A/N: Writers block sucks really badly. I've written this chapter literally three times over, each version different than the next. I couldn't decide what the hell I wanted to do!

Okay, one thing I noticed in all the episodes I've been watching is, I think Robin grew. XD No, seriously, like at the beginning of the series Robin was a hell of a lot shorter than Starfire but now he's like up to her cheek. Maybe it's just the hair, or the producers realized the height difference was over dramatic, but he's definitely gotten taller. And you know what else I realized? All the Teen Titans action figures are the same size. Well, I think except for Cyborg. (-compares them-). Hmm. Oh, yes, I have all of the Titans and Titans East in action figure form. Except for Speedy. Stupid Wal Mart just HAD to run out. To Toy's R' Us! Uhh…. you go read now.

Ah! One more thing. I do not, in any way, condone underage drinking. It's a horrible thing that kills millions of teens every day. Although, I do enjoy myself some vodka and grape juice every Saturday night. Last Saturday, I was mumbling about how unrealistic the Jetsons were...

Uhh…So, prepare for some out of characterness. But then again, have we ever worried about that earlier in this story? Nope. No we have not.

One last thing. I will warn you here and I will warn you at the end. Do not flame me. Do not flame me. Do not flame me b/c Tha Sidekick gots a boomstick full of buckshot waiting for ya. XD

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Starfire froze as Robin cupped her face in his hand. She felt like melting into oblivion and never coming back to Earth. His free hand traveled down her back and pulled her closer; kissing her with such hunger it was almost frightening. She kept her eyes open, watching his face while his eyes were closed, as if he was having a wonderful dream. But her mind chastised her for allowing this to continue. As much as her body protested against it, she pulled herself from him, panting heavily.

"Robin! What in the world…" She clutched her fingers around the pink scarf on her neck to stop them from trembling.

He swallowed hard, his eyes wide in shock. "I-I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me…and…" He put his hands in his face for a second, sighing. "You should go…" His voice was muffled slightly as he pressed his hands tighter to his face.

"No…" Her voice faltered slightly. "Not until you explain what just happened…"

His hands fell limply by his side and stared at her. "You wouldn't understand…" His expression was cold and pained at the same time.

"Perhaps not." She stared straight back at him, their eyes locking. "But I can't even begin to try if you will not speak about how you feel."

"I've told you before I'm not very good at that." He ran a hand though his hair, trying to evade her questioning gaze.

Starfire sighed, getting annoyed by the way he kept avoiding this. "Even if Earth boys did come with some sort of manual, it still would not explain you."

Their eyes twinkled with the slightest amusement as old memories entered both of their heads. It was short lived though as Starfire's expression went back to concerned.

"I will leave you alone if you just explain this…. "Her curiosity was killing her.

He gave himself a moment to think, his eyes staying locked with hers. "In that moment you talked about the rain…. It made me miss Raven so much I thought I had died in an instant. I needed to know I was alive…that I could still feel something." He took a deep breath, trying to hold in his inevitable tears.

"You looked so delicate and beautiful staring out that window I could've sworn it was her standing beside me. I…I'm sorry." He closed his eyes, silver tears lining up to fall.

Star felt herself wanting to cry too. His pain was nearly contagious. She pulled him into a tight hug, letting him sob into her shoulder. "Oh Robin…I shall always be here for you." She whispered into his ear.

He swallowed his sadness again, burying it farther inside of him. "Help me forget…" He choked out.

She looked down at him, wiping away a stray tear. "W-What?"

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Beast Boy gnawed on the end of the pen he was holding, staring at the papers. Cyborg sat across from him, his own pile of papers resting beside him. They couldn't bring themselves to even begin to sign any of it. But, with Robin out of commission, there was no one else to do it.

"Six thousand dollars for a wooden box we never get to see again…" Beast Boy mumbled.

Cyborg put his head in his hands. "I know, I know. But we can't just put her in some cardboard box…dammit!" He growled slightly. "This isn't fair. How in the world did she think she'd be helping us?"

"People do strange things when their grieving…" He ran a hand through his green hair. He muttered something about needing a haircut before he continued. "That's why Starfire's watching over Robin…"

"Strange is right…" Cyborg stared at Beast Boy. "I've never seen you act so…. serious."

He shrugged slightly. "Life isn't all fun and games…"

"Alright. I can't stand to see you like this. Let's go out to the arcade or something, get our minds off of this. Rob ain't coming out of his room anytime soon so we can bring home some pizza or something like that." Cyborg stood up.

