I don't own this, in fact I own very little. I have a couple cars, a motorcycle, and the right to run around my house screaming like a madman. So if you sue me, you won't get much. But anyways...

Here is a fic I've been working on, I also have it on the Worlds Finest board but here I will open some more of the adult things that can't be published there.

Soooo... Here it is!

-Come with me
-Into the trees
-We'll lay on the grass
-And let the hours pass

-Take my hand
-Come back to the land
-Let's get away
-Just for one day

-Let me see you
-Stripped (down to your soul)
-Let me see you
-Stripped (down to your soul)

---Rammstein---

Chapter 1 "Stripped"

The sun slowly slipped over the horizon and the shadows in the city grew ever longer in the fading light. One by one the street lights flickered on causing the city to shimmer from end to end. The wind gently whipped his hair around and caused him to shudder in the cold. He continued to watch the city from his perch, ensuring that it was safe. After all, that was all that he did these days. Crime was at an all time low in the city... His city. His city that didn't even have so much as a litter bug in its midsts. He sighed. He looked long and hard at the sparkling oasis before him. It was going to be another long and uneventful night.

"Robin?" Asked an inquisitive voice from behind him.

"Yeah Star?" He replied without taking his gaze off the bridge in the distance.

"It is quite cold out here alone." She said as she rubbed her arms to keep warm. "Cyborg and Beast Boy are teaching me how to play the games of video and the need a fourth person to play. Would you like to join us?" she asked as she walked up next to him.

"You go ahead, I'll be along in a few minutes." He said as he watched the flashing red and blue lights of a police car pull over a speeding motorist on one of the main streets. A warm hand came to rest on his shoulder causing him to look up at its owner.

"Do not be sad Robin. Your city is peaceful, and that is what we work for." said Starfire. This caused Robin to look away briefly and scan the city again.

"I guess your right...It's not that I'm sad, I'm just disappointed." he replied as he watched the steel girders of the bridge glow in the twilight.

"Disappointed at what?" asked Starfire as she cocked her head unsure of her friends feelings. For Robin was Disappointed. Disappointed to the fact that there were no more challenges left in this city. He felt callus for thinking this way, but it was the truth. After the fall of Slade and the rounding up of all his underlings the city seemed to be in suspended animation. Time passed by at an agonizingly slow pace lately. The passage of the last few months felt like he had lived several lifetimes. A year ago he was at the top of his game. Leader of the Teen Titans; An unstoppable force that made villains cower by the mere mention of their name. But time had changed him. He was still the leader of the Titans, and they were still unstoppable and all... but he had changed.

Starfire tilted her head the other way and squeezed his shoulder. This caused Robin to realize that he had been silent for the past few minutes and he turned to face her once more. "I dunno... I guess it's..." Robin sighed and sat down on the edge of the towers roof. He stared down at the ocean below which had slowly over the last few minutes became slightly violent and was crashing on the rocks below.

The seemingly endless stream of white lights that poured over the bridge had subsided as the minutes ticked by. The evening commuters were all heading out of the city toward their manicured lawns and single story ranch houses that made up the surrounding suburbs, not knowing that their movements were watched by Boy Wonder. God he hated that name... "Boy Wonder". Humph! He was no longer a boy. He was a man. A man that keep his city safe and free of crime. He should be known as-

His thoughts of self-torment were interrupted as Starfire sat next to him and wrapped her arm over his other shoulder. Robin turned to look at her but she had laid her head on his shoulder and was looking at the city off in the distance. Perhaps she was right. He did need a hobby... everyone else had one and they seemed to be happy. Cyborg has the T-Car, Raven has her meditation and studies, Beast-Boy has his eating contests and cooking duties (no matter how much the others liked it or not) and he had... he had, nothing.

No. That wasn't true. He had Starfire; his ever faithful companion that fought along side him and also went to the movies with on occasion. She had asked him on several dates before, but there was never any time to go. The city always needed him, always needed saving from some evil plot or some vile act of evil... but not anymore. The town was quiet and so was his social life.

He replayed the image in his head as she tripped over every other word while trying to ask him to one of the fancy bistros in town. He even stifled a giggle as he remembered her face blushing into a slight shade of purple as she asked him to a Broadway play. And he downright laughed as he remembered her giving him a "decapitated Rose" because she saw it done on some reality show on TV. She really was fun to be around, and not just because of her inability to adapt to many of Earth customs or awkwardness of using these new customs. She actually kept him sane in his darkest hours.

