This is the first TT fic I've posted in three years, so PLEASE go easy! XD Reviews are love!
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Gotham City—Present Day
Dr. Walker made it down the white hallways of Arkham Asylum, moving at a clipped pace, as her disturbed patients seemed to be much rowdier than usual.
Ignoring the shouts for freedom and the occasional snarl, Dr. Walker turned down the left corridor, and sighed irritably, as she realized where the source of her other patients' discomfort was coming from.
The Joker was on one of his maniacal, cackling speeches. This was the third time the Joker had been returned to Arkham custody, and Dr. Walker was beginning to wonder why Batman hadn't just shot the damn bastard yet. It would do the world a huge favor if people like her didn't have to put up with people like him.
"Mr. Joker?" Dr. Walker called, approaching the cell as she did so. She was trying to remain as polite as possible, which was difficult to do as she hated to be near the clown. "Mr. Joker? You need to settle down."
She was only met with more raucous laughter, and Dr. Walker ground her teeth in annoyance. This was a giant waste of her time. What good were sedatives if you couldn't use them?
Sighing irritably, she stormed back down the hall and grabbed a sedative from one of the back rooms. She knew how the administration felt about opening the door for the Joker. Most of the staff wanted to keep as far away from the homicidal clown as possible. But if he was disrupting her patients, then Dr. Walker knew she had to do something about it.
She made her way back towards the Joker's cell, where he was still rambling on about something that was beyond incomprehensible. Dr. Walker couldn't wait to get the lunatic to shut up.
She opened the door, and quickly gripped her taser gun, which she kept in her side pocket, just in case the clown tried to pull anything.
"Oh? I have a visitor do I? Come to hear a few jokes?" The Joker practically shouted before bursting into peals of laughter.
"I'm just going to give you a sedative to calm down Mr. Joker." Dr. Walker said as calmly as she could. She hated how clear and precise the staff was supposed to be with the patients.
This only seemed to make the Joker's laughter grow worse, and Dr. Walker decided to ignore him. She ignored his doubling over, and carefully approached him, the needle raised, the taser clutched from inside her pocket.
"That's good Mr. Joker, now don't—Oof!" She cried as the Joker swiftly tripped the young doctor, sending the needle skidding across the room.
"If anyone's going to sleep Doc, it's going to be you." The Joker said with a cackle, picking up the sedative. Dr. Walker tried to scramble to her feet, but the Joker kicked her head into the floor, momentarily stunning her from the impact.
"Ah ah ah. You didn't say may I." The Joker said. "Don't let the bed bugs bite. Especially when I hear we're having quite the bug problem this time of year." The Joker said, inserting the needle into the doctor's neck. The doctor dropped at once.
The Joker yawned lazily. "Breaking out of the asylum just isn't as fun as it used to be." He said, beginning to laugh again as he exited the cell, twirling the needle between his fingers. Just then, the alarms began blaring and Joker snapped his fingers.
"Darn. I forgot about these pesky surveillance cameras." Joker said, snapping his fingers before grinning. "Oh well. I can't say that I'll be bored."
15 minutes later…
The Joker came whistling down the white hallway, noxious laughing gas surrounding him as he made his way to the information room. The Joker wiggled his fingers into the air before diving into a file. Upon finding his, he began to rummage through it, grinning from ear to ear at the luck he had.
"Sooo….Bird Boy's responsible for my return to Arkham this time, eh?" The Joker murmured, clearly amused. "What with getting old these days, remembering which Bat put me in the cage these days gets a bit fuzzy." The Joker said, breaking out into giggles before growing serious. "Bratty Bat Boy Bastard." He muttered, before spinning on his heel and hacking into the Arkham computer system.
"Oh how I love the World Wide Web!" The Joker cried eagerly, clapping his hands together at being able to access the Internet. "Now, let's see what Bird Boy's been up to so I can teach Batsy Jr. a lesson." The Joker muttered, typing in a statewide search. His eyes lit up at what he found.
"The Teen Titans, hmmm?" He said thoughtfully. He frowned. "Interesting that he broke away from Batsy Sr. But if he's on a team now, how can I draw him away from his little friends?" The Joker pondered this, before snapping his fingers. "I've got it!" He cried, grinning. "If I can't come to Bird Boy, Bird Boy'll have to come to me. And I know just the thing to make him come running." He said with a maniacal grin, before typing crazily away at the keyboard. It was time to put his plan into action, seeing as there's no time like the present.
&&&&&&
5 years ago—Gotham City
"Bobby! BOOOOBBBBBBBBYYYYYY!" Morgan Carlton called at the top of her lungs, her face turning red from straining her voice.
"Jeez Morgan. How many times do I have to tell you? It's Dick. Not Bobby." Dick Grayson said, annoyed as he bounded down the stairs.
Morgan scrunched her face up in confusion. "You want to be called a dick?"
Dick rolled his eyes. "Very funny." He said, kissing her tenderly. "Let's go before we're late." He said with a grin as he pulled away from his girlfriend.
Morgan's crystal blue eyes widened in amusement, and she flipped her black hair that hung midway down her back over her shoulder before replying, "Y'know, you have to be the only middle school kid I know who actually wants to get to school on time."
Dick rolled his eyes. "You know Bruce'll kill me if I don't go to school."
