One Loss, Four Lost, a teen titans fanfic

Hello Titan fans! I wrote this story back in 2010 and left it unfinished. After sorting through all my incomplete stories on my computer last week, I stumbled across it and saw no harm in finishing it and posting it. Enjoy!

To the average passer by who was looking at the congregation of men and women, standing around a newly dug grave wearing black and white in the usual respectable manner, they would believe that these people had just lost a loved one and were grieving for their loss. The average passer by could never have known that it was in fact the Titans who were standing there staring longingly at the dirt at their feet as the coffin was agonisingly slowly lowered into the grave. Time seemed to stand still as tears trickled down their faces. Some were supporting each other, while others stood alone with only their thoughts and memories for companionship. Some were crying. Some were frowning. Some were frozen in thought. The only thing they were all doing was wishing that this was all a dream. Unfortunately for them all, it wasn't.

One of their own had been prematurely taken by a stray bullet triggered from a gun a villain was holding. Only four of the fifty or so people in the crowd had actually witnessed their friend and team mate fall, and it was an image they would never forget no matter how hard they tried to. After every battle, all five had risen with no more than minor injuries which were quickly healed, and now a young man had died in what they considered to be a simple heist. Bank robbers never usually caused such trouble. Not even Slade had come this close to killing one of them, even during the end of the world. It was too surreal. The Titans never fell. Or so they thought.

Four young people supported each other as they walked forward to say their last goodbyes and gently place roses on top of the wooden box that housed one of their best friends. Then, they walked off, arms wrapped around each other, distancing themselves from his grave. None of them looked back at the rest of the mourners as they slowly headed back to the tower, to their home.

Home meant family, and now their precious family had been torn apart. The tower would never feel the same again. Getting through the next week would be absolute hell…

All the anger and sadness Raven had bottled up inside her was suddenly released as she violent attacked the punching bag in front of her. Each time her fists connected with the bag, the chain supporting it creaked from the strain of being overused, but she didn't care about anything anymore. She punched, kicked and slapped the bag so hard that her hands and feet had started to bleed, but she was too numb to feel the pain. Screaming, she threw her whole body at her target, and sent it flying towards the ceiling, too blind to notice it break completely off the chain and come flying towards her at gathering speed and knock her off her feet, sending her crashing down to the mat winded.

Her breath came out in painful ragged gasps, as her numbness disappeared and she felt pain like never before. Her muscles screamed from lactic acid build up. Her lungs burned with every breath she took. Her hands and feet were aching as blood flowed from her open wounds.

She tried to get up, but felt too weak. Not eating for a few days had taken its toll on her body, and she had no strength left. The gym started to spin and become blurry as nausea swept over her, and a loud throbbing in her head made it worse. Her eyes fluttered closed as darkness took her over.

In his bedroom, Beast Boy fidgeted under his sheets, trying to get comfortable. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get to sleep. Like the rest of the team, he had too much on his mind. He still couldn't believe Cyborg was gone. Thinking about it bought tears to his eyes. Sighing heavily he wiped them away.

"I need some air." he said to himself as he rose from his bed and threw on some random article of clothing. Glancing at his clock, he saw it was two in the morning. No one else would be up at this time, so he decided to go to the roof and think. Once he opened the door, he was greeted by the bitter cold wind blowing his dishevelled hair in different directions.

'Should have put a coat on', he thought as he made his way over to the edge of the tower. Sitting down, he shivered as the cold nipped his bare arms, but it was nothing compared to the pain of losing one of his best friends. Smiling, Beast Boy thought back to an incident a week ago, where Cyborg had put glue on his game station controller so he couldn't press any of the buttons. At the time, Beast Boy had been so annoyed, but now he'd do anything just so Cyborg could prank him.

"Dude, I never thought I'd miss ya this much!" he laughed as a lone tear rolled down his cheek. His teeth started chattering. "It's not the same here without you. If you come back, I'll let ya cook all the meat you want! How about it?"

