This is a long one! Enjoy :)


Starfire was underwater, the waves bobbing her body around like a rag doll. . There had been an explosion on the old oilrig. Her friends were safe from what she had seen, and she took the full blow. Her head was hit before she could fly out of the way and she fell unconscious, sinking further and further into the ocean.

Then something grabbed her wrist, pulling her back up to the surface. The air touched her wet, cold skin. Consciousness was nearing, but still out of he grasp, and she was bound and contained, unable to fight back. The ship took off, leaving her searching friends behind.

On the approach to Tamaran, the princess fully woke up. She found that she was being held captive and demanded to know why. A tall Tamaranean man stepped into her containment unit. He called himself Karras, the new king of Tamaran. Starfire asked where her parents were and why they were no longer the ruling family. Karras, shocked at this question, fed the princess lies that she had to believe. Because she didn't know any better.

They freed her, and she stepped back onto her planet happy to be home. She didn't remember the friends she left behind, the people she loved. All she knew was what she was told; her parents were killed just days before, the day she and her siblings had been captured by the Gordanian's. Karras and other Tamaranean warriors rescued her before she had made it to their ship, but her Komand'r and Ryand'r were nowhere to be found.

She began to open her mouth to gasp, but stopped quickly before the water could enter her mouth. She stopped breathing, but Tamaranean's have that ability. She opened her eyes, wide-awake, unlike the last time. The water was dark and she could see nothing. She created two starbolts in her hands as she frantically swam through the water. If she had flight, she could swim faster. But happiness escaped her at the thought of all these people dying because she couldn't save them. She grew angry, hating this man they call the Joker, and her eyes alight with green as she swam.

Over there. A black form floated deep in the water, a dark cape wrapping around it. She swam to Batman, wrapping her arms around him as she swam upward. Upon hitting the surface, her eyes found Beast Boy running along a long dock towards her with Cyborg behind him. She smiled briefly, thankful for the assistance. She swam to the dock, tossing up Batman. Cyborg nodded to her as he knelt to him, checking his vital signs.

"How did you know what happened?" asks Starfire.

"Babs." Starfire nods. Just as Beast Boy jumped into the water as a shark, Starfire dove back down.

She recreated her starbolts as she began her search again. The waves beat against her, pushing her back a little every time. Her eyes catch two figures, and she recognizes them as Jason and Nightwing; Jason has one arm wrapped under Nightwing's arms, his other arm flailing upward as he tries to swim. She swims as fast as she can, heart pounding as she meets eyes with Jason. He mouths her name before his eyes flutter shut, his body betraying him as they sink.

Starfire grabs them by their shoulders and pushes off, finding them gives her just enough happiness for a bit of flight. She propels upward faster than she had before, breaking the surface and pulling the two above the water. Swimming back to the dock where Cyborg waited, she sat them next to Batman, who was now sitting up.

"Oh thank God," says Batman as he coughs. He was shaking with the cold, and Starfire desperately wanted to get them back to the manor. Cyborg pressed his fingers to Jason and Nightwing's necks checking for a pulse. His eyebrows furrowed, and Starfire's heart stopped.

"What is it?" she asks, lifting herself onto the dock.

"Bruce, take care of Jason," mutters Cyborg. He opens the communicator in his arm and calls for Raven as he leans over Nightwing's body and presses on his chest.

"Rae, we got them," he says.

"But we do not have the Joker," interjects Starfire. Cyborg ignores her.

"Get over here quick. There's not much time." Starfire doesn't hear Raven's response, just the thump of Nightwing's chest as Cyborg pounds against it. There's a loud coughing as Jason sputters out water, chest heaving as he searches for the air. Batman sighs loudly, leaning back away from him.

A screech is heard as the black raven manifests in front of them. Raven kneels down beside Nightwing and Jason, placing her hands on them and directing Cyborg and Batman to hold onto her.

"Starfire, help Beast Boy find the Joker," says Batman with a blank look on his face. She can tell that things are looking very bad for Nightwing, and for some reason, they don't want her to be around him.

"No," she says quietly at first. "NO! You cannot make me stay away!" She lunges for Raven, but before she can reach her, blackness surrounds them and takes them away. She slumps to the deck, defeated. Tears well as a lump in her throat rises.

She looks back at the black, wavy water just as Beast Boy sprouts up. Now in octopus form, a tentacle lifts up a soaking Joker. He handed him to her before he turned back to normal and joined her on the dock.

"Is he alive?" he asks her. She looks down at him and mimics Cyborg's actions, pressing two fingers to his neck as she searches for a pulse.

