Disclaimer: Teen Titans is the property of DC Comics. This is a non-commercial fan-fic.

1: Chapter One - Spiders

Titan Tower was particularly loud that day. Normally the familiar clamor of Beast Boy and Cyborg yelling and playing video games wouldn't have bothered Robin all that much, but today was different. Much different. It was his first birthday without Bruce.

Since coming to Jump City and starting the Teen Titans, Robin had only become more determined to separate himself from Batman. It was a productive way to release his anger and step out of the dark knight's shadow. Not to get everything wrong, though. He was grateful to Bruce. He owed the man his life. Bruce had given him a home, took him in and raised him.

When Robin's parents had died, it was the worst time of his life. The memory was still as vivid and fresh in his mind as it had been seven years ago, almost half his life ago. He thought back to his child self watching as the beautiful and familiar acrobatic dance of his parents came to a horrific and permanent end. The incredible trapeze routines all three of the flying Graysons had rehearsed a thousand times took a truly twisted turn. He watched as the once unbreakable ropes tore apart right before his eight year old eyes. Then the impossible happened. His parents who never missed a beat, never failed to catch the next bar or limb, fell to their deaths.

Robin held back tears, clenching his fists at the memory. Why was he thinking about his past so much right now? He already knew the answer. It wasn't just his first birthday in seven years without Bruce. It was his first birthday ever without a parent.

As much as he wouldn't admit it right now, he really missed his second father, but he was too proud to call him. Robin was still way too angry. He thought back to that night almost a year ago when Batman had taken something from Robin he could never forgive him for. His chance at revenge. Batman had tracked down his parents' killer, the man who'd cut their ropes all those years ago, and gotten him to jail.

Robin hadn't been able to take part in any of it. Tony Zucco was his fight, his bad guy to take down, and Batman had stolen that from him. That was the end of Batman and Robin for him. It was hard enough being bossed around by an overprotective parent who wouldn't let him go on any really dangerous missions half the time, among other things, but Zucco had been the last straw.

Robin didn't realize how tense he was until Starfire put a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her beautiful worried face, feeling slightly startled. Her emerald green eyes were full of concern.

"Friend Robin," she said, "what is wrong? Are you damaged?"

Robin forced a ghost of a smile. "I'm fine. Really."

The lie wasn't fooling anyone in the room. Now all his friends were looking at him. It was actually pretty embarrassing, and Robin turned a little pink. He opened his mouth to say something, but found himself just closing it again, at a loss for words. When no one said anything for well over sixty seconds, things were really getting awkward.

Finally, Beast Boy gestured with his hand tentatively and started with a, "Dude, are you-" then the alarms sounded, and Titan Tower screamed red alert.

Robin sighed with relief at the distraction. As selfish as it was of him, he didn't want to explain anything, and kicking bad guy butt was the perfect excuse not to.

Cyborg was at the main computer in seconds, analyzing the threat. "It looks like some kind of giant spider terrorizing the city! Man, I hate bugs."

"Dude..." Beast Boy said warily as a second figure entered the scene, "That's two giant spiders."

Getting kind of excited, Robin shouted, "Titans, go!"

That got everyone running, or in some cases flying, out of the tower in a heartbeat. They raced downtown and put all their abilities into play. The first spider went down almost too easily. Just when they had it right where they wanted it, though, glowing ripples appeared in the air and it vanished within it, slipping out of sight.

It retreated at least, Robin thought grudgingly, but he really wanted to beat that other spider before it got away. He needed to make sure they didn't come back, and he wanted to know what the heck they were doing here in the first place. Shooting a grappling hook right into the spider's tough but not invincible exoskeleton, Robin closed the distance between them and began trapping it's legs in a tangle of wire. Unfortunately, the spider tore it apart with ease.

"Hmm, you're tougher than your partner," he said with a grin. "This should be fun."

