Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ Back to the Present ❯ Healing ( Chapter 11 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

BACK TO THE PRESENT
Chapter 11:Healing

By Jacque Nicole

“ARGH!”

“Robin, calm down...”

“I'll kill him!”

“Robin...”

“When I'm finished with him, he'll wish he'd never been born. I swear to God, I'll tear him limb from limb.”

“You're being irrational.”

“Irrational! What the fuck, Raven? You've seen her - ”

“Yes, I have, and you're not the only one that feels the way you do, but we can't let ourselves dwell on what's happened. It'll only drive us all crazy. What Starfire needs now is strength and support to get through this. Can't you, at least, give her that?”

“... I think, now, that's all I have left to give.”

Three days ago - the day of the rescue, Titans' Tower

4:27 AM

“Set her down! Set her down!”

“Gently!”

“No, not there, the infirmary!”

“Oh my god, what did he do to her?”

There was chaotic confusion when the Titans finally managed to retrieve their wounded teammates from the opposite end of the bay and bring them into the safety of their abode. The Beast Boys and Ravens were left to tend to Nightwing, Robin, and especially Starfire's injuries while the two Cyborgs looked after the four villains they had managed to capture.

Slade had once again eluded them.

With the exception of Cinderblock, who had a strange tendency to sleepwalk, all the villains remained unconscious and caused no trouble when the authorities picked them up, but there was no time to think about them now.

“Here,” said older Raven, pointing to three empty beds in the infirmary that were adjacent to one another. The two Beast Boys, who were in the form of gorillas, carried their leaders in and placed them on the beds that Raven pointed out.

Nightwing squirmed uneasily. “Leave me alone. I'm fine!” he argued.

The gorilla that held him de-transformed into the older Beast Boy. “Dude, that's not what you were saying when I had to carry you off that beach.”

The older vigilante narrowed his eyes. “I said, I'm fine.”

The changeling nodded disbelievingly. He supposed that Robin would have been acting similarly if his concussion hadn't caused him to pass out shortly after coming into the tower.

Suddenly, Beast Boy felt something yanking at his spandex costume. The green man looked down and into the frantic eyes of his leader and friend. “Where is she?” He asked.

Beast Boy was speechless. He settled on just shrugging and giving a uncertain look in response. Nightwing would have said something back to him, but was quickly distracted by who had just walked through the doors.

Teen Raven entered the room slowly, Starfire enveloped within her magic as she carried the Tameranian with it. Silently, she placed the limp teenager's body on bed between Nightwing and Robin's. The older Raven immediately went to action, checking her young friend's vitals and slipping an automatic thermometer under her tongue.

“Heart rate at 40 bpm. She's critical,” she said, falling into doctor mode.

“What?” Nightwing whispered incredulously. After all this, after they thought everything would be alright, Starfire still might die. This just wasn't right.

The thermometer beeped, cutting off Nightwing's chain of thought. Raven pulled it out of the read head's mouth. “Temperature...” She trailed off, eyes becoming wide. “Shit!” She grabbed her clipboard and quickly jotted down the information while simultaneously giving more orders. “Ice,” she commanded. “Get me some ice. We need to cool her down.”

Teen Beast Boy transformed out of gorilla form to fulfill the task. Nightwing rolled over in his bed, toward where the older Raven was preparing an IV for Starfire. “Tell me,” he urged. “What was her temperature?” Raven gave him a sad look, as if she did not want to respond. Nightwing was not taking `no' for an answer. “Raven...” The empath ignored him, continuing her medical care. The injured vigilante was beginning to get fed up now. “I said - ”

“One hundred six point five,” she snapped. “She's one point five away from death. Are you happy now?”

Nightwing's face contorted strangely, his anger welling up inside him and over flowing. He grabbed the closest thing he could find, a glass cup filled with water on an end table next to his bed, and hurled it at the infirmary door just as it opened revealing the two Cyborgs. The broken glass did not startle them too much; they had expected things to be chaotic considering everything that had happened.

The elder Raven tossed the clipboard over to the two robots who had just about the same amount of medical experience as she had. “Blood sample,” said the half demon woman simply. Immediately, the older Cyborg went over to a drawer stuffed with packaged needles. His younger counterpart stooped down to the floor and vacuumed up the broken shards of glass with his robotic hand.

Suddenly, Teen Beast Boy sprang through the doors, nearly knocking the teenage robot off balance as he finished cleaning up the broken pieces of glass. Cyborg stumbled back a little, slightly nudging Raven as she tended to Robin's head injuries. The changeling muttered a quick apology before getting to Starfire's bedside.

“We didn't have any,” he said.

“...What?” The older Raven had been so preoccupied by the matter at hand that she completely forgot that she'd sent Beast Boy away in the first place.

“Ice,” he replied. “There was no ice in the freezer. I took out the frozen veggies instead,” he said, handing several bags of the frozen foods to her.

“Oh.” The empath shoved the couple of bags close to the Tameranian teenager's body. She turned back to Beast Boy. “Thanks.”

“Watch out,” Cyborg warned as he came toward the two. “I need to take a blood sample.”

The pair quickly got out of the way so that he could do his job. “Beast Boy,” said the older Raven as she moved to the other side of Starfire's bed, “do me a favor and cast up Nightwing's leg for me. I'm kind of busy.”

“I don't need it,” argued Nightwing. “I'm fine.” The half demon ignored his retort.

Teen Beast Boy's eyes widened nervously. “But - ”

“Everything you need is over there, I think,” she said, pointing toward a section of the room with several drawers and cabinets lining the walls.

“But Raven - ”

“I don't have time to chat right now,” she interrupted, going back to assist Starfire as Cyborg finished up.

Teen Beast Boy grinded his teeth together in frustration. He turned around and found his counterpart nearby. “You're helping me,” he grumbled, dragging him along to the supply closet.

Meanwhile, teen Raven was working on Robin. She was using her healing powers the same way she had when she was in the cave and could feel Robin's head healing nicely. He would be well in no time, but Raven couldn't help but wonder if her leader was better off unconscious. She knew how much Robin cared for Starfire. She - hell, the whole team, excluding Starfire herself, of course - knew how much Robin loved her. Waking up to the sight of Starfire's abused body would shock him beyond belief. There was no telling how he'd react.

