Disclaimer: Characters within do not belong to me.

Author's Notes: Sorry for the extreme delay. Life has a way of getting crazy hectic every now and then. I must admit though, you have a woman named Loyce to thank for this update. She made me a CD and she's holding it hostage until I delivered this chapter. I need my tunes. So, enjoy, and thanks ever so much for all the terrific feedback!

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Flying Home

by Kristen Elizabeth

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She hadn't allowed herself to take any pictures of Robin with her to Tamaran. So when she woke in the mornings, wanting one brief glimpse of his face, she had no choice but to get up and start her day. Starfire was confident that, with time, the desire to see him would fade.

The problem was, she'd been on Tamaran for over a month, and it wasn't fading. If anything, it was getting stronger. She couldn't just get up anymore. It took so much more effort to get through each day because thoughts of him plagued her.

If she made up her bed instead of leaving it to a servant, all she could think about was his bed and how they'd laid in the rumpled sheets, side by side, catching their breath. If she tried to make her own breakfast, she would remember him breaking up fights between Cyborg and Beast Boy over the merits of an all-soy meal. She couldn't eat, she couldn't train, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about Robin.

Galfore understood this, and tolerated it up until a point. When he found her one day, leaning over her balcony's railing, sobbing, he could stay silent no longer.

"My little one," he called out to her. "It is time you told me what causes your tears."

Starfire straightened up and wiped her cheeks quickly. "I can only say what I have said before. My heart hurts. It hurts so very much."

"Please do not make me command you, Princess."

She turned to see him, the Grand Ruler whom she herself had appointed. What would he say when he heard of her intimate relations with Robin? It was not shameful, but it was uncharacteristic of a properly raised Tamaranian girl to give into physical desires without at least a promise of marriage from her partner.

Starfire decided to tell him. Only then could he possibly understand how deep her wounds ran. She recounted Robin's departure from the Tower, the months of separation, his sudden reappearance, and their one night of bliss in a matter-of-fact tone that bore no trace of guilt. When she was done, she waited for Galfore to speak.

"I am surprised, yet I am not," her childhood guardian finally said. "I suspected the boy's attraction to you from the moment I laid eyes upon him." His hands curled into massive fists. "But to dismiss a Princess of Tamaran in such a manner, especially after he has…" His towering frame shook with anger. "I shall have the warships prepared. Upon your word, I shall order them towards Earth and this…manor of his."

"I could not bear it if Robin were hurt. Prepare no ships, please." Starfire pressed a hand to her chest. "These wounds will heal with time."

"My brave little one." Galfore's fists relaxed and he drew her into them. "Do not despair. You are home; here, your heart will never be hurt again."

I will see to it, he swore. It is simply a matter of finding the right man of Tamaranian blood to erase all thoughts of this human from her mind forever.

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"Knock, knock?"

Robin barely looked up as Diana entered without invitation. He could feel her ice-blue eyes watching him, and when he could take it no longer, he sighed.

"Spill it. Whatever it is."

Most men wouldn't even consider snapping at Wonder Woman, but Robin wasn't intimidated by her, and that pleased Diana. He had a backbone, a strong one. He would need it to fix all of his mistakes.

"Actually, I only wanted to talk to you." She sauntered into his room and took a seat on his bed. Crossing her long legs, Diana studied him carefully. "What's your plan?"

"Plan." He balled up a long-sleeved shirt and tossed it onto the little mountain of clothes building up in his suitcase. "I'm not going on so much of a plan as a mission."

"So, what's your mission?"

With a good deal of effort, Robin zipped up the suitcase. "Get her back."

"Simple as that?" Diana mused, arching one perfect eyebrow. "I'm sure she'll be bowled over by your romantic gesture. What woman wouldn't be?"

He paused, frowning. "What are you getting at?"

"Did it occur to you that she might not be all that inclined to forgive you just because you want her to?" She examined a nail. "You might have to put some effort into it. And that could be anything from buying her flowers to begging for forgiveness."

"You don't know Starfire," Robin said. "She's not like that."

"Really." There was a pause. "What is she like?"

The young man blew out a breath. "She's like…no one."

"Well, that certainly paints a picture for me."

