When Danny went to open the shop the following morning, he wasn't surprised to see Rachel standing by the door, tea in hand for both of them. She gave him a small smile and waited for the door to open to hand him his tea.
"Thank you." Was all she said before he nodded at her.
"We have a long day ahead of us, the pastries will be here soon, and there's dusting to do." He was by no means brushing her off, but trying to distract her. She shook her head and walked to the counter as his phone vibrated. He looked down with a frown while her back was turned. When she turned back toward him, he was slipping his phone back into his pocket. Rachel sensed a wave of frustration pass through him before he looked at her and calmed down.
"I think you can head out a little early today." Rachel looked at Danny from the pastry cabinet she was next to. Danny wasn't looking in her direction so she couldn't read his expression.
"Are you sure?" He nodded as she stared.
"Been a slow night, I think I can handle the rush." Danny said as he motioned to the two people in the store. Danny watched her take her hat from behind the counter and put it on before noting the time for her schedule and heading out the door.
Not a half an hour after she left, Danny closed the shop a little earlier than normal. He gave the customers who were still browsing a free pastry and a coupon for discounted books later. As he shut the door behind them, a black car pulled up outside. When his back was turned to the door, the bell above the door jingled.
"Sorry, I'm afraid we're closed for the night." Danny froze when the voice answered him.
"I'm not here to browse the books."
Starfire was walking through town to try and find the bookstore. She was having a little trouble finding it from on the ground, but she was too troubled right now to find the joy to fly. She was fairly certain she found the right block when she noticed a black car pulling away from the shop after a tall gentleman with graying hair climbed inside. Starfire saw Danny frowning before he turned and walked into the bookstore. She was curious as she crossed the street, as she had never seen him in a foul mood.
Star tried to open the door of the shop, but it was locked, so she knocked on the window. The door was thrown open and Danny appeared with an upset expression.
"I told you, I do not need anymore of your…." Danny shut his mouth and stared at Star.
"Hi." She gave him a small nervous wave. "Are you okay, friend Danny?" Danny didn't say anything as he stared. Star's small smile faltered, and Danny blinked twice before a smile showed up on his face.
"Hey Starfire, sorry, I didn't realize it was you." He opened the door and motioned for her to step inside. Star walked through the door and looked around the shop. There were some papers on the floor by the counter, but otherwise the store looked the same as the last time she was here. She walked over to pick up the papers and put them back on the counter. Danny snatched the papers from her hand and tucked them under a pile of books.
"Sorry, that's personal." Star nodded her head and rubbed her arm while looking away.
"It is okay, I am not sure why I came here. You have been so kind to us lately, and I thought I might find some help. But if you are busy, I can leave." Danny shook his head and motioned for a chair near the pastry counter.
"I just wasn't expecting you. Have a seat, we'll talk about whatever is puzzling you. Would you like a drink?" Star nodded and sat down in the chair offered. Danny went behind the counter and made her a hot cocoa with whipped cream, he added cinnamon to the cocoa before walking over to Star and handing the mug to her. Star inhaled the scent of the cocoa before blowing on it to cool it.
"I do not understand why I feel this way. My sister is in town and I just feel out of place." Star gripped the mug, and stared into it while Danny sat in the chair next to her and listened. "It is not a bad thing that she is here, I think. But she can do the cool things that I cannot, she knows the cool moves, and she can talk to the team like I cannot."
"Hey, you can do all kinds of cool things too. You can do things I can't do, just like she can do things you can't do. Nobody is exactly the same." He felt bad that Star was feeling like this, and had a memory of Tucker feeling the same way. "You are Starfire. You are not your sister, you are not the others on the team. You are perfect, just how you are."
Starfire stared at him, with tears in her eyes as she gripped the mug. "Friend Danny...I thank you." She drank the hot cocoa in one gulp and put the mug down. She started to float out of her chair and hugged him, causing Danny to stiffen up. Star releases him and spun in a circle. "I feel so much better! I shall plan a night of movies and food for my friends. You are welcome to join us." Danny rubbed the back of his neck, and stood up.
"I don't know Star, why don't you head home? I still have to clean up a bit here." Star nodded and flew to the door. She waved as she went out the door and Danny locked the door. He walked back to the counter and pulled the papers out from under the books.
