Somehow, with work and typing up this chapter, I still managed to do a Teen Titans episode marathon featuring my favorite episodes from season 3-5 (plus the movie). I have to say, it was rather inspiring; the writing just seemed to get better and better as time went on...though there were certain episodes and instances that I had—shall we say—"issues" with. Like, what's up with Warp and Malchior appearing with the Brotherhood of Evil in season 5, despite the fact that one of them is supposed to be trapped in the future, and the other was re-cursed into Raven's book? And while the thought of a Starfire vs. Kitten rematch had potential, I would have LOVED to see more of each Titan facing their own "personal" villains.

Given how well this story has been going so far, I might even consider doing more episodes rewrites in the near future. Maybe a Raven and/or Beast Boy-centered one this time, since I seem to usually focus on Robin and Star.

What do you, the readers, think? Any particular requests? Should I make a poll?

A few things to note:

1) There is a slight issue regarding the geographical locations of Jump City and Blüdhaven, and their proximity to one another. It's never been outright stated, but the latter is generally considered to be somewhere along the New York/Jersey border, as a neighboring city to Gotham. However, Jump City has evidence supporting its location to be along the West Coast, possibly in California. Herein lies the problem: realistically, such a distance means traveling between the two would take MUCH longer than just a few hours, as I indicated in the last chapter

Please know that I am well aware of this [relatively minor] inconsistency. For lack of a better solution, I chose to take advantage of the fact that any official locations of either town continue to remain ambiguous, and will simply state that—in this story, anyhow—it IS possible to make it from Jump to Blüdhaven in the given time frame. Sort of cheating on my part, I know, but it's the only way I can really make that aspect of the story work.

2) In response to the reviewer Kyer: ...oh, don't even get me STARTED on the possibilities of super-super speed powers = ability to reverse the flow of time. I'm still mad at that ridiculous du ex machine from Superman II. Dumbest. Idea. Ever. Chronos and Warp (and Starfire, of course) will be the only time travelers even MENTIONED in this story, thank you very much.

"Without love, where would you be now?" -Doobie Brothers, Long Train Running

Chapter 3

"Dude!"

Starfire recoiled back into the large, plush chair as his exclamation came booming over the speaker system. The sound echoed off the stone walls of the underground base, further amplifying the volume. Still—despite the slight ringing in her ears—she could not keep the bright smile off her face as she stared up at the large monitor.

"Please, I have always wondered something." She began, sitting up a little straighter. "Why is it you have always referred to whomever you speak as 'dude', regardless of gender? Are you not aware that, even by Earth standards, I am a female?"

For the first time in his life, Garfield Logan was in too great a state of shock to laugh.

She used the momentary lapse in conversation to take in his altered appearance; the once puny boy had grown considerably since she had last seen him, a fact made even more evident by the thin wife-beater just barely covering his chest. Years of travel and physical exertion had transformed his arms into thick, strong blocks of muscle, and while his upper torso was not quite as broad as Nightwing's, it had filled out considerably. Even his hair was longer now, falling limply in all directions. His eyes were slightly red, the lines of sleep still marring his features as he blinked several times in the span of a minute.

A quick glance at the nearest clock told her that it was just after eight-thirty at night, Blüdhaven time. Nearly half an hour after Tim had left to bring Rose back to Titans Tower. Taking into account what she had learned of Earth Zones of Time, that would have put Beast Boy's current location (South Africa) sometime in the ungodly hours of the morning...which explained his current state of disarray.

"So," the eighteen-year-old rubbed at his eyes one last time, as if to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "Any chance I'm going to get an answer on where you've been the last for years? Or is this just some really, really bizarre dream I'm having?"

He carried himself differently, Starfire noticed. His voice was more controlled. Deeper. More mature.

"Not a dream, Changeling." Nightwing's own baritone came from directly above; she looked up to find him leaning against the top of the chair. "That portal she and Warp went through back then sent them spiraling through the time loop, where they ended up here. More specifically, around thirty hours ago."

"...dude!" he exclaimed again, for lack of anything better to say.

