Raven, or Rachael Roth, tugged at her shirt. It was much too close to her skin for comfort. As Raven she wouldn't have minded, but as Rachael it made her feel self-conscious. The purple Aero t-shirt had been a Christmas gift from Beast Boy. She had been feeling polite that day, so she didn't point out that it was a size smaller than she preferred. The black skinny jean she wore hugged her butt tightly. They were also a gift from Beast Boy and unlike the shirt, she believed the size was intentional.

She gently rubbed her palms over the goosebumps that rose on her skin. Rachael wished she had a coat. She hadn't expected Gotham to be so cold. But then again, it was the middle of winter. It had been a little over a month since they had last seen Robin. His emotions were so distant that she could no longer tell happy from sad or fear from excitement. But in the very least, she knew he was still alive.

The goal was to find Robin before Valentine's Day. Well, it was Starfire's goal, but it was as good a goal as any. Rachael had expected Starfire to mope around after they declared Robin missing, but the little alien was full of surprises. She remained very hopeful and optimistic. She would listen to Beast Boy's crazy explanations and tell him why they were incorrect, help Cyborg try to activate Robin's communicator even though she knew nothing about computers, and she would meditate with Raven as she mentally searched for him.

Rachael sighed. Every member of the team held hope, but it was quickly dying like a fire that had been denied oxygen. She was mildly surprised that they had all been okay with her keeping secrets from them. But they were not her secrets to tell. They would do anything to bring Robin back. She didn't say it out loud, but she feared they would never see him again. They had next to nothing and it was unlikely Robin's kidnapper or kidnappers would keep him alive much longer.

She stared up at the large iron gate before her. Ivy hung off of it, only adding to its antique beauty. The black metal curved into half circles as if it were trying to get something just out of its reach. A large 'W' topped it in a calligraphic letter. Rachael moved to the small speaker box that was built into the gate. Gently pressing in the button, she began to speak.

"I need to see Mr. Wayne."

After a few seconds of waiting, a pleasant English voice filtered through the box. "I'm sorry, Master Wayne is not here at the current time."

"Please, this is very important." Rachael paused, contemplating on what name to call Robin. "It regards Richard Grayson."

"Very well," came the voice. "Please come in."

The large gate began to open slowly with a grinding noise. She walked swiftly to the door that was held open for her by a butler. He wore a perfectly tailored suit that added to his age. His hair was combed back to reveal a kind face. He had many smile lines, but equally as many worry lines. His eyes shone with sadness and Rachael felt bad for the old man.

"I will get the master," he said, managing a smile. "Would you like some tea?"

"Herbal, please."

"Please excuse me, but what is your name?"

"Rachael Roth," she replied. "Raven."

Understanding flashed in the old man's eyes. "I'm pleased to meet you, Miss Roth. I am Alfred Pennyworth. If you would please follow me."

She followed him into a large room. A fireplace was parallel to the door. Two couches sat facing each other and a large window was to her left. The walls were painted a light blue, and white molding topped them off. The floor was wooded with a kind of wood Rachael could not identify, but it looked elegant and expensive. A mirror was hung above the fireplace. She had to look away for it only showed how out of place she was.

Rachael lowered herself onto a couch and neatly folded her hands in her lap. She felt so small in such a big house, like she was a needle in a haystack. After a few minutes, Alfred came in with her tea and informed her that Mr. Wayne would be with her shortly. Sipping her tea, she shivered. The house…no, the mansion was so big and so empty. She felt her consciousness expand over the large area. Every hallway seemed to be filled with the sadness of long forgotten memories. No wonder Robin was the way he was. He had a sad and lonely childhood, but he hadn't always been so hard and serious. When she went in his mind, she had seen him constantly playing jokes on people with two red-headed boys whose names he had blocked from her. She didn't know what had caused him to become so serious. He had blocked that from her as well, so he obviously didn't want her to know and she respected that.

She didn't hear Bruce walk into the room, so she nearly spilt her tea all over herself when he lightly tapped her on the shoulder. Bruce Wayne looked to be in his mid-thirties. He had a handsome build, but he hid it under a well-fitting business suit. His face was hard and showed absolutely no emotion, but Rachael could feel worry and hope pouring off of him like buckets of water. he sat down on the couch across from her and leaned forward slightly with his hands folded before him.

"Considering when you spoke with Alfred, you referred to Dick as Richard. He either didn't tell you the whole story or he didn't tell you directly."

Rachael matched his icy tone. "He didn't tell me at all. I went into his head."

"Why?" There was an edge to his voice.

She fought for control of her emotions. This guy scared her and she didn't want to blow anything up. She wouldn't have the money to replace it. "A villain that Robin had been obsessed with had been killed by a former Titan, but Robin claimed that he still saw and fought him. The only problem was none of us could see him, but we all knew that the bruises he had were real. To protect us, he locked us in the infirmary. He had too much stress on his brain and it was killing his body. For a moment we all believed he had gone crazy. I entered his mind to try and convince him that the villain wasn't there, but when I got in I saw more than I expected."

"Does this villain have a name?"

