Author's Note: I had not intended to ever add to this, but it was suggested the story needed some romance, and after long and careful thought, I agree. Since I'm primarily an action/adventure writer, I rarely touch on the subject. so this is practice. I hope it pleases.

Also, not all differences are physical...

Chapter 2

As a rule, Raven woke from a night's sleep almost instantly. This morning, however, she came aware slowly, discovering her mental barriers were down, and her mind was filled with a mixture of contentment and joy. It was so different from her normal cold, empty, emotionless demeanor that she couldn't help but luxuriate in it, and hope it lasted forever.

She became aware of her physical surroundings, and found somebody spooned against her back, arms circling her gently. The touch of someone's bare flesh was unprecedented in her life. but memory returned and she knew it was Kori. Then she realized her lover was singing, very softly, in Tamaranian. But instead of the usual cacaphony, this was harmonious. She didn't understand the words, but behind them was a meaning of peace, safety, and comfort.

She turned her awareness inward, and found her emotions, all of them, standing together holding hands, eyes closed, and smiles on their faces. To her shock, Rage was among them.

"Did you drop my mental barriers?" she asked.

"We did," replied Knowledge, "We could not stand to do otherwise, with such beauty wanting in."

Raven paid attention to what was flooding her mind from Starfire, and joined her emotions in the act of losing herself in it.

After a long time the music stopped. Coming to herself, she nodded at her mind-selves, closed the barriers, and turned her attention outward. She took a deep breath, then turned in the other girl's arms so they were facing each other, bodies still touching. Kori had a gentle, loving smile on her face.

"Morning, Sunshine," said Raven, and smiled slightly.

"And to you, sweet love Raven," answered Kori, "The sun will rise in ten minutes; would you like to go with me to greet it?"

"Of course," was the answer, and Raven planted a soft kiss on her new partner's lips.

Moving apart they got up from the bed. Starfire put on her bathrobe, and Raven donned her discarded leotard and shoes. She left her cloak where it was. She moved close to Kori, and black energy enveloped them. A moment later the room was empty.

Materializing on the roof, they both looked around in the rapidly-lightening sky. The dark mass of Jump City was on the horizon to the west, and to the east the edge of the sun appeared.

As it slowly rose from the ocean, Starfire took several deep breaths and stretched her lean body. Then she opened and dropped the bathrobe; the garment pooling around her feet. Raven raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. She had never seen Kori greet the sun naked before.

Facing the sun she stretched out her arms and opened her palms to it, closed her eyes and tilted back her head. As Raven watched, fascinated with a new version of a sight she had seen many times, the alien princess' body began to glow green. As the sun rose higher, gathering its strength for another day, the glow intensified. A wide smile slowly formed on the beautiful orange-skinned face, and Raven could feel the joy in her lover growing deeper and more powerful by the second. As always, the Tamaranian girl's emotions were pure and strong.

After several minutes Starfire took a deep breath, and ceased her morning worship of the sun. The green glow disappeared. She picked up her robe and donned it before turning to Raven.

"Glorious! That is how the ritual should be done; without clothing! The more skin shown to the sun, the more energy my body stores!" she said. "This sun is stronger than that of Tamaran, and I sometimes have difficulty remembering not to overcharge."

"Why haven't you done this before?" asked Raven.

"I have, but only when alone," Starfire answered, "I did not wish to give the offense when others were around."

"Anybody who saw that and was offended is an idiot," said Raven.

Starfire smiled but did not answer the comment. Instead she inquired, "What about your morning meditation?"

Raven hesitated, and looked inside herself. "I... don't feel the need to." She gave Starfire a slight smile. "I think your song kept me settled."

Starfire tilted her head and looked confused. "I do not understand."

"Since my father is gone and I am free of the Prophecy, I am able to experince emotions more fully without generating the excess I store in the pocket dimension. But the bond between us has grown stronger since last night, and my emotions were strongly affected."

"I am happy to help you, love," said Starfire. "Shall we prepare for the day, and for the telling of the news to our friends?"

As an answer, Raven's soul-self enveloped them, and a moment later the roof was barren again.

TT TT TT

Robin sat at the table drinking a cup of coffee and reading the morning paper when the door opened to admit Cyborg and Beast Boy. They both looked a bit sleepy. Cyborg got some coffee as Beast Boy poured a glass of orange juice, and they joined their leader at the table.

When neither said anything, paying attention to their drinks, Robin finally broke the silence.