Robin could have sworn then that the spider's many eyes narrowed in an almost human way. The expression, if you could call it that, was almost analytical. Had it understood him? Robin's moment of surprise was all the spider needed. Taking advantage, it swung one of it's many enormous legs at Robin and kicked him right in the chest. With a loud crack coming from his rib cage, he flew backwards and high into the air, screaming in surprise and pain. He was shocked by the sheer unpredicted strength, and the edges of his vision were going dark from agony.

Just before he crashed hard to the ground, he saw the second spider disappearing through a ripple in space, and his friends getting very far away. Feeling agony sear though his back and chest and skull, Robin groaned. He tried to sit up and examined his slashed chest with dismay. His uniform was in ruins, torn beyond recognition. His trademark R badge was gone, and so was one of his shoes.

He had to get back to Titan Tower fast. He needed medical help badly. As he tried to stand, though, it was too much for him, and he toppled to the ground, landing on the side of his head with a painful force and blacking out. His last thought was, If only Bruce could see me now...

"Hey! Sis! He's coming to!"

Robin's eyes flickered open painfully to a dim room. The first thing he noticed was that he was on a bed with a black boy about his age hovering over him. The guy looked relieved but kind of freaked out.

"Where am I?" Robin groaned, trying to get up.

The boy instantly pushed him back down looking panicked. "Whoa, man! Too soon. You were pretty beat up. How'd you get so hurt? What's the last thing you remember?"

He then looked down at himself. "Damn. Sis and me are go'n to get so busted for this."

Robin could hear blasting music and loud voices, so he thought he had a good idea what was going on. A party. There was a party downstairs, and the guy throwing it didn't look over fourteen, much less twenty one.

Rolling his eyes, Robin said, "Looks like you saved me, so thanks, but I really need to-" Robin stopped mid sentence short of saying arrest you.

He realized something horrifying. His mask was off, and his watch was gone. Panicking, he tore the covers off of him and looked down at his body. He was wearing a dark tee shirt and jeans.

"Uh, sorry about that," the other teen stuttered. "Your clothes were all torn up, so I gave you some of mine. You don't mind do you?"

He looked so nervous and sincere that Robin tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. Playing it as cool as he could he asked, "And, did you see my..." He struggled with the next words. "...glasses? Sunglasses, I mean... and watch?" Just in case, he couldn't say mask. It could give away his secret identity.

The other teen looked confused. "Nope. I just found you out in our alley all scraped up and bruised."

Robin sighed with relief, unable to hold it in. Still something was getting on his nerves. He raised a slightly angry eyebrow. "And you didn't call an ambulance, why?" He already knew the answer.

The black boy was struggling for words. Strangely enough it was a black girl stepping into the room who answered. "Party. Our parents are out of town, and we don't want the cops showing up and calling them." She looked freaked.

The black boy on the other hand looked relieved he at least wasn't alone with Robin anymore. "Hey, sis," he said.

Robin narrowed his eyes. The girl continued. "Look, please, just let this go. I was going to drive you to the hospital as soon as you woke up."

Her wide almond eyes shone with worry, and Robin sighed. "I really don't like breaking the law, but just this once, fine. Thanks for saving me by the way. I do owe you, don't I?"

The girl actually rolled her eyes. "You don't have fun much, do you? What are you, twelve?"

Robin glared at that. "No. Fifteen!" He then widened his eyes in shock. It was the first time he'd said it. He was fifteen as of today. He'd almost forgotten.

"Chill man! It was just a joke," the brother said, suddenly keeping his distance.

Robin smiled kind of sadly and finally admitted, "It's my birthday, and that sucks. Sorry I freaked."

The girl raised an eyebrow and smiled back. "Well, happy birthday then. I'm Cora and this is my brother Josh. Nice to meet you... um, what's your name?"

Robin covered his wariness with a trademark side grin. "Dick Grayson."

If he hadn't been so busy trying to keep his composure after using his birth name, he would have seen Josh's eyes widen in curiosity. He let Cora help him up into the light, then pain shot through him like a hundred knives. He groaned, and Cora gripped his arm tighter.