Beast Boy sighed. "I guess it couldn't hurt…"

Cy smiled slightly. "That's the spirit. Now, we're getting meat pizza…right?"

A slight smile appeared on Beast Boy's lips. "Hell no. Tofu all the way…"

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Her violet eyes opened slowly, taking in the golden city before her. Azarath. It was her home, her sanctuary. She sighed slowly as a dove fluttered past her. The city was quiet and calm with a few people scattered around.

"Raven?" A familiar voice asked.

She turned around and very faint smile graced her lips. "Arella."

The woman peered slightly, taking in the sight before her. The two of them looked quite similar with matching mauve hair and dark eyes. She stared for a moment at Raven's now noticeable stomach. Her mouth twitched slightly into a frown.

"I…I need your advice…" Raven whispered. "And more importantly, I need to stay here for a couple of months. I can't return to Earth for a little while..."

Arella nodded slightly. "You are always welcomed here. Now, follow me, there is much we must discuss…"

A slight sigh escaped Raven's lips as she followed her mother. Her heart felt heavy, but she knew that everything would turn out all right when she got back to Earth. It would just take time. All she could do was hope that Robin would hold out for her.

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Robin's eyes locked with Starfire's once again. "I need to just…forget everything that's happened. Even if it's just for a few hours…"

"Well…. How do you propose we do that?" She furrowed her eyebrows slightly, trying to throw every carnal suggestion out of her head. That kiss had clouded her thoughts.

He paused and took a deep breath, trying to take the least drastic of his ideas. "We go out for some drinks. We can pass off as older, right?"

"Robin! That is against the law! …." She looked to the ground for a second. "Besides…we cannot pass off for older than about eighteen or so…"

He rubbed his chin in thought and then smiled slightly. "I have an idea. Wait outside for me, I'll be out in a few minutes."

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Strobe lights, loud music and crowds of people greeted Robin and Starfire as they entered the club. Robin had ditched his costume and mask, sporting a pair of baggy black jeans and a sweatshirt to fit in more with the 'scene'. Starfire had applied a mass amount of eye shadow and had her hair pulled back into a messy bun. No one even seemed to acknowledge their entrance. Most of the people here were already too high or drunk to even see ten feet in front of them, let alone point out celebrities.

"Are you sure about this?" Starfire yelled into Robin's ear, although it was still barely audible due to the music.

"Yeah, this is the only place I can get a decent drink." He yelled back and began to push his way through the crowd.

Starfire began to follow after him, struggling slightly to get through everyone. She knew this place was bad and that if anyone else knew she was here, they'd pull her out right away. She could already imagine Cyborg yelling at her later on for even letting Robin step foot outside the tower. But she sympathized with Robin wanting to get away for a few hours, and she certainly couldn't let him go off by himself, so she had no choice but to go with him.

They sat down at the bar and waited a minute or two, but no one showed up. The liquor cabinets already seemed to be missing some of the more expensive drinks, so Robin climbed over the counter and began to help himself, following the actions of a few other patrons. Starfire's eyes were wide as she watched him steal a mass amount of bottles, inspecting each one carefully and muttering something. Robin stealing. She thought she'd never see the day.

"What do you think you are doing!" Star shouted.

He climbed back over the bar, the bottles he had in his arms clanking slightly. "Here, take these for me would you?"

"This is stealing! I will not assist you in such a deed!" Her mouth was dropped open slightly in amazement.

"Look. I've done enough for this damned town without any reward, I think I deserve a little something in return, don't you?" He held out two bottles for her to take. "Besides, you want to me happy don't you? Well, this is what's going to do the trick for now."

Starfire closed her eyes for a second and sighed. She took the bottles, shoving away all of her guilt. Everything inside of her was yelling that this was wrong, but if life was treating her and her friends so badly, why should she abide by the rules? She had lived a clean life but ended up with so much tragedy anyways, none of it made any sense. As they walked out of the club, she found herself holding four of the liquor bottles, wanting a taste of each of them.

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Robin and Starfire sat on the floor of Robin's room, all of the bottles they had snatched standing between them. Rob picked up each of them and looked at the label

"Okay…we have Capn' Morgan…Bombay…Absolut…Jack Daniels…" He sighed. "Where is Bruce's liquor cabinet when you need it?" He muttered.

Starfire picked up one of the bottles and peered at it. "What about this…Bacardi?"