Morgan giggled and wrapped her arm around Dick's. "Too true." She said, kissing him on the cheek. "Although you could just pin the whole thing on mine. It's not like he'd be surprised…He all ready thinks I'm a bad influence on you anyway."
"He does not." Dick said firmly.
"Whatever." Morgan said with a shrug.
The couple continued walking arm and arm for a couple of blocks in silence, just enjoying the other's company.
They walked by a toy store and Morgan stopped Dick from walking. "Look! Isn't that the creepiest looking toy you've ever seen?" She asked, pressing her forehead against the window.
Dick frowned, leaning forward as well, and his face paled as a maniacal blinking clown rocked back and forth, and his eyes soon widened.
"MORGAN! LOOK OUT!" Dick shouted, shoving Morgan to the ground as the blinking clown exploded, sending shards of glass and a few pieces of brick shooting out from where the two teenagers had just been standing.
"Whoa." Morgan gasped. "How'd you…Bobby?" Morgan looked around frantically, panicked when she didn't see her boyfriend. "Dick? DICK?!" She called, and gasped as the Joker himself landed in front of her.
"Hello there. Aren't you a pretty flower…It looks like I owe my girlfriend when I told her that my new toy wouldn't attract any beautiful girls." The Joker said, before throwing his hands back and cackling. He looked at Morgan and winked. "She gets very jealous you know."
Morgan began to open her mouth when she felt hands grip her arms like a vice. "What d'ya think you're doin' there sweetums? Tryin' to steal my man?" Harley Quinn spat angrily.
"What?! No! I would never…!"
"I think she's one of those More Mans love." The Joker stage-whispered.
"Yeah? Well I think you a More Mans like you deserves a good thrashin'." Harley said, pulling a large hammer from seemingly out of nowhere.
"Oh sweetums! You're going hard on her! How lovely!" The Joker said, doing a happy jig.
Harley grinned and raised the red and yellow hammer over her head. Morgan opened her mouth to scream and…
"…Don't you think you're getting a little too old to be playing with toys Harley?" A voice called, his voice sounding familiar.
"Dick?" Morgan whispered, turning around as the Boy Wonder, Robin himself, propelled himself into Harley, sending her sprawling.
"You fiend! You'll pay for that!" The Joker said, scampering towards Robin.
Robin smirked and jumped up, kicking the Joker in mid-air. The Joker let out an audible curse as e stumbled a few feet. He wiped his chin with his arm before smiling.
"You know kid, you're sure stiff. Maybe you need to lighten up. Laugh it up a little." Joker said slyly, and unleashed a hoard of balls containing laughing gas.
Robin quickly dove in front of Morgan, blocking the girl with his cape from the noxious fumes as the Joker sang,
"I love to laugh! Long, and loud, and clear….!"
"Joker!" A voice barked.
Robin raised his head a little, smirking as Batman swooped in on the scene.
"You must be getting pretty pathetic if you're picking on kids much smaller than you." Batman smiled crookedly. "Not that you were doing a fine job at picking on them of course."
The Joker let out a shriek as he began to hop around, making obscenities at Batman and causing a real scene. Harley began to cackle as her lover continued to verbally abuse the Caped Crusader.
Batman merely shook his head and turned his attention towards Robin and the young adolescent. "Get her out of here." He said gruffly.
Robin smiled at him and gave him a mock salute. "You got it boss." He said, before scooping Morgan up in his arms and shooting out a grappling hook before flying into the early morning sky.
They landed in a back alley and Robin sighed tiredly. "You should get to school. I'm sure your parents will get worried if they find out you didn't make it." He panted.
Morgan's eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "I think you and I both know that my parents are dead…Dick."
Robin's eyes widened. "I just saved your life and this is how you repay me? By calling me a dick?" He asked, feigning hurt.
Morgan shook her head and stepped up to him, swiping off the black and white mask, startling Robin. He began to wrestle her for the mask, but Morgan continued to hold it out of his reach.
"If you really want to have an alter ego, you're going to have to put on one of those sound mask things or whatever they're called. You know that I know you better than anyone." Morgan said pointedly.
Dick sighed in irritation, swiping the mask back from her. "What was I supposed to do? Let the Joker allow his stupid girlfriend to bash your head in? Play mime with you? There was only a certain amount of time to act." Dick said, shaking his head angrily.
Morgan rolled her eyes. "Well you're the one that's supposed to be all secretive…And you totally stole that dick line from me!" She huffed.
Dick chuckled and ruffled her hair, and Morgan stuck her tongue out at him. "I suppose I have to take an oath of secrecy."
Dick shrugged. "I trust you. Besides, if you tell anyone, I'm required to kill you."
Morgan's eyes widened in horror. "Are you serious?"
Robin laughed. "You're so gullible."
"And you're so not funny." Morgan shot back. "Better hurry up so that we're not late for school." She mocked. "Just get moving Wonder Boy."
"Actually, it's Boy Wonder."
"Nope. You're Wonder Boy. End of discussion."
&&&&&&
Jump City—Present Day
"So I'm having this huge argument with my college professor, and I'm getting more and more pissed off by the minute because I'm totally right and he's still giving me shit about it! I had to bring in my dad just to prove how wrong he was." Barbara said, her voice crackling over the cell phone line.
Robin grinned. "Ah Barbara. You never cease to amaze me." He said jokingly, lounging on the couch. He saw Starfire enter the room, and he grinned at her, signaling for her to wait a second.
