Alright. NaNoWriMo and being grounded kept me from putting this up, but it has been done since October, so I have been working on this, so I'm sorry!!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the DC universe, 'kay?

Chapter 18

Hollow footsteps echoed in the back of his mind as he kept walking forward. Never moving to look back, he slowly climbed the side of the building. Tiny beads of sweat had already formed on his brow and upper lip, but he wasn't about to let his own body stop him! No, if that had really been green, than he was about to see her again. But, no, he wouldn't let himself revel in this happiness yet. He couldn't afford another broken heart.

He was glad that there was no device in his ear; otherwise, he'd probably be hearing shouts of 'what do you think you're doing' and 'get back here right now' and such things. All he knew now was that he needed to get to the top- he was going to get to the top.

Resting for just a moment, he hooked the rope through his belt and let himself hang in the air, shaking his arms to try and get feeling to return to them. He'd been pulling himself up mostly with just those arms; one leg wouldn't help much. He sighed as he gripped the rope once more. He was certainly going to great lengths to get inside the Tower, whereas normally he could have just walked in; but would it really be worth it?

He knew now exactly where he was; his room. The windows were tinted from the inside so that nobody could look in; his was the only room with those particular details. He sighed, somewhat relieved that he couldn't see what kind of state everything was in. He didn't even really remember much of what had happened while he was in that room, just that he had been devastated and destroyed several things. Just down the hallway would be his study. All those computers and lab equipment, all collecting dust. Well, at least he knew that he could go there and pick up a few things if there really was no point to this whole thing.

He couldn't break the glass to his room; maybe Raven had a point when telling him that he needed to be less paranoid. What was it that she had said? Something about how it would come back to haunt him one day? He really didn't like the taste of his own foot.

So he kept climbing. What else was there to do? One hand over the other, slowly but surely, until he felt certain that he was going to drop. But that was just part of who he was; even if he felt like giving up, he never would. He didn't even rest anymore; he could see the top. He was so close.

Finally, one hand found the top. The roof. He shuddered a bit, remembering what had taken place here on this very roof. His first instinct was to recoil, but his body screamed for him to take a break. So he pulled himself over, breathing heavily at the strain it was causing his arms. Since when had the Tower been this big?

He just lay there on the roof until he could find the strength in his arms to pull himself back up again. The stupid crutch was back at the base of the Tower, so he pulled out a bo staff instead to support himself. Stupid leg. Stupid Beast Boy. Even he was stupid; stupid to walk right into all of this.

He took a deep breath; he didn't have time to be angry. He didn't have the energy either. Thoroughly annoyed with the lack of mobility his leg insisted on, he hobbled over to the door. The trapdoor that led to the roof. It was bolted shut.

He sighed in annoyance. Another product of his paranoia once again had to come back to haunt him. He tried a few explosives, but those only helped to slightly open the lock. No, he'd have to pry this one open.

He gripped the bo staff with both hands and put all of his weight into it. Unfortunately, his leg wasn't taking to all of this strain, and his knee buckled. He fell with a grunt to the ground, which served only to jar his already damaged leg. And that hurt. A lot.

Thankfully, his fall served some kind of purpose. The lock was already halfway open. He crawled over and pried it open himself. At this point he was sure Slade would have a long rant for him the moment he got back. But if he could see Starfire again, even if she couldn't forgive him, it would be worth it.

But he couldn't allow his emotions to get the best of him yet, no, that might prove the end of his already crumbling mind. So he'd do what he did best, and that meant focusing all his attention on the task at hand: breaking the lock.

His arms were going to be killing him tomorrow; he was sure of it. Even as he wrenched the lock apart, his arms were screaming at him to take a break. No, he'd take a break once he was inside, but not until then. Laboriously moving the heavy doors aside, he finally slipped down into the Tower.

"I'm actually back inside the Tower," he breathed, amazed by how much he had actually missed this feeling of being...home. Even as he hobbled slowly around, he could remember each detail that made the Tower unique, its size as well as its various rooms. No, there were those emotions again! He needed to control himself. See, this was why he hadn't come back to the Tower for so long...

Then he heard someone's faint footsteps approaching. Small, dainty steps, definitely feminine. Not Starfire, she'd be flying. Unless he had hurt her so bad that she could no longer fly? No, his heart couldn't bear that thought. Not yet. But it couldn't be Raven either. Even when she was mad, she still levitated everwhere. Then he remembered Red X talking about his plan. Jinx.

Unsure as to how kindly Jinx would react to his presence, he quickly ducked into the shadows and let her pass by. Her footsteps quickened as they neared the stairs leading to the roof, and he heard a small gasp. A blur of purple rushed by him as Jinx ran back to get the others. So now they knew that there was an intruder. Brilliant.

