AN: Hey guys! Welcome to my first little expedition into the world of superhero fiction. This story is a kind of a stand alone epilogue. Hopefully I've explained everything enough so you can jump right in! I've tried to keep everyone in character as much as possible, so , please, no flames. Enjoy, rate, and review if you'd like! :) Any feedback is much appreciated.

Disclaimer: I don't own DC Comics or any of its characters. I only own Caroline Blusteeyl and my other OC's.

Prologue:

It'd been five years. On this very day, 5 years ago, she had joined a group of crime fighting super powered teenagers. 16 year old Caroline Blusteeyl didn't realize then what she was getting into, working with an alien, cyborg, animal boy, witch, and an orphan. Going around with the others, under the pseudonym of Obsidian, they weren't your normal crime fighting group. They were the crime fighting group. Even when bomb threats, robberies, jewel heists, and psychotic super villains threatened the streets, the Teen Titans were there.

But, eventually, things took their toll on the members. Two years after Obsidian had become an honorary Titan, she noticed some fissures forming in the seemingly unbreakable structure of the Teen Titans. Distances seemed to grow between the team. Raven, one of Obsidian's closest friends, spent nearly the entire day in her room. She almost never spoke to any Titan; only when necessary did she say a word. Starfire was often making plans to go somewhere. No one knew where, precisely, but assumed it was plans for her to go back to Tamaran. Beast Boy was often out in the city, looking for something, or someone. Cyborg spent almost all of his time in the garage, working on cars, bikes, anything with an engine. And, lastly, there was Robin. Out of all the Titans, Robin was the one Obsidian felt the closest too. Maybe it was because they were both orphans and had grown up in a very dark world. Or maybe it was just because he was her Robin.

But, for some reason, Obsidian couldn't leave him. One day, in August of her second year with the Titans, Obsidian confronted him. She needed to know what was going on. She couldn't stand being misinformed. And, like it or not, she'd fallen in love with him. She was in too deep now to just let things go. Robin explained to her that, after all those years together, he'd had enough. He'd left Batman for good and, soon, he'd be leaving the Titans too. Where he'd go after that, he said he didn't know.

Obsidian couldn't bear it. The team had been together for far too long for it to just break apart like nothing had happened. Breaking up seemed impossible for the Teen Titans. But break it did. A few weeks after Obsidian confronted Robin on that early August day, he just left. He walked out the door to Titans Tower in street clothes without as much as a word to anyone. Obsidian was in disbelief; she thought, no, she knew he would come back. She just knew it.

Days trickled slowly by, yet Robin's room in the Tower was still empty. Obsidian stayed close to the Tower. She barely ever left it, except to visit places she'd gone with Robin; the movies, the boardwalk, the park, the pizza parlor. She just couldn't get him off her mind. She had to find a way to get a hold of him; to hear his voice, to know he was alright. There weren't a ton of people she could call who might know where he would be. But, Obsi knew only one person he would trust, even after his connection with Batman was broken. She scrolled to a number in her phone she hadn't dialed in what felt like a very long time. A distinctive British voice answered.

"Wayne Manor, Alfred speaking."

Obsidian didn't even know where the words came from. She told Alfred everything; the apparent erosion of the team, Robin's leaving, and her own feelings. Alfred gave her as much advice as he could give, and Obsi considered him very wise. She even talked to Bruce, who she hadn't seen in several years. She'd talked to him once or twice a year, around holidays and his birthday. He seemed different now that Robin had gone. He had known they wouldn't be a team forever. But he also never thought Robin would just leave him without saying anything.

To Obsidian's seething frustration, neither Alfred or Bruce knew exactly where Robin had gone, but Bruce gave her a few words of advice. "Caroline, I know you must be upset. But I know Richard. You know Richard. Wherever he is right now, he's where he should be. When he's healed, he'll come back. It could be an hour, a day, a month, even years. But I do know one thing for certain. He really cares for you, Caroline. He will come back, someday, when he's ready."

