I'm alive! I realise it's been about a month since my last update. I'm so sorry guys. Work has literally been killing me. Why are all my subjects coursework-related! Aah! Anyway, I'd just like to say a big thank you to ventus101, who has also posted more than one review, your last review literally made my day! And also to I'm Judging You, thank you for all your support. Thanks to all who are following this story, reviews really make me happy, criticism is allowed so feel free to comment, although no flames please.

So with the disclaimer here is the next chapter of 'Rise'. Oh, and I've decided to put in the location of where each scene is taking place, it's probably easier to follow that way, for me and you guys. Enjoy!

Chapter 7 - Vengeance

Jump City, somewhere under the Docks

Dick's body trembled with suppressed sobs the moment Wintergreen had left. The boy had just finished showering and was now pulling some black pyjamas on that were set out neatly on his…bed. His bed. Dick squeezed his eyes to stop the tears from leaking onto the sheets. This was now his room. And it was a frighteningly similar size to his room back at the Tower. Dick shivered. These pyjamas were his exact size too. This man was either a great guesser, or a complete stalker. Dick bit his lip as he considered those thoughts. It was most likely the latter.

The boy sighed as he slid under the covers of the double bed. He had expected to be thrown into a damp cell, eating nothing but maggoty bread and drinking his own urine. That man was a monster. So how come he was being treated like some wayward son. Dick shivered again, even though it was not cold. His friends. He thought miserably. His friends didn't deserve to be friends with someone like him. Someone who had lied to them from the beginning. He had lied to them about Red X. He had lied to them about his intentions. He had lied to them on so many occasions. Oh god. The boy clasped his throat as he felt bile creep up inside it. As though the snake inside him was finally being released. He was no better than any other crook on the streets. He was a liar.

Dick covered his ears with his hands. As though he was trying to block out the harmful thoughts. But no matter how hard he tried. All he could hear was: Liar. Liar. Liar. As though a record was playing in his mind. Repeating over and over. He screamed. It was a muffled scream into the pillow, but a scream none the less. A scream purely composed of raw pain and misery. Dick curled into the foetal position and lay there, for how long he could not recall. But he knew time ticked by meaninglessly. What was the point? He thought savagely. Why am I even a hero if I can't even be truthful to my closest friends? Are they even my closest friends if they know nothing about me?

The boy's lip trembled as he stared at the alarm clock on the bedside table next to him. It was 5:30. He was supposed to be starting training at 6:00. Did he even get any sleep? Not that Slade would probably care. Oh. Dick scoffed as he pulled on some uniform that had been laid out for him next to the pyjamas. He probably would want a tired Apprentice. Dick sluggishly walked into the bathroom. As he was cleaning his teeth, he gasped. He gasped at what he saw. And he saw a ghost. His eyelids were so sunken it looked as though he were ill.

Dick gripped the sides of the sink. His knuckles turned white with anger. One night. He thought viciously. One night, and he was reduced to this weeping coward. He shoved the toiletries back onto the shelf and glared at his reflection. More importantly. He was glaring at Slade's insignia on his new uniform. I can go for days without sleep. He thought. He can't break me.

And with that encouraging, and also slightly nerve-wracking thought, Dick marched out of his room. His head held high, and his shoulders rigid, like a soldier. He was at war. Slade was still the enemy. He no longer cared for himself, not that he ever had cared for himself. He was done crying. His friends were the most important thing. He would play Slade's game for now, but when the time was right, Slade would wish he had never messed with the son of the Dark Knight.

Dick trod lightly on the stone floors of Slade's haunt. Surprisingly, he had found that his door had not been locked. Slade knew that he would never willingly escape, not when his friends were still in danger. He was wearing nothing on his feet and the sharp cold pierced his toes like icicles. He sped along the winding passages, passing the kitchen and the living room, and then approached a door he had never come across before. It was slightly open, and there was just enough room so Dick could fit his head through. Curiosity getting the better of him, the boy slowly leant forward and peered round the door. He saw a ledge, and then a railed stair case. He was about to turn away when he suddenly heard a couple of grunts and the shattering of machinery. The boy squeezed through the small opening, and staying very low, shuffled forward. He then peered in between the metal railings.

And the sight before him made him gasp in shock, anger and fear.