"I do not feel anything," she says, moving her fingers around. Beast Boy motions for her to let him try, and comes up with nothing as well. He places his hand on the Joker's chest just as Cyborg had done with Nightwing.

"Don't suppose you have your communicator?" She shakes her head. "Yeah, mine's soaked. Can you fly?"

"Somewhat."

"Okay, I need you to call 9-11. Probably get out of East End to find a phone. It's not safe here. I'll stay with him and try to get him back."

"He is a bad man, Beast Boy," she says sullenly. "Why must he live?"

"Death isn't justice," he replies. She sighs but presses no further, pushing off the dock and heading out of the East End.

She ended up flying straight to the Gotham City Police Department and telling them, as Starfire herself, of the Joker's condition. She asked the officers who were headed to the scene to tell Beast Boy that she would wait for him at the police department.

She gave them a statement, saying that they had found where the Joker had been hiding in East End and that he had rigged an explosion that sent them all to the water. Although she refused, a paramedic examined her, but she had no injuries. Beast Boy had arrived, but it was his turn for an examination. She was escorted to what they called the break room and set at a table with a glass of water and a bag of chips from a snack machine.

She sipped her water, waiting for Beast Boy to be ready to go. She tried to push all thoughts from her mind, not wanting to think about whether or not Nightwing woke up. She twisted her fingers around in front of her nervously. When there was a knock in the doorway, she yelped.

"I'm sorry Miss Starfire," says a man in the doorway. He was taller, with glasses, graying hair and a mustache. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It is fine," she mutters.

"How are you doing?" he asks. She looks up at him skeptically. Should she be talking to him? "My apologies. I'm Commissioner Gordon. Batman asked me to check up on you." He brought his index finger up to his lips, mouthing "shh".

"Is that a secret?" she asks, confused.

"Well," he says, motioning towards the chair next to her and asking for permission to sit down. She nods. "Batman is a vigilante. We're not supposed to be friends."

"How do I know that he really did speak to you?"

"He told me that Nightwing is going to be okay," he whispers. "He's still unconscious, but they got all of the water out of his lungs." She gasped, placing her hand on her chest.

"Starfire?" She looks over at the doorway to find Beast Boy. She smiles at him, standing up to greet him.

"You are well, friend?" she asks. He nods, looking sullen. "What is the matter?"

"You guys didn't tell her?" Beast Boy asks the Commissioner.

"I haven't gotten to that," he says. Beast Boy sighs, looking back at Starfire.

"The Joker didn't make it."

"Oh X'hal," she breathes. "Batman will not be happy."

"Let's get out of here," says Beast Boy as he leads her from the police department.

"Friend, I am feeling… weak," she says, cursing the word as it fell off her tongue.

"It's been a long day. I gotcha." He transformed into some kind of large bird, one that Starfire did not recognized, and he carried her back to the manor. They went in through the batcave, hoping to see Batman there. They weren't too surprised when they didn't find him.

They walked up the stairs to the entrance into the manor, and every step Starfire took, she felt more and more tired. She knew what was happening; she was fighting her healing sleep. The Tamaranean healing sleeps are not only for injuries, but also for mental exhaustion. The resurfacing of her memories has caused a lot of distress on her body.

Beast Boy noticed the girl turning pale and wove his arm around her to guide her the rest of the way. He walked her through the manor, making it upstairs before she began to lose consciousness. The last thing Starfire saw was Raven moving towards her, her mouth forming her name.

…..

Jason sat in a chair beside the bed, elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. He stared down at the two; Starfire was snuggled into Dick's side. God, when he woke up to find that Dick wasn't breathing, he nearly considered killing himself. Sure, he was angry with his brother and his father, but he never meant for this to happen. He wanted to prove a point, to make them realize how he felt. He didn't want to lose them all over again.

He remembered being thrown into the water, dragged around by the waves, frantically searching about for anyone else. He made himself calm down, knowing that many drownings occur because people panic and try to obtain oxygen any way they can. When he found Dick, he couldn't believe his eyes. He could see the bubbles forming from his open mouth as he swam around. Jason tried to get him to calm down, but he soon fell unconscious. He barely remembers seeing Starfire before he also gave in to the darkness.

Dick had taken in too much water, but also too much carbon dioxide. The amount of carbon dioxide he accumulated began to poison his heart, resulting in its stopping. If Raven had begun healing him any later than she had, he may not have made it. If Dick wouldn't have been searching for Starfire, he wouldn't have be in the condition he was.

