Author's Note: Woohoo! This is my first long-ish chapter that didn't actually have to be merged with another chapter to acquire its length. I'm so proud of myself. Unfortunately though, I'm still writing several chapters ahead of this one... and I'm now stuck. :o Cursed writer's block! I'm gonna have to do some brainstorming... I sure hope I can figure something out within a few months so I don't catch up with myself :P I'm also looking back on these chapters and thinking... "oh geez, I could have written these way better." Bah. I'd appreciate reviews to let me know how I could do better for the future and improve on my writing :) But anyhoo, on with the story.

Chapter 7: Cravings

Robin sat at his desk, countless papers piled up in front of him, studying each one meticulously. He had been at this for weeks, since Slade's cryptic threats aimed at Starfire. He carefully looked for clues, anything that could explain his appearance or his plans. Every time the Titans left the tower for any reason, Robin insisted on being beside Starfire for every moment. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. Even the rest of the team had gotten more protective of their little alien girl.

Starfire stood silently in the doorway, watching Robin hunched over his desk, staring at his work intently. She knew why he was so worried, Raven told her what Slade had said shortly before Starfire arrived at the scene. She had something to offer.

Starfire's thoughts turned to that dream from some weeks before. The mysterious voice had told her the same thing. But it didn't sound like Slade. It had a familiar tone, a familiar wickedness, but its identity was hidden. She shook her head. It had to be a coincidence. And it was only a dream. Since then, she had consistently had dreams that closely resembled the one from before. She was always utterly alone, trapped in a pitch black abyss, and absolutely helpless. She merely laid there, staring off into space, waiting for the nightmare to end. Which it always did. She would wake up with a start, still beside Robin in their bed. She hadn't bothered telling Robin of these dreams anymore. They were always in the same place, bringing her to that room nearly every night. She didn't want him to worry more than he already did. Besides, she was getting better at coping with them, she wasn't as noticeably exhausted afterwards. She told herself she could get through this on her own, without unnecessarily troubling the others.

Robin still didn't notice Starfire's presence, sifting through a few month-old newspapers. She quietly approached him from behind, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. He shuddered slightly in surprise, but then laid his hand on top of hers, continuing to read.

"Robin, you have been doing 'the searching' all day. Dinner is nearly prepared, will you join us?"

Robin shook his head. "No, Star. I need to figure this out, no matter how long it takes." He withdrew his hand, picking up another paper. After Starfire didn't reply, he glanced up at her, seeing the sadness written on her face. He looked down at his lap, sighing.

"Okay, okay. I'll come. I could use a break."

Starfire beamed. "Thank you, Robin!" She pulled him out of his chair swiftly, managing to knock it over. He squeaked in minor shock as he was dragged to the common room.

"I have retrieved Robin!" Starfire stated triumphantly as she eased up on her tight grip of his arm. He rubbed the area sheepishly.

"There you are, dude. Never thought you'd come out of there." Beast Boy commented. Robin ignored this remark.

"What's for dinner, Cy?" Robin asked, sitting down on the couch, a little huffy.

"Don't ask me…" Cyborg motioned towards Starfire, who stood there looking very proud of herself. Robin raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

"Hehe, yes! I have had the cravings for some of my home planet's delicacies, so I insisted that I prepare tonight's meal!" Starfire practically bounced up and down in excitement.

The Titans couldn't help but grimace, remembering the last Tamaranean feast they had attended. Starfire's engagement dinner several years back had scarred them all, but they decided to suck it up and let her cook for them. It was the least they could do, they knew she felt homesick sometimes, and she could use a little taste of home after the things that had been happening to her.

Robin gave the bubbly alien a smile. "That's awesome, Star." He realized this was likely why she was so downhearted when he had declined her offer at first. Ever since they had started dating, she was always so eager to share her culture with Robin, since he had always been so good about explaining Earth's culture to her.

Around twenty minutes later, the Titans were gathered around the table, anticipating Starfire's grand unveiling. Starfire walked over, juggling a bunch of silver platters.

"Please friends, enjoy! I have obtained the ingredients for the glorg directly from the finest food establishment on Tamaran! My k'norfka always took me there as a child." She grinned wide as she set down the dishes in front of the Titans, her mouth watering at the thought of her creations. She ceremoniously lifted the covers from the platters, the interesting smells of Tamaranean cuisine wafting through the air. The table was overflowing with gooey, speckled, slimy, unfamiliar textures.

Beast Boy swallowed hard, suspiciously eyeing the multi-colored blobs that sat in front of him. He poked one of them, and screeched as it popped, spewing a strange substance all over his face. He spit at it, vigorously wiping it off. Raven elbowed him for his childish behavior, glancing at Starfire, who was watching the team expectantly. He looked up at her as well, smiling apologetically.

"Weeeell. Let's dig in!" Cyborg said hungrily, rubbing his hands together, trying to decide where to start.

As Cyborg began shoveling food into his awaiting mouth, everyone else timidly picked at the foreign materials. Starfire giggled, satisfied, and sat down in her reserved seat, beside Beast Boy and across from Robin. Before Beast Boy could examine the dish to his right closely, trying to determine if it was a meat or a vegetable, Starfire had already downed it, greedily munching on its contents. The Titans had been able to experience her race's crazed table manners the last time they witnessed such a feast, but this time she was alone in her fervor, Cyborg unable to mimic her ferocity.

