hair?" asked Raven, squinting to see better.
"Well, you see, after she took a shower this morning, she crossed paths with Cy in the hall. She hadn't pulled her hair up yet, so it was hanging down all drippy and stuff and Cy told her he liked it better that way, so she's been wearing it down in a ponytail ever since," said Beast Boy. He grinned again. "I think I know why she switched sides."
"Oh yeah?" Raven said, curious as to his theory.
"Yeah," Beast Boy replied, wrapping his arms around Raven's waist and pulling her close again. "It's the same reason you and I slept on the couch at this time last year."
Raven looked at Beast Boy with incredulous surprise. "You remembered that?" she murmured.
"Remembered? I wrote it on the calendar! It was the first time in a week that you were able to sleep all night without a nightmare," Beast Boy said. "Besides, it was the first time you and I slept together, Raven." Beast Boy made this last remark with a note of playful humor and Raven batted his shoulder.
"You are absolutely incorrigible!" Raven muttered lovingly.
"Yeah, and you love me anyway," Beast Boy replied reverently as he ran a hand through her hair. The two shared another kiss and then they left the newest lovers on the team to finish their rest.
