The next morning Robin did not come to breakfast, or lunch, or dinner. Knowing their leader the titans stayed away.

Beast-boy had been found with a broken rib and was lying in his room asleep.

Raven had asked what had occurred when she had left them no one could answer her.

The days past, mostly in silence. No words exchanged between the parties. They could all feel the sense of foreboding.

Beast-boy thanks to raven's healing was able to sit up and watch TV but not much else. He tried to crack jokes but not even Cyborg could laugh. He was still to shaken at what had happened in the ware house.

When the days began to pass and Robin neither showed up nor made any other noise of life Starfire went to check on him.

"Friend Robin I wish to do the 'checking up' on you, for I am beginning to be concerned for you," Starfire stated bravely.

From the dark room came the sound on a moving body. Robin, white faced, dirty and looking much thinner, stepped from the darkness.

"Sorry about worrying you Starfire, I've just been… well you know" and the sad thing was she did. Starfire knew full well what happened to her best friend when he was stuck on a case. But this time he didn't just look determined he looked a little shaken. And despite the mask hiding all true emotions from his team he was still thoroughly shaken.

"Yes I do know what happens when you get the 'determinedeness' but would you please come down and eat dinner." At seeing the small smile on Robin's face she giggled, "no my friend I have not done the cooking. I called for the pizza."

Robin took a deep breath of fake relief "ok I'm coming." He made sure that the door to his room, his sanctuary, was shut before he followed his close friend down to the living room of the tower.

The other three people's eyes flitted towards the door when it opened, expecting to see a crestfallen Starfire. But instead they saw the alien princess joyfully flying past and their leader close behind. And, although they didn't know it, fake, smile on his face. They bought the false confidence in his countenance and sat a little straighter.

"Robin has agreed to join us for the dinner this evening," Starfire exclaimed joyfully handing out boxes of pizza. After a couple years of being team mates they had learned that they would never be able to agree on a pizza. Cyborg always got five meats, Beast-Boy a veggie, Raven plain cheese, Starfire also a plain cheese and extras that she had, but were never the same, and Robin never ate the pizza but got the salad.

They made small talk and tried to keep their spirits above sea level. But everyone could feel the tension. However when Robin picked up the subject and aimed higher, smiles widened and hopes lifted. With every moment's effort to push his team higher Robin became lower, knowing the storm he was trying to avoid.

As dinner died down as triangles of pizza turned to crusts, Starfire stood and started collecting plates.

"Did I fulfill all food requirements?" the girl questioned. "Is anyone still in need of more?"

"You did great Starfire," said Robin leaning back in his chair. Behind the domino ask Robin built up the walls needed in his mind for the next attack, the one he could since was coming.

"Robin," said Cyborg.

All Robin's inner walls held as he said, "yea, Cyborg."

"About what happened in the warehouse…?"

The wind began to push on Robin's mental walls. "I've been looking up this so called 'spirit stealer'. So far I haven't found anything we don't know but-"

"That's not what I meant," interrupted the older boy. The storm threw lightning threatening to break the new additions to the walls.

Robin lowered his head, carefully examining the floor. "I know," he admitted. The walls shuddered and as Cyborg opened his mouth to protest Robin continued. "And I also know what you want to know. This 'weak link' he said I-I do know what he means, but I won't—I can't tell you… not yet."

"That isn't what I care about," said Cyborg. The walls, which had begun to crumble stopped and stood still as the storm began to wane.

The team leader looked up surprise in his hidden eyes. The walls stood strong as the storm waned for a moment.

"No. this 'spirit stealer' is just tryin' to mess with your head. He is tryin' to make you think less of your team try to make you think that were depending on one thing to keep us going. But it would take a whole heck of a lot for this man to break the team. Because we are a team and no one can break us apart… ok?"

Raven and Beast-Boy looked over to their team leader with trepidation in their not-so hidden eyes. He read the expression clearly written in them. What is going to happen now and will it be worth the information we want?

The expression was unbearable and he simply answered, "Ok. I get it. You're right. I'm just overreacting." He grinned and watched the unpleasant feelings in his team drain to be replaced with relief and gratefulness. But as the lie was sold, for it was a lie, his spirits sunk lower and he wondered if this was exactly what this dangerous new man wanted him to feel.

The next day, around noon bright red lights flashed through the rooms of the tower. In came Robin and spoke the word that everyone expected. The team was used to the entire everyone riding in the t-car, but at Robin's insistence he took the R-cycle.

No one knew the story behind Robin's motorcycle only that it had come with him from Gotham city. Only Robin knew why he had kept it around. It made him feel brave, as if… someone was right behind him in the dark car. He knew it was silly and the Bat—that someone wasn't there, but nevertheless he needed the support.

The alarm had come from the warehouse where three of the team had previously met the 'spirit stealer'.