He shouldn't have involved Starfire in this. He felt terrible, but at the time, he was going out of his mind. When Beast Boy was carrying her limp body through the hallway, Jason's heart stopped. First he nearly killed his brother. If he had killed his brother's girl, he might as well be dead himself.

But Raven tried to explain to him what was happening. It was an alien thing or something. She needed to sleep because she had been through so much, and there was no telling when she'd wake up. It could be a day or a week, Raven said. He really just wanted Dick and Starfire to wake up so she could formally apologize.

The Titans weren't necessarily being friendly with him, but they weren't shutting him out either. They didn't ignore him if he spoke, nor did they initiate any conversations. He never had any luck making friends in the first place. And nearly killing their friends obviously didn't give him any brownie points.

Bruce couldn't even look at him, but Jason understood. First his guys shoot Selina, then his plan blows up in his face and he almost gets them all killed. When Jason found out about Selina, it was as if something was taken away from him, too. He knew what Dick and Bruce must have been feeling; he had known Selina when he was living at the manor, and they got along well. He liked her sense of humor, and the way she could pick on Bruce and Dick. When Jason had tried to visit her, Bruce had told him to get out. But he stopped by late last night when Bruce was nowhere to be found.

Selina actually talked to him, but maybe he shouldn't have been so surprised. She was the only one who got close enough to understanding him, probably because she wasn't really the epitome of a good person. She spoke to him about overcoming darkness, and how she knows it can be difficult. She's not all there yet, but she's not stealing diamonds anymore. She told him if anyone can help him, it's Bruce. But he told her that he doesn't think Bruce will be trying again with him any time soon.

God, if only he were different. If he weren't such a sick son of a bitch, none of this would've happened. Wake up from the dead, call your father. Don't kidnap your brother's girlfriend and nearly get them drowned. Bond over a cup of coffee, not at the bedside of a loved one. He was starting to realize was Dick had always been talking about. How he wasn't ready for Robin, that he was too violent and angry. This is the first time he saw the negative side effects to his anger and just what rage can do. They were right. He was never meant to be Robin. But he could make something for himself. He could start over; try again in a new light. He'd never be perfect, or even nearly perfect like Dick. But he would try. And it will all begin with him leaving his family once again.

…..

Starfire wakes up with the most terrible urge to pee. That's what happens with the healing sleep, depending on how long one is out. She inhaled deeply as she opened her eyes, but abruptly stopped. She froze, analyzing the scent she just breathed in. It smells of Richard.

"You're awake," says Raven's voice. Starfire sits up sharply, looking to the side of the bed next to her. Raven sat in a lounge chair holding a cup of tea, a small smile on her face. Starfire beamed, but then remembered the matter at hand.

"Raven, why am I sleeping on Richard?" Raven chuckled, putting down her cup.

"You kind of woke up once during your healing sleep. Your eyes were open but you wouldn't move, just mumbling 'Richard' repeatedly. You wouldn't go back to sleep until Cyborg brought you in here with him." Starfire sighed. If a Tamaranean wakes up during their healing sleep, it is to make sure they are safe wherever they are. Apparently, Starfire didn't feel safe without Richard by her side. Even her subconscious is rooting for them to be together.

"I see…" Starfire looks down at herself. She was dressed in a pink nightgown.

"When Gar brought you back, I changed you out of your soaking wet clothes.

"Bruce told the public that you, as Kori, and Dick were in a car accident. Xavier has been calling. He wants to visit." Starfire looks down at the sleeping boy next to her.

"I am not sure if that is a good idea," she says. Raven nodded, keeping narrowed eyes on her. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Just two days. You weren't at all injured. You had just undergone a lot of emotional stress, I'm assuming."

"Oh Raven. I had been kept in a cage. I believe that I had been repressing my memories of my years as a slave with the Citadel, and the experiments by the Psion's. It all came back to me; the pain, my brother's disappearance…"

"Starfire," says Raven as she takes her friends hand. "It's okay. You know we're here for you. We helped you with this once, and we'll do it again."

"When I was underwater after the Joker's explosion, I remembered some more. The old oilrig off Jump City. I caused and explosion with one of my starbolts, and I was injured. When I was in the water, someone pulled me out. I remember when I woke up; I was being held captive on a ship. Karras took me from earth. Raven, this is very bad."

"What? You already said he wasn't a good guy. That he changed you when you were back on Tamaran."

"Yes, but if Karras had successfully taken me from earth once… We are supposed to be marrying in a few weeks. I fear that-"

"He's going to try and take you back again." Starfire nods. Raven stands up from the chair, heading for Richards's bedroom door.

