Ok, everyone, I'm sorry for the sloppiness of my past few chapters, I suck at editing.

"Can't this thing go any faster, Cyborg?"

"The T-car can go over three hundred miles-per-hour if I wanted her to."

"Then how is Robin still ahead?"

"Raven, we're in a school zone."

Raven groaned and banged her head against the window. The report had only said someone had planted explosives in the Double Jackpot Casino. As soon as he heard the casino's name Robin had sped off on his motorcycle, and Raven didn't want him to get there first. She had a feeling that if Robin got there early he wouldn't wait for the rest of them. It was clear that Robin was NOT mentally stable enough for this. Then again, she wasn't much better. Raven's emotions were in turmoil, and she half expected every school bus they passed to fly off the street.

Fortunately, Cyborg made good time, and in two minutes Raven could see the pair of four story light-up dollar signs that marked the casino. They arrived seconds after Robin, but that was already too late. In the time it took Raven to get out of the car Robin had already ditched his helmet and run inside. As Raven followed, she could hear Cyborg's heavy footsteps clunking behind her. She hoped that Starfire and Beast Boy weren't far behind.

Raven's initial impression of the casino was a dirty, plain room with a scattering of gambling machines, many of which had been smashed and looted. Robin stood next to the pool table, hands raised to attack. As Raven floated to his side, she noticed that two groups of citizens were tied and gagged to pillars by the back wall, one group on the far right, the other on the far left. The metallic clicking of Cyborg's sonic cannon on her right brought Raven's attention to the trio of men standing ten feet in front of her. The two on the left and right didn't concern her. Redheads, twins, matching black suits, machine guns- nothing special. But the man in the middle was a whole different story.

He looked exactly as Robin had described him, right down to the multicolored hair. Yet what really caught Raven's attention was his mind. Most of the criminals she had faced gave off an aura of greed, arrogance, and insanity or simple delusion on one level or another. But the emotions rolling off of this guy were different. Raven's senses were immersed in perfectly equal measures of joy and anger, but the anger was layered over the joy, controlling and subduing it. Instead of the slightly manic passion Raven had become accustomed to, this guy's demeanor was totally calm, almost like the prophets of Azarath. He had an air of neither fear nor anticipation, merely patience, like he was waiting to see an event and the outcome didn't matter much. Yet at the same time a wall of determination stood at the forefront of his mind, a refusal to accept failure.

Raven readied herself for an attack, but nobody seemed in a hurry to do anything. The goons with the machine guns glanced at their boss every once in awhile and too their cues from him. He didn't move at all, simply stood still and watched Robin's livid face. Cyborg was charged and ready to fire, but he noticed Robin's stillness and hesitated. Raven took the time to study her opponents further.

Oddly enough, all three seemed to recognize Robin. The goons had both their guns aimed on Robin, almost completely ignoring Raven and Cyborg. Their fear and resentment undulated over Raven, submerging her. Only long years of practice allowed her to ignore it. But the man in the middle was smiling, like he and Robin were old friends at a reunion. At that moment Starfire burst through the doors, eyes and hands glowing green. A verdant baboon followed close behind. Raven hoped it was Beast Boy. The Titans stood in a line with Robin at their center. Five to three odds, and the goons with machine guns were ordinary humans. The man with the split face chuckled.

"Well well, long time no see, Boy Hostage." His voice had two levels to it, just like his emotions. Raven could still tell that at one time it had been a smooth, pleasant baritone, but now it was deep and gravelly, inherent rage incorporated into the words.

Robin was shaking slightly, whether from fury or fear, Raven couldn't tell. Robin ground out two words like they were venomous rocks.

"Two Face."

Two Face chuckled again.

"You know this guy?" Cyborg asked. Robin didn't respond.

"You mean you didn't tell your little friends where you came from?" Two Face asked with a wicked sneer. Starfire and Beast Boy hesitated, glancing at Robin. Two Face kept going.

