Hey! This chapter is surprisingly long, but it was incredibly fun to write. I hope you enjoy it. It looks like I have given a self-fulfillling prophecy, too: This is going to wind up at least 4 chapters long. The bigger, the better, eh?

Before I begin, the usual disclaimer... I don't own the Teen Titans, etc.

And now... enjoy!

Part. 2 - Strange Feelings

It happened so fast it was almost like taking a breath. Within no time at all, the moment was upon them. It was time to go. Robin had spent most of the day convincing himself he wasn't nervous by training. With each punch, each kick, each swift dodge of a laser blast, he kept saying to himself, "I am ready, I am ready..." Training for a battle seemed like a cakewalk compared to the evening ahead. When he realized the time was upon him, he grabbed a shower, and, inhaling deeply, attempted to make himself presentable for Starfire this evening.

"Okay, seriously, how do I look?"

"How do you look?" Cyborg asked incredulously, shaking his head. "That's a question a girl asks other girls, man. Do I look like a girl to you?"

"Well, if I cover up the top of your head with this hand, and your lower half with this hand, and squint..." began Beast Boy, gesturing inappropriately.

"C'mon, Cyborg, I'm serious! This is a pretty big night. I just want a second opinion."

"I think you look really cool, dude! But, uh... I do have one suggestion." chimed Beast Boy.

"What is it?"

The green lad bit his lip before continuing. "It's... uh... well... It's the hair..."

"The hair? What about the hair?" Robin glared in his friend's direction, his tone rife with distrust.

"Well, uh... it's just... It's like this, see... Er, well... You... I..." Beast Boy tried to disarm Robin with a grin, and ignored the sweat that was pouring off of him by this point.

"What Beast Boy's trying to say is, the spiky hairdo looks awesome when you're fighting the Brotherhood of Evil..." Cyborg began.

"Awesome! Totally awesome!" The green lad chipped in.

"... But... you might want a different style for a date."

Robin scratched his head. "Why?"

"Wellllll... Y'know... when you're charming a girl... You kinda want something... more refined, more... suave. Here, let me try..."

"Do not touch my hair."

"It'll just take a second." Explained the mechanical hybrid, reaching for a comb and a tube of hair gel.

"That's an order, Cyborg."

"Beast Boy, hold him down." With a mock salute, Beast Boy transformed into a gorilla and held his leader's arms as his metallic accomplice went to town on their leader's scalp.

"Don't ruin my suit! Be careful!" Robin complained.

After a few seconds of careful sculpting, Cyborg stood back, admiring his work.

"Okay, BB! Let him go!" Came the proclamation from the metallic teen. Beast Boy did as he was commanded, and Robin brushed off his arms, checking the jacket for any damage.

"A mirror." Came Robin's demand. His hand shot out towards his two friends like lightning.

"You're gonna like it, man. I promise." Soothed his cybernetic friend, an uneasy smile on his lips.

"Give me a mirror." He pushed, an edge to his tone. Beast Boy handed him a nearby vanity mirror, visibly shaking. Robin gazed at his reflection.

"So... what do ya think?" Asked Cyborg, a hint of nervous tension creeping into his voice.

Robin stared long and hard without saying a word for almost a minute. The boys were stewing in their own sweat when he finally smiled. "I'm going to let you guys live. Good job, Cyborg!"

"Hey, no problem. Maybe if the whole superhero thing doesn't work out, I can become a hairdresser!"

"Uhh... don't quit your day job."

Meanwhile, across the tower, a similar battle of style was brewing. Starfire stood before a mirror, hands on her hips, mouth moving a mile a minute as Raven looked on with a rather disinterested expression.

"Does my hair look ideally shiny and/or silky? Does my dress look like somebody would expire over seeing it? What about my breath? Does it smell of the toxic waste dump? Or Beast Boy's feet before he has his bath?"

"Starfire..."

"What if Robin does not like this dress? What if he deems it to be not unlike the Rag of the Unclean from Betelgeuse-III? It has not been washed for fifteen millennia!"

"Starfire!"

"And what of the dancing? I am not much of the dancer! I have multiple feet on my left-hand side!"

"Azarath..."

"Perhaps I am just hideous in general! Perhaps I have been tricked into enjoying my body in the mirror as part of some elaborate ruse to..."

"Metrion..."

"I should not even show my face outside of this room, friend. I should just pretend Robin said nothing to me last night and spend the evening in my bed."

"ZINTHOS!" With those words uttered, a dark aura enveloped Starfire, a look of surprise shooting across her features. The energy web began to spin, rotating Starfire upside down several times in quick succession before stopping suddenly. The aura disappeared at that point, and the girl inside plopped onto the ground with a dull thud. The Tamaranian teen shook her head, a dazed look in her eyes. Raven cleared her throat as her friend shakily regained her footing.

