I'm back! Did you miss me?

I'm glad most of y'all liked the little "thing" I have going on with AU Star and Cyborg. Some of you may think it's kinda odd (okay REALLY odd), but think about this…being as much of a lady's man/player that I believe Cy to be, I think he would be having some "thoughts" about this vamped out Star, even as much as he tries to deny it. –I mean, who wouldn't?
Anyway, I love you guys! You so rock!
-Not as many reviews this time (I know, the Fourth of July weekend, plus it wasn't the Rob/Rae chapter most of you wanted) and still no one has given me suggestions as for what you would like to get from me…so this time, you get nothing! Nothing I tell you! Mwahahaha! –Well okay, nothing but my thanks, but still!
THANK YOU: CuTtErWiThAcAuSe, Techna, Tritium, Teen Titans Obsessor (I know, if I didn't see all 3 at once, I would've hurt someone!), evilsangle, DarkWindingRose, and Hermie!

IoEuropa: nice name change btw. I was wondering when you'd do that. I like my BB/BG playfulness too. I myself have no idea if they would really like each other, or if it would be like this brother/sister thing. I just know they'd definitely screw with each other. And Ted…what can I say, I just love Ted. -I inspired something? I guess I ought to check it out then. Gosh, I just haven't really read a fanfiction in a while. I must do that soon.

BethanyElise: Hey Beth! Yeah, like I was telling Io, I just KNOW that BG/BB would so want to screw with each other. Watch for more of it to come!

Aaronfors: your review just made my heart light. Thank you so much –I don't think I can say it enough actually. You feel as though you are watching an episode? That has to be the best praise I could ever hope to get! As I've said before, I try really hard to keep the characters, well, in character. I've been given such great lumps of clay to mold to begin with and I don't wish to screw up their chemical make up. --I think part of my "genius" (though I wouldn't call it that) comes from my love of Psychology and personalities. I love to figure out how people work.

--Okay, no more teasing you…you know this is Star and Speedy, hopefully you'll enjoy this one. I do!

Disclaimer: (I forgot the guys last time) So, that Raven, doesn't she just have some gorgeous curves? And Star…oh the cuteness…the CUTENESS! (Well, okay, next time a real disclaimer).

So Close, but yet So Far

"No!" Starfire yelled, almost dropping Speedy as she floated up above the once disastrous hill, "No, this cannot be!"

"What is it Star?" Speedy asked warily as she finally set him on the ground.

"The holes of blackness. They are gone! I do not know what could have happened to make them disappear." She gasped in shock as she gazed upon the now vacant hilltop.

"Well, don't worry, we'll figure it out. --Maybe they just imploded." Speedy dusted himself off before placing his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, "Besides, this is a good thing right? I thought you wanted them gone so that no one else would be hurt."

"I did," she stopped to consider what she was about to say, "It is better that they are gone yes, but I cannot let go of the idea that maybe someday…if it came to this…I could go in after them. It is selfish I now, but I…"

"Star," Speedy cut in, "I know that you feel guilty being the one to stay behind when you believe that all of your friends are in danger, but you know that they wouldn't want you to put yourself in that kind of peril." He squeezed her shoulder a bit to reassure her, then continued, "You don't know what would've happened to you and you can do much more for them being here and alive than being, well, not here and…" he stopped himself before he uttered a word about her demise. She looked worried enough as it was.

"I know that you are right," she sighed, "but I do not know what I am supposed to do now. How am I supposed to help them? I do not even know if they are still alive!" She became entirely disheartened and Speedy could see the tears start to well up in her shining emerald eyes.

He turned her around to face him and held both of her shoulders in his hands, "You can help them by being here and watching over the city while they are away." Then he looked her straight in the eye so that she would pay close attention to what he had to say next, "Star? Will you do something for me?" She nodded, "Close your eyes and concentrate," she did as he asked so he continued, "You know in your heart what has happened to your friends. Can you feel them? Do you know that they are okay?"

