A/N: All right. I've Tivoed like every episode of Teen Titans that's shown in the past few days all to get me ready for this chapter. I've been studying all the characters in intense situations and trying to get the flow of their dialogue. Think I'm crazy? Well, you're right. I also have no life. But I believe that it will make my story better and I'll get some descent ideas preventing any stupid filler chapters. I promise you that there will never be another filler chapter again. I spend far too much time on my writing to be doing that.

Okay, a note on this chapter. You're all probably going to be wondering why Robin isn't like going to make any attempts at suicide or anything like that.

First of all, I do not advocate any form of suicide or cutting. I had a problem with that myself, and I would certainly not put it in one of my fan fictions. It's a horrible thing really, and if you know anyone who has this problem, you should get him or her help.

Secondly, Robin does not seem like the type to me who would openly express anything. He's like Bruce; he just sort of broods but would never cry in front of anyone. Just bottling everything up until it explodes in some way shape or form. That's EXACTLY what's going to happen with Robin. Tehe. Now Read on!

One last important note: This story is written Pre-'Prophecy'. None of them know exactly why Slade is following Raven other than the fact that she is carrying his child. Got it? Good.

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Robin stood up slowly, his head felt like it was spinning over and over again. Starfire rushed to his side but he brushed her off. He watched numb as Cyborg and Beast Boy draped a blanket over Raven slowly. Without a word, he ran off. He focused on the thud his foot made when it impacted with the ground, anything to forget his aching heart. He heard everyone call to him from a distance but their voices didn't matter.

Starfire watched as Robin darted from the room and went flying after him. She told Cyborg and Beast Boy to take care of Raven's body while she made sure Robin was okay. She lost sight of him quickly though as he made sharp turns and left the tower in a matter of minutes. Making sure her communicator was equipped she flew outside.

"Robin? Robin?" She called into the device, but there was no response.

She looked to the garage and saw his motorcycle was still in its place. Starfire ran a hand through her hair and looked up to the gray sky.

'Raven…was there no better way to solve this?' She asked, her heart feeling heavy.

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Starfire was flying over the city for the umpteenth time when her communicator rang. She opened it up to see Cyborg.

"Any sign of Rob yet?" He asked, his voice sounding tired.

She sighed. "I am afraid not. But I have yet to look on the outer parts of the city, so perhaps I will find him there."

He frowned slightly. "Alright. Just find him Star…before it's too late."

Star shut her communicator and tucked it away, shutting her eyes. She had to shove away the thoughts of Robin ending his life also. The moon shone defiantly in the sky as night set in full. He feet set on the cold ground. Star looked around the vast forest she had landed in and sighed.

"Robin?" She called out, looking around.

Her eyes rested on an old, abandoned home. It was an old Victorian home that had been left to rot, but was still in pretty good condition. The windows were musty and a bit cracked and the house was covered in a vast amount of cobwebs, but looking past that it seemed normal. Starfire stepped forward, leaves and twigs crackling under her feet. The front door of the house was carelessly left open, revealing the empty living room.

'Perhaps Robin is in there?' She stepped onto the porch and it gave a protesting creak.

The first thing she noticed about the room was the large spiraling staircase that lead to the upper levels. She scanned the living room quickly, certain that no one was in there. Deciding it would be best not to test the staircase, she floated upward to a small hallway. There were a number of rooms but the room that caught her eye had a slightly ajar door. Star furrowed her eyebrows and moved forward, pressing her hand gently on the deep red door.

It swung open and she stopped to see Robin sitting on a windowsill, his arm slung over one of his knees.

"How in the world did you find me?" He muttered.

She walked towards him, eyes lowered with concern. "Lucky guess?"

A silence filled the room for a little bit before Robin spoke. "It's just not fair."

"Every single person I care about dies. I loved Raven so much and did everything to protect her from all things evil. When really, I should've been protecting her from herself!" He pounded his fist on the windowsill.

"Robin…Raven's choice was her own you couldn't have…"

"I should've known something wasn't right! But no, I was just so happy to have her in my room I ignored everything else!" His shut his eyes tight.

He said nothing as she stood behind him. He turned his head and looked at her, she could feel the sorrow pouring from him. "You have any idea why I'm here?" He asked, his tone of voice changing suddenly.

All she could do was shake her head. He looked at his feet for a second and then back up at her. "I always wanted to bring Raven here. We never had the time though…" He added a painful chuckle after that. "I used to know the family that lived here. They were pretty nice…"

Starfire extended her hand slowly. He was burying his emotions; anyone with eyes could see that. He was sad, angry, hurt but most of all confused. He was dealing with his pain in these wild mood swings that could cause him to hurt himself or even someone else. But as her palm and fingers curled around his shoulder sympathetically, all she could do was let him mourn in his own way.