"Starfire... this is clearly not my forte, but... You have absolutely nothing to worry about." The Gothic teen held a deep breath and glanced skyward before continuing. "You... look... pretty."

"Oh! Oh, Raven! Thank you, friend Raven!" Starfire seized her friend in a bear hug and squeezed, a massive grin splitting her face. "You look pretty as well!"

"Hey, watch it now. You're going to make me blush."

"Oh, thank you again. You are right. I am just being the... the Nervous Nellie! I am sure Robin will like the way I appear."

"First of all, Robin isn't just interested in how you look, although I guarantee you he will not be disappointed in that. He likes who you are in general. You guys get along well together, and that's also a huge part of the relationship. Second of all... Nervous Nellie?" The cloaked girl held out her hands at that moment with a "What-the-hell?" expression on her face.

Starfire blushed and brought a hand to her mouth in embarrassment. "I retained the phrase from a program on the television that Beast Boy was watching several weeks ago."

Her friend nodded, a slight grin on her face. "That explains everything. Now, come on. It's time you and Romeo got on your way."

A horrified look came over the Tamaranian's face. "Romeo? Who is Romeo? Will Robin have to fight him for the pleasure of dating me?"

Raven rolled her eyes and sighed. "Uhhh... it's just a figure of speech, Starfire. I'm pretty sure there will be no fighting this evening."

Robin sat on the couch as his two friends watched television. As much as he tried to relax by watching the show, he just couldn't concentrate. So many things raced through his mind at this point. What should he say to her? What was she going to say to him? He couldn't believe how nervous he was. And you call yourself a leader... He thought to himself, disgusted. Finally, he sighed, and stood up. Turning around, he caught sight of Starfire entering the room at that very moment, Raven in tow. His eyes widened, and after a few seconds, he realized he was staring and collected himself.

"Starfire! Hello! You... you look beautiful!" he proclaimed, smiling. He meant every word. Her slender pink-and-purple gown fit her like a glove, from neck to just below her knee. Her figure filled everything out wonderfully, every curve accentuated to perfection. He knew he saw Starfire every single day, but could not help but find his breath stolen by the sight before him.

"Thank you very much, friend Robin! You look excellent as well! I thoroughly enjoy your hair!" came Starfire's reply. A huge grin spread over Cyborg's face and he raised a thumb in her direction, puzzling the orange-skinned teen.

Robin shot Cyborg a look before turning back towards his date. "Thanks. Shall we head out?"

"Yes, let us... paint the village crimson!" Declared Starfire, swinging her right arm forward.

"Close enough." admitted Raven, mildly bemused by Star's statement.

"You guys have a good time. Don't worry about a thing. We got everything covered." explained Cyborg as the duo made their way towards the door.

"Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." added Raven dryly.

"Thanks again, guys. Hey, where'd Beast Boy go?" asked Robin, surprised. He turned around to see a green gibbon blocking his path with its massively long arms. "Oh. Uh, what is it, Beast Boy? We're kinda in a hurry."

The gibbon shifted back into its familiar human form. "Goin' out, huh?"

"Uh, yeah. You kinda knew that."

"Yeah, I, uh, guess I did. So are you..."

"Taking the R-Cycle? Yeah."

"Okay, okay! Sounds... sounds good! I'll, uh, I'll be right here if you need somebody to, like, chauffeur you home..."

"You can't really do that on a motorcycle. We'll be okay, Beast Boy. We'll see you later." And with that, Robin and Starfire made their way past the green-skinned boy and out the door. Within a few seconds, the sound of the motorcycle starting up could be heard moments before it roared off into the distance. The entire time, Beast Boy's face looked like that of a boy who'd just lost his puppy.

Cyborg walked up to his devastated friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "Awww... sorry, Beebs. Here, I got ya a present!"

"Really? What'd you get me?"

"Close your eyes, and hold out your hands!"

Eager to receive his present, the Changeling willfully obeyed. He felt the dense metal hands place something small and plastic into his own. "Okay, you can look now!" explained Cyborg.

Beast Boy's eyes popped open and his hands spread apart to reveal... a toy motorcycle. He looked up into the metallic teen's beaming face, unamused. "Dude... You're mean." Was all he said before storming off to his room, taking the toy with him.

Cyborg frowned. "I wasn't too hard on the little guy, was I?" he asked his ashen-skinned team mate, who now had her nose buried deep in a book.

