Author's Note: Well, this is it! I hope you guys had as much fun as I did, and I hope you join me early December when the sequel starts! I'll post a more specific date on my tumblr (see the link on my profile page) when I figure it out, as well as some fanart that I intend to start working on pretty soon (fingers crossed!).

Songs: "I'm Alive" - Celine Dion

Chapter 14

She sat on the edge of the roof, her body leaning back as her hands braced against the concrete. It was an early morning in mid-July, nearly a month since she had returned from Tamaran, and life had settled back to normal. Well, except for one thing.

"Hey."

She twisted, lifting up on one of her hands as she turned toward the voice, beaming already.

"I brought you some tea," Robin said, lifting the Styrofoam cup slightly as he approached.

"Thank you," she replied, taking the tea from him as he lowered it down to her before settling to the roof beside her.

She took a small sip, the warmth giving her an involuntary shudder as it spread down her throat.

"You cold?" he asked, and she shrugged, not wanting to lie, but not wanting to dissuade him either.

He, predictably, stretched an arm across her shoulders, taking his cape with him so it wrapped around her as he pulled her close.

She nestled into his shoulder, breathing in the clean smell of his still-slightly-damp hair. Taking another sip of her tea, she smiled as she gazed out over the bay, which was sparkling in the morning sun. She sighed at the beauty of it, and felt Robin shifting to look down at her. He kissed her lightly on the top of the head, and she giggled softly in response, tilting her head back to look up at him.

"I'm not gonna kiss you," he said firmly, smiling as he shook his head, "because that tea is awful."

She laughed, clutching her precious mustard tea closer to her chest.

"It's vile. It really is," he continued gravely, and she laughed even harder at the sickly expression on his face.

"No, seriously, I don't know how you even-" he continued, but he broke off as she stretched up to place a small kiss on his cheek.

"Blech!"

They both turned toward the voice, Robin's head nearly colliding with hers.

"You guys are gross," Beast Boy whined with a grimace, prompting Raven to smack him on the back of the head.

Robin blushed only slightly, getting better and better at taking the teasing as time went on, and chuckled as he stood up, offering a hand to pull Starfire up beside him.

"We were just gonna make some breakfast," Cyborg chimed in, standing at the back of the group. "You guys in?"

"Definitely," Robin answered, and Starfire nodded enthusiastically as they approached the rest of the group.

"Why bother," Beast Boy muttered darkly, "they're just gonna make us throw it up anyway." He then yelped as he received another slap.

Everyone laughed as they headed through the door and down the stairs, Cyborg and Beast Boy already arguing over tofu or bacon. As the Titans filed into the living room, the two bickering friends headed into the kitchen to continue their argument, Raven following to sit on the stools and referee, and she and Robin went to sit on the couch.

"So, what do you think?" Robin began, twisting around to look over the back of the couch. "Is today the day Cyborg tries tofu waffles?"

"Doubtful," she speculated, and they both laughed softly as they watched the argument rage in the kitchen.

After a moment, and the decision to make both waffles and bacon, they turned toward the television, Robin stretching forward to grab the remote off the table. As he leaned back, he stretched his arm across the top of the couch, his fingers just grazing her opposite shoulder, and she smiled into her lap. Robin was rather careful about showing affection in front of the other Titans. He had not told her, and she had not asked, but she suspected it had something to with him maintaining a certain image as the leader. She hoped to break that down over time, but, for now, small, surreptitious touches were enough.

"Hey!" Cyborg called, and they twisted their heads around toward him. "Do you guys want waffles or pancakes?"

"Is there tofu in the waffles?" Robin asked.

"Yep!" Beast Boy confirmed cheerily, his white, chef hat in place.

"Pancakes!" she and Robin answered in unison, mockingly raising their hands.

Raven and Cyborg laughed loudly, while Beast Boy frowned and sulked back to the iron of waffles, grumbling to himself.

Starfire turned back toward the TV, smiling to herself as Robin flipped through the television guide, the channel names rolling past with high-pitched beeps. As he passed 'World of Fungus', she made a small, involuntary squeaking sound, and he chuckled, shaking his head as he clicked the button.

"You do not have to," she offered shyly. "I know you do not enjoy it."

"It's fine," he shrugged. "Besides, this one's about foot fungus, my personal favorite."

She giggled as he smiled down at her, appreciating his effort, however transparent it was.

"Aw, not while we're eating!" Cyborg moaned, appearing behind the couch at Robin's right. "That stuff reminds me of BB's tofu!"

"Hey!" Beast Boy interjected, moving beside Cyborg, brandishing a spatula up at him. "My tofu is not fungus! It's a solidified soybean mixture!"