Slade was battling his way through countless of his robots, however, Dick could see that these sladebots were far more powerful than any he had ever faced. Slade was fighting ten all at once. And he was a master at it. Dick felt the ever increasingly familiar feeling of fear pool in his stomach. Slade was good. Slade was better than Slade. Slade had been holding back. This whole time the man had been holding back whenever they had fought. He was simply playing with him, with the Titans… as though they were his toys. If the man fought against the titans as viciously as he was doing here. Dick shivered. They would have no chance in hell. Dick narrowed his eyes as Slade flipped the last robot over his shoulder as though it had been a useless commodity. Slade had been hiding his true skills from them for so long. So what else was he hiding? Dick thought desperately. Who really was Slade?

"Ah, Dick." Slade said smoothly, as the man had finished scraping the last bits of robot from the gym mats on which he had been sparring on. "Come here."

Dick curled his fists. His anger and pride had been wounded so deeply in the past few hours… that he couldn't stand any more humiliation. The young vigilante stood up sharply, gripping the railing with such malice that Slade thought the metal bar was about to snap. The mercenary, however, was not amused, and his eye narrowed dangerously.

"I said. Dick, come here." He practically purred.

Dick trembled in suppressed rage. "Don't call me that." The boy spat.

Behind his mask, Slade raised an eyebrow. The man sighed and then, surprisingly, Slade laughed. He actually laughed, as though Dick had told some hilarious joke. Dick was trembling so much that the railing shook in his grasp. It was not funny! He yelled in his mind. Raven. If your there. Please help me. I can't…

"I don't think you fully comprehend this situation, my young Apprentice." Slade was suddenly standing right beside his captive. Dick bit his lip in terror as Slade grabbed the front of his uniform. He would not scream. Batman had always said that once you scream in front of your captives… that means they truly have you. From the moment you scream, it means you are truly lost. Dick gulped as Slade's gloved fingers twisted his collar, causing him to gag. His throat burned as he felt the fine material sink into his skin, like a knife to the bone.

"O…only m…my closest fr…friends and fa…amily call me th…aat…" Dick choked out the words, gulping for oxygen as he did. He was like a fish out of water. Unable to breath. Unable to function…

Slade chuckled. "I can call you whatever you want, Grayson. I OWN YOU!"

Dick almost cried out as Slade roughly shoved him to the wall, Dick managed to hit his head on the rail in the process. He clenched his eyes to stop the tears from falling. No. Not in front of him. I won't.

Slade snorted and walked back down the stairs. His footsteps rang painfully loud in Dick's ears. "So why didn't you tell the titans your real name if they mean so much to you?" Dick stifled a sob as last night's painful attempt of sleep replayed in his mind. "But, I don't really care about your friends, Apprentice. You're here to train. You are here to listen. And therefore you must do exactly what I say, and when I say come." His eye narrowed into a slit, "You come."

Dick gulped, wiping his sweaty palms on his uniform he stood up, as straight as a soldier. The boy nodded grimly, his shoulders slumped in defeat, "Yes, sir. I understand."

Gotham City, The Batcave

The playboy, Bruce Wayne, was known for many things. Alcoholism just happened to be one of them. But to his closest friends, insomnia wasn't that much of a secret as well. Since Jason's death the man had rarely slept. He had barely eaten. He had barely even washed. The man stunk of alcohol as though he was sweating it. Bruce's eyes were red with unshed tears. The man wore his dark kelvar suit, the cowl had been flung unceremoniously to the floor of the batcave. Bruce's fingers flew across his keyboard as he checked through all of the city's cameras in sign for the crazed clown. That evil excuse for a human being had been haunting Bruce's thoughts all week. All he wanted to do, was to kill the clown. He wanted to break that monster so hard that he would never be able to hurt anyone else again. But… if he did that… then he would lose himself to the darkness that he had been running from since the deaths of his parents. But it would be worth it. He thought fiercely. For Jason, it would be worth it.

"Master Bruce." Alfred sighed as he set down a tray of food on Bruce's desk.

"Not now, Alfred." Bruce's words were slurred, as though he were half asleep. The man shoved some more liquor down his throat as he tapped his way through the footage. The sudden sharpness of the vodka down his throat brought tears to his eyes. Alfred patted his shoulder gently.

"Master Bruce, please take a break, you've been at this for days."

"No." Bruce's voice was deep, as though he were Batman threatening his enemies. "No, Alfred. He will pay. I will beat him within an inch of his goddam…!"