Back when the hunt for Slade was nearing a dead end and he would self loathe for hours trying to figure out what had gone wrong in his attempts to capture him and end the madness. Locked in his room for days he would study maps and newspaper clippings with headlines like "Titans Loose Villain Again" or "Teens not up to the Fight?" or his personal favorite "Robin Speechless as Criminal Once Again Got His tongue". At the point of no return when he wanted to throw it all away and leave town out of pure frustration, she would talk to him as happy as ever and get him to realize that the only way to find Slade was to go looking for him again. Truly she was that ray of sunshine in his metaphorical darkness.

He looked down to see if his fit of laughter had any effect on her, but her eyes were closed and her breathing had slowed down to an almost marked pace. "Hey Star?" Asked Robin as he lightly hugged the dozing alien that was leaning against him. He must have been thinking for at least an hour or two for the sun was now replaced by the moon and dark clouds gathered in the east.

"Hmmm..."Replied Starfire without opening her eyes.

"Um..." Robin paused for a second. "I was just thinking that maybe we should go to one of those shows you always wanted to see and get some dinner afterwords. What do you think?" He braced for a rib breaking hug and joyful laughter from his friend but was met with a solemn and soft response.

"That... would be... glor-e-us..." The last word drawn out and ending with a sigh. She was now fast asleep and her breathing had reached the slow metronome-like stage that you could set a watch to. He sat for a while longer with her laying against him before he decided it was too cold to stay up on the roof any longer. The moon was now high over head and the wind had picked up and started a gentle howl as it passed over the ridge of the roof. Robing stood up and gently scooped up the sleeping girl into his arms and headed toward the roof door. He was fiddling with the door latch when he was startled by the door opening outward. He stumbled back and almost lost his balance due to the awkwardness of his passed-out cargo. Raven steeped out of the shadowed entryway and into the grey moonlight.

"Sorry you guys, I didn't know you were up here." Stated Raven as she turned to go back into the tower.

"No Raven, it's alright. I'm just going to drop Star off at her room and then do some reading of the daily police blotter. The roof is all yours." He stepped to the side to allow her to pass. Raven raised an eyebrow at him and walked past him. Raven was almost halfway to the edge of the roof when she turned to face robin and spoke. "You know, she really cares for you."

"I know." He said as he lowered his head to look at Starfire who now had her mouth open slightly and was almost snoring in a cute like way.

"And you care for her." said Raven as she turned to face the edge of the roof and sat cross-legged on the cold bleak surface.

"I know." Repeated Robin as he continued to look at the sleeping girl that was curled up in his arms.

"I can't display my emotions, not without dangerous consequences. The both of you don't have that problem... It would be a shame to waste all that." Said Raven in a monotone voice that never changed. Robin looked up at her but she had her back to him and was deep in meditation. Robin looked down again and thought about the feelings he had inside him and tried to hash them out one at a time.

"For not having any emotions, you sure are an expert about them." Said Robin as he turned to face the door again. Raven's eyes opened wide for a second and then she closed them and spoke in a soft voice. "I have emotions... I just can't show them." replied a saddened Raven.

Robin was already inside the tower and had closed the door behind him not hearing the pain his words carried to his comrade. Raven was left alone on the roof and she began her chanting to calm her mind as the wind became stronger and a rumble of thunder was heard off in the distance.

The stairs lightly creaked with each step of Robin's boots as he descended the stairwell till he reached the main living level. He fumbled with the doorknob half expecting one of the other Titans to open it as they went milling about the tower. But when the door groaned open he was met only by the dark and lonely hallway. He stepped into the passage and started to walk to the end where Starfire's room was located. The light at the far end of the hall was flickering in the familiar fluorescent buzz-click-buzz that signaled the tube was in need of replacement. Robin stared up at it and furrowed his brow. Beast-Boy had forgotten to change the bulb today and it was causing a slow-motion strobe effect at this end of the hallway. Robin quickly forgot about the light as he nudged the button that opened the door to Starfire's room. The door slid open with a soft hiss and he walked into her private domicile.