Silence answered him. He knew it was hopeless. Cyborg wasn't coming back. You couldn't bring back the dead, no matter how much you wanted to.

"Fine then. But I just want you to know I really miss you buddy. Robin's been working non-stop; Raven's been more secluded; Starfire isn't…"

At that exact moment, his communicator beeped. Confused, Beast Boy opened it, and didn't like the look he saw on Robin's face.

"Come to the workout room, quickly!"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"It's Raven."

Instead of heading off to sleep like the others, Robin decided to stay up and do more research. Over the past few days he had been dedicating extra hours to finding Cyborg's killer, and so far he hadn't discovered much. As soon as they heard the gunshot, their attention was immediately on Cyborg, and they didn't notice the bank robber run off. Yawning, he turned on the Titans computer and waited for all the appropriate programs to load. As the system loaded, a large picture of the Titans came up on the desktop.

Robin always smiled whenever he saw it, as it reminded him of what he was fighting for, and how lucky he was to be friends with four of the most wonderful people he had ever met. The photo was taken on of their rare days off. They'd decided to go to the park and have a picnic since the weather was so nice. Starfire was floating in the air with a big smile on her face, holding up a large bottle of mustard. Beast Boy was to her left, sitting on the grass with one arm around Raven. Raven was obviously annoyed that Beast Boy had his arm around her, but she still had a small smile on her face. She was sitting cross-legged with a book in her lap. Next to her was himself, except he was standing a bit behind her, holding a football under his arm. And finally, Cyborg was on the far right of the picture, standing next to Robin with a huge grin on his face. In one hand he held a meat filled burger, and in the other he held a sign over Robin's head which said 'traffic light' with an arrow pointing down. It had been such a great day.

Robin laughed as the memory came flooding back. Shortly after the photo had been taken, he turned around and saw the sign Cyborg was holding. Growling angrily, he'd chased his team mate round the park. Beast Boy was cheering him on while Starfire giggled. Raven opened her book and ignored them, although as the boys ran round her, a small smile appeared on her face.

Robin sighed. He knew his team was slowly falling apart now that Cyborg was gone, but he was determined to keep them all going. No matter how much he missed his half robot half human friend, he had to be strong for the others. He started to type furiously, when he suddenly heard a small scream and a crash.

"What the?" he asked himself, as he ran through the doors, trying to pinpoint where he'd heard the sound. Walking down the corridors, he withdrew his bow-staff in case someone had got past the security systems. He started to head up the stairs when he heard a quiet thud come from another direction, the gym. Slowly, he made his way over to the doors, and pushed them open.

"Freeze!" he yelled, thinking it had been a villain, but what he saw was a lot worse.

"Shit!" Robin whispered, running towards the body of his broken team mate. "Raven. Raven, wake up." he said, shaking her shoulder. When she didn't respond, he felt her wrist for a pulse, and thankfully found a weak one. "Thank God." he sighed, relieved that he wasn't about to lose another friend. Grabbing his communicator, he called the others.

After a few seconds, Beast Boy and Starfire's faces appeared on the screen. He wasted no time, seeing as they didn't have much of it.

"Come to the workout room, quickly!"

"Why? What's wrong?" Beast Boy asked, looking confused.

"It's Raven."

Starfire had been asleep when she heard her communicator ring. It seemed like all she'd done recently was sleep. Groggily, she sat up in her circular bed and reached over to answer it, wondering who would be calling so early in the morning. Opening it, she saw Robin's face. Even with his mask on, Starfire could see the worry apparent on his face.

"Come to the workout, quickly!" he shouted.

Starfire rubbed her eyes in an attempt to wake herself up more. Before she could ask why, her green team mate had beaten her to it.

"Why? What's wrong?" Beast Boy asked, sounding confused.

"It's Raven."