He looked up at her. "It's rum. It tastes good if you mi…okay, or you could just drink it like that…"

She wasted no time in taking a large swing of the drink, enjoying the burning sensation as it went down her throat. She placed the bottle back down on the floor, half empty. "…Wow." She blinked and licked her lips. "It is…bitter, but I like it."

Robin took the Absolut bottle and took a swing, throwing the cap aside. "You're weird. I've never seen anyone chug rum like that." He shrugged. "But whatever floats your boat."

"Yes! Let my boat float onward!" She declared, grinning wildly. Either the alcohol wasted no time in affecting her, or she was just being Starfire, Robin couldn't tell.

She held up the Bacardi bottle. "To the couple hours of forgetfulness we shall enjoy."

He tapped his bottle against hers, the small 'clank' ringing through the room. "Cheers."

An hour or two later, most of the bottles lie empty on the floor. The vodka had been mixed with everything from grape juice to even milk, but that was completely Starfire's idea. The two smashed teens lie on the floor next to each other, staring at the ceiling.

Robin swallowed the last of his drink and sat up slowly, his head spinning slightly. He looked over at Starfire who was still sprawled on the floor, a warm and content look on her face.

"Ya know Starfire…" He said slowly, his speech slurred slightly.

She held her hand up. "Wait. Wait. I knoow. You are going to say that we are sooo irre-…irre-…whatever that word is. Oh I don't know!" Her wrist flicked back lazily and her arm fell onto the ground again.

"No, No. Come here a second…" He curled his finger backward slowly.

She forced herself to sit up, her body feeling numb and limp. She looked lazily over at him, forgetting about the fact that his mask was still missing. Although he was full of alcohol, he looked even more depressed than when he was sober.

"Ya know…ya live life by the rules and whaddya get? Nothing! Ya get a life of fighting purple goo for nothing! Not even five dollars! And then, ya can't even have a family; ya know what I'm saying? Nope. None at all, they just get killed!"

Starfire nodded. Robin slung an arm around Star's shoulders and pulled her close to him. "But you'll always be here. Right? I can always count on pretty little Starfire to be here…"

She sighed and looked at him. "I…uhh… I take it all of these drinks did not help you forget?" Her eyelids were lowered slightly, her consciousness wishing nothing more than to just slip away.

He shook his head. "Nope." He rested his head on her shoulder, burying his face into her neck.

Despite the warm, numb feeling the rum was giving her Starfire still had sliver of a conscience that remained. "Robin…We should get some sleep…or something…" She mumbled.

Rob looked at her, peering slightly. "Starfire…" He sat straight up, putting on a sober straight face. "Why do you keep turning me down?"

If there's one valuable lesson everyone should learn, it's that people are very honest when they are drunk. Starfire and Robin were learning this the hard way.

She pointed out a finger, closing one eye. "Do you really think I want to suffer Raven's wrath when she comes back? No!" Starfire crossed her arms over her chest. "I shall keep my…'goodies' to myself, thank you."

His expression became slightly pained. "Comes back…? Starfire…"

Starfire covered her mouth and then pretended to cough. "Uhh…Silly me! But Robin…" Her face became serious as she tried to throw him off topic. "Why are you even considering me in that way now?"

He took her hand in his. "Because you and I…We have always liked each other, I mean, I surprised the hell out of everyone when I started dating Raven, didn't I?"

Star looked to the floor a second and then back at him. "I guess…"

"But now…Raven's never coming back…." He bowed his head. "I need you to help me…help me overlook all of this mess…" The alcohol apparently was starting to wear off as his depression kicked in.

"Help me…." He whispered, cupping her face again. "Just for a few hours…"

Starfire felt herself melting again. Without another word, Robin kissed her again, tasting of gin, rum and whatever other liquor he had downed in the past hour. She felt his hand slide over her thigh, sending a chill to her bone. It was a repeat of this morning all over again, but now, she had no urge to push him away…

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The moon was fading out of the sky slowly, the sun crouching behind the horizon and awaiting its grand entrance. All was quiet in Titans' tower. Beast Boy was passed out on the sofa, the video game controller dormant in his hand. Cyborg had gone to his room long ago.

Robin sat in his bed, beads of sweat still running down his forehead. The ghostly blue glow of his alarm clock reflected into his skin, the numbers reading '4:15 am'. His head was spinning from the alcohol and surge of emotions. He ran a hand through his hair and looked over at Starfire.