"MASTER BRUCE!" Alfred's shout stopped Bruce's hands in their tracks. His alcohol-infused mind slowly forced his eyes to look at Alfred's exasperated expression. The butler was normally so calm, he was usually Bruce's rock, but now… Bruce's heart clenched in pain. Alfred's eyes were hazy, his face blotchy from crying. Bruce growled, he was not the only one suffering. Alfred lowered his voice, "We are all suffering from Master Jason's sudden passing, but Master Bruce, but you are killing yourself. He would not want you to suffer. He would…"

"He would want revenge, Alfred." Bruce growled, and then gave Alfred such a malicious smile that the old butler couldn't even recognise him. Alfred's eyes flickered over to the screens. His heart sank in his chest when he saw the crazed face of the Joker in a city mall. Bruce smirked, "And I'm going to give it to him." And with that the man grabbed the cowl from the floor, and shoved it roughly on his head. The Dark Knight was alive once again. His muscles itching for vengeance. Alfred's shoulders slumped in submission.

"At least have something to eat before you go." Alfred pleaded. Bruce merely ignored the Butler and began to march towards the Batmobile, only to be stopped by a sudden bleeping from his computer. The man under the cowl growled, Bruce shook with suppressed rage. Not now. He thought viciously. Unless it is good news, or unless someone wants to help me to catch the Joker. They can forget it.

Alfred pressed the transmitter. Superman's face appeared on the screen. The Man of Steel looked tired. As though the hero had just woken from a deep sleep. Why was everyone so tired? It was as though time was slipping away so fast, and they would never be able to catch up with it. Superman's eyes were downcast, as though he had just received some dreadful news. At once, Bruce knew that this was not Superman calling. But his friend, Clark Kent.

"Not now, Clark. I'm busy." Bruce's deep voice shook through the transmitter. He was Bruce Wayne no longer, but Gotham's protector, the Dark Knight. Clark sighed.

"You're drunk, Bruce. You aren't well." He spoke quietly, as though he was too tired to argue.

"How would you know?" Batman sneered. He had spotted the Joker, and that was all that mattered.

"X-ray vision, damn it, Bruce, you need to eat!" The anger in Clark's voice was evident.

"No, Superman, I can take care of myself. I get it, you are calling to see if I'm okay, but I am fine and I don't need your help…"

"I'm sorry about Jason." Clark said gently, cutting Bruce off before the man could hang up. Batman merely scowled, accidentally knocking the plate of food Alfred had set down earlier, to the floor. The warm tea spilled onto the stone floor of the cave, like the way blood trickles out from a wound.

"Master Bruce…!"

"Not now, Alfred." Bruce's voice was so deep, so low, so threatening, that Alfred shook with fear, not for himself, but for the person he had taken care of all his life. The man was losing himself to the darkness, Alfred could sense it. "Please, Bruce, get some sleep…"

"NO!" his shout echoed around the batcave. Clark's eyes widened in fear, his friend was not in good shape at all. "No." his voice was almost a whisper it was so deadly, like a viper about to poison its prey. The bat was consuming him again. "No, I'm going after the Joker and no one can stop me. Not you." Bruce pointed a deadly finger at Alfred, "And especially, not you." He glared at Clark, and if looks could kill, this one would have. "If you stop me from my vengeance Clark, you'll be sorry."

"Bruce wait, don't…!"

But the Dark Knight stopped the transmission with the press of a button. Clark's face vanished from the screen like dust. And before Alfred could stop him, he was already in the batmobile. Bruce narrowed his eyes as he sped down Gotham's highway. The Joker was causing mayhem in the city mall, and if the monster tested him, he may finally unleash the demon that had been suppressed for so long, but if he did… he would be lost for good.

Jump City, Titans Tower

It was quiet. No one felt like talking. No one really felt like doing anything anymore. Robin had been their motivator, their rock, Robin had made the team. Without him… they were nothing. The cloak of night had engulfed the tower, which was usual bright with laughs and banter. Now… they were shadows of their former selves. The titans like ghosts, ghosts which didn't quite fit in, for without Robin, the titans were just a bunch of freaks, discarded like rubbish and unwanted by the rest of society.

"Friend Cyborg, it's been three days and still no sign of him." Starfire's voice trembled. The Tameranean was finding it increasingly difficult to fly. There had been no good news. No reason for her to feel happy. And she had been abiding Earth's laws of gravity for the first time in a long time. Raven too, was finding it difficult to maintain control on her powers. Every so often a window would crack, a cup would shatter, and a door would ping off its hinges. The girl's cloak seemed to cover more of her face than normal. Beast boy… well, his jokes were much worse than before, not that they had ever been any good.

Cyborg sighed at his friend's remark. "I know I said three days, Star. But I don't wanna bug the Dark Knight any sooner than necessary. I mean, he's probably busy. Let's give it a few more days, we will find him." Cyborg stood up straight, his one good eye glistened with determination, or was it with suppressed tears?