"She's beautiful, all right?" He ran his hand through his hair. "She always sees the bright side of everything. She'd give up her own life to save her enemy. She eats weird things and says weird things and it doesn't matter because she makes everyone around her happier. She…" Robin swallowed. "She's perfect."

"And you love her."

"I…" He closed his eyes and nodded. "Yeah. I love her."

Diana smiled to herself. "So why did you run away and try to get yourself killed?"

"It's stupid," Robin muttered.

"Of course it is, but if you don't admit why you ran, you might do it again."

When he scowled after being backed into a corner by simple logic, he looked so much like Bruce, Diana thought. How often had she seen that look on her lover's face? Like surrogate father, like son…

"Look," he began. "You might not know this, but people who love me have a tendency to…well…die."

"Robin, what happened to your family was…"

"Not my fault. Yeah, I get that. But they're still dead."

Diana sighed softly. "Putting one's heart on the line isn't easy for anyone, but somehow it's even harder for people like us. Danger is such real part of our lives. If you didn't have these fears, then I'd worry for you."

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed a heavy lump in his throat. "I was so afraid of losing her that I used every excuse I could come up with to push her away." He slumped down onto the bed. "And I ended up losing her. Irony sucks."

"This would be where a plan would come in handy. I'm not saying you have to light up the sky with fireworks that spell out her name, but this situation definitely calls for a romantic gesture on a grand-ish scale."

Robin shot her a look. "What did Bruce do?" She blinked; he'd caught her off guard. "He must have done something big for you. What was it?"

She contemplated her answer for a long moment, finally deciding to answer truthfully. Robin was family to Bruce. "He let me hold him while he cried."

"He loves you."

Diana wiped away the beginnings of a tear and nodded. Clearing her throat, she brought the subject back to him. "If you want, I'll help you find your romantic gesture."

"Really? You'd do that for me?" She nodded again. "But if I can't come up with something for her, how will you…"

"Dick," she interrupted him with a sultry wink. "I was raised on an island inhabited only by women. If I can't find a way to endear you to your Starfire, I forfeit my entire name."

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It was quiet in Titan Tower.

Too, too quiet.

Raven entered the common area with her favorite book, a battered copy of "Frankenstein," and stopped short. The lack of activity, noise or even one of her teammates lounging about had her completely stumped. Was it possible that, for the first time in memory, she might have the room to herself?

Taking careful steps, as though she might break whatever spell had settled over the Tower, she made her way to the circular couch. She sat just as gingerly and waited a moment before tucking her legs up underneath her. When she was settled and there was still no hint of any movement around her, Raven allowed herself to relax into the cushions. After pausing a moment to appreciate the beautiful sight of the twinkling bay waters as the sun prepared to set on the horizon, she tore her eyes away from the wall of windows and opened her book.

"Raven! There you are!"

His voice shattered her peace, and her peace of mind. Raven closed her eyes and gave herself a second to regain her steady breath. By the time she had succeeded, Beast Boy had come around the couch and stood in front of her, blocking the view with his recently developed body.

"Whatcha up to?" he asked.

"I'm trying to think of a hiding place for a body that would never be discovered," Raven replied, narrowing her eyes.

He didn't seem to notice that her death stare was aimed straight at him. "Yeah, good luck with that. Look…we gotta talk."

"About what exactly?" It was a struggle to keep her voice neutral. She knew what he wanted to talk about; it was written all over his unconventionally attractive face.

"You know what."

"And you know that I still need time."

Beast Boy folded his arms over his chest. "And I'd be totally willing to give you as much as you needed…if you weren't just using time as a lame excuse." Before she could lash back, he went on. "I gotta push this, Raven. 'Cause you won't. And I'm afraid you'll waste so much of the time we've got that we'll never get any of it together."

Seething, but struck by his simple honesty, all Raven could do was close up her book and set it aside.

"I don't care if you get mad at me or refuse to speak to me or whatever. I can deal with that." He dared to sit next to her, but was smart enough to put a few feet of couch between them. "I like you, Raven. And I just want to make you happy."

"I don't do happy…" She lowered her gaze. "…very well."

"You could give it a shot."

"And if it didn't work?" Her head snapped up, her eyes blazing with too much repressed emotion. "If you were hurt by a happy feeling I couldn't control?"

Beast Boy shrugged one shoulder. "Couldn't hurt anymore than being around you all day, every day, but not being able to really be with you."

