CH. CINCO.

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Recap

With another smile, I left my Robin to finish talking to Cyborg, and went out the door.

Chapter 5

As the happiness passed, I felt myself walk to my car in a daze. I had just seen and talked to Robin. I was ecstatic, knowing I would see him every day now, but I was worried about him meeting Marie. I know they'll have to meet sometime, but I just don't want it to be soon. I still have to work out the new mess my life has become because of seeing Robin again. He was now Richard, just like I was now Kori, but in my head he would still be Robin. I'd call him Richard, but my mind would call him Robin, no matter what.

The first half of the drive to the daycare passed by without me remembering a single thing. I was thinking about the new situation I got myself into, which explains why I was like that. It's proven; old habits die hard.

If only I had paid more attention to what happened with the team after I had left. If I had, I wouldn't be surprised, I wouldn't have seen Robin again, I wouldn't have applied to Wayne Enterprises, choosing to safely stay away.

But I hadn't, and now this is the price I pay. And I can't suddenly quit, I have a good paying job, and I don't want to ruin it. I'll just have to deal with it and suck it up.

I sighed, thinking back to why I never looked at the news when they appeared. It was just too painful, seeing them on the TV or on the front cover of a newspaper, knowing I should be there with them, helping defeat Slade and other villains.

I know they tried to make the best of it with me gone, since I was needed, just like everyone else, but it just wasn't the same. All five of us had a purpose, an asset that helped when we worked together. Robin with his acrobatics, Cyborg with his technology, Beast Boy with his ability to shape-shift, Raven with her magic, and me, Starfire, with my strength. We were part of a well- oiled machine, and when I left, the machine just wasn't the same.

I shook my head as I reached a stoplight, not wanting to think about it. It just hurt too much, dwelling on the past. I was already arriving at the daycare, and I had to be happy for Marie. Forcing a smile, I walked out of my car and walked to the entrance.

I walked in and found Marie sitting down on the floor, playing with the toy blocks, looking like an angel. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion and looked around, searching for Jessica. When I spotted her, I found her calming some other kids down, since they were very hyper. I went to where she was and tapped her shoulder.

"Hey, Jess. I'm here. What happened?" I asked. Marie did something, I know she did. I just don't know what.

She turned around and sighed in relief. "Thank God you're here, Kori!" I smiled and looked around, noticing some things were out of order.

"What did she do," I asked, sighing. Jess gave me a sympathetic smile.

"Well, when it was snack time, we gave the kids goldfish crackers with a juice pouch," I groaned, already knowing where this was going. She stopped talking, and I motioned with my hands, telling her to continue.

"Marie started bouncing and ate it all in a minute, then downed the juice. She then got more juice pouches when the girls and I weren't paying attention, and gave them to the kids. Naturally, the kids became hyper and it took almost half an hour to calm them down. Marie started climbing on the shelves, tables, desks, and started running from one corner of the room to another. We were busy calming the others down, so we couldn't calm her down, too. That was when I called you. She's fine now, she leaped off the table she was on and went over to the blocks a few seconds after I called you. She's been there ever since."

I listened to Jess in silence, and when she was done, I looked over to Marie. She was calmly laying blocks on the floor and making something I couldn't see. I sighed, and said, "Jess, I'm sorry. Just never give her anything with the smallest bit of sugar and this won't happen. Just give her fruits and water, and you'll be fine."

Jess smiled and nodded. "Ok, then. From now on, it's only fruits and water for Marie. I now know from experience to never give her sugar."

"Now," I said, gesturing over to Marie, "I'm going to take the little devil home." I said the last part with a smile.

She nodded, and then asked, "But aren't you supposed to be at work? We can keep her here the rest of the day if you want. It's no problem."

I shook my head. "No, I already excused myself for the day. It's my first day off." I smiled, and continued, "And I know you're too tired now to deal with how hyperactive my daughter gets." I smiled. My daughter. I looked towards her again, and I saw that she was done with whatever she was doing with the blocks and was calling me.

"Good luck with the rest of your day, Jess," I said, moving over to where Marie was.

"Thanks, Kori! You too!" I smiled her way, then turned towards Marie.

"What do you have there, sweetie? Can mommy see?" She was hiding her work, so I couldn't see it.

She giggled a bit, before nodding. "Okay, mommy." She moved out of the way, and it took all my self-control not to gawk at it.

Marie had made a small replica of the Titans Tower from the blocks, somehow finding white blocks to frame the outside. She was even holding an action figure of Starfire in her left hand, and in her right, she was holding one of Robin. Right next to her were the other toy figures of Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy.

The only thing I could think of at that moment was, 'How did I get such a smart daughter?'

