She looked beautiful in green.

She looked beautiful in everything, to be more precise. But there was something about that olive green dress against her golden-tanned skin that made her look even more delicious than usual. It clung tightly to her curves and fell to about the middle of her toned calves - it looked like she had taken the fabric and poured it over herself, the way it accentuated her body but still looked classy and tasteful at the same time. Her flaming red locks were up in an elaborate bun-type twist-thingy. It looked like it had taken her ages but he knew better than that. Star never needed more than a few minutes to throw her hair up into something sexy that looked like it had taken her three or four hours to accomplish. Her make-up was subtle, with the only standout being her dark lipstick that made him want to bite her lips off and save them for later.

He took in all of these details in the few seconds it had taken him to close the gap between them. From the moment he had spotted her, standing at the entrance of the temple and speaking in soft tones to the people entering before him, it was as if time had stood still, allowing him to drink in the sight of her. It had been entirely too long since he had been free to just look at her.

Then she turned her head in his direction and icy blue orbs met pools of emerald green. He knew he was looking straight into his eyes, even through his mask. The world crashed back down on him again, bringing with it memories of longing, sorrow, and the inevitable wisdom that comes with both. He didn't remember running to her, but very suddenly she was gathered in his arms.

Silence pressed in on them from all sides as those around them backed away to give them space. Tamaranian and Titan alike knew enough of the pair's history to appreciate the importance of this moment.

He felt her heart beat wildly against his chest as he held her tightly to him. He would have gladly remained in this moment for all of time. Her breath hitched in her throat as she fought back a sob, covering the noise by burrowing her face into the crook of his neck. How long had it been since he had held her like this? Had she always fit into his embrace so perfectly? Of course she had. They had always fit each other like puzzle pieces, from the very start.

He hadn't expected that to change in her absence...but he had also allowed himself to forget how damn good she felt when she was pressed up against him.

Finally, she pulled away. He looked into her eyes and she smiled softly at him, moisture pooling around her bottom lashes and making her look more breathtaking than ever. He cleared his throat and choked out the first words that made their way out of his mouth -

"You look good in green. You should wear it more often."

At this she smiled more broadly and turned back to the entrance of the temple. After a long moment she spared him a glance and said "it was his favorite color."

He was relieved to see her smile as she made the statement, but knew from the way her body was tensing up that she was in great pain. He continued to stand with her as she returned her full attention to her duty of greeting the guests as they arrived.

Diplomat after Tamaranian Diplomat made their way inside, bowing respectfully to their Princess and speaking to her in soft tones before continuing inside to find seats. Titans arrived sparingly at first, then in large groups. Starfire hugged each one of them and accepted their kind words, ignoring the discomfort of the Tamaranian guards on standby who bristled at the thought of physical contact with a royal. Under normal circumstances, Starfire would have respected the rules of her people, but today was different. Today, Starfire needed all of the physical contact she could get.

Finally the rest of the original Titans arrived. Cyborg walked through the doorway first, and as soon as he spotted Starfire he closed the distance and had her in a warm embrace. Her feet dangled as he squeezed her tightly and spoke words of love and encouragement. Starfire giggled and wiped a few stray tears from her eyes as he put her back on the ground and stepped aside for his fiance Sarah to make her way over. The girls hugged tightly for a moment, and Nightwing saw Sarah squeeze Star's hand as a few more tears rolled down both of their cheeks. Sarah had only met Galfore a handful of times, but he had always been kind to her, and she knew that he had grown to love Cyborg over the years, much as he had the rest of the Titans.

Beast boy - now known to most as The Changeling - bounded over to Star next and also picked her up, twirling her around once and kissing her noisily on the cheek. Nightwing frowned a little bit at his friend's seemingly uncensored energy at such a somber event, but he relaxed a little as the man continued on to take Starfire's face gently in his hands and kiss her quietly on the forehead, pulling her back again to look into her eyes and say something that made Star cry in earnest and lean into his chest for a few moments before composing herself once more and pulling away with a watery smile. Raven stood to the side, watching her husband comfort her best friend and doing her best to keep her face from betraying the deep sorrow she was harboring inside.