'Raven?' Starfire thought, jumping off the bed and hurrying out of her bedroom towards the gym. When she got there, she gasped as she saw Robin kneeling next to Raven, lying unconscious on the floor, blood covering her hands. She also took note of the battered punching bag next to her. She flew over to them and knelt beside Robin.

"Is she okay?"

"I don't know Starfire, but she needs medical attention now. Can you fly her to the infirmary?"

Starfire didn't answer Robin verbally, but gently picked up Raven and flew her rapidly to the infirmary. Starfire couldn't help but notice how light Raven was in her arms.

'Oh Friend, what have you done to yourself?'

She soon arrived at the infirmary, where she lay Raven on a bed and began to hook up monitors to her body, just like she had seen Cyborg do whenever one of them was hurt. Now that he was gone, it was up to them to deal with their ailments. She'd never truly appreciated Cyborg's medical expertise, and now she felt guilty. He'd done so much for them whenever they were unfortunate enough to end up in this room, whether it was for a minor cut or burn, or broken bones. Cyborg was always there.

The sudden beeping of the heart monitor brought Starfire out of her thoughts. While she was daydreaming. Robin and Beast Boy had entered the room. Robin finished the job Starfire had started, turning on the heart monitor and then going through the medical cupboards to find supplies. Beast Boy, seeing Raven for the first time, sighed deeply. He too could see that she'd lost weight. Starfire went up to him and gave him a half hug.

"Raven needs us Beast Boy."

Beast Boy turned towards her, and smiled. "You're right."

Everything was black, but in the distance she could hear voices. They were muffled, but still distinguishable.

"When will Friend Raven awaken?"l

"I don't know Starfire. She needs to regain her strength. It could be a while."

"Dude, she's so thin. I mean, she always has been, but now…"

"I know. She's taken Cyborg's death more badly than I thought."

"Can you blame her? She and Cyborg had a very close bond; he was like her big brother."

"That's no excuse! We've all lost a friend! We all had bonds with him!"

"Beast Boy, calm down. Shouting won't help anything."

"No I won't fucking calm down Robin! Look at her! We're already suffering enough as it is, and she has to go and be selfish and do something like this…"

The talking had stopped, but it was replaced by the sound of someone crying. Now all she could hear was a steady beeping sound.

"Guys, why don't you get some sleep. I'll watch Raven for a few hours, okay?"

Robin watched as Starfire escorted a broken Beast Boy out of the room, leaving him alone with Raven. Sighing, he pulled a chair to her side and sat next to her. They'd already cleaned up her injuries. Her hands and feet were wrapped in bandages, and they'd put an IV line in to give her liquid nutrients before her malnourishment got worse. There was nothing they could do for the bruising except let her body heal itself, and she had a particularly nasty bruise on her stomach where the punching bag had winded her.

Robin grabbed one of Raven's bandaged hands in his own, and stroked it with his thumb.

"I've already lost a friend this week. I can't lose you too. None of us can."

Starfire and Beast Boy were walking towards the kitchen, both knowing there was no way they could sleep now. Starfire was taken a back by Beast Boy's earlier outburst, but they'd all been on edge recently. She was glad he'd let some of his hurt out. Now that she thought about it, none of them had talked together about the recent tragedies. She wanted to change that, before the whole team ended up in the infirmary. Cyborg had taught her it was unhealthy to keep things to yourself all the time. She smiled slightly. She had always enjoyed her talks with Cyborg, especially the one's they occasionally had in Tamaranian.

"Beast Boy?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he replied, seeming calmer than before.

"Can we talk about... Cyborg? We haven't done so yet, and I think it would be good if we did. You are clearly upset about everything."

"Of course I'm upset Star. He was my best friend. And now, we're dropping like flies. First him, now Rae. Robin will probably be next."

Starfire sighed as they entered the kitchen. Beast Boy was being so negative, and this upset her greatly. He was no longer his usual self. He hadn't said a joke in weeks, or tried to make them laugh. Then again, she too had changed. She hadn't cooked any of her native dishes, or sung songs in her home tongue. They'd all changed, and she had to accept that. She had to accept that none of them were handling this well. But then again, how well would you expect four eighteen year olds to take it? They'd seen Cyborg fall, his circuits turn grey, and his human eye close. Not even the oldest, most wise man would take an image as hurtful as that lightly.