The rest of the team jumped out of the car while Robin, as impulsive as ever simply rode in on the R-cycle.

Once inside the lights, as they did before, went out without so much as a warning.

"You're back," said the 'sprit stealer's' voice. "Richard I did not think you would be this fool hardy. But teens these days do not think before they act."

"Stop calling me that," growled Robin, stepping off his motorcycle.

"Yes, yes I do know little bird." There was a moment of silence where you could almost hear the cogs in both the man and the boy's heads turning. "I have a challenge for you young children, please do your best I want to be sure my calculations are correct."

"What-" Starfire began. She was interrupted by a large group of men surrounding them, their numbers fading into the darkness.

"Circle!" cried Robin and the team immediately went back to back. There was moment of tense silence before Robin shouted the two words everyone knew, "TITANS GO!"

The team exited the circle they had been creating with an explosive force. Cyborg shot off, cannons ready. Raven's hood was down showing her black glowing eyes. Beast-boy became a tyrannosaurs-rex and roared his disapproval at the now tiny beings before him. Starfire lit her hands with the green energy and flew her body near horizontal. Robin grabbed his boomerangs and jumped into the fray. Behind the domino mask the beautiful blue eyes blazed with hate. Hate for this voice, for how it made him feel, for making him doubt. But doubt what? He knew, despite what he told his team he knew what this voice meant. The weak link was…

Robin's thoughts were smashed by the cold hands grabbing his arms and pulling him down in a vice grip. He struggled but it was no use the hands had a firm, almost metallic hold on him.

"Now it's time to break that spirit," whispered the voice from… everywhere.

"Let go of me!" yelled Robin, twisting with the effort of trying to get free.

"I will, when that spirit has broken."

Then the leader of teen titans, the heart and soul, the center, the weak link of the team was pulled out the back of the warehouse and, putting a cloth over his mouth, was knocked out.

It took until every enemy was knocked out before the rest of team noticed the absence of their leader.

Now that all were unconscious Cyborg could see the uniform they were wearing clearly. All were wearing black leather boots, tightly strung with cords their pants were a stretchy black with dark protective pads on the shins and knees. Their shirts were a forest green with protective padding only on the wrists connecting to black gloves and on their upper chest area. The masks were almost like ski masks, but when Cyborg pulled on off to inspect it, the material was rubbery, almost like play dough. Although all the Hench men were human they had put up a good fight, considering that they had no weapon but a staff.

Well thought Cyborg, that's usually the only thing Robin uses and he puts a very good fight.

He looked around. Speaking of his leader, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Robin?" Starfire asked at the same moment Cyborg came to this conclusion.

"I haven't seen him since the beginning of the attack," said Raven a worried frown flitting across her face.

"I haven't seen him either," said Beast-boy, glancing around the still dark room.

All expected Robin to come out of the shadows at any moment, his cape wrapped around his shoulders, deep in thought. But no such thing happened. Not wanting to leave they searched for the R-cycle, and after a brief search found it under a pile of unconscious bodies.

Robin's precious motorcycle was not harmed in any way, but Robin's communicator hung on a peg next to the key.

"Robin never forgets his communicator," said Raven, not wanting to say what they all now suspected. Cyborg picked up the small yellow circle and opened it. In the place where the screen should have been was a small piece of paper. The paper was nothing special, only torn yellowing parchment with writing on it. But it wasn't written in Robin's small messy script. It was in a fancy black pen. On it were two words. Spirit Stealer.

"Welcome, Richard Grayson" said the Sprit Stealer's voice.

Robin's eyes slowly opened behind the mask and he felt his consciousness slowly return.

"My name is Robin," he protested. His voice was dry and croaky like a frog, but that did not hide the ferocity in his voice.

"Robin, dear Robin. Your mother gave you that name if I remember right. Then when she perished you chose that to be your mask. But that mask is fading, you are using all that torn emotion as your mask."

"Be quiet!" screamed Robin.

"But I can't. You have too much spirit in you. And that is my hobby. You see normal teens they have hobbies, such as horse riding or video games. And you, dear Robin, have your hobbies as well; combat, acrobatics, and recently you got a girlfriend."

"If you touch her I will-"

"You'll what?" the spirit stealer cried and there was a bit of hysteria in his voice. "You're trapped!"

And indeed he was. Robin the boy wonder was trapped in a cage. Struggling to the side he could see over the edge of the circular prison. His pride was dented as he discovered he was in an over sized bird cage.

"Yes, you see. There is nothing you can do. You are my pet now, my little canary—or in this case you are my pet robin." Robin could almost hear the evil grin that must have been playing across the lips of this spirit stealer.

"You're psychotic," spat Robin.

