Our days were never really normal. Usually we'd be out in Jump city defending our
people from whoever threatened them, but on "normal" days we'd hang around the Tower. It was a common site on a Saturday morning to see Beast Boy and Cyborg arguing over the remote on their oversized couch, so I shrugged it off and headed into the kitchen. Raven was also there, she gave me a curt nod and continued to make her herbal tea whilst rubbing her temples to sooth the headache that the bickering probably caused. I chuckled at her antics to try and control her temper and glanced back over to the two arguing teens who were now being refereed by Starfire. She had a way with those two that I never really understood, she could always bring out the calm and peace within all of us. It was like her job.
"Finally...silence," Raven sighed in her usual monotone as she sipped at her tea. "You
two are like raving banshees,"
Before anyone of them could retort with one of their smart comments there was a loud
couple of bangs on our lounge door. We all looked at each other, eyes wide, no one hardly ever visited the Titans Tower unless it was other Titans from Titans East.
"Friends? Could it perhaps be our friends of the Titans East?" Star inquired as she gracefully floated near the door.
"No, Star. They would have called in advance and they have the key," I pushed myself
off the barstool that I had perched myself on and strode over towards the large metal door, where several large bangs sounded once again. "Coming!" The others watched in anticipation as I typed in the code on the pin pad to open the lounge door.
When it opened I was met by a girl, roughly around my age, who looked like quite a
mess. She was a few inches shorter than me and she was adorned in denim...well could I call them shorts? There was hardly enough material there to even call them that. Anyways, off to another subject! As I felt my cheeks burn my eyes scanned up to see that she wore a gray tattered tank top that hugged her...uh...a little too tightly. Once I got over her shocking attire I noticed something was off about her as she slightly swayed from side to side and her eyes were a bit unfocused. She also adorned a set of handcuffs with which held her hands behind her back and I noticed a large gloved hand gripping her arm, probably to keep her from falling? I quirked an eyebrow and looked further up to see who was standing behind her, and when I did my face hardened.
"Robin, we need to talk," his voice came out gravelly and frustrated. The way I always
used to remember it being. I heard no remarks from my other teammates as they watched the ongoing scene before them with shock, awe, and curiosity. I mean, who wouldn't react star struck if Batman showed up at your door, right? Well, everyone except me. I thought I'd never see him again.
"Wh-what...what are you doing here!" my voice cracked, raw with emotion, and I mentally cursed myself for showing weakness. I was the team leader and I could not show weakness in front of my pack.
"Robin...we need to talk," he repeated himself barely at a whisper as he looked down at
the girl of which he held.
I stood there absolutely frozen, I didn't know what to do or even what to think or feel. It
was like a rug was yanked out from under me and I was falling, except I kept falling into a never ending void. My mentor, of whom I viewed as a father once, was standing right in front of me and here I am being a complete idiot and not being able to find the words to say. How could he show up here like this unannounced? Who did he think he was? Oh right...Batman.
"Robin?" Starfire's voice chirped behind me as her eyes looked on me with worry and
concern.
I looked up at my old mentor and scowled. "You have five minutes," I stepped to the
side letting him guide the girl as well as himself inside. I heard the two boys behind me
gasp and saw that their cheeks were a light shade of pink, and Raven looked at them
with disgust as she rolled her eyes.
"Hold on one second," his deep voice sounded throughout the lounge as he led the girl
over to the barstool I once sat at and redid her handcuffs around the metal pole. She slumped forwards a bit and her head slightly bobbed as if she were dozing.
"My five minutes still stand, and what's wrong with her and who even is she?" I asked
incredulously as he only glared me down.
For the first time since I opened the doors her eyes seemed to focus and she lifted her
head up giving me a cocky smirk. "Wouldn't you like to know!" But shortly after she
started to doze again.
My face flushed as Raven chortled. "I like her already," I whipped my head to face her
and stared her down hard which only encouraged the other teammates laughter, whilst Starfire stared on in confusion. Beast Boy giggled and whispered into Starfire's ear and she blushed placing her hand over her mouth.
"Nothing, she is just partially sedated," Batman nodded in the girl's direction as she
weakly tried to pry herself from the chair. "Can we talk somewhere...private?"
I rolled my eyes behind my mask and motioned for him to follow me. As soon as we
made it into the hallway I spoke up with my back to him. "What is this about? Why are you here?" My voice came out harsher than I wanted it to be, but he deserved it.
"Robin, I know you are upset and I understand why you left, and I–" he placed his hand
on my shoulder and my muscles clenched underneath his fingers.