Starfire and Nightwing shared am amused glance at their friend's expense, finding humor in his reaction. Her eyes soon flickered back to the screen, however, as a sudden thought occurred to her.

"Wait, why did Ro—Nightwing just now address you as 'Changeling'?"

"Oh, that's what I go by now. See, soon after my sixteenth birthday, I had a bit of a growth spurt...as you might have noticed." Smirking, he made a show of flexing his biceps a few times. Starfire gave a small giggle, much to his delight. "It got harder and harder to listen to people keep calling me Boy, so I decided it was time for a Change...ling." He purposely emphasized the last syllable, wagging his eyebrows in the process. "Get it?"

Nightwing groaned loudly at the horrible pun, pressing a palm to his forehead.

Even though she definitely did not 'get it', Starfire found herself laughing anyway. She had missed her friend's odd sense of humor more than she first realized, and it felt good to laugh at that point.

"Oh, Star, I knew there was a reason I missed you! You're the only one who always laughed at my jokes." Changeling sighed dramatically, shooting Nightwing a quick sideways glare. "How many years now have my talents been wasted on humorless peons like him?"

The 'humorless peon' in question gave a dark smirk. "You're not giving her enough credit, Gar. Even Star wouldn't 'always' laugh at your jokes. If you could even call them that."

"Do you see what I have to put up with?" Changeling turned to Starfire with a pout, searching for support.

She smiled sympathetically. "Friend Raven always seemed to find your play of words...unique, did she not?"

At the sudden mentioning of the dark sorceress, however, the humor in Changeling's eyes evaporated. His body stiffened as his smile faded, and while he did not look particularly sad, it was as if he were remembering something less than pleasant from his past.

Fearing the worst, Starfire's eyes widened. "Did something happen to Raven while I was not around?"

"It's...a long story." Changeling looked away.

"I am most eager to hear it," she insisted gently. "...if you would be willing to share."

Changeling glanced back up, sparing a fleeting glance in Nightwing's direction. For his part, Dick looked relatively impassive, though it was obvious he was listening intently. Garfield had never fully told him the story of why he and Raven had ultimately left the Titans, and he had never attempted to pry. Not to say that he wasn't still curious....

A sigh of defeat. "It all started shortly after Nightwing left. Now, don't get me wrong...Superboy made a great leader, and the twins were fun and all...but things just weren't the same. Raven started growing more and more distant. She'd lock herself in her room for days at a time, coming out only to eat and fight the occasional villain. She wouldn't talk to anyone, not even me or Cyborg."

"That doesn't sound all that unusual." Nightwing commented.

Starfire nodded her agreement.

"It was even worse than before, though," Changeling tried to explain. "Something was off. I could tell. I started to get really worried about her when she wouldn't answer my knocks...so I did something really, really stupid." He paused for dramatic effect. "I went into her room."

"And you lived?" Nightwing was only half-joking.

"Obviously." He shrugged. "Oh, she was pissed as all hell to start with, for certain. If I hadn't known her better, I would've thought she was going to maim me right there and then.

"But I stood my ground, bit back any of my wittier comments, and told her flat out that I wasn't leaving until she talked to me. Made a show of sitting on her bed, arms folded and everything. I didn't exactly threaten to hold my breath, though I might've if I thought it would've helped. Here's here's the weird thing, though: it worked. She gave in and started talking."

"Just like that?"

He shook his head. "Not entirely. At first, it was mostly just things that we already knew about each other. We talked about you two, about the team...the little things, you know? But eventually...yeah, she really started to open up more. Started telling me things that she never really told anyone." He sighed at the memory. "I told her a lot about myself, too. Details about my parents, how I got my powers. For a while, I really thought we had something going...until Malchior came."

Nightwing's eyes narrowed. He recalled hearing that name from one of Superboy's mission statements in the past.

Starfire, noticing his expression, frowned. "Who is this Malchior? Was he another villain?"

"Even worse." Changeling's expression saddened. "He was her first love, so to speak."