Despite her doubts, teenage Raven pushed on. He deserved to be awake to see her. He needed to be assured that his efforts to save her were not made in vain.

Robin's mind was clouded as he fell back and forth between consciousness and unconsciousness. He felt the fuzziness steadily melting away as he slowly became more aware of his surroundings. The light in the room was blindingly bright, he noticed as he tentatively cracked an eye open, only to quickly shut it again. The whole room smelt so sickeningly of sterilization that it made his already nauseated stomach churn. Immediately, he knew he was in the infirmary.

Groaning unintelligibly, Robin shifted slightly in the bed to let Raven - who Robin knew was using her powers and precious energy to heal him - know that he was now fully awake. To the Boy Wonder's chagrin, his empathic friend did not stop the healing process, which Robin was secretly grateful for.

“Ow...” he moaned unintentionally as a particularly painful throb assaulted him. Thanks to Raven, it was gone almost immediately.

From the change she felt in Robin's psychology, Raven could tell that he was awake, but she did not let up on her powers at all. In fact, she actually pushed even harder for Robin to heal. The last thing she wanted was another relapse when she got him well again.

The Boy Wonder opened his eyes once again, getting them used to the lights in the room. He could feel Raven's fingertips on his temples and could see her leaning above him, surrounded by her aura of power. She looked at peace but also determined at her task. Robin admired Raven for that.

Robin knew that Starfire's bed was to his left. How he was sure, he did not know. Maybe it was his instincts telling him, but somehow, Robin was absolutely certain that Starfire was right next to him without having seen her there. It would be so easy for him to just turn his head to the side to look at her, but he wasn't completely sure that he was ready to see the reality of the situation.

Yes, he had seen her injuries in the cave, but it was so much easier there. There was so much adrenaline coursing through his veins and all he was focused on was getting her out of danger. Here, he knew that the pristine, blank surroundings would contrast Starfire's injuries.

Finally, Robin turned his head toward to girl's bed. What he saw shocked him to the core. Tubes connected her to an IV. Her skin looked bruised and battered. The sickening purple color could almost be mistaken for her skin tone. He couldn't see her back, but he knew that some deep gashes had to be there after being chained to a rock wall for such a long time.

Robin felt like he needed to throw up. Cry. Something.

The feelings left him as quickly as he came as Raven subdued them, but that did not change the fact that Starfire was lying in a bed, unconscious.

`Oh, God, why couldn't I save her?'

Across the room, the two Beast Boy's were failing at their attempt to bandage Nightwing's wounds. No only had neither of them have much experience at that kind of thing, but Nightwing was also barking orders at them like a drill sargent.

“No, no, no, Beast Boy! What are you doing?” yelled the vigilante at the teenage changeling. “You need to bandage that first, then put an ace bandage over it. Haven't you even taken first aid?”

“Chill out dude, I'm trying!” Snapped teen Beast Boy.

“Yea, whatever, just get some antiseptic for my cuts. Can you handle that, or do you need some help with that too?”

Grumbling, teen Beast Boy thrust all the bandages he held into his older counterpart's arms. “Yeah, I can handle it... jerk...”

“What was that?” asked the vigilante between grounded teeth as the older Beast Boy haphazardly repaired his leg.

“Nothing!” lied the changeling as he rummaged through the through the drawers on the opposite side of the room in search of antiseptic. Looking defeated, Beast Boy closed the door. Looking up, his expression suddenly brightened as he spotted an unmarked brown bottle on top of the cabinet. He quickly took it down and rejoined his counterpart and Nightwing. “Alright,” he said. “Where are you cut?”

Nightwing sighed. “Everywhere.”

Beast Boy decided to begin on Nightwing's face. He poured some of the maroon tinted salve on his hand and dabbed some on the vigilante's lacerations, Nightwing cringing at the contact.

To the surprise of the teenage changeling, the cream began to bubble and spread across Nightwing's face. That wasn't supposed to happen. “Uh, Nightwing? ...Is this stuff supposed to bubble?”

The vigilante rolled his eyes. “Of course not.”

Beast Boy felt his throat begin to constrict in apprehension. “I told you that I had no idea what I was doing, right?” he mentioned meekly. By this time, the substance was centimeters away from obscuring Nightwing's vision.

“Beast Boy, what are you talk - ” The vigilante's words were abruptly cut off when the substance made its way into his mouth, nearly choking him. Immediately, Nightwing went into a frenzy.

Older Beast Boy looked on at the ordeal in shock. Slowly, he inched his way over to the two Cyborgs who were busy working at a nearby table, examining Starfire's blood sample. “Uh, Cy...”

Without looking up, both Cyborgs replied. “What?”

“Dudes, I'm no doctor or anything, but I really don't think antiseptic is supposed to fight back.”

Both Cyborgs halted their movement and looked up simultaneously. “Oh shit!” Exclaimed the younger Cyborg as he rushed toward the scene. The older Cyborg just shrugged his shoulder and continued what he was doing.

Meanwhile, the older Raven was too preoccupied with trying to locate traces of the toxin in Starfire's bloodstream using her healing powers. The younger Raven and Robin tried to ignore the commotion.

“Beast Boy, what the hell did you do?!” teenage Cyborg asked angrily as he grabbed a towel from nearby.

“I don't know, dude! What kind of ointment swallows you whole?” Replied Beast Boy anxiously.

“That wasn't ointment, you dipshit,” he replied as he cleaned off Nightwing's face. “That was an experimental mixture of Plasmus' DNA.” Snatching the towel away, Nightwing finished wiping off his face.

“Dude, why the hell would your keep something like that lying around - especially in an infirmary?” Beast Boy argued.

Cyborg just rolled his eyes in response. “Maybe you should read bottles next time.”

Before Beast Boy could retort, the older Raved interrupted. “Shut up,” she said as she broke her concentration. There wasn't much she could do for Starfire until she had the results from her blood tests. “Cyborg, finish up Nightwing's leg so he can get out of here.”

Cyborg obliged and in no time, Nightwing was all bandaged up.

