Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

Hope

He watered.

He fussed.

He plucked offensive weeds.

It was an important ritual for him. He made sure it was the most perfect garden in the world. No, in any world.

He tended each plant, native of foreign, with the utmost care. He ignored any comment made about him having such a feminine recreation. He didn't care what other people thought. It only matters what she thought.

She would be back. No matter what they told him, he knew she would return. She had made him a promise. She would keep it. She always did.

Raven glanced out of the window at the boy outside. Two years. It had two years since the beloved alien princess had left for home planet. It had been a tearful goodbye, but she had no choice. A feud between Blackfire's followers and Tameranians loyal to Galfore and Starfire had been long-standing, and had finally come to a civil war. She had to go. She had to help.

The Titans had stopped receiving transmissions after a few months. The logical explanation seemed to be that Starfire had been killed in battle, and as much as it hurt, that was what they had concluded. All but Robin that is. He dared to hope that she would return.

Every day he cared for her garden. He knew how much she had loved that garden, and insisted on keeping it looking perfect for her for when she came back.

It hurt to see him like this. When she first departed, the team feared that their leader would slip into depression. It was common knowledge that he loved her, though it had remained unsaid by him. He acted like nothing had happened. He did not neglect his responsibilities as a leader nor cut himself off from his teammates. He was sure she'd come back, and did not want to be in a sorry state when she did.

Despites everyone else's loss of hope and acceptance that she was gone, he had never succumbed to doubt. It tore Raven apart to see her adoptive brother clinging to an unrealistic dream.

He looked down at the garden, satisfied with his handiwork for the day. He smiled and left to tackle his other duties.

That evening, as he did every evening, he went up to the roof of Titans Tower. Every night, he would watch the sunset, and when the sun finally sunk behind the water, he would lie down, stare up at the sky, and look at the stars. He would look for his Star.

This particular night, he noticed a strange light in the distance. At first, he thought it was a helicopter. Then he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Finally, he was sure it was real. There was a twinkling green star, and it was falling. No, it was flying. It was flying straight towards him.

"Robin!" shouted a cheerful voice. Starfire flew at him, arms open, and tackled him in a monstrous bear hug. "Star..." he whispered in disbelief as he wrapped his arms around her. She was back. She was really back, back in his arms, and he was never letting go again. They would catch up on their lost years later. For now, they just wanted to stand here in the moonlight and hold each other. There was so much he wanted to say to her, but he couldn't find the words. He finally broke the silence. "I love you," he whispered in her ear. Tears of joy clouded her emerald eyes, making them sparkle. "I love you too," she whispered back as he pulled her in for a long overdue kiss.

Raven, unbeknownst to the couple, stood in the shadows, a smile on her lips. She phased back to her room, not wanting to interrupt the reunion, with one thought: Hope can be one of the hardest things in the world to keep, but can have some of the most beautiful rewards.