"Sorry!" she said with worry spread across her face. "Um...are you okay? What can I do?"

Robin chuckled painfully, noticing that she actually was kind of hot now that he could see her more clearly. "Um, do you have any tylenol or something? Or just some water?"

She smiled and nodded, gently ushering him down the hall and to a bathroom. Robin could see a staircase out of the corner of his eye, leading to a room full of strobe lights and dancing people. He sighed, feeling guilty for ignoring this crime, no matter how small it was. Before he could think too long on it, Cora led him into the bathroom and sat him down on the closed toilet. She rummaged through a cabinet above a sink and handed him a bottle of tylenol. He opened it and looked at it, just to make sure it wasn't accidentally something else. Feeling reassured, he took the cup of water Cora handed him gratefully and gulped down a couple of the pills.

He could have sworn the water tasted a bit salty, though. That was kind of weird, but not too much considering his taste buds could be off. Still, spending years with Bruce had taught him to over analyze literally everything just in case. So poisoning actually crossed his mind. He quickly crossed that off as ridiculous. These guys were just ordinary kids, and it was like no poison he'd smelled or tasted before.

Cora actually giggled. "What's the serious face all about?"

Robin raised an eyebrow and allowed a mischievous smile. "Just trying to decide if you'd poisoned me."

She looked incredulous then laughed even harder. Robin joined in. It had been the truth, but it made kind of a good joke too. Cora smiled at him even wider. "You know you have really cute blue eyes. They really pop."

"Uh...thanks..." Robin blushed, feeling uncomfortable not only from a hot girl complimenting him, but because he hadn't let anyone see his eyes in almost a year.

One thing Bruce had made him promise before starting the Teen Titans was that the mask stayed. He wasn't allowed to reveal his secret identity to anyone, not even his teammates. That was another thing he hated Bruce for. He was feeling pretty pissed about it right then actually. Still, wasn't hate kind of a strong word? He creased his brow in confusion as he realized it really didn't feel too strong at all. It should have though.

Robin was snapped out of his thoughts when Cora suddenly lifted up his chin, almost seductively. "You really shouldn't keep those eyes covered all the time, Robin."

His eyes widened in shock as she said the name, and he turned instantly alert. He rushed into a combat ready pose then groaned out in pain. She smirked at him. "I don't know why you thought tylenol would do any good. I guess you thought it would help you for a few minutes while you got back to your little Titan friends? Hmm?"

He glared at her venomously, feeling more angry than he usually did towards any villain. He lunged at her and tried to punch her hard in the face, but she dodged with surprising grace. He landed pitifully on the floor and cried out as she pinned his back down with her boot. "Also, Robin," she said looking down at him, "I really did poison you."

Robin's eyes widened in horror, and he yelled, "How long do I have? Tell me!"

Cora looked at him with mock pity. "Oh, it takes effect very quickly. It should have begun to spread already. I give you a few more minutes before it's done."

Robin felt a twist of despair but also anger. "Tell me how to stop it!" he growled menacingly. "Tell me or I'll beat it out of you until you're begging for me to stop!"

His eyes were wide with an intense rage that even managed to be terrifying. Cora liked that expression and the words even more. She laughed, and to Robin's surprise she stepped off of him and helped him up. "It's not a poison that kills you, silly boy, and it'll wear off in seventy two hours if you don't want more."

Robin's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

He was thrown completely off guard. What was weirder was that he wasn't hurting as badly as he had been. Confused, he lifted up his shirt and looked down at his rib cage. The bruising was disappearing before his eyes. What was going on?

"Looks like all those injuries I gave you earlier are starting to heal," Cora said with a knowing smile.

Okay. Now he was double whammied. Robin looked at her in shock. "Wait, you're that giant spider?!"

She pouted, pretending to look hurt. "What, don't think I'm pretty now? That's just one of my forms, you know."