He watched her face contort from sadness to confusion and finally to peace. "Yes," she said opening her eyes, "I can feel them. They are alive!"

He placed two fingertips on her heart, "Then hold on to that hope. For now, that's what you can do." She seemed satisfied with this and brushed away the tears that had collected at the corners of her eyes.

Speedy was surprised upon hearing how touching the words actually sounded coming out of his mouth and he was more surprised that he was the one saying these things. Usually he was far from a linguistics master, but around her, he found that the words just flowed easily. 'Whoa there Speedy! This is a crisis time for her and it won't last forever. You need to stop convincing yourself that you have a shot, cause you don't. Besides, she's vulnerable right now and taking advantage of that is so not what you're about.'

"Hello? Mr. Speedy? HELLO?" Starfire asked waving her hands about wildly in front of Speedy's face.

He blinked his eyes and quickly shook himself out of the daze he finally realized he was in, "Oh, sorry Star. I was just spacing."

"Spacing?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Spacing out," he clarified.

"Spacing out?" she asked again.

"Don't worry about it Star," he didn't feel like clarifying further and it really wasn't that important anyway, so he just shrugged it off and turned to look around. "So, uh, there really is nothing here, so I guess we should head back. How about, we try keep your life as normal as possible while still looking for ways to bring your friends back home okay?"

"Yes, I do believe that that would be best." Starfire declared, rising from the earth. She gripped Speedy, by the arm and only glanced back once at the tragic site before returning him to the tower.

"So, what is it that you normally do now?" Speedy inquired after they ate the meal he had prepared for them. (He'd learned his lesson after breakfast that morning…eggs and glorp, did not sit well in his stomach. So he decided on the bit more "traditional" cheese burgers and fries for lunch. Both of which of course Starfire drenched in mustard).

Without hesitation Starfire informed him that they would do their training after lunch. "But I do not know how to work the machines," she announced sadly as they came upon the workout room.

"That's okay," Speedy declared, laying his quiver to the side and placing himself in the middle of a large blue mat. He waved Starfire over, "We can train the old fashioned way."

"But, Mr. Speedy, I do not wish to hurt you," Starfire protested.

Speedy shook his head at her reuse of the unneeded prefix, but decided to save his argument for something more productive, "Star, don't be afraid, you wont hurt me, and from what I've already seen of your skills, I won't have to worry about hurting you much either."

"Oh but I will Mr. Speedy!" Starfire gasped, once again trying to convince him, "You have to believe me. I am much stronger than I look!"

Speedy just smiled and shook off her protestations, "Star, am I gonna have to make you fight me? Now come on and show me what you've got!" He was doing this as much for his benefit as hers. He really did want to see what she was made of, but he also wanted to show off for her and let her see what he could do as well. He backed away one step, positioned himself in a fighting stance, and waited for her to comply.

"Well okay, I will fight you," she started, mirroring Speedy's stance, "but I will not fly, as that would be an unfair advantage over you. And I will not utilize my full strength as that would also put you at a disadvantage."

She seemed resolute in this, so Speedy said no more. Instead, he calculated when to make his move as they circled each other, both waiting to see who would strike first.

In the end, surprisingly, it was Starfire who landed the first blow. Speedy was struck in the shoulder by a hard punch and was taken aback by the force behind it. When he saw Starfire's apologetic reaction to his shock, he took advantage of it and turned around his back to the right, to land a kick to her side. She was surprised by this, but quickly regained composure. Suddenly she burst forward with a barrage of flat-palmed thrusts to his chest. She struck left, then right, then left and Speedy had to dive to the floor to avoid them. From his place on the ground he flipped his legs around into a spinning kick, taking out one of her legs, while simultaneously bringing himself to a standing position.

He had not taken her out fully, he realized, she had kicked her good leg forward to catch herself which had caused her to fall into the splits, but she threw her front leg backward easily and did a summersault forward placing each foot on either side of his legs and quickly brining them together in an effort to make him regain his previous position on the floor. He jumped up, just inches above the scissor kick, happy he had been paying close attention. She popped back to her feet and they started to circle once more. "Well, that was an interesting start," Speedy quipped.

