Starfire had her long hair pulled back in a ponytail when she came into the gym. She rarely pulled her hair back, and it emphasized the sharp angles of her cheekbones and made her glowing green eyes stand out even more than usual. She put one hand on her hip, a show of confidence, but her feet were still firmly planted on the ground, and I knew that it was only a show.
"Robin, before we begin I have something I wish to tell you," she said softly. Great, now what? She was staring at me as though I were an opponent she was about to face, and I knew I wouldn't like whatever she was about to say.
"A suitor has been selected for me."
I swung away from her, unable to believe she would spring something like that on me at a time like this. My anger spiked again, at her, at Tamaran, at the entire universe.
"If you leave now it will only make people believe the newspapers are telling the truth," I said, a little desperate to come up with any reason to keep her here. She nodded.
"I am told his planet is very far away. I have some time left before I must depart."
"And when did you find this out?" I asked, suspicious. It would be just like her to come up with a reason to leave once she believed she wasn't wanted on Earth anymore. This news had come out of nowhere and she seemed entirely too willing to accept it. Her cheeks reddened, confirming my guess. She clasped her hands behind her back and sighed.
"It is for the best Robin. As my leader I felt you should be the first to know."
As her leader...
"Starfire, we don't even know who's behind this yet. Don't give up just because-"
"I am not doing the giving up, Robin. I am merely accepting what is. I do not belong here. My place is with my planet. I only wish to enjoy what little time remains to me before I return." And before my eyes she was slipping away from me. I wanted to close the space between us and shake some sense into her, but even all my strength wouldn't be enough against her Tamaranian stubborness. She had to want to stay.
"You will always belong here, Star. You know that." It was those words that told me how much she was trying to convince herself that this was the right choice. The Titans were a family and Starfire was the heart of that family. She had been the one to travel to the future and see what became of us if she wasn't around to keep us together. I had been frantic when she'd gone through the time warp and it closed behind her. She'd reappeared almost immediately, but for that one moment when she'd disappeared I knew how devastating it would be to lose her. The future me that she'd met, Nightwing, sure he'd been better off than the rest of the Titans, but the man she described sounded painfully like the man Bruce wanted me to become. The older I got the more sure I became that Bruce's way of life wasn't for me. I needed my friends. I needed Star.
"I guess I can't stop you, Your Highness," I said bitterly. "How long do you plan to stay?"
"A week." Her voice was so soft I could barely hear it. I knew if I turned to face her I would see tears in her eyes. My hands curled into fists.
What did she want me to say?
Did she want me to argue with her, throw myself at her feet and beg her not to go? Or did she want me to smile and pat her on the head and tell her how selfless she was for putting the world's happiness before her own?
"A week," I repeated. One week. "Fine."
There was nothing left to say after that, so we simply began sparring. I was frustrated and I took it out on her, using her strength and momentum against her. She didn't hold back as much as usual either, and I knew she was fighting for control just like I was. It didn't help that she wasn't used to fighting without her flight. Twice she tried to take to the air only to forget that she was grounded, and I sent her sprawling with a well-aimed roundhouse kick. The third time it happened though, she caught my boot in midair and swung me over her head to slam me into the padded ground with a jarring thud that rattled every bone in my body. Swirling lights flashed in front of my eyes as I fought to get my breath back.
"I am finished here," she said, standing over me. She turned on her heel and left the gym, leaving me gasping on the ground for oxygen.
I waited until the others had gone to sleep that night before I snuck down to the garage. Cyborg's alarms were easy enough to disable, and I revved the engine of the R-cycle as I waited for the garage door to slide open. The entire bike vibrated with power as I shot off into the night.
There is an underground tunnel down by the beach that led to the mainland. That was how Cyborg and I were able to get our vehicles back and forth to crime scenes. I pushed my bike as fast as it would go. Safety was the least of my concerns.
Suddenly, a voice came in over the headset in my helmet.
"Robin, are you alone? I have some information for you," said Batman in clipped tones. I nearly totaled my bike as I swerved to a stop just inside the tunnel exit.