"Where are you going?" asks Starfire.

"I'm going to talk to Bruce. We can put in somewhat of a restraining order with the Justice League. Make sure we're on the lookout for any unidentified ships. We're not letting them get you," she replies.

"Oh. Okay. Umm, Raven?" says Starfire quietly. She turns around back around to face her before she leaves the room. "Could you ask Alfred-" but before she finishes her sentence, her stomach growls. Raven chuckles.

"I'll ask him to bring something up for you." She smiles before exiting.

Starfire sighs as she gets up from the bed, carefully so she doesn't jostle Richard. She takes fast-paced steps to Richards's bathroom. Two days of sleeping really puts stress on ones bladder.

She stands up and moves over to the sink. When she looks at the mirror, she gasps. The day that her and Raven had gone shopping, she had been wearing makeup. Now there were black mascara lines around her eyes and down her cheeks. She scrubbed her face with water, but soon opted for a shower instead.

She didn't have anything new to change into, so after her quick shower she slipped the nightgown back on. She searched through Richard's bathroom cupboards and the medicine cabinet, laughing at the amount of hair care supplies, until she found a comb. She pulled it through her long hair before going back out into the bedroom.

There was now a small table set up next to her side of the bed, where Raven's chair had been. On the table were mountains of food. She smiled at the bottle of mustard with a straw beside it.

She devoured the French toast in what seemed like seconds, moving onto the pile of pancakes on another plate. She never felt full enough, not even after she ate everything that was available to her. For a split second, she was tempted to ask for more, but just contently sipped from her mustard bottle as she leaned against the headboard.

As she drank, she looked down at Richard, sleeping peacefully. He had a bandage on the side of his head, from what, she did not know. A yellowing bruise sat on the left side of his jaw, and she trailed her fingers softly over it. She always hated it when he would return from a battle beaten, bruised, and bleeding. But he would sometimes obtain some of the scars that she thought were hot. She trailed her feeling fingers down to his shoulder, where he had once taken a bullet.

"I never asked for this," she whispered. "I should have told you what I was feeling that night, before you left. But I thought I was doing the right thing for you." She sniffled. "I wish we would have done things differently."

There was a knock on the door before it opened, revealing Alfred. He had a concerned look on his face, but tried to suppress it with a smile.

"It is nice to see you awake and well, Miss Starfire. I heard the shower running, and so I left the food out for you."

"I thank you, Alfred, it was wonderful." She realized her hand was still on Richard, and she quickly snapped it back.

"There is someone here who wants to see you. He insisted." Starfire's body stiffened.

"Xavier?" Alfred nodded. Starfire sighed. She hasn't really thought of what to say to him yet. She never fell in love with him, and now she realized that maybe she never could have, even if she really wanted to. He was such a great man, and she didn't want to hurt him, but…

"Raven asked him to leave, but he refused. If you would like, we could make him leave."

"No. That is okay. I suppose I should speak with him." She places her mustard on the table and gets up from the bed.

"Very well. He is in the foyer. I will be changing Master Dick's bandages," says Alfred as she leaves the room. She turns down the hallway and makes her way down the stairs. She stares down at her bare feet as she pads along the floor, nervous and scared. She doesn't want to make him angry. She wishes they could remain friends. But Raven always told her she was a bit too optimistic sometimes.

She takes a deep breath before turning around the corner into the foyer. She steps into the entryway, taking quiet steps as she approaches Xavier. He seems to be nervously tapping his foot, arms crossed as he gazes out one of the large windows. A floorboard creaks beneath her foot and he turns around abruptly.

"Oh Kori, thank God," he says as she lunges toward her, wrapping her up in his arms. She lets him hold her in a hug that would probably be too tight for a human girl. He releases her, but keeps a hold on her hands as he looks down at her. "Are you hurt? Raven wouldn't tell me anything."

"Nothing but a couple of scratches," she says. Which was true. Little pieces of glass from the window in the explosion cut her, but her skin is too strong for it to gash from just that.

"But you've been asleep for days."

"I was recuperating. It was a stressful situation," she elaborates. He nods, but has a strange look on his face. "What is the matter?"

"You were with Grayson," he says matter-of-factly.

"Yes. I was." She sighs.

"I thought he went back to Bludhaven."

"He did." She felt bad for giving him such short answers, but what could she say? "Kori, what's going on?" She cringes at the knowing tone in his voice.