That, neither of them had been expecting. Nightwing raised both eyebrows, but Starfire had been more vocal in her reaction; she had been convinced, the way Changeling spoke of his relationship with Raven until then, that the two had been on their way to a more romantic involvement.

"I do not understand. How is it that this Malchior person came to be her first love, and not you?"

A slight blush rose to Changeling's cheeks at the girl's bluntness, but he shook it off an continued with his tale: "She'd been reading this really old book about some battle between a dragon and a knight by the name of Malchior Apparently, the knight guy's soul had been sealed inside, and her powers allowed it to be released temporarily. She started spending more and more time with him, trying to find a way to free him from the curse once and for all. Over time, she started to fall for him, I guess."

"I've heard that name from Superboy," Nightwing interjected, frowning. "But he told me that Malchior was the name of the dragon, not the knight."

"Exactly," It was as if his face had been permanently fixated into a look of disgust. "Turns out, the bastard had been using Raven the whole time, stringing her along so that she would free him from his prison. Once she did, he wasted no time turning on her, attacking us and the Tower."

Starfire gasped. "Poor Raven!"

"You have no idea," Changeling sighed. "She was able to defeat him easily enough, for certain, but the damage had already been done. As unstable as she had been before...well..."

He stood in her doorway, wrestling with the duel emotions of anger and sadness that welled within him. Anger at the one who had caused her such pain; sadness that it had led her to her current state of mind. Even as he watched her scramble about, the majority of her things had already been packed.

"But why?" He finally asked, daring to step into the room. "Rae, you don't have to go. It wasn't your fault."

Raven was a mess, physically and mentally. She was paler than usual, hair mussed from the aftershocks of residual magiks still circulating through her. Her eyes were glazed over, like she had been crying since the battle's end, and she refused to meet his concerned gaze.

"You don't understand." When at last she did speak, her voice was timid. Drained. "I need to leave. Maybe not for good...but for now, at least." She continued to dart around the room, busying herself with menial tasks.

"If this is about what that dragon did—"

"It's not about Malchior," she insisted, though he watched her visibly winced at the name. "Not anymore, at least."

Lips pressing together in a firm grimace, he crossed the room until he was directly in her line of sight. His hands reached for hers, keeping her from escaping again. Their eyes met, and his softened.

"Tell me what's going on."

She inhaled sharply and made a weak attempt to pull away. When it was clear to them both that he wouldn't budge, she sighed and looked down. "What he did...what he made me do...feel...it unleashed something. Something I can no longer control."

He thought back to the countless conversations they had shared in the past few weeks, understanding almost immediately: "You're worried about your father's influence, aren't you?"

"It's more than that." She shook her head. "I can feel it. Growing inside me every day, feeding off my powers. I...I can't fight it any longer." Her voice quivered, though she kept the tears at bay. "I need to return to Azarath in hopes that they will be able to seal it away until I have the strength to destroy it."

"And what if they can't?"

"Then at least I won't be putting your world in danger any longer."

She was nearly leaning against him now, subconsciously looking to him to support her. One hand still clasped tightly in hers, he gently wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling her close. She leaned her forehead against his shoulder, no longer caring about the close proximity she once shied away from. There would no longer be any need to.

"It's your world too, Rae." He reminded her. The gentle vibrations in his chest felt soothing. Comforting. "There's gotta be something we can do to keep you here."

She was quiet for a while, before: "Not anymore, there's not."

"What do you mean?"

"The ancients...they told of one possibility." She lifted her head to look at him. It was almost strange how easy it felt to talk to him again, like they had before. "To plant the Seed into the soul of another. One who was pure, whose existence it would not be able to feed off of. There, it would lay dormant, waiting, giving me the chance to complete my training."

"I take it you already had somebody in mind?" He questioned, though it came out more like a statement.

She nodded. "Starfire. We shared a bond from the day the Puppet King switched our minds; such a connection would have protected her from the Seed and keep it from harming her in any way." Her eyes closed. "But she's gone now. It's impossible."

"No. It's not." He shook his head. "What about me?"

