…

(Story flashback)

The next two years went by pretty slow. Cyborg continued to make money and babies while I was stuck babysitting the two big babies BB and Terra. Gar did a few guest appearances on shows now and then, but he would often just fly off somewhere for a while. Terra got into her design company (So she could finally pay her share of rent!) and my job interview with channel 5 was postponed AGAIN for the fifth time!

Those lousy… ahem… anyway, your father, after the problems in Gotham, decided to join the police force to crack at corruption while also Nightwing.

Your mother in Tamaran was a strong supporter of peace and was able to save many planets from the emerging Tamarean Empire, but still, some invasions went ahead successfully under Lefto, the new Lord of Tamaran after he beat Galfore in a thumb wrestle.

She sent hundreds of letters to your dad and always tried to make it to earth, but there was always another planet just waiting to be attacked by the now power hungry Tamareans.

Your dad spent a lot of time fighting crime, studying, training and making/maintaining weapons that he hardly had time to write back to any of us. Bludhaven was a busy place, and that meant he was a very busy person. He loved your mother. But he knew where his duties lay, and where his responsibilities were… No… he couldn't pull out, not when this city still needed saving from creeps like Blockbuster, Chief Redhorn and Dudley Soames, corrupt and murderous to the core.

Soon, Starfire stopped writing at all…

…

"Where do I come in?"

"Shh! Almost there!"

…

(Flashback)

It all culminated to this one night in Bludhaven…

There is small drizzle after the heavy rain. A man in a light trenchcoat and brimmed hat splashes in the puddles as he runs through the alley. It is silent and he catches his breath. It is too quiet for his likings. He holds his pistol sweating. He looks at a suspicious door that is dark, he senses something is watching him. He looks into the darkness.

He points his pistol to the shadows…

"Right Soames. I need to talk…" says Nightwing behind him, throwing aside the Detective's pistol and pushing him into a wall.

Soames had short shaven blonde hair and a prominent chin, clean shaven. His eyes were piercing and sly with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He straightened his detective trench coat and looked at his nemesis.

"Depends on what you have to talk about." he grunts, taking it easy. Nightwing lifts him up by his collar.

"I know you're behind a lot of the killings under Blockbuster's orders." he says, his eyes sharpening. "You're going to talk. I need names…" and he throws him to the ground in the alleyway.

Before Soames can use his concealed pistol, a baton from Nightwing snaps it from his hand.

"And just how are you going to bring me in?" says Soames, rubbing his sore hand. "Even if I wanted to talk, what about I have no idea, I'd probably get shot before I even set a foot in the courtroom. And even the courts aren't that dependable either." He tries to light another cigarette, but Nightwing has blown up his lighter. "I think this conversation has finished. Haven't you got better things to do than bashing up an on duty police detective? Patrolling the streets, minding my own business, is still legal last time I looked."

Nightwing relaxed… a little. It was worth a shot.

"As legal as Twoface." he says. "Just get lost before I just bash you anyway…" he lets go and Soames struts off quickly into the darkness. This city was going to take a long time to fix…

He sighed and reflected there for a while in the silence of the street.

Maybe it was hopeless?

Maybe he was never meant…

"R… Robin?"

Nightwing turns around startled to find a tall woman standing a few feet behind him. The drizzle fades and the shadows lessen so he could see whom was addressing him…

"S… Star?" he says, hardly able to believe it. He shakes his head and controls the urge to hug her. "This isn't really the best time or place… You should have called…"

"You would only answer as much as you already have…'maybe later'. You never answer me when I communicate anymore." she says nervously. She was now about the same height as Nightwing, pretty much the same as she is now. She hid something behind her back. Her tunic like purple senate garbs were adorned with gold and other metals, assumably for show, but crafted like armour. "I… needed to speak with you now."

"What's to say?"