"Just get to the point!" I shrugged off his hand and turned to face him. I watched as he
lowered his head and heaved out a long sigh, this wasn't going to be good news.
"I need your help," he looked at me, his eyes piercing through his mask. I couldn't
contain myself anymore and I fell to the floor laughing.
"You? One of the greatest superheroes out there, needs my help! With what?" I gripped
my sides as I tried to contain my laughter, but his request for help was just so far
fetched.
He ground his teeth together and his hands balled up into fists. "This is serious, Robin! I
need your help with Rinoa,"
My laughter halted and I sat up. "Who? The girl out there? Who is she?"
He scratched at the top of his head and looked away. "One of Gotham's most wanted..."
My eyes practically bulged out of my head and I nearly choked on my own spit. "Most
wanted? Her! Are you serious?" He gave me a curt nod and sighed. "But...but she's like
our age. Can't you just take her to jail or something?"
"We've tried that, trust me. She keeps getting out and causing more havoc. Pretty soon
she'll be getting attention from crooks far bigger than her, like the–"
I slammed my fist down onto the metal floor cutting him off. "Don't say it! Don't say his
name," I ran my hand through my hair and shook my head. "Take her to the Justice
League then. They can straighten her out?"
He shook his head and looked down at me. "You know I can't do that. They have their
work as well,"
"Then what do you want me to do then?" I threw my hands up in the air and stood back
up on my own two feet.
"Take her in. Make her a Teen Titan," he stated matter-of-factly. There was a brief period of silence and I saw his shoulders brace for the tantrum that was boiling up deep inside me.
"What! Are you serious! There is no way on earth that I'll let her stay here! A Teen
Titan? She's a villain and that's all she'll ever be!" I was now only inches away from my
old mentor and I could feel his breath on my face as he heaved out yet another heavy sigh.
"So what? You're just going to let her run loose through your town causing havoc and
possibly injuring herself or others?" he crossed his arms over his chest and I knew that
this argument wasn't going to go in my favor.
"No, I'm taking her to jail!" I placed my hands on my hips and counted to ten in my
thoughts.
"She'll get out. I can guarantee you that, and besides if you let her stay here you can put
her to work on missions even. Put her to work even, it doesn't matter. Mentor her, take her in and I guarantee that you'll get through to her," he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
I ran a hand through my hair and heaved out a sigh for the hundredth time. "I don't have
a choice do I?"
There was a brief moment of silence before he pushed himself off the wall and looked
me dead in the eyes. "I have no more choices Robin,"
"She won't listen to us. Once a villain, always a villain," I shook my head and walked
past him towards the door.
"You never know. You can be quite stubborn yourself. I'll check up every once in a while
to see how things are," I felt him come up behind me as we approached the big metal
door that led into the living room.
"I'd rather you not," I eyed him out of the corner of my eye as I keyed in the password to
unlock the door.
"Well, I won't be coming for your sake, I will be coming for her sake," his tone was
biting, scary even. "Look...Dick, I'm sorry about Zucco but–"
"Save it!" the door hissed open and I was momentarily distracted as my eyes gazed
upon Beast Boy, who was sprawled out on his back with his legs entangled with Rinoa's.
"Um, do I even want to know?" I asked crossing my arms, a small smirk crept up upon my lips.
"Beast Boy was being Beast Boy, and Beast Boy being Beast Boy caused Beast Boy to get his but kicked by a high strung, highly sedated, and highly annoyed girl," Cyborg chuckled as he watched amusedly at his stunned companion.
"I definitely like her. Hey Robin, we should keep her around," Raven grinned as she too kept her eyes on the sprawled out Titan.
"Duuuudeeeee, I thought you said she was sedated?" Beast Boy groaned as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head.
"I said partially," Batman smirked as he walked towards the door he entered from. "Robin, I'm counting on you. You and your team are the only ones who can get through to her,"
"Whatever, just leave," I hissed as I walked over to the chair the girl was tied to. I unhooked the cuffs that bound her and hauled her up by the arm and waited for the door behind me to shut before I moved again. Now that he was gone I could regain my composure. I guided her through a door that led to the hall where all the bedrooms were and opened the door to Terra's old room. As we walked in I stood her by the bed and opened one of the dresser drawers relieved to find a t-shirt and some black shorts still in there. "Change," I ordered as I held out the folded clothes in her direction.
"Don't like it? I thought it was rather enticing? If I'm correct you thought so to?" she grinned as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"Just change!" I hissed as I threw the clothes at her and stormed out of the room shutting and locking the door behind me. I leaned up against the wall and slid to the ground placing my head in my hands. "This is going to be harder than I thought…"
