Disclaimer: I don't own stuff!

Chapter forty! Woot! This chapter went kinda slow. I went through six glasses of soymilk before it was done. Enjoy! Robin gets all fatherly on BB in this chapter. (:

I drew a scene from Chapter 14! The little fluffy scene on the roof where BB hold Raven's hands. I forgot to make BB holding both of Rae's hands, though, so he's only holding one. And I should have added her blushing. But still, I'm proud of it. To see it, copy 'n paste this URL and take out ALL the spaces: http / www .deviantart. com /deviation/18727440/

Note to all readers: I suggest checking out Ifartinurdirection's fic: 'From Flames to Ashes'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Beast Boy didn't respond to Robin's words in any way. He just sat there sobbing, dropping his head onto the Boy Wonder's shoulder.

"Why?" was all he could say through his sobs. "Why did all of this have to happen?"

Robin shook his head. "I don't know," he told the changeling, who was still crying hysterically.

"Robin, I just want it to go away!" Beast Boy gasped through his tears, returning Robin's awkward hug that kept him grounded in reality.

"I know," Robin said. "I wish I knew what to do."

Beast Boy sobbed endlessly for a few minutes. Robin tried to think of something to say to comfort him. Anything that might help even a bit.

"Beast Boy, I know it doesn't seem like it now, but things are going to be OK. Right now, you're world is caving in and you feel like you're losing your heart and your mind all at once, and you just want to stop feeling. You wish there was someone there to take it all away. Things like this don't just go away fast, but they will get better. You can get through this. When you lost Terra both times, when your parents died, when everything else that happened that was tough in your life was getting you down, you made it through in the end. And you will now," Robin assured him.

"How could you even say that?" Beast Boy sobbed. "I tried to kill myself last time things were bad! I think I lost my will to cope. I don't know how to make it through this, I really don't!"

"Last time you couldn't make it through because you thought you were alone. No one knew how you felt. No one saw inside. But this time, we're all here for you. We'll help you through this. You can do this, Beast Boy, I know you can. Just keep on fighting. Don't give up. This is a battle. Surrender is the only enemy. Just keep your eye focused on victory. Don't let surrender get you." Robin paused. "I know you don't believe me, but you're going to be OK. I can't make it all go away, but I can tell you that if you don't give up, it will get better. I promise."

As Robin was talking, Beast Boy's tears had slowly died away and he sat there in silence now, head resting on his friend's shoulder, hysteria draining away and leaving him empty and exhausted.

"You really think it'll be OK?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes, I really do," Robin told him firmly. "You're a Titan, after all." and he realized that now his doubts were gone. Cyborg had been right. Beast Boy was a Titan. He could make it through anything, as long as the team had his back. Beast Boy could get through this. They could get through this. They just had to stick together.

Robin released Beast Boy from his hug and sat up. "You alright?" he asked.

Surprisingly, Beast Boy gave the faintest hint of a smile. "I think so, dude," he said, wiping his face dry. "Wow, I didn't realize how tired I was before."

"Maybe you'll feel better after you get some sleep," Robin suggested. Beast Boy nodded, standing up shakily and making his way weakly across the room to his bed. He hopped into it. Robin followed up, sitting down on the edge. "Mind if I stay for a while? I want to make sure you're OK."

Beast Boy shrugged. "OK," he agreed, sliding under his blanket and closing his slightly bloodshot eyes.

Robin sat in silence for a moment, trying to force the happenings of the past few days out of his mind.

XXX

Shaking his head in confusion, Robin walked shakily down the dark hallway, thinking of Raven. He wasn't exactly sure what to make of this situation. His head was spinning. Just a few minutes ago, everything had been normal…well, normal for what had been going on lately. And then he had been awakened by the shouting (how had everyone else slept through that?), and the entire night had turned into a soap opera.

With a sigh, Robin wandered through the dark corridor slowly, reaching Starfire's door. Rubbing his head to relieve some of his stress, he knocked softly on the door. "Star?" he called quietly. He stood in silence outside the door for a moment before it was opened by a surprisingly awake-looking Starfire.

"Robin! I am joyous to see you!" she said, clapping her hands together with giddiness Robin had not expected from anyone at this time of night. "You are in need of something?"

Robin scratched the back of his head. "Um…not really."

"Something is troubling you?" Starfire asked, tilting her head slightly as though trying to look into his soul and see what was wrong.

"Yeah, I guess," Robin said. He knew by now that it was easier just to tell her than to try to hide anything from her. There were times when he wondered how she knew him so well, how she could somehow sense his every emotion and thought. It was times like these he wondered if Raven wasn't the only telepath he knew.

"You are wishing to come in and have the sitting?" Starfire asked him. Robin smiled, shaking his head slightly at her strange and endearing choice of words and then nodding.