“Dude,” said Beast Boy, “I'm sorry about - ”

“Don't worry about it,” the vigilante cut in as he grabbed the crutches Raven provided for him. “Just promise me that you will never try first aid on me ever again.”

Teen Beast Boy smiled. “Gladly.”

Expertly, Nightwing used his crutches to maneuver around toward Starfire's bedside. Being a hero without super abilities gave one a lot of experience with them.

Once at the bedside, Nightwing gave Starfire a lingering look of guilt. Despite the words of his teammates, deep down inside, Nightwing still felt that he was at fault. He bent down as well as he could with the crutches and pressed his lips to Starfire's warm, soft cheek. He peeked up at Robin from the chaste kiss expecting a confrontation, but unexpectedly, he received none. With no desire to instigate an argument, he let it go.

“Get better soon, Star. We need you,” he whispered into the unconscious Tameranian's ear. “...I need you.” He delivered one final kiss to her cheek before standing up. He lumbered past Robin's bed with one glance at the Boy Wonder. Never before had Nightwing seen anyone look so crestfallen. `But then again,' he thought as he walked out the door. `I haven't had a chance to check a mirror.'

XOXOXOXOX

Much later... The next day

Robin lay as still as a rock in his disheveled bed in the center of his dark, lonely bedroom, staring listlessly at his white ceiling. He was not sure whether it had been twenty minutes or twenty hours since he had been forbidden to leave his room until his health improved, nor did he care very much. `It doesn't matter anyway,' he thought solemnly to himself. `What's the use of time when she's not around to spend it with?'

Make no mistake, Robin did try to escape from his impromptu prison, but his friends were too smart to be tricked. As soon as he was locked in his quarters, he tried using the ventilation system to navigate out. Once he had made it to the Main Room, however, he was easily discovered and forced back into his room.

Sighing heavily, Robin rolled over in the bed. `I will find a way to come see you, Star...'

XOXOXOXOX

“Cy, do you think you could pass me that test tube?”

The future Cyborg and Raven were alone in the laboratory, working diligently on Starfire's blood sample. It had been a little more than a day since they first began testing, and both of them knew that they made little progress.

“Sure,” the robotic man replied to his teammate, passing the small glass cylinder to his friend. “But Raven, don't you think - ”

“ - Thanks,” interrupted the empath. She had a feeling she knew what Cyborg was going to say anyway. She just didn't want to hear the truth... not just yet, anyway. Raven filled the test tube with a teal tinted solution and then tentatively dripped a little bit of Starfire's blood into the tube. The mixture became an odd shade of yellow. With a scowl, Raven placed the glass cylinder next to all the other test tubes with yellow liquid in them. “Another inconclusive result,” she whispered to herself.

Across the room, Cyborg slammed his hand on his work desk loudly, brandishing a test tube full of a yellow liquid just like Raven's. “This is ridiculous Raven! We are getting absolutely no where fast!” he yelled angrily.

“Don't you think I know that Cyborg?!” snapped the sorceress. “Believe me, I'm just as tired as you are, but I'm not going to just give up on this. I mean - this is someone's life.”

“I know that,” expressed the robot. “But we need help. This lab doesn't have the resources we require to get this the information that we need.”

Raven sighed. “Well, do you have any ideas, because I sure as hell don't know what to do.”

Cyborg smiled. “Actually, I think I know someone who can do something about this problem.”

“Well good, but for right now, hand me another test tube.”

XOXOXOXOX

The door to the infirmary creaked open, the sound disturbing the monotony of the beeps that resounded from Starfire's heart monitor. A green head tentatively popped out from behind the door. After noticing that the room was finally empty except for the fallen Titan that still lay unconscious in bed, Beast Boy made a beeline for Starfire's bedside.

He sat on a chair next to the bed and, for a while, he only stared at his red headed friend. Finally, he mustered up some words. “You know, out of all of the Titans, you were the last one I'd ever expect to see in a situation like this.” The young hero got no answer, of course, but he felt somewhat comforting to be able to talk to her face-to-face. “You're, like, super strong... I had totally admired you for that...” He paused. “No,” he said finally. “I totally admire you. There's no past tense when I'm talking about you, Star. You're not leaving us anytime soon.”

Beast Boy squirmed around in his seat, self consciously at a lost for words. A strange smile crossed his face as he let out a little chuckle. “You always laughed at my jokes. I love that about you. You're so nice to everyone, no matter how shit-faced they are.

“You definately don't deserve this,” he said, gesturing to all the tubes and machines connected to her. “But,” he began, his tone lightening, “this is just like any other injury you would get, right? You'll be back on your feet in no time.” His smile of confidence faltered a little. The changeling sighed as he got up and began to move toward the door. “Just do us all a favor and get well soon, Star.”

And he left.

XOXOXOXOX

Robin was tired, but would not allow himself to sleep. Hell, he probably couldn't sleep even if he tried, considering his emotions were still deeply disturbing him.

The teenage vigilante glanced over at the digital clock near his bed. Hours had passed, he realized, since the last time he looked at it.

Over the past couple of hours, Robin had been keeping track of who was outside his door. There was a steady pattern - Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven... Cyborg, Beast Boy - and by now, Robin knew that it was his teammate, Raven's, turn to watch over him. The absolute silence in the hallway told him that he was right.

Robin scooted to the end of his bed and sat up, his head beginning to swim from his injury. He stood up, his body suddenly aching tremendously, but he would not lie back down. There was something that he had to do.

He stumbled across his dark room on shaky legs, nearly tripping over neglected food trays that had been sent to him.

Finally, Robin made it to the door. The Boy Wonder leaned heavily against the wall as he pressed a button to open the door. It slid aside, revealing Raven floating in midair in a meditated state.

“Rae...” said Robin, disturbing the empath.

Raven cracked open one eyelid but kept herself levitated. “Robin? You're supposed to be resting.”

“I think I've been resting long enough,” he retorted.

Raven sighed tiredly. “I knew you were going to say something like that. Robin, you know I can't let you out.”

“Well why the hell not?” he replied indignantly.

