Disclaimer: The following story is based on/inspired by characters created by DC Comics. By no means do I take credit for their creation or development.

Author's Notes: Sorry about the hold up. Some things came up that I had to deal with right away and thus delayed the release of the chapter. In the words of Kakashi… "I got lost on the road to life.."

Feel free to skim Ch 1 again for a refresher. But to put it in a few words...We left off with Dick running after someone he's seen in the distance that he believes is Grant while Raven has noticed something odd about Robin's hands.

Now to Chapter 2! Enjoy!

"Robin?" Raven's voice fell on deaf ears. Before she could stop him, he was gone, breathlessly sprinting towards the distant dock.

Chapter 2: Relapse

Out of my way! Out of my way! Where had all these people come from and why were they all visiting the pier that day? Dick couldn't push through them fast enough. "I'm sorry. Excuse me." He mumbled hurriedly as he stumbled through the thickening crowd, his breath growing short.

Slowly, as he reached out further, his throat and lungs began to burn. Perhaps, Plasmus' caustic fumes had affected him more than he had thought. Or perhaps it was because he had been shouting over and over the most beautiful name that he had ever heard. Grant…

As Dick pushed on, more and more people obstructed Robin's view of him, seemingly increasing the distance between them with every step. Almost there! Almost there! Almost in Grant's arms… he could smell him now…

He became light headed as he pushed past the final wall of strolling pedestrians. Coming to a full stop, Robin spun around several times. "Grant?" He whispered, his voice hoarse and out of breath. He was right here…

The world began to whirl rapidly around Dick. He coughed into his palm. Bringing up his hand, his eyes became sad and confused at the sight of the glistening red blood drops collected in it. Unable to catch his breath, Dick felt oddly lighter. After blinking hard a few times, he collapsed and blacked out on the dry wood of the sun bleached pier. Where was he?! He saw him right here!

"Grant…I need you…" Robin's lips barely moved as he slipped out of consciousness, "I need you now…"

The white winged seagulls cried repeatedly as they circled overhead, against the dimming orange sky.

(Later that night…at Titan Tower…)

Dick…….Dick…Why couldn't you save me?

Slowly, almost somberly Robin opened his eyes, his cheeks sticky with salt.

"Dick," Raven's voice made him jump, "we need to talk." She stood in the doorway, her shadow cast long by the bright light coming in from the corridor.

He sat up and turned his back to the cloaked shadow, casting his eyes to the floor. "If it's about the dream, again," he gripped the edge of the mattress, "the answer is 'yes, I'm still having it.' It's not a memory because it's never happened before but it never changes. Grant is always there in my arms...dying. His eyes are pleading, asking me 'Why?' And I-I can't answer him because the only thing I'm certain of is that it's my fault. It's my fault."

After a pause he finally turned and glanced at Raven, tearful. She had since walked into the room and had removed her hood so that her face was visible in the half light. Her brow was furrowed into a look of concern, "Are you sure you haven't been having any other dreams, Dick?" She stopped at the end of his bed.

Robin shook his head sadly.

"Because," she took a step forward, "when I found you past out on the docks you were saying—"

"I know," Dick interjected, "I was sure I saw him, this time." A soft smile flickered across his face at the mere thought of Grant, "I know you've told me that you'd sense his soul if he was still out there and I know you've told me that you feel nothingness when focusing on him, but," he subconsciously clutched his chest, "I guess I'm a horrible listener, Raven. You see something else tells me that he…" Robin trailed off and stared at the floor again, his fingertips still palpating the light thump of his heart beating.

Another long silence settled across the room.

"Is that why you're still taking Xynothium, Dick?" Raven broke the stillness, "To make the pain go away?"

"What?" Robin snapped his head up, "I don't know what you're talking about. I phased off of that stuff months ago."

"Did you, Dick? Because as I was saying, when I found you on the docks you were speaking, mumbling…words that aren't your own…Addie's words Dick!"

Grant, my little brave knight…Grant…my sweetie…my lucky boy. You're such a lucky boy…yes you are…such a lucky boy…my son…my only love…

Robin's eyes grew wide as the familiar words echoed throughout his mind. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut as if to stifle them.

"So," his voice quivered, "that doesn't mean a thing. I was under Slade's control for almost a year and it just means I still have some healing left to do."

"NO!" Raven, unable to keep her usual cool, finally shouted, "The Xynothium is keeping her alive in you, Dick! The Ravager's sacrifice only made her go dormant! It's up to you to finish her off! Look!" She grabbed Dick's wrists and pulled them out, "Look at your hands, Dick!"

Robin opened his eyes to stare his calloused palms.

Breathing heavily, Raven continued, "There's not a mark on them. Plasmus' acid did nothing to them…because the Xynothium still in your blood healed you. That property of Xynothium only lasts at most for a day. So if you really had stopped taking it months ago…" She trailed off and let his hands slip out of her grasps.

"I don't know how you're getting a hold of it, Dick. But you need to stop," Raven took a step back, "Even though it gives you great physical enhancement, its major side effect is insanity. I dare say it may be why you keep having hallucinations of Grant. You saw what years of taking Xynothium did to Slade."

"I'm nothing like Slade," Dick snapped back automatically, "Despite what you think I'm not dosing Xynothium anymore." He said the last part as if he had practiced it several times before. However, for some reason he couldn't meet her eyes when he had said it.

Raven cast her gaze sadly to the floor, "You know it's hardest for you to lie to me than to anyone else."

"Why? Because you've been in my mind and we share a bond?" Dick continued to speak to the floor.

"Yeah…or at least we used to…" Raven solemnly pulled her hood back over her head and turned to leave.

"Raven?" Still unable to make eye contact with her, Dick spoke with his back to the doorway, "You know I would never lie to you to hurt you…only to protect you…"

"That's what I'm afraid of," her voice was soft, faint. The door closed behind her with a cool, electronic swish.

After Raven had left, Robin tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. A few hours later, Dick, frustrated and sweating, sprang out of bed. Opening his closet, he rifled through various compartments of one of his spare utility belts until he found what he was looking for.

The tell tale red pill hardly had any time to dissolve on Robin's tongue when, suddenly, the Titan Tower alarm sounded.

In a flash, like clockwork, all the Titans assembled in the main room, suited up and ready for action. "There's been a break-in at the High Street antibiotics plant," Robin heard someone say as he ran down the hall. Having been preoccupied, Dick was the last to arrive. By the time he joined the others, Cyborg had already pulled up the security stills that had been automatically sent to the Titan's computer.

"What do we got?" Robin pulled on his gloves as he ran up beside Cyborg.

Strangely, no one in the room responded. "Guys?" Dick looked around. Everyone's eyes were fixed to the computer monitor, their mouths a gape.

"No way…" Beast Boy whispered.

"Dick…Look…" Starfire gasped.

"It's…" Raven trailed off.

Eyes wide, Robin slowly turned to face the images littering the large computer screen. Though the still shots from the security cameras were grainy and had only managed to capture half of the culprit's silhouette, the smooth dark cowl with long, dark ribbons was unmistakable.

"Ravager…" Dick said, breathless.

Additional author's notes: And another short chapter. I think as things build, the chapters may get longer, but we'll see. Sorry again for the long wait. But rest assured that in my time away from the fic I did manage to work the plot out even more. It's going to be a small plot (much smaller than the first fic) but hopefully it won't disappoint.

So please leave me a review or something and let me know what you think!