She was taken away from her thoughts when she heard coughing. Beast Boy was coughing rather harshly, and his nose was running slightly.

"Beast Boy? Are you well?" she asked, feeling concern for her friend.

"I think I'm getting a cold. Great!" he moaned, flopping onto the sofa.

Starfire had never had a cold herself due to her alien biology, but she'd been there when the others had suffered from the illness and knew that it wasn't a pleasurable experience. With Raven in bad shape, the team couldn't afford for Beast Boy to be out of commission as well.

"Oh no! I'll make you some soup so you don't get more sick."

"Thanks Star." Beast Boy sniffed, trying to unblock his nose a little. He figured it must have been from when he went to think on the roof in his thin pyjamas.

'Fantastic,' he thought sarcastically. 'Of all the times to get sick, right when we're most vulnerable.'

Starfire came over with his soup, which he deemed edible based on the fact that it wasn't growling at him like some of her other… creations. Thanking her, he sipped the soup, which soothed his aching throat.

Although the two had been friends for four years now, there was tension in the room. Clearing his throat, Beast Boy decided to start the conversation they both feared, but both desperately needed.

"So, Star, you wanna talk?"

To his displeasure, Starfire's face fell as tears started forming in her eyes. Putting down the soup, he pulled her into a hug, slowly rubbing her back as she sobbed into his chest.

"Shhh Star, it's okay. We've all had it rough lately." he whispered, trying his best to comfort his friend. The strength he was used to when embracing the Tamaranian was severely lacking, a thought that made his blood run cold. Starfire had always been closer to Cyborg than himself, not out of malice or discontent but because the former had always known what to say when she was confused about something - unlike him. He'd never had a way with words. He'd have to step up and be more supportive of his naive teammate, starting now.

"Oh Beast Boy. It's not fair."

"I know, I know. But there's nothing we can do. He's gone," he sighed, hating the finality of it all.

"He may be gone, but I think I know a way we can see him again…"

Robin let go of Raven's hand and sit back in his chair. Why was all this happening? She'd always been secluded, but now she was worse than ever. He knew she hadn't been out of her room for six days, but he assumed she was just grieving for Cyborg, not trying to join him wherever he was.

'Why the hell didn't I see this sooner?' he though solemnly.

Suddenly, the heart monitor started beeping faster and he heard a soft moan escape Raven's mouth. He leaned closer to her as she slowly regained consciousness.

"Raven? Can you hear me?"

"Cy… Cyborg?" she moaned groggily.

Robin's heart sank, and he grabbed Raven's hand again, squeezing it tightly.

"No, it's Robin. How are you feeling?" he asked, realising it was a stupid question as she held her head with her free hand. It was only then that she noticed her bandaged hands.

"What happened?" she asked, confused and disoriented.

"I found you unconscious in the workout room. Don't you remember anything?" he asked, not knowing himself because he wasn't there. 'I should have paid better attention to her'.

"I remember… punching and kicking… and then it all went black."

"I guess you overstepped your limits and collapsed. Not eating for days probably didn't help either."

"This is all too much. I have to go meditate" she sighed, starting to get out of the bed with difficulty. Robin immediately stood up and pushed her back down.

"No! All you've been doing is meditating! At least that's what I assume! We haven't seen or talked to you properly for days and the first time we see you you're unconscious! You're not going anywhere until we've talked, plus you're still recovering, so don't even think about getting out of that bed!"

He quickly regretted shouting at her, as Raven shrunk into herself and turned away from him in the bed, wincing as she used her bruised and battered stomach muscles. All his anger disappeared and turned into guilt. He put his arm on her shoulder in a friendly gesture, but still she ignored him. He was a proud man, but he knew when to apologise.