"But you see," said the spirit stealer completely ignoring the young bird, "birds make such an awful racket. So I must keep the bird quiet. With normal birds all you must do is put a blanket over the top of the cage, but you my new pet are a special case. With you something extremely special must be done. You see, you my special, special little bird are going to have to be broken."

Robin said nothing and merely sat there, brooding.

"You have a large spirit. It will take a long time to break you but I do love big projects"

"You're psychotic!" Robin repeated.

"You could say that. But to each his own." A horrible little chuckle erupted from the speaker holding the voice of the spirit stealer. The chuckle continued until it was a giant cackle. And since the first time since he left Gotham the little bird began to feel entirely alone.

A little over five months later back in the tower the team was falling apart. Or more accurately had fallen apart. Starfire had become obsessed with finding her lost love and would neither rest nor eat. But little by little he hopes of finding him faded and she was left in a black hole of despair.

Raven had tried to support Starfire as much as she could, but for the female demon it was hard to think of anything besides dark thoughts. Raven, as Starfire's fire faded she had become the pick-up. She made sure that what little broken parts of the team that were left stayed together.

Beast-boy had left behind his childlike innocence and done everything possible to find his leader. But after a nasty incident where Beast-Boy had lost his temper and seriously injured several innocent people he stopped being fierce and retreated into a quiet shell of misery.

Cyborg had stepped up becoming the leader in the true ones absence. For that is what he hoped. That any day he- Robin—would come in through the front door with his infuriating smirk and ask why they weren't doing anything. But as everyone else, hopes faded until the surrogate leader was like a war general knowing that the battle was over. He simply went through the motions.

No one would say his name anymore. Beast-Boy would become the small bird for which his leader was named after. And even though it lifted his spirits for a short while it always left him feeling worse that before. But even this small act of comfort couldn't give anyone the courage to say the name.

Crime in the city increased. Battles from the titans' succeeded less and less until jump city—the pride and joy of the coast, the safe haven for all—became like the city of which the real leader had escaped from.

But when the message arrived at two in the morning, the world, for the last few months as they had lived it, tilted. But it wasn't the message that made them hope; far from it, it was the name on the front. Although the name wasn't of much comfort either.

The message that had arrived on the screen said spirit stealer.

It was Cyborg who found it.

He opened the worrisome file and there on the screen was… nothing. The screen was dark and incurably blank. Then the voice that dreaded evil voice was heard through the surround sound speakers.

"Hello Teen Titans. As you probably know this is-"

Cyborg paused then and ran as fast as he could to get the others. When all were there the two gray parallel lines changed into the sideways triangle and the voice continued.

"—the spirit stealer. It's been a while nearly half a year. I would have contacted you sooner but there were… problems. I'm sure you remember dear Richard. Oh wait you know him by another name… Robin wasn't it?"

"You evil klorbaged norkrob give Robin back to us!" screamed Starfire her hands alighting bright green.

"Star, stop" said Cyborg, "he can't hear you it is a recording."

Starfire dropped back to the ground still regarding the dark screen with the utmost revulsion.

"I am guessing," said the spirit stealers smooth voice, "that it has been a while since you have seen your beloved leader. Would you like to see him?"

There was a collective gasp from the team and then absolute silence as they watched the faint evidence of movement in the ebony black screen.

The screen became lighter and then alighted on a small figure. The figure was lying on the ground, huddled as if very cold. The clothes on the figure might once have been bright but were now so covered in mud, slime and scarlet stains that they were unrecognizable. The screen closed in and the faint signs of breathing could be seen and heard. The figured turned slightly and the black hair could be seen. It had grown nearly shoulder length and it was a mess. The skin that could be seen was sallow and dirty. And when you looked down father one could see the yellow gleam on his chest. The figure turned farther and the single letter on the chest could be seen. It was an 'R'.

"Robin!" Starfire both gasped and sobbed out that one word; that one word that she had been deprived of. That one person for whom she wished to see for so long. She flew to the screen and touched the small letter.

A dark gloved hand pulled the bird to his knees, gripping him by the hair. On the leaders face was a small scrap of white cloth barley clinging to his cheeks and forehead. One quick slap across his face and a man's cry of "wake up!" shook the mask off to reveal beaten, bloodshot, tired baby blue, glazed over, eyes.

"Robin," sobbed the alien princess.

There was no sound of fight or recognition in those eyes, only…his eyes. They looked beaten and tired. But it was more than just that. He was broken. The spirit stealer had completed his 'pet project'. The bird, Robin the youngest sidekick who had become his own hero, the boy who had done and endured so much, he was, for the first time, broken. The spirit in those determined blue eyes had left until there was nothing left but a child like sense of loss.

The entire team was nearly lost in their own grief. Small noises of sorrow could be heard.