The teenage sorceress gave the young hero a blank, disbelieving look. “Are you kidding me? You can hardly hold yourself up. You're leaning on that wall like it's your life support. I can't let you go anywhere until you are feeling better.”

“I'm fine.”

At this point, Raven lowered herself to the floor. “That's the same thing Nightwing said when we were bandaging his leg, but you wouldn't know that, would you? You were unconscious at the time...”

“I said, I'm fine.”

“Did anyone ever tell you how stubborn you are?” replied Raven.

“Raven,” began Robin seriously. “You don't understand. That's Starfire down there, hooked up to tubes and machines... I just want to see her... Please...”

A silence fell between the two. Robin's eyes were hidden behind his mask, but, somehow, Raven could feel them staring at her, searching for sympathy.

Finally, Raven spoke. “Ok, I'm going to turn around and if you just happen to not be behind me when I turn back... Well, there's nothing I could have done to stop you if I didn't even see you leave, now is there?” And with that, she turned her back to the hero.

Robin smiled gratefully. “Thank you so much Raven. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

By the time Raven turned back around, there was no trace of the Boy Wonder ever being there.

Meanwhile, Robin was already half way to the Main Room, the tower strangely quiet for that time of day. As he passed to gym, he heard people handling the equipment and immediately knew that it was the Cyborgs. Cyborg always worked out to relive stress.

Cautiously, Robin stealthily made his way into the Main Room, expecting the Beast Boys to be busy playing the GameStation. He was surprised to find the room completely empty, but he did not dwell on this discovery for too long.

He quickly navigated his way across the tower on shaky legs and managed to avoid an encounter with any of the Titans, although he had a close call with someone leaving the infirmary just before he entered.

Robin slipped into the infirmary's door, the sudden smell of antiseptic taking him by surprise just as it had two days before. The blandness of the room, bright light, and smell all contributed to a horrid migraine that was beginning to manifest in Robin's head.

Ignoring the sensations, Robin made his way over to the chair pulled close to Starfire's bedside, his eyes unable to leave the teenage Tameranian's angelic face. He sat down, the chair still warm from whoever paid her a visit before him.

The Boy Wonder had finally achieved his goal of visiting his fallen teammate, but now that he was here he could not bring himself to utter a word. He took one of the girl's warm hands into his own, bringing her palm up to his lips and kissing it affectionately. Glancing up, Robin looked at Starfire's tranquil, beautiful face, barely containing his heart wrenching sadness.

He placed her hand over his rapidly beating heart. “Do you feel that?” he finally croaked out to her. “You do this to me every time you come near me. I get so nervous... my tongue ties itself into knots... and I resort to talking to you about something that isn't too personal... usually the weather or something stupid like that. I just wish that I wasn't so scared and just told you everything I was feeling when I had the chance.” He sighed. “I was so stupid... Now look what's happened...”

Abruptly, he changed the subject to take his mind off of the Slade ordeal. “Remember that argument we had a couple of days ago?” he asked her. Of course, he expected no reply. “I don't think I'll ever forget that day. It was the last time we really talked to each other each other before...” he trailed off, unsure if he wanted to finish that sentence. “You said that I knew nothing about you and that... that you knew nothing about me. I didn't believe it then but now, after all that's happened, I've realized that you were right. I don't know anything but, God, I really want us to get to know each other better. I want us to have another chance... A better chance... You just have to get through this, Star. That's all I'm asking. Just get through this.”

Robin knew how pathetic he sounded and felt, but he didn't care. “My name is Richard Grayson,” he told her. “I figure the first thing you should know about me is my real name. I like the color red and I hate brussel sprouts,” he went on, telling her all the miscellaneous information about himself that he could think of. “My eyes...” he reached up to his face, and pulled off his mask. “ ...are blue,” he finished, his ocean blue eyes set on the Tameranian. They were wet with tears, and an outline of the mask contrasted against the tanner skin on his face. “You were right when you said I hid behind my mask. I don't want to do that anymore... Not with you, Star.

“I have a butterfly shaped birth mark on my left shoulder, I was adopted, I can't live without my hair gel, and...” he trailed off, at a loss for words. He said the first thing that came to his mind. “I think you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, inside and out, and I just hope that you can forgive me for all that's happened because... because...” The Boy Wonder rested his head on her chest as it moved up and down, ignoring the tears that were cascading freely down his pale face. “I love you.”

“She can't hear you, you know.”

Robin's head shot up from her chest quickly. Ocean blue eyes clashed with the same shade of ocean blue.

Nightwing.

Robin sighed, putting his head right back in the position it was in before the other vigilante walked through the door. “What do you want,” he asked, too tired to be angry that his privacy was intruded upon.

“You're not supposed to be down here,” he replied as-a-matter-of-fact-ly.

“Yeah, so?”

Nightwing decided not to comment on it. “Cyborg told me that the lab equipment here was inadequate to test Starfire's blood. We don't know enough about Tameranian physiology to get the results we need.”

This was bad news, Robin knew. He sat up and buried his face into his own hands. “And?”

“He came to me, thinking that I would know someone with more advanced technology that can help us.” Nightwing, who had long ago changed out of his khaki pants and t-shit and back into his black spandex, pulled up a chair on the opposite side of Starfire's bed and setting his crutches on the bed behind him. “I told him that I would talk to you about it.”

“And?” prompted Robin, frustrated.

“And I think you know who I'm talking about.”

Robin did. Robin knew from the very beginning that they we're going to need his outside help. He was just the last person Robin wanted to talk to. “Fine,” replied to Boy Wonder, standing up from his seat. “Let's go.”

Nightwing followed the boy out of the room, holding the door open for teenage Cyborg who also wanted to pay his friend a visit. Before closing it he gave Starfire one last lingering look. `Don't worry, Star,' he thought to himself. `It's going to turn out alright.'

XOXOXOXOX

The infirmary door quickly closed behind the robotic teenager with a resounding click echoing in the silence. Teen Cyborg entered the room lightheartedly and sat down on the chair that was already pulled close to the patient's bed, plopping down on it with a huge grin on his face.

“Hey Star!” he greeted conversationally, as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with the Tameranian at all.