"Raven, I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you, we all are."

She couldn't bare to face her leader, and she couldn't even if she wanted to because her stomach hurt so much from hunger and bruising.

'Why is Robin worried anyway? Shouldn't he be more concerned about the dynamic of the team, and how the Starfire and Beast Boy are coping? They're younger and more naïve than me.' She was strong enough to handle this tragedy on her own. She didn't need anyone. Friends just leave you…

"I'm worried because you're one of my best friends, and I've only got three left. I am concerned about the team dynamic, but the crime rate has been lower recently. Starfire and Beast Boy are coping just fine because they are talking to each other and supporting each other through this hard time. You are not strong enough, because strong people don't lock themselves away and hide, but are strong enough to know they need help. You do need us, and we'll never leave you."

Robin's speech brought her back to her senses, and she slowly turned to face him. Robin helped her this time which eased her discomfort. She looked at him confused, and he softly smiled.

"Mind meld, remember?"

Raven let a small smile escape at the idea of the bond that had made the two birds stronger, and brought them closer as friends.

"Seriously though Raven, I meant everything I said just then. You are one of the strongest people I know, but I know you're not strong enough to handle this alone. We need each other, especially now."

Before Raven knew what was happening, Robin embraced her in a hug that was gentle enough so it didn't hurt, but firm enough to show he cared. Raven couldn't help but hug him back.

"You know, you sounded just like Cyborg before. He would have said the same things." she whispered, thinking back to some of her happiest memories when her and Cyborg would sit on the roof or in the garage just talking about whatever came to mind, whether it was about villains, the team, or problems either of them were having. He always gave great advice. The memory bought tears to her eyes, and she let them flow freely down her cheeks.

"Well, we're both like older brothers in that respect, and we both care about you." he replied, rubbing her back soothingly. He was honoured that Raven had compared him to Cyborg. If he could be half the man Cyborg was then he'd die knowing he'd lived a good life. "Even though he's not here, I know Cyborg is watching over you right now, and he'd be telling you to get some rest if he saw you in this state."

Raven knew that she couldn't show emotion, but she was so distraught that nothing else mattered. She hugged Robin harder than ever even though it hurt her ribs, and cried into his shoulder, soaking his uniform with her salty tears.

"I miss him," she whispered.

Robin didn't even notice the projectiles flying across the room surrounded in Raven's black aura. He just concentrated on her, and making sure she was ok. He held her as she cried and after a short while he felt her go limp. Sighing, he lay her down gently so she could sleep and left her alone.

He decided to go to her room and get her a book to read for when she woke up. Robin knew she wouldn't mind, as they'd become closer friends since The End, and she had a new found trust in him. Typing in the password, Raven's door opened, and inside wasn't pretty.

"What the hell…"

Most of the furniture was ruined and broken, the curtains were ripped, a few of the windows were shattered as glass covered the floor, books were thrown everywhere, it looked like a war zone.

'Shit. We're gonna have to replace all this stuff.' Robin thought, picking up some of Raven's books and piling them neatly in the corner. He reached for an open book that was on her duvet, and was about to add it to the pile when he saw the bookmarked page. With a huge smile on his face, he sprinted out of the ruined bedroom towards the main room.

"He may be gone, but I think I know a way we can see him again…"

When he heard Robin's voice, Beast Boy jumped and let go of Starfire in shock.

'Dude! Why the hell does he have to scare me like that!?'

He regained his composure, along with Starfire who was wiping away her tears.

"Robin, how is Friend Raven?"

"She's fine for the moment. She woke up and we talked, and now she's asleep."

At hearing the news, Beast Boy felt instant relief wash over him. Raven was like an older sister to him, and they were actually really close, but in a different way from her relationships with Robin and Cyborg. He felt guilty about what he'd said earlier, but he didn't want to lose another friend. Whenever he saw any of them in pain, he instantly felt the need to protect his family. Just because he was the youngest didn't mean he was the weakest. None of them were weak, and that always helped if one of them was in the infirmary, because it was likely they would make a recovery. But they were only human, as Cyborg's untimely demise had proved.

