Hurray for reviews!

AlainaLawson - I'm glad you enjoyed "A Night At The Opera" and I hope you enjoy this story as well.

candyclouds - My bad on the spelling, I'm not going to bother changing the old chapters but all the new ones should be right from henceforth. Thanks!

rocknroll - Thank you for your very kind words. I know there are strong feelings in both the BB/Rae and BB/Terra camps. I respect both sides of the arguement, but believe in BB/Terra. You can make a strong case for either pairing. But still,my storyis what it is, the pairings are on the summary. It's up to people to decide what they want to read, and if they want to see another point of view.

GenericX, hyperchic - Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy the show.

Now, with that taken care of, a word about the story. I know I'm probably going to break from some form of canon with the introduction of the good doctor, but I have to in order to make the story work. So please just take it as it is. Thanks!

And as usual, I don't own the Titans, or Justice League, or Batman. You get the point...

Chapter Three: Starfire And Ice

Time passed slowly in Arkham Asylum for it's many occupants. Most of their days were spent plotting ways to escape. Time was not spent much better for the keepers of the institution. Their days were spent repairing damaged cells after escapes and refurbishing security systems, making sure no escape attempt could be used twice.

In the middle of the eternal melee was one cell, larger than the others by comparison and specially equipped. This was because of the occupant, a very cold man by nature. Dr. Freeze had been a model prisoner at Arkham for a while now. He had something to work for. He was coming to a head with the research to cure his cryogenically frozen wife.

His good behavior, and his valuable insights into the field of cryonics hadn't gone unnoticed. The scientists at Wayne Enterprises had managed some impressive science of their own, managing to increase the temperature that he could survive in to near freezing. As it stood now, he'd be out on good behavior in a few years, able to withstand moderate temperatures, and living happily with his wife. He had been thinking about moving to Alaska after his parole.

It was late when the guard stopped by and pressed the intercom button into his cell. "Doctor, you have a visitor. You'll need to suit up."

The doctor shrugged and put on his cold suit, activating it and wondering who could be visiting him at this hour. When the door opened, he was confronted by the very person who had put him into prison. It was the same person who had been so instrumental in getting him to where he was now.

The doctor nodded, his voice cold and echoing. "Batman, Robin. It is good to see you. To what do I owe the honor?"

The handed him an official looking piece of paper, it bore the seal of the Gotham District Attorney's office on it. "Doctor, we need a favor. In exchange for your expertise in cryonics, we're prepared to take the remaining years off your sentence. You'll be free to leave at the end of the month."

The doctor looked over the paper. It was legitimate, not that he had expected Batman to cheat him. "I certainly owe you for all that you have done for me. Name your favor and I will be glad to help."

Batman gestured towards Robin, who held a framed picture in his hands. He handed it over to the doctor. The picture was of the boy wonder and a radiant redhead. Freeze remembered the look on their faces; it was that of young love. Robin spoke slowly. "Doctor, the girl in the picture is Starfire. She's my friend, one of my teammates in the titans, and my girlfriend. She's very sick and will die in a week. We can cure her if we can get her back home for treatment, but we can't do that in time."

The doctor nodded. "You need more time, and to place her in suspended animation is the answer."

Robin nodded.

The doctor smiled. "I would have done this even without the offer. I will gladly build this, and can in under a week, but I must work quickly."

Batman turned, walking out of the cell. "Wayne Enterprises has offered to provide all the necessary materials. You'll be working there under our supervision. Come on."

Wayne Enterprises had state of the art laboratories in Jump City. Dr. Freeze was good to his word and worked quickly and, with the help of the scientists there, had a fully functional cryogenic chamber ready within four days. Speedy and Aqualad had stopped by on their way to the coffee shop to check out the progress and bring lunch for Cyborg and Robin. They watched from the corner of the lab as the doctor worked, assisted by the other two titans and various other technicians.

Aqualad leaned against the wall. "Look, I know they trust him and all, but he's still a villain, right? Is this safe? Robin is putting Starfire's fate into this guy's hands."

Speedy glared at the Atlantian. "Funny, I don't seem to recall you having any objections to Jinx joining the Titans East. In fact, you were playing Land Speed Racer with her on the GameStation before she had even gotten unpacked."