The normally vibrant colored room was only drawn in varying shades of grey in the darkness. Even the various stuffed animals that were strewn half-hazardly about the room were only grey like the graphite tip of a pencil. Robin deftly navigated the minefield of teen magazines and stacks of photo albums till he reached the side of her bed. He gently laid the sleeping girl down onto the bed sheet and un-twined his arms out from under her. Robin lightly tugged at one of her purple boots and slid it off then did the same to the other. He glanced around the room for a place to deposit the footwear and finally decided that the only space available was the floor next to her desk.

He slung the boots over his shoulder and with his free hand undid Starfire's arm bands. With all the skill and precision of a corner diner waitress he held onto the boots with one hand and balanced both armbands on his other arm like plates of food fresh from the kitchen. The afore mentioned minefield was no match for Robin as he blazed a trail to the desk and chair in the far corner of the room. He swung the boots off his shoulder and set them on the chair for the time being and proceeded to set the armbands on the only open space available on the desktop.

As he was setting one down, the other rolled off his arm and hit the desk with a resounding clunk. Then, not quite finished with it's defiance, the armband continued to roll till it collided with a stack of papers and sent them tumbling over the edge of the desk. Robin gritted his teeth and tensed up. He glanced back at Starfire, worried that this whole fiasco had wakened her... but she continued to slumber on the bed not noticing that Robin was single-handedly trying to destroy her latest attempt at a scrapbook. Robin stooped down to collect the papers that had fluttered down to the ground. As he gathered them up he stopped to take a look at them. They were drawings, sketches actually of many different things. Some were of Starfire herself, others were of the city and coastline, some were of the Titans themselves in various poses and scenes, and others still were ones he didn't recognize. Robin deduced that they were of her alien home world and the people (possibly family?) that lived there.

He stacked them up as best he could on the desk and was about to make the trek back to the door when he noticed the last sheet he placed on top of the stack. He lifted the page up and held it so the moonlight would allow him to inspect it further and it came into focus. The picture he held was of himself and Starfire. They were both smiling and had their arms wrapped around each other and cheeks pressed together. Apparently they were having a grand old time together, due to the looks of happiness on their faces. He held the page closer to his eyes and tried to make out the background. This proved a formidable task as it was only roughed in right now. It looked like they were either in a horse-drawn carriage, or a ride at the boardwalk down by the pier, or even a photo booth (which would explain the wide goofy grins they both had).

He lowered the drawing away from his face and looked over at Starfire. She hadn't moved from the time he laid her down, the gentle rise and fall of her chest dictating that she was still asleep and using her share of oxygen. He looked at the picture again then sat it down on its place at the top of the stack. He thought about taking the picture, but decided against that. If she wanted him to have it, she would surely give it to him. He walked over to the window and stared long and hard at the bleak darkness that swallowed his view on the other side of the glass. Starfire wouldn't remember the last things he said to her in the morning... and perhaps it's better that way. Robin placed his hand on the cold transparent surface and let his thoughts boil over in his mind. Maybe he wasn't ready for a serious relationship right now, or maybe ever. After-all, he was a leader and leaders can't be bogged down with things like... like... like companionship or even love. He had seen warriors loose their edge after getting involved in relationships. It had happened to Batman and Beast-Boy, it could happen to him as well.

Starfire sighed and rolled onto her side, letting one of her slender arms drape over the edge of the mattress. Robin's inner demons shifted their song and were now praising the benefits of love and relationships. He shook his head and gently thumped his fist on the pane of glass. As he cleared his thoughts there was a light patter of sound as the glass became spotted with the rain of the coming storm. The sky flashed briefly as lightning lept from one cloud to another and was followed by the rolling boom of thunder.

He continued to stare out the window as the rain picked up speed and was now streaming down the glass in random trails, joining and separating at will. He watched the water as it would start it's journey at the top of the window till it disappeared below the sill, possibly continuing till it reached the base of Titans Tower. A bright flash followed by in immediate crack of thunder brought him back to reality. He turned back from the window and made his way to the edge of the bed where Starfire continued to slumber. Robin ever-so-gently slid the sheet up to her neck and tucked her in for the remainder of the night. He removed one of his green gloves and touched her gently on the cheek causing her to coo slightly and nuzzle her pillow. His fingers traveled lightly over her face as he brushed the auburn bangs away from her eyes. Starfire smiled in her sleep, mumbled something unintelligible and hugged her pillow even tighter. This display of affection toward a feather stuffed fabric caused Robin to crack a rather large smile. Possibly one of the most genuine smiles he had for the last couple months at least. He retracted his hand and replace his glove. He looked over at the stack of papers and once again shook his head deciding to leave it alone.