“You gave all of us a pretty bad shock back there, girl,” said Cyborg to one of his closest friends. “They all got pretty damn scared for you, but I knew better,” he boasted with a proud grin. “You can get through anything. Don't let whatever's keeping you unconscious hold you down,” he said, encouraging her. “Fight it.”

Unbeknownst to Cyborg, Starfire's finger's twitched slightly from beneath the blankets.

“You know, when Slade tried to intimidate us with that transmission, I was a little scared, I won't lie, but, dammit, my anger just outweighed that fear so much. But then I thought, `Chill Cy. That girl won't be taken down that easily.' I still don't think you will. Just show everyone that you're stronger than this, girl.”

Starfire's breaths began to quicken and become more ragged. Her thumped erratically in her chest.

“I've always had faith in you, Star. Some asshole isn't just gonna walk in and take you down like some amateur. Talk about underest - ” Cyborg's words were cut off abruptly by Starfire whose body began to shake and shudder with strong coughs. Her body twisted into the fetal position as she started sucking in wafts of air. Thinking quickly, Cyborg retrieved a bed pan and placed it near her face just in time for her to grab it and heave into it. He rubbed her back comfortingly.

She stopped and leaned back into Cyborg's arms tiredly. “Cyborg,” she managed to say, her voice raspy, “As you would say, I feel like the `shit'.”

Cyborg chuckled, holding the girl's shivering body a little closer. “That's my number one girl.” Gently, he placed her back on the bed and pulled the blanket over her. “I'll be back in a second. I think there are a couple of more people that want to see you.”

“I'm s-so tired...”

“I know,” said the robotic teenager as he got up and moved toward the door. “Just keep those pretty eyes open until I come back, ok?” And with that, he left Starfire in the room.

XOXOXOXOX

“Oh yeah, man. I'm so kicking your butt!” exclaimed teenage Beast Boy as he faced off against his older counter part on the GameStation in the Main Room.

“You won't be for long!” replied the future Beast Boy. “You just have an advantage because I haven't played this game in years, but don't worry, no one can beat me in Mega Monkies 3.” The older Beast Boy's orange monkey maneuvered over the teenager's purple one and punched it, effectively KO-ing him. The futuristic changeling scoffed. “I told you I could beat you.”

“No way, dude. Rematch!”

Just then, the TV turned off. “Sorry guys,” said Robin as he entered with Nightwing, both their masks now back in place over their eyes. Robin had a no-nonsense expression on his face set in stone. “We have to do some work in here.”

Both changeling's nodded in understanding. They were not going to argue with Robin at all. The tone in his voice told then that he was very serious.

“Nightwing,” said Robin, “go to the lab and get a sample of Star's blood.”

“Already taken care of,” said the older Cyborg as he entered the room with Raven, his teammate. He handed the young vigilante a slide containing a deep red liquid.

Robin took it from him and placed it a compartment that almost looked like a cubby hole near the screen. Robin typed quickly on the console, knowing the information by heart.

Finally, the screen flashed to life, displaying a face that Robin hadn't seen in a very long time.

“Robin? This is a surprise.”

`Don't get used to it,' Robin wanted to reply, but instead, he said, “As much as I hate to admit it, we need your help, Batman.”

Batman leaned back into his chair in the Batcave, expecting this. “With what?”

“I'm sending you a sample of Tameranian blood. We were unable to accurately test it for foreign components due to the limitations of our equipment,” replied the Boy Wonder, trying to keep the whole encounter professional. He should have known Batman would not play along so easily.

“I see,” said the legendary hero, his lips curving into a smirk.

“I'm transferring the sample to you now.” Robin typed in a few codes, and then the cubby flashed with light. Simultaneously, there was an identical flash on the screen. Batman's hand disappeared from view then reappeared with the same slide containing a red liquid that once was in the compartment. “Thanks. Bye - ”

“How have you been, Robin?”

The Boy Wonder tried biting his tongue, but was unable to prevent his next remark. “As if you would care.”

Batman chuckled. “Believe it or not, I do. Don't be a stranger.” With that, the Dark Knight cut off the transmission.

Robin sighed, relieved that Batman had not noticed the futuristic Titans, or if he had, he didn't mention them. The last thing he wanted to do was find an explanation for them.

Suddenly, the door to the Main Room sped open revealing an excited looking teenage Cyborg.

“Starfire's awake!” he announced happily.

Robin broke into a dead sprint at the news, followed closely by his friends. The door to the infirmary busted open, hitting the wall behind it loudly as almost everyone filed into the room. At the sight of the girl everyone, even Nightwing and Robin stopped in their tracks.

She was curled up in the fetal position, facing the entrance. Her body was shivering, as though she were freezing cold despite the warm temperature of the room and the fact that the bed sheets were on her. She had more color than when she was unconscious, but she still hadn't achieved her usual shade of tanned orange.

Robin ignored all the proof of her detrimental health and concentrated on only one thing - her big bright green eyes were open and smiling at her friends.

Star was back. Robin had never felt so alive.

Suddenly, Starfire's face contorted and she quickly rolled over and reached for something on the floor near the other side of the bed. The sound of the Tameranian teen vomiting into the bed pan squeezed Robin's heart.

“Excuse me,” the older Raven said, making her way through the group blocking the door. She made her way over to her patient, thermometer in hand.

The group looked on at the scene, each hero feeling utter powerless to the situation.

“Could you all leave for a little while?” said Rave after a few minutes. They all began to file out of the door. “No, Robin, not you. Star says she wants to talk to you.”

The Boy Wonder made an about-face at the door and was instantly at the girl's side. Discreetly, Raven exited the room.

Looking deeply into Starfire's eyes, Robin could almost see how much this ordeal affected her. She was suppressing many feelings, Robin knew, and he did his best to console her.

“I knew you would come,” she whispered to him, having to get used to using her vocal cords after nearly two days of dormancy.

“I hope you never doubted me. I will always come for you,” the Boy Wonder whispered back. Robin considered reiterating his speech he made to her to let her know how much he loved her, but decided against it. He would have plenty of time to tell her in time to come.

“No, I did not. I always had faith.” Starfire's form shook violently as coughs shook her being. Robin reached out to hold her, but the girl flinched away at the sudden movement. “Sorry,” she apologized, allowing the Boy Wonder to wrap an arm around her. “Robin, why do I feel so ill?”