Raven looked up briefly before returning to the tome. "A little. I think he'll get over it, though. He's probably playing with the toy as we speak."

"I AM NOT!" came the cry from down the hall. Raven looked back at Cyborg, and they both smiled at each other before going about their business.

Robin was somewhat grateful for the noise of the R-Cycle. Try as he might, he still wasn't sure what to say to Starfire tonight, and he hoped this brief reprieve might give him an opportunity to brainstorm. They cruised into the city, meticulously following the speed limit.

Ok, it's simple, right? This is no different than any other day. Just... act natural, behave as normal. Say everything you'd ordinarily say. Well, it might not hurt to not discuss 'business' this evening. I mean, the whole point of this was to take time off from the whole 'saving-the-world' deal. We could talk about her homeworld. We could talk about how she likes earth. We could talk about the weather. We could talk about how I'm boring her to death. I could..

His train of thought was derailed by a speeding pink Ferrari cutting him off, almost sending the duo off the road and into a ditch. With some careful maneuvering on Robin's part, they avoided wiping out. Robin caught a good look at the licence plate--DDYSGRL--before the maniac driver sped off into the darkness.

"Did that human just try to kill us?" yelled Starfire over the roar of the bike, her eyes glowing green now.

"No, Star. It's just the way some earth people drive. They're crazy. I think you're just experiencing what we call 'road rage.'" responded Robin, and Starfire sniffed and began to calm down.

There was something eerily familiar about that car, though. I don't know what it was... I'm probably just being paranoid. Remember Robin, tonight is a free night. You won't have to worry about any crises tonight.

He turned into a nearby parking lot and paid the man at the booth for a ticket to park for the rest of the evening. After getting the R-Cycle put away in a timely fashion, the couple walked out into the Downtown. The neon lights flashed, the traffic roared and people seemed to be going everywhere at once. It was an incredibly disorienting feeling, but at the same time, Starfire stared in wonder.

"Oh, Robin. It is like the Fimblar Market back home! It is beautiful!" she exclaimed, hands on her face. Her date blushed and smiled.

"The night's only beginning, Star. C'mon, let's take a walk." With a quick hand gesture from the Boy Wonder, the duo made their way towards Wolfman Park. As they came to the massive iron gate that marked the entrance, Robin's eyes widened as he felt Starfire's hand slip into his. He turned to look at her, and she flashed him a coy smile. Smiling back, he squeezed the hand lightly and they continued on their way.

Although the sun had set, neither of them felt particularly afraid to be in the park after dark. For one thing, there were quite a few cops around, and the main paths were well lit. The fact that they were highly trained superheroes certainly didn't hurt matters much either. Robin grinned internally at that thought. Any mugger who stops us tonight is going to wish he'd never been born for interrupting my date.

As they made their way past the Perez Statue, Robin stopped in his tracks. Something didn't feel right. He saw something move from the corner of his eye, and he spun around quickly, wrenching his hand from Starfire's. There was nothing behind him. He frowned, and turned back to see a rather perplexed Tamaranian.

"Was I squeezing too hard, friend Robin? I know I am unaware of my own strength..." she began.

"No, no, I'm sorry, Star. I'll... I'll be right back. Just wait right here." He explained, and made his way towards the trees. Walking into the brush, he stepped forward to emerge onto another path. Standing right in front of him was a rather rotund flower vendor.

"Hello there!" called the vendor, flashing a white smile from behind a very thick black beard, his eyes wide with surprise. "Fancy a flower for a lady, my friend? You seem too dressed up to not have a fine woman with you this evening."

"Er, yeah, that's true. Um, did you see anybody come through here just a few seconds ago?"

"Buddy, you're the only guy I've seen in almost an hour. I'm about ready to move on. D'ya wanna flower or not?"

The Boy Wonder put a hand to his temple. You're being paranoid. Stop ruining the mood. He smiled at the man. "You know, that's a great idea. A white rose, if you would."

The man handed him a single white rose. "Here ya go, big spender."

Robin paid the man and made his way back into the trees. He returned from the brush to discover his date was missing.

"Oh no... No! Starfire! Star!" he shouted, almost dropping the rose.

"Oh, Robin! Is that... for me?" came a voice above him. The Titans' leader looked skyward and found Starfire staring back from the top branch of a nearby tree. "I spotted a bushy-tailed earth mammal and decided to see him up close!" She explained, blushing. She began floating back down to her lover's position.

"That's... that's a squirrel." Blurted Robin, relieved. "Here! This is for you." he added, handing her the rose.

"A deceased plant! It is beautiful! Thank you very much!" she squealed, clutching the rose tightly. "This... plant appears to be biting my hands..."