Stepping out of Starfire's room Robin let the door close behind him and stood motionless in the hall while his eyes adjusted to the flickering light. This whole situation was a little too deep for him to think about on an empty stomach so he decided to slowly wander the hall till he arrived at the main recreation area. As he entered the room he shielded his eyes from the lights that were brightly illuminating the area. Beast-Boy was busy stacking dirty dishes in the sink and didn't notice that Robin had walked in and was now looking around the room. Robin spoke aloud for the first time in several hours "Hey Beast-Boy. What are you-" His sudden voice startled Beast-Boy and he let out a yelp as the stack of dirty dishes came crashing down in the sink.

"Dude! Why must you constantly practice your cat burglar routine around me!" cried Beast-Boy as he looked at the mess of dishes in the sink.

"Sorry B.B. I didn't mean to make you jump" apologized Robin. "By the way, have you seen Cyborg? I needed to talk with him." Robin asked as he looked around the room and found it devoid of anyone else.

"Nope. He went to go recharge a few hours ago. Wanna wake him up?" replied Beast-Boy as he started stacking the dishes all over again. Robin looked at the clock on his communicator and realized it was already after 2:00 in the morning.

"Nah. I didn't realize it was so late already... Why are you burning the midnight oil?" asked Robin as he sat on one of the stools opposite Beast-Boy who had now finished re stacking the dishes.

"I couldn't sleep. I haven't been able to for a while now" Said Beast-Boy as he admired the leaning stack of plates, saucers and cups now towering over the lip of the sink. "I've been playing video games for the last few hours... that reminds me. Have you seen Starfire? She was supposed to come play Ultimate Freak-Out Wrestling with us." Quipped Beast-Boy as he crossed his arms and tapped his foot in a comical manner.

"Yeah. She fell asleep with me on the roof. I just dropped her off at her room before I came in here." replied Robin as he tried to think if he had any of his sandwich left from lunch still in the refrigerator. Beast-Boy looked out the far window at the maelstrom that was assaulting the city. "You were outside in that? What were you doing, singing in the rain?" asked Beast-Boy as he watched a bolt of lightning flick it's way down to the ground.

"No. I was in her room for a while." replied Robin.

"Oh really?" Inquired Beast-Boy as he leaned forward to get the juicy details. Robin quickly shot back a scow that informed the green changeling his current course of questioning was not approved of. "Hey man, I didn't mean to pry! Sorry!" squealed Beast-Boy as he waved his hands in a front of him. Robin retracted his scowl and replied in a somewhat frustrated voice "It's not like that... Why does everybody think that?". Robin slid off the stool and walked over to the refrigerator opening it to reveal a half-eaten sandwich. Beast-Boy rubbed his head for a second and replied "Because of the way she acts around you... and for that matter, the way you act around her. I mean it doesn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together."

Robin retrieved his sandwich and sat back down on the same stool. He unwrapped the snack and inspected it before taking the first bite. Beast-Boy had opened the pantry and was rooting around for something to eat. Several cans of soup fell and rolled out onto the kitchen floor as he emerged with a box of cereal and some sugar packets.

Robin continued to chew the first bite of the sandwich slowly and looked over at Beast-Boy. He swallowed hard than spoke in a quieter tone "Do you ever miss Terra?". Beast Boy who had been busy preparing a bowl of Frosted Sugar Bombs dropped the box as he heard the last word from Robin's mouth. He stepped back and looked at his feet as he shuffled one than the other. Beast-Boy remained silent as he picked up one of the orphan soup cans that had escaped the pantry. He held the cylinder in his hand and starred at his warped reflection in the top of it.

"Every day." came a small voice that emanated from deep within his soul. Robin looked at his friend with genuine feeling and felt the same thing in himself. He feared if he ever became close to someone... He would loose them too. The sandwich had lost it's flavor and Robin decided he was no longer hungry. He wrapped up the sandwich and tossed it in the trash. Beast-Boy returned to his cereal and finished preparing his meal using the last of the soy milk. Robin ran his fingers through his hair and turned to face the door. He figured he had upset Beast-Boy enough for tonight. "Sorry B.B. I didn't mean to bring you down." said Robin as he walked to the door. Beast-Boy continued to eat apparently too self absorbed in his own memories to hear him. Robin sighed and walked out the door heading to his room to sleep off his train of thought.