"I am sorry," she says, and she watches his face fall. "It is not that I do not like you, it is just… I never stopped loving him." He lowers his head and drops his eyes to the ground. "You are a wonderful man, Xavier, and a great friend."

"Friend, huh?" he asks, and she could hear his smirk. "I guess I shoulda known. I mean, he is Dick Grayson."

"I see no one for their fame, but for the person beneath all of that. I have seen the person you are, and I know you can find so much better."

"What if I don't want better?" he asks, lifting his eyes to her.

"You don't deserve to be second place, Xavier." He nods and clears his throat, hiding emotion. "I am truly sorry."

"S'okay. Um, I guess I should be going then, huh?"

"I have some things I need to take care of," she says. "I hope we can still be friends."

"That's the worst thing a pretty girl can say to a guy," he says with a crooked smile as he releases her hands. She smiles sympathetically. "Goodbye, Kori." She watches him as he walks over to the front door, looking back at her before he opens it. "He's a lucky guy," he says before closing the door behind him. She sniffles, hating to hurt him so. But no one deserves that.

She sulkily walks back upstairs, hoping that she didn't make the wrong decision. What if Richard decided that he doesn't love her anymore after they had fought that night she had discovered he was Red X. She wouldn't blame him; she's the one who was making things so difficult from the beginning.

She opened the bedroom door and turned to close it. When she looked back around toward the bed, she was surprised to see Jason standing beside it. She inhaled sharply.

"Hey, Starfire," he says without turning to face her. She doesn't speak, just takes small steps to the bed. She can finally see Richard on the bed and can tell he's still sleeping.

"What are you doing here, Jason?" she asks.

"I wanted to say goodbye." Her eyebrows furrow. She takes the necessary steps to get to the other side of the bed so it sits between them as they face each other.

"You are leaving?" He nods. "Why?" He laughs.

"Because I'm a terrible person. I shouldn't be here. I'll only hurt more people."

"You are not a terrible person, Jason. I believe you are just confused." He looks up at her, his facial expression surprised. She bets he thought she would hate him. "You are feeling many things right now, yes? So you made a bad decision. At least now you can recognize that it was not the right thing to do."

"That doesn't make me any better," he says callously.

"It means you are getting better. The most qualified people to help you are your brother and father."

"But they won't want to help me. And I don't blame them."

"How do you know?" she asks. "Did you talk to Bruce?"

"He won't even look at me," he says quietly.

"Richard missed you very much. He will not like you leaving this way."

"I wish it didn't have to be like this. But I'm kind of doing this for me. I need to make something of myself, and I don't think I can do that here."

"I understand the need to prove oneself. Just do not let it get in the way."

"In the way of what?" asks Jason.

"Family," says Starfire. She locks eyes with him across the bed. "You do not want to lose them."

"I promise I'll keep in touch. I just think distance is the best thing for us right now. It'll be hard to forgive me."

"Do what you think you must, Jason. Just know that we are here for you when you return."

"We?" He raises an eyebrow at her, and she smiles kindly.

"I do not hate you. I do not even dislike. You were having a difficult time, and I believe you are overcoming that. You can talk to me whenever you want."

"You don't even know me. How can you trust me?"

"As I said, Richard missed you. That means there is something worth missing." He smiles at her, but quickly tries to hide it. She can tell that he has one of those cocky personalities. But there is a soft side to him as well.

"Will you give these to Alfred and Selina?" he asks, walking around the bed. She meets him at the foot of the bed and he holds out two small envelopes to her.

"None for Bruce of Richard?" she asks.

"I didn't know what to say…" She nods, understanding.

"I will make sure they get these," she says. He smiles at her, but it almost looks like a smirk.

"I'll be going then," he says. She follows him to the door. As he places his hand on the doorknob, she puts her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Starfire," he says quietly.

"I forgive you. Be safe, Jason." He nods as he opens the door.

"Can't even say goodbye to your brother?" asks a husky voice. Jason and Starfire look back toward the bed to find Richard trying to lift himself up. Something causes him to cringe in pain as he lowers himself back down. Starfire squeals as she runs to his bedside. Jason wearily walks toward them, Starfire kneeling at the side of his bed.

"Oh Richard! Thank X'hal!" she cries. He smiles at her, but winces once again. "You are in pain. I shall call for Raven."

"No," Richard says quickly. "Wait just a minute. I need to talk to Jason." Starfire nods, standing back up and heading toward the door. "Star, stay with me." She looks back at him, feeling her heart flutter.

"So, you're leaving?" he asks Jason, as Starfire settles in on the other side of his bed.