"Are you some sort of masochist?" Raven blurted out as she jumped to her feet. "Don't you get it? I'm dangerous! I'm not a good girl to fall for. You'll get hurt and I'll hate myself for hurting you and everyone will hate me for hurting you and you'll learn to hate me because…I'm not…" She stopped, shaking her head back and forth so hard that silky stands of dark purple hair clung to her lips. He stood and reached for her, but before he could touch her, she continued. "I'm not loveable!" Raven pushed away his hands. "I'm not even likeable! Why? Why do you like me? Tell me! Why?!"

She put up a good fight, but he managed to grab her wrists, forcing her to look up at him. "There's no answer to that. I just do." Beast Boy released her and cupped her face in his warm, green palms. "Just so you're ready, I'm gonna kiss you now."

Raven nodded, her eyes already closing, waiting for the warmth of his mouth on hers.

"Starfire!"

Beast Boy wasn't given to murderous thoughts, but when Robin ran into the room, he had a couple of very good ideas of how he might rid the world of the Boy Wonder. The former Titan had a frantic look on his face and carried a bouquet of the ugliest flowers he'd ever seen. They looked like something he'd seen on Tamaran the time they'd traveled there for Starfire's arranged and subsequently aborted marriage.

Robin screeched to a halt and stared at them, or more specifically the sight of them in a very intimate pose. "Hey, guys. Um…what's up?"

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"Princess Starfire?"

As she stared at her reflection in the dressing table's mirror, Starfire took note of the young servant girl. "Yes?"

"Princess, His Excellency, the Grand Ruler, requests your company at dinner tonight. And he asks that you wear this." From behind her back, the girl produced a beautiful dress of emerald green that would set off her eyes and hair to perfection.

Starfire frowned. "I will dine with Galfore, but why should he want me to dress in such formal wear?"

"I do not know, Princess." The girl stepped forward. "Should I return the garment?"

"No. If it is his wish, I shall wear it." She looked back at the mirror. A broken vision of herself stared back at her. "I have avoided the court for too long." Starfire stood and took the dress with a sad smile. "Nothing can hurt me here."

Some time later, Starfire regretted those words. As she entered the great hall where all formal meals were taken, she was announced as the Princess of Tamaran, but it was a title to which she no longer belonged. People bowed when she walked by them to her seat at Galfore's right hand, but she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge them. They were bowing to what she had once been, but would never be again.

She sat, but it took her a moment to look across the table at the man who would be her dinner partner. He was good-looking, tall and strapping with black hair that reminded her too much of her sister. He wore the breast plate of a Tamaranian warrior and a cocky smile as he stared right back at her.

Uncomfortable under his penetrating leer, Starfire glanced at Galfore. "Thank you for the garment. It is glorious."

"Ah, but it pales in comparison to you, my little one." He hesitated as though he intended to go on. Finally, after catching onto her puzzled look, he coughed a bit too loudly. "Maybe you wonder who sits at my other side." Galfore clapped a hand onto the stranger's broad shoulder. "Princess Starfire, it is my pleasure and honor to introduce you to Captain Tal."

"Captain," she nodded at him.

The man in question bowed his head. "Princess, I have heard stories of your beauty, but never did I imagine how true they would be when I made my proposal. I shall be the most fortunate man on…"

"Proposal?" Starfire turned to Galfore. "Oldest of all friends and companions…please tell me of what he speaks."

"It was not meant to be revealed like this," Galfore grumbled. "But there's no help for it now. Princess, as Grand Ruler of Tamaran, appointed by your own decree, I have chosen a husband for you." He raised his huge silver goblet. "To a short engagement and a long, happy marriage."

The rest of the court followed his lead. "To the Princess and the Captain!"

The news caught up to Starfire several minutes later as her new fiancée filled her cup full of Skarlblatt wine, the traditional drink of the newly engaged. If she sipped, she would be accepting the arrangement. She would be accepting Tal as her intended.

And she would be forever giving up Robin.

She raised the goblet to her lips and tipped it back just far enough to wet her the tip of her tongue with the tart liquid. To the eager observers, it appeared as though she had drunk and a cheer went up around the table.

Dinner arrived and was devoured, but Starfire couldn't eat. She could still taste the wine on her lips. It was the taste of betrayal.

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To Be Continued