"We will find him, Star! We just have to keep looking, but we can't abandon our usual duties, we still have to stay focused, and we are still the Teen Titans!"

Starfire smiled, there was flutter of excitement in her chest and she sprang from the floor, flying once more. "Yes, friend Cyborg, we cannot give the up. Let us train, Robin would want us to do the training, yes?"

Cyborg smiled sadly, "'Course he would, Star."

Meanwhile, Beast boy was sitting, hunched at the foot of the tower. The waters of the bay lapped against his feet, the cool night air brushed his face. It was soothing. He sighed. Most of the time he told jokes because…well that's just the thing… he didn't know the answer anymore.

The boy suddenly sat bolt upright on his perch. His ears twitched and he sniffed the air. The teen suddenly shrieked as Raven appeared next to him, as silent as a ghost. Beast boy then sighed with relief.

"Is it too much to make at least a noise before sneaking up on someone like that?" Beast boy whined, sitting himself back down on the rock he was occupying before.

"That would defeat the objective of sneaking up on someone." Raven said bluntly. Beast boy's cheeks coloured slightly, before the boy turned his gaze towards the bay. The stars dotted the night sky like little fireflies, their reflections shimmered on the clear water in the bay. Raven sighed, removing her hood from her eyes for the first time since Robin was taken. Beast boy shifted his gaze from the sea, and stared curiously at the reserved creature before him.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Raven's question wasn't really a question, but she meant for Beast boy to answer. Beast boy merely nodded in reply and then he said quietly.

"You should wear your hood down more often, Raven." He twiddled his thumbs awkwardly as he turned his gaze back to the ocean in an attempt to hide the flush that had crept up his cheeks. "You have nothing nasty to hide."

The darkness prevented Beast boy from reading Raven's expression, but the girl sighed contentedly enough. "It's not looks that I hide from, Beast boy."

Beast boy frowned. Slowly the boy reached for her hand. In the past few days the four titans had learnt that the only way to endure the pain of Robin's absence, was to become closer with one another. Raven had been surprised at how mature Beast boy had been acting over the past few days and because of this, her character had softened around the changeling. Raven did nothing to prevent Beast boy from wrapping his fingers around her own hand, and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I'll always be here Raven." Beast boy promised, shifting his body closer to the empath's. Again, the girl did nothing to stop him. "Whatever it is, you tell me when you're ready. Robin had secrets of his own, he failed to tell us his and look where that got him. I don't want that to happen to you too."

Beast boy gasped as ever so softly, ever so gently, as though it was a ghost of a reply, Raven squeezed his hand back. Most wouldn't have felt the change in pressure. But due to Beast boy's acute senses, the teen knew that Raven had understood, more importantly, she had thanked him.

"You're welcome." He said softly. And the two watched the stars dance across the water. The waves rose and fell, like their chests and the white light of the moon shimmered upon the water. A couple of songbirds soared in between rays of moonlight, the two birds were so free, so happy… Raven sighed as though she had just read Beast boy's thoughts. There was another bird out there who was so lost… so lost that they may never see him again.

Beast boy sighed as the dark thoughts clouded his mind. The boy shivered as the wind whipped his hair across his face. Goosebumps crawled up his arms.

"Robin!" Raven yelled, her face contorted with horror as she stood up sharply, tripping in the process, falling backwards on the sharp rocks on the bay. Beast boy quickly ran to her side, his heightened senses allowing him to see in the dark.

"Raven!" he shouted, reaching forward he grabbed her gently by the shoulders, helping the girl to sit up. Raven's eyes stared at him as though he were a monster, her pupil's dilated to the size of saucers. Her limbs trembled as she slowly got to her feet.

"I d…don't know where he is…" she cried, "But the fear… the fear I felt…we have to get Batman, Beast boy." The girl grabbed onto Beast boy's arms, her nails piercing his skin in terror, never wanting to let go…

"It's alright, Raven." Beast boy soothed, leading the petrified girl into the Tower, "We'll call the Dark Knight. And we'll find Robin." Beast boy growled as he took one last glance at the peaceful bay, "And then that bastard will wish he'd never been born."

If Raven had looked closely enough. She would have seen the mad glint within her friend's eyes. Which can only mean one thing. The return of the Beast.

So what do you think? A lot of cliffys I know, but trust me, you'll want to stick around. I'm so sorry for the delay, the next chapter will be a lot sooner. I promise.

So until then mis amigos.

Love Nightwing147 xx