"Oh, er, it's a rose. They have thorns."

With those words, her eyes grew wide with fear. "Ahhh... we have plants like that on Tamaran. Tell me, do you have the antidote for the neurotoxin?"

"Oh! They're not poisonous! These... just hurt."

"Glorious news!" continued Starfire, cradling the flower like a baby at this point. She paused after a few seconds and stared at her date with a look of concern. "Tell me, friend... is something the matter? You seemed particularly... panicked when you could not find me."

"No, no. Nothing's wrong. I'm just being stupid, is all. I thought I saw something earlier, and then when you went missing... I don't know, I'm just jumpy."

"Well, cease this constant jumping. You must do the relaxing tonight. That was your grand plan all along, was it not?"

Robin grinned. "Yeah, you got me there. C'mon, we'll be late for dinner."

Despite the nagging feeling digging into the back of his head, he ignored everything but the beautiful woman before him as they locked arms and left the park. They began a casual stroll down the streets of Jump City, taking in the nightlife. Bored teens raced up and down the side streets as others took in concerts and arcades. Street preachers spread forth a message of doom and gloom while buskers played classic tunes on old guitars. United, the duo drank everything in with a sense of wonder.

"I know we've been to almost all of these places before, but I don't remember a single thing we've seen so far. It's pretty amazing what the city is like when the people don't need to be saved." Robin said after a prolonged silence.

"Indeed. This city is alive in a way I cannot find words to describe!" added Starfire, and the Boy Wonder nodded in agreement.

A wiry young man with a battered guitar and a goatee spotted the couple and made his way over, playing a few chords of the Doors' "Light My Fire." He strolled right up to them, singing for all his worth, which truly wasn't much. While Robin seemed taken aback by the man's blunt actions, Starfire was completely enamored.

"An earth love song! It is so foreign to me. He has not sung about pinning anybody to the ground with a sword yet!" She turned to face her date. "Are they all like this?"

Some of them are sung better. Robin thought, but outwardly, he smiled. "For the most part, yeah."

He noticed a strange look in Star's eyes. Suddenly the feeling hit him. Without even thinking, he began to move his neck towards Starfire, ready to press his lips to hers. His date closed her eyes and awaited his kiss. It all seemed so right, so proper.

Suddenly, the music stopped. "Hey, fellah! How about a dollar for the serenade?" came the raspy voice of the troubadour who'd offered them the song. Robin narrowed his eyes and turned to face the man.

"Uh, yeah, sure." He handed the man a dollar. The man promptly pocketed his earnings and moved back to his usual corner.

Robin turned back to face his date, only to find her eyes still closed and her lips slightly puckered. "Er, sorry Starfire. We should hurry or we'll be late for our reservations." he mumbled, disheartened.

Starfire opened her eyes. "Oh. Yes, let us go." Darn! I am just getting accustomed to this human practice of kissing. That looked like it would have been a fun bout. She thought to herself, disappointed. Her thoughts were interrupted by a swift movement on a nearby building. Her head swivelled towards it, only to behold nothing at all.

"What is it?" asked Robin, worry in his voice, his fists tightly clenched.

Oh, dear... Now Robin will think I am the paranoid, too. And look how bundled in nerves he has become. She paused awkwardly before answering. "Um, nothing... I thought I saw a rare bird landing on that building over there."

"Oh? What kind?" He asked, his features relaxing. His hands released their grip and the colour returned to them.

She scratched the back of her head and offered him a healthy smile. "Ummm... It was what you would call a penguin, I believe."

Robin gave his orange-skinned lover a very peculiar look. "Penguins... can't fly, Star. Among... other things."

The red-haired girl's eyes became very wide. "But they are birds! This planet is clearly lacking in the sanity!" she blurted.

The Boy Wonder offered a slight smile, taking his date's arm. "Let me explain it on the way to the restaurant." They began to make their way down the street, Robin extolling the life and times of penguindom to the beaming Star.

Starfire couldn't help but be pleased with herself. It worked like the charm, She thought as she snuggled in closer to his body.

The wait to get into 'L'ane Riche' was only six minutes, and suddenly Robin and Starfire found themselves sitting down, about to enjoy a meal in one of the most posh restaurants in town. After a brief confusion over whether or not Star could order mustard as a drink, everything was straightened out, and they dined, filling in the cracks of quiet with small talk.
Finally, the meal was over. As they awaited the check, an uncomfortable silence had settled in. Robin stared at his plate, trying to focus.

"Robin? Are you seeing visions in your plate?" asked the Tamaranian girl.

