It was long past midnight, and Robin still couldn't bring himself to break his vigil. He had been perched on the edge of the cot since Jericho had drifted off to sleep, alert for any sign that the Honorary Titan might be having a nightmare. Of course, it would have been easier to call in Raven and have her regulate his dreams empathically, but in situations like this, it was best to handle things face-to-face.

As per his guest's request, Robin had put on an old CD of instrumental music. Whatever it was about the silence that made Jericho afraid, the crime-fighter certainly didn't want to trigger another flashback. Despite wanting to know, he understood enough to realize that he would find out in time.

Strangled, barely audible sobs rose from the bed, cutting through his thoughts. He lurched forward and grabbed onto a trembling Jericho's shoulder, gently rolling the blonde over to face him. When the boy's eyes remained squeezed shut, he ran a gloved hand through the sleep-tousled curls, hoping the action would calm him. Words seemed to escape him for the moment, so he contented himself with holding onto Jericho and watching for the slightest change in his breathing. Finally, he recovered his voice. "Jericho," he hissed, giving the other a little shake. "Jericho. Come on, wake up. You're safe."

Bright green eyes flew open, irises glowing in the darkness.

Contact.

The word reverberated in Robin's mind, and suddenly Jericho seemed to leap right through—or, rather, into—him. His hands moved up into his field of vision with no command from him, seemingly causing his body to jerk back in shock. He felt himself start trembling, felt the fabric of his gloves against his face as his head dropped to be buried in his hands, but he wasn't in control anymore.

And then he was. He flexed his fingers, testing his motor skills to see if anything had changed. Warily, he lifted his head.

Jericho flickered back into existence, curled into a defensive ball on the bed. Robin reached for him, not quite understanding what had just occurred, only to pull back when the mute recoiled. He was mouthing something, as though he had forgotten his lack of voice.

Robin's muscles locked up as it dawned on him.

Jericho had possessed him, if only for a few moments.

Beast Boy had clamored on about Jericho's body-snatching abilities once they'd all had time to settle down and talk. He'd praised them, amazed that someone so small and frail-looking could keep control of such a terrifyingly strong power. He'd remarked on how fast the boy could wrest control of a body from even the most mentally resilient. Jericho had seemed embarrassed during the conversation—perhaps uncomfortable, even.

Now, staring at the boy's huddled form, Robin recognized for the first time just how painfully accurate his teammate had been in calling Jericho small and frail-looking. Even through the thin white turtleneck, he could see the faint outlines of Jericho's ribs, and he certainly remembered that carrying the blonde had been no more difficult than carrying a toddler. He hadn't given it much thought before, but the mute's cheeks had always appeared a bit sunken.

"When was the last time you ate?" he found himself asking, brow furrowed in concern.

Jericho uncurled, casting an uncertain glance at Robin before quickly averting his gaze. After a minute or so, he signed hurriedly, 'Not hungry.'

Robin could usually tell when someone was lying, and it was obvious that Jericho was telling the truth—or at least honestly believed he was. "That wasn't what I asked. When was the last time you ate a proper meal?"

Rather sheepishly, Jericho held up three fingers, still looking away.

"Three days?"

Jericho shook his head tersely.

"Three weeks?" There was no response other than the boy dropping his hand, and suddenly Robin wanted nothing more than to grab Jericho and shake him while telling him how dangerous that was. How he could ruin his metabolism. How he could have gotten seriously sick up on that mountain and no one would have been the wiser. He wanted to be angry, but all he felt was sympathy. "Do you want to get something now or wait 'til morning?" He kept his voice low and gentle, trying not to sound demanding.

'Not hungry,' Jericho reiterated.

Robin nodded, almost to himself. He had expected that response. "Okay. In the morning, then."

Moving into a sitting position, eyes downcast, Jericho balled the edge of the sheet in his fists. His shoulders were hunched, and he refused to look at Robin when requested to do so. He flinched as the Titan reached out to grasp his chin and turn his face towards him.

"You panicked. I understand that. I woke you up during a nightmare, and you acted in fear." Robin released Jericho's chin, sensing that the contact wasn't helping his case at all. "I don't blame you," he whispered, hoping his tone was reassuring or at the very least comforting. "In fact, I probably would have done the same."

'But I possessed you.'

"So?"

The query seemed to set Jericho off. He began signing so rapidly that Robin couldn't start to make sense of what he was trying to say.

"Woah, let's slow down there, okay? I can't read ASL that fast." Robin held his hands up. He hoped the mute would see that he had meant no harm by the question.

'I possessed you. I essentially shunted you out of your own nervous system because I couldn't control my fear.' When Robin moved to interrupt, Jericho gave him a warning stare. 'I would never use my power on someone, even an enemy, unless there were lives in danger. I could hold you hostage in your own body if you so much as made eye contact with me for just a moment and there would be nothing anyone could do to save you. In my panic, I could have forced your heart to stop. I could have killed you just because I was afraid.' He sighed, dropping his chin to his chest. 'This is not the ability of a hero, Robin. This is the power of a villain.'

For once, Robin didn't know what to say. Did Jericho really believe all that? The way the Honorary Titan talked, he seemed to think that it was only a matter of time before he became their enemy. "Is that why we found you all alone on that mountain?"

'I thought I could escape it. I thought if I hid long enough, he would forget about me, but he's still out there, and every second I spend here is another second I risk getting you all killed.' He looked up, eyes wide with delirious panic. 'He's coming. He's coming, and he's not going to stop until I'm just like Rose. You have to let me leave. He will slaughter all of you without a second thought if it means he can get to me. Please, you have to let me leave.'

He was working himself up into another panic attack. Robin grabbed his hands, repeating quietly that he was safe and that whoever was coming for him would have to get past every one of the Titans, Honorary and Official members alike, if he wanted to hurt one of their own. He could almost hear Jericho's breath hitch at the promise, and the mute shook his head vigorously. "Look, we'll protect you." Robin brought one of Jericho's hands up to rest on his heart. He forced a smile. "As long as I'm alive, the Titans will protect you."

Jericho ripped his hands away. 'How can you promise that?' His expression was bitter, tainted with memories Robin was sure weren't at all pleasant. 'How can you promise that so rashly without knowing a single thing about who I am and where I come from?'

"Can we argue in the morning? You've had a long day, and not sleeping can't be good for your health, all things considered."

'You have to sleep, too.'

Robin thought about it. Not a minute had passed before he made his decision. "Move over." At the startled look on Jericho's face, he went on, "I need to be nearby in case you have another nightmare, and it will be harder for anyone to attack you with me that close."

Reluctantly, Jericho shuffled over to the edge of the bed and slipped under the sheets, leaving room for Robin. It wasn't long before his breathing became steady and slow enough that it was clear he had fallen asleep. Robin climbed in bed and no sooner had he done so than Jericho moved to snuggle up to his chest.

It was a bittersweet moment for the young hero. He was instantly reminded of nights spent in his parent's bed while the circus traveled from place to place, positioned between them where he knew he was safe—and of how he'd had no one to comfort him those first nights spent in the Wayne Manor.

He wrapped his arms around Jericho, pulling him closer to his body. He wouldn't let anyone hurt a member of his team, new or old. No matter what, he would keep his promise.

The Titans would protect Jericho.