A/N: Hey! I'm not dead! Just really... really... really really... rrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy tired. I swear if Monday comes around I'll die! *Checks calendar* Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! It's Monday tomorrow! now for a recap... Robin talks to Jericho, The team call Batman, Robin chokes on a sandwich, Beast Boy spills the beans, Batman talks to Robin. Now roll the tape! (AKA, onto the rest of the chapter!) I hope u like it!


Chapter 8: Choices, Choices…

-Mount Justice-

-Batman (Young Justice Dimension)-

Shock. Utter shock. Cyborg could show him as many images and documented files as he wanted, Starfire could tell him as much as she wanted, Beast Boy could shout at him all he wanted, but being the stubborn person he is, he'd just keep denying it.

"You don't even know our Robin! This is what happened! We are telling you the truth!" They could keep telling him that, but he'd just keep refusing to acknowledge it, until, of course, he calls Diana.

"What's wrong, Bruce?" she asks. Bruce shrugs. In keeping his aloof persona, he can't express how rattled he is from this.

"I need you to come here straight away; something's come up," he says.

A poor excuse for an explanation, yet Diana nods and replies with a stark, "I'm coming over."

Diana, using her lasso of truth, helps interrogate the three Titans, and when they say exactly what they have been telling him for what feels like hours now, he nods and finally he believes them. Diana leaves, patting Bruce on the shoulder saying it'll be alright, and the Titans go to join what is left of the team.

Bruce types coordinates into the computer, rereading the files and trying to make sense of everything when he hears two people behind him: Cyborg and Aqualad.

"You know we told the truth, don't you?" Cyborg says.

Batman turns to look at the two leaders behind him. "I do, but that doesn't mean I like it," he says in his gruff voice, "You don't know Robin like I do though, and he'll break under that sort of pressure. Your Robin is older and likely physically stronger than mine, and if that's what happened to your fifteen/sixteen year old Robin, think about what it would do to a thirteen year old boy." Bruce pauses for a moment. "Your Robin is still mine in a way too, but he sounds mentally unhinged when it comes to this Slade character, and if he's anything like mine, the both of them might snap under these circumstances."

The boys are both at a loss. Somewhat, they feel like they should give the bat a form of comfort, but they know that what he says is the truth. The three of them stand in tense silence, dreading the possible outcomes of their birds.

-Unknown-

-Robin (Teen Titans)-

Slade. It was him. He was chasing the villain down a dark alley when he turned around. He knew he shouldn't have, but he did. Batman was behind him. "You need to choose," he says, and the Titans appear on the rooftops. He looks at each of them, from Slade, to Bruce, to his friends. He steps towards the Titans, but they disappear, leaving his two mentors to choose from.

He steps towards Bruce.

"He fired you; do you really think he wants you back?" Slade mocks from behind him. He moves back to the centre.

"You almost died to him! Do you want him to come so close again?" Bruce asks. Robin moves back towards his mentor.

"He doesn't think you can look after yourself. Do you presume he sees you as an equal?" Slade asks him.

Robin stays stuck between mentors. One path, he could go back to his old life, to safety, the other he could be his own person, trapped though he may be. One way, he could learn, better himself, and grow, the other he would never fight again. One way he was a hero. Who to choose? Who to believe? Who would know? Dick would know. But he's not Dick. Dick's a nobody. Dick is dead to him.

The kid appears. He holds Robin's hand, guiding him towards Bruce and the right path. Deathstroke appears next to Slade, shooting at the younger boy, and it hits him in the arm.

"Crime fighting isn't for a kid like you," Batman says to the younger boy. The kid disappears into nothingness.

Deathstroke and Slade stand with smug expressions on their faces. "Come with us, boy, and we'll give you the respect you deserve." Deathstroke says.

Slade is strong. Deathstroke is strong. Robin always admired that about him, though he hated that he admired it. They could teach him, and he could become strong, too. Bruce never let him get strong. Dick was coddled and patronized all of the time. Being human among super-humans meant that Dick was never expected to be better than his colleagues, never expected to be helpful within the Justice League. As Robin, he had found his friends to trust him as a leader and contributive member of their team. As Dick, he could never be anything but the sidekick.

"No, Robin, you're going to make a decision you're going to regret!" Bruce holds out a hand to him, a lifeline.

