Chapter 4
Starfire sobbed helplessly into her hands. Her hair covered her face as her shoulders shook helplessly. Raven stood with a numbed expression on her face, too frozen to even react.
"They can't be gone..." Star sobbed, "They can't!"
Raven didn't even bother trying to comfort her. Nothing she could say would change what had just happened. Memories of the times they spent together whipped through her mind.
Beast Boy, stealing the remote when Cyborg wasn't looking... Arguing over pizza toppings with the other Titans... Robin and Cyborg exercising in the gym... Battling Slade... Robin's disguise as Red X... Terra joining the Titans... Playing volleyball with the other Titans... Picnicking with everyone in the park... Trying to read while the boys played Game-Station... Laughing with the others... Battling villains... Watching Beast Boy create the world's largest sandwich... Having girl talks with Star, constantly being interrupted by the others... Watching bone-chilling movie marathons... Trying to convince Beast Boy she didn't want any tofu eggs... Training with Robin on the obstacle course... Hiding Beast Boy's nail clippers... Battling Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth... Helping Cyborg to recover and rebuild the 'T' Car... The beep of her communicator... Robin's voice calling out "Titans! Trouble!"... Meeting Aqualad... Being captured by the Master of Games... Dealing with the arguments and hassles living in the Tower created... When she first joined the Titans... When Robin became Slade's apprentice... When Beast Boy was abducted by a flying saucer and she was forced to be bait for an alien dog... Never again.
Her knees gave out and she dropped to the ground beside Star. A single, silver drop dripped from her eye, landing on the ground beside her. Her fists were clenched so hard she could feel her nails digging into her palms. Her hood slipped farther over her face, hiding her eyes.
A screeching noise brought her back to herself. A car was hurtling toward her and Star. Her powers nearly gone, she summoned the last of her energy and levitated her and Star to safety.
The cat squealed to a stop beside them, the door popping open to reveal...
"Oh god..." Raven breathed as Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg, emerged from the 'T' Car.
"Are you all right?" Robin demanded, holding on to a sobbing Star, who, the moment she had seen him, had launched herself at him and refused to let go.
"What happened?" Raven demanded, grudgingly excepting Beast Boy's help as she stood, "How did you get out of there in time?"
Robin shook his head. "We discovered the bomb about the time it went off. We barely made it out. If we had seen it a moment later... I don't want to think about what could have happened."
Star shakily released Robin, but leaned on him to help hold her up, "Slade told us. We were returning to warn you. We thought..." She let out another tiny sob and Robin hugged her again.
"We're all fine." He told her gently. Cyborg opened the door to the 'T' Car and Robin set Starfire gently inside, "We all need rest. We're going back to Titan Tower."
Beast Boy set Raven inside and climbed in after her as Robin went around to the front and climbed in the passenger side.
Robin reached back and gently clipped a sleeping Starfire's seat belt. After a moment, he unclipped his cape and spread it over her before clipping his own seat belt in. Cyborg glanced in the rearview mirror, watching as Raven dozed, cradled up against Beast Boy.
"Take it slow..." Robin told him as they started toward home.
Starfire sobbed helplessly into her hands. Her hair covered her face as her shoulders shook helplessly. Raven stood with a numbed expression on her face, too frozen to even react.
"They can't be gone..." Star sobbed, "They can't!"
Raven didn't even bother trying to comfort her. Nothing she could say would change what had just happened. Memories of the times they spent together whipped through her mind.
Beast Boy, stealing the remote when Cyborg wasn't looking... Arguing over pizza toppings with the other Titans... Robin and Cyborg exercising in the gym... Battling Slade... Robin's disguise as Red X... Terra joining the Titans... Playing volleyball with the other Titans... Picnicking with everyone in the park... Trying to read while the boys played Game-Station... Laughing with the others... Battling villains... Watching Beast Boy create the world's largest sandwich... Having girl talks with Star, constantly being interrupted by the others... Watching bone-chilling movie marathons... Trying to convince Beast Boy she didn't want any tofu eggs... Training with Robin on the obstacle course... Hiding Beast Boy's nail clippers... Battling Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth... Helping Cyborg to recover and rebuild the 'T' Car... The beep of her communicator... Robin's voice calling out "Titans! Trouble!"... Meeting Aqualad... Being captured by the Master of Games... Dealing with the arguments and hassles living in the Tower created... When she first joined the Titans... When Robin became Slade's apprentice... When Beast Boy was abducted by a flying saucer and she was forced to be bait for an alien dog... Never again.
Her knees gave out and she dropped to the ground beside Star. A single, silver drop dripped from her eye, landing on the ground beside her. Her fists were clenched so hard she could feel her nails digging into her palms. Her hood slipped farther over her face, hiding her eyes.
A screeching noise brought her back to herself. A car was hurtling toward her and Star. Her powers nearly gone, she summoned the last of her energy and levitated her and Star to safety.
The cat squealed to a stop beside them, the door popping open to reveal...
"Oh god..." Raven breathed as Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg, emerged from the 'T' Car.
"Are you all right?" Robin demanded, holding on to a sobbing Star, who, the moment she had seen him, had launched herself at him and refused to let go.
"What happened?" Raven demanded, grudgingly excepting Beast Boy's help as she stood, "How did you get out of there in time?"
Robin shook his head. "We discovered the bomb about the time it went off. We barely made it out. If we had seen it a moment later... I don't want to think about what could have happened."
Star shakily released Robin, but leaned on him to help hold her up, "Slade told us. We were returning to warn you. We thought..." She let out another tiny sob and Robin hugged her again.
"We're all fine." He told her gently. Cyborg opened the door to the 'T' Car and Robin set Starfire gently inside, "We all need rest. We're going back to Titan Tower."
Beast Boy set Raven inside and climbed in after her as Robin went around to the front and climbed in the passenger side.
Robin reached back and gently clipped a sleeping Starfire's seat belt. After a moment, he unclipped his cape and spread it over her before clipping his own seat belt in. Cyborg glanced in the rearview mirror, watching as Raven dozed, cradled up against Beast Boy.
"Take it slow..." Robin told him as they started toward home.