“We don't know yet, Star, but I promise you that we will find out,” he swore. He lowered his head and placed a loving kiss on her warm, damp forehead. “I promise.”

Just then, the doors swung open.

XOXOXOXOX

Nightwing waited on the outside of the infirmary door for his chance to speak with Starfire. He had so much to say to her; he tried to straighten out his thoughts and focus.

Make no mistake, Nightwing was a little wary of Starfire and Robin being together alone, especially after his proclamation of love for the girl. The last thing Nightwing wanted was for Robin to badmouth him.

Impatient and paranoid, Nightwing gave a couple of hurried knocks on the door before entering uninvited.

Robin was holding her close as a lover would hold their partner. Starfire was clinging to Robin's costume as if her life depended on it. Her body was shaking less and her breathing was beginning to even out, Nightwing noticed. Her body was drenched in sweat as her body worked to lower her fever.

“You know, you have a knack for coming in at the absolutely wrong times,” said the Boy Wonder.

Starfire's face lit up at the sight of Nightwing. With one arm still clutching Robin, she reached out with the other. “Nightwing...” she whispered.

Nightwing wasted no time getting to her side. Once there, the Tameranian immediately let go of the Boy Wonder and fell into the other vigilante's arms. She said nothing to him, merely sank herself deeper into his arms, and he was happy to oblige. Robin felt a little uncomfortable with the two, like he was the third wheel, but he knew that it wasn't the time for his hormonal emotions to come into play.

“Nightwing was with me when we got you,” said Robin.

“I thank you,” replied Starfire, as Nightwing leaned her back to place her on her bed.

“Don't thank me. I did it because you are very special to me. I would do anything for you.”

Robin scowled at the words. “Maybe we should leave her to rest,” said the Boy Wonder as he stood up from his seat.

“Yeah...” Nightwing whispered wistfully, still staring down at the girl.

“Alone,” prompted the Boy Wonder, nearly dragging Nightwing out the room with him as the older Raven entered.

“Way to go, Romeo.”

Nightwing was surprised by Robin's sarcastic tone as they walked down the hallway to the Main Room together. “What are you talking about?”

“You even hit on her when she's sick. How classy,” the teenager growled out angrily.

Nightwing rolled his eyes. “Whatever, man,” he said as they entered the room everyone else was in. “It doesn't matter anyway. We're going to go back to our home very soon.”

Teen Beast Boy's jaw dropped as he faced off against the older Cyborg in Ultimate Fighter IV. “No way, dude.”

“Yes way,” said Cyborg as he performed a triple mega-ultra-combo that Beast Boy was able to deflect. “We talked about this last night. We figured that we were away from our dimension for long enough. We need to get back.”

“It's gonna be so weird having you guys gone,” said teen Cyborg as he played the younger Raven in chess. “Check.”

“They can visit,” Raven replied as she used her mental abilities to move her king. “Checkmate.”

Cyborg stared at the game board in shock. “Well I'll be damned.”

“You guys will stay here until Star gets a little better, right?” asked teen Beast Boy.

“Of course. I couldn't bare to leave until I know she's going to be alright,” answered Nightwing.

“Good,” said older Raven who just walked into the room, “because she's going to need all the support she can get.”

XOXOXOXOX

One day later...

A day had past. One long, stressful, and wearisome day.

Robin slumped in the chair in the infirmary that morning, waiting for Starfire to wake up. Her condition had not improved much from the previous day, so Robin volunteered to spend the night monitoring her progress.

In actuality, she was doing worst off than they day before, her body even quivering in her sleep. She moaned every so often as if she were in pain.

Starfire had been sleeping since she had been treated by Raven the day before, and Robin did not allow himself to rest until she woke up. The Boy Wonder hated this feeling of dependence on her, but, at the same time, he loved that he had someone to feel it for.

Maybe that was what being in love felt like.

Suddenly, just as his eyelids began to sag close, an alarm sounded and red lights began to blink. They had just gotten a transmission.

Groaning, Robin forced himself up and to the Main Room to answer the call. The other Titans were already in there, each still dressed in their pajamas and rubbing the sleep out of their eye.

Skipping the `good morning's' for now, Robin went straight to the huge computer and answered the call. Batman's face filled the screen.

“Robin, you look like shit.”

The Boy Wonder rolled his eyes. “That's what happens when you call at the crack of dawn.”

“I hadn't noticed. I just thought you would like to know what the results of your little friend's blood test were,” said the Dark Knight, flashing a sheet of paper in front of the screen.

“Don't play with me.”

“Don't get cranky. It really wasn't difficult to pinpoint the problem once I got used to the components of the blood. It seems that your friend has been taking large doses of some sort of modified version of methylenedioxymethamphetamine.”

Teenage Beast Boy held his head as he sat on the couch. “Big words not good in morning...”

“That's Ecstasy,” explained Robin. “And we knew that,” he said to Batman. “She was given it against her will, but she's still sick.”

“Really?” said Batman, interested. “What kind of symptoms does she have?”

“Exhaustion, achiness, nausea, fever... It's like she has the flu.”

“There's got to me more than that. Anything unusual?”

“She shivers constantly,” the Boy Wonder responded. “And she flinches away whenever I reach for her. I really didn't think anything of it - ”

Batman gave him a look as if to say `obviously'. “It sounds like your friend is going through withdrawal. Her body had become so accustom to the drug that it cannot function right without it in her system. This can turn out very, very bad for Starfire.”

Robin blinked. He never once mentioned Starfire's name in the conversation. “How did you - ”

“I'm not stupid. You should know that by now.” The transmission ended.

“What a great way to start the day,” Robin sarcastically to himself.

XOXOXOXOX

It was dusk, she could tell, as she ran blindly through the forest. Her heart was pounding wildly, and her limbs seemed to be moving on their own accord. Her own sweat stung her eyes, she was nauseous, and her legs were tiring, but she did not care. She had to get away. Run. It was not safe there.

She made a quick left into an even thicker section of trees but not once did she trip. Not once did she lose her way or slow down. She was not thinking of her destination, but her body seemed to know the way well.