"Slade."

"Slade." He let the name roll over his tongue. "What was wrong with Robin?"

"Hallucinogenic dust." She said it like it was the most normal thing in the world. "It made him see, hear, and feel Slade."

Bruce nodded. "So you learned my identity when you went into his mind?"

"No," Rachael admitted. "He blocked it from me. He blocked quite a bit. But I knew his identity and it was easy enough to put two and two together."

Bruce nodded.

"He told us he was coming to Gotham, but when he didn't come back we got worried."

"He never showed up here either."

Her heart sank. "So he's missing?"

"It seems that way."

A fly buzzed in front of her face and landed on the rim of her cup. She shooed it away and stared at Bruce, who still seemed void of emotion. He had told her Robin was missing like he was merely a lost sock in the laundry. Her eye twitched and the cup she was holding was momentarily encased in black energy before it shattered into a million pieces. Hot liquid poured down her front. She stood up quickly to avoid getting any tea on the expensive couch. Rachael glared at Bruce as if it was his fault, but she quickly looked away, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I haven't had a chance to meditate today."

Sighing, Bruce left the room and returned a few minutes later with Alfred at his heels. The butler carried a stack of clothes in his arms. Directing Rachael to the bathroom, he handed her the clothes. She thanked him and was on her way. As she passed the main staircase, she was overwhelmed with the memory of a little boy with black hair and blue eyes sitting on the bottom step crying for his parents. The memory was not her own, it was Robin's.

Rachael turned into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She didn't bother to lock it because even though Bruce was creepy, he was not a creeper. Again she was surprised by the enormity of the room. It made her feel small and unwanted. She gently tugged off her shirt and nearly folded it, she did the same with her pants. A green washcloth sat on top of the pile. Dipping it in warm water, she rubbed the tea off of her body and deposited the washcloth in a laundry basket. The clothes Alfred had given her were a pair of Robin's old sweat pants and a black basketball t-shirt.

Great, she thought, now I look even more out of place.

Upon her arrival, she found Bruce seated in the same position he had been previously and Alfred was chasing the pesky fly around the room with a rolled up newspaper. She quietly sat down and again apologized to Bruce and offered to replace the cup even though she didn't have the money, but he declined her offer.

"Do you have any idea as to who could have taken him?" she asked.

He shook his head. "All of Gotham's loons were locked up at the time of his kidnapping." Rachael cringed at the word kidnapping. "And it has been a month and I have yet to receive a ransom note. We have to assume-"

"No, you don't," Rachael said sharply. "I know he is still alive. I can feel it through our connection." Her tone was rising, but her anger remained level. "How could you give up on him? He's your son! And who is this we you speak of?"

"I haven't given up," Bruce spat back. "We just need to face the possibility that he may not be alive for much longer. And the we is the Justice League and me, his family."

Rachael was surprised at how fast he had gone from cool and collected to fierce and angry. She knew where Robin got his temper from. Alfred had the fly cornered and he was about to bring the newspaper down on it when it suddenly screamed and shifted into a human being. A green human being. Beast Boy gave a nervous laugh and sheepishly waved as the three other occupants of the room stared open mouthed at him. Fishing the ring Cyborg had given him out of his pocket, he slipped it on and his skin became normal colored and his hair turned light. Only his eyes remained green.

"Beast Boy!" Rachael exclaimed. "I told you to wait at the hotel!"

"First off, it's Gar. Second, I wasn't the only one who disobeyed your orders."

She took a deep breath and mentally counted backwards from ten. "Where are the others?"

"Well, Star is hiding under the couch cushions and Cy is that lamp over there," Garfield said sarcastically. "They're outside in the car!"

Bruce asked Alfred to bring the other two in and the old butler disappeared out the door. Rachael felt her face and neck warm up, she was so embarrassed by Garfield's actions. Shooting him a death glare, she again apologized to Bruce. Garfield sunk into the couch and promptly began complaining about the room having no TV, but he was quickly silenced by a smack to the back of the head from Rachael.

A few minutes later Starfire and Cyborg shuffled in, both in their civilian identities. Victor Stone, or Cyborg, had on a ring that made him look normal and he wore a grey sweat suit. Koriand'r, or Starfire, wore a pink miniskirt with a black Hollister shirt and high tops that Rachael had lent her. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and if anyone were to ask her about her skin color, she was supposed to tell them she had a tanning accident.

"Please," Kori said to Bruce. "You are Robin's k'norfka?"

Bruce wasn't quite sure what she had said, but he understood enough. "I am Dick's legal guardian."

"Dick? Who is this 'Dick'?" she mused. "Is that not a human body part found specifically on males?"

"Who taught her that?" Rachael growled.

Victor and Garfield began to whistle casually and they refused to look at Rachael, who was ready to bash both of their heads in. Much to her surprise, Bruce calmly began to explain to her that Dick was short for Richard and Richard was Robin. So the big bad bat did have a soft spot. They listened as he explained the car accident to them. Whomever it was kidnapped Dick Grayson, not Robin.

They couldn't have been more wrong.