"See, you say that, and all I hear is fungus," Cyborg retorted, and Beast Boy shot him a glare before returning to the kitchen.

"What are you laughing at!?" Beast Boy snapped, staring accusingly at Raven.

"Nothing," Raven answered, slightly more high-pitched than usual. "Nothing at all," she added, shaking her head.

Beast Boy held her gaze with narrowed eyes for a moment before turning his back to her and returning to his cooking.

"So, what do y'all wanna do today?" Cyborg asked, the back of the couch pressing downward as he placed his hands on it.

"I do not know," Starfire answered, while Robin merely shrugged. "Is there something in particular you wish to do, Cyborg?"

"Well, now that you mention it," Cyborg answered excitedly, leaning in-between them on the couch, and Robin hurriedly retracted his arm to avoid being crushed, "there's a video game that comes out today and-"

"Mega Monkeys 6!?" Beast Boy yelped, popping up out of nowhere, and Cyborg jumped to the side in alarm. "Oh, we gotta go! Can we, can we, please!?" Beast Boy whined, folding his hands under his chin as he pouted at Robin.

"Why do you always ask me?" Robin blurted, raising his hands questioningly.

"Because you like to deny us the simple pleasures of life," Cyborg answered matter-of-factly, and Robin turned around to glare at him, but closed his readying mouth as Starfire placed a warning hand on his arm.

"Yea," he said instead, although rather curtly, "we can go get it."

"Sweet!" Beast Boy exclaimed , and he and Cyborg exchanged one of the high-fives over her head before heading back into the kitchen.

Starfire patted Robin's arm gently, smiling at his still-sulking face. "That was very good of you, Robin," she said softly.

"Yea, yea," he muttered back, rising off the couch and out from beneath her hand. "I'm gonna go check on those pancakes," he added before walking away from her.

She smiled after him, shaking her head lightly. Progress sometimes came in very small steps. Very, very small steps.

Robin returned shortly after, carrying two plates of pancakes, the bottle of mustard tucked under his arm. He gave her a plate, set his down on the table in front of them, and then pulled the mustard out. As he began handing her the mustard, his hand stopped halfway, and he pulled the mustard back toward his face a few inches, a small, absent-minded smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Robin?" she inquired after a moment, lifting a hand toward the bottle.

"Oh, right," he muttered, handing her the bottle. "Sorry," he added with a light, nervous chuckle as he sat down beside her.

She looked at him curiously for a moment, but he avoided her gaze in favor of starting on his pancakes, so she gave up and squeezed some mustard onto hers.

Raven soon came to sit down on her left, Beast Boy on Raven's other side, and Cyborg collapsed down on the end beside Robin. They all sat there for a few minutes, silent except for the sound of forks against plates.

"Are we seriously just gonna sit here watching 'World of Fungus'?" Beast Boy asked flatly, and the group shrugged and grunted indifferently.

"I'm finding it very informative," Raven countered. "Now I know what all that stuff on your toes is."

Everyone laughed except Beast Boy and Raven. Beast Boy glared, while Raven went on calmly eating her pancakes, completely ignoring him.

The Titans finished their various breakfasts in silence, Robin taking her plate with his to place it in the sink when the alarm sounded. There was a loud bang of plates dropped against metal before Robin bounded past the couch, landing in his chair and gripping the console in front of him to keep from rolling away. Cyborg followed shortly behind him, while Starfire lifted into the air, trying to see the screen over their shoulders.

"Whadda we got?" Cyborg asked as Starfire craned her neck.

"Control Freak," Robin answered, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "Downtown. Specifically"-he twisted his head around to look up at Cyborg-"the electronics store."

"OOOOOH no!" Cyborg bellowed angrily. "If he takes all those games, I swear-"

"Let's go," Robin interrupted, jumping up off the chair and darting across the room toward the window.

Mechanically, instinctively, wordlessly, Starfire followed him, the rest of the group close behind. As soon as the window rolled away enough, Robin leapt out, and she dove down after him, their hands clasping onto one another's arms before she arched upward in the midday sun. She took a small glance to see Raven flying a short distance behind them, Cyborg in the hands of a green pterodactyl just beyond her. She smiled softly as she turned back, gazing out at the approaching city as they raced above the glittering bay.

"What is it?" Robin asked, and she looked down to see him looking up at her curiously.

"Nothing," she murmured, shaking her head lightly. "I was merely thinking."

"About?" Robin probed.

"It is just… I was so close to never seeing any of you again, to leaving this place forever, and now…" She paused, staring thoughtfully down at the shoreline. "Now, I cannot bear even imagining such a thing."