It'd been five years and Caroline had never forgotten those words Bruce had told her when she was a distressed, broken-hearted teen. Now she was 21; a young woman. He skinny frame had filled out; she was tall, about 5'9, with waved, dark honey colored hair and warm brown eyes. Her style had changed. Now, she wore a V-neck black leather spandex dress, with tall, high heeled matching leather boots, as well as her now signature black mask and a gold R pendant around her neck that she wore for the boy she'd never forget.

Her powers were still there; she could still fly, shoot her feathers from her fingertips, blast baddies with her ice beam vision. She even still had her beloved Maestro. But, flying, which had once been such a joy to her, had lost much appeal. Now, she often sped through Gotham's streets in a zippy pitch black motorcycle. It was just like Robin's R-cycle. Every time she put the key in the ignition, she would remember him. She knew she had to get over him; it'd been way too long. She couldn't keep moping for someone she knew she would most likely never see again. But, for some reason, Caroline never lost hope that, one day, Richie would come back to her.

Chapter 1:

It was definitely the weekend. Caroline knew it must be; the sun was too bright, the weather too nice, and her bed was far too comfortable for it to be any day other than Saturday. This wasn't just any Saturday, though. Today was the day before the ball at Wayne Manor. Caroline dreaded going; she was nervous to go alone and was worried that memories she had fought so long to control would come flooding back the moment she stepped inside the beautiful mansion. As one of the most respected and, she hoped, loved members of Wayne Enterprises, she was expected to be in attendance, as one of the most important guests.

Realizing she had to get up before she slept the day away, Caroline was up and stretching, throwing a robe over her shoulders and heading into her kitchenette and living room. She sat at her small kitchen table with coffee, flipping over the crisp white invitation to the ball, when a small photo caught her eye; the last picture they had taken together before he left. Arms around each other, Caroline had been laughing at something, her love gazing at her in a look she could only describe as adoring. She could still hear him saying her name, laughing at her jokes. She could still feel his hand in hers, his arms around her, the way her heart raced when she buried her face in his shoulder, the way her breath caught in her throat and electricity pulsed through her veins that last night, when they'd almost kissed.

Sighing, she rose from her seat at the table and put her teacup in the sink. She wandered into the bathroom and took a long shower, letting the hot water relax her muscles as she tried to pull her mind from those gripping memories. Once she was out, she dried her hair and put on a dark green tank with cut off black jean shorts and her black converse high tops, brushing her shiny hair down around her shoulders, letting it dry in honey colored waves. Picking up her black handbag, she headed out outside her apartment complex and hopped on her everyday motorcycle; a cardinal red one. To lift her spirits, she sped to the nearest shopping center.

Caroline happily spent the nearly the whole day at the mall, finding a beautiful silken evening gown. She actually almost forgot about those painful memories for those relaxing, fun hours. She drove home late that afternoon, fixing and eating a quick dinner, then watching an old movie. By the time the movie was over, the sun had long been set, and Gotham had transformed from its sunbathed daytime familiarity to its dark, enchanting alter-ego. The beautiful, clear night dug its nails into Caroline and without forethought she slipped from her apartment and into the glittering streets.

After walking for a while, a pair of shady looking men began to follow her. Caroline rolled her eyes; the same drunken idiots looking to get lucky. Ducking into a convenient dark alley, she slipped on her mask and threw off her clothes, revealing her black dress beneath. She chuckled to herself, the shady men calling obscenities and catcalling as they approached her in the alley. She smirked and sauntered up to them, before slugging one in the face and knocking the legs out from the other. Their pathetic attempts to grab her made her snicker with laughter, as she caught their punches with both hands, throwing them to the ground. She heard a thump behind her and thought nothing of it. She spun around as the two guys got back up and she flipped over their shoulders and slammed their heads together, the two of them falling to the floor in a crumpled, unconscious heap.

Wiping off her hands confidently, she started to leave the alley, when another thump made her whirl around. It was way too close for her comfort. "Show yourself!" She shouted, watching something moving in the shadows. Her eyes twinkled with blue ice crystals. This was not the night to test her. She ran towards a fire escape alongside one of the buildings, standing in front of it, in case she had to make a quick getaway. The moon came out from hiding behind black clouds, casting a beam of moonlight down onto the alley. Caroline spotted a figure near the back of the alley; she assumed it was human. "Who are you?! What do you want?" She yelled towards it, sharpened black feathers appearing from her fingertips.

