A/N: Patattack, I can appreciate that the show handled the whole Trigon thing with a bigger buildup and payoff. I'm glad you're sticking with the story anyway. Seeing as how this is a RobStar fic I didn't want to get too derailed with the Raven plot. I also want to thank everyone else for reviewing. It's great to get feedback from everyone.
"I'm going to warn you, we've just come off a round-trip to Tamaran, faced off against an alien prince, and defeated a demon overlord. We're tired, and this had better be quick," I said, leading my team into the interrogation room. It was a power play. Sparks was waiting for us, and the police commissioner was sitting beside him. They each had a yellow notepad in front of them and both looked up quickly when I spoke. The commissioner's face purpled at my words.
"This will take as long as it takes, Robin. I assume that is your given name," he added in a disapproving tone.
"It's the name I'm willing to give you," I said coolly. Cyborg smirked beside me and folded his arms over his chest. The small room wasn't really meant for group meetings, and with Starfire and Cyborg both standing at over six foot, the cramped space seemed even smaller.
"You want to watch that tone, young man? You may be a registered 'superhero' but the facts are the facts, and ever since you and your team started operating in Jump City the crime rate has shot through the roof. Insurance prices are threatening to bankrupt this city. Nearly every civilian that gets pulled over for a minor traffic infraction has to pay multiple fines because they can't afford to keep their vehicles insured when every other week you five are using cars as baseball bats to stop criminals who are only here to test themselves against you."
"Get to the point," I said impatiently. It wasn't the police commissioner's job to argue property damage with me. I had monthly webchats with the mayor about that nonsense.
"Very well," he said, tapping his red pen on his yellow notepad. He glanced down his long nose at the chicken scratch on the page, as if he didn't already have every point of attack memorized. "There are some serious allegations against members of your team concerning the alien abductions last summer.'
"Superman and Wonder Woman have both made it clear that the Titans were in no way responsible for those attacks. Next." It was hard to keep a stern look on my face when Beast Boy was cheering me on in a raised whisper.
"I was informed that Starfire would be returning to her planet to stay," he said, sling-shotting his gaze to where she stood behind me. My eyes narrowed.
"There is a rogue Tamaranean prince on the loose in your fair city, and Starfire has returned to help bring him to justice."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't she a princess? Does that not mean that this alleged 'rogue prince' is a relative?"
"Her brother, if you must know. Ironically, he's insulted that his big sis doesn't just subjugate all us weak little humans and turn us into slaves. He's been the one spreading information to the press in order to make her look bad."
"Why would he do that, Robin? What would he gain? If he discredits humans as much as you claim he does, why would he care what they thought of her?" His condescending tone was really grating on my nerves. He thought he was safe in his police station surrounded by all his cops and his procedures and protocols. It made him feel important to talk down to us.
"Because I killed our sister, who was next in line for the throne, and he wants to take everything that is dear to me in revenge," said Starfire softly. I gritted my teeth. While honest, so much truth all at once wasn't the best way to reassure this guy that she wasn't a threat. Understandably, the commissioner began scribbling away on his notepad. Sparks half rose from his chair in surprise.
"You killed your own sister? I thought the Titans didn't kill."
"Special circumstances," I said in a low voice that threatened violence if anyone pushed for more information.
"Special circumstances my ass!" cried the commissioner. "If that alien has blood on her hands then I demand to know what the circumstances were that lead to her shedding it."
The room went very still. I rotated my neck on my spine until it gave three soft, satisfying pops.
"What did you call her?" I said softly. Starfire put a comforting hand on my shoulder and pushed her way past me so that she could address the officers herself.
"My planet is not what you would call 'nice.' My older sister, KomAnd'r, orchestrated the abductions in order to capture me and bring me to a place known as the Citadel where I have already endured several years of slavery and degradation. The aliens that carried out her plans were a race known as the Psions, alien scientists who take great pleasure in performing horrific experiments on whatever lifeforms they are able to capture." Sadly, she looked down at her palm and created a starbolt the size of a softball. "My starbolts are the result of their experimentation. My siblings and I were captured when I was young. We were forced to endure the pain of having our bodies pumped full of the green energy that sustains us in order to know at what capacity the Tamaranian host cannot contain any more energy before it explodes. I have seen several of my fellow Tamaranians undergo the experiment who were unable to hold as much energy as I can. My siblings and I escaped before the experiments could be concluded, and it was then we discovered that we could project the energy from our hands in the form of starbolts. In the chaos of our escape, I became separated from my brother. KomAnd'r informed me that he had been slain. She urged me to return to Tamaran while she held off our pursuers to give me time to escape. She did not return with me. You see, KomAnd'r was born with a strange birth deficiency that denied her the red And'r hair and green eyes. Her dark hair and purple eyes were viewed as a deformity, and she was forbidden from ever taking the throne. As the next in line, those duties would go to me instead. For this reason, she vowed to destroy me, though I never knew how deeply she hated me until we faced each other that last time." There was a catch in her voice as she relived her terrible past for them. At last the commissioner seemed shaken from his smug perch. Spark's mouth was hanging open in shock at her sad tale.