She lie next to him, curled up slightly under his sheet. Her cheeks were still tinted a rosy pink and pieces of her hair were stuck to her face. The sheet clung to her slim figure, not leaving much to the imagination. Her mouth was set into a content smile as a slight snore escaped her lips.

He looked over at his floor. There were bottles and clothing everywhere. Robin closed his eyes, hidden tears breaking free. He let himself cry, deciding it was trivial to keep his emotions inside of him any longer. Oh what had he done? His shoulders shook and he thought the tears would never stop hitting the sheets.

"Robin…?" Starfire asked sleepily, sitting up and letting the sheet peel off of her shoulders.

He swallowed back a sob and looked over at her, wiping his tears away quickly. She didn't say another word; she could feel the pain pouring off of him and wanted it to stop. Robin brushed some of the stray hairs from her face and pure lust swept over him in an instant. He clenched his teeth for a second, pushing the pain away. Without a second thought, he pulled her into yet another profound kiss and threw her covers aside.

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Starfire woke up a few hours later, the clock read noon sharp. She let out a slight groan at the striking pain in her head. Her eyes drifted to the dry Bacardi bottle and she sighed. Now she was going to have to deal with a hangover for the remainder of the day. She then realized the sound of running water; Robin's shower.

"Oh x'hal…" She grumbled.

As much as she would have liked to pretend she didn't remember last night, she did. Everything from chugging down the rum to calling out Robin's name at least twelve times entered her head. Oh, what she wouldn't do for a good cup of tea to clear her head.

Robin walked out of the bathroom, a towel tied around his waist as he ruffled his hair. He stopped in the doorway and stared at Starfire. "You can…um…use the shower if you want…"

Starfire twisted the sheet in her hands for a second. She had no idea why she was acting like this. It shouldn't be such a big deal…but it was.

"Robin…We need to…"

He held up a hand. "Let's just leave it at what it is for now. We can talk about it a little later…alright?"

She sighed and nodded. They didn't speak to each other as Starfire went for a shower and Robin got dressed. The tension between them was far too thick to break at the moment. Neither of them was sure if last night was just the result of being drunk, or something more.

A half an hour later, they were fully dressed and had cleaned up the floor, shoving the bottles out of sight.

"I am not going to be home today…" Starfire announced, standing in the doorway as Robin kicked the last bottle under his bed.

He looked over at her. "Where are you going?"

"To see Slade." She said, being quite blunt. They didn't have all that much to hide from each other any more.

The mere mention of that man's name sent a strike of anger through Robin's bones but he ignored it. "Bring back any info you can get from him, okay?"

Starfire nodded and made her way out of the tower. She still had a massive headache, but she chose to ignore it. She was glad Robin hadn't put any pressure on her to talk about last night. She still wasn't quite sure what had happened and needed time to sort things out. But for now, nothing was going to stop her from seeing Slade. She had so much to tell him she thought she would burst.

The sun sat high in the sky, but it made no difference in the bitter fall cold. Starfire was sporting a purple scarf today overtop her jacket. A matching knit hat she had picked up at the mall ages ago sat upon her head. She knocked on the door and waited a few seconds. It opened up to reveal Slade himself.

"I've been expecting you." He said, stepping aside.

She walked in, loosening her scarf and following him. "How did you know I was coming?"

He glanced back at her. "I take it you haven't watched the news or read the papers?"

Starfire blinked. "No…"

Slade took her into his living room, if you could call it that. It looked more like a movie theater with the plush red seats and giant television. He handed her a newspaper that he had sitting on the table. Starfire glanced over it and gasped.

The headline read in bold letters, 'Teen Titans Illegal Drinking Escapades'. There was a lengthy article followed by a picture of Robin behind the counter of the bar, all of the alcohol in his arms. She gazed at the picture to see herself sitting in the background, watching in shock.

"They really do make horrible headline names, wouldn't you say?" He had his hands behind his back as he stood before her.

She looked up at him and sighed. "You might want to sit down…"

Slade took a seat in one of the chairs. He couldn't wait for her to explain all of this. Starfire sat next to him, her head bowed slightly. She chewed on her lower lip for a few seconds before speaking.

"Well…Robin is not coping very well with the fact that Raven is gone. He just shoved all of his pain inside of him and it sort…exploded…I suppose would be the word for it." She sighed. "He…Well he kissed me. I am still not quite sure why, I think for a second he imagined I was Raven…but…"

A slight 'pop' rang throughout the room and Starfire looked up. Slade quickly folded his arms and Star looked down to see the arm of the seat he was in had a large crack in it. "Well…Please, do go on..." He coughed and watched her carefully.