"So, which one of you do I congratulate?" he asked.

The other two looked at him, at each other, then back at him.

"What're you talking about?" asked Cyborg.

Robin raised an eyebrow. "One of you knows." At the blank looks he got, he became puzzled.

"Dude, want to tell us? Cause I don't have a clue," said Beast Boy.

"Starfire told me last night she wanted to be involved with one of you, but didn't tell me which one," he answered.

"Wasn't me," answered Cyborg.

"Me either," said Beast Boy.

Now Robin was REALLY puzzled. "If wasn't you two, then it could only mean..."

At that moment, the door opened to admit the female contingent of the Titans. They had decided to come in holding hands,
and see what reaction they got.

They were met with the sight of the three boys staring at them with eyes as wide as possible.

To break the long silence that followed, Raven finally said, "Yes, it's true."

"Is it not glorious?" added Starfire.

Robin's face went blank. "Keep it private," he said, got up and left the room.

Cyborg finally got over the shock enough to ask, "When did this happen?"

"Last night, friend Cyborg," answered Starfire, "I have known for some time that love Raven was troubled, and I finally confronted her about it."

"So... you two... are a... couple?" asked Beast Boy, finally coming to consciousness, eyes still wide.

Raven nodded.

"Dudes, that is so HOT!" he said, staring at them with a grin. A bit of drool left his mouth and trickled down his chin.

"If you try to invade our privacy, I will know, and it will not be good for your health," warned Raven.

"Would you do such a thing, friend Beast Boy?" asked Starfire, tilting her head at him.

"Er... ah... I, uh..." he stammered.

"You know I mean it," added Raven, letting her eyes glow red for a moment.

"Aw, man!" whined Beast Boy. He gulped the rest of his orange juice, and left the room, muttering under his breath about never having any fun.

"Well... congratulations," said Cyborg, an odd expression on the human half of his face. "But I agree with Robin, I think it should be kept private. Any enemy who finds out could use it against you, or all of us."

"Yes," agreed Starfire, thoughtfully, "We would be at a disadvantage in battle for an enemy to know that."

"If you think it best," said Raven, and went to prepare her morning tea.

Starfire went over and gave Cyborg a gentle hug. "Thank you for supporting us, friend Victor, Your opinion means much to me."

"As long as you two are happy, that's what's important," he answered with a smile.

Raven drank her tea, while Starfire had a glass of Zorkaberry juice.

Then the dark mage stood up. "We are going out for the day," she told Cyborg, "We have our Communicators, so call us if you need us."

He nodded. "I'll tell Robin when I get a chance."

Raven and Starfire rode the elevator up to the roof, and flew off toward Jump City across the bay.

TT TT TT

"Where shall we go first, friend Raven?" called Starfire.

"The twenty-four hour breakfast bar," replied Raven. She smiled to herself. Kori had remembered not to call her 'love Raven'. The idea of keeping their relationship private had been explained in military terms, which she understood and agreed with.

A few minutes later they were filling their plates from the breakfast bar. Raven could tell they were recognized, but the people were respecting their privacy.

"This is a good idea," said Starfire, "I am most hungry."

"Me too," said Raven, and to emphasize the point, her stomach growled. Starfire giggled.

Finding an empty table they put in their drink orders, and turned attention to the food.

Starfire was ready to dig in, but Raven interrupted. "Earth manners, Kori," she reminded her friend.

"OH! Of course! I was so hungry I was forgetting. Thank you!" was the reply, and Kori began to eat at a more dignified pace, using the eating utensils.

TT TT TT

Afterwards they went to the "Mall of Shopping", Starfire's favorite place.

Raven found Kori's excitement a bit strong, and reinforced her shields to cope.

Starfire, after some time in a few stores, realized that her newly-deepened link with Raven went both ways, if she remembered to sense it. Raven was not, and had not ever, had the same fun she had at the Mall. This was a shock and a disappointment to her, and took all the fun out of the experience.

"Friend Raven," she said while they sat on a bench, "If this is not fun for you, why do you tolerate me bringing you here?"

Raven felt the gray skin of her cheeks redden a bit. "It's fun for you, and I enjoy watching you have fun."

"Oh," said Starfire with a sad expression. Her head dropped. "I am most sorry. If you would just tell me, I would not force you."

"Kori, feel what I feel," replied Raven, and opened her mental sheilds enough for Starfire to get a good look.

