Author's Notes: Here we are, in the luckiest chapter. ::strokes black cat and walks under a ladder::

Standard disclaimers apply.

CHAPTER EDITED NOV. 24, 2004: With the insight of Aria-Angel.

GUIDING STAR

Chapter Thirteen – Of Nerds and Sweethearts

It was too early in the morning for Robin to get up, but there was no way Robin was going to stay in bed with so many things zipping through his mind.

He had stayed up the night before, trying to make sense of scientific reports and his so-called life; he found answers to neither.

After reading through Theodore and Alberta's report, he tried, once again, to have a decent conversation with them, but both were too stoned and too busy getting rid of their munchies to be helpful. Robin would have to see them again in their natural environment, a.k.a. their laboratory.

Giving up on them for the night, Robin went to the Bat Cave and contacted Cyborg. He sent Cyborg the PDF file through a secure network and after reading it, Cyborg was just as amazed as Robin was.

"Whoa," said Cyborg through the video connection, his red eye flashing. "This nano-tech's seriously Star Trek. Makes Slade's nanoprobes look like kid's stuff."

Robin nodded. "The things these little suckers could do if they got into the hands of the wrong people–"

"Shees. I don't even want to think about that. But... are you sure the guys who did the research for you are credible? I mean, I've never heard of X-Science Newsletters and from what little I've gathered, it's a weird magazine that specializes in conspiracy theories..."

Robin grinned. "Theodore and Alberta are kooky, but they're brilliant. Besides, the nano-robots are right there. They exist, conspiracy or not."

"Heck, maybe they'll make a believer out of me. Who knows?"

"Who knows, indeed? Listen, I've got something for you to look up. See what you could find out about William N. Escher. He's a chemist; popularly published in Focus Science Magazine; and as you know, not so popularly published in X-Science Newsletter. Anyway, there's enough information in the report's bibliography to tell you where to start looking. Find out what he does when he's not publishing. Know what I mean?"

"Word. I'll get Raven and Beast Boy to help. Have you told Starfire about this yet?"

Robin couldn't help but blush. "I haven't, but I will... She's in her room, I–I don't want to disturb her."

"How she doing out there? She met Babs yet?"

Didn't take him long to ask, did it? thought Robin wryly. He decided to play dumb. "Starfire's fine and she has met Babs. Is there reason for me to be concerned about that?"

"I don't know. Is there?"

"Well, what do you think?"

"Damn, are you romantically-challenged, or something? For someone who's got some pretty fast and fancy kung fu moves, you could be so sickeningly slow at times."

That was certainly something Robin couldn't deny. He didn't feel like discussing his love-life with Cyborg, so he continued to pretend that he didn't know what Cyborg was talking about until Cyborg gave up. It wasn't as if Robin thought he had much to tell, anyway.

While Starfire's kiss was a landmark event in his life, his failure to follow through was disappointing, not to mention embarrassing; add that to Starfire running away like she couldn't leave fast enough and it was, overall, very confusing.

When he had finished his communications with Cyborg, he went back to his room and settled into bed. He flicked on the television, watched some MTV and fell asleep to the soothing hydraulics of Pimp My Ride.

It was Road Rules X-TREME that shook him out of sleep early the next day. Some lady was crying; saying that she felt like she wasn't being respected by the other members of the group. The guy who was comforting her "felt bad" for her, but if she was going to "be like that" she could be a "liability". Robin felt around for the remote, hoping to stop the whining and go back to sleep when he remembered the events of the previous night. He was up and about in two minutes, getting his clothes for the day ready and showering quickly. He was out of his room in twenty minutes, taking the acrobatic way to the lower levels.

He stopped for a heartbeat at the threshold of the dining room. Starfire was there, but she wasn't alone. Dr. Meridian sat beside her and they were discussing something in hushed tones.

Robin would have stood there, just watching Starfire while he figured out exactly what he should say when Dr. Meridian looked up.

"Good morning, Richard."

Starfire made a slight movement with her head, but she did not lift her blank gaze from the table.

Awkwardly, Robin made his reply. He was just about to take the seat across from them when Starfire greeted him as well, but with a softer voice.

Robin was slightly troubled. She shouldn't have to be this weird around him, but then again, her reaction last night wasn't exactly how he imagined his first kiss with Starfire would be.

He wanted to pull her aside to talk to her, yet he didn't. What if she told him it had been a mistake? That she shouldn't have done it? She certainly hadn't looked too thrilled about it last night.

"You are early today," said Starfire.

At least she's talking to me, he thought somewhat hopefully. "Oh, you know, things to do... so–er, another day in the labs?"