"We should go home…" She whispered.

He nodded slowly and stood up. Her hand stayed on his shoulder as they left the old home. The forest crackled beneath their feet as they walked home.

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Starfire and Robin walked into the tower later that night. Cyborg was in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee. He gave a slight nod to Starfire, signaling that her request had been completed. She traveled down the hall and opened Robin's door. He walked to his bed and she watched him take his shoes off and slip under the covers. Star turned to leave, but he stopped her.

"Starfire…" He said, sitting up.

"Yes?" She looked over her shoulder

Robin looked at his feet for a second, then back at her. "I don't really feel like being alone…" He felt like a five year old saying that, but his heart was so heavy he was afraid that if he were left alone, he would do something worth regretting.

Without question, Starfire closed the door and sat on the edge of Robin's bed. She gave him a tired smile. She knew that Robin wasn't quite right, but she would see him through it.

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Starfire woke up the next morning with a groan. Her neck felt stiff and her mouth was dry. She rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly, holding her head. Judging by the lack of pink, she wasn't in her own room. Then, everything came back to her in a painful crash. She looked over to see Robin, still asleep. His mask was dangling over his end table, discarded long ago. She noted that he had covered her with his blanket in the night and had given her a pillow.

She peeled the covers off of her and floated out of the bed. Robin shifted slightly in bed, his arm landing limply in the space next to him. Star opened the blinds slowly, letting a bit of sunlight flood into the room. She looked out the window and wondered how it could be so sunny on such a tragic day. Surprisingly, she had rested well, even though her thoughts caused her to toss and turn the entire night. Starfire closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to the window, enjoying the chill it sent through her.

Her mind flashed back to the other night, when she had been with Slade. She could still hear his slight whisper echoing through her mind. She swallowed hard thinking about him. He had somehow managed to become her…friend. From sworn enemy to friend, what twist that was.

The ruffling of covers broke her thoughts. Star looked over to see Robin, feet swung over the side of the bed and head hung low. She could tell that he was remembering the events of the past day in a flash just as she had. He began to look up towards her but she turned away abruptly. He was still without his mask and that bothered her for some reason.

'You have no right to see my eyes.' His voice echoed in her head.

Robin ran a hand down his face, taking a deep breath. "Tell me I'm dreaming…" He grumbled groggily.

She kept her eyes glued to the outside world. "I wish that I could…"

He stood up slowly and grabbed his mask sliding it onto his face. "Happy now?"

Star looked over at him and blinked. "Huh?"

"You didn't want to look at me without the mask, I know." He walked forward.

She looked to the ground for a second. "Well…I respect your privacy and…"

"Whatever…Nothing really matters right now..."He stared at her for a second and sighed. "I'm sorry about last night…this is just…hard." His voice became tight for a second.

"No, no. There is no need to apologize. But…will you be okay here with Cyborg and Beast Boy while I do a couple of things today?" She rubbed her arm slowly as she spoke.

Robin nodded and continued to walk towards his bathroom. "Yeah. Go do what you have to. I'm taking a shower, drinking some coffee and then it's off to research."

Starfire watched as he opened the door. "Robin."

He looked over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"It is okay to cry…you need to let your emotions go. Acting like a…robot is not going to help you." She gave a slight frown.

He turned away and walked inside the bathroom. "It's how I deal with things. Now, go."

Starfire bowed her head and flew from the room abruptly. Robin turned the water on as hot as he could stand it, the steam already taking over the mirror. He nearly tore off his shirt and threw it to the side; he couldn't stand to be in these clothes anymore. They were the last things she had seen him in…He cringed slightly thinking about that. He pushed any feeling of guilt, sadness or anger further into him and started the showerhead. The water trickled onto his bare arm, grasping greedily onto his skin as he adjusted the water slightly.

He left the remainder of his clothes and his mask behind on the floor and closed the door to the shower with a small 'bang'. The water drenched his hair, making fall and stick to his face. His hands clenched into pained fists as memories of Raven filled his head. She had told him a few times that she liked his hair without the gel, so he had started wearing it like that when they were alone. The water droplets on his skin reminded him of that fateful day in the rain.

'…I always did like the rain.'

He could still hear her voice, clear as day. The image of her smile still haunted his mind. He had made her smile so many times he had lost count. Hadn't that meant a thing to her when she was taking her own life? How was this helping the team? He let out a pained sigh and shut his eyes tight. Tears rolled down his face ever so slowly, mimicking the water from the shower. His shoulders began to shake as more and more tears left his eyes. He clenched his fists so tight, his nails began to make tiny moon shaped cuts in his palm.