Most of it was Starfire's. She had always been able to channel Starfire very clearly due to her friend's emotional openness. But a fair amount of it was her own to bear. She had loved Galfore, not only because of his kind heart and fatherly countenance, but because of how much love he had always held for Starfire. Galfore had always gone above and beyond to protect his precious bumgorf and make sure that she was happy and well-taken care of. Over the years, as Raven had begun to love Starfire like a sister, it became impossible not to love Galfore almost as much, for all that he was willing to do to help Starfire and her friends. Because of this, Raven felt a deep loss that was entirely her own on top of channeling Starfire's grief.

Raven knew that no words could help, and that none were needed. She hugged Starfire for several long moments, and felt both of their emotions as they raged and stormed inside of them. As their contact lengthened, the storms inside of them began to move in rhythm, and a certain amount of peace was felt between the two of them as they broke away wordlessly and smiled at each other through their tears.

As the group moved inside to find seats, Richard checked his watch and turned to Starfire, his heart heavy at the sight of her. She had never looked more lost. She smiled absently, but the absence in her eyes revealed that she was really miles away. Her hands fidgeted and her neck and shoulders were far too tense. She was having an extremely difficult time.

Leaning in so that only she could hear him, he said "can you stop fidgeting? You're making me nervous."

She gave a soft giggle and tried to relax. Furrowing his brow, he considered her again.

"Star, be honest. Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Are you just saying that?"

"Yes."

He sighed, and told her that he was going to go find a seat. She nodded at him absently, and he risked a quick kiss on the cheek as he ducked away. She hardly seemed to notice.

Walking into the temple he took stock of the beautiful stained glass windows and rigid wooden pews. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought he was in a Catholic church. The only difference being that there was no ceiling.

Spotting where the original Titans were seated, he signaled to Beast Boy to save him a seat and quickly went through one of the other exits, so that he didn't have to pass Star again and explain himself...there was something he had to do. If he was being honest with himself, he had known that he was going to do it from the moment he had first seen Starfire at the entrance.

Pulling out his communicator and quickly dialing The Oracle's number, he briefly took notice of the fact that the ceremony was beginning inside. He'd have to make this quick.

He made it back inside just in time to see Starfire finishing up her short speech. She was crying silently, but her voice never wavered and he had to credit her impossible emotional strength for not failing her at a time as painful as this. She spoke fondly of the way she and Galfore had grown so close. She credited him with raising her to be the peaceful, tolerant woman who was a better and fiercer warrior because of it. She spoke of her last memory of him, and it was at this moment that her words finally became too much and she had to take a second to collect herself before thanking everyone in attendance and walking gracefully back to her seat at the front of the crowd.

Nightwing and the others were seated on the opposite side of the aisle, about eight rows back from Starfire, but that didn't keep him from watching her throughout the rest of the ceremony. He knew by the way she held her shoulders and her body language that she cried almost throughout the entire funeral, stopping every now and then but succumbing to grief once more after a few minutes of solemn reflection.

It broke his heart over and over to have to stop himself from calling out to her. It drove him crazy that he wasn't by her side holding her as she wept. Why had he sat so far away? Why had he ever thought that he would be able to handle being anything more than within arms reach of his beautiful Starfire when she so clearly needed his strength and his support?

The rest of the funeral passed by without Starfire making another sound. Words of wisdom were spoken in Tamaranean as the officials (monks? priests?) moved through the traditional funeral ceremony and prepared the body for its final flight.

They prayed, they chanted, they annointed, and Nightwing grew increasingly restless as he watched the back of Starfire's head and read her like an open book. At one point, Raven reached over from the other side of Beast boy and grabbed his hand, and at once he felt a soothing calmness wash over him. Furious, he wrenched his hand out of her grip and the two glared at each other. Nightwing knew he must be driving her crazy with his internal struggle, but he had to let himself feel this. He had to work himself through this.

Raven broke away from their staring match first and Nightwing saw her eyebrows raise as she returned her attention to the ceremony. Nightwing followed suit, and realized that Starfire was no longer in her seat. She was standing over the body of Galfore, gazing at his face one last time. It was time for the final flight, and this was the climax of the funeral - as well as of Starfire's grief.