Robin blushed as she leaned into him. Cora really was hot, and she was so close to him. He could feel her sweet cinnamon scented breath on his cheek. "Anyway, Robin," she asked, "How are you feeling now?"

Robin thought about it. "I...I feel great." He was surprised and kind of relieved but also wary.

He steeled himself and looked at Cora seriously. "It's the poison, isn't it? I'm guessing it didn't just heal me. What else does it do?"

Cora rolled her eyes. "You really need to stop being so serious all the time." She sighed, stepping back from him. For once he didn't bother attacking her. He just stood across from her, trying to figure her out.

"The poison is actually a drop of my blood, and aside from enhancements like healing, it does something else, something way cooler." She paused for effect, annoying Robin with the wait.

He growled. "What else does it do, Cora?"

Cora smiled, enjoying the fire in his eyes. "It brings out the darkest parts of you. The things that hide in the corners of your mind. The shadows within."

Horror spread across Robin's entire face. He felt slight relief as he thought of something, though. "I don't have darkness anywhere. I'm a hero." He said it with more confidence than he felt.

Cora saw right through him, though. He was scared. Her words were playing over and over in his head.

The darkest parts of you...

The things that hide in the corners of your mind...

The shadows within...

Shadows...

Shadow...

I'm always in his shadow...

Robin narrowed his eyes at the thought. He'd been played like a sucker. Batman wouldn't have let that happen to him, so why did Robin?

"I'm always in his shadow..." he said aloud, not even realizing it.

A multitude of voices were spinning through his mind, and they were getting louder. Robin clutched his head, trying to shut it all out. "He never understood me. He was always telling me what to do. Treating me like a child. He wouldn't..."

Robbin gritted his teeth. "He wouldn't let me go after Zucco...Zucco was mine. Mine to get revenge on!"

"Who are we talking about here, Robin?" Cora asked, trying to hide her amusement. It was always one of her favorite parts when the darkness started to take over.

"Who..." Robin looked up at Cora. "Batman of course. Never heard of Batman and Robin?"

"Sorry," said Cora. "Gotham's not my thing. I've heard of the dark knight, though. Who hasn't?"

Jealousy built up in Robin at those words, and he screamed, "I'm always in his shadow! Why can't I just step out of it?!" Frustrated and enraged, Robin swung his arm out and knocked a multitude of objects to the ground.

"He raised me, taught me almost everything I know, so how do I get away?" He looked up at Cora desperately as if she had an answer.

"So he made you who you are?" she asked carefully, trying not to let him direct his anger at her. That never ended well.

Robin nodded. "I wouldn't be the person I am today if not for him. I wouldn't be Robin if it wasn't for Batman."

"So, that's easy then," reasoned Cora. "If you don't want Batman to define you, then don't be Robin."

His eyes widened at those words. They seemed too ridiculous to consider, and yet...They were so perfect too. The solution was so simple, and he smiled.

He looked up at Cora with a wicked side smile, confidence filling him. "Thanks. Call me Dick."

Cora grinned with sinister satisfaction. This was going to be so much fun. Cocking her head to the side, she asked, "So, what do you want to do first, Dick?"

His head spun with the possibilities. He needed to do something very un-Robin like. Getting in trouble? Committing a crime? Partying? He smiled as it hit him. "Have room for an extra guest? I might be able to help kick this party up a notch."

Cora wasn't sure what he meant and eyed him curiously. "Yeah, but what do you mean?"

Dick raised a cocky eyebrow and smiled at her. "Chaos. There's a house full of rebellious teenagers down there. What would your blood do to them?" He let that sit then continued to the punchline. "What could we all do to this city?"

The implications hit home, and Cora's satisfaction grew tenfold. She was getting excited. At first she'd had doubts about the boy wonder having enough dark in him to do much more than complain, but hero or not, he'd had a villain inside of him. This was really going to be so much fun.