'Urgh, I need to stop thinking about it.'

"That's great news." he responded. "But what did you say about seeing Cyborg again? Dude, the guy is-"

"I know-" Robin quickly interrupted. "-but I was in Raven's room and found this book", he told them holding the book out in front of him. "It was marked on a page about contacting the dead." Robin stumbled on the last word. "I reckon she's been researching this all week."

"Dude! You mean we can talk to Cy!?" Beast Boy smiled for the first time in ages, ecstatic at the news.

"That is wonderful news!" Starfire joined in, running up to hug Robin. After the exchange Robin continued.

"Now guys, I don't want you getting too overexcited. I haven't even talked to Rae about it yet. She might not have even looked at it, or she might not be able to perform the spell which will make her more depressed than she already is, and that's the last thing we need right now. So please don't speak to her about it. I wanna talk to her myself."

Beast Boy knew better than to even mention such a thing to Raven. He'd get too excited and make her feel worse if she couldn't make anything happen. But he still couldn't help smiling throughout Robin's talk at the mere thought that maybe he could say a proper goodbye to his best friend. He looked at Starfire and saw that she was smiling as well. This was good news, even if it didn't happen. It still gave him hope.

"So please don't speak to her about it. I wanna talk to her myself."

Starfire's smile remained on her face, but she glanced at Beast Boy and knew it wasn't as huge as his was. He looked so happy. She was happy of course, but she didn't want to be disappointed so she'd follow Robin's advice and trust his judgement. Raven had limits and they all knew it. But it would be nice to say a proper goodbye.

"So please don't speak to her about it. I wanna talk to her myself."

And he wasn't joking. Robin was happy at the thought of saying a proper goodbye to Cyborg, but he knew that this might not happen, so he was trying to keep a clear head. His excitement had shown when he dashed out of Raven's room at lightning speed, but as he was talking to Starfire and Beast Boy, he let it sunk it that this may not be a reality. But the smiles on his friends faces made him feel better. He just hoped that they wouldn't be disappointed.

Her eyes felt heavy, and her stomach felt completely empty, so she didn't feel like waking up at that moment. However Raven's body ignored her mind and her eyes fluttered open, reacting to the harsh white light that filled the room. She felt a headache coming on, and the deafening sound of her stomach rumbling didn't help matters. Slowly turning her head, she saw that she was alone in the medical room. The others were probably talking her, she thought.

"Guess I should get something to eat." Raven mumbled to the silence, positioning herself to get out of the bed. Her muscles ached, and she found it difficult to get into a sitting position, but she eventually managed, and placed her feet on the floor. Allowing her weight to rest on her weakened leg muscles was a big mistake, as a second later she collapsed to the floor.

"Shit!" she whispered, massaging her cramped leg. Luckily, she heard someone walking towards the door.

"Hello!" she called. "A little help."

Someone heard, as the footsteps became quicker and the door opened.

"Raven! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Beast Boy. Can you help me up please?"

Raven felt Beast Boy come behind her and carefully lift her into a standing position. He supported her weight and he scanned her body for any damage. Raven could feel concern radiating from him, and she was grateful that her younger friend cared. That gratefulness turned into embarrassment as her stomach growled loudly.

"Dude! That growl was worse than mine! Let's get you some food." Beast Boy smiled. Raven kept her arm around Beast Boy's shoulders and leaned on him more as he led her out of the medical room towards the kitchen.

"Thank you."

"No problem Raven. You feeling better now, right?"

"I guess so. I just need some tea and I'll be fine."

'Is she crazy!?' Beast Boy immediately thought. 'Tea! She's practically skin and bones and she just wants fucking tea!?'

"Raven! Tell me you're joking. For the love of God tell me you've finally started to tell jokes!"

