Jen: Hey! Back with…CHAPTER SEVEN!

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. If I did, Robin and Starfire would be married and having children by now!

On with the fic!

Climbing Out of the Pity Pit

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As Blackfire stepped into the room and Karras led Starfire out, Robin knew that life had just taken a devastating turn for the worse.

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Robin sat at his desk, staring blankly at the wall. He hadn't come out of his room since the Titans' and assistants (who had merely been contained in a jail cell) returned from the Swamp Moons of Drenthax Four. He had told the Titans that he was working on trivial things such as bank robberies and death threat cases, but in reality, he was sitting at his desk pretending there was something particularly interesting about the wall.

Robin was, of course, thinking about Starfire. Her long red hair…her emerald eyes…her innocent smile…but she was gone. She had been gone for three days, eighteen hours, and forty-two minutes.

Robin glanced at the clock. Forty-three minutes. Time had gone by slowly. Tick…tock…tick…tock…it was endless.

There was a soft knock at Robin's door.

"Robin?" It was Alyssa. Her voice was soft. Even she had become gentle with him since the Starfire incident.

"Don't want to talk." Robin said, but Alyssa punched in his access code and came in anyway.

She was carrying a tray of food, "You need to eat." She sat it down on his desk and hesitated, "You haven't come out of your room for…a while."

Robin grunted.

Alyssa continued, "Um…Everyone decided it was time for a break. A vacation from everything. We're going up to Gotham City. There's someone up there who would really like to see you."

She was talking about Batman. Robin grunted again, "Not going."

Alyssa sighed heavily, "Are you angry Robin?" The gentleness had left her voice.

"Don't want to talk."

"You have no right to be angry at Starfire." Alyssa said, her voice menacing.

Robin stood up and faced her, "Do not tell me what I do and do not have the right to do!"

Though Robin was several inches taller than her, Alyssa refused to back down, "Starfire was a superhero. Her life, her purpose, was protecting those who could not protect themselves. She made a sacrifice. Saved a city. If anything you should be proud of her."

Robin sat down and turned so that his back was to Alyssa, "It's not fair." He said after a long pause.

"No, it's not fair." Alyssa said, "But you can't give yourself up to self-pity."

Robin's anger flared again, "I don't pity myself. I worry about Starfire!"

"No you don't!" Alyssa yelled. She spun Robin's chair around so he had to look her in the eye, "You've been in your room for over three days, sitting at your desk thinking about how unfair it is that Starfire was taken away from you. What a horrible life you have to lead because she's gone. How awful it's going to be when she's not here to support you when you obsess over cases." Alyssa put her mouth so close to his ear, he could feel her icy breath, "HAVE YOU EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT HOW SHE FEELS?" Alyssa shoved him back and he fell over the chair, hitting his back to the ground.

"What the heck was I supposed to do?" Robin shouted from his spot on the floor.

Alyssa stopped for a moment, slightly shocked that Robin had used the word "heck", but regained her composure and glared.

Before she could respond, Robin continued, "The city would have been destroyed! Blackfire would have killed the Titans." His voice lowered considerably, "She would have killed Starfire."

"So that's your claim, is it?" Alyssa said disgustedly, "You're moping around in your room because you care about Starfire?" She laughed bitterly, "If you cared about her at all you would be moping around your room thinking about how horrible her life must be right now! This is the second time she has been forced into marriage. She has to spend the rest of her life with a man she hasn't seen in years, a man that she doesn't love." Alyssa resumed yelling, "And then there is that little issue of consummation!"

Robin visibly winced and sat up, "I don't need to hear this. I've got problems too."

"I cannot believe how selfish you are being!" Alyssa began walking towards the door, "You don't need to hear this? I don't either."

"Selfish?" Robin was standing now, "You don't think I've had my share of problems?"

Alyssa faced him, "This isn't about you."

"I'm an orphan." Robin confessed, "But you know what's really sad about that? My parents were murdered. And I saw it!"

"So what?" Alyssa asked, "You don't think Starfire had any issues? You've been to Tameran, Robin. Did you see her parents anywhere?"

Robin was silent.

"You want more?" Alyssa persisted, "You want to know how your precious Starfire was brought to Earth? She was sold by her parents into slavery. She was just a child."

Robin looked up, "What? Why would her parents do that?"

"There was a war on Tameran." Alyssa said, "The planet would have been destroyed if Starfire hadn't become a slave. Her mother and father sacrificed her."

Robin seemed to be drinking this in when that determined I-am-Robin-here-me-roar look crossed his face, "Where's Blackfire?"

"What are you doing now?" Alyssa said in exasperation, "I'm not done speaking with you!"

"I'm done with you." Robin said, "And I'm getting Starfire back."

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Jen: Again, sorry for the short chapter, but I couldn't resist leaving off there. Review please! Bye!