Dr. Meridian made the reply. "Yes, and I'd imagine it will take three or four days more before all tests are completed."

This surprised Robin. "That's a lot of days."

"The scientists have allowed Starfire a day off tomorrow, which is only right. She couldn't go at it for five days straight, even if she is Tamaranian. But it couldn't be helped that the tests are extensive," explained Dr. Meridian. "Starfire would even be subjected to a few psychological exams, if only to rule out psychosomatic disorder."

Robin frowned. The only "disorder" Starfire had was being too nice, but he understood to an extent that it fell under standard procedure. He wondered if Dr. Meridian would be conducting the exam.

Alfred attended to their breakfast and not long after they told Alfred what they preferred, their food was placed in front of them.

With Dr. Meridian at the breakfast table, the atmosphere was bearable enough, even if the conversation bored him out of his mind. Dr. Meridian's focus on the paradigms and theories of psychology were incomprehensible and hypnotic enough for Robin to necessarily shake himself out of a daze at least twice, but he was too polite to say anything untoward, and he had to nod several times just so Dr. Meridian got the impression that he was listening.

"Organism is slowly being replaced by mechanism in postmodern science, as we know it. Descartes and his metaphysics find themselves gradually being integrated, if not wholly overwhelmed by the theories of Whitehead. But I am glad to say that the predominant paradigm of Western culture that is cognitivism remains true to its implicitly Cartesian perspectives. However, many consider this limiting–or rather, restrictive, in exploring what we consider consciousness..."

She moved on to Behavioral Analysis and then Neuroscience somewhere between the omelet and hash-browns. Robin figured that listening to her psycho-babble was equivalent to a temporary lobotomy, or was it catatonia?

Robin observed Starfire briefly. She turned occasionally in the general direction of Dr. Meridian and nodded, the way Robin did, but he could tell she was tuning out every time she raked her fork over her scrambled eggs.

Suddenly, Dr. Meridian stopped talking and began to rummage in her purse. Robin's brain became alert again and he looked up. Dr. Meridian fished out a cellular phone that buzzed and vibrated as she peered at the ID flashing on its tiny screen. She looked up at them. "Excuse me, I have to take this. I'll only be a minute." Dr. Meridian pushed a button on her phone and stood up from the table, hurrying to the corner of the room.

Robin wasted no time. "Kori," he said in a soft tone. He didn't want Dr. Meridian to overhear. "You alright?"

She tensed visibly, mauling her hash-browns. "I-I am fine."

"Are you sure? You seem kinda tense."

"I am fine, Richard."

Robin leaned over the edge of the table worriedly. "You're–You're not mad at me, are you? Did I do something...?"

Her brows knotted for a split heartbeat. "No... no you did not..."

The misery in her tone began to make him feel uneasy. He looked at Dr. Meridian and made sure that she showed no signs of returning to the table anytime in the next ten seconds. "Because... because if this is about last night–"

"No! I mean–that is–I do not wish to discuss that!"

Robin felt like he had been slapped in the face. He blinked, absorbing her words. Was it as bad as it sounded? Did she just want to forget what happened last night? He tried to say something; tried to regroup. He was well trained, after all, in dealing with the worse situations and adjusting them to his advantage. But his mind failed, as was so often the case with the most brilliant of people when the heart was involved.

He swallowed, found his voice and came up with the only response that was forthcoming: "W-What?"

The furrowing of Starfire's brows deepened. "I... I do not wish to discuss it. At least... not here..."

Robin found some relief in her words. He let out a breath, trying to settle his emotions that were bouncing from one thought to the next. "Later then."

She flushed deeply, fidgeting. Her body language suggested that she wanted to do anything but talk about it later, though she replied, her voice little more than a whisper. "Okay."

It was at this time that Dr. Meridian rejoined them for breakfast. "Now, where were we? Oh yes; neurotransmitters. Neurons exchange information with each other through the movement of chemicals in what we call the synapse, so..."

Robin let the good doctor drone on uninterrupted as he watched Starfire. He wondered if she was listening to Dr. Meridian anymore than he was.

When breakfast was over, Robin said he would be going with them to the labs. Starfire showed no reaction. He was, however, glad to note that Starfire wasn't treating him the way she did in the pizza place, so it meant she wasn't angry. She let him lead her when he took her hand to place over his arm and she thanked him shyly when he helped her into the car.

Dr. Meridian didn't seem to notice anything amiss because she continued to talk as she settled herself in the driver's seat and buckled herself in.