Her eyes snapped open, and she looked up him in shock. "What? No! I would never ask you to—"

"You're not asking, Rae. I'm offering." He took a breath. "Would our bond be enough to protect me if I were to become the receiver?"

"No...I don't...you..." She tried to pull away, but his grip remained firm. "You can't! It's too dangerous!"

"I don't care about that." He stated simply. "I care about you, Rae. You're my best friend, and if this is what it takes to help you, I'm willing to take the risk."

Her heart pounded in her chest. "Beast Boy..." She swallowed audibly, her resolve faltering. "T-the Seed...it would have to be transferred through lip contact...."

"You're not doing a very good job of convincing me to back out, you know," he half-joked, smirking as he raised an eyebrow.

For a moment, she felt the familiar wave of aggravation stir beneath the fear. Her eyes narrowed at his not-so-subtle implications, though secretly she was grateful for the distraction it provided. But then, that's what had ultimately always drawn her to him—his ability to distract her from the fear.

"Don't read too much into this," she warned him before leaning forward. Her eyelids fluttered closed, as did his.

In the next instant, their lips met.

Her body seemed to move of its own accord, gently pressing her form against his as a hand rose to his chest. A wave of vertigo swept over her as she realized she needed to push off her heels to better meet him; he had had another growth spurt. The still-developing muscle beneath his suit was soft, but warm. She could feel his pulse beneath her fingertips, fast and strong.

A second later, she felt his arms embrace her tightly, pulling her even closer. She gasped slightly at his boldness, then instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. No lust controlled either of their actions, however—only the warmth that came with the level of intimacy.

It was then she felt the stirring deep within her as the Seed slowly rose, a tiny shell of emptiness and malice. Her entire body began to tremble as she felt it struggle against her. Her knees grew weak; he thought she would loose consciousness at any moment.

As if sensing her distress, Beast Boy only held on tighter.

When at last the transfer had been completed, Raven slowly pulled back. Her eyes remained closed, not trusting herself to look at him then.

"It wasn't supposed to mean anything," she insisted, more to herself than him. Even at barely a whisper, her voice still quivered.

His forehead leaned against hers. "It's never that simple, Rae. You can't just share a moment like that with one you're close to, and not expect to feel anything."

"I...don't want to leave."

"I don't want you to go." He murmured softly, but then pulled away. The sudden lack of warmth—both outward as well as in—did not go unnoticed between them. "But I understand why you have to. I just want you do know that you'll always have someone to come back to." As he spoke, he reached up and stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.

For a time, she allowed herself to relish in the touch, knowing it would be their last. She raised her own hand to meet with his; their fingers intertwined.

"Goodbye, Garfield." She said, purposely referring to him by name.

"Not goodbye, Rachel." He shook his head. "More of a 'see you later'."

In their last moment together, she looked up at him with the truest smile he had ever seen her wear...then closed her eyes, whispered a few words, and was gone.

For a while, nobody said anything.

"Officially, she was declared missing in action," Changeling eventually stated. "But in truth, she had to go back to her home world in order to train. I don't know when she's coming back, but I have every faith that she will."

Starfire had grown solemnly quiet during the boy's story, focused on one particular aspect: "This...Seed of which you spoke, that is now inside you. It was supposed to be...I who she originally implanted?"

"I wouldn't put it that way, exactly." He winced. "You were her first option, yeah. But I was able to provide another."

"Doesn't this have anything to do with why you took off at roughly the same time she did?" Nightwing asked.

"It's...hard to explain." Changeling's face twisted as he struggled to think of the right words. "After Rae left, I started feeling really anxious. Restless. Like something was calling me away from the Tower. I dunno if it's the Seed's influence, or if it's something else altogether.. All I know is that I've been sort of traveling 'round the world ever since."

"So you would not have gone if I had not vanished on that day?" Starfire asked softly.