He let out a yell of anger and pain and gave the wall a crushing blow. Tile fell to the ground and clashed with the collecting water. Small droplets of blood began to rise to the surface of the skin on his knuckles. He turned the water off abruptly and stepped out of the shower, grabbing his towel.

"Rob? You all right in there? I heard a crash or something…" Cyborg was outside his door.

Robin sighed and poked his head out of the bathroom. "Yeah…just dropped something." His voice came out a low grumble.

"Alright…" He heard Cyborg shift his weight slightly. "You wanna talk about anything?"

"No. I'm fine. Put on some coffee or something…" Robin walked over to his mirror and wiped away the fog that covered it.

He listened as Cyborg walked away without another word, getting the fact that Robin wasn't exactly in the mood for human contact just yet.

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Starfire grabbed a light jacket on her way out of the tower. Cyborg and Beast Boy were still in their rooms, she didn't really expect to see them anyways. She had changed into a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt. The leaves outside danced in frantic swirls and patterns with the changing winds as winter loomed over the town. Starfire pulled her jacket closer around her as she flew to her destination.

The docks seemed like an entirely different place during the day. There were still no people around, but it seemed to have a bit more life then just the orange lights that usually lined the alleyways here. She landed softly on her feet and moved forward. She knew he wouldn't really be expecting her, but she needed to see him at the moment. Hopefully he wasn't out playing golf…

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Cyborg started coffee grinder. Its' churning echoed through the room, making everything feel so empty. He let out a lengthy sigh. There was no Beast Boy arguing with him over tofu, no Starfire rummaging the fridge for blue fuzzy foods, no Robin reading his paper and grumbling about the headlines, and most of all, never again would Raven be sitting next to Robin, sipping her morning tea. Cyborg opened cabinet to see her array of powders and flavorings still in tact. His heart stung as he thought of her, always reaching for the bag labeled 'chai tea'.

The coffee machine gave three beeps, signaling it was done. He grabbed a mug and shut the cabinet briskly, trying to throw all his depressing thoughts away. It was then he noticed a small sheet of paper lying on the counter top. He picked it up and looked at for a second. It was Starfire. It merely said she was going out for a while and for Beast Boy and himself to watch over Robin while she was gone.

'Can that girl ever stay home these days?' He wondered to himself, taking a sip of his coffee. He had forgotten to put sugar or creamer in it, so the bitter taste caught him off guard.

"Can I have some?" Beast Boy asked.

Cyborg looked over at him. "Didn't think you drank coffee."

He shrugged and poured himself a mug. "I don't. But I need something to wake me up."

The both of them sighed almost in synch. Their conversations had been reduced to that of casual strangers. Where had the days of yelling about video games and stolen items gone?

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Starfire knocked gently on the steel door. Her eyes darted around a second, affirming that no one was in the area. The door slid open to reveal Slade's butler, Wintergreen. He raised a graying eyebrow at her.

"Is Slade available?" She asked meekly.

Wintergreen gave a nod and stepped aside. "Please wait here. Master Slade was not expecting your presence until night time."

Star chewed the inside of her cheek as he walked away. She felt odd being here during the day, although, it changed nothing about the dreary appearance of the place. A minute or so went by before Slade walked into the room. He inspected her for a second and then stopped a foot or two in front of her.

"No foods?" He asked in an amused tone of voice.

Her expression was serious as she spoke. "We need to talk."

"Very well then."

She followed him into the room they had talked in last time. A pot of tea was already waiting on the table as Slade took his seat. He pointed to the seat across from him and Starfire sat down promptly.

"Something troubles you… What now, did Robin kick you out?" He peered at her.

Her eyebrows furrowed in a pained expression. She looked to the ground. "No…it is about Raven…"

Slade leaned forward slightly. "Yes?"

Starfire covered her mouth, trying to gather her words. Finally, she looked back up at him, eyes full of tears. "Raven took her own life yesterday…"

His eye widened and Star noticed his hand trembled for a second. "W-What?"

She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "We found her…dead yesterday morning. She left a note behind explaining it to all of us."

"No…this is all just a preposterous lie! You're trying to fool me so I'll leave Raven alone! How dare you?" He yelled.

Starfire pounded her palms onto the table, the cups flying upward spilling tea everywhere. "Slade! Do you truly believe I would lie about something like this? I too refused believe that she had done this to everyone, but the truth is the truth!"

He growled slightly. "You do not understand the seriousness of Raven's death. You do not know what this means for me!"

"What? Are you that disappointed she won't have your child?" She said harshly.

He looked up at her with his single, cold eye. "It is much more than that. Sit down and I will tell you. I will tell you everything else she's been hiding from you fools." He was talking through slightly clenched teeth.

Starfire took her seat and stared at him. What could he possibly reveal to her?

"Raven plays a crucial part in her father's plan to dominate this world and the universe alike. She is his key to Earth. Through her, he will arrive and destroy this place, then he'll take over everything else, including your lovely home planet.."