Robin glanced furtively to the backseat of the Lexus and saw Starfire fidgeting nervously with her fingers, though her blank gaze looked straight ahead. He tried to push his own nervousness away, telling himself that he didn't have to deal with their issues until later; when they could be alone. He then set his mind to thinking about his crime-fighting responsibilities.

He slid his hand into his coat pocket and felt for his T-Comm. If he wanted to contact Cyborg, he had to do it immediately. The Wayne Enterprises building offered very little privacy and it meant he had to wait until he got back to the house before he could talk to Cyborg. He couldn't afford to waste that much time. When Dr. Meridian took a break from her lecturing, Robin took the opportunity. He brought out the T-Comm and made the call.

"What's up, Champ?" asked Cyborg.

"I'm on my way to the Wayne laboratories with Dr. Meridian and Starfire," he began by way of telling Cyborg not to say anything embarrassing. "So I don't have much time to talk."

"I'm listening."

"Starfire and I are looking at another four days stay here, so I need you to send over some things, just so I could start working on them. Go to my room and get the surveillance tapes from the prison. There are also a stack of files on my desk. They're neatly arranged so you couldn't miss it. Send them over via Chen Express. Contact them through the super computer using this account." Robin gave Cyborg the account number and code.

"Never heard of Chen Express."

"That's why it's secure. They'll come by themselves. Make sure the package is ready by then."

"Alright. That it?"

"Yep."

"Star there?"

"Er–" Robin swallowed, hoping Cyborg wouldn't say anything particularly mortifying. "Yeah."

"Hi Star!"

Robin stifled his sigh of relief.

She smiled. "Hello, Cyborg."

"Beast Boy and Raven's been asking about you."

"Raven's asking? Really?"

"Well, not in so many words. You know how she is."

Starfire chuckled. "Yes."

"Been kinda quiet here without you, so hurry on back over here, alright?"

Starfire grinned. "I will try."

Robin frowned. "What am I, chopped bat? Why isn't anybody asking about me?"

Cyborg made a sound, like he was thinking. "Well... you okay?"

"Yeah..."

"Good. There, I've asked. You happy now?"

Robin rolled his eyes. "Thrilled."

"Fantastic. Now, if you'll excuse me, my Fearless Leader ordered me to do a bunch of things, so I have to get to it, or else I won't get it done on time. Savvy?"

"Aye, matey. Signing off." Robin clicked off the communicator.

Dr. Meridian chuckled. "I've studied individual villains and super heroes for most of my career, but I've never looked into the behavioral patterns of heroes as a group. Your interactions are strangely... mundane."

Strangely mundane?Robin arched an eyebrow. "Oxymoron. Or maybe a paradox."

"More paradox than oxymoron," said Starfire softly from the back. "It is a combination of contradictory words, but it is, in essence, more appropriate than its seemingly incongruous qualities. People expect us to be extraordinary in everything we do, and that is what they would consider un-strange. What is strange to them is that we do and say things any ordinary person would..."

Robin cocked a smile, glad that she was easing up. He could probably thank Cyborg for it.

Dr. Meridian grinned. "Ah, to have students like you in my psychology class..."

Robin couldn't help but wonder if temporary catatonia could develop into a permanent one due to constant exposure.

When they got to the labs, Robin thought he would drop Starfire off at the Special Studies wing before he made his way to Theodore and Alberta.

Reaching Lab 6-B, Robin turned briefly to Starfire. "I'll see you in the house later, okay?"

She paused for a heartbeat before nodding and letting Dr. Meridian escort her through the doors.

Robin left, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand.

He went straight to Theodore and Alberta's laboratory and saw that they weren't looking as spry as they usually were.

"My head hurts. Don't talk so loud," said Theodore when he saw Robin approaching.

Alberta winced, pressing circles on her temples with her fingers. "Shut up, Theo!"

Robin grinned. "Good morning to you, too."

Alberta pointed an accusing finger at Theodore. "The bad man told me it was candy!"

Theodore glared at her. "Sure, blame it on me; as if I can force you to roll a joint and smoke it."

Robin arched an eyebrow. "Are either of you in any condition to talk nerd shop with me? Because I've got better things to do... actually, I don't, but if I'm going to put up with mindless zombies, I'd watch Dawn of the Dead."

Theodore nodded sagely. "Or play Resident Evil. At least you get to shoot the undead bastards."

This distracted Robin momentarily. "Oh, hey, Resident Evil Apocalypse is coming out soon. Couldn't wait to see–"

"Milla Jovovich in battle-worn combat shorts. Mmm..."

"Well, of course that's a given, but–"

Alberta snorted. "You boys are pathetic. Jeri Ryan... Milla Jovovich... Angelina Jolie... you wouldn't even know these women existed if they didn't play Seven of Nine, Alice and Lara Croft."