"What did you find?" I demanded. I was still angry that Bruce had gone off to handle things without talking to me about it first.
"Your source is a child." My stomach knotted.
"His family lives in West Jump. According to his school counselor, Trevor's been suffering from severe night trauma for the past six months. She told his parents to seek professional help for their son, but instead they took him to the first reporter willing to listen to his story. The reporter's name is-"
"I know. I'm already in route," I cut him off. Vaguely I wondered how he'd gotten so much information out of the school counselor. Maybe I'd have to pay them a visit too before this was over.
"Robin," Bruce's voice was heavy with disapproval. "You are letting your emotions get in the way again. Don't-" I hung up on him. Later, I might thank him for the information. At least now I knew that the source was innocent in this. It was just the people around him trying to exploit him. I shook my head as I started my bike again. This poor kid...whoever he was... I'd rather have no parents at all than the kind who cared more about being in the spotlight than seeing that their child got the treatment that he needed. I was sorely wishing I had one of Raven's portals to hell to push them through.
I pulled into the darkened alleyway behind the West End Hotel. Abandoning my bike after setting its security features, a I grappled up to the second story where a window was cracked. Peering in, I was relieved to see that the room was empty. If I was lucky the hotel guest had gone to the vending machine. I crossed the room and made my way to the door. This part would be tricky. Jump City was used to seeing the Titans out and about, but if I wasn't careful I'd have a new string of tabloid rumors explaining what I was doing sneaking out of hotel rooms at one in the morning.
Cracking open the door I inspected the hallway for the cameras I knew were watching. Spotting it almost at once, I threw a small paintball at it, which burst and coated the lens. With my cover in place, I made my way to the elevator. If I knew this journalist, she would definitely be on the top floor. Glancing around again, I pried open the doors and fired my grappling gun to the top of the elevator shaft.
The top floor was the penthouse suite. Emerging from the elevator I could see the light on under the door. Good, that would make this easier. I walked to the door and knocked. There was a gasp from the other side, followed by a giggle.
"Mmm, that must be the champagne..." purred a familiar voice. I leaned my shoulder against the side of the door jamb as Cat Grant opened the door dressed in lacy black lingerie and a silk bath robe. Her eyes flew open at the sight of me, but her thickly painted red lips parted in a seductive smile.
"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise, the Boy Wonder himself. It's a little past your bedtime, isn't it, Robin?"
"We need to talk," I said, determined not to be distracted as her eyes swept me up and down.
"Not much of a boy anymore, are you?" she murmured appreciatively. "Surely you must be legal by now?" I scowled, not falling for her attempt to get information about my identity from me. Even something as simple as my age could be a weapon if it was in the wrong hands. Cat's hands were definitely not ones I wanted anywhere near me or my secrets.
"Baby, what's taking so long?" groaned a deep voice from the bedroom. Ugh. Cat's eyes lit up with wicked amusement while I continued to scowl. I willed my face not to redden, and for once it actually listened to me.
"Get rid of him," I said finally. She pouted at me, and I saw the beginnings of fine lines around her eyes. God, she was old enough to be my mother. Now that was an awkward thought. Not that I had a thing against older women-if it was Catwoman standing across from me I wouldn't be holding up nearly as well-but the whole aggressive cougar thing just wasn't working for me. Then again, I was sixteen years old and the closest thing I had to a first kiss was a language transfer from Starfire when she crash-landed on Earth. I was nowhere closer to getting a second kiss now than I was then, so Cat's blatant come-hither was way more than I wanted to handle.
"Fine Bird Boy, but you'd better make it worth my while," she said softly before disappearing into the other room. I slipped into the hotel room, tucking myself into a corner until her now-disgruntled guest was gone. Once she closed the door behind him she pressed her back to the door and lowered her lashes at me.
"Well...what can I do for you?"
"Let's see, Janet," I said coldly, "you can start by telling me everything you know about the alien abductions last summer."
A/N: Poor Cat, not being able to tell if Robin's legal or not. ;)