Aqualad lowered his eyes. "Point taken. He deserves his chance just like Jinx deserved hers. But still, being frozen and unfrozen, that's a bit much for me."

Speedy watched the doctor work quietly for a moment. "It's not our decision to make. If it were Jinx, I think I'd be willing to take the same risk."

"I'm just glad I don't have to make the choice." Aqualad paused for a while, and then turned to leave the lab. "Come on, we need to get coffee and get back to the tower."

The two titans turned and left the labs, both caught up in their own thoughts.

It was the dawn of the sixth day, the seventh and final day of the second phase of Starfire's illness, and most of the titans had all gathered together in the medical lab. Cyborg was running a full physical on Robin, who had spent a full day under cryogenic suspension to test the chamber. He had woken up cold and supremely irritable, but happy that the test was a success.

Cyborg nodded, but his expression was sour. "Everything checks out, you're as healthy as when you went in. I still think we didn't need to run this test. You're cutting it way too close for comfort."

Robin glared and snapped at him. "Listen, I'm not about to make her go through anything I'm not willing to do myself."

Raven walked in and handed him a cup of coffee. "Calm down and drink this."

Robin nodded his thanks and took a few sips before shivering. "It's cold in there."

All of this activity had drawn the attention of Starfire, who slowly propped herself up in her bed. She coughed softly and turned her glassy green eyes towards Robin, the fear was evident as she looked at him. "Love Robin, how long will I have to sleep in the box of coldness?"

Robin put his drink down and walked over to her. "Not long, Star. Cyborg thinks he can have the spaceship built in two or three weeks and then it's off to Tamaran." He smiled happily and kissed her cheek. "Think of it as a really long nap and you'll wake up feeling as good as new."

Starfire threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, but the sickness had robbed her of the ability to give her standard bone crushing hug. Robin was glad that she could not see the look of pain on his face. She knew nothing of the Gordanian siege, nor would she. He knew she didn't need anything more to worry about.

He slowly broke the hug and pulled back to look her in the eyes again, replacing the pain with a serious look on his face. "Are you ready?"

The redhead nodded, bringing her hand up to her chest. "I am, love Robin." She winced slightly.

Robin glanced nervously at Cyborg, who was watching her medical display. The colored bar indicating her temperature slowly began to inch up. Robin could only see his cybernetic eye grow large as the shock spread across his face. The metallic titan turned quickly. "No time to lose, I'll get the car ready."

Starfire winced again. "My chest hurts, love Robin. It burns."

Robin all but pulled her from the bed, wrapping her in a blanket and carrying her, following behind the metallic man. They took the elevator to the basement and soon the T-car was driving at breakneck speeds across town to the lab.

Starfire was nestled in the body of the cryogenic chamber. In some primitive part of her mind, she imagined that she was in a coffin, about to be buried alive. Rather than think of that, she found herself trying to concentrate on her friends who now surrounded her and her love who held her hand. They were saying what few things they could think of to say at a time like this.

"It'll be okay, Star."

"You'll be good as new when you wake up."

"We'll get you out of here real soon."

"At least you won't have to worry about getting sick on the flight." There was a slight pause as the green changeling thought about what he had just said. "Not that you would, since you're an alien and used to flying in space and all."

Beast Boy's humor brought a smile to her pained face and a laugh that had been so rare for the last two weeks. For a moment, everything seemed like it was back to normal. The others backed away slowly and Robin leaned in. He reached up to his face and took his mask off, looking at her for the first time with his bright, blue eyes. Starfire gasped and began to cry.

Robin leaned in and kissed her softly. He met her gaze; his sky blue holding her otherworldly green for a long moment in which everything was understood. Still, he spoke the words. "We will get through this. I know we will." He squeezed her hand tightly and replaced his mask. Finally, hesitantly, he let go of her hand and stepped away.

An unfamiliar face behind a glass mask came forward and looked down at Starfire. Despite all the stories that Robin had told her about fighting Dr. Freeze, his face seemed kind and soft. He smiled sadly and spoke to her. "You may feel a momentary discomfort."

He closed the glass lid overtop of her, the seals automatically engaging as the lid locked into place.

It was silent, and then it was cold, and then it all stopped.