After a moment, starfire said, "I understand now. Thank you." And she smiled. Normally this would be a time for a crushing hug and maybe a kiss, but she did not want to break the secrecy. So they sat in silence for a minute. Once again, people were respecting their privacy because no one came over to ask for an autograph.

TT TT TT

Raven wasn't so deep in her meditative trance that she couldn't feel when Starfire came into her room. Indeed, she had to put up extra psycic shields to keep the Tamaranian princess' emotions out.

"I'm really sensitive to her emotionally, now," said Raven to Knowledge. She could still feel the strong emotional energy battering the shields.

"Of course. What was experienced last night opened a new level of awareness. You will need time to adjust to it, and learn to control it," Knowledge said.

"But not TOO much," said Love.

"She's here, I have to go," said Raven to her emotions, all collected to congratulate her, and give her advice. All of them looked tired. What she had experienced with Starfire last night and today had drained all of them. Even Rage was subdued.

"We will, of course, be here," said Knowledge, adjusting her glasses. "Good luck."

With a final wave, Raven vanished from the landscape of her mind and opened her eyes in the real world. She floated to the floor, then got up, turning to find Starfire sitting on the bed, watching her, hands clasped together.

"Did I disturb your meditation? I did my best to be quiet," said Starfire.

"You were quiet enough," answered Raven, sitting beside her, "But your emotions are loud enough to hear from three floors away."

Starfire closed her eyes and looked away. "I am sorry. I do not know how to do the volume turn down on them."

"It's okay, Kori; it's one of the things I love about you. And envy too. You're always so free with your feelings, and you feel everything deeply," answered Raven, putting her hand on the other girl's. "I'll never have that kind of freedom, even if my father is no longer a threat, and I have my excess energy under control."

Starfire suddenly brightened. "Oh, that is what I have been trying to remember to talk to you about! Have you ever thought about what to do with all the energy you put in that... universe of pockets?"

"Pocket universe," Raven corrected. Then "No, I haven't. It just continues to collect. The universe expands to take in new energy as needed."

"It occurred to me that if you could create a small hole into it and aim it, you would have a portable energy cannon as a surprise weapon!" said Starfire. Raven could feel her rising emotion.

Raven looked thoughtful for a moment. "That's a good idea! Right now the spell that transfers the energy is one-way, so I'll have to figure out how to reverse it at will." She saw Starfire's wide grin. "Only a member of a warrior culture would have thought of that. I know I never would."

The smile vanished, and again Starfire closed her eyes and looked down. "I know you were raised to peace. Does my upbringing disturb you?"

"Of course not!" Raven stood up. "Kori, what's wrong? That's twice in the last five minutes you've tried to find something bad about yourself. Are you having second thoughts about us?"

Large, lime green eyes regarded the dark mage. Raven could feel the edge of fear lurking behind the surface of Starfire's mind. "Our relationship has changed," replied Starfire, "And even though I started it, it is new ground for me. I am fearful of displeasing you, and spoiling everything."

Raven knew well that Tamaranians were raised to be totally honest. Considering the strength of their emotions, it's the only way they could be without going insane. It was one reason they were held in low regard in much of the galaxy, other races calling them 'troqs'. Tamaranian diplomats could not handle being lied to; a staple of normal politics, so they frequently got in trouble and wars with other planets.

"It's new ground for me too," answered Raven, "I feel the same fear, and I spent most of my last meditation consulting with my emotions about it."

"Then what must I do?" asked Starfire, rubbing the bedspread with one hand, "I just found you, and do not wish to lose you."

Raven sat down and was quiet for a couple of minutes, thinking. Finally she answered, "I don't believe there is any quick and easy solution. We are very different people, almost opposites, and we need to find a comfortable middle ground."

Starfire's brow wrinkled as she struggled to understand. "Oh, you mean like a neutral place between armies!" Then she slapped a hand over her mouth, and Raven could feel apprehension rising from her.

"I wouldn't put it that way, but the idea is right. A place where we can be together and incompatabilites can be gotten around, like we found last night," said Raven.

At that memory, a mixture of joy, lust, love, excitement, and peace radiated from Starfire, overwhelming Raven. She slammed down more mental barriers before her own emotions took control and they had a repeat of last night's discoveries. That wouldn't be a bad thing, except they had agreed to talk about it before progressing farther.

Raven's body responded anyway, and she felt her nipples grow hard, and warmth between her legs. Her lover's body responded as well, and Raven could smell a faint odor of roasted peanuts. She stood up again.