A red and white streak rushed by him, causing a slight wind to ruffled his hair. Thankfully, the apprentice uniform had its advantages; one of which was stealthy coloring. He'd have to look into making that 'Nightwing' suit Starfire had described. That is, if she was still alive and happy to see him. If she was alive and well, all was right with the world and he would even go back to being Robin.

Cyborg followed after, and Jinx was hot on his heels. "See?" she screeched. "Someone broke into the Tower!"

He slipped out of the darkness for a moment to check and see if the coast was clear. As far as he could tell, everyone had gone to see what Jinx had gotten so worked up about. So, stepping as lightly as his body would allow, he started towards the hospital wing.

It was the first time in many that he was glad the ward was so close to the roof. Normally, he tended to go on about how little sense it made to force injured Titans to climb stairs to get medical attention. The door opened with a loud 'woosh' that made him wince. He hoped no one had heard that.

He approached the curtain with apprehension, as if the moment he touched it, something would attack him. And something would, no doubt of that. His emotions were going to have a field day. For a moment, his hand rested on the curtain itself, and he took a deep breath. The curtain felt so warm and soft, just as he remembered Starfire's laugh to feel. And yet it was also wet. Wet with blood? Tears? Or did it just feel that way because his palms were sweaty? And the curtain was pink.

"Come on," he growled to himself. He could do better than this. He shouldn't let a silly thing like a curtain get in the way of seeing her again. His fingers curled around the fabric, creating little folds as he pulled it aside.

TTTTT

She was certain that she had heard footsteps in the hallway, but they couldn't be intruder footsteps; they sounded too erratic. Thump...thump thump...thump. Almost like a limp. Could it have been Beast Boy? Was that why he wouldn't come out; he had a limp?

She tugged at Kid Flash's sleeve to get his attention. "I don't think the intruder got very far. I think I heard something that way," she whispered, pointing towards the hallway that led to the medical ward.

He arched an eyebrow, but nodded. "Alright, I'll check it out. Be right back."

She smiled at his enthusiasm, then walked back up onto the roof to join the others.

The lock had melted around the edges, and a few scuff marks showed where tiny explosives had done their job. Apparently, their intruder had gotten frustrated with the lack of effect the explosives showed and wrenched the lock open, judging by the tiny scrapes in the floor.

"What bothers me most is the fact that this guy obviously wouldn't even be that big of a threat anyway. From what I can tell, it took him forever to scale the Tower," Red X muttered.

"What, you can defy gravity now?" she chuckled.

"No, I can just play with toys. Get with the program, kid," he shot back.

She narrowed her eyes, but decided that a fight right now wouldn't do much good. "Whatever."

"So we can rule out half of the villains on our list; Robin, Slade, Blackfire- since she can fly and all- who's left?" Cyborg said.

She shrugged, walking over to the edge of the roof to look out over the area the intruder must have come up. Something caught her eye, something silver. "Red X, get over here for a minute."

"I thought I'd finally escaped the bossy Titans," he grumbled, but came over nonetheless.

"See that down there?" she pointed.

He nodded. "I'll get it." Within seconds, he was back, holding it. A crutch?

"So I guess we can't rule out any of our villains. If they were on a crutch, it would explain why they took so long to get up here," she sighed.

"Yeah, but why would anyone who's crippled like that want to get in the Tower in the first place? They're obviously at a disadvantage," Cyborg mused.

"The crutch is silver, guys. Not wood. Metal. Who do we know that wears metal?" Red X said pointedly.

As if on cue, Kid Flash came speeding up the stairs to stop in front of Jinx. He clasped her hands in his excitedly. "You'll never guess who's in the medical ward!"

TTTTTT

She had to see Hope before she went. Hope had gotten her through, and she wanted more than anything to give her a big hug before she left. The white petals were big enough; it was surely only a matter of time.

Sure enough, the petals started to open, and, one by one, fell away to reveal a sleeping Hope. She looked exactly like Starfire, but her hair and clothes were white. Why Hope had white hair was still a mystery to Starfire, but perhaps it was simply the nature of these things.

Hope's eyes fluttered open and she yawned, stretching theatrically. She looked around, a small smile playing on her lips. Her eyes fell on Starfire, and she beamed.

"You are awake!" she squealed happily, rushing forward to embrace Hope.

But Hope held up her hand, shaking her head slowly. No words escaped her lips, but Starfire understood. Hope asked nothing in return for the goodness she had shown. That was her job, and she felt satisfied just knowing that Starfire had survived.

"I wish to thank you for supporting me and saving me from myself," Starfire said, "but if you do not wish to be thanked, I will respect your wishes and be on my way."

A sympathetic smile crept over Hope's face, and the white-clad emotion stepped forward to capture Starfire in a gentle embrace. When she pulled away, she nodded kindly to urge Starfire to continue forward. Forward to her Robin.

Starfire couldn't help but be amazed at how well Hope conveyed what she needed to say without ever saying a word. She paused for one last hug, then closed her eyes. Finding her center, she murmered the words Raven had taught her: "Zarthi, Amnurtos, Shi!"

