With annoying regularity I find myself with nothing to say. Either that or I say something stupid or insensitive. And as I stand here, with somebody I barely know, I try desperately to think of something to say. Her father died yesterday and I have no idea how to comfort her. I think she senses my nervousness because she surprises me by hugging me. She smiles, the first time I see that smile "Smell ya later, ya big geek." Honestly, I do not understand her.

: T : T : T : T :

"Void. Come to the Main Room immediately." Cyborg's voice rang out over the comm. system. In my room I stood up and rapidly flew out of the door. Up the stairs. To the main room entrance and stopped.

The doors remained closed.

The doors slowly… slowly opened and I flew to Cyborg. "Bank, sector 4. Go now."

"By myself?"

"You gotta learn to deal with it and we'll have your back if you need it. Two men, both armed. Go!"

I nodded and flew out a window into the night. Finally! My first solo mission.

: T : T : T : T :

: A bank vault. Two thieves. A man lying on the ground. A woman staring at the man.

The bank vault was broken open. The two thieves had guns. The man on the ground was bleeding. The woman's head was down.

The woman looked up and saw. One of the thieves looked shocked, his smoking gun evidence of his guilt. The man wasn't breathing.

She raised her arms, from one of her hands came lengths of multicoloured wire. Spaced out on the wire were sharp barbs. This 'wire' shot towards one of the robbers and wrapped around him. A second shot was fired from the gun, this time harmlessly downwards.

The second robber took aim. The woman's other hand moved in his direction and more of the colourful barbed wire shot out. The wire wrapped around his body and he dropped the gun. :

I had got there too late. Everything was over when I entered the bank. I had asked to see the recording of what happened, and after I watched it I sent it to Cyborg to judge.

"Find out who she is. Bring her back to the tower and we'll see what she's made of."

"Roger."

I snapped the communicator shut.

I watched the security video over, watched as the young woman captured two armed robbers. She proceeded to somehow fuse the two sets of 'wire' and left the two thieves effectively tied up, together.

"This all happened?" I asked the policeman who had shown me in here. The guy nodded. "Who is she?"

"I don't have a clue, just that she was in here with some guy called…" he flicked through his notebook, "Arnold Johnson, the guy that got shot." He looked up, but I was already gone. "Damn kids, think they're all that …" he muttered under his breath.

I was already making my way across the city. I intended to find out who this girl was. My suit made this task easier, flying me across the city in much quicker time. As always when I flew past people looked up, wondering if there was an emergency nearby.

This time, however, I was going to the hospital.

: T : T : T : T :

I landed outside the main doors and went in on foot. I went to the desk and asked for "Arnold Johnson". The room was empty except for the blonde at the reception, who continued to type at the computer as she answered.

"Are you family?" the receptionist asked. I stared.

She looked up.

I stared.

She continued to look blankly.

I sighed.

"No."

"Sorry, only family members are allowed into the morgue." She went back to her computer. When she looked back into the waiting room it was empty.

: T : T : T : T :

I followed the signs to the morgue, trying to keep a low profile. As low a profile can be when you wear a mask. However, I managed to get to the morgue without being seen.

Through the window in the door, I could see the back of a woman standing over a body on a table. As she turned I could see it was the girl I was looking for. She has shoulder length black hair and bright green eyes; even through the tears on her face I can see that she is pretty.

I waited until she walked out of the room before speaking to her. "I'm sorry," I said as sincerely as possible, "perhaps if I'd got there sooner…" I trailed off.

She walked past me without acknowledging me. I walked alongside her. "Were you there when…" I trailed off again.

She sped up.

I stopped. "You have powers, you could use them to stop things like this happening!"

Down the corridor she stopped. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screamed, turned and shot the multi-coloured streams from her hands.

I reacted too slowly and the wires wrapped me up. I overbalanced, tried to step forward but instead fell with a THUD! With a sob she ran away and out of sight.

: T : T : T : T :

"Couldn't you have been a bit more sensitive?" Cyborg's image on my communicator berated me. "Do you not have any idea what going through something like that is like?"

"We don't even know if she's related to the guy…" I mumbled half-heartedly trying to talk my way out of a telling-off.

"Don't you pay attention? Only relatives are allowed in the morgue, think about it dawg. I'm gonna send in Star to help. Maybe she can convince the girl to talk to us."

"Sure."

"Over and out." The communicator screen went black. Great. Now my first mission was a failure and would be counted as Starfire's success… Not that I didn't like having the Tamaranian around, but it would have been nice to have my first solo mission a triumph.

: T : T : T : T :

Starfire and I were to meet on the roof of the hospital. When she saw me she waved cutely. I began to wave goofily back, caught myself and changed it into a salute. Needless to say she looked confused when she landed. She waggled her hand in the air and then brought it up to her temple, returning my 'salute'. I sighed.

"Friend Void, why do you expel air in such a fashion?" Starfire was cute, but sometimes a little difficult to understand. "Are you in need of a recuperation? If so I will be happy to work alone until you are convalesced." She smiled. How did she manage to do everything so cutely?

"Don't worry about it Star."

"Very well. Cyborg has provided us with data concerning the dwelling of the deceased. I suggest that we venture there first in our searches for the girl."

"Sounds okay to me."

She smiled, clasped her hands in front of her and took to the air. "Glorious! Let us depart swiftly from the healing houses."

"Uhh… okay?"