After a few intense moments that felt more like days than they did mere seconds, Starfire took off with a cry of sorrow, carrying with her the pyre that held Galfore's body. Almost in unison, the entire congregation stood to watch Starfire climb higher and higher, her battle-cry echoing off the chamber halls and sending chills down most of their spines. Once she got high enough, she let the pyre float on its own.

After a minute that felt like an eternity, Starfire used her eye beams to light the pyre on fire and directed it towards the sun. Galfore's final flight would result in him returning his energy source to X'hal, and remaining with his loved ones always in the form of their life-giving energy.

As the burning pyre drew closer and closer to the sun, Starfire slowly began to drift back down towards the temple. Her eyes never left her beloved Galfore, but somehow she managed to land at the front of the congregation, very near to the place that she had been seated throughout the funeral.

All at once, the Tamaraneans in attendance began a long chant of some kind, which Nightwing guessed was some sort of war-related battle cry, chanted to honor a fallen soldier. Some of the Titans looked around, startled by the sudden noise. Others were comforting each other and looking around to find familiar faces and ascertain whether or not they should move or remain where they were.

But Nightwing had eyes only for Starfire. Almost no one noticed as he deftly made his way out of his pew and weaved through the Tamaranians now flooding the aisle, still chanting for their departed Grand Ruler. Finally, he reached Starfire, and without a second thought he grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around - fully intending to hold her against him as tightly as possible.

Almost as though his touch had brought her to life, Starfire let out a sob and clung to him without question, her knees giving way as he brought her into his embrace. He followed her down and pulled her into his lap, holding her and rocking her as she mourned the only father she had ever known.

Richard sat up a little straighter and held back a yawn as he took in his bearings. He was in Starfire's sleeping chamber, and the woman in question was currently nuzzling into his chest. Vaguely he smiled down at her and tangled one hand in her luscious red hair which had been hastily taken down from the elegant twist of earlier and now spilled over her naked back and his (just as naked) abdomen.

The last few hours had passed in a whirlwind. He tried to walk himself back through everything that had happened as he absently trailed kisses along Starfire's temple and up into her hairline.

After the funeral, there had been a great feast. Most of the other Titans had elected to return home after the official ceremony had ended. The only non-Tamaraneans who remained were the rest of the original five, as well as Sarah. Starfire had looked at Nightwing quizzically as they proceeded into the banquet hall. Upon hearing the news of Galfore's passing, he had assured Starfire that he would never miss the funeral in a million years, but that he would have to return to Bludhaven for the next patrol immediately after. She hadn't questioned this, the arrangement made sense to all. But now that he showed no signs of leaving, he knew he'd have to come clean.

"I, uh, arranged to have the next few shifts covered so that I could stay a bit longer...if you want me here, I mean." He had explained awkwardly, not quite meeting her eyes. In the silence that followed, he risked a glance at her and saw that she was frowning at him slightly, apparently deep in thought.

"Babs does not mind your absence?" She finally asked, just as awkwardly.

He stifled a groan. Of course she knew that he and Babs had started dating again. Even though he had never officially told her, he should have known that Star would have picked up the news eventually. He admired the fact that she had no malice in her voice when she asked. Although it didn't exactly surprise him, Starfire had always been pretty fair when it came to matters of the heart. He knew she loved him enough to put his feelings first, and if he had found another woman who made him happy she would never hold that against him.

But he and Babs were only casually dating, at the very most. Sure they were physical upon occasion, and he certainly enjoyed her company just as much as he had always had, but they didn't discuss the future. They didn't label their relationship and they were hardly exclusive. In the months after Star had left, Nightwing had found himself craving companionship. He and Babs made sense. They had known each other for almost their entire lives, and had always gotten along and been attracted to one another. He loved Babs. He had always loved Babs. But in the wake of his break up with Starfire, he didn't have it in him to start up a new relationship. The idea of making a solid commitment was too much for him at the moment, and she had understood his predicament with little explanation. He didn't have to explain or deny his lingering feelings for Starfire, and Babs - bless her - had barely even questioned him when he had phoned in the favor earlier.

