Chapter Five

Robin, Cyborg and Beastboy had shoved Starfire into the back of the T-Car and were now driving down to their favorite pizza shop. Raven would be searching Starfires room now but said she would join them if she found nothing in Stars room.

Starfire was sitting in the back of the T-Car staring moodily out the window. Robin knew that if she really and truly did not want to be taken, she could have easily beaten the rest of them down and kicked them out of her room. He smiled at her and tried to make some sort of conversation.

"So Star, how have you been." Robin asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Does it not appear than I am well? There was no need to remove me from my room." Star said quietly. Her heart was beating wildly, she knew that if she did not return to reading the book soon, it would return to the painful stage it had been before.

"But we miss you Star, we never see you anymore." Beastboy said, turning around in his passenger side seat. "It's not healthy to be stuck in your room non stop. Even Raven comes out once in a while! Uhh, don't tell her I said that," He added sheepishly.

"I have reasons to stay in my room. I am not abandoning the team, I am simply giving myself time for . . . myself," She added, averting her eyes away from Robin who she was sure would be able to see differently in her eyes. Her heart twanged painfully. It was almost like a pang of jealousy that rang out right when she had thought about Robin. Libiath felt threatened at the thought of Robin!

Robin's heart fell terribly. To him it had sounded as if she did not want to be around him. Maybe he was being too forceful on her, maybe as their leader he was working them too hard.

As the car stopped in front of the pizza parlor, they all got out entered the building. Each on their own part was trying to cheer Starfire up, make it seem like she was missing a lot of fun. But in her mind, all Starfire could think about was the heavy beating of her heart. She was sure that any minute she would pass out.

Once they had fought over, agreed, and ordered their pizza, they sat in a booth and waited for their pizza to be delivered.

"Look Star, it's piiiiiineapple. You know you want a bite! Come one, open up!" Beastboy said, moving the slice of pizza fly around the table and then come zooming at her face. Star just sat there as Cyborg grabbed the slice of pizza and dropped it back on the table.

"First off, Star I think can feed herself. Second, even if she did want you to feed her, it would not be any of that nasty fruity pizza. It would be this!" Cyborg said, lifting a piece of pizza towered so high full of bacon, sausage and hamburger than many people in surrounding booths fled for their lives. "Boo yah, baby! A Super Deluxe Meaty Mans Special."

Star could hear Libiath whispering in the back of her mind, 'Come back to me Starfire, I need you.' She looked around dizzily, wondering if the voice was in her mind or really in the parlor. Robin stared at her oddly and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Star?" he whispered softly.

Beastboy stared at the piece of pizza in disgust. "Why don't they just call it the Cut Up Bits of Animal Special! Why would you want to eat an animal? I'm part animal! Would you cut me up and stick me on a pizza?" Beastboy cried desperately.

Stars head gave another sickening spin. She had to get back . . . she brushed off Robins arms and looked at the floor, waiting for a second for it to stop spinning and steady so she could stand.

"Man, even if I was near death, I would never even taste you." Cyborg said, shoving the towering piece of pizza in his mouth.

"Okay, but you don't know what you're missing. I'm delicious!" Beastboy said, biting into his piece of pizza. "No lady can resist THE Beastboy, right Star?" Beastboy asked, beaming at her with bits of sauce all over his chin.

Star was sweating horribly. Her heartbeat was at such a rate that she was blinded in and out of consciousness. Her head spun as she looked at Beastboy, Cyborg and then at Robin.

"I must go," She said, standing and running out of the parlor. As she reached the pavement, she collapsed in a heap and lay there for several seconds. Then she stood and tried as best she could to fly back to Titan Tower.

Robin ran as fast as he could just to see Starfire stand up from the pavement and fly unsteadily but at a lightning fast pace in the direction of Titan Tower.

"STARFIRE!" He yelled, as she barely missed a building, and swerve dangerously to the side. He took out his communicator and called Raven.

"Raven, Star's headed your way. She's in some sort of trance. Try and get her to come down out of the air."

"I'm on it," Was Ravens short reply.

"Beastboy, go in pterodactyl mode and try and get her down out of the air. Don't hurt her, just try and push her down to the ground."

"Got it," Beastboy replied and he morphed and flew into the air.

"Cyborg, let's drive below her."

"Right on," Cyborg replied as they jumped in the T-Car and they bolted out of the Pizza parking lot and down to the city streets.