"Do you want your baby bird now?" the small smile in the voice was now gone placed with dark seriousness. "Do you want the empty shell, with neither love nor happiness nor spirit left in that dark heart; if you want him then you will find him at the place at which he was taken from you."

Then the screen turned faded until the team could see nothing but the rising sun.

The team turned to Cyborg.

"Can we?" asked Beast-Boy.

"It could be a trap," Cyborg hesitated. But the half robot was so tempted.

"I do not care!" cried Starfire, tears flowing freely down her face. But whether those tears were of sadness or happiness or hope Cyborg did not know. "I want my Robin back!" she sobbed.

Raven placed her hand on the alien's shoulder. "Starfire, we know, we all want… him back but we can't just head into this blindly. We need a plan. Then, by all means, we will go." She tried for a smile; however she was just as nervous as the rest. "But try to be patient."

"I will try," she said holding back yet more tears.

Later that day no plan had occurred to the stressed teens had they had all voted to head into the fray blind, but not empty handed.

It was a little before sunset when they arrived back at the ware house where, so many months ago, their lives had changed. It was different then when they had first left it. Still standing but barely, it hung at an angle above the ground like a broken toy house.

Everyone, even the most eager, moved carefully.

Opening the door, and letting faint trickles of light file in, they listened for a moment. Not even a breath could be heard from the nervous people outside.

There was a moan of pain and loss then suddenly there was no need for words. All four teens were flying in. everyone knew that voice, there was no doubt. It was him.

"ROBIN!" screamed Starfire.

"Star?" the voice echoed around the room like a recording. There was no emotion, no hope, no… anything. "Starfire? No. Can't be her… just another dream… go back to sleep." No one could lock onto the voice. It seemed to come from everywhere.

"ROBIN!" Starfire again let her lungs to their fullest extent.

"Star…? Are you really here?"

Starfire followed the voice up to what seemed to be a floating sheet. She put her hand on the sheet to feel the metal bars under the fabric. She tugged off the sheet and it flew to the ground like a ghost. Inside was the broken, bloody form of the boy they had seen in the video. The video must have been taken a few weeks ago because he looked worse. His skin looked pulled on his face. But Starfire was spared the breaking of her heart by the scrap of white cloth again clinging to his thin sallow face. He reached out his hand and almost smiled.

Or the princess had thought it was smile, the right corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Then his mouth fell back into the half frown. But he didn't move more than his arm toward his love.

"Star, is it really you?" the question was one of love but the voice behind it sounded like it couldn't care if it was her or not.

"Yes, Robin it is me I am here for you do not worry." Starfire looked lovingly down at her boy friend and tried to reach through the bars. Despite her best efforts Starfire's arms were not long enough. Suddenly filling with a fiery rage she lit her hands bright green and carved an escape in the giant cage.

"Come on Robin we have to get out of here," said Cyborg up to the cage.

Both Raven and Beast-Boy flew upward to the cage and gave him smiles of comfort and relief. Still Robin did not move from his crouched position on the floor.

"We are going to get you out of here Robin," said Raven floating in through the hole in the bars. She reached her gentle hand to touch him but he flinched and scooted away.

"No, nothing gets out," he moaned. He put his head in his hands and stared rocking back and forth. "Nothing can get out. Been here too long."

"Robin please," begged Beast-Boy. The green boy touched Robin's knee and the ebony haired teen looked up his whole body shuddering at the touch.

"Don't touch." The voice that spoke was so broken and hurt that it made the team's hearts ache. "No more."

"We aren't going to hurt you Robin," Raven comforted. She went over and scooped the younger boy in her arms as easily as a rag doll and out of the cage.

"Outside?" Robin's voice was quiet

The female bird handed the skinny boy over to the larger stouter one. "Yes. Outside."

"He's so thin," said Cyborg holding the child in his arms. And it was true. The teen had become so thin and unkempt that he was about as big as Beast-Boy maybe even smaller.

"Didn't eat much. Was lucky when they gave more than a few crumbs. Water was always dirty." Robin seemed to be commenting on a conversation that a friend was telling him about, not a conversation that he was hearing.

"They only fed him enough to keep him alive," Raven looked down at the bird in her friends arms.

"But look at all these scars," said Beast-Boy his voice holding back tears. Cyborg began to walk slowly back to the T-car as not to jostle the figure in his arms.

"Hurt," the tone of their leader was still monotone. "They always hurt. Whips and sticks… swords… everything."

As they approached Starfire knelt to the T-car and started to cry the tears falling from her eyes like rain. Raven and Beast-Boy knelt with her and hugged her.

"My Robin," she sobbed. They all looked in the car where Cyborg had set the figure on the seats. It was still a broken tiny figure that moved so little. "They broke my Robin."

Thank you for reading! It's been a hot minute but this is the rest of the story! R&R is wonderful!