"Of course. That's because I am amazing Dick." Barbara said with a chuckle. Her tone grew serious. "Now, the real reason as to why I'm calling is because…"
"…You weren't just calling to say 'hi'? I'm insulted!" Robin said, trying to sound offended, but not succeeding.
"Oh please. When do I ever call you just to talk?" Barbara asked, an eye roll in her voice.
Robin smiled as Starfire began to massage his shoulders, and Robin placed one of his hands on hers, enjoying the heat of her hands radiating through his green gloves.
"…It's about the Joker." Barbara said.
Robin's eyes snapped open, and he sat up hurriedly, startling his Tamaranian girlfriend. "What?" He practically hissed into the phone.
"He escaped. From Arkham. Again. I know. He's never going to stop. But…He left a calling card." Barbara said hesitantly.
"Where?" Robin demanded.
There was a short pause before Barbara replied, "He's looking for you. Because you…"
"…Right. The day after the toy shop. He came after me while I was on patrol, I kicked his ass, I threw him in Arkham. He wants revenge?"
"Well…Yes, but…"
"…Did he leave a time and place to meet so I can kick his ass a second time?" Robin demanded, jumping to his feet.
Barbara sighed in annoyance. "Will you just shut up and let me talk?" She snapped. When Robin didn't reply, she continued, "Thank you. Now, Joker left a calling card in…An unexpected place. It was a drawing…a very vivid drawing, more of a cartoon of you…Dead. And…It was left…At Morgan's apartment."
Robin stopped his incessant pacing. "Carlton? Morgan Carlton?" He asked.
"Yeah, Morgan Carlton." Barbara repeated impatiently.
"Why? How did he…?"
"Remember you saved her from the toy shop? He must've gotten the vibe that you guys were more than friends."
Robin gritted his teeth, closing his eyes in irritation. "If he so much as touches Morgan I'll…"
"…I know." Barbara interrupted. "Which is why you need to come to Gotham. So you can track him, and give the guy what he wants."
"Alone?" Robin asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Do you really want your teammates to meet someone like the Joker?" She asked incredulously.
Robin turned towards Starfire, who was eyeing him with worry, before he turned back around, feeling a pang hit his heart. "No."
"I'm sorry then Dick, it looks like you're going to have to come alone." Barbara said sadly.
"I'll be there as soon as I can." Robin said, before hanging up the phone.
"We are to go on a mission, yes? Someone needs our assistance?" Starfire asked.
Robin shook his head. "We're not going on a mission…I am." He said, beginning to make his way towards his room.
"What?" Starfire asked, flying in front of him to block his path.
Robin stopped short. "There's a situation in Gotham, and I'm needed. You guys can't come with me." He said firmly, trying to side step her, but the Tamaranian cut in front of him again.
"Robin, whatever it is you must face, we shall face it together as a team."
Robin's eyes narrowed. "Star…I'm going to be with Batman and Batgirl. I'm not going to be alone on this."
"Then it is my place to go with the customary 'the more the merrier' yes?"
"No." Robin said, stepping past Starfire and darting up the stairs before she could stop her again.
Starfire clenched her fists at her side, growing annoyed and went zooming after Robin.
"Robin, I must admit that I do not agree with…" Starfire stopped talking when she realized that he wasn't in his room.
Hadn't he come this way?
Her eyes widened as she heard the revving of the R Cycle, and she quickly ran to the window where she saw Robin zooming out into the late afternoon.
She sighed wearily, leaning against the ledge of the window. "Be careful." She whispered as a few tears escaped her large green eyes.
&&&&&&
Robin parked his motorcycle, one he had picked up from Bruce, and removed his helmet. He blew his dark hair out of his face, annoyed that it hadn't remained in its usual up do. It was early evening by the time he was allowed to begin his mission…Which was, of course, to warn Morgan of what that picture had meant, and what she had to do in order to stay safe.
Robin rubbed his tired cerulean eyes as he began to ascend the concrete steps of the apartment building Morgan was currently staying at. He knew that this was going to be beyond awkward. How often does your ex-boyfriend show up to warn you that you're in danger?
Robin pulled at the collar of his black T-shirt as he knocked on Morgan's apartment number. He was thankful that Bruce had known of Morgan's address before he came, or else he probably would've gone to her aunt and uncle's house.
Robin waited patiently, hearing shuffling on the other side. He saw the door open a crack, and he saw a familiar pair of crystal blue eyes peek out. Before he knew it, the door was begin unlocked, and Morgan stood there, as beautiful as she had been five years ago when he had left her behind to assemble his team.
Robin braced himself, waiting for Morgan to slap him or scream at him or flip him off. Morgan had always been overly sensitive about certain…Situations.
Morgan offered Robin a crooked smile. "Hey Wonder Boy." She said, eyeing him up and down. "You got taller." She said, and he was surprised to find that Morgan was only up to his chin.
"And you've gotten…Shorter hair." Robin faltered. It really wasn't all that short…It was now shoulder length instead of chest length. Her hair was much straighter than he remembered, as he always remembered Morgan having a wave.
"Your hair's still stuck up in all directions. Didn't I tell you that that's not attractive?" Morgan teased, leaning against the doorframe.
"I have a girlfriend." Robin blurted out, and instantly regretted saying it. Why had he blurted it out? It wasn't like Morgan had been coming onto him…Right?