"…I pushed him away and then he said he wanted to go out for some drinks. So, we went to a party and…he stole the drinks, as you can see. We drank them and well that is all…" She began to speak quicker towards the end of the sentence, her words blending together.

Slade peered at her. "Starfire…You can trust me…"

She bit her lip and looked up at him. "Robin and I…" She then thought for a second on how to say it. "We had um…intercourse! Ah! That is the word…"

"What!" Slade yelled, his eye going wide. "How did…But…He…WHAT?" It was amazing he was so dumbfounded. She would have found this quite amusing if it weren't for the situation she was in. His hands clenched into tight fists.

Star looked at her feet again. "We were both drunk and …oh I do not know," She groaned.

He took a deep breath before speaking again. "That little bastard! How dare he do this to you and…" He studied her expression for a second. "…You do realize he just used you, right?"

'Damn him…Stepping in on my territory…' Slade thought bitterly, looking away from Starfire for a second.

She kept staring at her feet. "But…I let him…" She felt her heart sting with regret. "I bet you are happy about the chaos this will cause amongst the team… Because when Raven comes back she will be so…" Starfire shut her mouth abruptly, cursing inside her head.

Slade stared at her, his eye narrowing slightly. " I know she's not dead. I'm not a fool like Robin and the others."

"And…I am certainly not happy to see you like this."

She looked up at him, smiling. "But…Why? You hated all of us so much before…why is different now?"

She felt him clasp his hand around hers gently. "It's cute how naïve you are…really." He gave a lengthy sigh, preparing himself for what he was about to say. It had been over a decade since he had said anything close to the cursed word.

"It's different now because…because…I'm in love…" He clutched her hand tighter.

A slight gasp left Starfire as Slade let out those three magnificent words.

"Starfire…I love you."

Starfire's eyes went wide. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks at an alarming rate and her heart skipped a few beats. A newfound feeling of surprise and hidden desires all mixed into one overtook her. She found herself wishing more than ever that he were whole under that mask.

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Arella sighed slightly as she continued to speak. "So this Robin you speak of…how long have you been seeing him?"

Raven bowed her head; the thought of him hurt her heart. "I've known him for a very long time. But, we didn't start any romance until about four months ago..."

"I see…"

Silence filled the vast room they sat in for a good minute or two. Raven looked up at her mother, her face set into a serious expression.

"I plan to marry him when I return to Earth."

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A/N: -le gasp- I can imagine all of you reading this. At first your all like "Yeah! Star pushed him away!" and then you're all like "OMG RAE LIVES!" then you were probably like…

"OMGWTFBBQ! WHYYYYY? THIS IS WROOONG! NOOO!"

Then probably more towards the end, you get something like. "GASP! DID SLADE SAY THE 'L' WORD?"

Am I right? 'Cause I know I am. XD

On another note, I KNOW I'm not supposed to play favorites with reviewers (they're kind of like children…you're supposed to love them all) but I love two people:

Rose (Jackalobe…I've no idea which to call you by. XD) and, of course, The Sidekick. I love all of my reviewers, I really do, but these to very speshial people brighten my day.

Rose: I can imagine you at home during the SladeStar part here. You probably had a seizure. XDD But, I totally agree that Slade and Starfire should have some serious making out-age. I was thinking about how hot that would be in science today, yes I have no life. Well, I cannot wait for your review. Love yooouu! (-Sounds like Peter talking to that pie he married on family guy-)

The Sidekick: You! You distracted me from doing my science project in study hall because I was laughing so hard. I'm actually going to put Slade's little song and your anagram on my door. So. Friggen. Awesome. It sucks you got beat up in school by that depressed guy at. People are assholes. Oh, and before I forget, I am SO sorry for not talking to you like this last chapter. I will give you…uhh…virtual cookies. Yeah.

So, until next week, which I officially have no idea what's going to happen in the story (which is bad…), I love you all and I will talk to you next time.

P.S: FOUR HUNDRED REVIEWS! HOLY FAHOOZLEWHICH! EVERYONE GETS MUFFINS!

No flames. You may complain all you wish, but do not tell me that you hate me or that you think I've ruined the story and most of all...

DO NOT QUESTION MY MOTIVES.

Love,

Emmery.