"I won't let the fruitloop take more of my time. I needed his help, but not anymore." Danny ignites the papers in his hand with a green fire and cleans up the shop before locking up for the night.
Danny was almost home when his phone vibrated. He noticed it was Rachel's number.
"Starfire's sister invited us to a party in a warehouse, want to come?" Danny was about to reply when he thought about Star earlier, and how sad she was about her sister. He replied that he would go, and to send him the address.
He looked around for people before turning invisible and taking to the air. Danny landed a couple streets down from the warehouse and looked for people before dropping invisibility. Danny walked out and looked at the warehouse pumping music and blaring lights into the streets. Rachel messaged him that they were almost there and to meet them at the doors. When he walked over there, Star was staring at the sidewalk and everyone else was chatting amongst themselves.
Danny observed the only person he hadn't met yet. She looked like Star, dressed in Star's clothes, but she had the smuggest look on her face. She noticed him and walked over to put a hand on his arm with what he assumed was supposed to be a seductive face.
"Who are you? I'm Blackfire." Danny noticed Star turn around so he moved away from Blackfire and to Starfire.
"Star, what happened to the movie night you were gonna throw?" Star looked at him with a confused look and pointed to Blackfire.
"My sister suggested we come here, and everyone else agreed so I came along." He looked at her with sympathy while Blackfire stared at him with barely disguised anger. Blackfire marched towards the doors of the warehouse with a strut in her step, and threw them open.
"Step aside, Earthlings, the queen of the galaxy has arrived!" The other titans move after her, while Raven notices that Star and Danny were talking in the back. Star got bumped into and Danny held an arm out to prevent Star from falling over or getting bumped into again. Raven left the group to find a quiet corner to get away from the thumping music and pushy people.
Blackfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were dancing to the music, trying to get Robin to dance with them as well. Raven had found a goth boy to talk to about life, and Danny and Star had taken drinks to the roof and were talking.
As they are talking, the door opens and Robin walks out. "Are you guys going to join us downstairs?" Danny looks at him and then back to Star. "What's wrong Star?"
"Nothing is wrong. The pounding music and blinding lights are quite enjoyable." Star forces a smile, and looks at Robin. Her smile drops and she slumps her shoulders. "I am not enjoying this party." Robin goes to answer her when Blackfire floats out of the window and over to him.
"How do I look?" Robin looks at her and shakes his head.
"Pink. We're in the middle of something." Blackfire frowns when the music changes and she squeals.
"I love this song!" She grabs Robin by the arm and pulls him into the door. Danny shakes his head and looks back to Star. As he looks at her, he becomes aware of a flash of light behind her.
"Star! Look out!" He pushed her out of the way as a probe flys past where she just was. The probe strikes Danny with a tentacle, sending him flying past the neon sign.
"Danny!" Star yells and charges a starbolt before flying at the probe. "You will not hurt my friends!" She shots the starbolt before tackling the probe off the roof. As she flies past the windows to the ground, Raven notices and heads outside. Beast Boy and Cyborg also notice before pulling Robin away from Blackfire and running out back as well. Danny picks himself off the roof and turns invisible before flying off the roof.
He floats down to the alley to see Star punching the probe while a second one flies up behind her. An energy beam shot the second one, as Cyborg shouted and Beast Boy rushed into the alley. A third one flew over the side of the building and toward Star so Danny flew at it and punched it backwards. He flew through the probe, and it sparked before falling to the ground, immobile for the time being. Danny looked back in time to see Robin throw a birdarang at one of them, before Blackfire flew over all of them in time to shoot lasers at the remaining two probes. The probes exploded and fell to the ground, useless.
"Oh yeah!" Cyborg yelled.
"Nice shootin Tex." Beast Boy added.
"How did you know how to stop them?" Robin asked while looking at her suspiciously.
"Lucky shot?" Blackfire shrugged.
"Maybe you oughta join the team?" Cyborg asked, holding up a hand for a fistbump.
"Me? A teen titan?" Blackfire looks over her shoulder at Starfire. Star gasped and Danny frowned. Raven felt Danny's energy and looked in his direction, only to notice he was invisible to any normal person. She had a small frown on her face, and Danny noticed.
Star was sitting on the roof of the tower when Danny opened the door of the stairs. "Hey Star, Robin said you were up here." She looked at him and then looked back over the waves.