Robin shook his head, bringing himself together. "Er, no. Sorry, Star. I was just wondering..." You've come this far, my friend. Just tell her. "I was just wondering... there's this place just up the street, they're holding a dance. All-ages and everything. I was wondering if... perhaps you'd like to go there and relax afterwards?"

Star's eye grew very wide. "A... a dance?" She queried, fear in her voice.

"Yeah. Big band music, that kind of thing. I think..."

"I... I think perhaps we should start to sleep early tonight. You never know which time evil will strike tomorrow!" She interrupted, looking at her lap.

Crap. Now what did I do? Was all he could think, his heart sinking. "Oh." The silence drifted back like some diabolical fog. Both parties simply sat, lips pursed, eyes looking discreetly away from one another.

After what felt like an eternity, the Boy Wonder finally cracked. Okay, I can't take this. I'm going to just bite the bullet and do something. "Star, are you okay?"

Starfire offered an uncharacteristically fake smile. "Everything is ideal, friend Robin."

"Oh. It's just... If you don't want to go dancing..."

The red-headed girl's smile melted away. "It is not that I do not want to go do the dancing. It is that I cannot do the dance." She confessed, a sad tone in her voice. Robin started chuckling, and she shot him a wounded look. He... he thinks this is humorous? Oh! What have I done? she found herself thinking, horrified.

"You know what?" Robin was almost giggling at this point. "I can't dance either. I... I tried it once. I can't say I'm a fan. How about we just skip the dancing, and grab some dessert? I know this great place up by the boardwalk." He smiled, and reached forward, clutching her hand. Her eyes grew wide, and she began to smile with relief before laughing herself at this point.

"That... that sounds like a much better plan... my date." They sat there, smiling to one another. There was a new silence present again, but a less threatening one. It was a quiet that accompanied peace. The check finally arrived, and they stood simultaneously, ready to leave. Robin put on his suit jacket, looking at Star the entire time. She noticed his gaze, and blushed. Not thinking, he brought himself closer to the purple-clad woman, and she responded in kind.

I cannot believe it! This is like a dream come true! echoed through Starfire's mind as she closed her eyes once more in preparation for his kiss.

I can't believe you finally worked up the nerve to do this again. Attaboy! were Robin's joyous thoughts. His lips were agonizingly close to hers. He could feel her breath on his own face, smell the scent of her hair. The tension that rippled between the two of them in those precious few seconds was almost radiant.

The beautiful silence of the moment was rudely interrupted when an explosion tore through the side of the restaurant. The couple turned to face the blast, cutting them just short of a kiss.

"What was that?" asked Robin, reaching into his jacket and drawing am explosive disk. Star raised an eyebrow at this move, and he shrugged. "You know me. I've always got to be prepared."

When the smoke cleared, two figures emerged from the gaping hole in the wall of the expensive eatery. The first was very ordinary, it appeared to be a rather short woman. The second... appeared to be a gigantic spider with a body dangling below its abdomen. Robin's eyes grew very wide at the sight of the pink-clad Kitten, armed with a whip and what appeared to be a pistol, alongside her arachnid-headed beau, Fang. He felt himself begin to sweat. He turned to look at Starfire, and was blown away by the expression of sheer hatred that had overtaken her face. Her eyes were glowing a furious green now, and her jaw was set tightly. He could hear her breathing from where he was standing.

Descending upon the duo from both sides, Kitten and Fang were strolling almost casually through the restaurant. "Helloooooo Robbie-Poooo!" shrieked Kitten, a fake grin plastered upon her face. "I've missed you soooooo much!"

"I wish I could say the same thing." He grinned as Kitten narrowed her eyes at this remark. "Actually, I take that back." he added, his features growing more serious as Kitten's smile miraculously returned. "I don't wish that at all." he smirked once again, and Kitten returned to her glowering.

"You are the treacherous worm that dares ruin the wonderful DATE Robin and I were enjoying ourselves on?" screamed Starfire, an accusing finger pointed rigidly towards Kitten.

Kitten laughed. "Oh? Are you two having a date? How cute! Isn't that cute, Fang?"

"Yeah, babe. Real cute."

"Well, the date's over. Robin's coming with me."

Starfire stepped forward, hissing through clenched teeth. "You will take Robin when you are stepping over my fresh corpse. And I promise you, by X'hal, that will never happen..."

Kitten sniffed, deciding the threat to be empty. "FANG! TAKE HER DOWN!"

And with that, all hell broke lose.

Of course I have to leave you with a cliffhanger! Thanks to everybody who's commented. It's fun to see how people have been liking things so far. And thanks to everybody else who's been reading, too. For now, tune in next time for another thrilling chapter of "A Night on the Town," to be up... very soon!