Theodore frowned. "Not true! I know that Milla Jovovich and Angelina Jolie played very compelling roles in The Fifth Element and Original Sin, respectively..."

"Barely clothed compelling roles... disrespectively."

"That's not a word..." said Robin.

"I'm in no mood for smartasses today, Grayson."

"Y-Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am."

"Now, what are you doing here so early in the morning?"

Robin took advantage of the opening. "I read the report."

This made Theodore grin. "Dude, that shit you brought in for study was the most excitement Albie and I have had since Jeopardy Online came out with a new set of questions! You have to bring us more shit like that."

Alberta ignored him, nudging Theodore roughly with her shoulder. "Ya got questions?"

Robin nodded. "Follow-up ones. The report was excellent, but it made me wonder about a few things. You know how I think."

Alberta scoffed. "Yes; when God spread Inquiry amongst his people, thou came forth to haul thy bounty, and there was much rejoicing... ya' greedy brat."

"I'll take that as a compliment, knowing you."

Theodore sighed happily. "Ah...!

"I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark or even eagle flew.

And, while, with silent lifting mind I've trod

The high untresspassed sanctity of space

Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

"William–"

"Shakespeare?" interjected Robin.

"No," replied Theodore gravely. "Shatner. But he didn't write it. He only recited it in his audio-recording William Shatner Live! I think the poem was actually written by a guy named John McBride... or was it McGee... Magee? Anyway, who the hell cares when it's Captain Kirk speaking?"

Robin rolled his eyes. "I'll think I'll come by later..."

Alberta scowled. "And have you go through this again? Generally, I wouldn't care, but I'd have to listen to it. No thanks! Now, what are your questions?"

"Speaking of Williams," said Robin, grinning at his own cleverness. Alberta's eye-rolling followed, as expected. "This William Escher guy... did he ever experiment with his nano-droid theories to make a prototype?"

Theodore shook his head. "Nope. I don't think he even tried. Publishing DNA-Enhance Nano-robots: Theories, Calculations and Sketches was pretty much all he had to do with robotics; and he'd written that paper in the seventies."

Robin's eyebrow arched. "But according to your footnote, the article was published in the late nineties."

"That's because X-Science Newsletter came out around that time and it was the only magazine willing to acknowledge that the work was legitimate science and not too Star Trek." Theodore made open and close quotation marks in the air with his fingers. "Of course, X-Science hardly considers anything too Star Trek... anyway, Escher spent most of his life excelling in his natural field, which was chemistry. You know he's dead, right? Two, three years back."

Robin sighed. It was just his luck. "Of course, he has to be dead."

"They say he died of natural causes, but I think–"

Alberta sighed, exasperated. "Please! No conspiracy theories today! God, you're all driving me nuts! Next question!"

Robin hastened to move on before Alberta threw him out. "So there's no way he could have at least facilitated the creation of the DNA-Enhanced nano-bots we found in the sludge?"

Theodore shook his head. "Unless he actually faked his death like Elvis and Tupac."

Alberta looked like she was going to kill Theodore right then.

Seeing the deadly look, Theodore knew he had treaded into dangerous waters and scampered to avert harm. "Of course, there's a chance that he actually died..."

Robin thought a distraction would be good, so he continued with his questions. "What's the level of control on these things?"

"Just like any robot," said Alberta. "You could program them to do things; respond to situations; they could be remote controlled... this is much more versatile than a regular nano-robot. The DNA-Enhancements gives it a far more complex system."

"Could they carry substances with them?"

Alberta nodded. "Definitely. And with its pseudo-biological properties, one doesn't even have to bother about delayed releases. You could use bio-matter to contain the substance, and when decomposition takes place, the substance built into it automatically disperses through its host matter, assuming of course that you're using these things to get into tiny places."

Robin grinned foolishly to himself, allowing himself a moment of self-satisfaction. The report had enough information in it to give Robin an idea about how the nanobots were used to set Plasmus free. He could discuss the possibilities with Cyborg, or perhaps even Starfire. The "whys" would come later. He directed his next question at Theodore. "If I wanted to–say, sneak a bunch of these suckers someplace to–I dunno, pull a prank on some gung-ho rival scientists? Maybe contaminate some of their work? How would I do it without getting caught?"

Theodore grinned. "Transporting them is no problem. They couldn't set off alarms and they're compact, so you could hide them in your pocket. They may have a specific containment system... you know, just to keep them dormant until they're ready for use, but it would probably fit in something as small as a pen, or a tube of lipstick, or even a syringe, but the problem is releasing them undetected. Most times, just so you could maximize their use, you have to release them manually instead of having them release themselves. I guess the simplest way is to break their containment system. If the containment system had a remote control mechanism to set them free, that'll do the job."