"Been awhile since we last met. I'd heard you had moved, but I just thought the Bat had realized how hopeless you were and put you on a shelf until you were mature enough, like a wheel of cheese." Two Face laughed again, and his goons managed a couple of Neanderthal chuckles. "Now look at you, head of your own wannabe Junior Justice League." Another laugh. "So you ditched Batman, huh? Little birdie finally left the nest, did he? Just as well, you might manage to escape the bounty on your old boss, Boy Hostage."

Raven had to end this. Two Face knew exactly what to say to unhinge Robin, and it was working faster than anything Slade had ever said or done. Even the rest of the team was disturbed. Cyborg's sonic canon was wavering, all of his attention on Robin. Beast Boy had morphed back into a human and was staring at Robin with wide, curious eyes. Starfire had dropped to the floor, her depression and anger temporarily forgotten. Raven had to do something fast, or they would be totally unprepared when those machine guns came to life.

"Enough," she said. Raven hated the way everyone turned to her when she spoke. Her skin crawled at all the attention, but she had to get them back on track. Raven held out hands glowing with black fire. She thought about how this man was intentionally unnerving Robin, throwing him and the rest of the team into disarray. She focused that anger and felt her powers respond accordingly. Her cloak billowed around her as every slot machine, billiard's table, and bar stool rose into the air, encased in black energy. The level of energy she was channeling surprised her. The goons switched their guns to her and clicked the safety off.

Raven prepared to send every smashing into the creeps when Robin rasped, "Wait." Raven reluctantly lowered the furniture. Robin never took his eyes off Two Face. "What do you mean, bounty?" Two Face smirked.

"There's a price on the head of every Bat-Brat on the planet. But I don't suppose you'd care, since you're hiding out in your clubhouse with your little friends, safe and sound while the bounty hunters score Gotham. There'll be two less Bats in the world before the month is out."

Robin drew his bo staff, extending it to full length. The other Titans rallied behind him, ready to kick butt. Raven called back her anger, and the furniture levitated once more. The redheads re-aimed their guns.

"I'm done with the reunion," Robin growled through clenched teeth. Two Face offered out a hand.

"Then let's settle this, just between old friends." Robin started at the proposal.

"Don't be an idiot, Robin." Raven snapped. "You don't have anything to prove, remember?" She tried to project her thoughts to his mind through the bond they shared, but she had never attempted to access the bond before and it would take too long to figure it out. She had to settle for staring him in the eyes and willing him not to do anything stupid. Her emotions began churning. Robin stared back at her, waves of anger and confusion rippling away from him.

"Sure, listen to your girlfriend. You can let her get shot straight to hell for you." Two Face said, voice dripping sarcasm. Raven retained her deadpan. Robin and Starfire wore equal expressions of rage. Robin retracted the bo and put it back in his belt.

"Let's finish this, Trash-Face," Robin growled. Two Face's goons stepped back, leaving thirty feet of space between their boss and themselves. Cyborg trained his sonic canon on them. Raven told herself not to worry. Robin had gone hand-to-hand with Slade and beaten Cinderblock all by himself. He had a whole utility belt full of gadgets to use. Two Face didn't even appear to have a weapon. Robin would end this fight in seconds. So why was every molecule in her body screaming at her to bring the roof down on Two Face RIGHT NOW?

Robin took three steps forward and to the right before he charged. He swung with a haymaker that would have knocked Beast Boy out for a week. Two Face swayed to the right and landed a solid punch on Robin's eye. Robin stumbled back a pace and went for a roundhouse kick. Two Face ducked, and Robin's foot grazed his shoulder. Two Face staggered and lashed out twice. The first punch missed Robin's face, but the second struck him full on the stomach.

They continued to fight like this. Raven's concern slowly gave way to horror and awe. Robin's fighting skills were incredible. Raven had never seen anyone, except Slade, who could compare. Two Face was a little stronger and faster than Raven had expected, but he wasn't anything special. He didn't have Robin's talent, his almost effortless grace, or his leopard-like ferocity and cunning. But he shared Robin's determination. And he knew Robin very, very well. He seemed to be able to predict five out of every six moves Robin made and either dodge or brace himself for the hit and strike a blow of his own.