Starfire reached for her, a lusty grin on her face.

"Kori, if you touch me right now, I will rip your armor off, and ravish you until your eyes cross," Raven warned.

For Starfire, that broke the mood. At the mental picture that came to her, she snorted in laughter. She tried to collect herself, but couldn't. She was shortly rolling on the bed in hysterics. Even when she fell off onto the floor, her mirth continued unabated.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think it was THAT funny..."

Starfire had just begun to calm down, but that comment sent her into gales of laugher again. After a while she managed to mostly calm down. She got up and flopped on the bed, tears still in her eyes. "I am sorry, love Raven, but that is (snort) funny for (chuckle) cultural reasons (giggle) I don't thinkIcouldexplain!" And she had another fit of laughing.

Eventually, though, Starfire did calm down, though she giggled occasionally for the rest of the day.

Desparate to change the subject to something she could participate in, Raven said, "Telling the guys about us went about like I expected."

"I was not sure how they would feel about us. I feared they would reject us, as our relation is frowned upon by human cultures," said Starfire.

"Cyborg was uncertain, but willing to support us. Beast Boy reacted about the way I expected. He approves, and like many males, likes the idea of two women together. Robin clamped down on his feelings," said Raven, thinking about the event.

"That explains why all he said was 'Keep it private', then left the room," answered Starfire.

"Yes. I can't feel anything at all from him now," said Raven, shaking her head.

"Will friend Robin be the alright?" asked Starfire, worry in her voice.

"Probably. You know how he gets," said Raven.

There was a long minute of silence, as the two girls regarded each other. This was changing everything.

"So," said Raven at last, "How did the research go?"

"I logged onto the Tamaranian database and looked at every possible related subject," her lover answered, lying back on the bed, "But found little of use. There was much on the physical between females, but not between a Tamaranian and an alien.

I even read accounts by Tamaranian slave girls who had come home of the sex with their masters, but it was all male and female."

She sat up and looked at Raven. "I fear we are on our on with this, with nothing to guide us."

Raven thought a few moments. "Was what we experienced last night normal between two Tamaranian females?"

Starfire shook her head. "No. The more tendrils that touch, the higher the pleasure. But nothing that comes close to what we experienced, as I understand."

"And that was just ONE tendril. I'm almost afraid to try two," said Raven. She sat down heavily beside Starfire.

"We do not have to experiment," pointed out Starfire. "We have already found a way to be compatable."

"True, but we should. Like you pointed out, we could hurt each other badly by accident," replied Raven. "We have to find the limits."

Starfire nodded, then said "Let us put that problem aside for now, to discuss other things I found. We can play games to increase excitement. That sounds like fun."

"Games... like your submission ritual?" asked Raven, unsure of what her partner meant.

Starfire's eyes blazed in sudden anger. "Do not mock! The Ritual of Submission is very old, and not a game!"

"I'm sorry, I meant no disrespect," said Raven quickly, and was relieved to see the glow die. "Please explain what it is, then."

"I... misunderstood your intent," replied Starfire softly, looking away. "I thought you wished to own me sexually, and I was willing to do so, to be with you. I know better, now. Once I took the Oath, I would do anything you told me to, and you could do anything to me you wanted to, as long as the intent was to increase your pleasure in my body."

"And what about YOUR pleasure?" asked Raven, cocking her head.

"Unimportant," replied Starfire.

"Then I'm glad we got it straightened out first. I couldn't enjoy sex with you without knowing you had pleasure too," said Raven.

The girls were silent for a minute, thinking about what their relationship almost became.

"I'm not entirely certain, but I think in human culture, even with equal partners, one can play being submissive to the other as a game," said Raven finally, her pale gray cheeks turning red.

"And what would happen then?" asked Starfire, curious.

"Well... say... you would be my slave and I would make you do things to tease and excite you sexually, but not allow you any relief until I said so. And if you were disobedient, as part of the game, I would spank you. I think some humans enjoy that, too."

Starfire's brow wrinkled in thought. "Spank... I have heard that word before, recently... what does it mean?"

Raven's face turned redder. "Well, uh... it's easier to understand if I show you. Lie down across my lap."

It was a bit awkward, but Starfire did so. Raven took her hand and swatted Starfire on the behind twice. It stung a bit, since she was hitting Tamaranian body armor.

Starfire started laughing. "NOW I understand friend Beast Boy's words! No wonder he was acting oddly!" She got up and sat beside Raven, still laughing.