"And how long could these things last outside before they decompose?"

Alberta and Theodore looked at each other and shrugged.

"Not very long, I'd imagine," said Alberta. "Three... five minutes. They couldn't be very far from the target, unless you got them powered on some steroid-type energy that would allow them to move fast enough to cover a farther distance within a five minute period."

Robin nodded thoughtfully. "Radioactive energy, maybe?"

"Absolutely."

"And how much damage could one cc of these critters make? Assuming they're destructive."

Alberta chuckled. "A lot. The robots themselves could only go so far, but just because their bio-matter has decomposed, doesn't mean some of it didn't survive. A mad-man could use these things to carry disease, and long after the original bio-matter has decomposed, somebody may already be carrying strands of it in their systems. So while the robots couldn't multiply themselves... the bacteria could in the proper environment. One cc of bacteria could blossom into an epidemic of bubonic proportions."

Theodore grinned, nodding vigorously in glee.

Robin whistled. "Makes you wonder what else is out there."

Theodore rubbed his palms together. "It's a veritable mind fu–"

"Don't say that word in front of Grayson!" cried Alberta.

Robin rolled his eyes. "Hello. I'm a big boy now, Albie. I've used that word many times."

"Then shame on you! If I were your momma I'd wash your mouth out with soap every damn time you say it."

Robin couldn't help but blush. Alberta was vicious when she was in a bad mood. "I think I'm done here."

"That's it?" Theodore scoffed. "Your questions were easy. Come back with something more challenging, next time."

Robin chuckled and was already preparing to leave when he remembered something. "Oh yeah... how come I've never heard of this X-Science Newsletter? I mean, I could have figured this out by myself if I had known about the article..."

Alberta laughed. "Because, my dear Grayson, X-Science has only twenty three subscribers in the United States and one of them just happened to be Theo."

Robin stared then shook his head in amazement. "Unbelievable."

Alberta nodded. "I know! To think that there are twenty two others out there just as stupid as Theodore."

It made Theodore scowl.

Robin laughed. "Whatever it says about Theo, it's helped me a lot. You guys are the best. I couldn't thank you enough. Treat you to dinner in a swanky restaurant?"

Alberta was about to speak when Theodore clamped his hand over her mouth and immediately said, "Court side seats in the next NBA game! The Gotham Knights are playing the LA Lakers! Please, I'm begging you to pull some strings. Albie, stop biting me! You want to watch that game as much as I do!"

Alberta tore his hand off and gasped for breath as she cried, "Kobe! Please get him to give me his Jersey!"

Robin chuckled. "He had the LA Lakers sign their souls over to the devil to keep him and you still want his Jersey?"

"I know he's a bloodsucking bastard but he definitely falls in my latest collection: Franchise Athletes and the Penal Code! I want him up on my wall with OJ Simpson and Tanya Harding."

"Tanya Harding doesn't have a jersey... and I don't think she's franchise, exactly..."

"Of course she's franchise. She's got a porn-video, and I have something of hers that's better than a jersey: her tutu."

Robin grinned. "Whatever makes you happy. I'll make a few calls. You'll get the tickets and the jersey in the mail."

"Yes!" cried Theodore and Alberta in unison.

Robin said his goodbyes, turning to leave. On the way out, he considered passing by Lab 6-B to see Starfire, but he changed his mind. As much as he wanted to see her, he should give her time alone, however alone she could be in a room full of scientists. He decided, instead, to pass by the mailroom and see Ceasario.

Along the way, he gave Bruce's secretary a call on his temporary mobile. He told Bruce's secretary about the help Theodore and Alberta gave him. He asked if she could take care of getting the tickets and the jersey.

All Robin got was a laugh and an, "I'll take care of it, don't worry." It was so easy that Robin felt a bit bad that Theodore and Alberta had asked for so little.

Robin met up with Ceasario and shared a cup of espresso. He had little else to do until he got the tapes Cyborg sent, and he wasn't expecting them until the next morning. Besides that, he needed something to distract him until Starfire got back from the labs.

His anxiety for what was to come had already driven him to finish the things he had to do. It was like trying to make time go by faster on the eve of Christmas, only time never did go by fast enough when one was waiting.

By the time Robin got back to the house via train and cab, it was barely past noon; to him, still too early in the day.

88888888888888

Robin collapsed on the viewing room couch, the shades drawn. He had popped in a DVD of Kill Bill and was just waiting for it to play, not that he was really interested.