"She will be a better titan than I was." Danny sits next to her and shakes his head.
"I don't think so, Star." He looks out at the stars. Star grabs the bag sitting next to her and floats up off the roof. "Are you sure about this? You can head to the bookstore for the night if you want." She smiles sadly at him and nods when the door opens.
"You're just gonna leave without saying goodbye?" Robin walks over and Star dips back down to the roof.
"Robin, I…." The wind whips around them as a ship rises over the edge of the roof. Danny stands up as Robin drops into a fighting stance. The alien standing on top of the ship and fires a tentacle at Star, knocking Robin out of the way before wrapping around Star and pulling her toward the ship.
"Star!" Danny and Robin both yell at the same time. Robin runs after her and jumps off the edge of the roof. Danny runs after him, Robin misses Star and starts to fall off as she struggles to escape. As Robin falls, he watches Danny jump after him, and reaches his hand out for Robin. Danny catches Robin and starts flying after the ship.
"Who are you really?" Robin yells up at Danny.
"Can we talk about this later? Star is in trouble." Robin nods as Danny speeds after the ship.
"Prepare to leave Earth orbit. We have the Tamaranean girl."
"Nobody is taking her away. My friend stays here." Danny drops Robin onto the ship and lands next to him. The alien standing by Star turns to them and shots the tentacle out towards Robin. Danny jumps to the side, and Robin runs toward the alien.
While Danny ran towards Star, Robin was dodging the alien trying to hit him. The tentacle shoots out and hits the engine as Robin dodges.
"No!" The alien driving the ship yells. "I can't control it!"
Danny pulls the tentacle off Star's face and pulls her through the shield. "I got you!" He yells and pulls her along towards Robin. Star grabs Robin's hand and flies to the ground with Danny close behind as the ship crashes.
"Friend Danny, you can fly!" Star stares at him, Danny rubs the back of his neck.
"Let's discuss that later, please don't tell anyone." The smoke clears and the aliens climb out of the hole the ship dug across the beach.
"Get ready." Robin drops into a fighting stance facing them.
"In the name of the Grand Centauri Empire, you are all under arrest." Beast Boy, Cyborg and Raven run up as the Centari flashes a badge at them.
"You can't be the good guys, we're the good guys."
"And we are the Centauri police. The Tamaranean girl is a liar and a thief. She's committed high crimes throughout the entire Centauri system."
"I have never been to the Centauri moons." Robin looks at her and the necklace around her neck.
"I know someone who has." Star stares at the necklace then gasps. "You've been chasing the wrong girl." He throws the offered necklace to the Centauri. "Where's Blackfire?" Beast Boy points up to a speck flying through the sky. "She won't get away with this."
Starfire takes off in a cold rage. "No she will not." The gang watches her take off after Blackfire, then looks at each other. Danny watches Star take off and doesn't take his eyes off the specks of the girls fighting. The Centauri work on righting the ship with the help of Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven. Robin stands next to Danny and watches the girls as well.
"Who are you really?" Robin doesn't look at Danny as he says this.
"I'm just Danny." The boys stop talking as Blackfire crashes towards the ground and the Centauri grab her with the tentacle.
"Blackfire of Tamaran, you are under arrest."
Starfire waved at Blackfire. "Farewell, sister! Although you did betray and attack me, it was...still very nice to see you."
"Next time, it won't be so nice. I will get out of jail, little sister, and I will get even!" The Centauri get Blackfire locked away and leave Earth.
Danny looks at the titans. "Can I get a lift home?"
"Dude, how did you even get here?" Cyborg asked him. Danny shrugged.
"Star was in trouble, I wanted to help." Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven all stared at him like he was crazy. "I do need to head home though. I can find a way back if you can't get me a lift." He rubbed the back of his neck and avoided eye contact. Robin shook his head.
"Raven can send you home, if she wants." Raven nodded and prepared to send him home, Star flew forward and hugged him.
"Thank you for the assistance, friend Danny." She pulled back and floated back by Robin. Raven looked at Danny.
"Ready?" She asked and Danny nodded. Raven teleported Danny back to the store since she didn't know where he lived.
"Looks like I am in trouble now. No going back from this, Robin will not give up until he finds out everything." Danny walks home with his hands in his pockets.