Robin hurled a bird-a-rang, and Two Face just barely dodged. The older man hit Robin in the shoulder, and Raven winced at the sound it made. Robin staggered back and paused, eyes narrowed to tiny slits amid the black and purple bruises as he glared at Two Face, planning his next move. Two Face's right leg was stiff, and his nose was bleeding copiously but other than that he seemed ok.

"You've gotten soft without Batman here to hold your hand, Bird Boy," Two Face sneered. "Maybe it's best you left him- Batman would've died of shame if he had seen you now. Ha, I've gone toe to toe with him a few times since you left; he'd have beaten me three minutes ago if it'd been him fighting."

Robin bared his teeth and threw himself at Two Face. Two Face swung at him, and Raven didn't see what happened next. Suddenly Robin's and Two Face's backs were facing Raven. Raven levitated a few feet in the air and saw that Two Face's arm was bent behind his back at an angle it wouldn't have been able to make even if he was double jointed.

"Batman didn't teach me that one," Robin spat. His face remained scowling, but Raven felt a wave of horror and self-loathing flood him after he said these words.

"Aargh, so you learned a few tricks, have you, Bird Boy?" Two Face gasped as Robin bent his arm even further.

Raven blamed herself for what happened next.

Two Face pulled a gun out of his suit with his left hand, aimed over his shoulder, and fired straight into Robin's shoulder. The world boiled down to nothing but sound. The bang of the gun was an explosion in her ears. Robin's scream was shrapnel piercing her eardrums. The cries of her friends seemed distant and strangely muted. Somehow Raven heard the tiny clink of the bullet as it exited Robin's armpit and bounced off the floor. There was another sound Raven could barely hear, but loud enough to eventually drown out all the others. It was her own voice.

Raven realized she was screaming, screaming like she never had before; and everything went to hell. Every appliance, piece of furniture, glass, and gambling machine erupted in a hailstorm of debris. A wall of black energy slammed between Robin and Two Face, and a black bird foot seized Robin and dragged him back to her. Power flooded out from her body into every corner of the room. She levitated several feet in the air, about to level the casino, when Beast Boy's yelling broke through her panic. The changeling was clinging to the floor, terror written on his expression as the room flew apart around him. Raven gasped and reeled in her powers, trying to swallow the ocean of raw emotion.

When she had finally focused enough to see what was going on around her, her friends were picking themselves off the ground. Beast Boy lay on the gray carpet, hair spiked back like Robin's. Starfire lay some ten feet to Raven's left, unharmed but clearly dizzy. Cyborg was flat on his butt and staring at Raven with wide eyes seven feet to her right. Two Face's goons were staggering over to their guns, holding their faces and moaning. Two Face had remained standing, but his suit was ruffled like he had set it out on a clothesline in a hurricane.

Raven glanced down to see Robin beneath her, face screwed with pain. She helped him climb to his feet, noticing that he kept his hand clamped firmly on the hole. Robin looked at something behind Raven, then turned his gaze toward her face and gave her a smile that was more of a pained grimace.

"Thanks for covering me," he hissed through clenched teeth. Raven looked up to see a giant shadowy raven, its wings outstretched to protect them both.

"You should learn how to train your girlfriend better," Two Face sneered. Raven flared with anger but kept her powers under control this time. Robin staggered to his feet, three exploding disks in his left hand, ready to be thrown. Beast Boy morphed into a polar bear and tensed to charge. Starfire and Cyborg picked a twin and took aim.

"This ends today, Two Face," Robin said, eyes narrowed.

"But we haven't gotten to business yet," Two Face protested, pulling a stop watch from his pocket. Robin's masked eyes widened. "You see, there's a deep crack in this ceiling, cutting the building into a left and right half near-perfectly."

"Let me guess, there's a bomb in each of the dollar signs. One will go off and bring down one side of the casino while the other remains inactive, killing only half of the hostages. If we disarm or remove one bomb the other goes off." Robin asked. Two Face clicked the stop watch.