Morgan's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh. That's…Cool. She nice?" She asked awkwardly, averting her eyes to the floor.
Robin swallowed. "Yeah. She's…Really nice. She makes me happy." He said, blushing slightly.
Morgan smirked. "You love her."
Robin nodded slowly. "Still know me better than anyone I see." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. When the silence seemed to drag on, he cleared his throat and said, "What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Nope. I was waiting for you."
"Oh." Robin said awkwardly. "I'm…"
"S'okay. I'm an idiot." Morgan said, grinning, before patting him on the shoulder. "Besides, I did gain one thing out of that whole mess between you and me." She said.
Robin raised a suspicious eyebrow. "And what would that be."
Morgan cocked her head to the side. "Your daughter."
&&&&&&
5 years ago--Gotham City
"Hey Dick?" Morgan asked, tracing her fingers around Dick's chest.
"Hmmm?" Dick asked lazily, wrapping his fingers around Morgan.
"Do you love me?" She asked, frowning down into his cerulean eyes.
Dick grinned. "Of course. Haven't we always exchanged those three words?" He asked, pulling her down to kiss him.
Morgan pulled away. "But…If you really love me, then shouldn't we have…You know." Morgan trailed off, averting her eyes to the ground.
Dick's eyes widened. "Whoa. You mean…Go all the way?" He asked quietly.
Morgan took in a shaky breath, pushing her black hair away from her face with her hand. "I know we're only fourteen, but…If we're in love…Then don't you think we should take it to the next step?"
"You're not happy with the way things are?"
"No. It's just that Cindy said that when you really love someone…You should…You know…Seal the deal."
Dick smiled softly and pulled Morgan to him. "Is that what you really want? Would that make you happy?"
Morgan sighed. "This isn't about just me Dick. It's about you. And…What with your…You know…Depression and all I…"
Dick placed a finger to her lips. "You make me happy. Anything you do makes me happy." He whispered.
Moran grinned. "Really?"
Dick nodded, kissing her passionately. When he pulled away, he was grinning impishly at her. "Let's do it."
&&&&&&
Robin gaped at Morgan, horror struck. "My daughter?"
Morgan nodded. "Yep. You were my one and only Wonder Boy."
"But…But…Why didn't you tell me?!" Robin hissed, his face growing red with anger.
Morgan studied her nails. "Hey, you were the one that left. You really think I would've believed you if you said you were coming back for me? I didn't even know where you were Bobby."
"Whose fault is that?!" Robin snapped. "You were the one that basically told me to go screw!"
"Uh duh. Because one, I didn't know at the time and two, you fucking ditched me at that carnival!"
Robin's fists clenched. "Morgan, I all ready told you, the Joker was on the loose, I was needed."
"You couldn't have taken the night off?! Is that really so hard to do?! Take one night off just to be with your girlfriend?!"
"Bruce called me. I didn't have a choice. You know how Bruce is."
Morgan's eyes narrowed. "So, Bruce told you to break up with me too, right?" She retorted.
"No. I didn't that for your safety." Robin said slowly.
"Oh! My safety! Because…I can't handle anything myself because I'm just the damsel in distress."
"Hey! Don't forget that if it wasn't for me, your skull would be bashed in by a giant hammer!"
Morgan threw her hands up in the air. "Whatever Robert. What the hell are you doing here?"
Robin glared at her. "I'm here to explain to you about that drawing you received."
"I know what it means, Robert. It means that you're going to die. The Joker's after you, and I have to do whatever he says or else you're going to die, and then he's going to pick the ones close to me and kill them too until I comply." Morgan said sardonically.
"Which means we have to get you out of here! You and your…My…Our…Daughter!" Robin stammered.
Morgan sighed exasperatedly. "Robert, I'm not just about to up and leave because of some maniac clown. You know I'm afraid of bugs, not clowns."
"This isn't just any clown Morgan! This is a homicidal maniac! He could kill you in a heartbeat!" He snapped.
"I can't just up and abandon school and Cali's education for some maniac! We don't even know if he's really going to go through with what he said…Or…Drew!"
"He's the Joker Morgan, he's going to do it." Robin said firmly, losing his patience.
Morgan stared at Robin for a long time, her blue eyes blending with his. She finally blinked and looked down at the floor, biting her lip. "Out of all of them…He was the worst…Wasn't he?"
"It's not like it's a popularity contest." Robin said, running his fingers threw his spiky hair.
"That means that there's a tie…I'm guessing between the Penguin and the Joker." Morgan said quietly.
Robin balled his hand up into a fist. "Drop it Morgan. You're going to end up hurting yourself." He hissed.
Morgan bit her lip uncertainly. "Do you still have it? The depression, I mean."
Robin began to grow irritated. "Of course I still have it! It's post-traumatic stress! You're saying watching my parents die isn't supposed to be traumatic?!"
"…Does your girlfriend know?" Morgan asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Robin lowered his eyes to the floor, refusing to answer her.
"Interesting." Morgan murmured, opening the door for Robin to enter. "Just make sure not to commit a suicide attempt while the two of you are together." She said.
Robin shot her a glare and followed her inside the apartment.
Morgan stepped over a Barbie Jeep and picked threw the various Backyardigans and Sesame Street toys. "Don't mind the mess. If I knew you were coming I would've made a better impression."