"Um, Starfire… you can slow down… this isn't a competition." Raven said, watching as Starfire devoured her meal at such a rate that would make one believe she hadn't eaten in years. Robin stared at her helplessly as the food in front of him continued vanishing.

"But this is… so glorious!... I am… famished!" She muttered between bites. Keeping their eyes on her, the others managed to grab a few pieces of food before she could claim them.

Within fifteen minutes, the feast that had taken Starfire days to prepare had disappeared. She sat back in her seat, sighing happily. "Ah, that was lovely! I could keep eating it!" Everyone stared at her in disbelief, even Cyborg, who had been defeated by her exotic foods.

"More!? I don't think I'm ever eating again!" Cyborg said, clutching his metal belly. He groaned, trying to fight the sickness that was threatening to make the food come back up.

"Indeed. Strangely, I do not yet feel satisfied." Starfire patted her abdomen. It was obvious she had eaten practically a mountain of food, her belly being a bit distended.

"I think you've had enough…" Robin remarked, wondering where she had put it all. He knew Tamaraneans had nine stomachs, but Starfire was still a pretty skinny girl despite that.

"Oh, but was that not fantastic?! The glorg was just how I remembered, expertly squeezed and perfectly gelatinous!" She exclaimed, already missing its taste.

"Dude, please don't ever say the word 'gelatinous' again!" Beast Boy said, cowering beneath the table.

Cyborg burped uncomfortably. "Man, I gotta go lay down. See ya'll in the morning." He rose from the table, appearing almost top-heavy, stumbling to the door.

Starfire's eyes watched him worriedly. "Have I caused him to be ill again? I had not wished for that to happen…"

"Oh, he's just fine. I think I'm going to go too… thanks for the meal, Starfire." Robin gave her a peck on the cheek. "You know where to find me." As he walked away, Beast Boy appeared from under the table, roaming towards the hallway without a word, a look of horror plastered on his green face, leaving Starfire and Raven alone at the table.

Now that all of the distractions had ceased, Raven's disconcerting feeling made a reappearance. Her senses detected something not right about Starfire, similar to that night after her and Robin's marriage. She looked at her from the corner of her eye, watching her gather the empty plates and clean up the table. Her sloppy eating habits had left behind a pretty impressive mess.

"Starfire?" Raven asked uneasily. She was having difficulty ignoring her uncertainties, so she decided she would try to figure it out while she had this opportunity to be alone with Starfire.

"Yes, friend Raven?" Starfire replied, placing some dishes into the sink.

"Have you been feeling… odd, lately?"

Starfire looked up thoughtfully, almost as if she had to consider it. "No… not really. Why do you wonder?"

"I'm just concerned, that's all." Raven appeared calm, but on the inside she was pleading for Starfire to give her a more helpful answer.

"Thank you! But I am alright. I mean, besides the… um…" Starfire's voice faded away, remembering that she didn't want to reveal her troubling dreams.

"Besides…?"

"Oh, it is really nothing. I am great! And I apologize if my meal was inadequate. Beast Boy seemed rather… well… afraid of it." Starfire mentioned, trying to change the topic. Raven sighed.

"No, it was good. We appreciate you making it for us. We're just new to your foods. I'm going to go meditate, I'll see you later." Raven headed towards to the door, nodding in acknowledgement to Starfire's friendly wave goodbye. Never mind, I'm really just going to ignore it. I don't want to push her, Raven thought as she approached her room. I think I'm just paranoid.

Starfire stood in the middle of the kitchen, unsure of what to do. Why do I still desire more food? Did I not just eat enough to fill an entire adult flarnop? She looked at the fridge longingly, where she had stored some of her extra prized glorg. Perhaps just another few bites…

Robin ambled down the hallway after another hour or so of scanning for evidence, tucked away in his room. He couldn't help but wonder why Starfire hadn't checked up on him, which she usually did every once and a while. He entered the common room, on a mission for a glass of water, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Starfire sitting cross-legged on the floor beside the fridge with a large bowl placed in her lap. She was frozen, staring at him, stuck in mid-chew.

"How could you be… how long have you… how much did you…" Robin couldn't complete any of his questions, gaping at the unusually hungry girl.

She swallowed her mouthful loudly. "Um… well, I… I did not want this glorg to go to waste. It retains its peak freshness for a very short amount of time!" She stuttered, trying to explain her monstrous appetite. Robin gave her an odd look.

"That's a big bowl, Star… have you been down here ever since we left?" Starfire nodded guiltily. Robin shook his head, peering inside the bowl to see that it was now almost empty. "Okay, come on, you really need to stop. I'm glad you like your glorg and all but don't you want to save some for later? You're gonna eat yourself sick."

Starfire moaned slightly. "I guess I do not feel perfectly well. I will stop." She struggled off the floor, putting the little bit of glorg that was left back in the fridge. She really wanted to finish it off, but her better logic told her to just consent to Robin.

They both went to bed within that hour, Robin finally concluding his search for the day and Starfire feeling exceptionally sleepy with her overly full belly. She let her eyes close, Robin's arms draped over her waist, and returned to the mysterious white room to wait for the morning.