"It's the tower on TV, mommy! Do you like it?" She giggled again and lifted the two figures she was holding. "Look, mommy! Starfire and Robin! I don't know the other names, though." She looked towards the rest of the team and shrugged.

I smiled gently. "This," I said, picking up Raven, "is Raven. She can heal people and use magic. This," I picked Cyborg up, "is Cyborg. He can fix anything and he's a doctor, too." I picked up Beast Boy. "And this is Beast Boy. He can be any animal he wants to be."

Marie listened closely, and when I finished, she asked me, "Mommy, how do you know so much?"

It was an innocent question; every child has asked their parents the same one because they think their parents know everything. But it still shocked me.

"I know because I'm older. That's why." I smiled and ruffled her black hair, and stood up. "Now let's go home. Put those blocks back where they belong, Marie." She nodded, and picked them up, putting them all back in a little basket. She took my hand and we walked over to the front desk.

"Hi, Kori!" Selena, or Sel as we call her, said. She was pretty, having bright blue eyes and slightly wavy dark brown hair that was shoulder length.

"Hi, Sel," I told her, smiling.

"So, I heard today was your first day of work at Wayne Enterprises. How'd that go?"

"It went fine, actually. I didn't have a chance to actually work, though, because this little girl interrupted me." I picked Marie up and spun her around, making her laugh and scream, "Mommy, let go! Mommy!"

I chuckled, and then let her go. I put her on the ground and signed the papers that would let me take Marie home. "I have the day off now, so I'm going to take this little daredevil to the park," I said while signing.

"That's great! It would get the rest of the energy out of her system, too."

"Yes, it would. And I need to relax for a bit. Resting on a shaded bench in the park would do me good." I smiled, just thinking about it. It was perfect out, there was a slight breeze and there were occasional white, puffy clouds in the sky.

She nodded, and took the papers and pen out of my hands. "It would. Everyone needs a little break from life every once in a while." She smiled at me and nodded towards the door. "Now go and enjoy the day, Kori."

I smiled back and said, "Thanks Sel and I will." With that said, I left the daycare and walked to my car with Marie next to me. I buckled her in her seat and sat down in the driver's side. I drove away from the daycare, and when we stopped at a stoplight, I looked through the rear- view mirror at Marie.

"Marie," I started slowly, using a tone that meant she needed to explain. "What happened?" I slightly feared the answer, praying to X'Hal that she hadn't developed her powers yet.

She began fidgeting in her seat, and finally told me, "I climbed on the shelves and on the tables, and I was doing flips and stuff."

'She inherited Robin's acrobatic ability,' I thought.

'Of course she did! She is his daughter, is he not?' Starfire said.

'Shut up, Starfire,' I thought.

"What kind of stuff?" I asked Marie.

"Um, cartwheels and handstands, mommy." I sighed, and started driving again, since the light turned green. I turned left to where the park was, picked a shaded spot near the playground, and got out. I unbuckled Marie, and then looked her in the eye.

"I'm not mad, sweetie. Just don't do that again, okay?" She looked happy, relieved I wasn't mad.

"Okay mommy!" She then giggled and asked me, "Can I go play now?"

I nodded, grinning, and then let her get out of the car. She immediately ran to the swings, and I walked after her, watching. I sat on a shaded bench close to the playground and kept an eye on my daughter.

I smiled. Every time I look at Marie, I'm reminded of Robin. Her black hair, bossy attitude, pale skin, and flexibility are reminders that this beautiful girl is also his. She was half and half, since she had my caring personality, glowing green eyes, some unconscious habits, and possibly my powers, too. I felt a slight breeze, and closed my eyes for a few seconds, savoring it. I opened my eyes again and saw Marie staring at me curiously. She had her head tilted to the side and was blinking, much like how I'm told I look when I'm confused/curious.

"What are you doing, mommy?" Marie asked me. She got closer, stopping right in front of my knees, and looked up at me. I picked her up and put her on my lap, hugging her close to me. She hugged me back immediately, her little arms wrapping around me.

"Just thinking, honey. Just thinking," I murmured into her hair.

"Mommy, can we go home now?" She asked me.

"Why, you don't want to play anymore?"

She shook her head. "Nope. I'm tired. I want to sleep." I nodded, and I put her on the ground and stood up. I was about to walk, when I felt Marie tug on my pants. I looked down and said, "What's wrong?"

She blushed, and then raised her arms with her head down, and I immediately understood. She wanted me to carry her. I smiled and picked her up, putting her on my hip instinctively. I kissed her cheek and told her, "Don't be embarrassed. You'll always be my little baby, Marie." I hugged her again, and then walked to the car. I put her in her seat, all buckled up, and drove away to the park. I looked at the time, and saw that it was already 12:43 in the afternoon. No wonder why Marie was so tired, it was way past her naptime. The sugar in her system had delayed her being tired, but apparently she wasn't hyper anymore, and wanted to sleep. I stopped at a stoplight and looked at her through the rear- view mirror. She was already asleep, her head resting on the seatbelt, her expression peaceful. I smiled, seeing her sleep, and began driving again when the light turned green.