Changeling's eyes went wide, and he frantically waved his arms across his face. "N-no, don't take it like that! I'm sure Raven would've been hesitant to transfer it to you, regardless. I mean, she had to kiss me to..." his voice trailed off suddenly as a thought occurred to him. The corners of his lips twitched. "Actually, that might've been pretty interesting to see."

"Gar..." Nightwing warned, the look on his face clearly stating he was not amused.

"Oh, don't act like you weren't just picturing it in your head now, too. Admit it."

A small, red light beneath the monitor started to blink, drawing Nightwing's attention. His eyes flickered to the small display screen, an eyebrow raising as he recognized the signal's origin.

"I know that look." Changeling muffled a yawn as he spoke. "Go. Fight the baddies. Kick some butt and take names while you're at it. I should get back to bed, anyway." He turned to Starfire with a wave. "It was good to see you again, Star. I'm glad you're okay."

"It was most delightful to see you as well, Changeling," she replied back, also waving.

Nightwing clicked a few keys on the console, and the green-skinned boy was replaced with the image of a young, red-haired woman with fair skin and a serious expression. She looked to be in her early twenties at most.

"What's up, Babs?" Nightwing asked her. "I didn't think you were on patrol tonight."

"I'm not. But I overheard an interesting tip from Daddy this evening regarding that Desmond fella you've been hunting, and I thought you might like to hear it." It was then that she noticed the sixteen-year-old sitting in Dick's usual seat. "Wait, who's this?"

Nightwing casually waved one hand. "Babs, meet Starfire. Star, this is Barbara Gordon. Also known as Batgirl."

"Bat...girl?" Starfire repeated, tilting one head to the side as she looked up at him. "Is she of any relation to the Batman?"

"She's part of the team."Barbara, meanwhile, was staring at the younger girl with a look of disbelief. "Wait, you mean this is the Starfire? The one who disappeared a while back? The one you used to go on for hours and hours about because you could never admit you were totally smit—"

"The information, Babs?" He interrupted in a dry tone. "That thing you called specifically to tell me about?"

"Uh-uh, Dick. Don't think you're getting out of this one." Barbara was grinning now. "You couldn't possibly have thought I would just let something like this slide so easily!"

He sighed. "Please?"

She froze, then gave a pout. "You just had to go and use the 'p' word, didn't you?" Sighing in an overdramatic manner, she glanced downward. The sound of clicking keys could be heard from her end. "I'm sending you the records now. If Daddy's source is correct, your guy slipped up big this time. Cell phone GPS signals place him at the nightclub at the time of incident, despite his claims that he was bumping uglies with one of his lady friends halfway across town."

Nightwing frowned at her choice of language, shooting Starfire a quick glance. The Tamaranian seemed bewildered by the conversation at hand and for once, he was thankful for her lack of understanding more colloquial Earth phrases. He turned back to the monitor.

"Would that really be though, though? He could easily claim one of his cronies had taken the damn thing for the night, or he'd left it there from a prior visit."

"Ah, but here is where you crown me Queen of the Batcave." Barbara held up a finger to emphasize her point. "Not only to phone company records show that two calls were made from that exact location minutes after, but we have enough of an audio recording to match his vocal patterns. It's him."

"And the Joker connection?"

"Negatory. Desmond's definitely working for someone else this time." Barbara rolled her eyes, then grimaced. "Ironically enough, Harley's alibi is that she and Ivy were off on some other wild scheme of theirs." If possible, her frown deepened. "Ugh...I hate it when those two team up."

"Thanks for the info, Babs," Nightwing quickly interrupted, trying to avoid being on the receiving end on another of the girl's rants. She tended to get rather touchy whenever it came to the two femme fatales. "I'll give you an update once Desmond and I have a little chat."

"Wait!" She cried out. "I still wanna know what's up with Star—"

But Nightwing ended the transmission before she could get in another word.

Starfire watched as he gave a huge sigh of relief, finding his discomfort oddly humorous. "The Batgirl is very...interesting, is she not?"

"Like the big sister I never wanted." He muttered, though not without a faint smile, then looked to her apologetically. "Listen, I need to go through these files before we head back to Jump. It shouldn't take too long."