The forest became much less dense and the trees shrank in size. Almost there...

She was on a plain now - no, she realized, it was a hill. She could barely see where she wanted to be the most, the bright lights on the top of the hill almost teasing her.

It was in her eyesight. Oh, X'hal, she wanted it badly.

She was almost there. Why did it have to mock her so?

She had made it. She was on the top of the hill. She bathed in the dancing lights...

...and she felt happy.

Elated.

-Euphoric.-

Starfire awoke in a cold sweat. She was in the infirmary, she realized. There was no forest, dancing lights, or hill, just the dull white monotony of the room.

She sat up slowly, both of her hands clamped tightly on her head attempting to ease her headache. She hugged her knees to her chest as her body began shaking once again. Oh X'hal, not again...

The door opened, and the Tameranian felt herself shying away before she even had the chance to see who it was.

“Oh, you're awake,” said Robin, sitting in the chair that had been occupied by him for the last twenty four hours. “Good morning.”

She did not respond. The Boy Wonder raised a brow. “What's the matter?” He reached out for her, but she recoiled from his touch, as if she'd been burned.

“No,” she said in barely a whisper.

Robin was confused. “No?”

“No.”

“Star...” He reached out to her again.

The Tameranian's eyes glowed green and she grabbed Robin's wrist in a painful grasp. “I said no,” she said, her voice low, but firm.

Robin twisted his wrist away from her grip. “Fine,” he said, angrily. The whole situation—all the events from the past few days and now Starfire's unwillingness to be comforted—was starting to catch up with him. He was angry with Slade; he was angry with Nightwing; but mostly, he was angry with himself. Too bad Starfire was the only one around to take it out on. “Do you know how hard I've worked to find you? Do you even know what it was like knowing that you were in trouble and that I might never even see you again? Do you?”

Starfire stared at him blankly, her eyes looking slightly glazed over. She was still shaking.

“I cried for you, you know. I cried for you,” he said. “I never cry.”

“I am sorry,” Starfire replied, barely audible.

“Don't be. All I want to do is comfort you. I know you're scared.” Starfire looked down at her feet. “I'm scared too. I just want to help you,” said Robin. He tried reaching out for her again.

She flinched.

Robin pulled away in response and stood quickly, causing his chair to fall backward loudly. He stalked over to the door, cracking his knuckles. “I'll be in the gym if you need me.”

Starfire sadly watched as he left, his cape billowing behind him.

XOXOXOXOX

Surprisingly, the gym was empty when he went in. The dumbbells were arranged nicely on their racks and in weight order. The floor looked freshly mopped. The room smelled like lysol.

It was amazing what a Titan would do to keep their minds occupied at a time like this.

Robin headed straight for what he had come there for—the punching bag. The red bag hung from the low ceiling in a vacant section of the gym, as if it was Robin's sanctuary. He picked up the tape on the floor near the piece of equipment and began to tape his knuckles. He wrapped layers upon layers of the white adhesive on so that his hands would be protected well. When he was finished, he discarded the roll over his shoulder.

The Boy Wonder crouched into the position that was so familiar to him. He pulled back his arm and...

Punch

It felt so good for the hero to finally be able to take out his anger his favorite way—kicking the shit out of something.

Punch, punch, punch, kick.

He repeated the sequence at speeds nearly inhuman. The velocity and power behind his attacks would easily stun an opponent, but his trusty punching bag held strong.

Punch, punch, kick, squeak, swish...

Robin knew that sound. Someone had just pushed open the gym door and entered, but he didn't care. The tape on his knuckles began to wear away and he felt his hands began to sting. He ignored the pain and just pushed on even harder. He grunted from the force of each punch.

Punch, kick, jingle, Robin...

The chains holding the punching bag up began to jingle with the stress was putting on them.

Kick, punch, punch, jingle, Robin, punch...

Whoever it was that had come into the gym was calling him, but Robin couldn't hear them. His mind was consumed with thoughts of Nightwing and his almost fatal mistake, Starfire's uncharacteristic demureness, his own conflicting feelings, and the one thing that seemed to cause it all, like taking a flame to a trail of gasoline.

Slade. This was all Slade's fault. Slade had plagued Robin for so long, and now had the audacity to make it personal.

PUNCH, Robin, PUNCH, Robin, jingle, ROBIN!

“ARGH!” Shouted the Boy Wonder as he put all his strength behind one last kick. The punching bag fell to the floor loudly. Robin grit his teeth together, his temple throbbing.

“Robin, calm down...” The hero looked up to whoever was talking to him. Raven.

He breathed heavily, trying to take her advice. It was not helping. “I'll kill him!” he said darkly.

The girl stood from the bench she was sitting on and lowered her black hood as she began to walk toward her friend. “Robin...”

Robin didn't even hear her. “When I'm finished with him, he'd wish he'd never been born. I swear to God, I'll tear him limb from limb.”

She knew exactly who she was talking about. Slade. Quite frankly, she didn't blame him at all for harboring those homicidal emotions. Hell, she felt like teaching Slade a lesson he would never forget herself, but the only difference between her emotions and Robin's was that he acted on his feelings. She tried talking him out of it. “You're being irrational.”

Robin looked at her, expression aghast. “Irrational! What the fuck, Raven? You've seen her - ”

Raven was next to him now. She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I have, and you're not the only one that feels the way you do, but we can't let ourselves dwell on what's happened. It'll only drive us all crazy.” She used her powers to replace the punching bag on the ceiling. “What Starfire needs now is strength and support to get through this,” she said. “Can't you, at least, give her that?”

Robin held his head down, his anger eased, but not completely obliterated. “…I think, now, that's all I have left to give.”

XOXOXOXOX

Her breathing was labored, her body ached at the slightest movements, and she felt like her stomach was turning inside out, but she got out of the bed, despite her body's natural protests. She pulled the blanket closer to her body as her bare feet came into contact with the cold tiled floor.

She carefully took her IV out of her arm and left the infirmary, never once looking back.

She roamed the hallways like a lost soul, somehow avoiding contact with any Titan. She made a direct route to her destination, ignoring everything around her.