A green energy engulfed her body, and her mouth opened to form an 'o' shape, but she quickly caught herself. Finding her center once more, she kept her eyes closed as she willed herself forward out of her mind. The image of Hope's gentle smile burned on her eyelids as she felt herself lifted up into the air.

She gasped in pain; something was trying to keep her from coming back. Reality. She was entering reality. Gritting her teeth, she repeated the words to add more power to her spell: "Zarthi, Amnurtos, SHI!"

With that, whatever darkness had taken hold of her let go, and she found herself lying down in the hospital ward. Her muscles were stiff; she could not move them. But she had made it! She was home!

Her hands felt strange. Perhaps this was the 'falling asleep' that Beast Boy referred to whenever he could not move his arms after sleeping for hours on one side? But she soon saw the reason why. Her hands had been clutching a mask. Just as she had been in her mind.

Her eyes widened as she slowly sat up, carefuly not to disturb her tingling hands. She just stared at the mask in her hands. Robin's mask. He had taken it off for her. Oh, why had she ever doubted his fidelity?

She turned the mask over and read the words written in dark pen: "Starfire, my love, you are sorely missed."

Her heart caught in her throat as she clutched the mask tighter, feeling rushing back into her fingers as she did so. "He did not abandon me," she sighed, relief washing over her. For a long time, she stared at that mask, joy nearly overcoming her.

Suddenly, she heard soft sounds, almost like footsteps, just outside her window. She wanted to get up and see who would be causing such metallic clanking noises outside a hospital room, but her lower body would not respond. "Ci'irc," she muttered. No, she rarely ever cursed, but this was as close to a superlative as she had gotten in a long time.

But the sounds quickly passed, and she was able to begin moving her legs after a time. When she felt that she might be able to walk now, she rose. For a moment, her legs wobbled, but she regained her balance quickly. Not wanting to over-use her legs, she took to the air immediately thereafter.

The curtain suited her; it was pink and soft. Robin had been so thoughtful to her, even when he had thought her to be dead. She clutched the fabric close to her chest, tears welling up in her eyes. She wiped these quickly onto the pink cloth, thinking only for a moment about what a shame it was that the curtains should be ruined so.

She stopped short at the empty bed near her own. The blankets were slightly out of place. Raven had been there earlier, no doubt. So why had the others moved her? She sighed, heading for the adjourning hospital wing. For a moment, she thought she heard tiny explosions, but she put such things out of her mind as she opened the door.

She gasped. Raven had not been entirely truthful in telling her about what had happened. Her injuries were much more extensive than the empath had admitted. She felt once more so selfish! Raven had been in a more dire situation than her own, and she had taken up her time with foolish emotions!

She rushed to her friend's side. "Oh, Friend Raven, why did you not tell me of your situation? You are bruised and require medical attention. Why is no one at your side right now?" she lamented.

She didn't need Raven to answer; the papers beside the bed answered for her. A coma. Would Raven awaken?

Soft footsteps echoed in the hallways, and Starfire heard a faint thump coming from the roof. The footsteps sped up. Curious, Starfire wondered into the hallway just in time to see a flash of pink and purple round the corner. Remembering Raven's complaints of how Jinx and Kid Flash constantly conflicted with Red X, she dismissed her initial suspicion. Jinx was a friend now.

Still, she did not want to wander out into the hallway just yet. She returned to Raven's side, taking her friend's hand in her own as fresh tears fell onto the pale skin. "Raven, you have only recently reminded me of the power of hope. If what you feared is true and you are indeed trapped in your mind, please come back to me. You are my truest friend, Raven, and I could not bear to lose you. I have already told you; I would not have made it without your support. I did not give up on you, now don't give up on me." With those words, she rested her head on her friend's shoulder, letting the tears fall as she sniffled pitifully. After such a long time of feeling nothing but helplessness, it broke her heart that she must bear such a burden again now that she was free of her mind.

She heard footsteps again, but this time they were pounding steps. Running footsteps. Then came the soft pitter-patter of steps that faded into a sound much like a machine gun as the steps increased in speed. Kid Flash. Shortly after were the pounding steps of Cyborg mixed with the lighter steps that must have been Jinx.

"See? Someone broke into the Tower!"

Starfire's heart lept into her throat. Someone had broken in? That would account for the sounds she had heard outside of her room.

Then she heard familiar footsteps. Very familiar footsteps. She recognized the slightly heavy, cocky steps, but why were they uneven? Was Robin hurt? Or was he the intruder? She could not decide what to fell, so she simply rose and peeked around the corner in time to see Kid Flash smile in amusement at something or someone in the hospital wing. The young hero just stood there for a moment, then rushed off, no doubt to go tell the others.

She gripped the wall in excitement, contorting its shape accidentally. Though she blushed, she still could not contain herself. Soon she would see Robin again!