Raven tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"

"I was in great discomfort after our fight with enemy Cinderblock some days ago, and went to see friend Beast Boy for help," she answered, still smiling.

"If you had come to me, I would have healed you..." said Raven, a bit of anger and jealousy in her voice.

"It was not a matter of the healing, but of the adjusting. My... what was the word?... organs... were out of place, and striking me on the rear with a medical instrument named Kagrofdin makes muscles flex and return the organs to where they should be," Starfire explained. "But he misunderstood, and thought I was asking him to punish me. He called it a spanking." Starfire thought it would not be wise to mention friend Beast Boy's sexual reaction to the treatment.

"I see. Did it work?" asked Raven, calming down.

"Yes, I am feeling quite well, now," was the answer.

"Good." A pause, then "So hitting you on the butt isn't punishment?"

"No. It hurts, but the pain is removed by the good feeling inside as the... organs return to their places," was the answer. She looked at her new lover. "If you do wish to punish me with pain, there is a way."

Raven held up a hand. "I don't want to know."

"But I should do the telling anyway, as it can also be the stimulating sexually," Starfire replied. Ignoring Raven's attempt to protest, she continued, "Pick a place on my body and use a soft brush to do the stroking on my skin in that area."

"Uh... I don't follow. Why is that punishment?" asked a thoroughly confused Dark Mage.

"It is pleasurable at first, then the nerves are... stimulated... too much, and it becomes pain. Doctors do not know why, but when the pain begins, all my muscles lock and I cannot move until you cease. I cannot even beg for mercy."

"Kori, I would never do something like that to you. I don't even know why you told me," said Raven.

"We are together, sweet love Raven, and I would have no secrets about my body from you," answered the Tamaranian.

Raven started to ask if Kori really trusted her that much, but didn't as she already knew the answer. Once accepted as a friend, Kori trusted the person completely, with no reservations. She decided to change the subject.

"You know, by human culture, we have gone about our relationship backwards," said Raven.

"Oh? How do you mean?" asked Starfire.

"Normally there is romance between the people in a new relationship before having sex," replied Raven.

"Oh, yes, that is true from what I have seen on the television. It is too late to go back; what shall we do?" asked Starfire.

"Let's go on a date," was the response.

Starfire gave a dazzling smile, then it disappeared. "I would enjoy that very much, but what about friend Robin's order to keep the quiet about us?"

"Oh yes, I'd forgotten..." said Raven, and thought about it. Then: "We will have to find a reason to give if anyone asks."

Starfire tilted her head at Raven, eyes wide. "You mean... lie? I do the objecting strongly!"

And Raven could feel the strong emotion confirming the objection.

"Not necessarily," said Raven, holding up a hand, "Let's talk to Cyborg first, and see if he has any ideas."

TT TT TT

Victor Stone shrugged. "If anybody asks, just tell them it's a 'girl's night out'. That's enough to answer their question without going into why."

"And it would not be a lie," added Raven.

Starfire nodded. "I agree. This is good advice, friend Cyborg, and I thank you."

"Glad to help," he replied with a grin.

There was no use asking Beast Boy his opinion, as he was semi-unconcious sitting on the couch. From his emotions, Raven knew he was fantasizing about the two girls together. She sighed to herself and tuned him out.

She looked over at Robin, who was pretending to read some papers on a clipboard. "Any objection?"

"No," he said in a tight voice.

"Friend Robin, if you have the problem with us, you should do the telling of it," said Starfire.

He sighed and put down the clipboard. "It isn't the idea of the two of you together that bothers me. You're both legally adults, and can do what you want to."

"You're jealous," stated Raven, "I can feel it."

At that the Boy Wonder had the grace to look sheepish. "Yeah, a bit. If I wasn't the team leader I would have taken Starfire out on a date a long time ago."

"That explains it," said Raven in her monotone voice, "That's the attitude Batman has."

Robin looked at her in suprise. "You're right... I hadn't thought of that..."

"You are not the Batman," said Starfire, "And you do not have to adhere to his teachings so rigidly."

"No... I don't..." said Robin thoughtfully. He looked at the two girls. "Guess I missed my chance, huh?" He smiled.

"Yes," agreed Starfire, "But do not worry, the right girl for you will reveal herself when it is time."

The unvoiced reaction to that statement was four variations of 'sometimes Star's honesty can be brutal'.

As they prepared for their first date, they both realized that overcoming their differences meant exploring and learning new things about each other.

It was a challenge they both relished.