When we arrived at our apartment, I turned to Marie, and found her still sleeping. As I was taking off the safety belts, she woke up. She looked around sleepily, confused, and I caressed her cheek, smiling.

"Hi, baby. We're home," I told her gently. She looked at me, and smiled, still half asleep. I picked her up in my arms, closed the car door, and carried her up to our apartment.

I put her in her new bed, which she had acquired a few weeks ago. She had insisted, saying that she was too old for a crib. I smiled at the memory, remembering how much she had argued to get the bed.

I put the covers over her shoulders, turned off the lights, and closed the curtains. The light from the sun still illuminated the room, even with the curtains drawn, so I didn't turn on the nightlight.

I went to my room and slipped into my bed, too tired to change into my pajamas, and went to sleep myself. It had been a pretty eventful day. After seeing the unveiling of my statue, seeing Robin again, hearing Cyborg talk to Robin, leaving my first day of work and getting the day off in the process, and going to the park all in one day, all I wanted to do is curl up and sleep until tomorrow. I drifted off to sleep thinking about Robin.

~tTt~

I woke up and looked at the clock on my bedside table. It said it was 5:54 in the afternoon. I sat up and stretched, then got up. I left my room and checked Marie's to find it empty. I walked into the living room and found her curled up on the couch, watching TV. I smiled, and went over to sit next to her.

"Hey, sweetie. What you watching?" I asked her. She turned to me and grinned.

She pointed to the TV. "Look, mommy! Raven is talking about Starfire!"

My eyes widened, and my head whipped around to look at the TV. There she was. My old teammate and sister. Raven— or Rachel Logan, as it said her name was— was talking, staring into the camera. It felt as if she was looking straight at me, and I shivered.

"Starfire was like a sister to me." She paused, and then continued. "We had powers that were similar, since they are controlled by emotions. That helped us bond. And since we were the only girls on the team, we had to be there for each other."

"She was always very excitable, very happy. She was the one that kept the team's spirits up when we were feeling sad. I had been the first one to notice that she was gone because I had gone to her room to ask her something. When she didn't answer after a few minutes, I opened the door myself, and found that she wasn't there. Everything was in its place, but the window was open. I called Robin, and he called Beast Boy and Cyborg, to see if they had seen her at all. We were all impacted greatly when she disappeared, but I think Robin took it the hardest. They had started dating a few months before, and he was in shock. I miss her, and even though I know there is an extremely small chance that she may still be alive, and I lost hope of ever seeing her again, there's still a little spark of hope in me that believes she's alive and healthy, and she's just been hiding."

She sighed. "But it's wishful thinking, and she's most likely dead. And because this is the sad truth, I say rest in peace, Star. We all miss you and love you, from Cy, BB, Robin, and I."

She then hung her head, and the image changed, a reporter appeared, and said, "That was Rachel Logan, also known as Raven, part of the Teen Titans. She came in to talk about the beloved Starfire, her speech representing what the other members of the team had to say. She came to speak in behalf of her teammates, saying all she had to say about her missing friend. Good afternoon, and enjoy the rest of your evening." Then the screen went black.

I stared at the TV in shock, my mind still not comprehending what I had just seen or heard. Raven had just been on national TV, talking about my disappearance. The whole time, my eyes were glued to the screen, looking at Raven's face after four years. She was obviously older; some worry lines had appeared over the years, but there was still some resemblance to the sixteen year old I had known. Her words were what kept my eyes on the TV, though.

'She thinks I'm dead,' I thought. 'They all think I'm dead.'

'Robin does not! He thinks we are alive!' Starfire said.

'Do you think I want to risk him actually knowing we are? I'm not ready to talk to any of them yet, even though I'm forced to talk to Robin because of work. And I still have to think about Marie. Who knows how he'll react when he knows he has a daughter. I don't want my daughter to know anything about our past, Star,' I thought back.

'You do not want Marie to know about me?' She sounded hurt.

I sighed mentally. 'I don't want her to get sucked into the mess everything became when I left. Because I know she will, whether I want it or not. I wish I could tell her about my past, but I can't without having her ask questions like who her dad is. It'll be inevitable.'

This time, Star kept quiet.

"Mommy?" I felt a tug on my sleeve. "Mommy?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at Marie, who looked concerned.

"Yes, honey?" I asked.