"Two minutes."

Robin wasted no time in giving orders. "Starfire, take Cyborg up to the roof, then get the hostages out of here. Cyborg, find a way to take out those bombs. Raven, Beast Boy, you're with me."

Starfire grabbed Cyborg and darted out of the room. The goons opened fire. Robin dragged Raven to the floor. Raven held up her hand, and a wall separated her and Robin from the bullets. Beast Boy barreled forward as a triceratops and nailed one of them, breaking his leg. Raven summoned black wrappings to ensnare the other head to toe. Robin hurled his disks, but Two Face ducked. The three disks detonated above him, and a cloud of smoke hid Two Face from view. Robin rocked to his feet and trotted into the smoke. Raven waved her hand, and the smoke dissipated. Two Face was running for the exit, easily sixty feet ahead.

Starfire flew through the front doors, and he fired, forcing the Tamaranean to take refuge behind a support column. Beast Boy morphed into a tiger and snarled. Two Face fired into the green tiger's shoulder, but even he knew that he stood no chance of doing any real damage to a tiger with a handgun. Two Face sprinted for the back door. Beast Boy chased after him, Raven flying as fast as she could to catch up. Raven heard Robin yell at Starfire to get the hostages out.

Just as Beast Boy jumped, Two Face slammed the back door shut and locked it. The shape shifter crashed head first into three inches of galvanized steel. Seriously, who needs a back door that tough? He morphed back to human and moaned, clutching a lump on his head. Raven ripped the door off its hinges with her mind and rushed into the alley, ready to chase after Two Face. A bang followed by immediate searing pain in her ribs made her cry out.

Raven crumpled to the dirty cement, clutching her abdomen. Two Face had been waiting for someone to follow. Now that she was out he was backing up, ready to escape. This was the first time Raven had actually been shot at with a normal bullet and hit. It hurt far more than the beam weapons she was accustomed to. All she could do was curl onto her side and try not to pass out from pain. Robin stumbled into the alley from the casino and hurled a bird-a-rang at Two Face, sending the gun flying. How on earth did he manage to get back up if this is what he felt?

Raven's vision blurred as she fought off tears of pain. She dimly saw Two Face backing up, shouting something as he retreated toward the street. He pulled another gun from his suit and fired, forcing Robin to take cover. Raven summoned a trashcan to fly at his head, but Two Face ducked and fired again. Raven's wall of black energy stopped the bullets, but the barrier was weak and the impact of the bullet dissolved it. Raven's mind throbbed. She had gone too long without meditating. Summoning the energy for another defense was all but impossible.

Raven forced herself to focus through the throbbing in her chest. She saw Two Face take a coin out of his pocket and flip it. He studied the coin in his hand for a moment before slipping the firearm into his shirt and running down the alley. She could hear the squeal of tires as Two Face pulled out. He'd be gone in seconds. Raven felt an arm supporting her, carrying her somewhere. Robin was talking, saying something to her urgently, but Raven couldn't hear what it was. The immense energy surge, followed by the bullet, had sapped her strength. Shock was starting to set in. She needed to go into a healing trance and soon. But she couldn't leave her friends.

Raven gritted her teeth and forced her legs to support her weight. She tried to pull away, but Robin kept a careful arm around her shoulders, gently supporting her as they limped across the street from the front of the casino, away from where Two Face drove off.

"Oh God, Raven, we got to get that patched up right now." He insisted, eyes wide in his pallid face, completely ignoring his own bleeding hole. He pulled out a roll of gauze and reached for her wound. Raven pushed his hand away.

"No, Robin." Pain lanced through her side again. She gritted her teeth. "We have to go and help the others." She tried to summon the power to heal herself without the trance, but pain and shock had further confused her already frazzled mind.

"But-" A mushroom cloud of fire rose into the sky. Debris flew in all directions like confetti. The right half of the building collapsed. Anyone on that side would be crushed to death instantly. Robin stared between Raven and the building, muscles trembling with indecision. Raven's vision blurred. She found it harder and harder to hold back the trance. Summoning all her will power, Raven forced herself to stay conscious. Her vision sharpened, but Raven knew that she couldn't hold the trance at bay much longer.