It was five in the afternoon. He had made use of the training room, swam laps in the pool, helped Alfred in the kitchen (which was somewhat disastrous, especially when he ruined the soufflés by banging the oven doors), surfed the net and read some literature in the library. It was still too early and he was exhausted, so the movie was a good idea. It would pass the time and he didn't have to do anything.

Mercifully, the movie did occupy his thoughts for the next two hours and Black Mamba was just about getting ready to cut off Sofie Fatale's other arm when the intercom beside the couch gave a quiet buzz, its red light blinking. Robin picked it up, barely removing his eyes from the screen.

"Yeah?"

"Master Richard, I thought maybe you'd like to know... Madame Koriand'r is back from the labs."

Robin forgot Kill Bill immediately. He figured Starfire would need some time to relax from a grueling day at the labs so he thought about waiting until the very end of the movie before he even tried looking for her, but his concentration was shot and he fidgeted on the couch. He was just about ready to tear his hair out when he was stunned by the sight of Starfire standing at the door.

He hadn't expected her to come and find him. She had seemed so reluctant to talk to him that morning that he thought he had to corner her. It never crossed his mind that she would take the offensive and corner him.

Okay, Richard, this isn't a battle. Shut up with strategy lingo already. He blurted out the only word he knew at the moment. "Hi."

"Hello Richard," she said, making her way through the viewing room. "Alfred said you were here."

Gathering his wits about him, he stood up and led her to the couch. She thanked him quietly as she sat, settling herself. Robin sat down beside her and noted the slight dampness of her hair. There was a tinge of soap scent mixed with her skin and it distracted him terribly.

He hadn't realized that he had stretched the silence until Starfire fidgeted uncomfortably on her seat. "Y-You must start for I do not know where to begin."

Robin felt a flush come over him. Even if her eyes couldn't see, she was partially turned away, as if to say she couldn't look him in the face. It made him nervous. He remembered the past, particularly when he was still Batman's sidekick, how uncomfortable he got trying to come to terms with the advances of women who were more interested in being with the superhero than the person behind the mask. He hadn't been particularly flattered. Panic was what he usually felt, and then amazement; because he was much more a kid then, and they were always much older. They were also strangers, and even if the whole of Gotham knew Robin, the Boy Wonder, he was as much of a stranger to them as they were to him; how could they–do that? Of course, he later realized that people didn't need to know someone completely to want intimate relations with them, but by the time he had begun to accept such things (and perhaps allowed himself to get a bit touchy with one or two of them) he left Gotham and went to Jump City to lead the Titans.

The point being, the look on Starfire's face now was probably the look on his face when he told those women, "But... I don't even know you!" He was beginning to feel sick, and he suddenly found himself considering whether this was a mistake. He couldn't even hold Starfire's hand; the tension was so thick.

He chided himself for being such a coward. He was–well, he was Robin for goodness sake. He had fought super villains, comrades and even himself. He knew what to do; he just had to do it.

Finally, he was able to summon the words. "Why... why'd you run away last night, Kori?"

There, he had asked it. It was, after all, the root of his anxiety.

She sighed. He didn't like the sound of it. "Richard, you are my best friend." He frowned. He didn't like the sound of that either, but he let her continue. "You and I, we always look out for each other. When I need help, you are almost always the first one there. When I see you falling, I would risk life and limb to catch you. I pushed you out of Cinderblock's way because you would have done no less for me. We save each other's lives, time and again, but it is funny how the little things mean just as much..."

He swallowed. She still hasn't answered his question, but he was willing to listen to everything she had to say. "Little things?"

She nodded. "You are concerned about me when I am sad; you explain things to me when the others just laugh; you used a motored cycle that you detested to drive me to the city, just because you know I'd like it; you told me your past because you wanted me to know more about you... things such as those."

A tiny, wan smile tugged at a corner of her lip. "Kori, those things–they're easy to do when it's you."

Starfire turned a deeper shade of red, her fingers twiddling. "Those things made me... feel things for you. I–I did not want to acknowledge them at first. I thought it was silly of me... Tamaranian of me. Sometimes, humans are so difficult to understand and I did not want to make Tamaranian mistakes, but then it got harder and harder to ignore. These last few months, you have been so... attentive. And then you brought us here, to Gotham, and I felt so close to you. You were everywhere. How am I supposed to ignore that?"

Robin was could hardly process her words. It was like his motor reflexes shut down automatically when things became too good to be true.

Starfire's brows knotted and she bit her lip, like she was going to cry. "Richard, please say something!"

