Part 3: Bittersweet When We Never Say Goodbye

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans

Sometimes you just can't say goodbye...RxS

The rain fell, thin and dreary and black. The sky grumbled once in a while, proclaiming sleepy drawls of thunder to accompany the half-hearted flutter of lightning. It was hardly enough to call a storm, but it sufficed to dampen all the luggage set outside the tower, ready to be loaded into the car. From the doorway, two figures stood solemnly, their gazes intent upon the things laid out to be taken. Somewhere further within the gut of the tower, soft clanks and occasional crashes could be perceived as the final preparations were made to leave. One of the two standing at the open doorway sighed, soft and feminine, and turned its face away from the luggage as if it were too painful to look at.

Perhaps it was. "Must this all end?" the girl's voice quavered, as if desperately hoping this was all a strange dream. But if it was a dream, it was one which they had all been expecting for quite some time. They were older now, and it had dawned upon them all that the youthful bliss they had been living in was bound to come to a close.

"Yes. Yes it does…" her companion murmured. A young man, a few inches shorter than she was, with ebony hair that hung near his shoulders and rustled limply in the breeze.

"But Richard…" she started, tugging at a lock of auburn hair. She bit her lip. "I do not want it to end," she breathed, childlike. The "Boy Wonder," who was not quite a boy anymore, touched her shoulder lightly.

"All good things come to a close. Cy has big things waiting for him. He's ready to take over Titans East. This is good for him." Robin muttered. Half believing, half not. Starfire shuddered and hugged herself. She hated this. Why did this have to happen? Why did they have to leave?

"I am happy for him but…"

"I know… it's hard. For both of us," he looked at her then, and despite the mask covering his eyes she knew he was considering much more than Cyborg's departure. He looked less composed today. His hair wasn't gelled up as it usually was, and she realized it was longer than the last time she'd seen t out of his usual spiked style. Perhaps he was taking the break up of his team harder than he had thought he would, or maybe he was worried about returning to Gotham. Maybe it was both. Raven had left nearly a month ago, having felt she needed to go out on her own. She had decided she'd been using the titans as too much of a crutch for her own inner struggles and deemed it time to leave.

Since then, Beast Boy had made arrangements with the Doom Patrol and had gone and rejoined them. He'd realized early on what was happening to the team. And he didn't wait to see it completely fall apart. A week after Raven slipped away, Beast Boy took flight as well. That had left three. One was leaving today, one departing for Gotham tonight, and one utterly lost. "Robin, I… will miss them all so much…" Star closed her green gems and blinked back another trickle of tears tickling her eyes. "I will miss you so much…" she added. Robin swallowed and looked away.

He'd figured they'd all head separate ways, but he hadn't considered that this might actually mean he never talked to them again. He could keep contact with Cyborg, probably. … Maybe even Beast Boy. They had all been aware their parting with Raven had been final. But Starfire? What of Starfire? Of Kori? Of his joy? He glanced at her, pressed miserably against the doorframe and staring inward at Cyborg, who was finally making his way out of the tower with his last few duffels. The android came to a pause beside his friends.

"Well, this is it. It's been real, y'all. Don't… don't disappear on me, alright? Keep in touch. Seriously. You're like my family. I don't want to loose that. Not what I have left," he said quietly. Starfire let out a very pathetic little whimper and she flung herself onto Cyborg, wrapping him in a gigantic hug.

"Oh, friend Cyborg I shall miss you so dearly!" she babbled, trembling as the tears finally began to flow. Cyborg patted her back gently, and after a while she allowed him to move away. Robin offered the half-robot a slight smile and clapped him in the back.

"I'll be sure of it. The same goes for you… don't be a stranger. You know where I am in Gotham, ok?" he said. Cyborg nodded and returned the parting grin. With a heavy sigh laden with finality he scooped up his bags and trudged over to the T-Car. It was only moments later that the two remaining titans were staring blankly at the receding taillights. Starfire wiped the back of her hand across her cheeks to brush away the tears. She breathed deeply, glanced at Robin, and with a sharp exhalation she turned and went inside. Robin didn't follow, but his eyes wandered after her for a beat or two before he rubbed his temples and rather dejectedly closed the door and traveled to his room to put the finishing touches on his own packing.

The tower was utterly silent. He wondered where Starfire was. What was she doing? Would she stay on earth? Or would she leave him completely and return to Tamaran? The thought rattled around his head uncomfortably. He prayed this would not be his last time looking on her sweet face.

Starfire, on the other hand, had no attachment to the things in her room. She would leave them here and take only a few select things in her little pink backpack. She supposed she had no better option than to return home, and there she would not be in need of anything. But this place… this tower had become her home… and she would need her friends. The alien princess blinked a few times and stuffed some of her special photos into the bag with a little of her clothes and the teddy bear Robin had won for her at the fair. That had been four years ago, when she was only fifteen. She slipped the backpack on and then slid out of her room with finality in her step.