The look on Raven's face showed Beast Boy that she wasn't joking. 'For the love of-'

"Beast Boy, please."

"Please what Raven? Dig you a nice little grave right next to Cyborg's? Have you seen yourself! I'll be damned if you think you're just drinking tea."

"That's the last thing I want."

"Could have fooled me. I'll even cook you meat if it means you'll get some energy and nutrients!"

Even though Beast Boy hated meat, he knew that Raven couldn't cook herself. Her 'pancakes' were proof of that! He wouldn't be eating the dead animals and that's all that mattered. He turned to Raven and saw that she looked incredibly pensive.

"What's the matter?"

"It's just that… it's too quiet now. You and Cyborg don't fight anymore over breakfast. The sounds of the Gamestation are no longer. No one says 'Boo-ya' anymore."

"I thought you hated all the noise we made."

"I did. But now I miss it."

Beast Boy missed it too; he missed everything Raven had just mentioned. He hadn't even touched the Gamestation controller which now lay discarded on the floor slowly gathering dust. He missed not being able to get to the fridge to get his tofu because Cyborg was blocking his way. He missed the past. But as much as he missed it, he knew that for her sake especially, and before the rest of them went insane he had to look to the future. He guided Raven to the breakfast table and ordered her not to move while he started making her a full English breakfast.

"Thank you for this Beast Boy." she said as he presented the delicious looking plate in front of her ten minutes later. The hot steam from the bacon and eggs wafted into her face giving her a healthy, pink glow.

"No problem," he replied sitting opposite her with some food for himself, "but you must eat it all or you're not leaving my sight."

She did eat everything, albeit slowly, but there wasn't a crumb left on her plate when Robin and Starfire entered the room, joining them her and Beast Boy at the table. Together for the first time in days, they sat. No one mentioned the empty seat mat the head of the table despite them all thinking about it.

"Friend Raven, I'm glad to see you are again eating the foods of Earth," the alien smiled, gazing downward at the crockery. The empath's lips turned upwards. She hadn't seen her female companion smile for so long. She was interrupted from her thoughts by Robin clearing his throat.

"Raven, when I was in your room-" his eyes scoured the room, afraid to get his hopes up by her response to his observation, "- I noticed that your spell book was bookmarked to…"

"A vocal recovery spell, yes."

Robin was surprised by her gentle abruptness – and filled with hope… until he watched the demoness' eyes fall, her hair drooping around her sunken face and masking the sadness.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't work unless you've been deceased for three years. I'm sorry. I tried to find a way for us to be team again..."

Seeing the single solemn tear caress her cheek, Starfire stepped forward from her stool and embraced her before holding her shoulders at arms length and piercing her violet orbs with a look filled with such intensity, and yet such comfort, that it was like being back in the arms of Azar.

"We are still the team - just a broken one. But we can not be locking ourselves away. Any of us," the alien stared at the men across the table, reminding them that their reclusiveness - and her own- was also unacceptable. Raven couldn't help but be impressed: Starfire spoke with wisdom beyond her years. Clearly Cyborg had rubbed off on her. Robin and Beast Boy nodded in agreement.

"At least we have three years to get our acts together," the changeling murmured. "I doubt Cy would want to see us so broken and separated from each other during a time like this; we need to make him proud - show him we're alright without him, y'know?" Beast Boy sniffed, cursing this first awful week of pain.

Robin nodded, determined to not let Raven get away with blaming herself for not being able to heal the half-robot and neglecting to eat; promising to keep Starfire feeling positive instead of letting her sleep all day to avoid facing the new reality of a Cyborg-free tower; planning an evening of games and bonding with the only other male in his team with the vow of stepping up as a best friend as opposed to just a leader; knowing that after he was sure that his friends were okay he would go back to his room and shut down his research and try his damn hardest to not obsess over something that he couldn't change.

"Three years will fly by. Who knows what we'll have to tell him..."

Thanks for reading this one-shot. Please review!