Epilogue

Starfire woke suddenly; when she saw that the clock read three o'clock in the morning, she groaned mentally as she realized that Robin had given Liand'r her last feeding. 'Why are you no longer sleeping through the night?' she thought as she turned over, waiting for her daughter to make more noise to confirm she was awake. It was then that she realized the reason for her own wakefulness. Robin was no longer beside her. His side of the bed was still slightly warm, but empty. Her brow creased in confusion as she looked over to the door to the bathroom and saw no light underneath it.

"I'm over here, Star," Robin said softly.

Starfire looked in the direction his voice came from and saw that he was leaning against the wall next to Liand'r's crib. She got out of bed and slipped on her robe as she walked over to him and slid her arms around him from behind. "Robin, what are you doing?" she asked as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Well, up until a moment ago, I was watching the two most important people to me sleeping."

Starfire smiled softly. "Why? You can do that anytime you want to."

"I'll admit that I've done it more often with you, but this is the first time I've been able to do it with Li."

"And for that I am most sorry, my love. I. . ." she began but was cut off by Robin turning to face her and placing his index finger against her lips.

"You don't have to apologize, Star. From what I've been told, what you went through is natural."

"I only wish I had better prepared you for it."

"Yeah, well we'll both know better next time." Robin smiled softly at the happiness that blossomed on Starfire's face, and he returned the hug she gave him.

"I was fearful you would not wish to have any more children," she said, then brushed her fingertips over his cheek. "I also wish to thank you for these last three days."

"Hey, giving you the time to catch up with your brother gave me the same chance with Li." He shook his head slightly as he saw Starfire look around him at their daughter's crib. "Star, he's you brother, and you haven't seen him in almost seven years. You needed the time to get to know him again. Besides, with Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy here, I didn't really have to do that much with Lee, except hold her and play with her."

Starfire chuckled slightly as she pictured her friends helping Robin with Liand'r. "You said that he would need to talk to me, and you were most correct. He had much that he wished to discuss with me about his time with the Citadelians. Although, I suspect there are things he did not tell me about." She gave Robin a sideways look. "Some of which he did discuss with you."

Realizing that if they kept talking where they were, they would wake their daughter, Robin led Starfire back over to the bed, and they sat side by side on the edge. "Kori, he's you brother, but he's also a guy," he said, then sighed softly at her confused expression. "Okay, even though I'm your husband, I know there are things that you would talk about to Raven or even Blackfire but not to me. I know it's not a matter of trust, but it's simply because I'm a guy." He shrugged slightly. "It's just the way it is."

Starfire nodded as she sighed sadly. "You are correct. There are things that I have discussed with Raven that I have not with you, and there are things I have discussed with you that I will not with Ryand'r. For that, most of all, I despise the Gordanians. Before I was taken, there were no secrets between he and I."

Robin sighed softly. "Kori, I wouldn't blame all of that on the Gordanians. Much as I hate to admit it, brothers and sisters tend to drift apart as they get older."

"But he is my brother. I would not betray his trust in me."

"It's not that he wouldn't or doesn't trust you, Star, but he wouldn't want you to see him weak."

Starfire nodded. "I am surprised that he does not confide in Chr's or another warrior."

"That would be worse to him, Kori. Remember, he is of the Royal Family. Showing any kind of weakness to a warrior is something he can't do, even more so that he can with you."

Starfire sighed, realizing that their conversation concerning her brother was a dead end, she switched subjects to one that had been bothering her for some time.

"Robin, do you remember the day that you were to tell me of your decision on forgiving me?"

Robin thought for a moment. "I remember that you tried very hard to avoid being alone with me so I could tell you," he said, then looked away from her and over at his window. "To be honest, I thought you were afraid to be alone with me because you thought I might hurt you."

Starfire got up and went to the window, pulling the drapes aside to look out at the city lights across the bay. "Of all the people on this planet, you are the only one who could physically hurt me, because I would neither defend myself or strike back," she said. "But it was not physical pain that I was avoiding that day. That morning I had my radio on while I was dressing, and I heard a song that worried me deeply. I do not know who the singer was or the title of the song, but it was about a couple that had been arguing, and had done so in the past. The only words I remember fully were the repeated part that you have told me is the chorus. In it the man turns to the girl and tells her that it is to late to apologize." She paused and looked over at Robin as he walked over to her. "I spent the day fearing that your response would be the same, that I had finally reached the limit of your being able to forgive me."

Robin's arms slid around her waist, and he gently kissed her shoulder. "I've gotta tell you that I came very close to letting you go, but I couldn't."

"Robin, I am sorry."

"For what, Kori? You haven't done anything to be sorry about."

"I'm sorry for not being strong enough to resist what Benny the Dart and his gang did to me, for calling you a liar, and threatening you when I discovered that it was not you that rescued me from them. I am sorry that I accused you of enjoying seeing me powerless after you gave me the veka serum, and for the way you were treated when you were aboard the VELANCE'R, and for not trusting you to do the right thing, and using Shel'b to hide my leaving the VELANCE'R to offer myself to Kor'mel in marriage to end the war between his empire and Tamaran."

"Kori. . ." Robin said trying to interrupt her, but she silenced him by putting her fingers to his lips.

"Then there was leaving the Tower and ending up with Red X, and my feelings for him that I had then, then what I did to all of you when I was with Slade." She lowered her eyes. "I am most sorry for losing our first child, and for making an agreement with Batman that would have separated us in return for information that helped me stop an attempt to overthrow Tamaran's government. I also ask you to forgive me for planning to willingly go with Trogaar, and for when I said that you would have helped Benny the Dart and his gang rather than rescue me." She looked up into Robin's eyes, and he could see that she was crying. "But most of all I am sorry that I forced you out of the first month of our daughter's life. It was terribly unfair to both of you."

Robin smiled softly as he pulled her into a comforting embrace. "In that case, my lovely wife, I wish to thank you. Thank you for refreshing in my eyes the wonders of this world, in the simple beauty of a sunrise or set. For teaching me the language, and culture of Tamaran. I thank you for sharing the love that I feel for you. You truly are the Mistress of my heart. I thank you for helping me realize that showing what I'm feeling isn't a bad thing. Kori, when you took the Oath of Bonding with me, then later stood before our friends in an earthly wedding, you made me the happiest man in the universe. You are the fiercest warrior I have seen in battle, but when at peace, you are the kindest, gentlest, most loving person I know. You are a fiercely devoted friend, and heaven help anyone who endangers or threatens those friends. For all those reasons and many others, I would forgive you for most anything, and those things I wouldn't, you wouldn't bring yourself to do." He framed her face with his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. "There is an old saying, that being in love means that you never have to say your sorry. It's true in the meaning that the person you're in love with has already forgiven you. That is the kind of love I feel for you, Star. It's never to late for you to apologize, because I've already forgiven you, and I hope you will have forgiven me for whatever I may have unintentionally done to hurt you." Slipping his arm around her waist he led her back toward their bed. "Dawn is in a few hours, so we'd better get some sleep."

"Yes, Raven will be expecting us to watch the sunrise with her," Starfire said then giggled softly. "I believe she missed me almost as much as you did."

"But not quite," Robin said as they settled in and he pulled the covers up over them.

"No, not quite," Starfire agreed then snuggled against him, her head laying on his shoulder. "Pleasant shlorvacks, Robin

"Sweet dreams to you too, Kori," he replied, and in moments they were both sound asleep.

~fin~