"That's okay. You always were a slob." Robin shot out, sitting down on the black suede couch.
"Funny. Too bad bites like that don't affect me." Morgan said, beginning to rummage through the fridge for something to drink. Robin hadn't even told her he was thirsty, and yet, somehow, she just knew.
"So, am I going to meet her? Or are we keeping her illegitimate?" Robin asked, after a few moments of silence.
Morgan paused, turning to look at him. "It depends: Is your girlfriend going to go ape shit on me if she finds out we de-virginized each other?"
Robin smiled sweetly at her. "As long as you don't put it that way…Or how much of a history we had…we should be good." He sing-songed.
Morgan threw back her head and laughed. "Haven't screwed her over yet?"
Robin blushed. "Her culture asks for her to reserve her purity until after marriage." He muttered.
"What the hell culture is she apart of? Quaker?"
"No. Tamaranian."
"Gesuenheidt?"
"That's her culture. Tamaranian. She comes from the planet of Tamaran. She's an alien."
Morgan burst into fresh peals of laughter. "Oh! I see how it is! A normal girl isn't your taste…But an alien is?" Morgan started cracking up.
"Shut up Morgan." Robin said, annoyed.
"Sorry." Morgan said, although it was obvious that she didn't mean it.
"So anyway, getting back on topic: Where is she?"
"Who?"
"I don't know. Your…My…Our daughter, perhaps?"
Morgan looked at the clock, a funny expression on her face. "Um…It's eight thirty at night, I would hope that she'd be sleeping." She said
Robin blushed. "Oh. Um…"
"Nice for you to show an interest though." She said, arriving at the couch with two large lemonades.
Robin's eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry I don't know her bedtime." He grumbled.
Morgan sighed. "You're way too sensitive, you know that? Where the hell has your sense of humor gone?"
When Robin didn't reply, Morgan merely shrugged, taking a sip of her lemonade. When she was done, she said, "Cali."
"Excuse me?" Robin asked, looking up from making circles in the condensation of the glass.
"Cali. Her name. It's Cali. Cali Robin Carlton-Grayson. I was going to give her the middle name of Mary, but you weren't there and I wasn't sure if that would be dishonorable…Seeing as she was your mother and all. So I did the next best thing, I named her after you, for lack of a better term…Middle name wise anyway."
Robin frowned. "Well, thanks I guess."
Morgan shrugged. "You're welcome. She was given the name Cali because she was born in California. April fourteenth of 2004 to be exact at midnight exactly. All natural childbirth, seven hours of labor."
"Wow." Robin said, beginning to grow uncomfortable.
"I have a picture of her, but I don't want you to get attached because that'll mess up the mission of having both me and her go AWOL from school."
Robin sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "So, you'd rather die."
"He never said anything about me, Robin. He had your picture on that paper, not mine."
"Morgan…" Robin said in a warning tone.
Morgan laughed, pointing at him. "Nice! You sound exactly like a father! Too bad you're four years late!"
Robin jumped to his feet. "I came here to protect you! Bring you to safety! And you're getting mad at me for something that you didn't tell me?!
"I called you!" Morgan exclaimed. "I called you! I even called Bruce! He tried to get a hold of you, and you never answered! I tried e-mailing you, your account apparently didn't exist anymore, and then your IM was gone! And it just really pisses me off because you got to go ahead and live your life! A whole new life too! While I'm stuck here in Gotham having to deal with one mistake for the rest of my life because of your sperm!"
"What we did wasn't a mistake and you know it! You wanted it!" Robin shouted at her.
Morgan's eyes narrowed. "I think you should leave."
"What about going into hiding? Are you going to take anything into account of what I said? Because I think there's more going on here then you not wanting to leave school, Morgan. Because I know that you hate school. And if you really loved Cali, you'd get her the hell out of Gotham. Or, are you thinking that if you keep on saying no, I'll have to stay here?"
Morgan's eyes narrowed, and she glowered at Robin. "Get out." She hissed.
"Don't have to tell me twice." He muttered, standing up.
As he began to make his way towards the door, he stopped and turned around. "Here." He said, handing her a card. "It has my number on it. Just in case you change your mind." He said coolly.
And then he was gone.
&&&&&&
Jump City—Present Day
Starfire sighed, swinging her long legs as she sat at the kitchen counter, worrying over Robin. She knew that she could easily track him, but she didn't want to risk Robin getting mad at her.
Raven was sitting on the couch, reading one of her many thick books, while Cyborg and Beast Boy were off thinking up a new obnoxious game, seeing as Stank Ball had grown old years ago.
Starfire sighed again, more loudly this time, hoping to have the telepath ask her what was wrong so she could vent off about her troubles.
Before she could attempt a louder sigh, as Raven still hadn't acknowledged her, the phone rang.
Starfire dove from her seat, her heart leaping in her throat, hoping that it was Robin calling to check up on her.
"Hello?" She said breathlessly.
"Hi. I'm looking for the sperm donor of the tower." A female voice said sweetly.
Starfire's face screwed up in confusion, distracting her from her disappointment at it not being Robin. "Pardon me?"
"Oh. I'm sorry." The girl said, feigning a sincere apology. "I forgot he didn't go by tat name here. I meant Wonder Boy."
Starfire wrinkled her nose. "'Wonder Boy'? I am assuming you are referring to my boyfriend Robin, yes?"
"Oh! So you're the alien Tama-watchamacallit he told me about."