"Robin, just go! I'll be fine." Probably Raven thought.

"I can't just-" Robin stuttered, starting to sway. Raven wondered how much blood he had lost.

"I'll stay with her. This time, you go into the thick of it." Commanded a strong but friendly voice, a voice Raven might have instinctively trusted if trust didn't come so unnaturally to her. A firm hand grabbed Raven's arm and lowered her into a sitting position. Raven turned to see a handsome, broad shouldered man holding her. Robin's face morphed into one of incredulousness for a fraction of a second before he was all business again. He nodded curtly and sped off toward the settling cloud of dust and ash.

Thank you, Boy Wonder, for leaving me to bleed to death with a complete stranger. Hooray for loyalty. Raven thought.

Raven tried to stand, but the man pulled her down again. Whoever he was, his hand was like a granite vise.

"Take it easy there," he cautioned in a deep baritone as rich as his suit. His eyes were dark and piercing, ordering her to stay down with the merest gaze. He reached to brush aside her cloak around the wound. Raven slapped his hand away with as much force as she could muster and was satisfied with the sound her hand made when it hit him. She was less pleased with her now throbbing hand.

"Are you sure you don't want some help?" He asked. Raven was glad her hood was up. It helped her to glare daggers at him, making sure he knew that he knew that she did not want to be touched. At all. Ever. The hood also hid her embarrassment. Robin had left her with a stranger. By herself, Raven wouldn't care, but ditching her with a stranger when she was wounded was not ok. The man undid his tie and handed it to her. She wordlessly pressed it against her wound.

"It's not what you think," the man said. "Robin and I have a long history. We lost touch a few years back, but you can trust me."

"Trust has to be earned. And I'm supposed to be over there helping my team." Raven intoned, carefully measuring each word to make sure she gave nothing away. The man chuckled.

"Trust me, I know the feeling." Raven sensed something approaching camaraderie in his tone. Her mind was foggy, but Raven had a vague sense that she should know who this man was. Something Robin had said and something about those words fit…how? Raven stared across the street, trying to work up the mental power to figure it out. Instead, she noticed a man with red hair running away from the building- one of Two Face's lackies, probably the one she had tied up since both his legs were working fine. Raven made to get up and chase after him, but the mystery man grabbed her arm again, holding her still.

"Let me go! He's getting away," Raven snarled, pointing at the red haired goon. The strange man looked where she was pointing, and his gaze hardened. Raven's instincts screamed at her to run. He was no longer safe. The man released Raven and picked up a chunk of concrete, a piece of the casino thrown across the street by the explosion. He took aim and chucked it like a pitcher on the mound. The rock sailed a good eighty feet and struck the goon on the temple. Red-hair dropped to the ground without a sound.

"Whoa. Nice throw," Cyborg said, jogging to stand a few feet away, right arm still a sonic canon. He looked equal parts impressed and curious. The half robot had a few fragments of steel and concrete imbedded in the joints of his metal pieces and a couple nicks and scrapes, but otherwise he looked just fine.

"Thank you." Mystery man said, back to his original personality. The reply seemed genuine, but he was way too calm for Raven's liking.

Raven struggled to stand, and this time the mysterious newcomer didn't stop her. At that moment Cyborg noticed her wound and ran over, scooping Raven off the ground like a kitten. She winced as he picked her up bridal style but chose not to complain. Her vision was blurring again, and she didn't think she'd have been able to stand for long.

She dimly perceived the mystery man stand and brush his suit off. The last thing Raven perceived before she fell into the trance was the mystery man extending his arm to Cyborg and saying, "I don't believe we've met. My name is Bruce Wayne."

Ok everyone, I'm going to be busy with that English report this weekend, but I'll try to get the next chapter up before Monday, maybe by tonight or tomorrow if I'm lucky. Until then…review!