SHWOOSH!

She flew past me. I too took to the air and tried to catch up with her.

: T : T : T : T :

We flew to the coordinates and address Cyborg had given Starfire. It was a sleepy suburb, quiet, probably little to no crime. Each house was a bungalow, and each one of them looked the same. The closest thing to paradise in Jump City.

In each of the windows warm light flooded through the gaps in the curtains, lighting up the gardens. Except for one; where all of the lights were off.

This was the house.

We landed on the roof of a house across the street, watching the house for signs of life.

Eventually, Starfire floated down to the door. Knock! Knock!

A teary eyed girl opened the door. "What?"

Starfire bit her lip and then suddenly was engulfing the girl in a hug. "Oh do not cry, my little bumgorf…"

I stood nervously to the side, unsure of whether or not to say or do something. In the end, because there was nothing I really could do, I did nothing.

: T : T : T : T :

Some time later, Starfire sat by the girl, on her sofa. I stood behind, still unsure. Starfire eventually spoke up. "I wish you to come to the Tower with us. Then you would not be alone at such a difficult time. And perhaps, if you wish, you could learn to use your powers. Although, from what Void tells us, you are already quiet proficient with them."

I blushed, embarrassed that I had been beaten by a complete beginner, thankfully, I was standing behind them so neither girl noticed.

"I suppose I can come…" She muttered.

"Wonderful! We can depart their immediately if you wish." The girl nodded. "Would you like one of us to fly you there?"

For the first time since I entered the house the girl looked at me, sadly with something akin to contempt in her eyes. "As long as he's not the one to take me. He's probably just drop me."

: T : T : T : T :

We landed on the top of Titans Tower, Starfire let the girl down gently. The flight had exhilarated her, she was almost breathless with excitement. Probably closer to how she normally was, but as the other Titans came out onto the rooftop she became more sullen again.

"Welcome to Titans Tower." The Boy Wonder greeted the teenage girl with an offered hand. She ignored it.

"I know where I am."

Robin didn't even blink. He lowered his hand, suddenly more business like. "What is your alias?"

"Pardon?"

"I assume that the reason you agreed to come with Starfire and Void, is to become a crime fighter."

"I guess…"

"So your alias is?"

"Uh… I guess you can call me … Rose."

Robin raised an eyebrow beneath his mask. She shot a length of her tangled wires at the floor.

"'Cause it's kinda like a rose stem?"

"Good choice."

"Thanks. Now how do I sign up to join this freak show?"

"Well naturally, we'll have to run some psychological tests on you, to make sure your hero material. And then I would suggest that you join the other wing of the Titans."

"How come?"

"You live here. People probably know you, we prefer not to let our heroes work in the cities they come from, at least to begin with. So if you pass the psychological tests, the chances are we'll send you to Steel City and the Titans East."

"Well at least I won't have to work with that jerk. What's his name, soiled?"

"Hey!"

"Quiet rookie."

"Heh heh. I might just get used to this heroing lark yet."

"At least you made her smile…"

"Shut up moron."

: T : T : T : T :

The Titans East sat in their main room in Steel City, a mirror of the Titans in Jump City, who appeared on their main screen.

Bumblebee was speaking. "Sure, we'd love to take on a new member. Heck, it'll be nice to have someone who isn't bubbling over with testosterone."

Speedy leapt to her side. "Not to mention that another girl in the Tower can only be good news!" He winked through his mask. Bee snarled and elbowed him in the stomach. He bent over doubling coughing, but through the spluttering "It was worth it…" could just be made out.

"We'll make sure we keep you updated with her progress." Aqualad spoke from the sofa. The twins of Mas and Menos looked, as always when the Titans talked, confused. "I don't suppose she speaks Spanish?"

: T : T : T : T :

The next day, and we had taken Rose to the train station.

Although she hadn't been with us for more than a night and a morning, Starfire was still sad to see Rose go. "I wish that you would be able to learn to become a hero with us…" She pouted. "It would have been nice. We could have had the 'girly nights in' with Raven."

"Sure would. I'm sure we'll do it sometime. Maybe we could swap the boy Titans for you and Raven, over in Steel City?"

Robin looked up, "Actually, that's not a bad idea… Maybe not a girl-boy swap. But perhaps an exchange program…" He trailed off, considering the possibilities.

I walked over to Rose. "Sorry we got off on the wrong foot."

"Don't worry about it, you're just an insensitive moron, it's not your fault."

"…thanks…"

"I know you did your best." And surprisingly she gave me a hug. "Heh heh! Smell ya later, ya big geek!"

"I wish to instigate the 'group hug'!"

"Way ahead of you, Star!" Beast Boy ran over and dived into the hug. Starfire flew over, grabbing Robin's collar on the way. Finally, Cyborg pushed Raven in and put his long arms around us all.

"Good luck, Rose."

And as she walked onto her train, despite the fact that I barely knew her and she had insulted me from almost the moment I had met her, I felt a great sadness that she was walking away from us. The train pulled out of the station and away from us.

I sighed as we walked away. Beast Boy jumped in front of me. "Dude! You so have a crush on her!"

"I do not! I barely know her!"

"Awww! The noobie has a crush!" I pushed him away with from me with my palm on his forehead.

"Don't make me open a black hole underneath you…"

Beast Boy chuckled and skipped off. He's a strange boy. And completely wrong.