Love Hurts (first in Destiny series)

9) The Return

Robin felt his heart break. He hurt her so often, and she was the last person that he wanted to hurt.

"Smooth," Cyborg said sarcastically once Starfire had left the living room. Robin turned to him angrily.

"Why do you always do that?" he asked. Cyborg crossed his metallic arms.

"Why don't you just tell her how you feel man?" Cyborg asked. "Everybody else knows."

"There's nothing to tell," Robin lied. In truth, he was afraid of admitting his feelings. He didn't want to make her life more dangerous than it already was.

Not that he didn't think that she couldn't handle it. He just didn't want her to have to. He didn't want anyone else that he cared about suffer at his expense.

"Man, when are you going to stop lying to yourself?" Cyborg's voice brought Robin back to reality. "We all know how you two feel about each other."

He was of course referring to the kiss that Starfire and Robin had shared in Tokyo. The whole team had witnessed it.

"Just drop it Cyborg," Robin growled. The robotic Titan shrugged his massive shoulders and headed towards the door. It opened, and Terra limped into the room, assisted by Starfire. "Terra, what happened?" He asked.

Terra looked up at him and said the one name that Robin had so badly wanted, and yet not wanted, to hear, "Slade."

"Slade?" Cyborg repeated. Terra nodded. "I was starting to wonder when he was going to show up again."

"Agreed," Starfire piped up. "I was beginning to think that he was pushing up the daisies."

"What happened Terra?" Robin asked.

"Well Beast Boy and I went out on a date," the blue eyed girl began. "We went to the park, and Slade attacked us. Raven pushed us out of the way, and received the blow instead of us.

She got sent into the plateau, and the force of her impact loosened the rocks. Slade hit the ground causing a small earthquake to go towards her." Terra swallowed hard, tears entering her blue eyes.

"Before the rocks fell on her, and she fell into the approaching fault, Beast Boy ran to help her." Her voice cracked. "They both were crushed by the boulders, and fell into the chasm."

Starfire gasped, "Our friends gone?" Terra nodded. "No, this cannot be the case."

"I'm sorry Starfire," Terra murmured.

"How did you get away from Slade?" Robin asked. Cyborg glared at him.

"Raven and B.B. are probably dead, and you're worried about Slade?" He glared down at Robin. "This has gone too far Robin. You're letting Slade run your life."

"Agreed," Starfire gave Robin a harsh look. "You should be more concerned with finding our friends."

"If Slade's tried to kill Raven and Beast Boy," Robin replied. "Then he's plotting something big. As leader of this team, I have to look beyond our safety to the safety of the city."

Neither Cyborg nor Starfire looked terribly convinced by this, but Robin ignored them, and turned back to Terra.

The traitorous girl had been grateful for this argument, because it had given her time to think of a likely story.