"It's…Tamaranian. And Robin is not present at the moment. He is on a mission to save a Morgan Carlton in Gotham City. May I have you leave a message so that he may contact you when he returns?"
The girl laughed. "I'm Morgan Carlton. I was just calling to say that I thought over what he said, and that my daughter and I will be arriving at this Titans Tower place hopefully by tomorrow evening."
Starfire frowned. "Um…We were not expecting company."
"Yeah, I know. Robin came to me totally freaking out about the Joker and was all like, 'you need to be safe!' and then he pulled this whole guilt trip thing on me so…Yeah. It worked. I'm coming."
"Will you be able to find our home?"
"It's a giant "T", it's not like you guys are inconspicuous." Morgan replied.
Starfire rubbed her forehead. "Are you sure Robin said that you may stay here?"
"He just said to get out of Gotham. And he left his card so I'm assuming that that means he wants me to stay with you guys. But if this is going to be a huge mess, I'll just rent a motel room or something. I won't be able to afford it, but hey, Robin's a moron."
Starfire's eyes blazed. "How do you know Robin again?"
"He's my ex-boyfriend."
&&&&&&
Morgan felt smug as she finished getting off the phone with that alien girl. She still didn't know her name, and frankly, she didn't care. She was too mad at Robin for actually going out with her to care about what her comments had most likely done to their relationship. She thought that bastard was getting slapped silly by the bitch.
After all, Morgan had been the one to wait for him. Morgan had been the one who thought about him every day. Morgan was the one who raised his child. She was also the one who he came to for venting and therapy sessions. She was the one that had made him laugh, cry, sad, etc. Yet what does he decide to do once he's gone from Gotham? Have a party with an alien chick! It wouldn't surprise her if he had screwed other girls while going out with her the maniac!
"Mommy?" Cali called timidly from her bedroom.
Morgan took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before facing her four-year-old daughter. "What is it sweetie?" She asked as kindly as she could.
"Why do we hafta move? I like it here." Cali said, her cerulean blue eyes shining with tears as her wavy black hair fell in front of her face.
Morgan sighed, stooping down to her daughter's level. "A very bad man is in Gotham, and a friend of mine wants me to get out of here with you so that we don't get hurt."
Cali frowned. "Is this bad man going to get us?"
Morgan shook her head. "No. He's not. My friend saved us. We won't be gone long…Just as soon as they get this bad man caught…Then we can come home."
Cali hesitated. "What if I don't like it where we're going?"
Morgan chuckled, thinking how Cali was so much like Dick in this way. "Trust me Cali, you're going to love it. It has an ocean there…Just like where you were born. I know how much you love to swim."
"Are there dance schools dere?" She asked suspiciously.
"It wouldn't be a city without a dance studio! It even has a karate school." Morgan said.
Cali's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Morgan nodded, fibbing a little. After all, if Robin wanted to get involved in Cali's life like he has been more than able to do it seemed, it wouldn't kill him to give her a few karate lessons.
"Wanna give it a try?" Morgan asked, pressing her forehead against Cali's.
Cali hesitated before slowly nodding, and Morgan smiled and kissed her forehead. "There's my good girl." She said standing up. "Why not if you go get the two bags I packed for you and we can head out to the car?"
"'Kay." Cali replied, scurrying back into her room.
Within a few minutes, mother and daughter were ready to leave. Morgan took most of Cali's bags in order to hold her hand and began to lead her out through the entrance of the apartment.
They were soon outside, surrounded by the busy sounds of city life. Morgan began to make her way down the steps, and she heard Cali gasp.
Morgan looked at her daughter, who was looking at something in front of her. Morgan followed her gaze and gasped when she saw her car on fire.
"Ohmygod!" She cried. "Cali, stay here!" She ordered, dropping her bags and beginning to run across the street.
She approached her car, and noticed something smoldering on the front. She hurriedly grabbed it, and realized it was an envelope. On the front was the word, "Oops!"
Frowning, Cali hurriedly tore the envelope open, and pulled out a drawing, similar to the one she had found on her front door two nights ago. Except, instead of Robin being in the drawing again, it was her. Robin had been right.
She swallowed the lump in her throat as fear overcame her and heard the click of a trigger being put into place. She slowly turned around and found herself face to face with Harley Quinn's gun, a flag blazing the words "Boom!" pointed directly at Morgan's chest.
Harley grinned maniacally at her. "Hey sweetheart. Seeing as Bird Boy isn't here to save ya, this means I can't miss this time."
And with that, she set the trigger and fired.
&&&&&&
Robin barely allowed the R Cycle to come to a halt before he was running up to the crime scene. He ignored the "Ha ha has" written in blood across the pavement. His chest started constricting when he saw a small pale hand stained with blood, a poll of blood just underneath.
He tried to get through, but police were holding him back, and Commissioner Gordon was saying something that Robin couldn't understand. He stared at the Commissioner blankly, and the Commissioner handed him a handkerchief. Robin stared at it, uncomprehending, until the Commissioner slowly touched it to his face, which was when he realized he was crying.
Robin gently pushed away the handkerchief and turned around, wiping hurriedly at his eyes. He noticed a young girl, of about four sitting on the steps. No one seemed to notice her, but there were bags on either side of her. Her long black hair fell around her elbows, and she was hugging her skinny knees tightly.