"Hellooo handsome," Babs purred into the communicator upon answering Nightwing's call. "I didn't expect to hear from you for another hour or so at least. Are you already headed home?"

"Hey Oracle," Nightwing said stiffly, nodding his head politely at a couple of passing Tamaraneans regarding him curiously on their way into the temple. "'Fraid not, and that's actually why I'm calling..." He paused, wondering if Babs would care or not that he was about to ask her to help him spend time with his ex.

"You're not coming back tonight, are you?" Babs voice lost the purr, but she didn't sound nearly as disappointed as he had expected.

"No, I need to stay here...I have to make sure..." Nightwing trailed off, wondering why he felt so strongly that he belonged on Tamaran with Starfire.

"I get it. She needs you. Just...give her a hug for me, will you?" Nightwing tried to keep his surprise out of his voice.

"Thanks, Oracle, I really appreciate it. I should be back tomorrow but let's just say the next two patrols to be safe. And -" Nightwing had automatically switched into his hero mode, but Babs cut him off before he could issue too many orders.

"Yes, yes, Mr. OCD I got it. I've been doing this for a while. Just get in there and take care of our girl." Now he couldn't help but be shocked. How had he managed to find two women who were so ridiculously understanding. Perhaps sensing the cause of his silence, Babs spoke more softly, saying "I know you care about her Dick. I've always known you still loved her. I'll take care of everything, just make sure Star is okay."

"Thank you Babs. I'll give her your love." Although he hated using their real names over communication lines that could at any moment be compromised, he appreciated her kindness and understanding, and knew that a moment as tender as this needed a softer approach than his typical all-business demeanor. He ended the call and pondered things for just a moment, before turning and hurrying into the church where his best friend and love of his life needed him desperately.

He smiled at the troubled look on Star's face. Of course she didn't want to feel like she was coming between him and a woman he was seeing, no matter how much she had needed his continued support. He put his hand on the small of her back and looked ahead as they continued to walk slowly forward with the rest of the guests.

"No, Star. She doesn't mind at all, and in fact she sends her love." He felt Star's posture relax a little, and after a moment she reached over and linked her arm through his.

"Then I thank you, Richard, I find your presence most comforting. I am quite happy that you are here." He tried not to let his chest swell too much at her words, and silently cursed the butterflies that had started flitting around his stomach at her touch.

He also decidedly ignored the subtle cough behind him that was most certainly Raven covering her desire to laugh at the unadulterated excitement that was coursing through his veins.

The feast was a Traditional Tamaranean affair, and the gang had long-since learned how to behave. Although most of the food was unfamiliar to them, there were a few dishes that they had recognized from Star's many attempts at introducing them to her native cuisine. Once the edible plates were discovered, Raven, Cyborg, Beast boy, and even little Sarah had shed their earthen customs and jumped up to fight for their fair share along with the rest of the guests. Nightwing jumped into the fray at first, but after getting his hands dirty, had hung back to sit with Star, who he had realized was hardly eating.

This was vaguely concerning, as he'd seen Starfire put away as many as eleven pizzas in one sitting during her time on earth, but he didn't mention it. Instead he enjoyed sitting with her and granting himself little touches as they chatted. A hand on the thigh here, a grazing of their arms there as they reached for their goblets of zorkaberry wine. The tingle that traveled from his finger tips all the way up his arm as he brushed a few stray pieces of hair back from her face. He enjoyed the slight blush that moved briefly across her cheeks as they found themselves looking into each other's eyes in silence for more than a minute. He had really, really missed looking at her.

More than a few times, Starfire was approached by a Tamaranean diplomat who wanted to pay his or her respects. Excusing herself from their conversation, she would stand and chat with them for as long as they wanted. Never losing her patience with the many memories of Galfore shared with her, and remaining the picture of elegance as she moved through the small crowd who all wanted more than a moment with their beloved Princess.