"Sure, why not?" he said with a shrug. He had felt so much more distressed before being in her presence. Starfire moved aside slightly to let him into the room. Robin followed her over to the bed and took a seat. She hopped onto the round bed and sat down beside him.

"Now, what is the matter, Robin?" she asked, settling down and watching him intently, giving him all of her attention and waiting for him to speak.

Robin was in awe every time he was around her. No one had ever been this way around him. No one had ever just wanted to listen whenever he had something to say. No one had ever made him such a big part of their world before. If he was the Robin he had been a year or so ago, he would have been afraid of her deep devotion to him. But now, it just made him content. Or as content as he could be when things were this strange.

"Well…Star, Raven came back," Robin said. Starfire stared at him for a moment in silence. Her mouth was pulled into a thin, taut line and she had little expression on her face. It was as though she were trying to decide between emotions deep within. "She was just here for a while, I don't know…she left again. I woke up to her and Beast Boy screaming at each other. And she was…she was crying. A lot. I've never seen anyone cry that hard. Beast Boy was crying too, but…it was nothing compared to what she was doing. And before she left she looked at me…" Robin paused. "Those eyes…I've never seen anyone look so hurt. I was so angry at her before, but now I don't know. Just that look…she looked dead with pain, that's what it was. Like the kind of pain someone gets when they're hurting, but they know it's their own fault. She looked so guilty. How can I be angry with her when she felt like that?"

Starfire didn't speak for a moment. "So you are not sure whether to forgive her or not?" Starfire asked.

"Sort of," Robin said with a slight yawn. "What do you think I should do?"

"Would you forgive yourself if you had done the same thing?" Starfire asked him, waiting attentively for a reply.

"I'm…not sure," Robin said, slightly confused. "I don't know if forgiving her even matters right now. I just…don't want to think about it!"

Starfire reached out a hand and stroked his hair gently, pulling him against her in a comforting gesture. "You do not need to worry about it at the moment. It is making you unhappy. You can deal with it when the right time comes."

"Thanks, Star," Robin said with a slight smile, resting his head against her shoulder. It felt so good for once in his life to have someone there to comfort him instead of being the one to comfort other people. It was nice not to be the one in control for once. To be the one who let things happen instead of made them happen. This relationship was the single source of solace in Robin's life at the moment, and he was grateful for it.

"Beast Boy is…OK?" Starfire asked, breaking the short silence.

"I hope so," Robin said, rubbing his temple briefly. "I talked to him until he stopped crying and made sure he got to bed OK, waited in there until he fell asleep. He seemed a little better. Jesus, how could Raven do that to him? He said he wanted her to leave again, told her to, but how could she?"

"I do not know," Starfire said softly, hand still continuing its soothing motion across his hair.

"Star?" Robin asked quietly, looking up at her.

"Yes?" Starfire asked him.

"Would you ever do that to me?" he asked uncertainly. Starfire tensed and put her arms around him, squeezing him tightly.

"Of course not, Robin," she said. "Never, never think something like that again."

Robin smiled. "I'm glad," he said.

"You were worried about this?" Starfire asked him.

"No, I just wondered if…no. This whole thing is just giving me a lot of stress and making me a little paranoid, that's all," he said with a yawn.

"You are in need of sleep," she observed.

"Yeah, probably," Robin said, but made no move to leave.

"You are not wishing to be alone tonight, are you?" Starfire asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

"No, I don't want to be alone right now. How did you know?" Robin asked her.

Starfire just smiled. "You are Robin. Since the day we first met, I have been doing my very best to know you as well as I can. You are welcome to sleep in my room."

"Thanks, Star," Robin said gratefully. He didn't move, however, unsure of what to do. Starfire moved off of the edge of the covers and lifted them for Robin so he could crawl under. With some hesitation, he moved under the soft shocking pink blanket and lay down, trying not to feel too awkward. Starfire wriggled in beside him, looking into the places where his eyes should have been looking back on his mask for a moment. She was seeing more than just the mask. Robin felt as though the soft lime eyes were staring into the very depths of his soul.

Starfire moved forward slightly and wrapped her arms around him, which startled him at first. When he calmed down and returned her embrace, she snuggled closer. Robin's unease melted all at once. He pulled her even closer to him, her warmth becoming his warmth, her arms becoming his arms, until there was no telling where he ended and she began. The two entwined into one form, one being, one heart sealed together by bonds of love deeper than Robin had ever even begun to fathom before this very moment.

"Oh, Star," he whispered softly, in wonder at how a simple hug could make him feel as though he were finally alive. His lips brushed hers for a moment, and then moved to her hair. He caressed the fiery locks gently with his lips, delicate kisses on her hair and then her forehead before he stopped and buried his face in her neck. "I love you so much," he whispered, squeezing her as close as he could.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

More soon. Yay! I love the Robin and BB friendship. It's so much fun to write about. Did you enjoy a little break from the depressing stuff? I did. Wow, Robin was all…emotional in that.