Chapter 7
For the second time in two days, Starfire found herself sitting on the couch, with a mug of hot tea in her hands, and everyone surrounding her's eyes on her.
"So where do you want to start?" she said, "At the beginning? With Nightfire? Or is there something particular bothering you?" She didn't mean to sound angry, but she didn't know how else to breech the subject.
"How are you still alive?" said Cyborg at last. Having just recounted her whole imprisonment a few minutes earlier, she gave them the abbreviated version.
"Slade's injection wasn't fatal. It was a drug designed to make it look like it had killed me. He kept me alive in a cell, using more drugs to suppress my powers."
"How did you escape?" asked Raven.
"When I went into labour with Nightfire, he couldn't give me the injection, and it took so long that the effects wore off and I got my powers back." she replied.
"Did you kill him?" said Beastboy, but before Starfire could answer, Nightwing cut her off,
"No, I did." he said darkly. They all looked at him, "I spent everyday after you left, tracking down Slade. I guess half of me wouldn't believe that you were really dead. And after about a year, I found him. I went to his hiding place and got the revenge that he had wanted so badly. But it must have been too late to find you." he finished sadly.
"You never told us about that" said Raven. Nightwing looked at her and smiled patronisingly,
"You can't fight the good fight with blood on your hands" he said. There was silence for a moment, then Nightwing turned back to Starfire, "I have a question for you, Why didn't you come back?" he asked. Suddenly the attention directed at her was doubled. She sighed and took a moment to consider her answer.
"I was confused, I was both physically and emotionally exhausted, and I had a baby to care for. It was weeks before I could even remember where you lived, let alone where I was. I also had to deal with countless people recognising me, when all I wanted was to curl up into a ball, and feel nothing. By the time I was discharged, I had medical bills to pay, so I needed a job, and a place to stay. I was swallowed up in it all. Time passed and eventually I just told myself that it was for the best. I couldn't be a Titan with a small child in tow."
"But how could you let us think you were dead?" said Beastboy. Starfire looked down at her tea and said nothing, shame burning within her. He shook his head in disgust, he didn't mean it, he was just so upset and he needed an outlet.
"So what about Nightfire?" said Raven.
"What about her?"
"Does she have powers? You know, anything we should know?"
"Nightfire has not inherited my powers, and I'm grateful. All I want for her is a good life, bad things happen when every criminal in the city is your enemy. And she has a good heart, I know she'd want to become a super-hero if she could."
Another silence,
"Nightwing tells us you can't use your powers anymore" said Cyborg. Starfire looked at Nightwing and he looked away, slightly embarrassed. "It's okay, we understand, I just thought we could go see if we could fire up the old righteous fury." he continued, getting excited at the prospect of flashes and bangs. Starfire smiled, just like old times.
"Sure," she said, putting down her mug and getting to her feet as everyone else headed for the door. Nightwing was bringing up the rear and she caught his arm, she had one last thing to say. "I just want you to know," she said " that I never forgot you. I thought about you every minute of every day when Slade had me. You kept me sane, and I don't doubt that I would have taken my life if not for the prospect of seeing you again. And afterwards, I thought about you whenever I thought I couldn't handle it all, you gave me the strength I needed to care for our daughter." Nightwing's eyes widened,
"Our daughter?" he said.
"Of course, who else? I'm sorry, I thought you would have figured it out by now." she said, worried that he would hate the idea of having a child.
"I had my suspicions but…..Oh my god," Nightwing wrapped his arms around Starfire and pulled her close, "Now, not only are you the woman I love, but the mother of my child. And I couldn't ask for more," he said. "Starfire, I love you, I always have and I always will, when I thought I'd lost you……." he shook his head, "but now to have you back, is like a dream, and I'm never waking up. Starfire, don't go back to New Harlem. Stay here, with me." he said. Starfire opened her mouth to protest that what good was she if she didn't have her powers, but Nightwing stopped her, "Oh, I don't care if you can fly, or lift a car above your head, or shoot people with green, alien energy, I never did. I love you for who you are, Starfire, and I can only hope that you love me too," Starfire quickly nodded her head,
"I do love you, Robin, so much."
"Then stay, stay and…..marry me." Starfire's breath caught in her throat and it was a second before she could reply,
"Yes! Of course, of course!" she yelled, and Nightwing picked her up and swung her around, making her squeal with delight. When he put her down, they eyes were locked, and they didn't even notice as they came together and kissed deeply.
"I told you," said Beastboy from the doorway, quietly, so as not to disturb the euphoric couple.
"Alright, alright," said Cyborg, handing over a wad of bills. Raven frowned,
"I can't believe you two bet on whether or not Nightwing was the girl's father." she said. Beastboy looked at her in shock,
"Of course we didn't, we bet on whether or not he would ask her to marry him today." he said.
