Tom was not amused.

It had been a few weeks since he last heard from Alex, when Alex had texted him to let him know that he was going on a mission to Cairo with Jack to find the bastards that shot him. Ever since then, there was silence. Nothing, zip, zilch, nada. He had even tried calling Alex's house, but all there was was an automatic message that said that no one lived there anymore.

'No one lived there anymore' his arse.

Tom was getting worried. He had a half-mind to walk into the Royal and General bank and ask SIS/MI6 where the hell Alex was. However, he knew that he wasn't allowed to know about Alex's job and it would either get him arrested or Alex arrested.

No, Tom knew that he had to wait, like he always did.

He had been waiting by the phone ever since Alex had texted him before flying to Cairo. Every time the phone rang, he was always hoping that it was Alex, that he and Jack were safe and the bad guys were caught and everything would be okay.

All he got was disappointment.

It was sad, really, how much his life revolved around Alex. Sure, he had friends, but not on the same level of Alex. He wasn't close to his always arguing parents, not anymore. He barely talked to Jerry as well, only seeing him during the holidays.

So, even though his waking moments were spent about Alex, Tom was sure that he had been left behind, forgotten, brushed aside, you name it. Did he really want to be the Robin to Alex's Batman? Forever lesser, not as seen, not as loved, even by Alex?

No, he knew, he didn't. But he was.

It was sad, really, how dependent Tom was on Alex. Alex stopped him from being stupid, even when he wasn't even there. Alex listened to his problems and never laughed, never judged. Alex was the best friend that Tom could wish for, the best friend that he had.

Yet, Alex didn't contact him.

Tom was scared, scared that the silence meant that Alex was dead, that it would be announced that he had died due to a sickness and he would be all alone again. Tom was scared that the silence meant that both Alex and Jack were dead and that meant that he would truly be alone in his sadness, in his mourning.

Really, was it that hard to drop a text? To let Tom know he was alright?

The phone rang. Tom rushed towards the phone and picked up. Please, please, let it be Alex.

"Hello?"

"Tom."

Tom felt a multitude of feelings: happiness, relief, anger. Alex was alive! However, Tom paused. There was something different about him. Something had changed.

"Hey, buddy," said Tom grinning. "Let me tell you what has happened lately at Brookland..."

Tom knew that something had changed, but he would do as he always did. Talk and make Alex forget all of the pain, make him laugh and see the joy and humour in life.

That was why Tom was Alex's Robin to his Batman.

A/N: Okay, this just happened. o.O It's practically an AU to my other AR story named "Leaving". A tad different kind of darker, but still dark in its own right. xD