She let her feet carry her to the rooftop. A sad smile flitted to her lips as she glanced around the familiar place. This was the end of something beautiful, she decided. No more titans… and no more Starfire. She was Koriand'r again. The crown princess of Tamaran and nothing more than a slave to aristocratic formalities. She ambled to the edge of the roof and sat down, smoothing out her purple mini skirt and propping her chin in her hands.

Starfire didn't know exactly how long she just sat there, aching to go back in time and remain in the days when the titans were young and alive with the thrill of being a bright band of youthful superheroes. Technically… they still had their youth, but at the moment she felt very, very old. But either way, the sun was sliding below the horizon by the time a light hand on her shoulder tugged her out of her wistful thinking.

"Richard," she murmured, placing a hand atop the one he had rested on her shoulder. He shifted his feet behind her.

"It's time for me to go… Kori… Where will you be after this?" he asked tentatively. He'd seen her bag, noticed the meager amount she was taking and known almost positively where she intended to go. He was quite sure a very large part of him shattered when he had seen her sitting alone on the rooftop, incredibly small and incredibly unhappy in the dying light.

"Tamaran, I suppose…" she said. It was more of a whisper though, for her voice was, like the rest of her, much too depressed and much too tired to do much else. Robin moved and sat down beside her, and for a very brief moment they held their breaths and were able to pretend that this was just like the many other evenings they had sat together. They could pretend their friends were still waiting in the tower and that they had forever together ahead of them. But this sweet second was nothing more than that. A second. Star turned regretful emerald eyes on him. "I shall miss you so very… very… much. I-I wish I had said things long ago that I am ready to say now. I wish there was still time to change the way things are," she shook her head and a small, crystal tear slithered down her cheek.

For what felt like the millionth time in the last few weeks she was crying again. Crying for herself and crying for him. Robin shuddered out a breath. "There's always time, Star. There's always time." He protested.

"No. Not always…" she presented him with a bitterly broken smile. He frowned and tugged her into his arms, hugging her tightly then. She sniffled and allowed him to hold her, melting against him and fiercely hugging him back. Robin didn't know what to say.

"If you go back to Tamaran…" he started.

"I shall never see you again. In all honesty, I shall never see you again." She choked on the words. It was if they strangled her.

"I don't want you to go back." He said suddenly… bluntly. Starfire looked up at him, frowning.

"I have no where else to go…" she replied, confused.

"Y-yes you do… you could come with me. To Gotham! Bruce won't mind… he can't mind… I won't let him. Kori, please stay with me," he spouted out the idea with rapid words. Perhaps he was being irrational? But it made her a little bit happy… either way.

"I could not impose further on you. I have already been such a burden these last years… despite our friendship I know I must have been most cumbersome to you," Starfire sighed. It was the truth. This was probably good for him.

"Kori… no. Star, you've never been a burden… at all. In fact you've always been exactly what I've needed. Maybe you can call me selfish for saying this but I… Kori I never want to say goodbye to you," he said urgently. Starfire stared at him. Minutes passed.

"You would truly wish for me to stay with you…? This… is not a light matter… this is the next chapter of your life…" she murmured. Robin nodded. He knew. Oh he knew… and he wanted her with him. He always had. Always would. Maybe he was speaking a little late but he really could care less. All that he wanted was to have her with him as he went back to Gotham. All he needed was her and he could deal with the fact the titans had split. He could manage if she would just stay.

His rampant thoughts were cut short by a gingerly placed kiss to his lips. He blinked rapidly, uncomprehending. Starfire pulled away and looked at him queerly.

"Is that what you wish for? Do you… I… do we feel the same?" she asked. Robin's lips parted and he nodded slowly. Of course.

"Yes… I can't say goodbye to you…" he breathed, pulling her to him and kissing her boldly. Starfire shivered against his kiss and clung tightly to him.

"And of Tamaran?" she inquired. Robin's face grew solemn.

"Starfire, I want to be with you. That's all I know. I don't care what that may mean. If you really… honestly want to go back to Tamaran then take me with you. Gotham doesn't mean a thing… it's just a place. I'm home with you," he insisted. This brought a slight curve to her lips and she tilted her head to the side.

"Richard… I never wish to bid you goodbye either," she said. For every beautiful ending there is an equally beautiful beginning on the horizon, so long as you remember to never say goodbye.

Author's Note: Well, here's the next installment. Sorry for any grammer/spelling errors... I had to retype it all and I don't know how I did. Hopefully it's alright. As you can see this section is kind of... angstish I guess. Um... if you haven't read the season five episode descriptions you should go to and take a peek. What do you think? I'm not sure of my opinion on it yet... I'll have more on some stuff I heard in my next A/N. For now, thank you for all of the reviews and any new comments or crit. are appreciated!

Love, Princess Starfire of Tamaran