"Or tomorrow." said Cyborg.
"He asked who to marry him?" The Titans looked behind them and there was Nightfire, craning her neck to see into the living room. The Titans stepped back to give her a clear view of the entwined heroes. Her eyes widened,
"Woah, way to go, Mom" she said.
A few minutes later, they were all gathered in the old gym, Starfire standing in the middle of the mats feeling self-concious. Nightwing was in front and facing her, the others were up against the wall, watching, and Nightfire was sitting cross-legged on the bench-press. Her grin was perpetual, she was so proud to have a mother like Starfire.
"Okay so what do you want to try first?" said Nightwing, still smiling from earlier.
"Er, flying, that might be easiest." she said. She closed her eyes and straightened her back. She could still feel the fading warmth that Nightwing's proposal had given her, but it wasn't enough. She focused on it and replayed the scene in her head, including the kiss at the end. She forced to herself to feel his arms around her, to recall the smell of his hair, and the colour of his eyes, that she'd seen once, when they were younger. A huge grin spread across her face, she couldn't help herself, but her feet stayed firmly on the ground. So she switched to her best memories of her daughter. The strong, eager hugs she'd given her when she was too young to be embarrassed, which led to the memory of what she had overheard, wrecking her confidence. She quickly pushed that away and tried to remember what it felt like to be flying instead. She remembered the night of her and Robin's first kiss, it had been on the rooftop, with the setting sun casting a beautiful array of colours across the sky. He'd gone back inside afterwards, but before she followed, she'd turned spirals and loops in the air, she'd soared as high as she could go, until the Tower was just a dot on the land below, carried by his affection. Starfire tried to feel the sensation of being supported by joy through every inch of her body. She sighed, try as she might, the ground still pressed against her feet. She opened her eyes and hung her head. Nightwing put an arm around her,
"It's okay, no-one expected you to get it first time round," he said. "Do you want to try starbolts?" Starfire didn't think she could handle the failure and dissapointment,
"Not today, I'm just gonna go to my room." she said, and she turned on her heel and hastened from the gym.
No-one said anything. Nightwing ran a hand through his hair,
"I'm gonna go talk to her" he said, but Raven stopped him.
"No, she feels like she's dissapointing us. It would be best if someone who wasn't a Teen Titan goes to talk to her." They all turned to look at Nightfire, who slid of the bench and walked silently after her mother.
Starfire wasn't crying, she was just sitting, slouching on her bed, staring into space. When the knock on the door came, and Nightfire's voice floated through, she only opened the door because she was too depressed to muster the will to keep it closed.
"Er, hey Mum" said Nightfire, who so did not know where to begin. Starfire just left the door open and resumed her position on the bed without speaking a word. Nightfire closed the door and stood in front of her mother. She decided that since she didn't know how to be tactful about this, she would be completely direct.
"Look, I know you think you're useless but you're not." Starfire remained silent. "So what if you can't use your powers now? That doesn't mean you never will be able to again." Nightfire hoped she wasn't going to far.
"On Tamerran," Starfire began quietly, "even new-borns can fly" okay, this is bad thought Nightfire,
"Okay, but think about it this way, that means it's like, in your genes. So they're still there, you just need to re-awaken them."
"But what if I can't? then I really will be useless, I will be a dead-weight, and Nightwing will certainly not love me then. You already think I'm a disgrace, and you didn't know me when I had my powers." Nightfire was shocked,
"When did you hear that?" she asked.
"I heard you talking with the others in your room yesterday." said Starfire. Nightfire's heart sank, she hadn't wanted to hurt her mother.
"Yeah,
but I definately don't feel that way anymore. I am totally proud to
have you as a mother. Who else can say that they're parents were
Teen Titans, who fought crime like everyday and had super-powers?
No-one I bet. You're totally the coolest mother in the world, I
realised when you where telling me about my birth just how strong you
are. I wouldn't change you for the world, and neither would my
father." Starfire stared at her daughter,
"You know about
Nightwing?" she asked.
"Mom, please, I'm twelve, I'm not blind." said Nightfire. "I dunno what things were like back when you were teenagers, but I don't think these people judge you, or think any less of you for not having your powers, at all. I think they love you. Every last one. So don't be such an insecure, kill-joy. You've been reunited with your friends after twelve years, they are nothing but happy to see you alive." Starfire smiled at her girl,
"Where do you get this stuff? You weren't so wise last time I checked." she said.
"Must be from Nightwing," replied Nightfire. Her mother pulled her into a one armed hug, and it was then that the alarm sounded, except this one announced an attack on the Tower itself.