"Not until recently did I learn that RyAnd'r, my brother, actually survived. KomAnd'r hid his existence. I believe she twisted his mind against me and thus he seeks revenge for her death." The entire time she spoke she kept her eyes fixed on a point above their heads, as if seeing their pity would be too much for her. I did not take her hand in front of them, but I stepped forward so that our arms brushed together to offer what support I could without making her feel weak.
"So you can see, gentlemen," I growled, "why we chose not to make this story public. What Starfire has endured for Tamaran and for Earth is beyond imaginable. Not once has she wavered in her pursuit of justice and the protection of mankind, not even when her own people and family turned against her has she ever acted against the interests of Earth. She nearly died to protect those people on that ship. And the next time I hear you refer to her as 'that alien' you'll get to see firsthand how fast I can take down a bad guy-without using a car as a baseball bat."
"Did you just threaten me, son?" he spluttered, resuming his self-righteous indignation. There was a whirring sound as Cyborg's arm formed into his sonic cannon.
"Personally, I thought he made himself pretty clear."
"You accused Starfire of making an attack on Cat Grant's life. Why?" Raven cut across our posturing with her usual impatience. The air around her was cooling rapidly. The cops seemed to notice for the first time that she wasn't wearing her customary navy blue robes. Sparks looked like he wanted to comment on it, but thought better of it.
"Ms. Grant was attacked in her hotel room last night. The assailant entered through the window, burning their way in with what forensics concludes must be starbolts, and proceeded to set fire to the apartment before escaping through the roof of the hallway outside her door."
"Dudes, do you have any idea how many flamethrowers there are out there? Just because someone tried to roast her alive doesn't mean it was Starfire," Beast Boy exclaimed. Sparks scowled.
"The security camera posted in the hallway outside her door shows that the assailant was roughly six-foot three with long red hair. They were wearing a cape similar to the one that Raven normally wears. They were moving so fast there's only a second or so of footage, but it was enough to conclude that we were in fact dealing with a Tamaranean."
"Don't you guys get in trouble for racial profiling?" Cyborg asked in a too-innocent sounding voice. That barb wasn't lost on the two policemen, but they both realized that they had made a mistake and weren't up to taking the bait that time.
"How is Ms. Grant?" Starfire asked. "Was she hurt?"
"She sustained only minor burns. The smoke incapacitated her, but help arrived in time to get her to safety," the commissioner said begrudgingly. I nodded.
"That's good to hear," I said. His eyes shot to my face.
"Don't think I haven't seen the footage of your escapade in that hotel room," he spat. Smug, I folded my arms over my chest and sent him a level stare.
"Remind me again how old you think I am and how old you know she is. If you honestly believe anything happened in that hotel room between us, shouldn't you be threatening to cart her off to jail as a sexual predator instead of throwing accusations at my head?"
"Don't think for one minute I believe your innocent act, Robin. I know damn well how many women and girls throw themselves at your feet. They treat you all like rock stars."
"Really?" Beast Boy perked up. Raven smacked him in the back of the head to shut him up. I smirked.
"So what do we do about RyAnd'r?" Officer Sparks asked before Beast Boy could say anything else. The Titans exchanged look.
"You won't do anything. He's coming for Starfire and we'll deal with him."
"You're not going to just walk into my city and tell me how to-"
"What kind of chance do you think you and your men have against a Tamaranean sociopath?" I said wearily. "Let's get one thing straight: the Titans are here to stay, and we will protect this city with or without your approval. Understand? You need us, whether you like it or not. Titans, let's go home."
A/N: Finally we've got the police off their backs. The officers might not be happy with them right now, but no more accusing them of crimes they didn't commit. Hooray! I know this chapter retreads a lot of old ground, but I felt it was necessary to show the police's reaction to what they've been through.