Robin looked from Morgan's dead corpse, back to the young girl sitting there, and realized with shocking clarity that he was looking at his daughter.
Swallowing, Robin slowly approached the girl, hoping not to scare her.
The girl's face rose to look at his as he slowly sat down beside her. "Hi there." He said.
The girl studied him closely, obviously debating on whether she should talk to this stranger or not. He noticed her glance at the crime scene, as if to make sure there were plenty of police officers there in case she needed them. Once she seemed satisfied, she turned to him, her mouth opening and closing.
Finally, in a hoarse voice she asked, "Are you my mommy's friend who warned us about the bad guy?"
Robin swallowed, this time feeling a definite lump. "Yeah." He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I am."
Cali lowered her eyes to the ground. "He got her." She said softly.
"I know." Robin said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Cali looked at her, thin tears streaming down her face. "What's gonna happen to me?" She whispered.
Robin swallowed. "If you want, you can come and stay with me for awhile until we find a better home for you….Would you like that?"
Cali studied Robin up and down before slowly nodding in agreement.
&&&&&&
Robin returned to Titans Tower, trying to make as little noise as possible as he sneaked in, Cali asleep on his shoulder.
It had been a long day. He had to fill out paperwork, get Batman to vouch for him on being a favorable guardian, and then he had to sit down with one of the police officers to set up an interview. Robin was pretty sure they would've done a search warrant to search the Tower, but he was pretty sure Bruce had threatened them to shut up and drop it.
Bruce had actually been the one to drive him back to Jump City, going on about a long list of signs of trauma to watch out for. Robin thought this was pretty pointless, seeing as he had gone through trauma himself, but he didn't dare point this out to Bruce. Robin had learned from years of living with the man that you didn't question him. You kept your mouth shut and agreed, whether he was wrong or not.
Robin made his way cautiously up the stairs, trying not to disturb the sleeping girl. She had probably only fallen asleep a half an hour ago in the car…And that was at eleven thirty at night. Robin was beginning to feel frustrated, at the Joker getting away, and how they had no plausible lead as to where he was. It was evident that the Joker hadn't known about Cali, and that they were obviously trying to weaken Robin in order to plot his revenge for locking him away in Arkham Asylum. All this lead to was more worry over whether the Joker was going to come to Jump City and hurt his teammates, or find more ways to hurt the ones close to him in Gotham.
Robin sighed warily as he placed Cali down on his bed, pulling the covers up around her.
"Robin?" She asked groggily, startling him.
"Cali," He whispered. "You're supposed to be asleep."
"You woke me up." She argued.
Robin sighed. "What is it?"
"Are the clown people going to get me?"
Robin felt himself grow nauseous. "No. Not today Cali. Not if I have anything to say about it."
"Why'd they hurt my mommy?"
Robin paused, because he didn't know how to explain to the young girl about revenge, or about how much her mother had meant to him at one point. He felt sickened at the very idea that he had to explain to his team about his daughter…He could almost imagine how Starfire would react to the news.
"I don't know Cali." Robin replied finally. "Sometimes when people get really mad at each other, they think that the way to solve the problem is to hurt the person that made them mad."
"Did you make the clown people mad at you?"
Robin lowered his head, tears stinging his eyes. "Yes, Cali. I made the clown people mad at me. And they hurt your mother as a result. I'm sorry."
Cali didn't say anything, and Robin was afraid that Cali was going to begin calling him a bad person and attempt to run away. This wouldn't have surprised him because if he was four and he just found out that the person that had taken him in was responsible for his mother's death, he'd probably try to run away too.
When Cali still didn't say anything after a few minutes, Robin slowly raised his head, and found Cali watching him. She didn't seem mad, she seemed curious, which confused him. Maybe it was because she was four, and she wasn't fully grasping what he was saying.
"…You're mommy's boyfriend aren't you?" Cali asked slowly, startling Robin.
Morgan had told Cali about him after all?
"Um…I was. Your mom and I haven't seen each other in years. I'm a boyfriend to another girl now." Robin said, feeling his face flush at how heartless he must sound.
Cali seemed to be studying him harder, and she said even more slowly, "Mommy said that she only had one boyfriend….And that her boyfriend was my daddy. She said that my name is named after my daddy, and your name's Robin, like my middle name….Are you my daddy?"
Robin gaped at Cali. Morgan hadn't mentioned anything about his daughter being a genius, for crying out loud. How the hell had she…?
Cali studied him up and down. "Mommy says I'm a lot like you if you are. She says that you're stubborn like me, and that you don't like being teased like me. She says that you're really smart like me, and that you like gymnastics like I do." Cali's eyes were shining with hope as she sat up in bed. "Are you my daddy Robin?"
Robin swallowed, his face flushing. "Cali…I…"
"Because if you are, that means we don't have to find a new home for me. I can live wif you!"
Robin held up his hands, stopping Cali. "Whoa, Cali. Slow down. Living here isn't the smartest thing to do."
Cali frowned in confusion. "Why not? You live here!"
"Well yeah but…I run this tower."
"And if you're my daddy, then that means the tower's safe." Cali responded matter-of-factly.
"Nooooo," Robin said slowly. "We have bad guys after us all the time, so it isn't safe. And if anyone found out about you, you could get hurt."
"Not if you're a super hero. You can protect me." Cali said proudly.