She smiled in understanding, spinning the chair around to better face him. Some things, it seemed, would never change; the Earth would always revolve around the star Sol, Garfield Logan would always crack lame jokes, and Dick Grayson would always be a workaholic.

"It is alright. I will wait."

"Thanks, Kori." He spoke her name as they traded places, turning back to the monitor. Before he began, he called back over his shoulder, "There should still be some cocoa in the thermos over there. I remember how much you like cocoa. Help yourself." He motioned to a small corner of the room, at what looked to be a kitchen-like area. There were a few large thermoses, a miniature ice cooler, a microwave, and several drawers that were no doubt filled with unhealthy, yet mouthwatering snacks.

"Cocoa would be nice." She agreed. The corners of her lips twitched as she tried to maintain as innocent an aura as possible. "I do not suppose you have any of the cream that is whipped?"

"Oh, no. I'm not falling for that one again. Not after what happened last time. You can't be trusted."

His tone was extremely joking as he struggled to contain his laughter. She, too, muffled a wave of giggles as the reasons behind his words surfaced in her mind....

"It's called cocoa." He explained slowly, emphasizing the name so she would understand easier. "Wanna try some?"

She nodded shyly, reaching out to take it. However, no sooner did the drink touch her lips than she abruptly pulled back with a faint cry of surprise. Were it not for Robin's quick reflexes, she would have dropped the whole thing.

"Sorry about that. Guess it's too hot." He replied sheepishly, knowing she couldn't understand his explanation.

One hand still held both of hers to the mug while the other reached into a nearby drawer, pulling out a large tablespoon. Dipping it into the chocolaty mix, he stirred a few times before gathering a small amount. Koriand'r watched his every movement through peripheral vision, her eyes never once leaving his, as he raised the spoon and lightly blew on it once. The steam swirled around the air briefly before vanishing entirely.

"Try this." His voice came out much quieter than before, partially due to the close distance between them.

Taking that as her cue, she cautiously leaned forward and took a sip. No longer burning her tongue, the rich flavor delighted her taste buds and warmed her throat as she felt it smoothly trickle all the way down: "Mmm." She murmured in delight, earning a faint laugh from Robin.

"I guess that means you like it," he commented as she took another sip, this time from the mug.

Since she had all but taken over the cocoa, he happily turned back to the counter to fix a second cup for himself. A quick scan of the fridge even revealed a decent stash of whipped cream left, so he squirted a pile on top. Unfortunately, a bit of it got on his nose as he drank, resulting in Koriand'r bursting into a fit of giggles at the sight of him.

"What?" He questioned, unaware of the froth on his nose. She pointed to a nearby toaster, where he managed to catch a glimpse of himself in the metallic reflection. "Haha. Very funny." He commented dryly, but couldn't keep the smirk off his face. "You know, you look like you could use a little…"

Robin scooped a small amount on one finger and smeared in on her nose. She let out a shriek of both surprise and amusement, pulling away just seconds too late. This only encouraged him further, however, as he tried to get a little more on her. But she was a fast learner, ducking before he had the chance while managing to acquire a small amount of her own ammo. Namely, the entire can. They were now at a stalemate, with Robin at a clear disadvantage, and she was giving him an uncharacteristically impish grin.

"You wouldn't dare…" Robin challenged, slowly backing away from the Tamaranian. She pretended to advance for a few seconds before hesitating and lowering the can in a sign of submission. Taking the bait, Robin let down his guard and moved closer…only to have a shower of whipped cream spurted all over him: "Hey, no fair!" he whined, grabbing her wrists to hopefully prevent any more 'surprises.'

She let out a squeal at his sudden action and tried to wiggle her way out, but Robin held tight, twisting her around so that he could grab the other arm. The half-empty can clattered to the floor and innocently rolled away, suddenly all but forgotten by the two teens.

Koriand'r struggled vainly against his hold; drawing her hands in close to her waist until her back was leaning up against his broad chest with both his arms wrapped around her. Yet, in spite of the close proximity, neither noticed, as they were too preoccupied with their laughter to the point where it became difficult for either of them.