This was when Nightwing really couldn't get enough. He loved watching her greet friends and acquaintances, family members and distant relatives with unwavering respect and kindness. She was hurting more than anyone, but she knew that it was her duty to be strong for her people, and she played the part wonderfully. He couldn't help but think back to the frightened, lanky alien that had first landed in Jump City and caused mass havoc as she fought to evade being captured and delivered to the Citadel. The years had treated her kindly, and she was now wise beyond her age and beautiful beyond reason. He took a moment to wonder if he'd ever be able to love her any less than he did in this moment, less than he had always loved her. But with a small smile at the thought, he knew that he would never be able to shake the butterflies, the nerves, the impulsive need to protect and comfort her. He had felt it since that first time she had kissed him, and he didn't doubt that he always would.

He decided he didn't mind.

The feast continued on for a couple more hours, during which the entire party got progressively more incoherent as palace servants brought out pitcher after pitcher of the tangy zorkaberry wine. Having had almost nothing to eat, the potent drink made it's way rather quickly through Starfire's system, and after a while she was leaning into Nightwing's side, suffering from a rather extreme bout of hiccups.

Giggling heartily, the pair flirted and continued to drink as their friends, who were also drunk, exchanged furtive glances and nudged each other knowingly when Nightwing snaked his head around Starfire's waist and left it there.

"S-Star, you g-gotta stop with those-" Nightwing began. Starfire's hiccup cut him off and the two fell into another fit of uncontrollable giggles. After a while, Star righted herself and turned to Nightwing with wide eyes. Immediately worried, Nightwing asked her what was wrong. She broke into a wide smile and said "I know what will cease the hiccups!"

Without explaining further, Starfire grabbed Nightwing by the hand and took off through one of the large, open windows, rocketing the two of them into the warm night sky. Nightwing was thrown off only for a moment before his reflexes took over and he reached his arm up to grab Starfire's other wrist. How many times had they flown through the night in the trapeze hold this way? He couldn't even fathom a number, but the familiarity of the moment tied his stomach up in painful knots of longing. Swallowing the lump that was suddenly in his throat, he looked up at Starfire and for the millionth time that day found himself lost in her beauty.

She looked perfectly calm, and her eyes were only slightly out of focus as she guided them through the air effortlessly. Her hair began to loosen and large curls were now falling around shoulders and framing her face with unintended beauty. She seemed not to notice that she was being studied, and he watched in fascination as he witnessed the thoughts flash across her face as she began to slow down. She smiled in earnest as she brought them to a complete stop. They had reached their destination.

Tearing his eyes away from her face, Nightwing looked ahead to see where Star had taken them...and nearly let his jaw drop.

They had reached a beautiful waterfall that fell at least three stories into a serene little lake. Nightwing knew that Tamaran's wildlife reserves had long been depleted, and so he wasn't surprised to find that the waterfall was surrounded by nothing but magnificent cliffs. Layers of caramel, white, and even pink wound spectacularly all along the walls of the clifffs and continued on beneath the mouth of the waterfall and into the lake. Starfire slowly took them over the lake to edge of one of the cliffs and set Nightwing down gently before landing beside him noiselessly.

For a moment, the two stood in complete silence, side by side, overlooking the beautiful sight of the trickling waterfall. Then, without warning, Starfire plopped down and began to untie her intricate sandals. Although he thought he knew what she was up to, he crouched down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. She paused at his touch, returning his gaze.

"Yes?" She asked. Innocently and simply. Gotta love it.

"Uhh, Star? What are you doing?" Nightwing choked out, both anticipating and fearing her answer. She raised a brow at him before standing up, and he rose with her.

In one fluid motion she reached down and pulled her dress over her head, loosening up more curls to bounce down her back and standing in front of him in nothing but her bra and panties. Nightwing's knee's buckled as he fought to keep his eyes on her face. Suspecting his dilemma she gave him a cocky little smile and said, "I am going swimming."

It took him only a milisecond of hesitation before he sat down and started pulling off his shoes and socks in a frenzy. In less than a minute he stood with her on the edge of the cliff, in nothing but his boxers and his mask, which she reached up and peeled off his face without a moment's pause. He didn't protest, and after tossing his mask onto the pile of their clothes, she took his hand and closed her eyes, enjoying the warm breeze that brushed past them and tousled her hair just slightly.

"Ready?" She asked, peeking one eye open at him. He grinned like a madman and gave her hand a squeeze. In unison they jumped from the cliff and hurdled towards the water waiting to greet them at the bottom of the cliff.