"Are you okay? You looked at the TV and wouldn't stop staring at it." I bit my lip and looked at the TV again, noticing it was off. Marie must've turned it off after Raven stopped talking.

"Yes, I'm okay. I was just thinking, sweetie. I'm fine." I put on a smile and faced her, trying to sound reassuring. She apparently believed it, because she relaxed and smiled back.

"Okay, mommy." She then got a twinkle in her eyes, much like how Robin's eyes would when he found something interesting.

"Mommy, do you know everything?" Marie asked me, looking up at me curiously. I smiled.

"Well," I started, still smiling, "I know enough. What do you want to know?"

She grinned and told me, "Tell me about Starfire!"

It took all my self- control to not react to that. I looked away and took a few deep breaths.

"Mommy?"

I turned around to look at her again, and smiled. "You want to know about Starfire? Why, honey?"

She shrugged. "She's my favorite Teen Titan, mommy." I smiled down at her.

"Okay then. Why is she your favorite? If you answer this question, I'll tell you everything I know, okay?" I wouldn't tell her I was Starfire. I would tell her what I knew about her, as I was a different person.

Marie looked up at me, eyes shining, and nodded. "She's my favorite because she reminds me of you, mommy. You're my hero, and she's my hero, too."

I smiled at that. She was so sweet sometimes. "Okay, Marie. Now, what do want to know?"

She paused for a minute, thinking it over, and then asked, "Where is she from?"

"She's from Tamaran, a planet far away from here. She was the princess." I told her.

"Why did she leave her planet if she was the princess?" she asked curiously.

"She left because her people didn't want her there. They didn't want her to be queen, and tried to put her in jail."

Marie looked confused. "Why wouldn't they want her to be queen?"

I remembered the reason why, and I had to keep my anger down. "The people wanted Starfire's sister, Blackfire, to be queen. They thought Blackfire was good and Starfire was evil."

"Was Blackfire good, mommy?"

"No," I said, trying to force the anger out of my tone. "No she wasn't."

She looked deep in thought after that, which looked a little a little strange on a three year old face. I took the opportunity to look at the time on the DVD player, and saw that it was 7:48. I had been here in the living room with Marie for over an hour, and I just noticed.

I glanced at her and said, "Marie, it's time to go to sleep." She looked at the clock, and her eyes widened when she saw the time. "Go to the bathroom and I'll start your bath while you brush your teeth, okay?" She nodded and raced off.

I walked after her and found her putting the toothpaste on her brush. I walked over to the tub and started the water, and by the time it was filled halfway, Marie had finished brushing her teeth.

I stepped out of the bathroom so she could get in the bathtub, and I walked to the kitchen to make us some sandwiches before falling asleep. After making them, I went to watch TV, steering clear of any news channels. I did not need any more stress. I settled on watching some cartoons to pass the time.

A few minutes later, Marie came into the living room, already dressed in her PJ's. She her hair was dripping we, so I went to the bathroom to get a towel. I dried her hair out, and in the meantime, Marie ate her sandwich.

"Mommy, I'm tired." Marie suddenly said, yawning. I nodded and went into the kitchen to get her a glass of milk.

"Here sweetie," I told her, handing her the glass. She grabbed it with both hands and drank it down quickly. I put the glass in the sink afterwards and went to sit next to Marie on the couch.

"Mommy, are you okay?" I turned my head to look at Marie, and found her studying me curiously.

"What do you mean, Marie?" I asked her.

"You look worried about something, mommy." I shook my head, all the while thinking, 'Never underestimate the perception of children.'

"I'm fine, Marie. I'm just thinking about work, honey. Don't worry." She still looked unconvinced, but let it go. She smiled tiredly and yawned.

"Mommy, I'm tired," She said. I smiled myself and stood up, motioning over to the rooms.

"Then come on, your room is waiting." She giggled and stood up, walking over to her room. I followed her and tucked her in, turning on the nightlight. I kissed her head and left her room, heading for the kitchen. I ate my sandwich, took a shower, and put on my pajamas, sliding into my own bed.

It had been a long, eventful day. Seeing Robin again, listening to Cyborg, picking up Marie, and seeing Raven on TV, today was a busy day. Now all I want to do is fall asleep, and not wake up until tomorrow. And that's what I did. I slept until the morning of the next day.

And I did, but that doesn't mean I slept peacefully.

AAAAANNNNNNDDDDDD that's a wrap! :D I'm SO sorry, but I went to Mexico again, and this chapter was having problems, since I had writer's block most of the time. But I updated, right? That's something. :P
The next chappie will probably come out in two weeks, since I have CST's to do next week.*shudders* I hate those tests.
Hope you people liked this chapter, and review! It makes meh happy. :) People who don't have accounts can review too! I accept 'em all. :DDD

TOODLES!x)