Starfire nodded, "If I am correct, neither of us has 'hit our stride' yet, yes?"

He nodded back, then lunged forward, yelling out an incomprehensible word as he flew through the air aiming a foot directly at her stomach. She anticipated his trajectory somehow and caught his foot just before it struck her. She threw him up and back, causing him to flip over once before catching himself on all fours. He looked up at her and she giggled for a split second. To her, he looked like a little red tree frog sticking to the floor, like ones that she had seen on the nature shows Beast Boy liked to watch. She caught herself however and started toward him once more with a devilish glint in her eye.

This time though, he was ready for her. He sprung up and dove over top of her rolling onto the floor behind her. She was surprised once again and turned around so quickly to find him, that she accidentally let a starbolt fly from her hand. It glanced off of his shoulder and flew past his chin, narrowly missing him, but still leaving a small burn mark on his cheek to show its path. It had also come at him at such an angle that it had seared through the fabric of his costume, causing the material to fold down on both sides, leaving his shoulder bare.

This time she really looked sorry and started towards him in an effort to fix her mistake. Speedy just laughed and did a series of back flips to thwart her advance. She took his cue and prepared herself for attack once again. This time it was she, yelling the incomprehensible syllables and flying through the air. She purposefully missed him, drawing his attention in one direction, while bringing her elbow into his side from the other. He recovered rapidly from this, but realized that his quick turn had caused the material of his shirt to slide enough to become a burden to him and his movements. He decided the best thing to do was to just remove it completely, and Starfire made no mention of a complaint to this.

They traded blows for some time before Speedy realized that Starfire had backed him up against a wall. She caught the side of his jaw with her balled fist and he ducked her next attack. He slid down and forward underneath her legs just to get out of her way, but as he started to get up from his position on the floor, he witnessed an amazing sight. As if she were in a sci-fi action movie, Starfire ran full speed at and up the wall, using it to hurtle her body backward through the air. She landed at Speedy's feet looking down at him for a quick second before bringing her fist down in one last devastating punch.

…Well, it would have been devastating had Speedy not shifted out of the way just in time. Her fist hit the mat with a dull thud, allowing Speedy just enough time to grab her arm and flip her over onto her back, now it was his turn to stand over her, waiting to throw the last punch, but before he could even think that far ahead, she kicked his legs out from under him, causing him to fall forward. Speedy stopped his body from landing on her just barely by catching himself with his forearms, as if he were doing a modified push up. They were positioned in such a way that Speedy's face was only inches from Starfire's, as she lay flat on her back.

Neither soul dared to move, for they knew that the fight would have to resume if they did. "I don't know where you learned to fight like that, but…wow!" Speedy whispered as his eyes flashed back and forth searching her own. She lay with her hair splayed out, tangled by the quick turns and movements of her fighting style. Her skin glistened from the intensity of the workout she had just endured. And he could feel her heart pound rapidly beneath him. He could not tell why he did what he did next, but he did not allow himself time to ponder that thought. As he inched his mouth toward hers, he felt every muscle in his body relax and his mind drifted off into a state of nothingness. He could feel his breath intertwine with hers as he closed his eyes to better feel her touch. He pulled closer to further his actions…

…Starfire turned her head in panic and hurriedly shoved him off of her. "The alarm!" She called out, "The city is in danger!"

All of his senses quickly came rushing back as the siren blared its echoing cry. As he lay on the floor, the space beneath him tauntingly empty from Starfire's absence, Speedy shook his head in disgust at it, but hurriedly followed her out of the room, remembering to grab his bow before heading out into the fray, 'So close…'

So, now, you know what's coming…should I post it? Or shouldn't I?

Only you can prevent non-postage!

REVIEW!

(hehehe)

Though I do not profess to be great, I do not profess to suck either. -Me