They had enjoyed the warm waters of the lake for a little over half an hour before they began to enjoy each other more. Light touches gave way to frenzied squeezes. Friendly pecks disappeared into hungry kisses. They had long since beached themselves, and Richard groaned as Starfire's weight pressed in on him. The water lapped at their feet as he rolled them and settled himself over her, pulling her hair the rest of the way from her bun and losing his ability to form coherent thoughts as he reached for every inch of her at once.

"Oh, Richard," she purred, "I want you. Please." Her hands found the edge of his boxers and toyed with the elastic, ready and willing to reach for him if only he'd say the word.

As if she had to ask.

He moaned his assent, and felt his mind go blank as she fondled and teased.

"Here?" He managed to choke out in between kisses along her neck and collar bone.

"Yes," she said. Then her eyes shot open and she changed her answer.

"No."

He deflated. But he had hardly a moment to feel the disappointment before she whisked him up and away and sat him on the edge of the cliff. She hovered in front of him as she pulled off her panties and tossed them into the long-since forgotten pile of clothes. He hurried to free himself from his boxers but she was too quick for him, pulling them to his knees and straddling him.

He was inside her. Dear God was he inside her.

They moved together quickly and roughly, melding their mouths together and clutching at each other like lifelines. It was hot and heavy and over far too quickly.

Well, not that quickly. But Richard was painfully aware that he had reached the peak on his own. Starfire rolled off of him, seemingly content, and lied back with her legs dangling over the edge of the cliff. He pulled up his boxers and joined her on the ground, propping himself up on his elbow and tracing his fingers lightly over her collarbone.

Her eyes fluttered open at his touch and she cooed softly. They looked at each other for a long moment before bursting into hearty laughter that seemed to reverberate throughout their entire beings.

After a while, the pair had donned their clothing and Starfire had flown them back to the palace. Most of the guests had since left, and none of the remaining diplomats, nor the Titans, even thought to question why their hair was wet or what had happened that had the pair looking so relaxed.

Starfire showed her friends to the wing of the palace that was reserved for overnight guests, and Cyborg suggested that they all meet back up in the common area for a movie night after about an hour. The plans were set and everyone broke off into their own rooms. Raven and Beast boy sharing a room, and Cyborg and Sarah sharing another. One room remained, and Nightwing moved towards it, but stopped as Starfire tugged on his hand softly.

"I was hoping you would accompany me to my bedchamber, instead." He smiled and followed her wordlessly, the two still holding hands and feeling the zorkaberry wine still buzzing through their veins.

They showered quickly and put on fluffy robes that Starfire had thought to request for the pair of them. Snuggling into each other they settled into the bed, as they had some time to kill before the movie night. After sitting in amiable silence for a while, Starfire spoke. He knew she would cave eventually.

"Richard, are you and Babs the serious?" She was nervous. Her speech patterns always slipped a little with nerves. Pondering his answer for a moment, he decided on the truth.

"No, we aren't. We're just hanging out." He told her truthfully. Then, anticipating her question, clarified, "I mean we are just spending time with each other. I couldn't handle anything more than that, right now..." He trailed off, hoping that his answer had satisfied her curiosity. Apparently it had, for she snuggled into him a bit more and fell silent again.

He had no idea why he said it, but something in him decided to acknowledge the words that had been fighting to make themselves heard since he had first seen her earlier. Maybe it was the zorkaberry wine still making its presence felt, or maybe it was the sleepiness tugging at his consciousness. But he finally gave his mind over to his heart, and said the words he knew she needed to hear almost as much as he needed to say them.

"Star I...love you. I've always loved you, almost from the moment I met you. We weren't where we needed to be, to get through everything we needed to get through...You leaving was really difficult for me, and even though I knew you were coming back, I just didn't think we were strong enough to make it through all the time you were going to be gone." She sat up and looked at him, her eyes softening and moisture pooling around her lashes. She didn't interrupt him.