He blinked his stupor away and he realized that his fear was gone. He could think now. He could act; he could do the things he was supposed to do, because Starfire had won the battle for him. The tension from his shoulders melted away and he was finally able to reach out and take her hand. He asked his question again, more confidently this time. "Why'd you run away when you kissed me?"

She tried to yank her hand away, but he held it firmly in his grasp. Finding that there was no escape, she replied. "Because you just stood there. Last night, I dared to think–that you might actually–so I kissed you, and you did not do anything. I just knew I was completely wrong. I could not bear the thought of you telling me that I had been imagining things; that I was just being a silly Tamaranian girl. I listen to Babs and to Diana and Dr. Meridian... they are all such women compared to me, but these were the kind of women you knew before you knew me and I just felt so stupid! And now I have ruined everything!"

Oh God, what a mess I've made! he thought, hating himself. How could he be such an idiot? How could he be such a slow-witted moron? "Kori, you haven't ruined anything. I didn't want you to run away last night. I... wanted you to stay right where you were."

She fell silent for a while before she spoke again. "What?"

He felt himself flushing at the mere thought of what he was about to say. "You were gone so fast. I mean–I was so surprised that I had to figure out if I was–I don't know... hallucinating or something. I was slow and I didn't know what to think. And I was so stupid last night that I couldn't even begin–I just kept wishing that I had done something. These last few months, I've been thinking about you differently. I kept telling myself that I was just–being hormonal. It was only when we got here to Gotham that I realized just how much more it all meant..." He sighed. He knew he was saying it all wrong. He was using all the wrong words and stringing them into all the wrong sentences. He was never good with expressing emotions. So he tried again, and this time, he started where she started. "Kori, you are my best friend... and I was–" he willed himself to say the word "–afraid I'd lose you if I asked for more than your friendship."

"You were afraid I would reject you?"

He swallowed. It was always difficult to admit fear. "I was afraid I'd lose you."

"Richard..." she began, turning in his direction and touching his face.

He placed his hand over hers, a small smile creeping from his lips as he took in every detail of her. "Yeah?"

"... you dolt."

Robin blinked a few times before he chuckled softly. Wherever she learned the word, she learned it well. It was exactly what he deserved.

When her fingers, once more, moved over his lips, he knew what to do. He leaned over, kissed her and neither showed any inclination to run away.

He stopped thinking then. All he knew was that he wanted to pull her closer, so he did, and she let him. She fit into his embrace perfectly and the deepening of the kiss made him heady with thoughts of her. When they separated, breathless, he didn't feel quite like letting her go.

It was just as well. Starfire made no motion to move away.

Foreheads touching, she smiled, her unseeing eyes blinking languorously. He responded with a smile of his own. He was in such a state of mind that he swore nothing felt better than having her in his arms, feelings having been expressed, and her lips puffed slightly from a kiss she had shared with him.

"It is nice to be more than friends," she teased gently, tilting her face to rub noses with him.

He smiled, letting her. "Yeah. Don't know what took me so long to figure it out."

She giggled softly. "Well..." She was about to say something more when he kissed her to keep her from making any smart-ass comments. The kiss was quick, and she complained mildly when his touch left her.

He chuckled, amused. She wasn't shy about what she wanted.

"Richard?"

"Yeah?"

"Does this mean you will stop cruising for chickens?"

He laughed softly. "I never cruised for 'chicks'. I guess now I know why. Turns out the only 'chick' I wanted was in the tower, I just didn't know it at the time."

She blushed, just the way she always did, but on that night, Robin thought it looked particularly becoming. "I'm glad. I know it is rather–possessive, but just so we are even, I promise not to 'cruise for boys', as Babs said we should..."

Robin stifled a sigh. Jeez, Babs. Thanks for nothing. "I would appreciate it if you–you know–don't go out with other boys," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I'd really, really appreciate it if you don't kiss them either. So yeah, we're just about even on that."

She smiled, sidling closer to him. He made no complaints.

They had a lot to talk about, still, between all the kissing. They had gone through so much; talked, fought and laughed as friends. The change in their relationship, though gradual, still came as a surprise, pleasant as it was. It was easy conversation since, quite understandably, both parties were especially congenial that evening. They agreed to agree and agreed to disagree in the most agreeable way–that is, if they even disagreed at all.