Robin pinched the bridge of his nose. "Cali, I'm not always going to be able to protect you. I go out on missions, and I'm out late at night, I don't have any money so I wouldn't be able to send you to school…"
"…That's okay. I'm done with preschool anyway."
"Right. And then you have to go off to elementary school, and middle school, and high school…."
"Nope. Mommy says I'm too smart for school."
Robin sighed warily. "Cali, we'll continue this in the morning, okay? I'm tired, you're tired…"
"No I'm not. I'm wide awake now."
"Well again, I'm tired, so it's time for you to go to sleep so that I can go to sleep. If I don't get my sleep, I'm not going to be in a good mood, and you really don't want to see me when I'm in a bad mood."
Cali sighed, but settled back underneath the covers. Robin tried to suppress his smugness at winning and stood up from sitting on his bed for so long. "Good night." He said.
Cali sat bolt up right. "Where are you going?" She asked, panic creeping into her voice.
Robin gave her a confused look. "I'm going to go sleep in a different room."
"But if you leave the clown people might get me." Cali said.
Robin studied Cali carefully. "You're really scared about that happening aren't you?"
Cali nodded, her eyes wide with fear, and Robin sighed in defeat. "I'll sleep on the floor." He said begrudgingly.
Cali grinned and quickly settled back down again, and in a few seconds, she was asleep.
Robin watched the sleeping girl for awhile, before smiling a little to himself, before he settled down on the floor and drifted off to sleep as well.
&&&&&&
There was incessant knocking on Robin's door, and Robin groaned, and his back cracked, making him bite back another moan as shooting pain shot up his spine. That was the last time he was ever sleeping on the floor again.
"Robin?" Starfire's muffled voice called through the door. "Robin? Are you home? It is I, Starfire. Cyborg said that he located your R Cycle back in our garage, which means that you have returned undamaged, yes? Robin? Are you in your room? Robin?"
Robin stumbled to his feet, trying to make his drooping eyelids remain open. He opened the door, and Starfire let out a squeal of delight, hugging Robin tightly, which did nothing to improve his back.
"Oh Robin! You have returned from your journey in such a short time! I am assuming that it was successful and you and I have much to 'catch up on' and…Why is there a girl sleeping in your bed?" Starfire asked, pulling away from Robin.
Robin frowned, momentarily forgetting about Cali. He turned around and saw Cali watching him, and the events of yesterday came flooding back to him. He rubbed his forehead and addressed Starfire first.
"That's Cali. The mission wasn't successful. Her mother was killed and it was insisted that I come back to Jump City to bring her to safety."
Starfire frowned slightly. "I see. Was this girl a Morgan Carlton by any chance?"
Robin started. "How'd you know?"
"She called yesterday claiming that she was once your girlfriend." Starfire's eyes narrowed. "She mentioned something about you and her having a child, and seeing as this 'Cali' resembles you, I am assuming that she is the child to which she spoke of."
Robin paled, and secretly cursed Morgan inside his head before responding, "Star, I swear, I didn't know that Cali existed I…"
"…That is not what I am upset about Robin. What I am upset about is the fact that you did something very special with this girl, and you did not inform me of it."
Robin blushed. "Star…It was a long time ago and I didn't…"
"…I have told you everything of my world, have I not?" Starfire demanded, "Because if I have, then there is no reason for you to not tell me everything about your world prior to being with the Teen Titans. Have I given you some sort of impression that you should not share such confidential information with me?"
"Star…" Robin faltered. "Try to understand, I was young. At the time, I thought Morgan was the one I loved, and…In our world…When you love someone you….You know. It was stupid and I'm sorry. But you can't get mad at me for something that happened almost five years ago."
Starfire's eyes narrowed. "Robin, I am not mad at what you did, I am mad that you did not tell me. Not to mention that you did not tell me what your mission consists of. How am I to know that you did not travel just to be with Morgan again? You left alone and returned with her daughter. I realize that she is dead, and I am sorry for your loss, but I am not sorry for being angry with you. Unless you have an excuse for me as to why you are suddenly keeping secrets from me, then I am confused as to why we are in a relationship at all."
Robin gave Starfire a puzzled look. "Star, you were so happy when you first saw me, why…?"
"You would not have opened the door if you knew that I was angry. Besides, I was planning on bringing up this conversation later, but seeing as I have seen Cali, I figured now was as good a time as any to bring up this recent confusion that I am feeling towards you."
"But, there shouldn't be any confusion. Star, this is all a big misunderstanding…"
"…That girl is a 'misunderstanding'?"
"Well no, but…"
"…Speak to me when you are ready to gather your thoughts together Robin." Starfire said with a sniff, before flying off.
"Star!" Robin cried after he feebly. He sighed warily, shaking his head. Now he had more problems to deal with, and he didn't even know which one to deal with first.
Just then, Robin heard a huge explosion, followed by a maniacal cackle. Cali screamed and quickly dove at Robin, wrapping her arms around Robin's legs.
"IT'S THE CLOWN PEOPLE!"
&&&&&&
Well…That was…Long. The original plan was for this to be a one-shot, but I think this is going to be a couple of chapters long. I really like the idea of Robin with kids, but I knew that if I left Morgan in there, that would mess up the Star/Robin relationship. I promise not to ruin that! Anyway, please leave a review on your way out…No reviews, no update. For how can I know how to improve my story if I don't receive feedback? XD