"I wanted us to work, I really wanted us to work. But I need you to know that just because we didn't work, doesn't mean that I love you any less. I've loved you for almost seven years now. I will always love you. I know that you need to stay on Tamaran and take care of your people. I know you can't come back right away...and honestly I can't promise that we'll ever get back together. I can't. I want to but I can't. We had real problems that we never got the chance to deal with. And maybe one day we will, but I can't promise you that. And I'd rather be honest with you than lie to you and say that I can." She was crying openly now, but he couldn't stop here. He had to finish what he'd started.

"I don't mean to complicate things by telling you this. And I am dating someone else now, but you deserved to know how I feel. How I still feel...how I will always feel. If I had never seen you again a day in my life I'd still love you just as much. And even though..." his voice broke, but he pushed on. He was almost there. "Even though I can't promise you that we will be together again, I can promise you that... Starfire until you see a ring on my finger, unless I am married and I have committed my life to someone else, you and I will never be off the table. I've loved you through countless relationships, including this thing I have going with Babs. And she knows that, and she respects it. I will never, ever stop loving you. And I won't make any promises I can't keep, but there is still every possibility that we can figure this thing out. It has never been a question of whether or not I've loved you enough. And don't you for a second think that that will ever change."

Seconds turned to minutes turned to days turned to weeks. How long the two of them enjoyed each other they would never know, and it hardly mattered. Their appetite for the other's pleasure was insatiable, and at last, at long last, the two reached the peak together and their pleasure spilled over into one another.

Exhausted, elated, the pair settled into the bed and were both asleep in seconds.

It was hours later that Richard finally woke, sitting up and reliving the day, in awe and disbelief of all that had passed in such a short amount of time.

Starfire stirred but did not wake as he kissed her temple and slowly sorted out his thoughts and feelings.

They had missed movie night, but he felt only marginal regret. What they had shared, what he had said, was much more important than any movie. They could make it up to the guys tomorrow, for right now all they needed was each other.

As Starfire tightened her hold on him, he settled back down and began to doze off again.

He had meant every word. He had no idea what would come of him and Babs. He had no way of knowing how he would feel about rekindling their romance whenever Starfire finally came home. The uncertainty of it all haunted him, and he knew she it troubled her just as much, if not more.

Starfire yawned and removed herself gently from his arms, turning over to lay on her other side without ever reaching consciousness. He turned on his side after her and spooned her, curling himself against her back and burying his face in her hair. The scent of raspberry-vanilla shampoo sparked too many memories for him to consider at once, and he basked in the painful familiarity enveloping his senses.

He knew she had a long way to go before she was fully healed. The passing of Galfore was most likely the most difficult thing she will have had to get through at this point in her life. He hoped that his emotional openness didn't complicate anything for her. Her pain had been eating away at his resolve and breaking his heart open little by little throughout the day. He had thought that, or hoped, that by soothing her fears on at least one painful issue, maybe he could lesson the blow of the current battle waging inside her?

There was no way of knowing what affect his honesty would have, not yet. Maybe it would make her continued absence easier, maybe it would do the opposite. Only time would tell.

As his breathing slowed to match hers, he gave himself the rest of the way over to sleep, with only one thing certain in his mind.

He looked forward to tomorrow, and the next day and the next day, as they took things one step at a time and did their best to sort everything out.

And, for the love of God, he hoped he could convince her to wear that green dress again.

Well, that's all for now. This was meant to be a one-shot, but I could conceivably lengthen it to include one or two more chapters...

The truth is, this story is extremely personal to me, as it is based on the way my ex-boyfriend expertly handled the passing of my grandmother, and the woman who raised me. Many of the words above were his and mine, exactly as they were said in real life.

What was meant as a writing exercise to help me sort through the reality of the time we shared, as well as its repercussions and the consequences of me choosing to live abroad for 6 more months, turned into a fic that I thought some of you might enjoy. Depending on how things unfold, I may finish this up with another chapter based on the way we worked our way through things, but I might also feel that I need to leave it alone and let life do it's job.

Regardless, I will attempt a second chapter, from Star's perspective, to focus a bit more on figuring out my own actions and feelings during the events above. I have no way of knowing what he was thinking or his rationale for being there for me the way he was / telling me all of the things he did. This was just me trying to make sense of it all, with a little help from my favorite misguided lovebirds Kory and Dick...hope you enjoyed.