"I am surprised you remembered such a thing after all this time," she commented. "For me, it has been mere months, but for you..."

"I remembered all the good times we had together, Kori. Without you, those memories were all I had left" He stated softly, and though his back was already to her, she stilled turned away so he would not see her blush.

Her interest soon turned to the room before her, dimly lit and cold, but far from empty. In the center, resting on its own platform, sat Nightwing's personal means of transportation. It delighted her more than she thought it would to see that her Robin still preferred motorcycles, even after four years. The chrome glistened as if new, despite evidence that the machine had been well used in its lifetime. Several rags and tools scattered around the general vicinity betrayed its secret.

Circling around the bike (and silently wondering just how many hours Nightwing spent cleaning and repairing the thing), Starfire turned to see a set of three glass cases against the back wall. Each contained a mannequin dressed in distinctly familiar costumes.

Her eyes lingered over the first, nostalgia washing over her as she ran her fingertips over the glass. How long had it been since her Robin had worn the costume she had come to associate with his very presence? The costume he wore as they fought crime together, along with their teammates and friends? The costume she had met him in?

Adjacent to the colorful ensemble was its near opposite. The dress form was covered by a thick body suit, black save for the large red X slashed across the chest. Its mask seemed to double as a helmet, with a disturbing. skull-like design on the face. Starfire shivered slightly at the memories of Robin's stint as Red X, before moving on.

The final tube, however, brought about memories she wished she never had in the first place.

Black and rusty orange made up the body, with a distinct "R" symbol on the upper right breast. Almost in mocking. Starfire's eyes flickered to one wrist, where she noticed the familiar laser that had once been pointed directly at her. Her eyes shut tightly as she vainly tried to force the images from her mind...

"Do...not...move." Her eyes glowed menacingly as she held up a single hand. The heat from her star-bolt radiated in great waves, mirroring the intensity of her emotions at that moment.

Robin said nothing, but simply raised the weapon her way, aimed directly at her heart.

With a slight gasp, she forced her eyes open. It was then she noticed the web-like cracks that extended from a spot just above her eye-level. The area of impact looked approximately the size of a man's fist, and something told her it had been made fairly recently.

An object to the lower left of the tube caught her sight. She knelt down and picked up the warped plastic, holding it in direct light to get a better look.

The duel-colored image of Slade's mask stared back at her.

"Where did you find that?" Nightwing's voice called out suddenly. She spun around to find him only a few feet away, his expression unreadable. She hadn't heard him approach.

"Robin, what is this?" She asked, holding out the mask unabashed. "Why do you have Slade's mask?"

He did not answer, nor correct her choice of moniker, but instead marched forward and swiped the item from her hand. She flinched at the sudden harshness of his actions, stepping back reflexively.

"I don't want to talk about it," he stated in a low voice, turning away.

"Robin," she called to him, again deliberately using the name she had once known him by. He froze, and she hesitated before asking again, "Why do you have his mask?"

"I said I don't want to talk about it."

The coldness in his tone sent an uncomfortable shiver down her spine. Her Robin had never spoken to her before in such a manner. Still, in spite of the growing unease in the pit of her stomach, she clenched her fists together and repeated her question for a third time:

"Why do you have his mask?"

Nightwing's form remained still for a while, and because his back was to her, she not see the look on his face. His body language betrayed nothing, and for a time, she thought she might have been overreacting about the mask. Surely, there were any number of explanations?

But then, without warning, he let out a ferocious cry as he threw the mask across the room. It crashed into the hard rock wall with such a force that it shattered, shards of plastic scattering across the floor below.

Starfire recoiled in fear, eyes wide as she stared at the sudden stranger before her.

"You want to know? Fine." He turned back to her, his voice eerily calm for what had just transpired. "Most of it's still a blur, and I don't even remember bringing the mask back with me, but the reason why I have it in the first place is because I removed it from Slade's face myself." He paused before adding: "...right after I killed him."

TO BE CONTINUED...