"I…"

"I know… I know we love each other Star…" says Nightwing after a silence. The wind is channelled in the alley, making their hair blow. "But really… It's impossible. We could never work it out. Things are just too complicated and dangerous. This isn't the place you should hang around Star. The streets are crawling with murderers and others. I don't want you to get hurt… and especially if it's on account of me …"

"Do you not think that I myself am not constantly worried for your safety in this place of danger? Things can work Robin." she pleads. "It just…"
"Needs time? We've had years Star. They were great but it's just too dangerous. I can't risk you or all the other people. A hero's work is never done. We are given the responsibility to take care of the people with what powers we have been given…"

"And what about for each other?" she says, moving forward so she was but three feet away. "I cannot stand being alone… or at least without knowing that you are always there for me. I know that there are many dangers upon this earth and that there are equal shadows that may taunt us, but I do love you Robin, more than I have any other. I do not wish for us to be so distant…"

"That can't be helped… I'm called here."

"And so am I!"

"Only because of me!"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU AND THIS EARTH!"

"AND I CARE FOR YOU AND THIS EARTH TOO MUCH TO BE WITH YOU!"

There is a silence.

Steam rises from them in the cold air.

There is anger… and understanding… so there is love…

Nightwing looks to her. "Too much is at stake. There are too many dangers outside…"

"Then what about the heart inside." she says, holding her chest. "You try to hide and deny any feelings of care within you in order that you may care for me… but that is at fault… Our love was not meant to be so coldly pushed aside, like cold porridge. Please…" and she looks at him with her emerald eyes. "It doesn't matter what is inside if the outside is too scared to admit it. If you do not let what you believe free, if you try to hide it, if you are scared of it… then what you believe is not really what you believe. Only what you longed and lost…"

Robin looks back, but even though he is longing to finally show his affection and maybe have a chance at settling down, he knew that it would bring disaster as it had on many other heroes.

"I am sorry Starfire… but though our paths may be on the same road, we cannot cross lanes." he sighs, turning around. "I am sorry. I will always love you, yet I cannot care for you… Nothing you can do or say will change my mind; it is just too dangerous for people like us. We cannot be together, ever, for both our sakes. We can't marry each other…" and he walks away. "Though I wish…" he thinks.

…

"That's so sad! I hope things turn out better…"

Raven stares blankly. "Um… Hello in there? You're here aren't you? Doesn't that just sort of give away the ending?"

Robin checks himself. "Oh yeah! I had quite forgotten about that. Please continue please Aunt Rachel."

"So weird…"

"On that note, why does there need to be a male and female to commence child bearing?" asks Robin. Raven shuffles uncomfortably. "I had always thought the reaction of baby production occurred solely in the female, indicative by swelling and final outcome of offspring, or does it also involve the ritual of marriage?"

"I thought I got Uncle Gar to talk to you about where you came from?"

"He said I was from K-mart… he lied."

(Head in hands) "And I bet you checked didn't you?"

"Yes, twice. Is baby making a secret shared only by females?"

"I think… I think I'll have another word with Uncle Gar. He probably just forgot…"

Robin looks sad. "Are you going to give him nightmares again?"

"Let's just get on with the story shall we?"

…

(Flashback)

"I'm sorry Starfire. Please, leave me." he says, turning around. "It's too dangerous with me. You would never be happy with me. You have a chance to have a better life, don't waste it here."

"But Robin…"

"No! This isn't possible! This will only lead to pain and fear for the rest of our lives! This isn't… wasn't meant to be! I do love you, and that is why I cannot let you do this. This union would tear us apart. I cannot risk the ones I love, not when there are so many enemies around me, who would strike through anyone connected to me. No! I cannot let that happen! Not in a million years, not even if I was paid one million dollars for every day I spent with you. Even if I was to be with you, I would always fear the reality of losing you. There is absolutely nothing, nothing at all, that you can say or do that could ever change my mind…"

Starfire drops on one knee and presents a ring. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes."

Starfire jumps up about six feet ecstatic and pretty much screaming. She hands the ring to him and he presents it to her on her finger. Nightwing blushes and scratches his head as the alien goes berserk and starts talking in some weird unintelligible language, giving him nuggies, kissing him, throwing him etc…

"Un bleeka le busteebo! Care lis mubbit reva revoo oY rife reef!..."

