Decided to upload two Chapters in one day! :) I hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter 19: Tension

Starfire spent her first few nights back home in the titan's infirmary. Robin and Cyborg stayed by her bedside and monitored her 24/7. Raven went in the room periodically to give her doses of medication. In the meantime, she and Beast boy took turns taking care of me. They fed me three meals a day and took me to the vet to make sure I didn't have any more injuries from Slade. The vet diagnosed me with a strained hip but fortunately, Raven was able to heal it with her powers.

The three of us sat in the living room and watched the local news. I lay across Beast boy's lap, and gurgled happily as he tickled my belly. It was so nice being back in the tower. It seemed like an eternity since I was last inside this room. After being away for so long, I never realized how much I took for granted. Sometimes I wonder if I had just woken up from a bad dream.

I was about to fall asleep when I noticed Cyborg trudging inside the room. Being half-robot, he was able to forgo several nights without sleep. He walked over to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee. Coffee is that brown stuff that humans drink in order to keep their selves awake. I know this because Starfire and I pass by the coffee shop every morning during our daily walks. None of the titans really drink coffee but sometimes they drink it anyway in order to pull a few all-nighters. I remember trying a taste of it from Robin's cup last night. But it wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be.

"How is she?" Raven asked, as Cyborg came over to sit with us.

"She'll be fine" He said, taking a sip of his drink "She just needs a few more days to rest."

After when Cyborg came to sit down, the room was quiet for a long time. It was as if nobody knew what to do or say next. Cyborg was the first to break the silence "So how's the investigation with Slade going?" He asked, propping up his feet across the couch.

"We haven't even started looking, dude." Beast boy said.

"Why bother?" Raven asked "There's already enough going on right now."

Besides taking care of me, Robin had assigned Raven and Beast boy the task of looking for Slade through the surveillance cameras. After everything he has done to Starfire, I agree he needs to be brought to justice. However, I also agree that now's not the best time. Starfire isn't the only one who needs to recover from these past few days.

"I think the biggest threat we have right now is the Citadel" Raven said "Slade was about to sell her into slavery. Now they're going to know that we reclaimed her."

"But dudes, are you sure that he didn't make that up?" Beast boy asked "When I spoke with Silkie, he said that Slade lied to Starfire about us being captured by those guys."

"What do you mean?" Raven asked.

"Starfire thought we were being held captive" Beast boy said "and she thought she would save our lives by turning herself in."

"Is that so?" Raven asked.

"Slade may have lied to her but he didn't necessarily lie about the Citadel" Cyborg said "We recovered those alien documents at the scene, remember?"

Cyborg walked over to the computer and fiddled his fingers across the keyboard. "I tried translating it into English, but it was too difficult" he said "Robin told me it was supposed to be some kind of old criminal record."

"But why would Slade want to sell Starfire back into slavery?" Beast boy asked.

"Wealth….revenge…" Raven said "Very typical reasons if you ask me."

While the titans were talking, my tummy was making those grumbling noises again. I had to remind Beast boy that it was time for dinner. I rolled off his lap and tugged on his uniform with my teeth. He seemed to have gotten the message because he stood up and walked over to prepare my food.

"Has Starfire said anything about this?" Beast boy asked as he filled my bowl.

Cyborg shook his head "She's not really comfortable talking about it." He said "Every time we bring it up, she gets real agitated."

I was about to dig into my dinner but I was too focused on the conversation. I looked down at my food and nervousness filled the pit of my stomach. A little voice was telling me that I needed to go down there and check on her. I quietly walked out of the room and made my way down to the titan's infirmary. I'm not really allowed to go down there, but sometimes I'm able to sneak in and out unnoticed. As long as I'm quiet and stay out of everyone's way, I'm able to make occasional visits.

Once I got down there, the door was wide open. I quietly walked in and noticed Starfire in the bed. To my surprise, she was wide awake and reading one of her fashion magazines. Unlike Robin, who was out cold in the green arm chair, tired from not getting enough sleep.

I scurried over to Starfire's bed and jumped on top of the mattress. She put down her magazine and noticed me walking towards her "Silkie!" She shouted happily "come here, boy!"

She lunged forward and pulled me closer to her. Then she picked up her magazine and we looked at it together. Even though I couldn't read, I was still able to look at all the pictures. There were pictures of women with floral dresses and advertisements for makeup products. I never understood why Starfire likes to wear makeup all the time. I mean seriously, who is she trying to impress? Right now, she wasn't wearing any and I think she looks fine without it. I guess I'll never be able to understand the female mind...After all, I am a boy.

A few minutes pass, and Cyborg came into the room. He quietly checked Starfire's vitals and the zigzag line on the monitor that displayed her heartbeat.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked, checking her forehead for a fever.

"Yes" She said "Thank you Cyborg."

Cyborg looked over at Robin who was still fast asleep in the chair "You know, we still haven't talked about this yet." He said, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Haven't we talked about the Citadel enough?" She asked.

"This isn't about the Citadel." He said "this is about this whole charade with you running away from home."

Starfire lowered her magazine and looked up at the robotic titan.

"Look, Star" He said "I know that Robin has been a huge jerk lately, but that doesn't justify what you've put us through."

Then He began to raise his voice a little "Do you realize what could've happened if we hadn't found you sooner?" He asked, sounding pretty hurt.

Starfire lowered her lids and nodded her head slowly "I'm sorry, Cyborg" She said "I don't know why I did it, but I was just really upset with Robin at the time."

"I just thought you knew better than that."Cyborg said "You know there are better ways of handling a situation, right?"

Starfire turned away from Cyborg and crossed her arms "Yes" She said softly.

"And I'm not trying to be mean or anything" He said "I just want you to learn something from all of this. If he hurts you again, you could talk to me or the other titans. That's all you have to do."

I'm glad that Cyborg is holding Starfire accountable for her actions. But I can't help but to feel sorry for her. Right now, she looks like she's about to cry. But she's trying real hard to fight the tears. The robotic titan noticed this and bent down to give her a hug "I'm saying this because we love you" He said "and I don't want anything like this too happen again, alright?"

Starfire nodded and accepted his embrace but then she yawned and leaned her forehead against his shoulder "I'm feeling a bit sleepy, Cyborg" She murmured "I wish to rest for a little bit."

Cyborg smiled and layed her back down on the bed "Okay" he whispered "We'll talk more about this later."

I watched her fall asleep and Cyborg quietly walked out of the infirmary leaving us alone with Robin. I look up at the team leader, wondering if he had heard their conversation. He tossed and turned and I saw his eyes flutter behind his mask. He looked over at Starfire before closing his eyes again. This indicates that he was awake the entire time. I gurgled sadly at the team leader wondering if he and Star were on better terms yet.

I sure hope so.