She peered at him. "But what part do you play in all of this?" She tried to act like the information he had given didn't surprise her; after all he was being quite vague.

Slade pressed his fingertips together in front of him. "I am merely a messenger. Raven's father, Trigon, brought me back from the dead to make sure she knew her fate. But now, now that Raven is dead, I can't exactly deliver a message to a dead person, now can I?"

"But…so you cannot deliver the message, why is this so bad?"

He sighed. "In helping him, he would restore my life. He would make me flesh and bone once again. But without a deed, the reward becomes obsolete. Understand?"

"Under your mask and your costume…."

"Bones and nothing more. That's why I won't show you what's under here." He tapped gently on the side of his mask. "I was hoping to be whole again when I showed you my face."

Starfire swallowed. "You…you trust me that much?"

He chuckled. "What can I say? I've never met a woman quite like you, Robin doesn't know what he's missing."

She felt her cheeks flare up instantly and her eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she had just heard! "I…I really should be going now. Robin needs me and…um…"

He stood up. "I understand. I have some work of my own to do…"

"But…Slade…" She looked at him. "If Raven's father will not restore your flesh…then how will you become human again?"

"Something tells me Raven isn't dead. Perhaps you don't know it, but if she really had died I'm certain Trigon would have gone into some sort of a murderous rage…" He opened the door for Star and watched her walk out slowly.

Starfire looked back at him one more time. "I will be back later this week. We have much more to talk about."

He nodded and she drifted away, blending in with the darkness of his abode. He cursed low under his breath. Unless he could find definite proof that Raven was still alive, all his plans had just failed.

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Starfire walked through the city, her jacket pulled tightly around her. A fresh autumn breeze greeted her as she moved through the swarm of people. There were so many of them, getting a head start on Christmas shopping. She could be home already if she had just flown, but she could conjure no thought to lift her feet off the ground. So much was troubling her mind at the moment.

Within a half hour she reached the island. The tower was already aglow due to the lack of sunlight today. The clouds above had taken the place of the sun, making the sky a mass of swirling gray. She walked into the tower. It was even colder inside. The sink had a few coffee mugs piled up in it, signaling the boys had been in the room sometime today. She traveled down the hall, still not seeing any sign of Beast Boy or Cyborg. Gently, she knocked on Robin's door.

"Come in…" He grumbled.

Star walked inside to see him huddled over his desk, an array of papers spread in front of him. She peered at the random headlines; everything from Dr. Light to Plasmus was mentioned. He must've been organizing case files.

Robin looked up at Starfire as she cast her gaze over the headlines. A pink scarf was draped around her neck and a denim jacket was buttoned up tight over her. Her orange cheeks were tinted a slight pink from the cold weather outside. She looked back over at him, concern filling her eyes.

"Robin…You should rest." She said in a soft voice.

He waved his hand in the air, dismissing her words. "I'm fine. I just wish everyone would stop worrying about me."

"But it is with reason. You are burying everything inside of you. That's unhealthy."

"Starfire. Just because…just because she told you to watch over me doesn't mean you can control how I deal with this. I'll be fine…trust me." He ran a hand through his hair.

She walked closer to him. "Perhaps you should talk about how you feel. Would that help?"

Robin stood up. "Star. How many times do I have to tell you to stop? I've had Beast Boy and Cyborg nagging me all day about how worried they are, I don't need you too."

They both stood by the window, looking outside at the crashing ocean below and the rest of the vast scenery. "Alright…if you say so…"

The swirling gray in the sky finally made its purpose known. Rain. It poured down at an alarming rate, smacking against the window and everything below. Starfire let out a sigh as she watched the drops collect on the windowpane.

"I always have liked the rain…" Starfire said, smiling slightly.

Robin looked over at Starfire, his eyes widened slightly. For a second, his mind saw Raven smiling at the rain. He was filled with memories of her scent, her monotone voice and her piercing violet eyes. His heart swelled with pain and confusion, his body becoming numb with the painful realization that he couldn't just bury his emotion like this. He needed to do something to feel alive, anything…

"Robin? Is some-" Starfire began but she gave a small yelp.

He grabbed two small fistfuls of her fiery auburn hair and pulled her forward gently. He put his lips to hers gently, his mind in a different place and time.

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A/N: Ahh! Don't you just love that ending? Well, you probably don't but uhh…It's my story and I'll do as I wish with it. You guys are going to hate me for putting Rob and Star back together but it'll explain itself in the next few chapters so…. NO FLAMES! I understand if you are a bit bitter about it but do not yell at me!

Okay, what else. Hmm, did you guys enjoy the SladeStar moment? I sure did! Heh.

Love- Emmery