I'm sorry about that, forgot to dub the speech…

(As translated from Tamaran) " GREAT JOYS AND CELEBRATIONS! THIS IS THE HAPPIEST TIME MOMENT OF MY LIFE SPAN! HE SAID YES! YOU SAID YES! I'M GOING TO GET MARRIED! OH GREAT SMILEY FACES! I AM TO BE MARRIED TO YOU! I AM SO HAPPY I COULD FLY THROUGH A SUPERNOVA! I COULD EAT A THOUSAND MAC GALACTIC BURGERS! I COULD TAKE BACK THE THROWN OF TAMARAN AND LIBERATE THE TEN SYSTEMS! THIS IS SO JOYFUL AND CHEERFUL FOR MY INSIDES! MY RESPIRATORY AND CIRCULATORY SYSTEMS ARE FEELING VERY ABNORMAL! MY STOMACH FEEL BLENDERISH, ALL NINE OF THEM! I LIKE THIS FEELING, FEELING VERY HAPPY! YOU SAID YES! HE SAID YES! YES! YES! YES! I AM SO HAPPY! "And she begins crying and dancing.

"Well…" he shrugs, smiling. "I guess I really did want to spend the rest of my life with you. I was just scared. But please keep it down Star…" but he is smashed into by Starfire, through a rotting door and hugged and kissed until he agreed to get married straight away to shorten the very engaging engagement.

As Nightwing is feeling quite sheepish being carried by Starfire as they fly to the nearest hospital, a figure looms in the shadows…

"Well… that might come in handy some day." smiles Soames. "You should have said no my friend." He walks down the alley with many plans already formulating in his sinister mind…

…

"Soames… hmmm." thinks Robin. "Isn't he the person who had his head twisted around permanently?"

"This was before the… err… accident." says Raven. "Before he became known as Torque."

"And how do you know this happened? That he listened into my parent's proposal."

Raven rubs her forehead. "Because later, he used that knowledge against us…"

…

Author's Note/In-humane babble:

Wellity wellity wellity…

Someone trapped in a Tower? Poll says we'd fly in and out easily, followed closely by the teleport technique.

Missile under a major city was where we started to get a little unconfident with ourselves so we called the police and started an evacuation. This was just one point higher than using super intelligence to disarm the deadly WOMD.

Chasing a major villain was where we got confused with a tie between flying to catch them, calling police back-up and just going out for Mc Donald's (Two points each) which left blowing up the fast food outlet second, but last. By the way, I work in one of them so I am somewhat relieved that no bored superhero is going to get me for serving fat.

The typical hostage situation… … … this was where 'd' won by a majority of two votes and we were promptly fired. So ends the sparkling career of this superhero… when we blew up the hostage. But (A really big but), resorting to our own power to solve the situation was more popular, so we might have been spared the… um… drastic action, but all the ideas were different so it didn't tally up against 'd'.

boynetough: I find your choice of options humorous and a touch creepy, lol. Thanks for the great review.

wordbearer: yeah, I thought it was a bit sappy myself, I get other character's involved later though. Sneak peek: This story will include a DC comic character who actually married Starfire in the Titan comics.

Starofthenights: Flying is great, I agree. I don't like Magpies (Australian bird, very territorial with a very sharp beak) Attacked my model plane (Powered by the incredible elastic band) until a collision of cheap plastic and feathers. Thanks for the continuing reviews.

princesslali2148: Glad you liked the chapter and gave the polls a shot too. I think humour is funny (Yes, I'm slightly inane… … I meant insane…) Thanks for the review!

Pakkrat: Your choice of inventions really were a lot different to the other powers I read through (Aside from a sausage skin gun) Thanks for breaking the mode. I'm now up to where the Joker's just sprung at Batman. (University is starting again so I'm slowing a bit) I'm glad I started this story the same time I did TT vs FF so I could get a head start! I'll be looking out for the sequel!

Proffessor Curly: Hmmm. Prof. Curly the super hero? I might look into that! You seem to be one who, though his enemies have massive and intricate weapons and plans, uses whit and cunning rather than power to win. That's how I plan to make Robin jr; though he has massive powers, it is usually the little things that saves the day (i.e. I have an idea on how he saves the day with a packet of sea monkeys) but that's getting ahead of myself.

Baloneyman: original yet weird. I wonder what costume you would have, or is it just a silly sausage? (No offence) Thanks for the review.

Melodyofmelodies: Dr. Runsintothewall? You need a DEGREE to do that now? Good grief! I've been doing that practice un-qualified for years! Lol. And congratulations! Your vote (along with boynetough) made answer'd' win in the last question. Really weird… Thanks for the support!

Phyzzon