Robin's hands tightened around her arms slightly, prompting her to look at him.

"So don't," he said, smiling softly, and she could not help but return it.

They were silent for a moment as they closed in on the city, crossing the shoreline and the first few rows of small tourist shops and expensive, waterfront homes.

"Ya know, I really like this," Robin said abruptly, his tone slightly dreamy.

"Hmm?" she murmured down at him.

"Flying," he clarified. "I've always wished I could fly like you and Raven. Nothing else is quite the same."

She smiled down at him. "It is interesting you should say that, because I have always been rather envious of you," she admitted, feeling heat in her cheeks.

"Really?" Robin blurted, obviously shocked. "Why?"

"It is true that I can fly," she began, "but, when I am in close contact with a criminal, I am…inefficient."

"That's not true," Robin argued, looking up at her urgently. "You're a badass!"

She laughed, shaking her head down at his smiling face. "Regardless, I primarily envy you for other reasons," she continued, looking forward as they began to weave through buildings.

"Like?" Robin pried, his grip tightening as they went deeper into the city.

"Well, you are…normal," she answered as softly as she could over the wind. "You can have a normal life. I- What is the Earth saying? Stick out like a green thumb?"

"Close enough," Robin chuckled. "And being normal is overrated," he quipped.

She frowned down at his smile, and his face took on a more serious expression.

"Starfire?" he said gently, smiling warmly up at her. "You're not a- a green thumb." A few of his fingers loosened to stroke across her arm. "You're perfect. Just like this."

Her eyes widened in momentary surprise before she found herself beaming back at his shy smile, a warmth filling her chest and spreading up into her cheeks. Before she could think of something better than 'thank you' to reply, they rounded a building and found themselves directly over the crime scene.

"Here we go!" Robin shouted, and they dove down toward the street.

The people ran toward them, parting around where they landed, and took off into the streets behind, no doubt assuming that behind the Teen Titans was the safest place to be. After a moment, the other three Titans landed, and the group faced the scene in front of them.

There were the usual movie monsters running around the street terrorizing people, but the real commotion was inside the electronics store. Several of the computers had seemingly come alive, wrapping cords around customers and chasing that poor, unfortunate girl that always seemed to be working at the places criminals attacked. In the center of the chaos was Control Freak, wearing a strange sort of headdress and laughing maniacally as he brandished his signature remote.

"Titans, GO!" Robin bellowed, and they all surged forward.

Control Freak, having apparently heard, turned toward the door and released a very undignified squeal before gathering himself enough to point his remote at them.

A particularly gruesome monster appeared in front of them, with long, sweeping tentacles reaching out from its tall, imposing body. The black tentacles shot toward the charging Titans, and everyone broke apart to better dodge the attacks.

Starfire fired several starbolts, breaking off the tentacles at points, but they merely retracted for a moment before regenerating and reaching out again. Looking across, she noticed Raven having the same problem, and the two exchanged worried, helpless glances.

"Get that remote!" she heard Robin yell from below, and she and Raven surged forward, that goal seeming much more achievable.

Starfire weaved through the tentacles, turning and spiraling through the attacks as she quickly approached Control Freak. As she got within firing distance, she pulled up, leveling a glowing fist with the villain.

Suddenly, her vision was obscured by a large, black tentacle swiping through the air toward her, and she could not react fast enough. It hit her in the stomach so hard, she feared she might regurgitate her breakfast, and she fell backward through the air, her head spinning from the sudden lack of oxygen as the breath was knocked out of her.

"Gotcha!"

She jolted to a stop as she landed in warm arms; the arms she knew would be there, the arms she counted on being there, the arms that made her not even worry about falling because she knew she would always be safe.

"You okay?" he asked, and she looked up into Robin's face, staring into his mask as she imagined his concerned eyes.

She nodded dazedly, and he flashed her a small smile before lowering her to the ground.

"We gotta go," he said softly, and she understood that he was trying to tell her they had work to do in the most polite way possible.

She nodded and he smiled back at her, placing a hand in hers in a wordless command. Following it, she raised off the ground, lifting him, and headed toward the store front. When they reached the smashed window, she spun in the air, spiraling him with her, and released him as she returned to facing forward.

Robin shot out of her hands, flipping as he fell, and landed a kick directly on the very surprised Control Freak's chest. As Robin spun off the impact, landing in a crouch facing the villain, Control Freak toppled backward, getting tangled in some of the computer wires as he went.

Robin walked toward the villain, unfurling his bo staff as he went, and Control Freak writhed in the wires as he attempted to lift his remote.

"Don't even think about it," Robin growled, lowering one end of the staff to Control Freak's throat.