"Robin, don't trust them." Jericho, Joseph pleads from next to Bruce, his green eyes wide, as he faces down two of his father. Robin takes a few steps towards them and behind him the two madmen laugh.

"Are you going the path of a mute boy and a man who thinks of you as a sidekick?" Slade asks.

"I'm no one's sidekick!" Robin shouts, throwing a smokebomb in front of him.

The smoke clears. He's back at the circus. He hears the snap and looks to his parents. "Robin, go with Slade," his father says, "He's not like Zucco."

"No, honey, go with Batman. He saved you, saved us." his mother says. Then they both drop to their deaths. Dad wouldn't say that, Mum wouldn't speak like that!

He's at the haunt, Slade behind him, his friends dying, the probes eating them from the inside out. "Choose, Robin. You know who you want." Robin steps towards his friends, but they disappear again.

"No!" he shouts, throwing a punch at Slade, "I won't!" He kicks and punches, throwing everything he has, using every trick he's got. Slade grabs him, pinning his arms to his sides, his legs to each other, and just like that, he's done for.

"You're under arrest." Bruce says, but all Robin can see is Slade. His mask, his uniform, his torture.

"No, Slade! NO!" Robin shouts, kicking his legs furiously, thrashing his head in someone's firm grasp. "You can't make me; you can't make him! I won't let you! I choose my own paths! I choose ME! I choose Robin!" Robin punches at nothing in one last futile attempt to win. But his vision goes black.

-The Batcave-

-Batman (Teen Titans Dimension)-

"Dick!" he shouts, his voice calm and monotone. The boy in his grip thrashes around, somehow equipping his bo-staff, whacking it against his chair in front of the Bat computer.
"No, Slade! NO!" His boy kicks his legs. "You can't make me; you can't make him! I won't let you! I choose my own paths! I choose ME! I choose Robin!" Dick punches with so much force, Bruce is forced to drop the boy, and Dick smashes into a display case, shattering it.
"Richard!" Bruce shouts, a shred of worry slipping into his voice. He rushes quickly over to his young ward and shakes him lightly, gripping Dick's shoulders as the boy continues to shout.
"No! Please! Leave me alone!" Bruce looks around, trying to find something, anything that would make Dick snap out of it.
Bruce spies a bucket of water nearby, and he hurriedly throws it onto the flailing child. "Wake up, Richard!" Bruce says, his voice calm, but holding back a panicked waver in his voice. Dick sits up, gasping for breath. He looks around, looking at his surroundings.
"Dick… Are you alright?" Bruce asks, bending down to look the boy in the eyes. Dick looks at his hands, glass powder clinging onto him.
"Bruce…?" Dick asks, his voice hoarse. It seems to pain him to speak. "Where… am I…?" he asks, and then, as he starts to piece things together and wake up, it dawns on him. He stands up quickly, almost falling over again. "You brought me here, didn't you!" he growls, going back to his 'old' self.
"It was for your own good, and after this, I'm glad I did. You almost killed yourself." Bruce says, looking from the smashed glass, to his boy. Dick's masked eyes narrow to slits with a glare making Bruce almost want to step back.
"Do you know how many times I've been closer?" he hisses, and Bruce looks to him, shocked. Dick's eyes widen. He didn't mean to say that, but taking it in stride, he continues. "Do you know how many of those times you weren't there for me?" he asks, his voice on the verge of breaking.
"Dick, listen, I know I haven't been there for you these past years, but don't blame me. You were the one who pushed me away. You were the one who told me you didn't need me anymore, that you were capable of looking out for yourself."
Dick laughs, an almost hysterical, mad laugh. "Oh, really! Don't blame you! Since when have rules stopped you before? I've seen you take down guys with one punch! Yet you didn't BOTHER to come after me! I wouldn't have cared! But now I do. You weren't there for me when-" he cuts himself off, not trusting his mentor to such cruel memories just yet. The two were like strangers at the moment, Dick had changed, the smiling kid Bruce knew was gone, replaced by an older kid, a mini version of Bruce, a young Batman.
"Have you stopped to listen to yourself lately? You sound like a half mad person. When was the last time you had a good night's sleep? Had a day off? When it was just us you had breaks in the day and patrol at night; you got to be yourself. Now look at you. You're a completely different person: someone clumsier, someone who would probably die facing someone like Deathstroke alone…" Bruce trails off. Whose name had Dick used? Slade. The pieces start to fall into place. The mask, Dick's obsessiveness, the symbol, the posters, the nightmares, the apprentice suit, Red X…
"Dick…" Bruce starts, his concerned voice fading into a sterner one. "I'm going to ask you one question. Just one, alright? Nothing more. I'll send you to Alfred, he'll fix you up and give you some breakfast. You'll go have a lie down, and then you can leave again, but only if you answer this question. Is that clear?" Bruce walks towards his ward, putting his hands on the younger's shoulders.
Dick laughs, shaking off Bruce's hands, trying not to make it look too much like he still blamed him for everything. "Just one question, no more. I'll go see Alfred, but only because I'm craving his waffles. Then I'm leaving."
Bruce sighs. His little bird could never agree completely, could he?
"It's a deal," he says. Bruce really needs a coffee right about now.
Dick gives him an impatient look, translating across as: Get on with it already.
"Alright. Who is Slade?"
Dick gives an emotionless laugh and runs his hands through his messy hair, now lacking gel. As his hands run through, he brushes tiny shards of glass out leaving crimson streams in his ebony hair. Blood. "Really? That's all? I could write a whole essay about that maniac. He's a villain. He's annoying. He's-" Bruce cuts him off.
"Let me finish. Who is Slade… to you?"
Dick freezes, his mouth still open a little.
"Answer me truthfully, and I'll keep my side of the deal."

