Disclaimer: The Teen Titans are still not owned by me.

Author Notes: This chapter is a little dark. I don't know if it really fits, but I wrote it, and now I feel like I can't take it out... I held off on posting this for a few days, trying to re-write it, but nothing's coming, so here it is. If everyone hates it, I'll probably rewrite it. Let me know what you think of it. Also, sorry that this chapter is a little short, but I'm definitely making the next (and possibly last) chapter a long one, and it'll be posted soon.

If you want to read something else I've (co)-written, check out "A Series of Unfortunate Events", which is on Lovely White Violets' page because we wrote it together. (The chapters for that are actually of a decent length... ) Thanks for all of the feedback and thanks as always to Lovely White Violets for beta reading.

Rating: Changed to PG-13 for this chapter

Chapter 4: Lost

Two weeks later, and I have done nothing, Starfire thought gloomily. She had just finished her nightly "bouncing" and she was wandering the streets aimlessly, too lost in thought to notice that she was just as lost in the maze of alleys and buildings that made up the darker side of Jump City.

She had not resolved her inability to use starbolts. She had not come to a conclusion about when it was 'right' or 'wrong' to use violence. And as far as flying went, she had not so much as hovered.

Starfire sighed. Robin would be disappointed in me. Perhaps he is disappointed in me. And probably worried, too.

Guilt and longing overwhelmed the alien girl, neither helping her current predicament.

Head down, hood pulled low over her face, hands in her pockets; the alien girl trudged along, tumultuous thoughts keeping her from noticing that her surroundings seemed to be getting more and more sinister.

She didn't notice that the buildings in this area were slightly more dilapidated, or that the streetlights were nearly non-existent. In fact, she didn't even notice the gang of street thugs blocking her path until she ran into one of them.

"My apologies!" she said instantly, looking up with big eyes at five teenaged boys who towered over her.

"You're Starfire, aren't you?" one demanded.

She nodded, her expression darkening. She had been on this side of town long enough to expect animosity. If she was lucky, they'd just slander her with some insults and let her go. But if she was unlucky... some had screamed at her, others had blamed her for their current problems, and a few had even threatened her.

Starfire took a deep breath, preparing for a barrage of insults.

But she was not prepared for the barrage of punches.

To her credit, she surprised them by not falling over after the first punch. It didn't even hurt her too terribly much, but she was too shocked, and too doubtful about using violence, to defend herself.

Two teenagers flanked her, each grabbing one of her arms.

She glared at the boy who had punched her. "Please release me."

The boy met her glare. "You put my brother in the hospital three weeks ago. You blew up his car! You could have killed him."

Starfire felt all desire to fight leave her. She slumped, and the boys restraining her had to hold her upright.

"I am sorry," Starfire whispered. "I did not intend to hurt him."

"Well, we intend to hurt you," the youth replied, combining his words with another punch.

And so it began. Starfire couldn't fight back, not when she felt that she deserved this, and perhaps even worse.

She couldn't be sure how long the beating lasted. It didn't hurt, not much. The teenagers couldn't do too much damage to an alien who could easily withstand being hit by a bus.

But it didn't exactly tickle.

Eventually, the two restraining her let her fall to the ground, and her attackers kicked her as she curled into a ball on the ground.

Starfire was never sure what made them stop. Maybe they realized that their methods were ineffective. Maybe, and perhaps more likely, they just got tired. Whatever the reasons, at a signal from the brother of the injured robber, they halted their attack and stood back a few feet.

Starfire lurched to her feet, wondering if they would leave her alone if she appeared weak enough.

Then she saw the gun.

He raised it at her slowly, with deliberate slowness that sparked fear anew in her.

Starfire didn't know whether or not she was bulletproof, especially not at this distance. And this was certainly not the way she wanted to find out.

But she didn't have much of an alternative. She stood there as he gloated for a moment.

"After all the people who've tried to kill the Teen Titans, who would've thought we'd be the ones to do it?" he asked quietly.

The Teen Titans. Robin. Raven. Cyborg. Beast Boy. Robin. Starfire saw a thousand memories, all of them good, in her mind, but the image that caught and held was of Robin.

I will see you again, she promised him.

And in one movement that was too quick to follow, too quick to react to, Starfire dodged to the right and twin jets of green light shot out of her eyes, hitting the gun.

The gun melted, fizzling to the ground. The boys looked at her in shock.

Starfire, for her part, tried admirably to hide her own shock.

Before the boys could decide to try alternate methods of revenge, Starfire sprinted off in a direction that she hoped would lead her home.

Well, at least this is progress towards recovering my powers, she thought. One step closer to being able to help my friends again, one step closer to returning... and one step closer to Robin.

She let her thoughts linger on Robin as she found her way home, and if she noticed that her steps seemed a little lighter as she ran, she attributed it to the adrenaline rush of the fight.