She stood outside of the door and almost lost the nerve to go in. With confidence, she pushed it open.

Squeak, swish

The two other occupants in the gym, Robin and Raven, turned their heads toward the door. Robin's jaw dropped when he saw who it was.

Raven looked at the two and decided that they deserved some more time alone. “Umm, I'm gonna leave. I'll be in my room. Refrain from disrupting me.” She floated out of the room.

“Robin...”

“Starfire...”

They both looked down with smiles of embarrassment on their faces as they began simultaneously.

“Continue, Robin,” said Starfire as she took a seat on one of the benches.

Robin nodded, taking a seat right next to her. “Well, first of all,” he began, “what are you doing out of bed? You are nowhere near well enough to be walking around the tower yet - ”

“Oh,” said the Tameranian teen, beginning to stand up. “Well then, I suppose I will return then if you do not wish to speak with me.”

Robin grabbed her wrist before she could move and shook his head vigorously. “No, no. That's not what I meant at all.” She sat down once again. “I do want to talk to you. I'm just worried about you. I don't want you to get hurt again.”

Starfire crossed her arms indignantly. “You do not have to worry about me. I am able to take care of myself - ”

Robin rolled his eyes. “Well, I know that...”

“- Well, it is most obvious to me that you do not, Robin!” she nearly shouted. “I am not a plimnark flower of Upnarg that must be protected at all times!”

Robin's brow furrowed and he held up his hands, conceding. “What is the matter with you? I thought you wanted to talk, not argue.”

Starfire calmed herself, surprised at her sudden anger. “I am sorry,” she replied. “I do wish to speak with you.”

Robin waited for her to continue. “Well?”

“I wanted to apologize to you for my behavior in the infirmary,” she said. She pulled her legs up and hugged her knees. “I never meant to grab you like I did. I-I really do not know what I was thinking.” She looked at the floor, ashamed of her actions.

Robin nodded. “I understand, and it's not you're fault that you are feeling how you do,” he said. He put an arm around her shoulder, consoling her. “I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I should have realized that it was apart of your withdrawal.”

“Withdrawal?”

“Yes, from the drug that Slade gave you,” explained the Boy Wonder. “Since your body has become dependant on it, not having it in you're system anymore is making you sick.”

“Oh,” said the Tameranian teenager. “I see...”

“But don't worry about it,” he assured her. “You'll feel much better in no time.”

Starfire nodded her head, wheels turning in her head. “Yes,” she said. “I am certain that I will.”

XOXOXOXOX

It has been a week since the rescue. Starfire was feeling much better since then, and had recovered rather nicely. It was hard to tell if she had completely recovered, though. Starfire was one of those people who did not like to show her weaknesses to others, but from what Nightwing could see, she was becoming much more vibrant as the days went by. She was almost back to normal.

Nightwing never really got the chance to have a one-on-one intimate conversation with her, which was surprisingly fine with him. Even though it was hard to do, he had finally come to terms with the fact that he was never meant to be with her. She belonged with Robin and her other friends in her time period.

Today was the day that the Titans from the future decided to return to their homes. Everyone had gathered in the Main Room for goodbyes.

“I'm gonna miss ya, Old Man,” said teen Beast Boy to his counterpart. “...even if your head is bald.”

The older Beast Boy laughed. “Don't worry, kid. You'll be seeing me and my bald head very soon.”

“We never did get to have that competition,” teen Cyborg said to his counterpart as helped him program the time regulator.

The older Cyborg shrugged his metal shoulders. “It doesn't matter. We both know that I would have won.”

Teen Cyborg's eyes seemed to bug out of his head. “What? You gotta be kidding me.”

Across the room, the older Raven embraced the younger one. “Oh, I'll miss you so much!”

Teen Raven squirmed out of her grip. “Yea.”

“You're like a little sister to me!” said the elder Raven, lunging for the teenager again.

Nightwing and Robin stared at each other in the eyes. They were both aware of the strange relationship they shared, but it was a relationship, nonetheless.

Finally, Nightwing held out a hand. Robin tentative grabbed it. “I didn't want us to leave on bad terms,” said the older vigilante.

“Yeah,” Robin agreed. “Neither did I.”

Nightwing turned his gaze onto the person at Robin's side. “I'm going to miss you.”

Starfire did not even say anything in response. She ran up to Nightwing and jumped into his arms, squeezing tightly.

He hugged back, despite the tightness of the hug.

“Thank you,” she whispered in his ear. “Thank you for everything you did for me. You have my everlasting gratitude.”

Nightwing chuckled. “I was glad to help you,” he replied. A bright light flashed behind him.

“I got the portal open!” shouted Cyborg. “All aboard the trans-dimensional express!”

Reluctantly, Starfire released Nightwing. “You will visit, yes?”

“Of course,” replied Nightwing. “As often as I can.” He turned around just in time to see Raven's cape disappear into the portal. He and Cyborg were the only two left. “Looks like I have to get going,” he told her. He looked up at Robin sternly, “If you don't take care of her, I swear I'll come back and kick your ass all over the place.”

Robin chuckled. “You won't have to worry about that.”

“I didn't think I would,” said Nightwing as he disappeared in the tunnel after Cyborg.

The tunnel shrank into nothingness within seconds. The Teen Titans looked at the space it once was wistfully.

“You know,” said Beast Boy. “I have a feeling that they will be coming back very soon.”

“Me too, BB,” said Robin. “And I'm looking forward to it.”

... The End ...

FYI:

-Starfire's withdrawal symptoms include: achiness, nervousness, paranoia, shaking, fever, nausea/vomiting, sweating, and irritability. These are a mixture of alcoholism withdrawal and withdrawal symptoms from several different types of drugs.

-There are a lot of literary devices used in this chapter, especially in Starfire's dream. If you would like to know what is meant by that, see my website. Click on Fanfiction, then Back to the Present, then Notes. It will break down the parts that I am talking about. You may even be able to guess what will happen in a sequel that I'm thinking about writing.

-This is not really the end. There is still an epilogue on the way... eventually...

Length: 9,782 (Damn!)

Completed and posted: December 10, 2005

Last Edit: September 5, 2006