-Titans Tower-

-Raven (Teen Titans)-

"Where's Robin?" asks Kid Flash, zooming in, ruffling Jericho's hair, then leaning on the back of the couch behind Jinx. The girl looks up at her love and smiles while he smiles down at her. Yuck.

"He went out. I'm in charge until he comes back."

The rest of the young heroes wander back in from various parts of the tower or city.

Younger Robin comes back in and shrugs. "Well, at least you actually tell us important details and don't hang around in the evidence room all the time." he says.

Other Kid Flash runs up behind his young friend.

"Is it possible to hate yourself?" he asks, and when everyone gives him confused and 'yeah' looks, he laughs awkwardly. "I mean, is it possible to be mean to an inter-dimensional version of yourself?" Other Kid Flash laughs.

"Apparently, it is," he says and then looks to Kid Flash. "Although… I don't see myself hating such a handsome person like you." He says, earning an 'aww!' from his double and a snort from Jinx. "Love you too, Jinxie!" he adds, blowing a kiss to her. She pretends to catch it.

"Well, he's weird, he doesn't tell me stuff, he's given up his- our identity… he wears gloves that look like he's permanently waiting to wash dishes," Little Robin protests, getting a few sniggers from the others. "It's true!" he adds, sounding like a little kid.

"Well, it doesn't matter if he has gloves like a dish washer or not. He's not here, and none of us know where he is." Miss Martian says, coming in with a tray of freshly made chocolate chip cookies.

"True," says Herald, "Raven, do you know where he is?"

Raven shrugs. Jericho and Robin share a look. Of course they knew, but Batman wasn't gonna let them tell everyone he kidnapped his ex-sidekick.

-Unknown-

-?-

"So, how are things on your side?"
"They're still in the dark about our intentions. How about you?"
"It seems like the Bat has come back for his little bird. Luckily, his little birdy knows how to hold a grudge."
"Are we going to swap things around soon?"
"Yes, in a few more days. Maybe by then, the Bat and the Bird will hate each other; make it easier for us."
"Does the other know?"
"I believe not."
"Good, it'll be fun to toy with him."
"Yes, indeed."
"I'll see you on the other side."

"You will, indeed."


A/N: Did u like it? A BIG thank you to LittleWeirdPerson for editing the chap! now onto reviews!

Red Blaze 16:

Maybe he can... That's another good idea. Your wish is my command!

Guest Review:

That's okay that you don't like the chapter. I will make yJ Robin and TT Batman listen to TT Robin. I don't know where this story is heading, but we'll see if ol' Batzie will let Robin go back or not. Maybe he will, maybe he won't. Thanks for telling me your opinion!

Fangy:

Thanks my friend!

Alright! That's it! Don't forget to follow, favorite and review. I love to get you guys's opinion and I love hearing from you all. Don't be shy... like me... heh heh heh...
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And that's Top Hat Elephant signing off for the night.

*Drops The Mic.*

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TTFN!