The villain gulped and chuckled nervously, letting the remote drop from his hand as he raised his arms beside his head.

Robin was behind him in a moment, pulling a pair of metal restraints from seemingly nowhere and clicking them closed around Control Freak's wrists.

"You cannot defeat Control Freak!" he bellowed, wriggling beneath Robin's grip as he was pushed toward the exit of the store. "I will return! I will have my revenge!"

"Yea, yea," Robin drawled, and Starfire could hear his blue eyes rolling as he pushed Control Freak past where she was standing on the sidewalk.

Robin had unnecessarily told her that she needed to keep his identity a secret from the other Titans, at least for now, but she secretly loved the fact that she was the only one privy to it. She was the only one that knew how his eyes lit up when he laughed, and how he had the smallest, involuntary smile every time she used his name. The world had Robin, but Dick? Dick was hers.

"Star!?"

"Huh?" she murmured, coming out of her trance to realize Robin had been talking to her.

He laughed as he returned to her side, having handed Control Freak off to the police that were loading him into the truck. "Geez, what planet were you on?" he chuckled.

"I-I was merely- Nothing," she muttered, flushing in embarrassment.

"Uh-huh, sure," he said, smirking with obvious disbelief as he subtly intertwined his fingers with hers at their sides.

"Woah, wait!" Control Freak exclaimed so urgently, the cops strapping him into the truck backed away to give him room. His eyes were wide, his mouth gaping as he stared at them furiously. "You're- But you- You can't be! Are you two…together?" he stammered, a vein popping out of his forehead.

Starfire tilted her head, perplexed and concerned, but Robin merely laughed and released her hand to wrap an arm around her waist.

"Yep!" he confirmed smugly, tugging her into his side.

"But-But I thought- I thought I had a chance!" the boy cried in anguish.

"Really?" Starfire snorted, immediately clasping a hand to her mouth as she regretted her involuntary rudeness.

Control Freak's face fell as the doors slammed between them, but the rest of the Titans that had collected laughed riotously. It was apparently so funny, even Raven chuckled audibly.

"Oh, stop! Stop!" Starfire insisted, waving them quiet with her hands. "It is not funny!"

"Yes it is," Beast Boy sighed breathlessly, clutching at his stomach. "It's hilarious!"

Starfire surveyed the giggling, wheezing group and could not help herself. She began to giggle as well, leaning into Robin's side as she watched the truck disappear over a hill down the road.

"So, about that game…" Cyborg said as the laughter died down, his gaze flicking between Robin and the ruined electronics store.

"If you can find one," Robin chuckled, "go for it."

"You heard the man!" Cyborg bellowed, turning to Beast Boy, who instantly changed into a dog and began digging through the piles of merchandise.

"Oh, this is ridiculous," Raven sighed, hovering over to the searching duo and beginning to sift through with her powers.

Starfire stood there watching the progress-and the already-starting bickering-with Robin, his arm still wrapped around her waist.

"That'll probably take awhile," he said, turning toward her. "Whatdya say we hit the mall?"

"Ooo, yes!" she exclaimed, lifting into the air and clapping her hands beneath her chin. "May we, please!"

Robin chuckled, shaking his head as he glanced down at the ground briefly. "Sure," he said, smiling as he lifted his eyes again.

She squealed with delight, grabbing his arm and lifting him into the air without another word.

"Woah, Star!" he yelped in surprise.

"Hey, where are you going!?" Cyborg yelled from behind them as Starfire gained height.

"The mall!" Robin bellowed back, bringing his hand to the side of his mouth as he shouted. "We'll meet up with you guys later!"

Cyborg must have been satisfied with that response, because Starfire did not hear any further comments.

She lowered her other arm down for Robin to grab, and he wrapped his fingers around it.

"Is there some kind of sale or something?" he asked after a moment, and she looked down at him curiously. "It's just, you're really excited to go to the mall."

"Oh, no, there is not a sale," she explained, smiling to herself. "There is merely…something I wish to do."

"You need to buy something?" he assumed, and she smiled even broader.

"No," she answered simply, biting her lip in an attempt to suppress the smirk.

"Kory?" Robin asked warily.

"Yes, Dick," she answered, looking down at him as innocently as possible.

"What are you up to?"

She could feel his eyes narrowing on her as she giggled.

"Nothing," she said coyly, "there is merely someone I wish for you to meet."

"Someone you want me to meet? Who do you know that I don't?" he snapped, and she giggled at his jealous assumption.

"No one, really," she said simply, shrugging as best she could while holding him. "It is merely these two women that work at the place for nails that I believe will be most pleased to see us."