"Caroline." It said in a sultry, masculine voice that was almost affectionate in its familiarity.

"How do you…?" She started to ask, when suddenly the man in the shadows approached.

Caroline quickly backed up against the fire escape, her eyes fading back to their original cocoa color. Her breath caught in her throat when the man stepped into the moonlight. He was heart-breakingly handsome, her eyes taking in his black spandex jumpsuit with the sky blue eagle across the shoulders, the black mask, and the pitch colored hair bordering a sculpted face that looked oddly familiar. He came closer and Caroline could feel her heart beginning to pound.

"What do you…?"

"You really don't remember me, Obsi?" Now that caught her attention, big time. Only 5 people had ever called her that. There was only one person this stranger could be.

"No way…there's no way…how…" She blinked rapidly, not wanting to believe it. "R-Robin?" Her mouth gaped, mind searching for some way to recognize him, acknowledge that this wasn't some cruel practical joke. "Richie?" She whispered, her fingers gripping her gold R pendant almost desperately hopeful.

He flashed a dazzlingly white smile and took a small step forward. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"…you…you just…left. For five years. Five whole years. What…what happened to you?" Caroline paused and her eyes shifted to the toes of her boots. "No reason...no explanation. You never even said goodbye…" Caroline stopped herself from saying more; she could feel her throat begin to tighten with emotion and the tears threaten.

"I had to get away from it all. Don't you understand? I couldn't stay with the Titans anymore. I had to make my own path. I had to stop living in someone else's shadow."

Caroline could feel hot tears welling up in her eyes, as much as she fought to keep them under control. She hung her head in defeat, raising a hand to her face, feeling them spill through her fingers. Her knees gave out; she fell to them in the middle of the alley. He took her other hand in his gloved one and Caroline sobbed a little harder. Eventually, she flung her arms around him. She never wanted to let go. She never wanted him to stop holding her.

"I'm so sorry Caroline. I never thought how much my leaving would hurt you. Please, for me, don't cry. I just… can't take it." These words began to slowly thaw her turmoil filled heart. She sniffled and reluctantly let go. She didn't know what to say. She could only look at him. He ran the back of his hand across the side of her face, making her shiver. He was still her Richie, the same one she'd known for what felt like so long, but he was different now; darker, more mysterious, and much more like Batman than the Robin she'd known. She was still very much in love with him, but the past five years had changed him. Somewhere along the way, her Richie had grown up.

"You know you're beautiful, Caroline." He said sweetly, gently toying with a honey colored curl that had fallen astray. "Even when you cry, you manage to look like an angel."

"Richie…" She looked him straight in the eyes and took his hand. This, she knew, was the only way she could tell if he was who he said. She slowly leaned towards him. He smiled slightly and put a finger to her lips.

"As much as I would love to..." He said quietly. "Just not tonight. Soon, I promise." He paused and Caroline leaned back, a little hurt. "I wanted to ask you…if you were going with anyone to the ball at Wayne Manor tomorrow." Caroline looked at him in surprise. Whatever she was expecting him to ask…this wasn't it.

"It's not like he was going to ask you to marry him, stupid!" She mentally admonished herself, smiling slightly at the thought, before realizing she probably looked even more foolish not answering him.

"I…no. I don't."

"Maybe you'd like to go with me then?" He asked with a wink that made Caroline blush like a schoolgirl.

"That would be…just wonderful."

"Great." He grinned and stood up, helping her to stand too. "How's 8 o clock sound?"

"Perfect." Caroline said, smiling hopelessly, all previous irritation forgotten.

"Then I guess I'll see you at 8." He said, stroking her jawline gently before slipping back into the shadows.

"Oh…Wait!" She called. He turned over one shoulder with a smile. "…You aren't Robin anymore…right? What…should I call you?"

He smiled darkly, as if he'd known she would ask this. "Nightwing." He stayed there a heartbeat more and before she could move, he vanished into the shadows. Caroline stared after him, her heart still racing like it had years before.

AN: Well, what'd you think? :) Hopefully you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This story is so fun to work with. The next chapter should be up very soon! Ciao for now!