"I have to," Jason replies.

"No you don't. You're just running away."

"Richard-" interjects Starfire.

"That's what he's doing!"

"I'm leaving 'cause I don't wanna hurt anyone else, Dick. I nearly go you and your girlfriend killed. Wouldn't you want me to go?"

"No! I mean sure that was a pretty asshole move, but I want to help you, Jason. You're dead to the world, what are you supposed to do now?"

"Be someone else. Someone who wouldn't try to scare my father into killing my murderer. Someone who wouldn't revel in that bastard's death, even though he's the devil."

"And you can't do that here?"

"Dad doesn't want me here."

"But we do!" says Richard, taking Starfire's hand. "I listened to you guys talking. You're not a terrible person, Jason. I never thought you were."

"Look, I'm not just gonna drop off the face of the earth. I'll visit you in Bludhaven, but I think it's best if I leave. You can call me, I'll call you."

"I don't know… I feel like you need to stay here."

"I think it's time for me to make my decisions," says Jason sharply. They look at each other intently for a moment, Starfire watching their faces. They seem to be having a silent conversation.

"Okay, just promise me one thing," says Richard, taking the two envelopes from Starfire's hands. He tears them both into pieces. "Give them a real goodbye." Jason chuckles.

"I guess I should, huh?"

"Unless you want Selina to hunt you down." They laugh together, making Starfire smile. After Richard had told the Titan's about Jason and his death, she had always wished that she could have seen the two brothers together. She's glad that she finally has the chance, and that they have this chance as well.

"Here," says Richard as he reaches around to his bedside table. Starfire watches curiously as he takes out a Titans communicator and begins fiddling with it. "I've reprogrammed it," he says after a minute. "Say your name." He lifts the communicator up to Jason's mouth.

"Jason Todd," he says, leaning down to speak into it.

"Identity: Jason Todd," the communicator says back.

"What's that for?" asks Jason.

"I've just made you an honorary Titan," says Richard, handing the communicator out to him. He takes it and looks down at it in his hand. "I'll get a new one from Cyborg, and you can call me on that whenever you want.

"Thanks," says Jason wistfully, obviously surprised. "Are you sure the Titan's wont-"

"They'll trust my decision," he replies. And Starfire believes that they will. "I'll miss ya, brother."

"Of course you will," teases Jason, laughing a bit. But he sobers up and puts a hand on Richard's shoulder. "I'll miss you, too."

…..

Richard asked Starfire to make sure that Jason said goodbye to Selina and Alfred. Later that night, Alfred came to check on his cuts and Raven to do some healing. Alfred seemed sullen as he poked and prodded at him. Richard had a large gash on his side from the glass in the explosion. There was also a cut on his head from where Jason had smacked him with the butt of his gun. Raven told him about his condition a few days before, how he had nearly drowned and had so much water in his lungs. He asked how Starfire was, and Raven laughed at him. She teased him about having no concern for himself. But then went on to tell him that she was perfectly fine.

She didn't feel like it was her place to tell him about her memories. If she wanted him to know, she would tell him. She could feel a change in their emotions. Richard felt stronger, more like himself, and Raven was relieved. She could feel the love radiate through Starfire whenever she was around Richard. Raven hoped that they'd finally put everything that happened this past month aside and just be together already. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and she had a bet going.

Everyone left the room, leaving Richard and Starfire alone once again. She curled up on the bed next to him and he reveled in the feeling. Alfred had given him some pain medicine that made him drowsy. He was slowly drifting towards sleep, and Starfire could tell.

Sitting in silence, Richard grabbed her hand, pulling it up against his chest. She nuzzled into his good, uncut side and he draped his arm over her. There were so many things that could be said, but he could only think of one. They could speak in the morning because neither of them were going anywhere this time. As sleep pulled him closer into its embrace, he cleared his throat, wanting to get that one thing off his chest.

"Starfire?" he asks.

"Hmm?" He smiles, hearing that she is getting close to sleep as well.

"I love you." His chest tightened as he waited for her response. He felt the bed move as she sat up so their faces were level. She looked deep into his shining blue eyes, her green ones holding moisture. He made a sound of surprise as her lips pressed against his.

This was the first kiss they had shared in four years, but it was not eager. It was soft and kind, forgiving and beautiful. He sighed as she pulled away, looking back at him once again.

"I love you too, Richard." He smiled and pulled her back down to his chest, happy that everything is finally falling into place.


Well there's the happy ending everyone was hoping for. Reviews please! :)