It was Robin who brought up the subject of their friends. For him, this was a particularly serious subject. From day one he was the leader. He was focused, dependable and he did what he had to do. He knew that even now, with Starfire nearer to his heart than ever, he could still be all those things, but would the others see it that way? Everything was fine for them when they tried to convince him to "go for it", but they only started saying those things when Jump City began to settle down. He was beginning to believe that the only reason they brought it up was because they thought it was a convenient time for him to be involved with Starfire. Perhaps they thought that with the crime rate down, it was okay for their leader to be unfocused, slightly irresponsible and perhaps a bit bamboozled. So what would happen if suddenly they had to face a super villain while he and Starfire were together? Would they think that they couldn't completely depend on their fearless leader anymore?

He told her his concerns and she nodded, understanding.

"So do you wish to keep us secret?" she asked; her tone gentle.

Robin was slightly surprised by this. "Secret? I'm not ashamed of you, Kori."

"I know. But you must be Robin first, before you are Richard, yes? Perhaps secret is a strong word. There is no need to deny that we have a different relationship now, but we need not discuss it with them, either. They know enough, I think, to understand without us having to tell them."

Robin had his doubts about it. "I suppose..."

"And perhaps we should not–" she hesitated "–show them much, either."

He frowned and hated that he was considering her suggestion. He knew the problems with that arrangement. Starfire was expressive, affectionate and unpretentious. Her emotions were her strength and he didn't want her to suppress all that just because she happened to be with him, but she might have to, and she said she was willing, but could he even ask that much of her?

He ran his hand lightly against her nape. "We'll see, alright? Let's not think about it now. I'm sorry I brought it up."

She would, of course, express how much she forgave him.

It took Alfred and dinner to call them out, and while Alfred and Bruce's faces remained impassive, he had a vague feeling that they could see right through him.

Starfire certainly showed no hint that anything had changed. She kept on being her usual self and twice, Robin had to tell himself that their talk in the viewing room did happen, and that they had kissed; that this time, she hadn't run away. For the most part, that was still unbelievable.

After dinner, he was finally able to walk her around the house; showing her his haunts and then telling her the memories that went with it. She was right. He was everywhere and he supposed he had never thought about the Wayne Manor like that. He had spent most of his childhood moving from one place to another. To him, home was with the people he cared for: his parents. When his parents died, he never really called anyone or anything home again, not even when Bruce took him in. But he supposed when one spent enough years in a single place, it became one's home whether or not one allowed it to be so. He had always referred to the Wayne Manor as "the house" or "the mansion" or "where I live" but not quite "home"; not until now; not until Starfire.

"This is my home," he said quietly, more to himself, than to her.

She smiled, but she said nothing. Perhaps she detected that his words were for himself, or maybe she just thought he was stating the obvious.

Starfire ran her fingers gently through the water from the edge of the pool, probably liking the warmth of it against the slight chill of the room. Robin sat watching from one of the lounge chairs nearest to her, amazed at how much Starfire had affected his life, especially in the last few months.

He had been guiding Starfire all this time, but in a strange, wonderful way, it seemed Starfire was guiding him.

Robin left the lounge chair to sit beside her, liking the relaxing silence between them. Every once in a while, he would lean over and say something, or perhaps he just stole a kiss, just because he could.

He lost track of time and he forgot that it had been one of the longest days of his life. At that point; as far as he was concerned, the day could move as slow as it wanted.

To be continued...

Closing notes: William N. Escher, as you may have already figured out, is a fictional character, but the name was not randomly put together. The "N" stands for Nadrian, as in Nadrian Seeman. Nadrian and his post-doctoral associate William Sherman reported to the Nano Letters that they built a sub-microscopic robot that walked on legs made from fragments of DNA. This is not fiction. Nadrian claimed to have been inspired by a particular woodcut he saw in a bar created by one M.C. Escher, a well-known artist in his era (Circa early 1900) whose graphic and artistic technique blended symmetry, asymmetry, and elements of architecture. It was these aspects of Escher's art that reminded Nadrian of the double helix, thus leading his thoughts to designing DNA-enhance nanotech. If you understand the connection between Escher art and DNA-Nanotech, then you're at least borderline nerd. Me, I'm way past borderline... I merely based my nano-tech on their discovery, so what I've written isn't a reflection of what they've accomplished. If you're still unclear about the whole nano-tech thing in relation to the story, I'll be explaining a bit more in the next chapter.

I'm sorry I already got to the kissing part, but that's the way the story goes. Haha! I mean, I thought it mean to keep teasing you, and Robin, so I just took Cyborg's advice and "did it". I tried not to be so sappy, but I couldn't help it. Not being sappy sort of ruined it, so I went back and made a lot of changes. It's about as un-sappy as I could get in such a sappy situation. There's more to come, anyway. Not over yet.

I know now that there's really a Gotham City Knights basketball team in the National Rookie League, but I swear I didn't know about them before I made up a basketball team for Gotham.